Before I got the gig as a DJ in Residence, I was kinda in a lull with my creative process. My days consisted mostly of waking up going to my computer trying to write, consumed with one task alone. It's all perception; I don't know, maybe it was how I was feeling at the time about it all kind of like...bleh. I've been on the road on tour the past couple of years and I hadn't worked a regular paying gig in a while so any sort of routine was a bit foreign to me and a drag.

My manager tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was interested in being a DJ for the month of June on Local Current and I was thrilled with the proposition. Finally, something else to sorta take me away from my routine — yet still deal with what I love, which is music.

I met up with Kelsey who showed me how to use the software and gave me some cool tips on what to do between the songs. She then left me alone to my own devices and I went to work.

My first day, I was trying to sound perfect: no glitches, no mistakes. I was trying to be perfectly natural...ha. Then it dawned on me that there's no such thing. When I came to that realization, I set out to be a goof and to say awkward things just to be different. It was a joy, almost like being a kid again. I got to know a couple people over at The Current and I was glad that I had something to bring me out of my self-imposed isolation, creatively and figuratively.

When listening to music I generally stick to artists I knew: Nirvana, Bad Brains, Pharcyde, Atmosphere, Robert Johnson, Miles Davis, music in that arena. Obviously I knew that our local scene was mad talented, but I had no idea just how deep and extensive it ran, how diverse it was from the past and to the present. It rejuvenated my sense that I am proud to be from Minnesota and extremely proud to witness the scene and be a part of it all.

Special thanks to Kelsey and everybody at The Current! I appreciate y'all for having me. Three cheers for good music.

Listen to deM atlaS's final shift as Local Current DJ in Residence today — Friday, July 1 — from noon to 6 p.m. on our Minnesota music stream. Then, come back next Friday at noon to meet our next Local Current DJ in residence: Danielle Cusack of Bruise Violet. Local Current’s DJ in Residence project is supported by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.