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Checking In Thread


johnb820

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* Feel free to use this thread to check in with everyone from time to time

Hello everybody! It's been a very long time since I have been around psynews and the psytrance scene. For the last year I have barely kept up with anything going on. Unfortunately it would seem my work life invaded my personal life in well... let's just say bad ways. I will still be around here though I probably won't be anywhere near as active as I used to be.

For those curious, as you can see from my soundcloud, I have been producing a ton of shorter, accessible songs mostly of the downtempo variety with the same unusual production ideas/sounds that keep things interesting for me. I know some of you have enjoyed my Goa Trance in the past and I am so appreciative of that. Unfortunately, my life has taken a nose dive and I am not sure I will ever return to psytrance, but I wanted to let you all know what has been happening with me.

Also, you can check my twitter for various stuff like project files and other works of mine.

https://twitter.com/barkerj216

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Hi

Looks like I was away for a while too. Now I'm trying to make up something fast to finish this before the year changes (in this time zone) so that my end-of-year post count won't be zero. :P

Well, yeah, it was an interesting year, quite hectic too. Last winter I had just finished my house move to another city. Thereafter I've been trying to settle in. There was also loads of events and travelling. I went to ZNA after a long break from festivals. A lot happened before/during/after that trip. As soon as I got back home, ready to share my stories, I was kind of thrown in to new preparations, which resulted in landing in Bali. I spent most of November there. It was a memorable but also partially taxing trip. Didn't do much trance stuff there, although I did listen to Virtuart's "L'Arôme de la Solitude (Batur Mix)" while trekking around the rim of Mt. Batur. Heh. I was also watching Mt. Agung from there when it was on red alert, while not exactly erupting. That happened a few days later. By sheer luck I got back home as most of the flights were cancelled.

Now I've been just catching up with things here, wrapping up the work year, getting some rest and so on. I'd like to post here more, but so many times things just got crazy and my combined inbox (not this forum's, to clarify) was basically exploding. Clearing the queue has taken ages. I have so much unlistened music too.

Right, it's midnight. Cheers and happy new year! B)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone.

Never REALLY left the scene, I can't.

But not feeling being part of it, though. Too many bridges burnt.

I miss my lil bro @Starkraver

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  • 3 weeks later...

@Anu Katariina - Dear Anu :) Its so nice to hear from you. I've been away from psynews for a while now. Missed this message. I tried to search for you on facebook a few days and realised that you were gone. Please let us maintain one channel of communication open all the time. :) I hope everything is ok over there and the winter is not too harsh on you all. 

Loads of love.

 

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11 minutes ago, Starkraver said:

@Anu Katariina - Dear Anu :) Its so nice to hear from you. I've been away from psynews for a while now. Missed this message. I tried to search for you on facebook a few days and realised that you were gone. Please let us maintain one channel of communication open all the time. :) I hope everything is ok over there and the winter is not too harsh on you all. 

Loads of love.

 

I am not able to message you, please contact me as and when you see this message. 

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I’m here. I’m kind of despondent lately. Funny, because things are generally better than they’ve ever been for me, on the surface, but it sucks in subtle ways. It must be a couple years since I checked out any new psy. Part of that is because I got myself a girlfriend who is in the metal scene, so I tend to hear more metal these days.

 

I’m trying to design some synth modules but I have little time. Haven’t worked on any new music in so long. When I do I don’t get very far and I just get discouraged.

 

And, you know...living in the circus that is the United States these days is disheartening in itself.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks for making this topic!

I'm still around, mostly listening to Suomisaundi. I'm a lot more active on Twitter than I am here though.

On 12/28/2017 at 3:39 PM, johnb820 said:

For those curious, as you can see from my soundcloud, I have been producing a ton of shorter, accessible songs mostly of the downtempo variety with the same unusual production ideas/sounds that keep things interesting for me. I know some of you have enjoyed my Goa Trance in the past and I am so appreciative of that. Unfortunately, my life has taken a nose dive and I am not sure I will ever return to psytrance, but I wanted to let you all know what has been happening with me.

I hope you can find a way out of your work situation. I think you're doing some of your best music right now. Whether or not you return to psytrance, what you write has your personal touch, and that's the most important thing for music to have IMHO.

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On 2/25/2018 at 2:31 PM, Blair Thaumic said:

Thanks for making this topic!

I'm still around, mostly listening to Suomisaundi. I'm a lot more active on Twitter than I am here though.

I hope you can find a way out of your work situation. I think you're doing some of your best music right now. Whether or not you return to psytrance, what you write has your personal touch, and that's the most important thing for music to have IMHO.

Thank you so much for that sentiment! It means a lot to me.

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  • 2 months later...

haha, this thread made me log in again... must have been a year or so since last time.

I've been thinking about doing another bit of "competition" to keep refocusing on the more recent goa/psy releases out there...

Also, since beginning of 2017 I've been in and out of a relationship so it has been impacting my own recovery in many ways. Luckily in positive ways. April the 14th I took 2 years as a sober alcoholic.

psynews is still my starting page for some reason so even though I have not logged in in over a year I've been skulking about.

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  • 6 months later...
On 2/8/2018 at 5:59 PM, Starkraver said:

I am not able to message you, please contact me as and when you see this message. 

I enabled the messages, so if you see this, shoot! (It's been long..)

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  • 1 month later...

