Hi Friends,  

I've had an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach since hearing of Michael Jackson's passing and have been uneasy about how I needed to pay tribute. I've gone through so many emotions thinking and reflecting on his contributions as an artist and an individual, and how he has touched me.  I can't help but think back to why I wanted to start playing music as a DJ. It was because music (including much of Michael's) has always had a powerful impact on me. Even at a very young age I remember hearing it and feeling transported to a free more alive and aware version of me. I would snap my fingers, stomp my feet, nod my head, clap my hands, pucker my lips, squint my eyes and my forehead, and break out in spontaneous movements. In fact my first memory of being impacted by the power of music is when I was four, and the Jacksons released “ Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)”. 

This song was MY first music, a song that I actually knew who sang it and I made a conscious choice and effort to listen to it because it truly moved ME. These were pre-kindergarten, daycare provided by an older lady who lived in my neighborhood days, and me and my friend used to somehow convince this babysitter to let us play at her house (down the street) where her brothers would blast music from the garage. Oh man I loved that song something fierce the minute I heard it. I just remember feeling like some spirit had taken over me and I just had to dance.  In fact I did have a special dance that I did to that song; a simple movement of my hips from left to right as I literally shook my body all the way down to the floor and then back up again, all the while snapping my little fingers to the beat. 

As I sit here thinking about it, I'm struck by my inability to describe in words how strong my feelings, emotions, and reactions were at such a young age for this song (his music), but I remember so vividly how it felt, and it gives me chills, makes me smile, and even get teary-eyed thinking about it today. Hearing it, "....And I do know that I want you...Let's dance, let's shout...Shake you body down to the ground ...." sends me back to that particular moment and time in my life, it reminds me of the people that experienced that time with me, the way the world felt, smelled, and looked, and all the emotions and feelings that were special and significant to me then are present and real again. The “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” dance so simple yet so freeing to me as it has signified the beginning of a lifetime filled with music.

It’s not hard to make the connection today as his sound was and is undeniable, he had so much soul, emotion, power, passion, heart, integrity, and truth, all gifts that he shared with so many and in the process, allowed all of us to be alive, be in a moment, be wowed, be inspired to feel, to move, to sing, to remember, to unleash our own creative side. And he continued to give these gifts even despite how he was ridiculed (ironically for unleashing his). He continued to be inspired and share despite all the negativity and judgment that weighed so heavy on him, a bold testament to his creative genius, but even more so to his strength and character.

He got me open at four years old and inspired me to not only listen but to really hear and be moved in so many ways. Over the years I continued to open myself up to his artistry and to the artistry of countless others. I'm so in awe and thankful for the impact he had on me. Just like the song says, "You are the spark that lit the fire inside of me... And you know that I love it...I need to do just something to get closer to your soul...And you do know that I want to...Let's dance, let's shout, Let's dance, let's shout..."

To think that was were my life's soundtrack began; he will forever be a part of me.