First of all, all art has value, because it speaks to that intangible essence of spirit and connection. Thanks for coming to my two-sentence Ted Talk.

But for real, I’ve recently gotten back into EDM (Electronic Dance Music, for the laymen) and I’m glad to be back in the halls of crunchy drops and melodic synthesizers. I didn’t like dance music until I was in the Navy, when I realized that my normal sadboi bullshit wasn’t doing anything for my psyche. Are most of the lyrics cliche? Certainly. Is there an undesirable aspect of the genre’s microculture? Sure. Spoiler Alert: people love to do party drugs at EDM shows, but to be fair, I think that’s concerts in general. Maybe besides the symphony or an opera, but hey that sounds wild.

When I was twenty-one and drowning in sadness and self-doubt, I found that a little lift from a driving beat was really helpful. Not a lot of music is explicitly positive, and EDM is almost exclusively so. The messages often herald vulnerability, exploring freedom, falling in love, and living in the moment, letting go of hateful burdens. While it’s done in a very YASS QUEEN sort of way, the delivery isn’t usually so over the top that a song is unlistenable. Besides, I’m personally not listening for the lyrics of a piece, but the general musicality of the number as a whole.

And there are other values. I find that listening to one EDM song on repeat helps with my productivity. As I write this post, Favorite Sound by Audien and Echosmith drives circles in my mind. It helps me focus to have something driving in my mind, something that’s not too distracting. I find if I listen to music that I like that is too lyric intensive — too deep, different, or syntactically complicated, like rap — I struggle to maintain momentum when working creatively. EDM is my cheat-code for working at a computer for long stretches of time.

Hell, I even read in Tim Ferris’ Tool of Titans that listening to one song on repeat is a common trait in highly driven and accomplished individuals. So, I guess I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.

Writing for six hours is hard enough, especially when you have relationships and jobs and commitments etc., but I’ve found that it’s easier if I have headphones on. One downside: I do have some noise-cancellers, and there is no good way to get my attention with those things on. I’m easily scared, and every time anyone even gets close to my peripheries or taps my shoulder, I’m six feet in the air.

So, if you’re looking for a little edible audible pick-me-up, consider adding some dance music into your day. Whether it’s at the gym, driving to or from work, or just at home in your robe eating Ben and Jerry’s, adding it back into my life has been good. There’s a lot of change on the horizon for me, which can be tough, but it’s important to stay centered and focused, and there’s nothing like a nasty bass wobble or a remix to add a little levity. And it’s great for focus. If you are interested in music as a focus tool, I might also recommend certain videogame soundtracks, like Journey, FTL, or Bastion. They are made to help the player feel productive, and those are all incredibly crafted soundtracks.

Have a stellar night or day or whatever it is when these words greet you, for I am a time traveler, and these words be my vessel of transversal. Go in peace and light, and write, write, write.

Kbizzle