Back flash

Sometimes this site turns into a journal of new discoveries and other posts are like pieces of an autobiography or the thanks to those that made it into my life in some significant way. As some may remember and are thinking I’ll get back to one day, I was really into digital photography and also videography. I made some of my own hobby music videos and did a lot of photo editing. Adobe Premiere and Photoshop were always my favorite for editing. Ever since I took a class during one of my semesters at Columbia College Chicago, between transfers, I was developing skills in Photoshop. These videos were mostly trial, but if I ever do them again, I’ll know what software to use. Now they have the Creative Cloud , where you pretty much lease the software. This would have been cool when I lived in other countries, but now I’ll just say I endorse the software if you are debating which one to use. Anyways, before I forget… The webseries at Digital Rev, although it was a little dirty on the sense of humor at time, was very educational and entertaining. It also reviewed and compared products available in their store with various celebrity guests. Mostly shot in Hong Kong the main hosts Kai and assistant Lok, never ran out of conversation, edgy humor, and international image and video-based culture.

Side note: I haven’t watched these in a while, so I know nothing of the current content. Parental advisory.

Update 3/19/19 : Kai’s YouTube ChannelTwitter
Lok’s YouTube ChannelTwitter

Newest pet recommendations

I’ve was hanging out with the cats at the Kearney Area Animal Shelter in Nebraska for a few days. My last post I made some unofficial recommendations. Those in charge there are strict with adopters and the animals are picky too, so I wouldn’t march in there thinking it’s a sure thing… Of the cats I like now I would say ‘Cajun’ who is really playful and handsome. Also, ‘Jordan’ is really chill. On the contrast to ‘Cajun’, he is reluctant to interact in the outgoing way, but in an unpredictable way in which you may be surprised with his company. All the adoptable dogs there are good. The ones other than Bear are a little noisy, but I think it’s just a welcoming thing that might not keep going at their new home and it grows on you. Good luck if you are in the area.

Encore choices for Mix in the Making #3

The first nineish are from my latest picks. I am on a Country kick and listen to some Christian music too. As you know I am always trying to find the long lasting Pop songs and Dance Pop​. The other sections are most of the rest of my picks from 2017 that I tried to compile from my notes and lists in one place for this encore. What I usually do is pick enough for an hour and half and then mix an hour. If I don’t use some they may roll over to the next mix if they still fit in, but if you are doing it on an iPad or phone, I don’t recommend putting a ton of songs on there. Just pick ones that your are feeling that week and try to get the best transitions and order (even if they do fight a little bit). If you get sick of a track too quick, possibly take it out of the candidates and bring it back when it is ready or you are. This is enough tracks to do like four mixes, but I am trying to catch up to the newer stuff without forgetting these ones. So this is perfect if you want to do a mix per week. Another tip is to try and not choose too many songs that have lyrics for one mix unless that is your theme and can mesh them into a story. Space out really wordy songs with a house track or something so the listener can think about what you said and how it relates to their problems because a lot of us are trying to solve issues while others are out of them.

Maroon 5 – Cold CLEAN VERSION
Third Day – Soul on Fire
Marren Morris – Rich
Blanca – Real Love
Hillsong Young & Free – Real Love (Live) Youth Revival
Cyclic – Current Value
Lady Antebellum – Heart Break, Hurt or Think About You
Taska Black – We Would Never Do (ft. Nevve)​
ZAYN & Taylor Swift – I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)

ARLE – Close To You (Icarus Edit)
Riton & MNEK & The House Gospel Choir – Deeper
Troyboi – X2C
Snavs – Give Me The Light
Rowan Niemisto – Without Trying
Olav Basoski ft. Spyder – Waterman 2017 (Bolier Remix)
HONOR – Never Off (Hot Since 82 Remix)
Klosman & Nico de Andrea – Porque Me Voy
Provenzano – Serifos
LO’99 & The Aston Shuffle – Birthman

Melo Makes Music – Drain U ft. Ravyn Lenae (Prod. Martin $ky)
and a lot of choices after it from:
Chill Vol. 35
… Said The Sky & Kwesi – All I Got

