Echo Beach — Summer Edition

It’s 11.45am on a working Wednesday and while I bid farewell to yet another Echo just yesterday, I’m most definitely still at Echo, mentally. I guess it just takes a while to fully accept and embrace the fullness of this experience.

Sitting on the couch by the fire with Abhay, he asked me,

“What’s the best part about Echo for you?”

I replied,

“You know it’s the people here. They inspire me in so many ways and all this inspiration comes together at a moment when I’m least expecting it. I see people being free, so raw, so deeply connected with music, full of so much humanity in them that even if I were to pick a little something up from every one here, I reckon life would be a delight.”

So that’s the angle I’m going to pick to narrate my experience of Echo — through the people who inspired me.

~ “The universe is so giving if only you remember to ask”, said Koia as she gazed at the stars, lying beside me.

“Music is so profound. Sound speaks to you at so many levels. It is the constructing block of the universe. Like the sound of AUM. AUM carries powerful spiritual vibrations that are laced with the history of the universe.”

I continued to listen to her in awe, in awe of the way she looks at life. We found our way to the dancefloor shortly after where she continued to spread joy through her natural way of being and I wondered to myself,

“How is this girl able to spread so much joy when her wounds from her own personal struggles are so fresh?”

So I kept a little essence of Koia with me. To never doubt the goodness of the universe & the divine plan it has for you, even if you’re not able to see it just yet.

~ “I have a pogostick at home and I jump around in it all the time. I can jump to a lot of shapes like the square which I’ve been practicing lately. It reminds me of the boss bitch I am” said Jenna as she asked around for a pogostick.

As I was listening to her, I realized that I could literally listen to Jenna speak all day every day. She exudes confidence which is backed up by an unbelievably grand personality, a little part of which is visible when she takes the decks and a rawness in character that’s extremely rare to find.

I was standing by the river by myself, looking into the beautiful placid waves of water when Jenna’s image talking about the pogostick swiftly came to my mind and I burst out laughing. I thought to myself , “Jenna is seriously a bloody boss bitch!”

So I keep a little essence of Jenna with me. Never forget what a boss bitch you are!

~ “This used to be techno back in the day for me in Germany” said Felix as I asked about the genre one of the artists was playing at Echo.

As Felix was talking about the music he grew up to, I realized how much I admired his taste in music and the knowledge he holds, which is imparted ever so softly and only when asked. Felix is the definition of a truly underground artist who spins tunes purely for the love he holds for music.

As I was walking up to my tent from an unbelievably refreshing dip in the lake, I caught a glance at Felix who was as per usual hugging people on the dancefloor. He has this infectious smile and a body language that immediately makes the person who’s interacting with him feel light & accepted for who they are.

So I keep a little essence of Felix with me. Hold space for people to be themselves.

~ “Can I get you anything?” asked Marty, one of the organizers of Echo beach

As he asked me this, I wondered, “What more could you possibly give after giving so much to the people who are lucky enough to be a part of Echo already?”

Marty truly left a mark on me in the pure love & passion he holds for co-creating this event, uncorrupted by the ambition for money. As I saw him ask people if they wanted anything or walk around the dancefloor smiling at everyone, I wondered,

“Here is somebody who exemplifies what it means to live a life thats driven purely by the intention of bringing people together to dance, to heal, to nurture, to connect. As I walk back into the life driven by material ambition, let this be a constant reminder of what it is that truly matters in life.”

So I keep a little essence of Marty with me. Live a life that brings you the truest of treasures that are hidden beneath the material ambitions of the world.

~ “When is the steak coming up?” asked Caitlin

I invited Caitlin over for some steaks as we had too many meats close to getting spoilt. She sat on one of the camping chairs, very comfortable amongst a group full of people she had never met before.

I looked at her and thought to myself, “She is such a fucking boss — so comfortable in her skin, feels no need for a small talk and just fits right in wherever she goes.”

Caitlin is someone who is so real that either you’d shy away because you haven’t really unpeeled your own layers to interact with so much rawness or you’d be so god damn attracted — I am definitely the latter.

So I keep a little essence of Caitlin with me. Be real.

~ “You are a fucking gangsta” said Zach as we hugged each other tight, “No Zach, you are the fucking real gangsta” and we embraced each other with love & appreciation

Zach was pretty nervous just earlier to play his set at Echo since it was the first time he was going to be taking the decks beyond the comfort of his home. It was hard for me to believe since Zach is this extremely confident man who makes anyone & everyone feel at ease with his presence and has an impeccable sense of style that makes him immediately stand out.

