[C_Knight]

To say hello and happy new year to AG and all the oldbies!!
Thought I'd keep some of you updated on my life, but be more than welcome to update on yours as well, in fact, PLEASE do. I've been out of the loop so I would appreciate it if I knew what was going on with the rest of you guys too. I can't believe it's been 6 years since I've joined this site...This was my first experience of a forum, and I'm really glad that I got to meet and interact with you crazy folks

Basically I'm still living in Toronto, Canada, and I don't see myself moving to another location anytime soon (although Montreal would be a cool substitute.) I'm still living with my parents which doesn't bother me since they give me the freedom I need. I'll be 20 years old soon..and that makes me feel incredible old...I mean when I joined AG I was 14!!! lol. I'm currently almost finished my 2nd year of college as a computer programmer. It's VERY stressful and not as enjoying as I thought it would be, and people wonder how I have the patience for it...I don't really know myself. It's not that horrible though; I mean, I was expecting a challenge and I got one. It'll pay off in the long run when I'm a coder for a video game Wishful thinking but it's possible heh.

Honestly, I just know that it'll be bringing in the cash, and with that I could finally pursue my real dreams: producing (mainly trance and/or house music.) For a couple of years I've worked on a few productions and remixes, and two of them were very successful and included on the vinyls/cdm's of the artists. But there's just so much you can do with pirated musical software lol. When I have the means, I'll be able to buy expensive synthesizers and possibly even rent out or even buy my own studio. At that point I could seriously start working on real projects. Not only that but I've also been working on a few other "talents". Even though I decided not to become a journalist, I realize that I really love to write, mainly poetry and song lyrics. So I could produce the music and write it, but can I sing it? Surprisingly I've been told that I can, but fortunately I do not see myself using my vocals, especially since most of my productions will be instrumental. But that's enough about my career goals for now..

I'm doing well both physically and mentally; no new mutations...I was expecting the wings to grow in but ah well..lol...As for my lifestyle, it just keeps changing and it's getting drastically freakier! Over the past year or so I have become a fiendish lover of EDM (Electronic Dance Music.) I participate in the after-hours scene which basically consists of clubbing until the early hours of the morning (usually 12 AM - 8 AM.) Many people are involved in it because of the drugs but I am not one of those individuals. I go for the music, it's a passion of mine. Nothing makes me more happier than to dance to my favourite deejays; I sacrifice my body and soul to the sounds of the underground hehe. It's my apreciation of life itself...sounds very freaky I know. You'll find me popping a pill once in a while but most of the time I'll be absolutely sober, dancing nonstop. I've been told that I'm a ball of energy that never runs out of fuel. I don't need substances. At 6 am all the sketchy drugusers who took 3 pills will be tired, while Cribby will be still dancing like a maniac 110% sober lol..Sometimes I wonder if I'm really human or not...

I've lost touch with many old friends but I've gained new ones. It pains me to think about it but this time I'm making sure that history will not repeat itself, because friends mean absolutely everything to me. As far as love goes..I still haven't found that special someone, but it's not really on my list of priorities. I've been exploring all the "gray areas" of my life and it's pretty exciting. Fortunately I stopped falling in love with one of my best friends. I realized it was the friendship I loved and not him as a person. But a couple of months after that I had my first real experience. I met this guy at my school back in late October and it was really fateful. We were so into each other, the chemistry was awesome, and we had a really strong connection. That all went downhill as the months progressed. We both went through losses of family members and stress from school + friends. Despite those bumps I still tried to make an effort for a relationship to work, but I was the only one. Things were supposed to pick up after the new year but they became worse. He didn't make much effort at all, and I found myself to be annoyed at him constantly. It didn't help either that he is at a school that's about an hour away. Since he kept pissing me off and we weren't even in a relationship yet I just stopped caring. I hadn't seen him in over 2 months and any feelings I had for him basically died. So a few weeks ago I decided that I won't make ANY effort at all. I'm tired of his spoiled little princesss persona! If he wants me then he needs to work hard to get me. That didn't happen though. We still talk online once in a while, and to him things are still the same, and I think he has no clue that I'm not interested anymore. Frankly he doesn't need to know.

