Do not adjust your set…

This set was put up just a few days into North American cities getting locked down. Regions in China has been quarantined. The whole of Northern Italy was shut down with shelter in place orders. It would have never occurred to me on March 18th that we would still be impacted to this degree. It’s hard to even tell now to what exact degree that is. I’ve seen gatherings over recent weekends that would suggest it never happened. Yet the trains are still relatively empty. The Financial District on Friday looked very much like it did on any weekend in the 80s when nobody lived down there. Columbus Circle at noon had very few tourists. I’m not letting the glorious end of summer weather fool me. We are still in a very dark place, and in that respect, headed into the cooler weather soon, we need a dark soundtrack. Yes, damn it! Everything needs a soundtrack!

I was talking with a woman last night who said she had broken out just a bit and went out for brunch with friends. She said that despite not being a particularly touchy person, or not so physically demonstrative, she kept feeling compelled to touch or hug and it made her realize for the first time that she was experiencing an undercurrent of loneliness. That rang a bell with me. It’s what’s been ailing me in a way. Though I’m very much self-contained emotionally the current climate has pushed us into extremes we wouldn’t otherwise experience. There is a sense of isolation even among people. It’s hard to know just how much physical distancing is appropriate or unsafe. I had dinner with a friend last night and when she hugged me goodnight it was jarring. I could feel my body stiffen. It wasn’t so much feeling like it wasn’t safe as it was that it felt almost alien. It felt… foreign and new. File under things we take for granted. Under normal circumstances I don’t embrace any but my closest friends. Even shaking hands can be an annoyance, like what the hell is this custom about anyway. Now I know. Touch is important. We are hardwired for it. It’s not just kind eyes and smiles. We are about touch.

Now I know, and I’ll try not to take that for granted anymore.

I’m going to give a shout out here to FEAR N LOATHING, the producer who put this mix together. He is apparently another German. Their take on techno has vibed the most with me. It seems almost redundant to say that it’s dark and hard. That seems to be part of the German zeitgeist with electronic music, and why not? They’ve always seemed more than willing to go there with art and music. This guy is no exception. It’s not the neo-flower-power of The West.

Okay, time to move.