Jayceeoh & Dijital feat. J.Lauryn – Everywhere I Go
Triarchy Ft. J.Lauryn – Coconuts and others from J.Lauryn’s ‘Golden Years’ album (Don’t Touch, Party Favors)
Max Vangeli x Danny Ray – Made For Lovin’ You and/or Andrew Rayel & Max Vangeli feat. Kye – Heavy Love
Kiril – No Fightin’ & Rave Generator
John W & Bonnis Maxx – La Cumbia (Ivan Miranda Edit)
Roger Sanchez – Another Chance (Ivan Miranda 2k17 Remode)
Mercer – Encore (DJAfrojack & SAYMYNAME Remix)
Cardi B – Bodak Yellow (CID Remix) EXPLICIT
Sezwez ft. Maddy Carty – Got No Love
The Magician & TCTS ft. Sam Sure – Slow Motion
MUST DIE! – Shibuya Overdrive
Tiësto & Sevenn – Boom (Snavs Remix)
Marshmello Ft. Khalid – Silence (Lost Kings Remix)
Trobi & Boaz Van De Beatz Feat Âdïka & KaliBwoy – U Don’t Know
CID & Kaskade- Sweet Memories
Tom Reason – Rather Do (needs a remix)
School of X – Las Vegas or Words
Prince Fox – Space (feat. QuinnXCII)

Gareth Emery Feat. Christina Novelli – Concrete Angel (Haka Remix)
(remix of the first Gareth Emery song that broke out to us all)

BLR X Rave & Crave – Taj, BLR – Bella Mare (this BLR EP is good)

From: Best of LW Tech (Found on Traxsource)
Piano Cure – Pirupa Kuo Climax Remix
Tommy Vercetti – Killa
Overfunk – Gangsta Feeling

From Glasgow Underground’s ‘Amsterdam 2017’:
Vanilla Ace, Jean Bacarreza – Swaii
Landmark (Marco Anzalone), Kevin McKay – What’s Going Down
Alaska – Konflicted Soul
Say No More – Space Jump Salute

Porter Robinson – Language (Ekali & QUIX Tribute)
Crossnaders – Instinct Killa

Ratings & Critics

I guess because the world didn’t think I was talented enough to sell albums, perform or make a living with my own songs I became a critic in the form of a DJ at times because ‘…but your taste is impeccable’. So at times I must be too easy on some stars (or too tough on others). My fault. I over-rated Khalid too early. I hear him on too many songs now. Possibly it’s his management or he doesn’t get to choose the songs he is on because many of them are so generic it makes me embarrased. Lesson learned.

How about most under-rated Presidents. Trump gets a lot of shame and I don’t even read the paper. When I was young I dreamed of an African-American President and a Woman President, but when I watched ‘The Apprentice’ on tv, none of us could have thought Donald would be shaping our future. I believe if we choose together someone to lead us, we should support them. So Khalid still has my support and even though to me the last election was a win-win situation for my dream America, seems like the majority of citizens think you have to tear winners and losers down alike and take back their support before the real difference happens. If abuse and harsh words are how we support those we want to do great things, what will they say when we are no longer proud of how we got there?

Encore track selections coming soon…

I’m going to post another ‘Mix in the Making’ list for you to make the encore by the beginning of March to follow the early release of ‘Mix in the Making #3’. Until then I will post as usual a mix of the week from notes that I didn’t reveal yet. These are mixes I am currently going over and over or are of the very few, full mixes I listened to in 2017. I used one track from this mix on ‘Ckwal Mix 2017020‘ and the lead-in is on ‘Mix in the Making #3‘.
The Magician’s Magic Tape 73 is the mix of this week.

