I first met Lauren in 2011 on Twitter because of a Facebook Ad I was running about a SoundCloud initiative I was doing for Silence at the time (I love how convoluted that sounds). As many people as I’ve talked to on Twitter over the years, I’ve never met someone so honest about her love for music. Someone without another agenda. And I see her dedication every day.
I usually don’t start my daily SoundCloud listening until later on in the day, but this girl is up at the butt crack of dawn listening to the shit out of it (she seriously wakes up too early) and she always gets in the comment or reshare before I do. The one thing I’ve given her shit about is what she’s doing to contribute in music, but she’s been doing something about it.
Over the last year, she’s built up her own music blog, Music is My Boyfriend, and has been one of the biggest influencers of our music selection this year. I’ve always respected her knowledge of electronic music and the variety she loves, even if I don’t understand it sometimes. She knows the scene much better than me, she’s taught me a lot, and if she doesn’t get it by now then she better by… now!
At the beginning of the year, we did a post together, but I wanted her to end it off all on her own. I also wanted to get to know her a little better, so I thought getting her five favorites from the last five years would be a good start.
She also wrote about how she fell in love with electronic music. That’s where you can really get to know her.
Why I Love Music
Growing up I tried all kinds of hobbies – almost every sport, most styles of dance and several instruments. I wasn’t sporty spice, that’s for damn sure. I had always loved music and dancing for leisure throughout my youth, but I didn’t stick with ballet, tap, guitar or piano. I wanted to be the best, but I didn’t practice enough and gave up when that didn’t happen. Simply put, I didn’t have the passion for it. Little did I know growing up that my love for electronic music would eventually have a profound impact on my life, helping me get to know myself and get through the hard times.
A mistake that many make in long-term relationships is to merge one’s own identity with that of the other person resulting in a loss of self once the relationship ends. This is exactly what happened when my ex of five years and I broke up in 2008. Of course, losing a companion with whom I had experienced so much was devastating, but even more difficult was that I didn’t know who I was without him.
My first memorable experience with electronic music was the Daft Punk show at Red Rocks in 2007. My friend asked if I wanted to go and I said “Sure, why not? I like that ‘Around the World’ and ‘One More Time’ song.” It was a great time, but if I got the chance to go today, I would be jumping up and down squealing in delight right now. Ah, how times change.
Around the same time, I began noticing electronic music in movie soundtracks and would make a point to search for tracks that caught my attention. That’s actually how I discovered two of my favorite duos: MSTRKRFT and Justice. The particular track was MSTRKRFT’s remix of Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” Yes, I know you want to know what movie it’s from, but I’ll never tell because it’s that embarrassing! :)
In May of 2009 I left on my 21st birthday for a long anticipated study abroad trip to Granada, Spain. It was an opportunity to do something on my own and to be honest, I was scared shitless. I had a roommate, Brittany, (a fellow American) that probably still doesn’t know how much she contributed to a huge change in my life and the development of my sense of self as it is today. On a bus ride on one of our many excursions along the Spanish countryside, she introduced me to “How We Do” and “Hot Like Sauce” by Pretty Lights. My connection with her, my experience in Spain and my newfound obsession with electronic music ignited something in me. Maybe if I had been single in my younger years, this passion would have blossomed earlier.
Upon my return to Colorado a month and a half later, I began going to every local show I could afford. I dated my fair share of DJ’s, which was perhaps not the best choice. …but DJ’s know the way to my heart. I also started following every blog I could, downloading so much music that I probably had just as many viruses as I did songs. And of course dancing my way through it all because it’s the thing that makes me feel the most alive.
Closing my eyes, dancing at a show while I let the music flow through me and move my body almost involuntarily is the most exhilarating feeling I’ve ever felt. It’s certainly up there with orgasms. And no, I do not call it an “eargasm.” Let’s please let that die.
I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t experience times of sadness or feel lost anymore now that I’ve found music, but I did learn who I truly am through it. I’ve also found friendships that could never be replaced or forgotten and have discovered more amazing music than I ever thought possible. I can’t wait to see what else I discover about myself because of it.
