It’s simple, really. Some things just make more sense when you look at them from a different angle —and sometimes, even if they don’t make more sense, they might at least be nicer to look at, somehow. This Sherlock-esque method is strikingly obvious on the cover art for my most recent minimix. Right side up, it is a seemingly plain black and white photo of a girl with a knowing and self-assured smile. When flipped upside down, however, the allure shifts from the subject’s smile to the general composition as a whole.

“A new perspective is often the most crucial factor in a discovery that leads to the renewing of our minds. And once you see it in that new light, you are incredulous to think you had ever seen it any other way.”

Ventura is a Spanish feminine noun, referring to the particular brand of happiness or contentment associated with good luck or fortune. Variations of the word allude to the unusual and exciting experiences which are to come. Such a title is particularly fitting for this latest endeavor, in both my inspiration and the feeling I want to evoke from the listener. It is my hope that through this audibly acid-laced adventure, I can grab a firm hold of your ears and submerge them in a dream sequence of sound.

With an almost manic entrance into the world of positive vibes, Have Faith and Better usher you into a set of moodier grooves from VentureX. From there, you strut into the self-affirming I Am Somebody, keeping your feet on the ground as your minds linger in the clouds. After a metallic Robot Jam gives you Kyoto Fever ‘86 京都発熱 —a shimmering haze fades into sparkling arpeggios. Woozy but still going strong, we are left in a heavy, heady, drugged-out dance as you drift In the Zone. The finale is abrupt and brings you back to a sober spot, like opening your eyes after a deep sleep, relaxed, and refreshed for what lies ahead in life.

But this ambitious outlook didn’t come while I was standing at the top looking down. It came while I was laid flat on my back, gazing upward at a canopy of leaves quivering with anticipation. It came to me after I descended into a dizzy trip in the last dark hours of a year past and slowly awoke in the sun-warmed morning of the new year at hand. All the guilt and disappointment of 12 months in my mind’s eye had dissolved and melted away after midnight.