When a long-time wedding DJ asks you to DJ his wedding and when many of the guests are also professional musicians, the pressure is on. The first set was wedding classics for the family and the second set, as heard here, was where things got really interesting. Remixed classics aren't always acceptable at weddings, but with the right crowd of music lovers, it can go through the roof, and this one went to the stars!

(this also ended with a surprise I played on the couple. The last song was a remix that the groom did of the bride's song, so rad)

Unknown Album

Wedding 2nd Set : Remixed Classics / House / Funk / Trap (Explicit)

My first time back playing an Ecstatic Dance Journey on the Big Stage at Sweets Ballroom since the pandemic. It's not on the recording, but I actually played this set with Travis Porter de Leon on live drum kit. This was the first time a full kit has been included in an Ecstatic Dance at Sweets and it was really powerful!

#	Track Title	Artist
1	Viriditas	VOLO
2	Fri	Dirtwire (ft Emma Lucia)
3	One [INST beaut emo, open]	Equanimous
4	Bloomphase 	VOLO
5	The Muse 	DJ Taz Rashid (Watashi ReVibe)
6	Mycelium (Moontricks Remix)	Ryan Herr & Jesse Hendricks
7	Jaguar	VOLO
8	Someone Else	Rezz Grabbitz
9	Hummingbird	Cloudchord
10	Just	Mark Ronson feat. Phantom Planet (Radiohead)
11	The Crocodile	Cheshire
12	Ecstasy	Dr Packer (Barry White)
13	Freak	The Funk Hunters And Defunk
14	Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)	Parliament
15	I Don't Feel Like Dancin' 	Scissor Sisters
16	Pelota (Cut A Rug Mix)	Khruangbin & Quantic
17	Porque Eres Latino (Mijangos Latin House Instrumental)	Chenandoah, Virginia Quesada, Mijangos
18	Body Yako	Captain Planet
19	Fulenn (France)	Alvan/Ahez
20	Swing	Sofi Tukker
21	Axis Mundi	VOLO
22	Chopin 	Headphone Activist
23	Please Come Home 	CloZee, Jead
24	Inner Spark	VOLO
25	HEADLOCK 	Imogen Heap (Blu J Remix)
26	San Pellegrino 	Wizman
27	Kone-Kaniba 	Yemanjo feat Mariam
28	Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)	ABBA
29	Canned Heat 	Jamiroquai (Napolean Dynamite)
30	Rasputin (2021)	Majestic Boney M.
31	Lost	Forester
32	Waves	Koresma
33	Aquaura	Tahüm
34	Insight	Khanvict, Equanimous
35	Blue Mile	Of The Trees, Barclay Crenshaw
36	Jungle	Fred again..
37	Release me Reborn	Infected Mushroom
39	Drum Passage    Ean Golden
40	Phantoms Can't Hang (Grizzli Bootleg) MASTER	Deadmau5
41	Pepas	Farruko
42	I Got the Bug	Riff Kitten
43	Sleep Walk 	Cloudchord
44	Blóðberg	Sigur Rós

Ecstatic Dance Oakland 12.06.23

I spent two full days crafting this set for my return to Ecstatic Dance SF after 5 years off of Ecstatic Dances. I crafted 90% of this set beforehand and left a lil bit up to the moment's wisdom. I actually deviated in those moments to bring in the 90's throwback "Connected" and my big risk: "Texas" by Charlie Daniels Band. This song was requested on NYE at a wedding I was playing and I thought "man, what a banger, I wonder if they'd go for this at Ecstatic?... but so it's soooo country.... and that's sooo risky!" Dirtwire had primed the pumps while I was out in the crowd using the facilities and I felt the people totally into the country vibes so I dropped "Texas" and the crowd went absolutely bonkers, "do-si-do", jigging and screaming. This was a healing moment for me as someone born in Texas, but struggling with some of the politics of my birth state. The dancers danced it out with me and it was an amazing release. This lengthy exhauster was clearly the climax, but I needed to continue the western vibes, so I dropped a new track "Honey" from a friend of mine Kid Beyond. Multiple people came up to me and remarked, one even said "what was that track after the country song? It was sensually healing for my body"

This set also began with recordings of the ocean, as we were in San Francisco, and then lead into one of my all-time favorite songs "Seal Beach" by a hero of mine, Jimmy LaValle of The Album Leaf, who I was once introduced to by Jónsi Birgisson, backstage at a Sigur Ros show (this was one of the most star-struck moments of my life, but I managed to keep him talking about music until his wife pulled him away 10+min later!). 