After that I made sure that I was free to do as I pleased. I'm keeping him on hold at the bottom of my list and I'm just keeping my options open. I've been having a few flings or treats of the week lol with a few girls and some guy, but there's no one I'm really interested in at the moment. I'm probably the pickiest guy there is, and I thought that having more sides to choose from would be easier, but if anything it's just as bad. More choices lead to more problems hehe. Despite all my ridiculous I am very stable. I know what I want in life, who I want in life (regardless of gender), I've set my goals, and there's no turning back. My resolutions for the new year were to go out partying less and cutting off some unwanted people in my life. If anything I'm partying more than ever, and that dissapoints me, but hey, I'm young, and I still have years of partying ahead. I'm too much of a clown to take life too seriously! So cheers to that, and I've probably rambled on enough lol...will anyone even read ALL that?!

So...FLs...now it's your turn

[jjacob]

Welcome back! Great to see you're doing okay and realising your dreams! (yes I actually read all that ). And please keep on partying, you only live once and you don't want to be one of those 50 year olds that still go clubbing high on amfetamins because they regret not doing it enough in their times It's amazing how much longer you can party 'sober' than on pills (and how much more you can recall the next day), although every once in a while it's nice to experience the music and sights 'more intensely' By the by, if you ever get the chance, try a minimal techno party for a change, it's amazingly awesome and the audience is, on average, a lot more fun and diverse than 'regular' dance/trance parties/festivals.

Also, what productions have you worked on, we'd love to hear some stuff

(Korg Triton Extreme)
A studio all-in-one package Seriously, this thing packs pretty much everything you need for electronic music (even Herbie Hancock uses it alot in his more electrofunky stuff), who needs an actual studio

Regarding your love life, other people will probably comment more wisely on that

As for me, I'm partying more and more as well (that's not why I rationalized your behaviour at all ), though on the other hand I'm going to film school soon, so I better make use of the time I have left (seeing as though I'll be devoting 80-100 hours a week to it when I'm there), but I won't go into.. well, me any further, this is your thread

[jjacob]

Oh btw if you're curious here are some examples of minimal (no illegal links, promise )

Troy Pierce vs. Magda @ Sonar part 1 part 2
Troy Pierce @ Voltt
Magda @ Awakenings part 1
Magda @ Awakenings part 2
Wighnomy Brothers @ Traffic
Wighnomy Brothers @ Awakenings
Marcus Meinhart - Taucher Session
Tiefschwartz @ 5 days off part 1 part 2
Darko Esser @ Full Spectrum
Wighnomy Brothers @ Awakenings
Steve Bug @ Static
Jerome @ Static
Ricardo Villalobos @ Voltt

I party way too much

[C_Knight]

Thx, I'm glad someone did heh. I will keep on partying until I either have kids or until I can't move my feet anymore..whichever comes first It's funny you should mention minimal techno because I'm actually getting to like it more. My first real experience of minimal tech was when I saw Richie Hawtin live for the first time last year. I was very dissapointed with his set, as were most people. His style has developed into more minimal and the scene here isn't ready for it just yet. It's not exactly "club" music since it has such a much lower BPM..it's too slow and minimal to go crazy too, which is why most people here in Toronto don't appreciate it. Lately though my best buddy has been harassing me with minimal sets and I'm starting to like it quite a bit, but I doubt that I'd really get into it. It's more of the chill-out type, which is good to listen to at a lounge and not a club heh. A local deejay here named Lee Osbourne plays some really good minimal tech. He mixes it really as filler for the harder tech stuff. Besides him I've listened to good sets by Magda and Loco Dice. I'm not surprised that you listed some links by her, she totally rocks! I will dl them all I've also seen Steve Bug and Jerome live. Since we're talking about techno here, I really love Carl Cox, Timo Maas, Lee Burridge, Donald Glaude, Miss Honey Dijon, and DJ Preach (Montreal local.) Although some of those listed tend to play more progressive and tech house rather than techno.

As far as my productions go, two of my remixes that I co produced with someone under the alias DarkMoon were released on vinyls for Marc et Claude - Loving You 2002 and Aurora - Here You Calling. I will upload some samples a bit later. It's commercial trance but my remixes give it more of a harder and darker touch.

@ the Korg Triton. I REALLY want a virus though

What type of films are you most interested in? And PLEASE go into more details about your current life. I stated to hear about everyone elses lives so this topic is not solely about me heh.

You can never party too much!

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by C_Knight

To say hello and happy new year to AG and all the oldbies!!

Where the fork have YOU been, my hot-pr0n-icon-of-manly-studliness-who-charges-by-the-hour?

Can't really say anything other than it's good to hear from you and to keep doing what you do because it's good and it's sexy and it will take you places.

