It’s 6am, I’m on the plane bringing Jeff and I back to Montreal for what will be a little less than 24 hours before we leave for Tangier. The last couple of days have been incredibly significant for me, the Reeperbahn Festival being the place where everything that I would later become — or assume to be — as an artist started 3 years ago. Walking the streets of Hamburg offered me so many vibrant sensations, with every step, with every breath in, every breath out, flashes of moments made of meaningful faces, sounds, colors and lights, communal laughter, collective whispers, contemplative amazement, intimate shivering… all defining the rich and dazzling fabric of my renewed or newly born creative journey. It is something greater than myself, than any dream or vision I might have had in my heart a long time ago, that had faded and dried out way before I could even understand the reasons why I lost myself like I did or why I let it happen at some point. Having the tremendous opportunity to revisit those familiar places over the last couple of days not only fed my spirit with inspiring emotions, but also with a profound measure of gratefulness for that wonderful gift of life, art and humanity that I have the blessing to embrace and share ever since I set foot in the city back in 2019. Little did I know at this point that it would transform my existence and that of those who are precious to me as well.

In fact, I rarely, if ever, felt such a peace while looking back at fragments of my past, nor have I experienced such a pure state of belonging into my “now” while moving towards whatever my tomorrows might be made of. It’s fulfilling and evolving, as memories, essentially made of pre-pandemic images, have been magnificently enlightened by this week’s passage in Hamburg. An early coffee rendezvous with a radiating one, rekindling meetings with longtime music business partners, a meet and greet that turned into the hilarious storytelling type of moment that only a true family reunion can become, several sleepless nights filled with music and artistic exchanges, the highly poignant reunion with Vlad from Music Saves UA, our last evening with friends around a home-cooked dinner, and everything else in between… All those moments remind me of the outmost importance to welcome and cherish the blessings that come with every step that I learn to make in my life, brightening my path just a little more every time I let go of my fears of the unknown, when I abandon my illusionary need of control and comprehension to the emancipative nature of the invisible. Only then are wonders allowed to reveal themselves in a magnificence I would never be able to dwell in otherwise, to shine within and through me, becoming a blazing entity blossoming into an everlasting stream of daily rebirth… 

Tonight I’ll sleep in Montreal, and pretty soon I’ll have the utter joy to discover (and rediscover) brighter shades to Tangier’s unique beaming splendor… I can’t wait to let you know what will emerge from that week in my Moroccan home.

Much love,
Your friend and brother
Alex 

PS: Jeff wrote an incredibly moving personal letter about the Reeperbahn and what’s coming up for me. He publishes those on the SFCC fan club. I’m inviting you to join The Club to experience Jeff’s unique access to my different art forms and to dwell in his singular insights about my creative process through our conversations and exchanges… it’s truly worth it!