The set winds down with one of my favorite emotional and spiritual tracks of the year "The Path" by B.Louis (an illegal late addition to my year end playlist, but the song is so effing good, I just had to)

Ecstatic Dance SF :: 01.14.24 :: My best Edance yet?

I designed this set to celebrate something, but I was told that I was not allowed to advertise the theme. Can you determine what I was celebrating? 

I chopped up a track from the band "Activation" and I interwove their powerful statements throughout this set, creating something that, to me, feels akin to a "concept album" inspired by 70's rock legends like Pink Floyd or The Who, of whom I'm a big fan. 

Hopefully you enjoy my creation!

Ecstatic Dance Oakland - 08.14.24 - Secret Theme

I didn't intend to sing at the beginning of this set. But when I tested the reverb on my vocals at 9:45am, it sounded so lush in the gorgeous Sweets Ballroom that I decided to play my intro track in my headphones and to sing over it. I then killed the track and just followed my melody. It was terrifying to just improvise with nothing but my head voice and reverb in front of 100 people just waking up on a Sunday morning, but with my heart beating through my chest, I followed my intuition and this unanticipated artistic expression influenced the rest of this set. 

I was also very much hoping to be able to weave Jesse Welles' brilliant and surprisingly danceable, and painfully funny "Join ICE" into the set and I am so pleased to have accomplished this. 

Live (but not recorded), this set also featured Michael Booker on roaming Sax throug Sweets Ballroom. He brought a ton of great energy and one woman told me "I've been dancing for 10 years here and because of the sax, this was my all time favorite set."

11.23.25 :: CUTTaRUGG :: Ecstatic Dance Oakland - F*** ICE Set

My good friend Tyler Blank turned 40 on 8/19/16, you may know his as AVANI, or the man who pioneered the Ecstatic Dance community in the Bay Area. For his 40th birthday, he sent me 40 of his favorite tracks and asked me to weave them into a set for him to dance with his friends.  This request challenged me in many ways and the result is a different ecstatic set than I've played before.  I hope you'll like it as much as we did.

Tracklist:
"Earth Ascending” - Amoraea Dreamed
"Embers" - Acoustic Eidolon
“November Morning” Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Version
“Light Today" - “Eddie Vedder"
“Really Like You” (Umberto Echo Dubmix) - Sara Lugo 
“Take My Heart” - Bib
“Summer’s End” - Big Wild
(Break for invocation)
“A New Day” - Sol Rising
“Embrace” - Blackmail
“Way Out West” - Trevor Kelly
“Murakami” - Made in Heights mixed with “King’s Avenue” - Too Many Zooz
“Back Pocket” - Vulfpeck
“Smiley Faces” - Gnarles Barkley
“Monsters”
“Horus” - Slumberjack
“Pumpernickel” - Opiuo
“Bust a Move” - Polish Ambassador Remake
“View of Laniakea” - Desert Dwellers (Whitener Remix) mixed with “Stellar” - Incubus
“Dilation” - AtYya
“look here” - Goopsteppa
“Young” Valis Alps
“Bay Area” - Claude VonStroke
“Sugga Daddy” - Muppet Punk
“Work It” - Missy Elliott mixed with “Olena” - DrumSpyder
“Panthers Onca” - Rhythmstar
“Happy Birthday” - Latin Version
“Dangerous”
“Warriors” - Too Many Zooz mixed with “The Last Time” - Gnarles Barkley 
“Living for the Moment”
“Headlock” - Imogen Heap (Blu J Remix)
“Romani Holiday (Antonius Remix)” - Hans Zimmer
“Trail Blazin” - PartyWave
“Zephyr” - Headphone Activist
“Culture United” feat. Damian Marley - xClan
“What does your soul look like” - DJ Shadow
“Light me up” - DJ Drez
“Gracious” - Ben Howard
“Jaguar Sun” - Helios

