“THE ULTRA ANCIENT MEETS THE ULTRA MODERN.””

“I’ve been planning to shoot this exact story ever since I moved to Kyoto. From my foreigners perspective, it’s a true challenge to capture an authentic account without coming across as a hypnotized tourist.I have been able to understand the subtle nuances of Kyoto those living vibration. I see this film as a film not only for VSCO but for Japan. A film that brings a balance of nostalgia and contemporary critique..I have assembled a team of voices to help me strengthen not only a sublime Visual account but a unique and philosophical one.””

— Alan Algee

It's an honor to be a part of this wonderful project for VSCO 23.5, a VSCO Original title that explores global cultural perspectives, and just how dynamic and rich the human experience can be.

The score is by yours truly and Gifted & Blessed. The film is in two parts and part 1 will be released on July 2nd! I'm not sure if that's the Kyoto date. That would mean July 1st for people in the Americas. My score will be available the following week on July, 8th. The score entitled, Letters to Kyoto, features a wonderful collaboration between Devin Crosby, Emi Ogura and myself, entitled, Into the Night. I hope you like it! JULY 8th on Lofty Recordings!

“KYOTO” will explore the city as a character, tracing a through line from the ancient to the contemporary. Going levels beyond a travelogue or city guide experience the film and photography will unpack Kyoto via an immersive, experiential film essay approach (ex. Sans Soleil ) as told by expat American filmmaker Alan Algee, who has been living in Kyoto for that past two years, and as an outsider has been experiencing Kyoto through a lens that's both curious and effected.

Be sure to check out Kyoto!

I'd like to thank all of the wonderful people who recently purchased I Wish I Was Heartless, by Wine Drinking Music! After my phase of bad luck, I am so grateful for your support! Because of you, I Wish I Was Heartless was one of the top 8 best selling Nu Jazz records on Bandcamp!

Thank you so much for your support!

Following the wake of bad luck mentioned in a prior post, more good things seem to happen! Somehow I missed the fact that I was on KCRW June 22nd!

I'd like to thank Garth Trinidad for not only playing one, but TWO of my joints on June 22nd, via Los Angeles's infamous radio station, KCRW. I'm happy he rocked SEM 3: Waves, a song from my upcoming EP entitled, Sensual Electronic Music.  I expect to release that EP on July, 22nd on Bandcamp.

Um... Being in a line up with Earth, Wind & Fire, Prince, A Race of Angeles and Azelia Banks is a bit... I'm not sure of the word, but its a positive version of weird and flattering!

He also rocked, I Wish I Was Heartless, the remix by yours truly and Wine Drinking Music. Wow! One day, I'm going to have to make a radio edit for that song. It's over 6 minutes long!

I remember when I lived on the east coast, through the help of a friend and some networking, I happened to get a lot of love from a particular New Yorkradio station. I was so exited. Years later, after moving to LA, I learned about KCRW and fell in love with their programming. At the time, Garth was spinning a show called, Chocolate City. I loved it and many of the other music programs. There was so much eclectic music to learn about. My goal was get on KCRW before I left the west coast. Ha!

All things unfurl as they should, but I'd love to get in the hands of Gilles Peterson next! =)

Was Mercury in retrograde? :)

Long story short, in a span of two weeks I lost a number of tools that are quite critical to the maintenance my current lifestyle. I lost my means of making money, my means of communicating with the world and my means of maintaining my health. If you want to know exactly what happened, you can read about it on the right (below on mobile devices), but more important then what happened was what I did.

There was a time when I would be quite negative about such things, angry at fate, fearful of how I was going to work and probably upset about having to unexpectedly spend additional money to replace these items. But...not this time.

With all of this loss, I've been very calm, pleasant and motivated! These are just material things and...nothing lasts forever. Unfortunately, I'll have to spend money to replace some of these things, but...such is life. Let's look on the bright side.

1. HUMANITY & LOVE

Luckily, I happen to be in a place with the kindest people in the world. As soon as word got out, someone was kind enough to let me borrow their laptop and I've been able to keep working while trying to figure out how to replace my old Acer. In fact, many people offered to come to my rescue. It's good to know that friends, associates and even strangers can be quite kind and generous. Much love to Helen and Tat's.

2. FOCUS & TIME

The good thing is, being less connected has lead me to spending time doing things that don't pertain to Instagram and the like. I won't be spending hours on any social media platform or find myself swallowed by the ocean of information on the internet. People are kind, but I have things to do and I know my borrowed laptop won't be around long. I need to focus on replacing my items and also moving forward with my projects. So... I've been practicing on the decks. As you can see, I'm blogging, but more importantly...

I've used this time to make a lot of music... Not only have I been making a lot of music, I've been working on releasing it all. Recently, I just finished an EP. It's a selection of four sensual, soulful and chill electronic tunes, with bonus tracks, simply entitled, Sensual Electronic Music. Unfortunately, I still need artwork for this project, but it's ready to go! More on this later.

With all of this new music coming out, I'm making plans to offer a subscription service enabling all who enjoy what I do to get everything I release at a low, low price. I could use the support! =)

3. Bad luck = Good things

I've come to learn that good things usually follow a string of bad luck. This time was no different. Shortly after all this change, I was approached by a very talented film director, Alan Algee to score a film for the infamous photo/journaling app, VSCO, entitled Kyoto 23.5. It was a bit daunting for a number of reasons. I've always been enthralled with all things Japanese, but I've never been there. How do I score a film about a place I've never been? More on this later.

I was then asked to spin a few mixtapes for a friends syndicated podcast. I'm so excited! There are a few other things cooking, but I don't want to mention them, yet... :)

Sometimes the bad things that happen in life are brief and just a prelude to all of the good things the future holds.

I keep telling myself that.

Wanna Help?

If you want to help me, I've decided to earn my money the old fashioned way. Feel free to purchase any of the music on the right or anything on the Lofty Recordings label. Every purchase really counts!!!

GONE: My Means of Earning $

First, I lost my means of earning money while I am abroad. Not cool.

I owned an Acer laptop..I loved it! It looked like a PC. It smelled like a PC, but it was a machine with an OS of another name. I miss it. I never dropped it and though it didn't appear to be pristine, I kept it in good condition. One evening I was working on a project at a cafe of sorts and I decided it was time for me to close the laptop and head home. I did just that. I shut the laptop, placed in my protective backback and headed home.

When I got home, I took out the laptop and opened it. I was a bit puzzled. When I left, it was on, but when I got home it was off. I hit the power button. Nothing. I plugged it in and tried to turn it on. Nothing. I picked it up and I heard a screw inside. Somehow, a screw came loose inside the laptop and killed it. It's dead.

Gone: LG G4

I'm not big shot, but I talk to people all over the world, family, friends, clients, musicians, singers, songwriters, DJ's, etc... Well... A number of days later, my smartphone went missing. All of my pictures, videos and my means of keeping in touch with everyone is no longer possible. No laptop and no phone equals incommunicado.

Gone: Omega Juicer

A number of days later critical component of my Omega juicer snapped in two. Things were going quite well prior to that moment. I was preaching the gospel of juice and some were quite interested. Many even asked me to juice for them. I was happily entertaining the idea, but one day, while juicing, one of the major components just snapped. I wasn't juicing anything out of the ordinary. It was weird. According to the juicing community on the internet, this is a known issue and... well... the juicer is has a 15 year warranty! It's just a matter of getting the part shipped...somehow.

“If you love a flower, don’t pick it up. Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love. So if you love a flower, let it be. Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.””

— Osho