By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Frenetic dance parties and peaceful meditation might seem like polar opposites. But American DJ Miles Maeda found the perfect balance in his life with dance music and yoga.
Maeda, one of the pioneers in the Chicago club and rave scene in the 1990s, also teaches yoga and meditation.
``I was becoming very uninspired in Chicago my last year there. So I decided to move to the West Coast and study yoga and meditation. I was surprised how many doors it opened in my life. I felt healthier, happier, and my creativity was at a totally new level. It has also helped me immensely living life as a yogi and DJ which seems quite opposite, yet creates a perfect balance for me,'' he told The Korea Times, in an email interview.
Described as ``once a well-kept secret'' in the house music scene, Maeda has been making his presence felt in the club scene all over the world. He's been the resident DJ at the legendary Smartbar in Chicago for the last 12 years, and has ventured into two projects ― DJ Evolution, dealing with DJ-ing and music production; and Traveling Love Show, combining spiritual practice with event production.
Maeda started out on college radio in 1988, and eventually got noticed by promoters of the first Chicago rave parties. He recalled there was so much ``innocence'' and curiosity about the new wave of music and parties in the 1990s.
``Raves in a way invaded Chicago, and the seasoned DJs and club goers didn't know what to do with it. But all the young and up-and-coming kids were so gung ho. Back then, it was a wide array of UK techno, bleep, early breakbeats, and of course plenty of Detroit techno and Chicago acid house. It was very dynamic, all kinds of people coming together,'' he said.
Maeda still keeps a fairly simple approach to music. ``A fundamental philosophy is to keep the quality high, but never stop having fun. So no matter what I do, I want it to have a long shelf life and for it to entertain and amuse, especially myself! I spend a lot of time on studio production, but also like to contrast that with being spontaneous and playful when DJ-ing. It's a nice balance to have both,'' he said.
People can sample Maeda's hybrid style of house music, both old and new, at www.milesmaedamixes.com.
Maeda loves performing in Seoul because of all the friendly people, and promises a great show at Club Tool, Hongdae, Friday. ``I want people to come to dance. If everyone can help that happen, it'll be a fun show,'' he said.
Tickets to Maeda's gig at Club Tool are 10,000 won (including one drink). Visit www.myspace.com/seoulvibes.