Mix in the Making #3

Intro note: Since this turning point begins around Ash Wednesday (2017) which falls on Valentine’s Day (2018), I decided to post March’s notes today.
—––————–——————-
This month I’ll tell a short story that brings us full circle to where I was this time last year. I left my parent’s home which was my home from the age of 6 after packing a car full of my remaining belongings and went to attend CRST‘s refresher course and training in Waterloo, IA. The course was supposed to be a review, but it is never that easy to pass these tests they setup. I ran over the course with my car going through the gear changes in my head and pulling off the side of the road to take notes. I reviewed each night and in my spare time sold, traded and donated a lot of stuff to afford food and gas and what-not to stay up with my bills from trucking school and associated road trip from the previous year. I had finished my licence right before I became homeless, stayed in the mission in Chicago after being kicked out without a place to stay and meanwhile was still keeping current with all these costs from living on the road to New Orleans and back to trucking school staying in hotels the whole time. I finally passed after the test was delayed due to black ice and tensions were high in the classroom as we finished our hours of review the following nights. Several scenes went down in the classroom staying late that questioned my path and I prayed quite a bit. One argument was when I found out about closing paperwork which would bring us back to Cedar Rapids, but had already planned to attend church on Ash Wednesday. The priest put a cross of ash on my forehead and I contemplated doing lent for the first time in my life. Another important thing I did during these final days of commitment was religiously listening to ‘Views’ by Drake. I was going to sell plasma to get this album, but they wouldn’t let me due to ‘no permanent address’. The morning Hawkeye asked me to come back for some paperwork, I had returned from the church service at Sacred Heart and I remember a turning point which I recognized as a calling. I packed the car and headed toward Denver with only enough money for gas to reach the city and stay in a mission. I went an unintended route however and was driving up through Northern Nebraska. I remember fueling up, calculating in my head and a spirit of fear passed within me as if I could turn back now if I had any doubts and recontinue at the milestone I earned, but going forward was like unknown territory or nearly starting over. I kept going West and only started to get worried when I realized I was way up in no man’s land and not on the mapped out course. This part of Nebraska is like wastelands. Apparently Bill Gates has a home somewhere out there, but there aren’t any gas stations nor much civilization. Not only this but I had passed over several bridges where the wind was tossing my car unnaturally. The steering wheel seemed to rip right out of my hands with shaking as the tires went over the gridded surface. Well that was the problem, but I was thinking, ‘…please let me make it to the next gas station before I run out of gas’. I was back on track headed south to I-80 and getting close to a gas station and could see I was going to make it there and probably would still get to Denver with my remaining credit. I was about at the end of the street, only a short walk from the gas station, when the car turned to the side of the road and broke down. The front cradle rusted through, deformed and the tire had turned into the sidewall making it unmovable and unfixable (without over 1000$ plus extra time to get parts). The police arranged for a short tow to the gas station parking lot where I slept waiting for AAA to show up to tow me down to North Platte where my journey would continue. I did fast for over thirty days mostly until 2:30 pm or later combined with housekeeping to pay for the hotel provided by CRST and course at Hawkeye. After living there for some time, (some of these posts tell about my experiences there) I did make it to Denver, but went back to North Platte when asked to leave Good Samaritan because I could survive cheaper and stay vegan. Occasionally I question my calling or think I misunderstood. I really identify with ‘Greatest Love Story’ because for some time I thought that was the reason. Thinking, “I am supposed to meet someone in one these places”. Since my faith is strong I wonder if I skipped a step or my life was saved. I could have crashed in broad daylight or been tossed off of any number of bridges. It was only a matter of timing when this car would fail because it was overlooked when it was in the shop last. If I bypassed my whole trucking career, then I was speeding past my fate and mixing to the future which could now never happen. Another theory is I was helping to clear the path for another couple’s or individual’s future by succeeding and failing in possible scenarios as making up for interruptions in others’ lives I may have made in my past. This brings me to March’s Mix in the Making, #3. The unrequited love is part of it as the one year anniversary of my arrival to Nebraska (mostly with 3 country songs I have identified in my soul searching) as well as the possible missing links to this or another story from my private/confidential notes.

PØP CULTUR – Tell Me Baby
Julian Calor – Charge Me Up
DJ Snake ft. Lauv – A Different Way (Curbi Remix) &/or Martin Garrix & David Guetta – So Far Away (feat. Jamie Scott & Romy Dya) (Curbi Remix)
illyus & Barrientos – ‘So Serious’ (BBC Radio 1, Annie Mac)
~SWACQ – Kayos Ft. Jordiz
Belinda Carlisle – Mad About You
Darius Rucker – Don’t or Life’s Too Short, ‘For the First Time’ is the most played/popular also would work (Choose one for this mix unless doing an encore or second part).
Lauren Alaina – Road Less Traveled
LANCO – Greatest Love Story
*Tarlan & Lexon – Saxy
*Kernkraft vs DV & LM – Zombie Like This (Ozcan SmashUp) Not available
*~Tong Apollo & DJ Benz – Feel Good
Blonde – Just For One Night (feat. Astrid S) (George Kwali Remix) Not available in the US
Eddy M – Don’t Wanna Be
Stanton Warriors – Colima
AV AV AV – Forget
*Saladin & Starkill – Droppin Panties
*~Nick & Chasner – NLX
*~Kroshwell – Rocket
Whiskytown – Matrimony & If He Can’t Have You
BLYNE – Waste Time (feat. James Chatburn)
Rusko – Look Out EXPLICIT
Audeka – Intake Manifold // Engine Block EP (MethLab) or Audeka – Ignition Coil // Engine Block EP (MethLab)
Audeka & Rawtekk // Dark Energy (MethLab) (has vocals)
+Add below Chill tracks
Delta Heavy – I Need You
~=very similar
some of these from below notes, edited and relistened to
*Ref. 2017019 Ummet’s Mix that several of these are from

Chill
RememberYouAreDreaming – Dream(s) by Infinite Third
JOSHUA J — Flowers (feat. Eauxby)
Bearson — Bearson x josh pan – Free
Emerson Leif — Emerson Leif x Golden Vessel – ‘Hesitate’
Keys N Krates – Do What U Do
DIVINE ✨ — Sometimes
(Chill tracks selected from thissongissick.com’s Chill Playlist Vol. 39)

If needed additional tracks
Petit Biscuit – Follow Me
Christopher Kah – Nightfall
*~Shawn White & Ryan Nichols – Ahh
Pick one from the new ‘Sleigh Bells‘ album
Also review Made in Germay, Vol. 13 from Traxsource and select some tracks for this and/or future mixes.

