I AM THE WAY

Exclusive Single produced for Mystery Circles during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic while living in Austin.

All proceeds from the Bandcamp purchases will be donated to Afrorack, an organization committed to providing children and young adults of color access to modular synthesizers and sound design tools.

Truthfully, this track came out of pure exhaustion and frustration of being in the grips of a severely low-creative-output swing. Coming on the heels of wrapping up “vibration” and after I cut a lot of video content. I tend to work in cycles and felt my mood being affected greatly by the weather. Entering into the angry heat of Austin pushed me into a bit of a lull. One evening I was awoken in the midst of a panic attack - I was confused, sweating, scared, and of course anxious. I felt as though “I” was dying. Sensing that I was on the verge of potential ego death, I found myself gripping to reality. That was, until I felt/heard/understood a voice tell me to push through the pain and let go. “I Am The Way” was before my eyes in the darkness.

This track attempted to embody the alien and anxious feeling I had while inside my own body in my bed. I created a vibe that hopefully creates visuals of smoke and haze...as if your dream or anxiety attack was being directed by David Lynch or perhaps the latter half of a psychedelic trip.

I tried to create a cinematic auditory universe for your ears to explore, giving you layers to dissect upon each listen. This has the feel of being the soundtrack for a scene in a movie yet to exist.

Written, Recorded, Produced, Mixed/Mastered by TJ Dumser

Slate + Ash Auras was the base of this track, accompanied with strings and voices from Spitfire Audio. The bass and arpeggios were handled by the Moog Matriarch. Percussion was from NI Damage and Spitfire Audio Cinematic Percussion Library. Ableton was the DAW of choice and aided in the production process. Special thanks to Nala for her Assistant Engineering, Aqeel Aadam for the encouragement/second set of ears, and Hanna for letting me photograph her. Thank you to David from MC for the open-mindedness and thoughtful communication.

The photo is of my wife walking down our street in our Austin neighborhood. I designed it to feel as though you are falling into a vortex of energy.