Thursday 8 May 2008

Haru Toki no Koe

I will admit that Spring has a peculiar effect on me. People who know me, have realized (often in dramatic ways, such as freezing their asses on a terrace, while I whistle happily in a t-shirt) that I love the cold. Winter is my favorite season, climate-wise, since at 20 degrees Celcius I start feeling a bit of discomfort and I suffer at anything past 23 (no, you do NOT want to know how I deal with the Summer temperatures). However, for all that, Spring has that Cave/Fluffy Bear effect on me, on many levels. First of all, I have this feeling of waking up from a long slumber: my thoughts race more wildly, my inner self starts beating persistently on the walls of my outer shell and my somewhat cynical demeanor is slapped on the head by this ever-smiling, clueless guy who used to be 20 years old.

Secondly, contrary to what you might think (and seriously, I thank you for thinking it), I am somewhat of a "mental loner"; it's not really easy to describe what I mean: if a person's mind is a collection of their own thoughts, memories and the voices/mental images of the people they meet and interact with, my mind is more like a silent, softly lit room, filled to the high ceiling with perfectly organized files and boxes, gathered over the years, where some things may have been misplaced but nothing is missing (I never forget). Inside that room, I am not happy or sad but rather in a state of neutral consideration, where I can spend hours alone with myself. However, in Spring, I notice that on one of the walls of my mind, there are a number of pictures, some old and yellowed - though still clear - and some rich with color and life. When I look at these pictures in my mind's eye, people will catch me smiling, while seemingly staring at the void. When the focus returns to my eyes, I have been told that my expression is very peculiar: it is the expression of someone who feels thankful for having met certain people and managed to keep them close to him. Then, I look at the things I do with fresh determination.

For some people, Spring is a sad, melancholic season, perhaps because they are single, perhaps because everything is brimming with life-force and sexual drive, while they feel lacking and perhaps, for reasons I can only guess at. The above description, such as it is, is what Spring induces in me and very often, it finds itself expressed specifically or vaguely in the music I like to listen to, music which is people, memories, symbols, hopes and dreams, all mixed in one colorful palette. This "Quickening", if you like, is what "Haru Toki no Koe" is to me; the voice of Spring.


It has been an interesting year (I count years academically, starting in September and ending in August), in many senses: the usual one (loads of interesting and cool stuff happened), as well as the Chinese one ("may you live in interesting times", meant as a curse for living in times of tumult and unrest). However, these last few months, especially, have been interesting in the way of people and that is what has driven me to create the playlist, whose name is the namesake of this post and which I will be playing as a guest of Ordre de Ciel on Sunday, the 11th of May. Now, do not go thinking that all of the above translates into a mushy, tree-hugging hippie anime music set, just that this peculiar drive has been behind the creation of the playlist. I have tried to make it as fun as possible but you will be the final judges of that. If, by the end of it, you disagree, there will be the guaranteed-cool sets of Ordre de Ciel to more than make up for it, so you have no excuse.

On a final, important note, all of the above would not mean much, if some of the songs were not dedicated to the people I have mentioned earlier. I will only reveal the order in which the dedications will be played, so as not to spoil the surprise and of course, to goad you to come listen to them. So then:

The first song goes to Kame-chan, for being the lovable person that she is.

The second song goes to Ergo Proxy and Darkside_Blues, my best friends and the only people to suffer me continuously for 11 years.

The third song goes to the people of Ordre de Ciel, for having a dream, sticking to it with knuckles bared and being the truly beautiful people that they are.

The fourth song goes to all those people who, over the years, I have kept close to my heart, my friends, old and new, each and every one special in their own way.

The fifth song goes to Bunnydragon, dedicated in earnest, for being a sweet, caring person, forged of Dragonfire.

The rest of the songs are for you, who make a point of showing your love for this kind of music. There is no J-scene in Greece, unless there are people who give a damn about it, be they manga/anime otaku, cosplayers or diehard J-rock fans. We are eagerly waiting for you at KABATZA Bar, for the Last Sunday Sessions.

