Personal Statement

I recently produced my first original electronic album and have been performing it using the current club standard. If you’re familiar, it’s a solid performance setup — and the sound is becoming exactly what I intended: intense and tight. It's been a rewarding process, and I’m excited to share it with you soon.

The companies I'm involved in are now fully built out. As they shift into a more revenue-focused phase, I’ve been transitioning my role to better support enterprise-level clients. Surprisingly, the music has complemented that journey — especially within the data-exchange frameworks we've developed. The music distribution infrastructure we’ve built is now world-class and self-managed. It feels good knowing that as I close out my 30s, these ventures are finally operating the way they were always meant to.

I don’t know how I managed to keep everything independent over the years, but we’re now integrating more deeply with traditional enterprise workflows.

Of course, everything has changed with the rise of AI — especially local AI, which I see as one of the most significant breakthroughs of this era. We've already begun integrating it into some of our live entertainment formats — not just for innovation’s sake, but as an experiment in what’s becoming possible. And what’s possible now depends on the evolving interplay between technology, culture, and creative intent. It’s an exciting time — one where experimentation can lead to entirely new victories.

It’s also been a while since I’ve felt this grounded — relaxed, healthy, and focused. The 2020–2024 chapter was one of strength and realignment. I had to make some tough personal decisions during that time — letting go of certain relationships that no longer aligned with the life I’m building. That’s okay. Letting go isn’t about resentment; it’s about love. Let people live their own lives. Don’t hold them back. And don’t feel guilty for spreading your own wings.

The balancing of the new and the old through the years has allowed for a technical and creative infrastructure to emerge that is unique to my needs. This infrastructure was built from the ground up. Each part was built to meet the needs of the times that are yet to come and to withstand any changes taking place on centralized content creation platforms. What is built now can't be taken away when someone else wants to for their own reasoning. Think about all of the great features that are no longer available because a faceless corporation decided to change them just as you began to rely on them.

The biggest need I have is to be able to create and to also exist outside of the constructs of our time. Social media is now an added bonus instead of a mission critical daily point of uncertainty.

All of my websites and companies were built for people to create on top of. In many cases I was the only one using what was built. A custom tool for personal use and creative expression. It isn't more complicated than that, but over the years that work built a foundation that is now positioned for scale and external deployment with very little minor barriers still in place. Some of what was built will be shared and made available to others, and what remains entirely beneficial to me will remain mine.

I value building. I value redemption and second chances. I value truth. I have worked to live all of these concepts over the years by doing what I say and leading by example. Again, the barriers to share and create have lowered, but big barriers remain in place. These barriers are the ones outside of my control - of any of our control: societal changes, tensions, and conflicts that must now be resolved. Is the work done? No - it's only just beginning...

If you're curious to learn what my personal machine knows about me, read "Smoke's" Personal Statement