Tyler Blank's 40th Bday Ecstatic Dance

CUTTaRUGG NYE 2016/17 SET @ NCDC "Dance Camp"

Lemaitre - “Axel F”
Led Zeppelin - “Bron & Aur Stomp” (Hong Kong Ping Pong Remix)
Dolly Parton - “9 to 5” (DJ Netta Nufunk Remix)
Chaka Kahn - “Ain’t Nobody” (CMC&Silenta Remix)
INXS - “I Need you Tonight” (Natema Remake)

- FAIRWELL 2016 - 
Ray Charles - “Hit the Road Jack” (ProleteR Remix)
Steam - “Na Na Hey, Goodbye”

- 2017 BALL DROP - 

Mariah Carey “Auld Lang Syne”
Darude - “Sandstorm”
Duck Sauce - “Barbara Streisand” 
DJ Snake - “Turn Down For What”
Tag Team - “Whoop! There it is” (JayKode Remix)
NUTCRAKA (JayKode Remix)
Rihanna Vs Punjabi MC - “Beware of the Rude Boys”
DJ Kool - “Let me clear my throat” (Whole-Z Remix)
Opiuo - “Sneakers”
Will Smith - “Gettin Jiggy Wit it” (San Holo Remix)
Chumbawamba - "Tubthumping"
Lionel Ritchie - “All Night Long”

 - TRIBUTE BLOCKS - 
Prince - “1999”
Prince - “Purple Rain”
David Bowie - “Ziggy Stardust”
David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”
WHAM! - “Wake Me Up Before You Go”
George Michael - “Faith” (Aeroplane Remix)
Jeff Buckley “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen Cover & Pancheta Remix)

“Don’t Stop Believin” - Journey (MYNGA Remix)
“Lights” - Journey

NCDC NYE 2016/17 SET w/ Heroes Tribute Blocks

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of 1967, the "Summer of Love", this set is comprised of modern remixes of classics from that era.  Performed for the good people and great dancers of the Northern California Dance Camp (NCDC) on 06/24/17.

"Summer Of Love" Remixed Classics Set - NCDC 062417

The Story of this Set: 
I sat a day-long guided meditation on Friday Nov 3rd. The joy that I found during this lengthy reflection emerged while getting reacquainted with my inner child (yep, sounds cheesy, but feels great). I let my little slugger play all day Saturday and when it came time Saturday night to make my Ecstatic Dance set, he wanted to keep playing, so I let him.

Sunday morning, I woke to a golden sunny autumn day just glistening with potential AND embossed with an extra hour of Tai Chi / prep time thanks to an unexpected arrival of Daylight's Savings Time. Gratitude to the Farmers!  

With ample time, I arrived to Ecstatic Dance San Francisco at the Church of 8 Wheels (a former Catholic Church), where the stained glass-lit room was already packed with humans learning contact improv dance from the one and only Tyler Blank. Immensely excited and not a drip nervous, my inner child led a completely unscripted Ecstatic Dance set, feeding off the crowd, shining childlike light to them and receiving it back in shimmering spades. In fitting resonation with my child-like energy, there were even two infants in the crowd, including my great friends' Avary, Zeke and David's newborn Octavia! (Yes, my friends are a legal Triad / parenting powerhouse). The following is the set we played that bright morning and my inner child would agree that it's my most Ecstatic yet.