Signing off,

Speedgrapher

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, I have been suffering you for about 7 years (it is 7 yrs isn't it?), which is shorter than 11 years and I have never given you the oportunity to play in public (hell I've never even thrown a party at my place all these years). So, I guess I am rightfully at place four.

Never the less, thanx man!

Speedgrapher said...

You are welcome. However, the songs are not "places". Though the first 5 songs were chosen as dedications, separately from the rest of the playlist, their order was chosen for DJing effectiveness (hopefully).

Skauld Skauksson said...

"(no, you do NOT want to know how I deal with the Summer temperatures)"

You get out on a deserted beach dancing naked under the moon, don'tcha? I just want to travel northwards, på det hoje fjeller av nordiska landen!!! :)

Now, about that serene room of your s, the one your mind forms inside your head... I know exactly what you mean, pal... Only, my room is never organized. It lacks none of my memories, yet for anyone else but me, it should take some time to find anything in there... :P

Hejdå, vi ses snart! Kavatza ni aou to omoimasu... Take care...

Anonymous said...

I hate Spring, possibly even more than Summer (if that's at all possible ...). I always loved Winter and Spring can be a bitch for not maintaining a stable state of weather and because of all that sudden heat or raining out of the blue and people being happy without having a damn clue:/

I like Spring Rolls tho, if that matters... Itadakimassss

Speedgrapher said...

Dear skauksson, you are requested not to divulge information on my heat-countermeasures, however the hell you got wind of them, heheh (I bet you find a fjord and do the same you rowdy bastard).

As to the mind thing, in my case, rarely does anyone enter there (Dwarven mithril door). BTW, dude, your Japanese/Skanian mix is far out.

As for you Elli-chan, I can understand perfectly what you mean but I still cannot help myself. BTW, you feeling better?

Anonymous said...

I dunno, I woke up today with a hell of a sore throat and the voice of Johnnie Cash:S Plus my back hurts.

Oh well.

I wanna eat some noodles gawdammit!!

And, Speedie, I'm just rantin', they way you feel it's ok, you're you and I'm me:)

Speedgrapher said...

Ranting is good, I do it all the time; so why shouldn't you? Get better soon and maybe come by on Sunday neee?

Anonymous said...

Sugoi!

Skauld Skauksson said...

Got that... I won't do it ever again... NOT!!! Ax0ax0a0x0ax0a0xa0xa And yes... Fjordene er god!!!

So... Dwarven mithril door hah? And what about us, planeshifters?

Anyway... let's call that peculiar tongue "nihøngø"... Shall we? E? Fantastike dj? :P

Anonymous said...

Yes, but they are in an order, none the less. Placing items in an order, has to have a logic behind, and don't get me wrong, but it seemed to me that they were in order of ~importance~ to you. Heh, I guess I don't know you that well after all... ^^

Maybe, if you also named the songs, the Dj-effect-thingy would be more obvious, but then again you would spoil the surprise... (let alone the fact that my dj skills are not m4d so I would still not get it:P)

Speedgrapher said...

Well, you just have to come listen to them, don't you?

RosenRed said...

You know I work and I have to get up very early on Monday... I can't promise anything, but I will try to be there :)

Anonymous said...

I find that Spring makes you more emotional (aaawwww, kawai, neee? ^^).
Pity Sunday is a tough day for most and I ll miss the party once again.

Anonymous said...

Just realised I should have signed as "Hobbit" ^^

Speedgrapher said...

Aaaa, so that's you my dear giggling thing! Well, at least you know my 4th song is for you also!

kyoshiro said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kyoshiro said...

Hey I hope there is going to bee multiple flavour party not only 5 nee????Or I will smack you? ..In parts of your body I cant write...bibibib

Speedgrapher said...

Kyo-san! Shame! Of course there will be more t6han 5 flavors! 23 in fact!