MelleM here, and Hello World! It’s been a long time in the making…but I’m happy to announce that I finally completed my VERY FIRST DJ SET!! :) I give you the Minor Wheel Vol. I.

The overall theme for this set presented itself to me in early 2017, and for the music geeks out there, the Minor Wheel series is an exploration of the beloved Camelot Wheel. For Vol. I, I start at G minor / 6A…and loop completely around the wheel (minor keys only). You will hear anywhere from 2-4 tracks per key, ending back at G minor where I started. There is absolutely no skipping of keys along the wheel, and no major keys are used. 

It’s been quite an ambitious and loopy journey making the Minor Wheel Vol. I (pardon the pun). I’ve poured a ton of passion, knowledge, time, and even moments of obsession getting my debut set to a point where I was happy releasing it. It’s an incredibly emotional and magical set for me. Deep, lush, lyrical, evocative, and even a bit melancholic at times…with just enough mistakes here and there for my DJ friends to notice. This takes training wheels to a whole other level. ;)

Thanks for listening. Enjoy, and I welcome all comments and feedback!

Controller: Traktor Kontrol S4 (2 decks)
Software: rekordbox

Minor Wheel Vol. I

It’s official, I just passed 1K listens from Vol. I today!! To everyone who enjoyed Vol. I, and provided feedback and shared how they experienced it, thank you so very much! Being a new DJ, this is really important to me.

Still enjoying my time on the training wheel, and it seems I am not the only one. Are you ready for Vol. II?? :)

It’s a similar vibe overall to Vol. I (if you aren’t familiar, please visit https://soundcloud.com/mellem-sf/minor-wheel-vol-1). I start at Bb minor / 3A this time around the Camelot Wheel…only minor keys all the way around back to Bb minor…and Vol. II is filled with smooth, silky, lush deep / progressive house jams that you probably expect already from MelleM. ;)

**Vol. II goes on more of a journey than Vol. I…and the first 20 minutes or so are pretty experimental. I do some pretty crazy BPM changes in a short time, and mix different genres together. If it’s not your jam, don’t give up on it. Let it grow on you.**

I’ve learned a ton between Vol. I and II…and I hope that it is apparent to all of you. More importantly…ENJOY!

Controller: Traktor Kontrol S4 (2 decks)
Software: rekordbox

Minor Wheel Vol. II

It's been almost a month at the time of this posting since I got back from my Very First Burning Man Ever. Wow...I am still processing everything to be sure and am speechless at times! That week on the playa was incredibly impactful, beautiful, mesmerizing, cathartic, and cherry-poppingly sweet. I could not have wished for a better community to camp with for my first burn too. <3

Not only was it my first burn, it was also my first time to do a live solo DJ set...AND my first time to even *touch* a Pioneer XDJ-RX2!! I am so thankful to many truly amazing folks for their support and giving me this experience. <3 Special shout-out to the Ataraxia camp for having a newbie on the decks that early in the morning!

If you want to hear Dyson's sunrise set (it's so awesome and yummy), which took place right before mine started at 7AM, you can find it here:
https://soundcloud.com/aarondysonxavier/saturday-sunrise-at-ataraxia-burning-man-2018

Enjoy, and looking forward to hearing what you think about this set!

The Photo: I took this picture out in deep playa at Burning Man during sunrise, right as the sun was peaking over the horizon. Oh, and I had holographic sunglasses in front of the camera. ;-) Such an unforgettable time with rad folks!

Burning Man 2018 - Ataraxia Saturday 7AM Solo Set

"Change is a continuous process. You cannot assess it with the static yardstick of a limited time frame. When a seed is sown into the ground, you cannot immediately see the plant. You have to be patient. With time, it grows into a large tree. And then the flowers bloom, and only then can the fruits be plucked."
-Mamata Banerjee

Blooming - FnF 2019 Chill Space Submission

It was *such an honor* to DJ at the FnF campout in Saratoga Springs this year! What a journey and debut into the campout DJ world...and I could not have done it without the love and support of so many amazing folks. I hope you enjoy this super MELodic and lush set!

FnF XXIII Campout 2019 - Heart Lodge Set

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” -Not Mark Twain

🌁🌫It’s Fogust Among Us!🌫🌁

Being a San Francisco resident and intrigued by the fog here, I dedicate this latest set to the “mist-erious” Karl the Fog (https://twitter.com/KarlTheFog).

For those “early birds” at the most recent Serotonin Sunday backyard BBQ event, you got a special sneak preview to a part of this set.

May I also add that this particular weather pattern, in addition to being my air conditioner, is a remarkable and humorous book author! You’re welcome Karl for the free advertising, haha. It’s such a great read! https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781452173832

“Whenever the sun tries to set through me, I turn into cotton candy.” -Karl the Fog
 
I’m not from San Francisco originally. Hard to believe that this year marks the 10th anniversary of doing The Big Move to the SF Bay Area from the Texas Panhandle. The whole idea of living near a large body of water always fascinated me…mostly because I grew up land-locked my whole life. Fortunately, there were lots of family trips while growing up to tropical beach destinations.

Yes, over 10 years ago…I was that dreaded tourist buying the infamous $20 SF fleece from Fisherman’s Wharf. Yes, I really had no idea about the weather in the SF. You won, Karl. 

