Choose Wisely
When I visited Amsterdam Dance Event, I found something I didn't expect: clarity about why I make music.
I wasn't there for the massive techno parties or the industry networking. I went for a workshop, shot some content, and on a rainy Amsterdam evening, decided to follow a simple impulse: I wanted ambient, not techno. I wanted cozy, not chaos.
That decision led me to zero BPM an ambient meditation event in a church that shifted my perspective on creativity, consumption, and what it means to be an artist.
The Church That Changed Everything
Imagine entering a church where everything smells like incense. Candles everywhere. No artificial light. You can't talk only whisper. Before entering the main space, you wait in a quiet room with free tea and a hand-washing ritual designed to calm you down.
Then you hear the gong.
You remove your shoes and enter a minimalist church with stunning architecture. A monk sits meditating on a small stage surrounded by water. Behind him, a massive black monolith displays visuals. On each side: high-fidelity speakers that make every frequency feel like it's touching your skin.
zero BPM isn't just another event. It's built on what they call "The Code":
- No applause
- No alcohol
- No food
- No phones
- No sleeping
- No lying down
- Unlimited sitting, stretching, and breathwork
This isn't a concert. It's a collective meditation practice with sound as the guiding force.
My friend Gigi FM was playing ambient. For 90 minutes, I sat on a meditation pillow, stretched, practiced yin yoga, and just listened. No phones. No talking. No drinking. Just music, breath, and presence.
The monk meditated for 39.5 hours straight the entire duration of the ADE Weekender across multiple sets by leading techno artists who've stepped into ambient for this experience.
When I left that church, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my ambient music: create spaces like this. Not for distraction, but for healing.
A Space for Presence
Every detail at zero BPM is designed to bring you into the present moment. The incense. The candles. The ritual of removing your shoes. The rule of silence.
It's not about escaping reality it's about dropping into a deeper one.
The Real Problem: We've Stopped Choosing
Here's what I realized after that experience:
We've trained ourselves to consume passively instead of curate actively.
For years, I avoided going out. "Hermit mode," I called it. "Monk mode." I thought staying home with my machines was the path to productivity.
And it was until it wasn't.
Because creativity doesn't come from isolation. It comes from input.
When your default mode is sitting in front of a screen, scrolling through algorithm-fed content, listening to Spotify's Release Radar, you stop choosing. The algorithm gives you what you might like. But it never gives you what you need.
Curate, Don't Consume
After zero BPM, I did something I hadn't done in years: I researched the artists who played that night. I listened to their mixes. I bought individual tracks not because they were recommended, but because they moved me.
I added maybe four tracks from one artist, five from another, one from a third. My library got a little bigger, but every single track in there is intentional.
Now when I open my music app, I'm excited. Every track that comes on makes me think, "Oh yeah, this one."
Spotify never did that for me. It was just passive noise.
Your taste is your superpower. Everyone can learn the tools. Everyone can learn the techniques. But your ability to choose to curate what enters your world is what makes you unique as an artist.
How to Fuel Your Creativity
In a conversation with Miles on Signal Chain Stories, we identified a few practices that keep us inspired:
1. Go Out With Intention
Don't just go to events because your friends are there or because the lineup is stacked. Pick events that will inspire you.
Go alone sometimes. Go to places where you can't talk. Go to ambient shows in churches. Go to art galleries. Go to places that aren't optimized for socializing but for experiencing.
When I went to zero BPM, I brought a friend, but we didn't need to talk. We just sat. We listened. We experienced together in silence.
That's rare. And that's valuable.
2. Journal and Draw
For years, I've kept a small notebook next to my setup. It's my "art book" separate from my to-do lists and work notes.
When I create, I write down what I feel. When I have an idea, I sketch it. When something inspires me, I capture it immediately.
Sometimes it's just one sentence. Sometimes it's a drawing that makes no sense. But later, when I look back, the pieces connect.
Writing and drawing are faster than opening any software. They let you capture creative impulses before your analytical brain gets in the way.
If you've stopped drawing because you think you're "not good at it," start again. It's not about skill. It's about expression.
3. Research Artists Like You Used To
Remember when you used to dig for music? When you'd spend hours on forums, Bandcamp, or in record stores, hunting for that perfect track?
Do that again.
After zero BPM, I researched every artist who played. I listened to their mixes. I bought the tracks I loved. I added them to my library one by one.
It felt like being 16 again when every new discovery was a treasure.
The difference between algorithmic recommendations and self-directed discovery is the difference between consuming and curating. One makes you passive. The other makes you engaged.
4. Explore Different Art Forms
Museums, paintings, exhibitions they fuel your creativity in ways you don't expect.
Jean-Michel Basquiat said all the noise he absorbs from the outside world, he puts into his paintings. His work is layered, chaotic, and full of details because that's how he experiences the world.
You can do the same.
Go to an art exhibition. Watch how painters use contrast. Notice how sculptors use space. See how photographers frame moments. Then translate that into your own work.
Your Taste Makes You Unique
Here's the truth that most creatives don't want to hear:
Technical skill is abundant. Taste is rare.
Everyone can learn the craft. But your ability to choose to say "this fits, this doesn't" is what separates you from everyone else.
My friend Gigi FM doesn't just play techno. She plays jungle, dubstep, ambient, closing sets at Berghain. She adapts across genres because her taste is consistent, even when her sound changes.
That's what people connect with. Not the tools. Not the gear. Your perspective.
Start Today
You don't need to travel or attend a 35-hour meditation event to reclaim your creativity.
You just need to choose.
Choose what you consume. Choose where you go. Choose what enters your environment.
Because your environment isn't separate from your art.
Your environment is your art.
Listen to the full conversation: Signal Chain Stories
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