As it's been roughly 28 moons since my last blog, and since I only blog while engaged in international travel, it would be appropriate to paint a little background since the spring of 2007. After returning to the states from my second trip to India, I have proceeded to teach yoga full time and have remained committed to designing a new style of living. Without a doubt the most memorable experience in that period occurred during the summer of 2008 at the Gaian Mind Summer Festival. On Saturday, June 21st, I was asked by Sunny (Mahiane) and Vincent (Aes Dana) of Ultimae Records (my favorite downtempo label) to be a label DJ/US representative of their downtempo project based in Lyon, France. Not knowing exactly what opportunities would arise, this summer brought the first experience for Ultimae related international travel. With the help of Sharon, she and I were lined up for another go on the production team for the Sonica-Reloaded Festival in Italy, only this time I was also given a proper slot on the alternative stage for an Ultimae Records chillout set. Sharon and I were in Portugal last summer for the Boom Festival, and we again set out across the Atlantic wandering if summers in Europe would become the new rhythm.

This trip quite unexpectedly began a day sooner than scheduled. On my way to our regional outdoor gathering of the summer, Vayeb - the Mayan Day out of Time party located in south central CO, I received a call from my flight agent that I might have to catch a plane that night! Begrudgingly, I rerouted back home, stuffed my things in my backpack and headed soon after to the airport. With a big favor from our agent and friend (Antix's mom), we received a great deal on companion tickets to standby for a business class flight to Rome. While I was aware of the dress code for this type of ticket, my judgment in footwear was a little lacking, and thus, after a scornful gaze from the flight agent at the gate counter, found myself demoted to seat 23A in economy class. An exhausted laptop battery and without sleep or the book that I packed in my checked baggage, I finally arrived to Rome. An hour north and I was in the beautiful Italian countryside at the new Sonica location. With barely enough time to change from my "business class" upperwear, Sharon "Storm", who arrived nearly a week earlier, wisped me away to the production office to get straight to work.

The festival was strewn along a river with little shade, but contained a series of waterfalls and a pool deep enough for swimming. Filled with some tall, graceful, wind activated art pieces on the dancefloor, a series of shops and restaurants, and familiar faces, the festival enjoyed a much more mellow, family vibe than I remembered from 2006. I struggled to remember all the fuss about Italian food. Oh yes, pizza, pasta, bread, cheese, pizza, pasta, bread, cheese, pizza, pasta, bread, cheese...tomatoes. The Indian restaurant "Dharamsala" was the saving grace with extremely large portions and perfect mango lassis that tasted EXACTLY like Goa's Mango Shade, our favorite breakfast spot in the season of 2007. Atriohm stole the show for me with a set that was the best swampy, night time forest music I've heard since Deviant Species, GMSF05. I didn't get much dancing in, but had a nice tumble off a bike in an overanxious rush to get to the stage in the thick darkness one night. The alternative stage was mostly minimal techno, with very little chillout and greatly lacking in any "chillout" environment to encourage people to enjoy time out. Mahiane, Aes Dana, and Solar Fields all played beautiful sets, but lacked many people do to the ill-equipped space. I followed that morning with my chillout set, which seemed to get a good response from those sparse individuals seeking a smooth descent from a full night of dancing. My final day in Italy was spent with a dip in the waterfall and lazily wandering the country roads picking and eating sweet blackberries by the handful.