I arrived at Public Life around 9, and I was one of the first there. It was surprisingly empty early, and most people came and went much more than I ever would have expected. I still hadn’t had a drink by 9:40, so I started then. My set started off really shaky, for about the first 5 or 6 mixes. People told me later that they couldn’t tell, but I dunno if I buy that. The recording will clarify for everyone how crap I started out. However, by the 30 minute mark I had hit my stride more-or-less, and from then on in it was all good. People kept filing in, and more people came to the dance floor. By the time 11:00 rolled around, I’d gone from 5 dancers to nearly 50, and then I really had some fun, playing way more techno than I’d planned. It went over so well! I can’t believe how receptive the crowd was. It is such an amazing feeling to DJ for a crowd that has the same musical vocabulary as you, I can’t explain what a difference that makes. More than any ‘breakthrough’ this year, I think that one is the most impressive to me. I really had an amazing time while DJing that last hour of my set tonight. It completely healed all that ailed me. Afterwards Toby hailed me for an ovation, which was really cool, if embarrassing. I don’t handle accolades well, so it was a bit awkward, but really warming.