24 Nov 2024

“One Love ” – Bob Marley

Music unites us. In music we celebrate life itself! Music guides & nourishes our souls & the dance floor is a sacred space! Across diverse stages, studios, clubs & festival sites, to the Ipods in your hand, music pulses within our physical hearts & its beating strongly! We come together as Music Lovers, sharing ourselves, forming friendships & building community. This is a history of my musical journey.

I was born Liam Kumar McFarland in Christchurch, New Zealand. May 21st 1969.

I remember running around to Bethovans 1812 Overture as a 5 year old in our family living room in Rolleston. Dad, Derek McFarland, an Irish immigrant NZ soldier loved his football & boxing. He would often came home after he’d been drinking & would wake me no matter how late, singing at the top of his voice! I would stay tucked up, listening in amazement & joy if not some what surprised amusement. Irish ballads were standard practice in my early days. The first album i owned was U2 Under a Blood Red Sky. The Doors & Rolling Stones were soon revealed along with a fascination for Pianos, Guitars, an Drums. At age 16 I played the leading male, in Sheik Rattle an Role, Manurewa High schools musical that year. I auditioned with an excerpt from King Lear & a song from the Final Cut by Pink Floyd. Check 1, 2!

The drugs were good, an besides Karen Hay & Radio with Pictures were on TV!

In 1987 I entered Auckland University to study Philosophy & Politics. In my Graduation year 1990, my Mum, Suseela Panikar was working as a substance abuse councilor. I phoned her one afternoon whilst tripping on acid, to let her know, that I was currently having the most spiritual moments of my life! I felt a heightened connectivity to life, both macro & mico awarenesses, in the most profoundly emotional & psychological senses! The flowers in Albert Park were pulsing with color & life, the sun was out & the universe was beautiful! I identified & felt at one with all. Was in a conscious unity with all & I just had to tell her!

Tronch 1992 – Kaurangi National Park : Down the Rabbit Hole I Go

Thanks Hillary, Max & Charlie. Did the music play from Boxing day till New Years or is that just in my mythic imagination! My world changed that summer, drumming, dancing & juggling with you all. By 1993 “Entrain” & Psychedelic Goa Trance had arrived in Golden Bay, New Zealand. Entrain an outdoor party whanau (family), brimmed with electronic circus wizardry. In 1995 we toured NZ with shows at Whitecliffs Cantebury, Princes Wharf in Auckland, a real wharehouse party, before it became the Hilton Hotel & a Finale at the Wellington Town Hall. Music promotions, circus choreography & visual design have been my passion ever since. I also began playing percussion with Mark Jones an we did gigs billing with “Plasticman” & “Alex Patterson”

In 1996 I Promoted & Produced “Tuatara Dreamtrail” a wharehouse party with close to 1000 people, held in the Old Chinese Markets, before they were demolished for the Brittomart Development. We broadcast audio over the internet live, an i still have the live recordings unmastered on DAT. Unfortunately I don’t have the live camera footage of the police closing us down! Having lost track of Paul, Joel & Brett RIP who was trajicly killed a few years later. New Years 1996/97 brought the Gathering Festival. I worked in the Art Department, buidling large 3D UV Triangles to scatter across the fields in various locations. I also choreographed the 40 Fires Performers who lit up around the largest crater at midnight. Returning to Auckland In 1998 I Promoted & Produced “Pollen ” An multimedia event funded with the help of Creative New Zealand held at the Studio on Krd. … K sierra sierra!

An that’s as the Austrailian Aboriginals would say, is when I went walk about.

From 1998 -2004 I traveled & worked in Hong Kong, Ireland, Egypt, Israel & the UK, I performed circus & fire shows with live Psy Trance acts, Astral Projection, Infected Mushroom, Hallucinogen & Tshyoshi Suski, also with Global Underground Label Djs Paul Oakenfold, Nick Wareen, Dave Seamen & John Digweed. By 2001 I had moved to Brighton England, an began promoting the club night “Shantiluna” working with Vasco Riberio of Enzyme Records, Dick Travour, Joti Sidhu, John Phantasm, Eskimo & the Labels Ajuca Productions, Wildthings Records & Insight Dynamics. I also promoted a multi genre sunday session event “Earthrites” The surprising thing about Brighton is you can learn to mix without owning a set of decks! Everywhere you go there’s a god damn set of decks. I began with Vinyl but quickly embraced pioneer Cdjs. After years of promoting music I finally began to buy up the tunes & play out. I played dub & world music with the occasional trance set here & there. Anyway enough about me! Massive Respect to Party Possible an the Brighton Lights! Now this sister rocks!

Music just makes you want to Dance, to jump around, It keeps us Alive!

I played my first ever Dj set in New Zealand at Whatipu Caves with Chris XL Productions at the end of 2004. In the summer of 2005 I helped the Circles Festival Crew with a Production at Marahau. I played a downbeats electro set an later that evening a stonking trance thumper. I also worked on decor & lighting. After the summer in NZ i went to Fiji & played NZ beats at Cardos Bar, Denerau Marina, then I went on to the USA where i was promptly side tracked by the Israeli Trance Mafia & helped in the Production of the Eternal Frequencies Festival at Lake Casitas. After that I traveled to Tehuana Mexico & worked with Trancelucid Productions putting on a show at the Multikulti. We built an Aztech Pyramid in the abandoned theater from aluminium frames an large sheets of hard cardboard. It looked amazing after a coat of paint. The crew let me play the last set, though I wasn’t on the bill, I layed out my phatest psychedelic flavor for the hombres! Kiwi boy rocking it in Mexico! yeha. Arohanui (big love to the Trancelucid Posse!) I then went on to the Symbiosis Music Festival in the Redwoods Forest outside San Francisco, an worked with decorations for 2 of the zones there.

In 2006 I played one of my favorite sets at the Startdust Festival Canan Downs NZ. It was a sunny day, I played chunky driving progressive trance & kept us all jumping & smiling into the sunset. A week later I promoted Earthrites as a 2 day outdoor festival in Wairau Gorge an famous Nelson site. I covered costs but struggled with some of the crew. It seems ego an politics are never far away, especially when it comes to Money. Returning to Auckland I brought the Shantiluna label to NZ with a gig at Galatos. Taking a break from Promotions Im currently educating myself with new music an new directions.

Love & Respect to the Artists I have showcased here & a big thankyou to Worldpress for its blog platform.

In 2008 I worked at the Splore Festival in the Art Department helping create the Living Lounge – Butterfly Zoo Zone. In 2009 I was apart of the stage management team at the Rhythm & Vines Festival & then went on to work as the Globe Theater Manager for the Dunedin Fringe Festival. Currently there is an explosive Musical Scene evolving throughout New Zealand. NZ Roots, Dub, Hip Hop, Breaks, Electro, House, Minmal Techno & Drum N Bass are all stockpiled in my collection. I also follow World, Ambient & Experimental Genres & any thing else that gets put to my ear.

Im happy to discuss Life, the Universe & Music at anytime. Inquiries regarding Recording, Promotion & Production Management please Twitter @ShantiDjs. Also available for Percussive & Vocal Session.

Sat Chit Ananda

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