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.

Hindsight > 20/20

MelleM