Pride Love, 2023

The story behind the playlist can be found here.

Friends,

Every year I make two playlists: one dedicated to Pride and one dedicated to the whole year. These playlists are generally surveys of underground house and techno music. 

This is my Pride Love, 2023 playlist that focuses on uptempo music centered around the theme of "Hope." It has been lovingly constructed over the last six months and is intended to be listened to beginning-to-end without interruption. Some of it is on the harder side but I think there's something everyone will enjoy. 

I spent most of 2022 battling long Covid. I ended up in the hospital six times, each for a new symptom scarier than the last. I was brought to my knees in debilitating pain a few times, including once when I first started at Disney where I had to drop off a call because my head and neck felt like they were being torched with a flamethrower due to neuropathy. The recovery was long but I ended the year feeling like I was getting my life back.

I entered 2023 with a tremendous amount of hope. Despite this year presenting its own set of challenges, I still feel hopeful about what’s to come. Experiences like the ones I've had in the last year give you perspective on what really matters in this life.

On this Pride I am, more than anything else, grateful to be alive.

Somewhere in the infinite universe is a version of ourselves that embodies our highest ideals. While we lead the lives we have here today, it is this infinite possibility that carries us to a better tomorrow. Far out on the distant horizon, where the darkness meets the light, is the dawn of hope.

This playlist is dedicated to my baebae. He's my rock, my shield, my patronus against the darkness.

I hope you all enjoy. Happy Pride!