Medelling in the City of Constant Spring

Medellin is a city I have been lucky to visit over 10 times now for the last decade. Since 2015, I've been coming down to play and hang and meet so many talented designers, DJs and beautiful souls. To do Medellin, or Medelling, in my experience usually involves dancing, eating and drinking until you can't do much of any of the three.

This time, I was hosted by Festival Eterna Utopia, a three day festival featuring bands, Djs and performers. I had a great time jamming, starting my set with an Arman van Helden remix of CJ Bolland's Sugar is Sweeter - the Sugar Daddyo's crescendoing into Daddy by Tokischa. My tune Take Your Time is popular so I brought out the guitar as I sang to a dub of the remix by Lowheads.

My boy from Baltimore was in town and so after I rolled to Cinquenta Cinquenta (50/50), a warehouse where techno plays on the bottom floor, open air, the second floor has djs playing upbeat house and tech house, and the top floor dropping it low to reggaeton with a beautiful view of the city.

Medellin is always growing and this time around some parts were unrecognizable as they evolve into destinations for travelers, foodies, culture seekers and music enthusiasts. Down Via Provenza and along familiar streets in Poblado I was overwhelmed by new huge restaurants and crazy feats of architecture combining plants and trees with the industrial.

I was fortunate to have a friend in town as usually many of my DJ friends are working weekends long into the am like me. We boogied to a few cafes, had some Aguardiente and local brews at the tables outside of the liquor store, watching the business around Parque de El Poblado and ending the night kicking it with Kai Alce of NDATL fame. In a black box style warehouse some young guys spun classic tunes from the likes of Norm Talley and Boo Williams under a simple banner that proclaimed "Eso es House" (This is House). I danced until my legs hurt, only outmatched by a woman front and center who never left the dance floor even for a drink. The spirit of House music is alive and well in Medellin.

The next day one of Kai's hosts was kind enough to invite me up to his parent's for Sancocho, a stew with many different iterations; this one featuring beef, yuca, potatoes and corn to provide the ultimate hangover cure. Thank you to my homies, mis parceros de Medallo for always giving it life!