I wish I could remember where I found this drawing. I discovered it on the web a couple years ago and a thorough search fails to turn it up again. This child’s reaction to the events of three years ago seems most appropriate, and somehow says more in its few lines and expressions than all of the cloying photo collages and sickly-sour verse that we’ve seen in the past three years.

My own artistic reaction to the events of September 11th waited a year to find its way out into the open. And since I consider myself a DJ, however amateur and undeveloped, that reaction took musical form. Two years ago today I assembled, spun and recorded a mix that I felt expressed what I felt about everything that had happened in the previous year. The resultant mix remains the favorite of my compilations. The transitions are tight and smooth. The build is solid. And most important, there really is a message in the mix. As one might expect, it’s a dark and serpentine journey. The opening segment, in fact, might be too bleak for some. I had to play it for a few friends to get reactions to make sure I wasnt on the wrong track. I culled the audio samples from a variety of news sources, including CNN, various DVDs and especially Warren Olney’s phenomenal KCRW talk show, To The Point. It begins in horror and insanity, but as the mix progresses, melody creeps in. The mood surges and retreats, building to the climax in the growl and spit of Satoshi Tomiie’s “Virus” and then finally releasing in the epic triumph of the Humate mix of “Ruhe” by Schiller.

Give it a spin. It’s long, clocking in at just over 77 minutes, but if you stick it out it’ll be well worth it. Click here for the page. Or click either of the images on this post.