You asking me what's going on? HA!! I'll tell you. Met this very sweet fellow online back in July '04 and he listened to me and embraced me and we fell in love, then did a long distance affair before I flew to a small university town in Oregon to meet him in person and spend the week. It was wonderful, and 6 months later I moved here to be with him and start a new life. It turned out he has serious issues with communication (I won't get into detail for sake of length). I spent the next several months actively looking for work but couldn't find any, nobody wanted to hire me (I think some people in this town are racist, and it's a very conservative community). I finally found work doing part-time data entry for an online clothing reseller.

All that time I was deeply stressed out, yet not even ONCE did big R acknowledge it or even give me a sympathetic hug and appreciation for my hard work with job hunting. Instead all he did was go into the gay chatrooms to hang with his friends, and he did that every single evening after work and on weekends. He even had the gall to ask me why we're not spending enough quality time together. I made the effort to, getting up extra early on weekends to make us breakfast and to be up with him. But he would immediately log into the chatrooms at 6 or 7 in the morning on Saturday or Sunday. And I'd sit there with my coffee and stare at him, thinking Where's that quality time?. I never could have a long conversation with him talking about topics like what we discuss here in Chit Chat - culture, politics, food, whatever. He SUCKS at that (he's rather uneducated, never chose to be curious and willing to learn). But he's great in the chatrooms, typing prolifically. In fact, the best conversations we ever had WERE online, before I moved here!

Finally after my unsuccessful attempts to keep our relationship going, he told me he didn't love me anymore, even though he's still 'very fond' of me. That was incredibly devastating. In the end I had to accept the truth that I can do better, but I want to be alone again for a while and focus on myself.

I had been reaching out to my friends and family for support. My best friend Joe in San Francisco had been trying to get me to move there for years, so I thought about it. I want to pursue my writing there. So I said yes! I will. Joe told me I should stay with him in his condo in Oakland til I get work and a little flat of my own. Meanwhile my mom and dad in South Pasadena told me I should stay with them. I was originally going to stay a couple more months in Oregon to work and save up money but decided that was stupid. I had ideas to write here, to take some classes at the university, to possibly even start a small business. But why stay here at all when the sweet reason for which I moved here had been taken away? I have NOTHING to look forward to here anymore. So I quite my job and made my decision.

I booked my flight to Los Angeles on the 18th of February, just over 3 weeks away. It's a one-way ticket. I'll be with my parents and I'll be helping my mom take care of my old and frail dad who is bedridden (my brother lives just 5 minutes away). It'll be great for me to bond with them again, they're doing far better these days because they've made friends with neighbours. Oregon winters are horrible, nothing but dreary grey skies and rain, so the sweet California sun and warmth will truly be theraputic for me.

I can go into L.A. too! I can't wait to see how beautiful the Getty Museum is, and I missed LACMA for its exhibits. Ironically I plan to go to the cafe where I used to write almost every day when I lived in L.A. years ago (they now have free wi-fi! w0000!), and I expect to go there once or twice every two weeks. There are two cafes within walking distance of where I'll live that have free wi-fi, and the public library just one block away also has free wi-fi. I won't be here as much as before from now on (my 'rents don't have internet), and that's a good thing because I can focus more on my writing. I plan on landing at least p/t work to save money and if I get one I may stay 6 months before moving up to S.F.

I know now I will NEVER move again for anyone. Ever. And I will never live somewhere where I can't ever feel comfortable being myself. I hate racists, bigots, and homophobes I feel sadly that there are people out there who choose to shut themselves away from possibilities, passion, and agape. I can understand how fear and ignorance and drive you to dis-acknowledge the kinds of uncertainty such things bring. Basically big R expected me to live some kind of 'straight' life with him. I'm not one of those dumb flaming queens who love to wear dresses and heels, I'm not some leather queen either. I have never been stereotypically gay, and my mannerisms are masculine, but because I'm small, skinny, and very young looking for my age that masculinity gets interpreted as boyish, not manly. Even then, I was never comfortable being in a community where individuality isn't passionately embraced. So I'm moving somewhere where people are more educated to be loving and accepting. And dammit, I gotta get my novel written.

That's what's going on with me now. Wish me luck. And best of luck to you.

[jjacob]

Originally Posted by C_Knight

His style has developed into more minimal and the scene here isn't ready for it just yet. It's not exactly "club" music since it has such a much lower BPM..it's too slow and minimal to go crazy too, which is why most people here in Toronto don't appreciate it.

