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For this list I decided to list my top 10 pictures I’ve taken while traveling for gigs this year. One of my initial artistic pursuits was in the visual arts, specifically photography, so it’s good to get back to it in a basic but memorable way while working on another craft. 

 1. Altar pieces and records of mine I took to Pittsburgh to decorate the booth for Motherbeat III at Hot Mass alongside Eris Drew, Kiernan Laveaux, Sold, and Hi-Vis. My loves Father of Two and CCL played the next day for a super memorable Honcho x In Training party we curated as well. It was also the first time I’d ever heard CCL play and I remember being so happy that someone was playing the entire breadth of sounds I love haha. Overall it was just a queer, magical weekend (and my 29th birthday celebration) so it’s forever tied to extremely positive memories.

2. Some of the decor for a gig I did in Kansas City for the Un/Tuck collective (shout out <3). It was part of their Transfiguration Music Fest, two days of queer art and music in celebration of pride. I met a bunch of really good people there and got to experience a pride celebration where I felt welcome which sometimes can be rare. 

3. This one is from the Gays Hate Techno 2019 pool stage. It was a particularly special gathering because a group of us Midwest deejays were all booked to play this beautiful California valley pool area. So many people I know and love had really great sets under these lights by the talented Justin of Stratus Lighting (they're a sweetheart, hire em <3).

4. Lighting from the Smangtasia 2019 Pavilion stage that me and the rest of the In Training family played alongside Kamal Naeem, CCL, CIEL, Russel L. Butler, Turtle Bugg, Phillip Chung, Sagotsky, And Abby Echiverri. I like this one in particular cause its after the events for the evening have shifted to other stages and there's nothing but the lights by visual artist Kip Davis, these two slabs on concrete for holding the technics, and the art installations that were all over the pavilion courtesy of A.POP.

5.  If you’ve never been to the Gropius Bau in Berlin I highly suggest going if the opportunity presents itself. I went while I was there in September with friends who suggested it and just so happened to walk into this amazing collective works project called “The Garden of Earthly Delights”. It was basically a project framed around five thematic groups that took up the entirety of the first floor; 

- Pairidaeza, Paradise, Utopia, Dystopia

- Anthropocene, Chthulucene

- Urban Gardening

- Garden as a system/structure of thought

- Colonialism, Migration, and Botany 

Among the many different pieces from renowned artists was the center piece from the famous triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights” and this amazing cube of plants, audio, and video in the atrium by Rashid Johnson. 

6. This is the radiant sun created by Yuki Kojima of Room 4 Resistance for the “Room 4 Resistance x Motherbeat” party I went to play in Berlin. I was at their apartment to chill for a bit post the party a few days later and this sun with red tendrils (originally suspended above the dancefloor of Trauma Bar und Kino for the party) was hanging in their living room. I snapped this one real fast as the sun was setting. 

7.  Given that this year I got to experience my first time traveling abroad for deejaying, it was mandatory that I had to get at least one good airplane window picture while doing so. This one in particular is from my flight out of NYC to Berlin as the sun was setting. I had a middle row seat so the window was a little in the distance surrounded by darkness and it’s honestly what makes me enjoy this one so much. 

8. While in the EU I visited Copenhagen to play “Self Disrupt” at Ved Siden Af alongside Perko, Savile, and CCL. They put me and Ceci up in this crazy penthouse hostel type situation in the middle of Copenhagen not far from the main square, Parliament, etc. owned by a friend of theirs. I spent so much time smoking on this roof simply because the view couldn’t be beat and for that reason it’s also where my most recent press shots by Ceci were taken haha.

9. A window in the stairway of my friend Kamal's Apartment around Görlitzer Park in Berlin. I spent a portion of my time abroad staying at his beautiful place and staring out this window a bit whenever Id go to walk around the area for some wine, food, and general adventure. Im still captivated by the lush plants and vines on the window panes and hope I get to see this lovely view again one day. 

10. This may be another common one whenever a deejay visits Hardwax for the first time, cause it is a really pretty courtyard entrance, but I love this one cause it’s made out of the ordinary by my friends Glenna’s hair (and new Sound Metaphors tote). They’re matching the pink accents of posters and stickers on the door, while their jacket does the same with the foliage and it makes for a really well composed image. Plus I was able to get a copy of the new DJ Fulltono  “After the Storm” EP I wanted there!  

Really hope to take more photos consciously as I travel more these days. I’ve always found that it’s a beautiful way to catalogue your experiences, but even more importantly for me it’s a way to always remember what I’ve managed to achieve as a black person in America when so many of my own cannot. Hope you enjoyed!