WEEKENDMIX 7.25.14: BACK TO THE DRUM

I have this theory, it lies at the very heart of why I do what I do, why I run this website. When our earliest ancestors first began to communicate, they did so through song and dance. They would dance around bonfires and sing to their Gods. This beating was much like the four to the floor beat reborn in House music, the same beat that has in recent years inspired the entire world to dance together again. My theory is that dance music is the worlds music. And we just so happen to really need it right now.

You don’t even need to watch the news to know that holy lands are still fighting over troubles that began in biblical times, money continues to be the root of all evil leading to class systems which further lead to rampant abuses and prejudice, children die needlessly while our elders command less respect each day, even mother nature herself is suffering at our hands. I don’t know about you, but I believe music can help with alot of these issues.

Can music lift the human race beyond these most perilous ills? Can it really bring us all together? Maybe not completely, singing and dancing are just part of it, we need to be able to talk and love each other openly. But we need to keep our music strong, that’s for sure. The right music at the right time can help one see new perspectives, gain new insight, become more open thus understanding of the world, of others around us. And now that so many of us are dancing together to that one beat, maybe it’s a sign that we’re all going back to our roots somehow.

This weekend, I invite you to go back to the drum with me in this spectacular two part mix by DJ Cecil from San Francisco. Titled SKIN World Wide, it is dedicated to sharing and celebrating the sounds of the African and Latin Diasporas, The Caribbean and beyond. This is one of those mixes that truly lifts your spirit and takes you away. Let go.

I don’t know, maybe the human race will work it all out on its own, without music, or not. Perhaps I’m just dreaming. And that’s ok too. Let me dance around the bonfires in my mind singing for peace and understanding. The beat has to go on somehow.