The Elucidation of Sorrow, my second album, grew out of a difficult period in my life. By 2005 our West Coast arts collective, the El Circo crew, was gaining momentum. From the outside it looked like everything was coming together, but internally I felt disconnected. I was surrounded by people yet increasingly isolated, unsure why a sense of heaviness kept following me even as things were “going well.” The album became the space where I tried to understand that feeling. Its title describes the process clearly: I was attempting to illuminate my sorrow and work through it by being honest with myself in sound.

Musically, the record still lives in the electronic dance world, but it carries a darker and more chaotic edge than the albums that followed. It was a major step forward both technically and emotionally, and it still has the rawness of a second album created during an unsettled time.

One track in particular shifted the trajectory of my career. “The Riddle” became the first song of mine that truly circulated through the community. We filmed a music video for it in the basement of a forty thousand square foot warehouse in San Francisco, the former headquarters of Obscura Digital. The project brought together a group of talented collaborators including director Mariano Diaz, cinematographer Dugan O’Niel, and producer Melissa Wynne Jones, along with many others who helped bring the vision to life. Creating that video introduced me to a wider community and marked a turning point in how my music connected with people.

Tracks like “HymnalAYA” were early indications of the more reflective, sunrise inspired sound I would later develop. At the time I didn’t see the full significance of it, but listeners responded to those pieces because they carried an emotional honesty I had been avoiding.

The visual side of the album was also important. The handmade collage artwork by Darrah Danielle remains one of my favorite covers. It captured the atmosphere of the music in a very personal and tactile way.

Looking back, The Elucidation of Sorrow was the difficult chapter I needed to articulate before I could move into the next stage of my growth. It taught me that facing discomfort directly can lead to real healing, and that sharing that process through music can create a meaningful connection with others. The album set the groundwork for the transformation that shaped the work that followed.

The first minute is silent….