ARTICLE | Avicii, In Memoriam

Avicii, In Memoriam

Back in 2013, when I landed my second job in the Middle East i.e Oman; I had this sense of freedom. You should know that two years of being in trapped in Saudi Arabia is enough to make one crazy as hell, what with all the restrictions and safety issues it poses for foreign workers. And it did not really help that I am from an Asian country. So this sense of liberation when I stepped in Oman was all too enchanting. Suddenly, I can move around and even go partying/clubbing without me worrying of getting arrested.

I vividly remember the days and nights, of how I would listen to this odd song (which I barely call a song, because it was only beats). It started with "Levels", the unmistakable sound of the synth and the reverberating "Oh sometimes I get a good feeling..." In time, it grew on me. I slowly appreciated this genre, this what they call electronic dance music (EDM) / deep house / trance. I used to mock those people who seemed stupid whenever they sway to the beat of this genre. But I guess that's just a natural reaction from anyone who has not experienced what it is really like to immerse in the genre. 

To say the least, EDM is a form a temporary escape from the hustle and bustle of mankind. You know how when you go to the church and sing songs of praises, and you feel good because you are possessed by the thought that you are singing for a reason, perhaps salvation. It is very similar to that- soon as you let go your inhibitions and let the beat take over; rid yourself of worries and not mind what others think. That is the feeling that you get when EDM possesses you.

Apart fom that, the track "Levels" was used during the swimsuit segment of the Miss Universe 2012 held in USA. When the Philippine representative Janine Tugonon strutted on the catwalk, everything just came into a place. Avicii certainly made that year extra special for all pageant fanatics.

This party nostalgia all surged when I came home yesterday morning of Saturday. I was intoxicated with the revelry of a Friday barbeque by the beach with equally high spirited people. Little did I know that I am about to get devastated. At 1am, when I was absent mindedly going through my facebook newsfeed- there it was. A photo of a familiar face who was always an image of unmatched vigor and youth. He was only 28. He was Tim Bergling aka Avicii.

What really puts me down in the dumps is how life can be so ironic (my professor once said that we should avoid using ironic, so I guess I better use paradoxical). Despite fame and money, life's fleeting existence can cease- just like that in an instant.

If this can happen of that calibre, then what about us ordinary people? There's really no telling when it's going to be your time, so I guess while here, we have to make the most out of it. After all, nothing comes out of life alive. #