Dear Rebels,
My little tootsies have not touched the ground for months, I am so sorry for my absence! How the Devil are you lovely people?
I hope your summer has gotten off on the good foot?
First up, I Really wanted to share with you that….. I FU$%ING DID IT!!!
OH YES, OH YES!!
I finally found my podcast sponsor, and to say Proud is the word, is a rather Big OLD UNDERSTATEMENT!!
This is not a gloat. Its just a moment of PURE pride, slight disbelief and moment of MILESTONE reaching that, I gotta say? I never thought I would get to actually say.
So I utter these written words with frank & total delight,…… but also extreme exhaustion in truth.
March was TEDX and there is HUGE news to come on that front soon too, but then April I was Weeeeeerking IT very very HARD at the IMS which bore much fruit but involved many many music panels, meetings, networking, nights out, parties, but also many recordings of BEAT WALA episodes with my Brand New Sponsor: AlphaTheta!!
This pic above is Julia Basso, a neuroscientist from Virginia Tech who is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise and the Director of The Embodied Brain Laboratory.
She is basically a huge brain BUFF and the kit she brought with her to monitor brain activity while dancing to music cost 70k per outfit and she brought not one, but two with her! Mad!!
I was about to suggest that we do a huge test in a club, but not sure I could afford to purchase a few extras, but the thought crossed my mind!! Great Idea Right ? Thinking about who I can pitch this to……to make it a reality!! Watch this Space!
What she shared with me comes in a few weeks time when I finish editing this episode, but in a nut shell, when a DJ plays their brain waves fire in sync with the crowd and then dancers dance to music their neurons fire in sync with the beat.
This is called entrainment and is when “the process of one rhythm (or cycle) influences another until they synchronize or align.” Who Knew? Not me anyways!
I was priviledged to have a wee night out with Julia at Akasha, as IMS were celebrating 40 years of Drum n Bass, so we danced shoulder to shoulder, neurons firing in sync after this chat and soaked up some filthy jungle together. Boss moment!
I also met MC Chikaboo - the first female MC of D n B and Jungle to ever grace the stages in london and of course, turns out we were at some of the same raves back in the day, at Bagleys in Kings Cross. It was a connection that sparked immediate fire and that ended up in an episode being recorded the very next day…..Coming soon!!
Kikelomo, is the first episode to come out in collaboration with AlphaTheta however and you can catch it here :
It was recorded at The 5 Star Hyde Hotel in Cala Llonga, in a rather average looking room with a LOT of noise in the background, but luckily I am now an expert audio polisher, visual fluffer and you can hear nothing of the issues on the episode, in which we cover every adventure she went on to make the WE BECOME ONE documentary that looks at the neuroscience of Nightlife.
I loved her Nigerian roots, her very confident demeanor and knowledge of how we create connection on the dance floor from the multiple books she read to be the lead artist on the doc.
(Here is one of the books: This is Your Brain on Music: Understanding a Human Obsession by. Daniel J. Levitin : in case you fancy a summer hollybobs read. )
Kikelomo went from Berlin to Detroit and from London to L.A to make the show and she shines in the chats she has with the various authors, musicians and scientists as well as historians and the founder of HE.SHE.THEY for example, that she has on the doc.
I love the fact that Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta started making long-form documentaries in 2016 to bring attention to current issues in the electronic music scene from a unique and neutral perspective.
Previous subjects have included the physical and mental health of artists, the positive and negative impact of social media within the industry, and the experiences artists had during the pandemic.
The aim of these documentaries is to encourage debate and promote unity and understanding, and their last one was also focussed on Ibiza :
If you love me even a little but you will click on this episode of BEAT WALA w/ Kikelomo and take a little listen and make a comment on this Beat Wala episode - it really does mean the world to me to get any feedback and so I can continue to nurture this relationship with AlphaTheta.
Thank You so so much in advance!! You are THE BEST!!
Also, the OCTOBER Retreat is shaping up nicely and places are limited as we are half full and I haven´t even announced it yet!!
But LAST WEEK I taught yoga again for a retreat and LOVED IT and this next event will be a mixture of wine tasting yoga, hikes, incredible food and a cooking class, a dance class and a voice activation session …..so hang fire for our next newsletter when I have more energy to write again…..as it IS coming VERY SOON next week!!
I will also spill the beans on a new Video series I have been recording with a team from the states on a film set for 2.5 weeks, as a sound engineer!!
Serious business the last few months!! A lot of growth and a LOT of fun!!
For now, thats me over and out, Thank you as always for reading my drivel!!
Much LOVE!!
Jo
P.S I also ran itno none other than TECHNO legend Kevin Saunderson at IMS and we also sat down for en Episode of BEAT WALA!! Hold Tight for more on that soon too!!
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