For those visiting this page, and are unfamiliar with the fog in San Francisco, let’s just say it is quite famous. See links above, and then you will have some idea. I’ll take this opportunity to share what I have learned as well.

The name “Fogust” comes from the weather that is so common in SF during the month of August. Fog covers SF the most in the summer months. Why? Well, the Pacific Ocean happens to be a size queen…and is the largest and deepest ocean basin on our planet. Like, we are talking 30% of Earth. There is some pretty interesting cool subsurface ocean water temperature and Ekman spiral action going on as well. The clockwise direction of ocean currents plays a huge role too. For those who aren’t experts in world geography (I am not either for the record), that means that the cold ocean breeze from Alaska and the northern Pacific hits the land of “warm and balmy” West Coast. The warm land air from the summer months rises (because physics), and the cold ocean breeze replaces this warm air…creating our dear friend Karl the Fog, as it has been lovingly named by locals. Why is SF so unique in terms of the fog? It is my understanding that it is where SF is in relation to the low air pressure zone of Central Valley in California. This forces the fog inland to the Bay Area through the Golden Gate passage.

If you have made it this far into reading about my set, you may be wondering why it is titled Fogust. This set is an interesting combination of sunny California summer vibes here and there…combined with the “Deep Fog” jams you may already expect from me. MelleM fans will recognize a few tracks from my previous sets, including Vol. I!

Keep Calm and Fog On.

Yes, I couldn’t resist.

Happy Summer!

Album Art Credit: I took this photo from my phone during the very first weekend of Fogust 2019, from Potrero Hill. This photo is from a pretty iconic point in SF…and from a pretty unique time for me personally. Let’s just say, a huge blend of sunshine and fog.

Fogust 2019

You are here! You have persevered 2020! Take a deep breath and give yourself a giant hug before you read any further.

It’s almost impossible to put into words how excited I am for the release of my only DJ set from this year, titled Hindsight > 20/20. The title is based on a well-known saying and being used quite a bit in 2020…which is not surprising given everything this year has thrown our way. I added my own twist to it though, and will attempt to explain my thought process.

20/20 is a term in ophthalmology to mean normal vision basically, and we all have likely had an eye exam with the Snellen chart at some point in our lives. Those close to me know of my struggles with really bad vision since I was a little kid. I had to get glasses in kindergarten because I could not see the chalkboard. Ever since that day up until present time, I have had to adjust my vision with some sort of corrective lenses. I do not know what it is like to wake up and be able to see…everything is a blur. 

Despite what some may think, 20/20 actually does not mean perfect vision. In short it refers to what is average for human vision. When I was playing around with different titles for this set, I thought a great deal about the original phrase “hindsight is 20/20”…and I actually don’t align with it anymore. Hindsight (the ability to understand an event or situation only after it has happened) should ideally be greater than “average human vision” as 20/20 actually means. Perhaps Hindsight > 20/20 is a part of achieving Insight. It’s quite awesome that you get that word by removing just 2 letters from Hindsight.

I’ve been reflecting a ton and continuing to heal from some traumatic events that have happened to me this year and last year. Also, with the shared trauma we have all experienced in some way…ranging from the crippling COVID-19 pandemic to unprecedented natural disasters to a stressful US election and a country sharply divided…we should all be reflecting and taking action where we can, even if it seems small or it means a change to our “normal” life. No doubt there are major hindsight lessons for us all from 2020. And this hindsight has to be greater than our “average human vision.” Our average, as we have learned the hard way, got us where we are today. This is not enough to tackle the major issues that threaten our health, our society, our democracy, and our planet.

I can’t put into words how important this set is for me personally, and I am incredibly proud of it. To go one step further and be perfectly honest though, it was brutal and consumed a ton of energy in many ways that I didn’t really have. There were times I didn’t know if I could even finish it. But I persevered, reached my goal of finishing before the new year (and on a new moon too!)…and now with this giant DJ “exhale” I have a release I have been desperately yearning for.

My Hindsight set has way more of a progressive house energy to it, and a slightly faster BPM than previous sets on SoundCloud. With the longer length of 2 hours, I was really able to get into a flow…ranging from uplifting “peak” moments where you can’t help but dance, all the way to heavy and emotional “valley” tracks where those who know me well can hear me crying during certain tracks. In lots of ways, it’s my 2020 in music form. It’s deep. It’s raw.

Also, a special shout-out from the bottom of my heart to my amazing brother Matt (MattSaidWords on Soundcloud) for undertaking quite the mastering project for this set using Ableton! I am still mind blown by the quality and his level of detail with the adjustments at a track level throughout such a long set.

I hope you enjoy this set, and thank you for your time and listening ears. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! More importantly, I hope you are in good health, are receiving the support you need during these crazy times, and are able to find some joy (safely) this holiday season.

Hindsight > 20/20

Classically trained musician since the early 1990's in Texas. Aficionado of electronic music since the early 2000's. Moved to California, and started getting serious about DJing in early 2018. The sets I share here are a result of all of those worlds colliding.

What’s my style? It’s all in the name:

MELodic
Engaging
Lush
Liquid
Experimental
MELancholic

Many thanks for visiting my page, and supporting me throughout my musical journey! I welcome and encourage all comments and feedback.

MelleM

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