2016 was the forge. I was deep inside hyper-growth tech. Inside disruption. Inside pressure. Inside chaos. Uber was scaling fast and everything around me was moving fast. Cities. People. Expectations. Timelines. Speed and capital were the game. At the same time, I made a decision that changed my life. I walked away from corporate comfort and went all-in on culture, community, and music. Chicago became my school. Not the glamorous version. The real one. Cold nights. Long sets. Negotiations with venues. Building rooms. Losing sleep. Learning crowds. Learning taste. Learning restraint. Learning pressure. This was the era of residencies, packed rooms, remix work, nonprofit events, and building experiences from nothing but vision and grit. I opened for many Ukrainian celebs such as LOBODA with my crew. Became a resident in multiple venues. Played in damn near every prominent house music room in Chicago, many of which don’t even exist anymore. It was a strange, beautiful collision. Buil...