I had previously stayed for a few days in the commune but rather in a hidden way, now I could freely move around, just be myself. most people were not judging me. It felt great that finally, nobody told me what to do. My only obligations were to go to school and not to stay after midnight in the disco that financed the commune.
They were afraid of being accused of child seduction and didn’t joke about this issue. I loved the club so much that every night at 10 p.m. I entered and enjoyed the beginning of the night till I had to leave around 12. I always tried to find a way to stay longer but then there was my probation time of six months till I turned 18, which I didn't want to endanger.
The most fascinating part was the DJ booth. It attracted me like a moth to a flame. Every DJ had his own style, Jivan was known for his Acid Jazz affinity, Punyesh for his extremely broad knowledge of World Music but the guy that I liked most was a very calm and withdrawn lone wolf called Sonam. He had in my opinion the best mixture of all the styles. But one thing was weird. when they played the hits they almost identically played the same tracks from the same artists in the same order on any given night. Believe it or not, this is what drove me to learn to dj. I just wanted to have more surprise moments on the dance floor instead of knowing the next half an hour by heart.
It took me several attempts to convince Sonam to take me one day for 1-2hours to the club and show me how to dj. He took two records and showed me how to change the pitch and how the mixer functioned and after a while, he left and told me that now it is only about practicing again and again until I can mix these two records with closed eyes.
I listened to his advice and practiced for several months until two days before my 18th birthday on a Tuesday night another DJ called Avishta allowed me to play for the first time officially at night. I was so nervous that my hands were wet from the sweat and I hardly managed to hold the vinyl but then I did it and it worked out pretty good. Sonam, my teacher and I would become very close friends and a dream team in the DJ booth who shared the same taste when it came to new music. Sonam is another key person in my life.