Weird. I've only been away for a month and a half. Not really even away - still reading but not posting. I've also been shopping for this-and-that. Nevertheless, I feel somehow out of touch. There was a certain gap when I was travelling for the whole November and then catching up with the enormous backlog that piled up on all fronts. There were far too few moments when I could cue up some music, press play and really appreciate it properly. It doesn't feel right if I turn some hot new release into background muzak, which is almost like distraction for what I'm really trying to concentrate on.

It got so bad that I probably have to go through and list my latest purchases to remember what I've really bought...and start digesting, of course. Then I can continue to checking what's really new.

Oh, and happy midwinter, everyone. These few days off finally gave me a chance to post even this one message. :)

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  • 8 months later...

Hello everyone! I wanted to let you all know about what has been happening to me. So about 2 and a half years ago I was living in Buffalo, New York working as a programmer when my boss inadvertently forced me to take time away from work due to my concerns regarding a security audit at the company. He forced me to see a doctor and get approval to return to work. At that time it was my parents in Cranberry Twp, Pennsylvania who took me to live with them against my will. While I did receive permission to return to work, I only stayed at my job in Buffalo for about 5 months before I was just fired for little to no reason. So then for the next 2 years or so I was living with my parents in Pennsylvania and I even found work there, but I was repeatedly admitted involuntarily to psychiatric facilities for no reason which was jeopardizing my career.

Almost 3 months ago I decided to escape my parents and return to Buffalo, NY. It seems that at some point I had my identity stolen and my very participation in society was challenged. I am currently homeless, without work, with very little money. I do not know exactly what to do. I could really use some help. If you can help me with money, I would greatly appreciate it. PM me for details.

Edit: Please contact me via email, not the psynews messenger if you would like, rubyplexus@protonmail.com

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  • 3 months later...
  • 5 months later...

I've missed this place. Seems like an age since I was active here. I came back a few years ago but disappeared again. I think it's been 5 years or so since I've been active here. 

Coincidentally daughter turns five in a few weeks. My wife isn't overly maternal and the bulk of the child rearing has fallen on me. I don't get much free time to do what I want or listen to what I want.  She loves dubstep and hates my downtempo boring stuff or weird trippy trancey stuff :(

I've been sick this year: diagnosed with sinus cancer over New year's but I had successful surgery last month and on the mend :)

I had tumors removed and the sinuses themselves reshaped as they were twisted. Now my sense of smell and taste are coming back. Didn't realize how much I stink :lol:

hope everyone is doing well ❣️

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22 hours ago, abasio said:

I've missed this place. Seems like an age since I was active here. I came back a few years ago but disappeared again. I think it's been 5 years or so since I've been active here. 

Coincidentally daughter turns five in a few weeks. My wife isn't overly maternal and the bulk of the child rearing has fallen on me. I don't get much free time to do what I want or listen to what I want.  She loves dubstep and hates my downtempo boring stuff or weird trippy trancey stuff :(

I've been sick this year: diagnosed with sinus cancer over New year's but I had successful surgery last month and on the mend :)

I had tumors removed and the sinuses themselves reshaped as they were twisted. Now my sense of smell and taste are coming back. Didn't realize how much I stink :lol:

hope everyone is doing well ❣️

 

we knew your stink bro!!
wow had no idea that was going on for you, my 16 year old daughter had the same thing and same surgery, and she got through it to
happy days, so whatcha listening to these days?
 

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Good luck with cancer treatment... a lot of good friends seem to be having treatment t for it as we get older. I've been lucky so far but think my lack of sun protection in the 80's will eventually catch up.

Lock down hasn't been great my end for my mental health, thankfully I was smart enough to invest in some quality exercise gear & have a great psychologist to help me through. 
 

turning 40 this month with no party kinda sucks, but at least I can spend it with my wife n' kids. I think my state here in Victoria, Australia is going full lock down again soon. Winter & the virus is taking off. 
 

Anyway off to keep renovating the home studio. 

 

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9 hours ago, Bartzabel said:

Good luck with cancer treatment... a lot of good friends seem to be having treatment t for it as we get older. I've been lucky so far but think my lack of sun protection in the 80's will eventually catch up.

Lock down hasn't been great my end for my mental health, thankfully I was smart enough to invest in some quality exercise gear & have a great psychologist to help me through. 
 

turning 40 this month with no party kinda sucks, but at least I can spend it with my wife n' kids. I think my state here in Victoria, Australia is going full lock down again soon. Winter & the virus is taking off. 
 

Anyway off to keep renovating the home studio. 

 

yeah it's going mental down there in vic, here in NSW wouldn't even know anythings going on

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19 hours ago, technosomy said:

yeah it's going mental down there in vic, here in NSW wouldn't even know anythings going on

Yep it's completely f#cked here. They've just hard locked down a public housing complex. Nobody can leave their apartment & essentials will be delivered to your door step. Just waiting for the deaths to start. they've lost control here . I'm just concerned for my elderly parents (82 & 85 years old) as if they get it it's game over. 
 

luckily our house is large with a good backyard for the kids if we get locked down again. Glad we're not in an apartment. 
 

 

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5 hours ago, Bartzabel said:

Yep it's completely f#cked here. They've just hard locked down a public housing complex. Nobody can leave their apartment & essentials will be delivered to your door step. Just waiting for the deaths to start. they've lost control here . I'm just concerned for my elderly parents (82 & 85 years old) as if they get it it's game over. 
 

luckily our house is large with a good backyard for the kids if we get locked down again. Glad we're not in an apartment. 
 

 

i wouldn't worry to much about your parents, they have more chance of dying of old age with a covid tag added on for statistics

 

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