Return II Space

This morning I continued my job search until I received a phone call from my good friend Damian back home. He was getting in touch about sharing some music files we had started working on before I left. For those of you who are curious as to how thats done we use something called dropbox to transfer files back and forth. But, to look at the files I needed to open up a music program I hadn't used in quite a while called Ableton. When I opened it up I found some old audio files I had pretty much forgotten about. Some of which I thought were pretty good. It was a pleasant surprise to find these little explorations in sound.

This experience sparked another thought in my mind that tends to come and go. The idea of returning to space(s). The space isn't defined as a specific area or place. It's all relative. Lately I've found myself returning to and re-examining the space in which I found myself in regards to my love and work with music. In all the time I have had to myself recently I have spent a great deal of time listening to and examining how artists have defined the auditory space they use when creating music. It's helped me to understand that I have a strong awareness in what I like when it comes to my own taste in music. As I've gotten older I've noticed my desire to find works that become increasingly more minimal in sound and subtle in their transformations and transitions. I also really enjoy when an artist has mastered the art of creating space between sounds so that a push-pull tension is created. I know how obsessive I can be when it comes to a tune I really like, and how I can listen to it over and over again examining each individual sound layered within the mix.

What about the use of visual space? Our environments, ourselves, our work spaces are all part of the visual use of space. Thinking back to my time in San Francisco and Los Angeles recently I am reminded of the artwork and graffiti I saw. But, sometimes visual spaces can be deceiving, such as an optical illusion. Visual spaces can also be uncomfortable. Everything here at the moment is so new and different that takes up my visual space it's been a bit overwhelming/stunning/can't fully conceptualize it all. Then there is the visual space we can't see or are unable to use. I'm not sure I can define all this exactly at the moment.

What about having a lack of space? How do we define spaces that aren't physical like the mind? How do we define our own space? I'm still trying to figure this out. What do I want to put in this space? Of course if you haven't noticed yet I've posted videos between the paragraphs. The songs are from the album "Return II Space" by Mala of Digital Mystikz. It's one of my favorite vinyl EP's, but I left my copy back in Boston. It still has the cellophane sealed wrapper on it because I couldn't bring myself to open it when it first arrived in the mail sometime back in 2010. I find myself wondering whats better at this point. Is having a pristine copy of the album worthwhile, or should I open it and enjoy each tune as it's meant to be heard on my turntable with the needle tracking the groove? I feel like this brings me back to where I started. How do we use and define our space? This entry has me feeling more confused than when I started. I hope you enjoy this music as much as i do.