Techno Tales: David August Boiler Room Berlin
I attended my first electronic music party in January 2017. I was shocked by the openness and loving energy of the crowd. Where has this been my whole life? Maybe I wasn’t ready yet.
At the time, I was more excited about the community than the music itself.
2 weeks later, I discovered the David August Boiler Room Berlin set (YouTube). Where to begin...
This was the first time electronic music possessed me. I didn't want to listen to anything else. I've always loved music (hip hop obsession in my youth), but this was new. I became addicted to the spooky smoothness of this set. I kept diving in, no skipping, noticing new sounds each time.
THIS was the beginning of my deep dive into electronic music.
I was eager to share this set with friends, but none of them were into electronic music. I passed it along to a few homies, and they weren't crazy about it. I was disappointed but reminded once again that everyone has their own journey.
There was one friend, however, who fell deeply in love with David's masterpiece.
That would be my Dad.
This was one of the happiest moments of my life. Dad and I were already close and this took it to the next level. We chatted on the phone the next day “ahhh what about that part where it’s like the words go… the words go… the words go… ba doom da doom doom boom boom”
HA! To share these moments with Dad was the ultimate treat. It gets a bit deeper.
When I share a musical obsession with someone, it influences our relationship. Whenever I listened to David’s set, I thought of Dad. It didn’t come as a surprise that he was feeling the same - tuned in.
This opened a path for deeper connection with my Dad. While listening, I’d tap into memories of my father and experience a range of emotional responses.
Sometimes I felt happiness and gratitude. Joyful memories of childhood camping and ski trips put a smile on my face.
Other times I was brought to my knees by an overwhelming amount of grief. Vividly remembering seeing my Dad cry for the first time when he told us Mom was sick.
I would surrender and let the music guide me wherever it wanted to. The most powerful listens would leave me in tears. Something about the tone of this set created space for me to cry. A release I needed. The music was becoming medicine for me. Once again, Dad was experiencing the same, yet even deeper.
Like Father like Son. We were both discovering healing qualities in this set. Access to a meditative state which allowed us to go deeper within ourselves. Thank you David August.
Music can be absorbed in different ways depending on your intention. Background music for cooking? Nice. Feeling anxious and want to escape your feelings? Fuck it, throw on a set that makes you smile. Depressed and looking to accept the feeling and find the root cause? Music is medicine.
It’s become my ultimate vehicle for connection – with others and myself. Every time I visit Dad in New Jersey, we throw on David August and jam out. It never gets old. It always feels new. Thank you David for such a brilliant mix.
The intention of Techno Tales is to express gratitude to the music community. I will be sharing stories about how this community has changed my life and brought me closer to love, surrender & acceptance.
I want to share your stories as well. If you have a Techno Tale you’d like to contribute, send us an Email (SENDIT@TheArmyof.Love) and we’ll discuss how we can work together to bring your story to the community. Could be a video, podcast, blog post, etc. Can be anonymous if you’d like.
Love you!!!
