ELECTRIBAL MEMORIES by MJBarrow

Exasperated and broke about two months into ‘Lockdown 1.0’, I decided to dig out my epic collection of 5,000+ CD singles from the 90’s/00’s, sort through them and upload some to my computer/cloud. The process of browsing through and playing some of the CDs brought back memories of clubbing, absent friends, non-absent friends and our various glorious misdemeanours. Not only that. It made me decide to realise a long-term goal. I was going to teach myself to DJ. Struggling with no income, I had run out of DIY jobs around the house and needed a hobby to keep my mind active, so this was the perfect moment! It was an incredible experience that I enjoyed immensely, and it also provided a much-needed boost to my mental heath and wellbeing during an extremely challenging and lonely time. The end result is ELECTRIBAL MEMORIES - a series of mixed dance music compilations. Most episodes are themed to a period of time and / or place, and primarily feature tracks from the 90’s and 00’s. I hope listening to these compilations will ignite fond memories of a golden era of dance music and the clubbing scene in London and Ibiza. An era defined not just by the incredible music, but also the community spirit, and the sense of belonging, inclusiveness and togetherness that encapsulated the pre-smartphone club scene. In the 90's, we were also in the midst of a global pandemic. I met most of my closest friends on a dancefloor in the early 90’s. Sadly, I also lost many of them during the same decade. This podcast is dedicated to the many friends I lost to HIV / AIDS, but equally to the survivors of our tribe, who remain my closest friends 29 years later. Music = Life