After he played his set, I asked Abhay what he thought of it since I can’t usually talk about a set in terms of it’s technicality and I respect Abhay’s take on them. Abhay said, “That was incredibly neat & crisp for someone who took the decks for the first time. I’ll go tell him that.”

So I figured that Zach is an absolute package. On top of what I already knew about him, he’s now also a DJ, with an equally unique taste in music.

So I keep a little essence of Zach with me. Let your uniqueness make waves through all the valves of your self expression — be it the way you talk, the way you dress, the music you play, the way you move. Life is too short to be anything but you.

~ “AYE! Thank you for bringing your amazing friends to Echo” said Jesse as I thanked him for letting us get our beautiful little family of friends to Echo

I was really looking forward to Jesse’s set. He is one of my top favorite artists in Melbourne and as he took the decks on a soft Monday evening, he bloody held onto that title. Just before his set, I was talking to Abhay about how everyone’s taste in music says a little something about them, for me. Jesse’s music says, “Stop worrying, stop the thinking and just groove a little.”

That’s what his music does to me. It makes me want to groove with little to no regard to anything else and I absolute love it. Jesse has this magnetism to him that draws the best of the people towards him who all get together at Echo. Moments after his set, an artist I’d never heard before took the decks, Boris, and absolutely blew my head away. When asked about how he got to play at Echo, he said,

“I usually don’t get gigs. Jesse gave me a chance to play here at Echo and I was thrilled.”

I was truly speechless.

So I keep a little essence of Jesse with me. Give people a chance, they can always surprise you.

~ “Thank you Abhay, for one of the best sets I’ve heard in my life” I said to Abhay as we sat under the stars at night by the river

At home, when Abhay said to me, “Ashna I’m practicing for my set at Echo so will be in my studio for most of the day”, it never really struck me that he was brewing up absolute magic in that studio of his. He makes it a point to not let me hear most tracks to keep his set a surprise for me and I’ll tell you, I was well & truly surprised.

His organic set weaved such a profound story, transporting me to the deepest of places within. I experienced joy, sadness, nostalgia, love, compassion, depth, and so much more in his set that until now, I’m struggling to grasp it. For the whole set, my eyes were glued shut for I couldn’t disgrace this experience for a single second. I wanted to hold onto everything, listen to everything he had to say through his set.

With his effortless humility, he thanked me for being a companion in his journey.

So I keep a little essence of Abhay with me. Do everything in life with humility and never forget to be grateful.

~ “Cancerians are very intuitive. They feel deeply” said Jane, as she continued to tell me about our astrological identity since we’re both Cancerians

I loved listening to Jane, her experiences and how she looked at life, even though I knew I was only just scratching the surface.

On a Monday morning, I got out of my tent, brushed my teeth and began to boil the coffee. Then all of a sudden, I heard these soft tunes coming from the stage. I ignored the first few minutes then when I could hold no more, I shouted, “Guys! I have to go” and giving no context to my friends, ran towards the stage.

As I got there, I saw Jane playing. She had the most calming yet powerful energy behind the decks as she played tunes that made you want to flow, to heal, to feel, to create.

I thought back to what I was discussing with Abhay in terms of how much you can tell about a person through the music they play. Jane’s music painted a picture of a woman who was strongly intuitive, felt so deeply, was flowing with life and connected with the wonders of nature.

So I keep a little of Jane with me. Let your intuition guide you.

~ “I feel so powerful when I dance with my girls” said Ana, dancing beside me & Natalia, on Bella’s set

Ana is like the sister I never had, a powerful feminine figure in my life who inspires me through every little action. She wields the power of softness that manifests itself through her dance, her words, the way she holds herself, the way she lives.

I watched Ana tear up on Abhay’s set then shortly after, watched her dance with power on Bella’s set. A few moments later, she was in the lake laughing joyfully at the dogs who were fighting for the stick. Then a few moments later, she was doing salsa with Fabien.

I simply witnessed with joy.

So I keep a little of Ana with me. Embrace life with softness.

By now it’s clear, I can write a book on all the people who touched me.

Fabien, Bella, Natalia, Jerome, Kelly, Vaughn, Nat, Riley, Cooper, Jake, Nancy, Chloe, Elodie……. Thank you for sharing Echo with me!

To the people I haven’t mentioned & shared a boogie or a conversation with, I’m ever so grateful! Each person I met left an indelible mark on me. The way I imagine it is that each of you picked up the brush to paint the painting of my life and left strokes of your own color…….and my painting is better off for it…….

All the people at Echo remind me of Rumi’s quote,

“Be with people who help your being.”

Until next time!