What is going on?

I guess this could be a really serious question if you lived in a world without power or suddenly certain devices stopped working for no apparent reason. This is not far off from what could happen and yes we take these things for granted. I’d like to think I have an advantage as I moved most of my life offline these past years, but I haven’t seen too many of my peers able to do it, attempt or want to try that. Anyways, that is just an icebreaker. I’m working on the next Mix in the Making #3. It has a story attached to it as well which I’m editing. With more time to put these lists together and general theme inspiration for the could-be ‘MixList Maker’, this could be the site transition to an educational point of view. Will I be relocating to Bangkok to live up in the skyscraper teaching jockeys to spin vinyl off their pointers like a Harlem Globetrotter? It has been fairly easy so far to prioritize searching for music and getting nutrition than buying the music and making the weekly mix than I thought.

Update

Ckwal’s journey may be continuing again on a new chapter, but still within the country. If you would like to support this site and associated life during this time, I will now be accepting donations. I also recently donated (a double unit of blood) as soon as I was eligible through the Red Cross and it went pretty well. Using the advice on this site should make your second Power Red donation go easier and you won’t have to miss work. This month was pretty difficult and knowing I had this appointment to contribute some strict vegan blood to possibly save or change someone’s life, got me through some tough spiritual battles and life choices. It was my sixth unit in less than a year (last year being my first donation). So this time I am the one thanking Red Cross. I’ll see you again, Red Cross, sometime in late May or June (if I have to move). The reason I am sharing these stories together is that you never really know how it affects someone to give or to receive. It may be a positive experience or it might be really difficult for many parties involved depending on the organization. So, for this reason I pray our gifts of time, money or ourselves will be received well if accepted and that we may be able to accept help, if offered, when we really need it. Either way I’ll find more ways to share important things on this blog. Thanks to last year’s contributions which ranged from shelter assistance to food, propane, an extra layer for the winter and fresh tracks that made it to our MixLists.

Unofficial Assistance Ranking List

Barbara L.
Deborah D.
Jeff L.
Nathan W.
Christine M.
Liz V.

Other personal unofficial support from Russell D., Fred L., Lois D., Jay P.

Sincerely,
Ckwal




*3.21.18 Update on the second half of this post talks about donations to the poor in general. I will expand on this topic later as my journey continues.

*6.25.18 Update: Journey continues to Houston starting on my birthday which was 7.20.80

Mix in the Making #2

More from last year’s private notes though some were never available or don’t exist yet. Every list each month will have 18 tracks until May when I’ll add one more for 19.

The first three tracks were discovered on The Magician’s Magic Tape 74. Instagram
The final track* in this list is from Miss Monique’s Mind Games 65. Instagram

Format:B – The Scoop Instagram
​Point Point ft. Denai Moore – Hands (Samaran Remix) Instagram Instagram
Zerb – Paradise (Could use a remix) Instagram
DROELOE – Kintsugi Instagram
JLV – Look Away Instagram
Bassjackers vs Breathe Carolina & Apek – The Fever Instagram Instagram Instagram
DJ Licious – I Can’t Stop Instagram
Dzeko – In Too Deep Instagram
Ferreck Dawn & Marco Joosten vs Systematic Parts – Violin De La Nuit Instagram
Rae Sremmurd – Perplexing Pegasus CLEAN VERSION Instagram
Dzeko – California (feat. Brynn Elliott) Instagram
Savoy & Bright Lights – The Wolf (Savoy Live Version) Instagram Instagram
Mssing No – XE2 (VALENTINE Remix) Instagram Instagram Instagram
Jude & Frank – La Luna (feat. Totó La Momposina) [Extended Mix] Instagram Instagram Instagram
​Captain Cuts – Love Like We Used to (Lenno Remix) [feat. Nateur] Instagram InstagramInstagram
​Hailee Steinfeld – Love Myself w/ Teamworx & Thomas Feelman – Whisper Not available (Hear a section at 38:41)Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram
MØ – Final Song (Diplo & Jauz Remix) Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram
BANKS – Waiting Game (Judah Remix) Not available*Instagram Instagram