If that's the case then the DJ is doing something wrong Minimal can be quite fast and hardy, but tends to be a bit slower than regular techno at the beginning of the party. At around 6/7 AM the place should be bangin though It's not the easiest style of edm, but it tends to grow on people fast. During 5 days off, an Amsterdam event with parties at various clubs in and around the city (derived from the Belgian 10 days off, lucky bastards ), the crowd was generally disappointed with the minimal DJs the first night, but the following nights you could definately see them warm up to minimal, and the final night the whole club was going absolutely wild. Richie is generally a double edge sword, he can be really great when he wants to, but on some nights he just sounds extremely uninspired and with no sense of pacing or structure.

Lately though my best buddy has been harassing me with minimal sets and I'm starting to like it quite a bit, but I doubt that I'd really get into it. It's more of the chill-out type, which is good to listen to at a lounge and not a club heh. A local deejay here named Lee Osbourne plays some really good minimal tech. He mixes it really as filler for the harder tech stuff. Besides him I've listened to good sets by Magda and Loco Dice. I'm not surprised that you listed some links by her, she totally rocks! I will dl them all I've also seen Steve Bug and Jerome live. Since we're talking about techno here, I really love Carl Cox, Timo Maas, Lee Burridge, Donald Glaude, Miss Honey Dijon, and DJ Preach (Montreal local.) Although some of those listed tend to play more progressive and tech house rather than techno.

Don't be so sure, it grows on you and before you know it, you'll drop all your other musical preferences and you can't get enough of it I still love techno but I've grown pretty bored with the harder stuff. I can still enjoy a night of Carl Cox or DJ Rush every now and then, but too much and I don't need another fill for 6 months.

As far as my productions go, two of my remixes that I co produced with someone under the alias DarkMoon were released on vinyls for Marc et Claude - Loving You 2002 and Aurora - Here You Calling. I will upload some samples a bit later. It's commercial trance but my remixes give it more of a harder and darker touch.

Holy shit I must've heard that millions of times back in my house phase "Loving you is easy 'cause you're beautiful, making love to you is all I want to do" that must've been one of the more succesful trance hits ever! To be honest though, one minute of trance right now would trigger my fight-or-flight instinct

@ the Korg Triton. I REALLY want a virus though

What type of films are you most interested in? And PLEASE go into more details about your current life. I stated to hear about everyone elses lives so this topic is not solely about me heh.

I don't know if Virus is worth the extra $$ (I'm not into producing that much anymore), but the Korg is definately worth it

Look over at the "recent movies seen" topic for that, posted quite a list there in one of the latter pages I don't like to go into genres, and I pretty much like them all anyway, if done right.

I'm shooting a short next week if all things go as planned, but we (a friend of mine is looking to get into the academy as well, cinematography/camera, I'm going for directing myself) have yet to arrange for a semi professional DV camera, his brother (an actor) promised he could arrange one free of charge, but his friend is yet to come through on that (can't say I blame him for being cautious though, that thing's worth over 50 grand), apart from that, all is set. I could go into further detail about my script, but it'd probably spoil the final product in case that anyone here might want to see it. If done right, it'll secure our admittance even more. I'm pretty sure we'll get in as the first talks went amazingly well, and the teachers were impressed with our enthusiasm, but seeing as though only 6 out of nearly 200 people will get in, it's still nice to make sure I'm not worrying too much, most of them are 17/18 year old brats fresh out of highschool As for my personal life, I don't have a girlfriend at the moment but considering how much I'm partying atm that'll probably be sooner than later, I hope Speaking of which, I have to get some rest for tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, as there are three awesome parties in a row, so I probably won't get an hour worth of sleep

You can never party too much!

Amen!

[C_Knight]

Trep come to Toronto! It's probably the most open minded city in the world! There's plenty of opportunity here. And as for you ex boyfriend, well, we learn from mistakes right? lol. The fact that he was unintelligent would be enough for me to run away far and fast if I was you hehe. Your flight is on the same day as my bday

jjacob - I've been REALLY itching to come to Amsterdam since I've heard so many great stories about the techno parties there. In fact I think DJ Preach is playing somewhere in a few weeks there The single for Loving You was very successful but I didn't get as much feedback as I wanted for my remix; most people prefered the original. As for your filming, why not shoot a film based on an after hours party? lol...Three parties? Eeeeeesh good luck doing all of em sober haha. I'll be hitting one tonight and tomorrow. Deep Dish and Johan Gielen w/ John Acquaviva