A lot of my decisions revolve around music. One of my must-do’s while traveling is to take in as much of the local music as possible. In fact, several times I’ve changed my entire travel plans just to hear a band or go to a venue to hear a DJ play. I can hardly write this article without having music in the background. I’m obsessed.
For instance, there’s Tango, a dance and musical genre originating from Argentina. There was a rise and fall of Tango that became evident during the economic depression and the military dictatorships basically banning any sort of gatherings. After the Dirty War, Tango took another rise providing the people national pride and hope for a nation that lost so much. Tango brought them together once again and the love for it shows if you happen to visit Buenos Aires.
Playing Guitar in Bangkok
How Travel and Music Go Together
Music: An art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. (Dictionary.com Reference)
Paying attention to the sights and the sounds that go along with it is a required element of travel. Music is essentially all around us. From the car horns of New York City, the waterfalls of Iguazu, and the busy haggling of Beijing. It’s music and it creates the atmosphere around us. How? Without the car horns, is it still NYC? Without the sounds of water falling, is it still a waterfall?They add color to what you see. It may not always be pleasing to your ears but it’s still expressing what you see.
Then there’s the music rhythm itself. Music has always created a sense of happiness, hope, and unity around the world. It’s one of the things we all have in common, the passion of listening. I believe that by listening to music in the culture you are in, it will give you a better understanding of the culture. In the same sense, it relates to trying new foods. There is a culture around how we eat, what we eat, and where we eat in the same sense that music has how we play, what we play, and where we play it. Both that has shaped and formed all nations.
How I Got Involved with Music
My online alias is Skylab. In 1996, my parents owned a nightclub in Lodi, New Jersey called Skylab. I was eleven years old and it was when I first started DJing. Unfortunately, the venue only lasted a year but it had such a big impact on me that I decided to take on the name as my internet alias. Before I became a nomad, I had a full DJ booth and studio equipment. An investment later sold to travel.
Since I’m a DJ, I try to take as many gigs as possible in any country I’m in. I’ve DJed so far in China, Laos, Thailand, and Peru. I love seeing people get excited and experiencing what people enjoy in each country. It’s not easy trying to find a venue that will trust and let me play but I’ve somehow managed to DJ a few times. I love traveling with a harmonica as well.
DJ Skylab (Myself) in Chengdu, China
