It’s simple, really. Some things just make more sense when you look at them from a different angle —and sometimes, even if they don’t make more sense, they might at least be nicer to look at, somehow. This Sherlock-esque method is strikingly obvious on the cover art for my most recent minimix. Right side up, it is a seemingly plain black and white photo of a girl with a knowing and self-assured smile. When flipped upside down, however, the allure shifts from the subject’s smile to the general composition as a whole. A new perspective is often the most crucial factor in a discovery that leads to the renewing of our minds. And once you see it in that new light, you are incredulous to think you had ever seen it any other way.  

Ventura is a Spanish feminine noun, referring to the particular brand of happiness or contentment associated with good luck or fortune. Variations of the word allude to the unusual and exciting experiences which are to come. Such a title is particularly fitting for this latest endeavor, in both my inspiration and the feeling I want to evoke from the listener. It is my hope that through this audibly acid-laced adventure, I can grab a firm hold of your ears and submerge them in a dream sequence of sound to get you jazzed for January. With an almost manic entrance into the world of positive vibes, “Have Faith” and “Better” usher you into a set of moodier grooves from VentureX.  From there, you strut into the self-affirming “I Am Somebody,” keeping your feet on the ground as your minds linger in the clouds. After a metallic “Robot Jam” gives you “Kyoto Fever '86 京都発熱” a shimmering haze fades into sparkling arpeggios. Woozy but still going strong, we are left in a heavy, heady, drugged-out dance as you drift “In the Zone.” The finale is abrupt and brings you back to a sober spot, like opening your eyes after a deep sleep, relaxed, and refreshed for what lies ahead in life.

But this ambitious outlook didn’t come while I was standing at the top looking down. It came while I was laid flat on my back, gazing upward at a canopy of leaves quivering with anticipation. It came to me after I descended into a dizzy trip in the last dark hours of a year past and slowly awoke in the sun-warmed morning of the new year at hand. All the guilt and disappointment of 12 months in my mind’s eye had dissolved and melted away after midnight. 

However much I might analyze it, though, all you really need to take away is this: I have been feeling pretty damn good about 2014. And I want you to feel good about it, too.

00:00 Saint Pepsi - Have Faith
02:38 Saint Pepsi - Better
06:15 VentureX - Colorado Blue
10:23 VentureX - Lush
13:11 VentureX - Love In Time
17:05 System Moich Iluszji - I Am Somebody
20:17 Prequal - Robot Jam
21:40 Maitro - Kyoto Fever '86 京都発熱
24:38 Airbird & Napolian - In The Zone

A big thanks for Nisa Runa, the girl in the picture, to let me use her awesome photo, to become a perfect visual presentation of my mixtape. And, a special shoutout to Nathan Asher Weinbaum (bonvoyagevonsubmarine.podomatic.com) to turn out all my experience in this mixtape into an awesome writing, and now, it's readable mixtape. No, Sir... You are the artist.

Ventura Minimix

You were dancing alone in some classic beach club with a drink in your hand. While you were enjoying yourself to the disco tunes, a pair of eyes were catching you behind the curtains of people. With a faint but assuring smile, she gracefully sliced the crowd and walked towards you just to dance with you for the entire set. You've never met her, but somehow you feel like you’ve known her for a long time. You started to think, maybe she’s the girl from your dream.

1. Booty Thrill - Give Me Love
2. Strip Steve - Breakin' (Lorenz Rhode Remix)
3. MAM - Modern Heat
4. Jensen Sportag - Mapquest
5. Cherokee - Sable Doux
6. Sloslylove - Dream Girl
7. Jensen Sportag - Jareaux

Dream Girl Minimix

You can visit mixcloud.com/yearoftheox for complete collection of my mixtape.

Year Of The Ox