TRACKLIST
"Boy 1904" Jónsi & Alex
"Mysterium" Hammock" 
"Shallow Water" AK 
"Bodhicitta" Random Rab (feat Rigzin)
"39 Circles Random Rab (feat Lapa)
"39 Circles" Random Rab (CloZee Remix)
"Together" Reynier
"Onset" Sinjin Hawke (KRANE & Alexander Lewis Remix)
"SLUG A BUG" Opiuo
"Sundrip" Toy Box
"Loud Pipes" Ratatat (CloZee Remix)
"Bounce Town" SoDown
"Bombshell" Switchkraft
"Dreams" ZHU & NERO
"B.Y.O.B" System of a Down (Sneaks Bootleg)
"Shibuya" DROELOE
"Rhinoceros" Thornato (Instrumental)
"Rhinoceros" Thornato ft. Gappy Ranks" 
"Savior of China" SOOHAN (Ace Of Base & Missy Elliott (SOOHAN Remake))
"Juicy" Notorious BIG (Yinyues Remix)
"Can't Feel My Grease" DJ Schmolli (The Weeknd Vs. John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John)
"Royal Blue (Sunny)" Bobby Hebb (SoDown Remake / Maggie Miller Cover)
"Strobe" Deadmau5  (Lane 8 Remix)
"Bloom" ODESZA (Lane 8 Remix)
"Ohm" Krash!
"Calabria" Groove Delight & Cat Dealers
"Daydream" 2owl &amp; De Carli
"Colima" Stanton Warriors
"Let Me" Art Supplies
"I Still See Your Face" San Holo
"Show Me" Hundred Waters (Big Wild Remix)
"I Am Not Waiting Anymore" Blind Boys of Alabama
"Sages" Mikey Pauker (Srikala Remix)
"The Rainforest." Headphone Activist

EDance SF - Inner Child Set 110517

I sliced off the slow start from this Ecstatic Dance and jumped in where it begin to build up and bumps in with some funky East Bay Oaklandish Love. Eventually the music weaves into the turbulent political "trouble" of 2018 and climaxes with a Raging throwback to the 90's. Finally, we settle with the closing messages of "never giving up" and "finding inner peace" with it all.

The thing I love most about this set is how I was able to mix in music from my loved ones. Literally 90 minutes before my set I saw my homie Krikor Andonian released new KR3TURE music, so I bought it and the vibe benefitted greatly from the bluesy & ballsy "Anthropocene". I began the wind-down with a Pre-Mastered version of "Gurudev" a soon-to-be-released "Mantra-Mashup" by my partner Sita Devi, Jordan Geometrae Hansell & Shamans Dream Music​. Finally, we teased out any remaining angst with the powerful "Love is Sane" from our soulful brother Chris James AKA Pattern Disrupt. Ya'll inspire me so much, thank you!

OAKLAND RAGE Set - Ecstatic Dance 09.19.18

3 days before my 37th birthday, I played my most enjoyable Ecstatic Dance set yet. This set is the embodiment of releasing my past life and welcoming in a brand new being, one calling in deep love and compassion for myself: all the light, all the dark, loving all of it. This is my path to survival and a thriving existence. My old way of life needed an upgrade and this set was a defining moment.

I did the work on the musical planning and meditative-mind-preparation for this set and it paid off. In the moment, I was free to really enjoy the experience with the Ecstatic dancers. Gazing out into the crowd, catching eyes, curious about their experience and reveling in my own. What a beautiful experience of letting go of stuck/toxic patterns and instantly being filled up with joy & clarity. I felt like a new person. I haven't smiled so much on stage in my life. It felt so good... I hope you enjoy this set as much as I did!

Ecstatic Aries Rebirth Set - Oakland 032719

My first Ecstatic Dance DJ set in Sacramento. I really enjoy how this set came together. Much love and thanks to Isaac Williams and the awesome community at Midtown Sacramento Ecstatic Dance. This crew is doing it right.

CUTTaRUGG Ecstatic Dance Sacramento MidTown 081519

Burning Man 2019, Thursday night, traveling throughout the Playa, I played for the people on and around the incredible Mystic Flyer art car / art installation. This mix is funky and 98% classics remixed.

Classics Remixed on Mystic Flyer / Burning Man 2019

2019 was an awesome year in music. I compiled my favorite tracks of the year and designed an Ecstatic Dance set that I played and refined for the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Ecstatic Dances in January 2020. Having pre-planned the sets, I was really able to sing and throw down dancing with the crowds at these dances and I hope you do so while listening to this set in the future.

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