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Column 9: Dream or nightmare

    

Dream or nightmare?

I dreamed about my modular adventures during Amsterdam Dance Event.
How exciting it would be—the workshops I would give, the reactions from participants, the realization that I actually have a lot to share about my modular system. That explaining it doesn’t always have to be super technical and that people can, or even especially, learn something when you show them its creative potential. That I’ve reached a point in my life where giving these kinds of workshops is still exciting, but no longer nerve-wracking (a milestone!).  

That the venue was amazing—up in the attic of Felix Meritis, organized by Studio Stekker and Secret Artists in Residence, where fellow musicians were jamming live, and everyone who came to watch was welcome to join in.  

That there was a cool online educational game where you could learn the basics of modular synthesis.  

That Amsterdam was buzzing, full of familiar faces from the industry, and that spontaneous drinks often happened in unexpected places. That ‘my’ conservatory students had a ‘Lab Pass’ and immersed themselves in the nightlife while attending masterclasses during the day.  

I dreamed that ADE is always hectic, that you’re constantly racing from one location to another across the city, and that carrying heavy gear around is inconvenient. That leaving my equipment in a P+R parking garage with the trunk locked seemed like a practical solution.  

That afterward, I went to a beautiful photo exhibition by DJ Dave Clarke. And that, as I walked back to my car, I discovered that my window had been smashed. That I hurriedly opened the trunk, only to see that it had been emptied. The disbelief and the shock.  

Then I woke up and realized—this was a nightmare.

Droom of nachtmerrie

Ik droomde over mijn modular avonturen tijdens Amsterdam Dance Event. Hoe leuk het zou zijn; de workshops die ik gaf, de reacties die ik zou krijgen van deelnemers, het besef dat ik best veel te vertellen heb over mijn modular systeem, dat uitleg daarover niet altijd super technisch hoeft te zijn en dat mensen ook of juist wat opsteken als je uitlegt wat je er creatief mee kunt doen. Dat ik op een punt in mijn leven ben dat ik geven van dit soort workshops weliswaar spannend vind, maar niet meer zenuwslopend (een mijnpaal!). Dat de locatie heel leuk was; op de zolder van Felix Meritis, georganiseerd door Studio Stekker en Secret artists in Residence en dat daar medemuzikanten live aan het jammen waren en dat iedereen die kwam kijken mee mocht doen. 
Dat er een coole online educatieve game was opgezet waar je wat kon opsteken van de basics van modulaire synthese. 

Dat Amsterdam bruist, dat er veel bekenden zijn uit de industrie en dat er meestal spontane drankjes op onverwachte plekken gebeuren. Dat ‘mijn’ studenten van het conservatorium een ‘Lab pas’ krijgen en zich onderdompelen in het nachtleven en overdag masterclasses bezoeken.

Ik droomde dat ADE altijd hectisch is, dat je van de ene plek naar de andere door de stad racet en dat het dan onhandig is om zware spullen mee te zeulen. Dat het dus best een handige oplossing zou zijn om de spullen tussendoor in de P+R parkeergarage neer te leggen met de kofferbak op slot. Dat ik daarna nog naar een mooie foto expositie ging van dj Dave Clarke. Waarna ik terug naar de auto zou lopen en erachter zou komen dat mijn raampje is ingetikt. Dat ik snel de kofferbak open zou doen om vervolgens te zien dat deze leeg is gehaald. Het ongeloof en de schok. 


Toen werd ik wakker en besefte ‘dit is een nachtmerrie’. 

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