The Disclosure brothers Guy and Howard remind me of Orbital. Meticulously crafted songs, a fun live show and a vibe you can root for. Before their album dropped, we were sharing anything we could find by them on social media. I’d been listening to them for over 2 years by the time I first saw them live. They’ve done songs with some great singers and my wife is a big fan of London Grammar. ‘Help Me Lose My Mind’ made her delve deeper into Disclosure and she said she wanted to see them whenever they came to town. Of course I had already bought tickets 4 months in advance of their show. The show began the celebration of our ninth wedding anniversary.

The summer after I graduated high school, my mom took me to the Smoking Grooves Tour stop in Phoenix. A Tribe Called Quest, the Fugees, Busta Rhymes, Cypress Hill, Spearhead. The lineup was unbelievable. There were monsoon storms in the area so there was rain and lightning which delayed the show at times. During the Fugees set, Nas came out and performed ‘If I Ruled the World’ with Lauryn Hill. I had a huge smile on my face and my mom teased me about it. If I ruled the world, I’d be able to take my kids to a show this good.

Orbital opened a door into electronic music for me. Without the benefit of tools to track my musical activities in the 90’s, I probably played this CD more than any I’ve ever owned. I’ve always enjoyed dancing but the sounds we used to breakdance to as kids gradually became pop and hip hop. High school was grunge, punk and gangster rap- music to match our attitudes. But college really opened things up. I got obsessed with Orbital and it started me on to a path into the various electronic styles and the resurgent dance culture. This song was recorded using solar energy and is one of the best pieces of music I’ve ever heard.

“Stop looking answers in everyone’s face, come on let’s go.”

The Noise Made By People is album I love like a dear friend. I remember the first time I heard Broadcast. It was their video for Papercuts on 120 Minutes. I would anxiously share the album with people who’d never heard of them. This song in particular is so sweet and with the tone of a lover who you’ve been walking toward your whole life. Sadly I never I got to see them live. I was out of town the last time the came to my city. Broadcast lead singer Trish Keenan died on my birthday in 2011.

When I was stationed in Hawaii, this was our theme song. I was fortunate to make some great friends while in the Army. Most of my local friends were husbands of or DJs in a group called Sisters in Sound. I always loved walking to the front of a line at a club and being on the list. That crew helped me make so many friends and make the island feel like a home instead of a duty station. I still share mixes and new hot fire with the friends I made in Honolulu. Music has kept us connected.

Björk spent a lot of time at the top of my bucket list. Her music has been a constant companion and I pounced on the opportunity to see her in Chicago at the Pitchfork Music Festival. It was doubly special because I took my children and that was their first concert experience. I had taken my daughter to a Radiohead show in San Diego but she was too young to remember dancing around then snoozing through most of their set. Lightning and an incoming storm cut Björk's set a few songs short but it was a beautiful performance.

Every music fan knows what it’s like to be the first of your friends to like a band. You can’t shut up about it. This is was part of the reason I started putting mixes together. When you find a good jam, a mix can serve as a musical scrapbook and a way to share hot fire. Phantogram has become one of my favorite bands in recent years. I’ve seen them live several times, I’ve put some songs in mixes, and I’ve even gotten a chance to chat with them after a couple shows. It all started with a jam.

I yell ‘EVENFLOW’ at every live show I go to. While 'Ten’ is the first rock album I ever bought, it really has nothing to do with Pearl Jam. I was at a Juliana Hatfield show and there was an opening band called Rusty. A Canadian alt rock band that the crowd really wasn’t feeling. Some guy kept obnoxiously yelling 'EVENFLOW’ after every song- mocking their sound. I was dying. So I just started yelling it at other shows. Now bands really earn it during a strong performance. When strangers turn and look at me, I just respond 'they don’t play that one?’