Today I want to share with you a project that I recently completed in collaboration with DJ and Producer MAR1. Truth be told, this is more than simply a release of a new project. Marawan and I went to high-school together, and have been close friends ever since. We’ve been supporting and following one another in our respective creative journeys over the last 5 years, and he has been an ambassador for the ZULUECHO Initiative brand from the very beginning. So when he reached out to me to tell me that he was being featured at BadVSS Entertainment’s Afterschock takeover Twitch live music festival… I was immediately packing up my bags to go and start working on this with him.

This release is a celebration of many things. Just over a year ago, he reached out to me telling me that he had landed his first music festival performance, where he would be playing two sets. He brought me on board as his videographer and together we took to Firefly Music Festival 2019, one of the biggest music festivals in the US. That trip was not only special because of what MAR1 had achieved, but it was also the first time that ZULUECHO Initiative had been so directly involved in live performance music content creation. The recap video for that festival can be found here. It was the first time I’d ever made a video like this. It was an incredibly steep learning curve for both of us. But the point here is that we made it happen to the best of our abilities. We got thrown into the deep end and learned so much in the process of it.

Fast forward to last week, and we are recording a new type of video. A live set to be aired online and open to the public to enjoy. Not only did MAR1 perform an incredible set, but together we put out a project that I am so proud to have been able to work on. MAR1’s trust in me to help his vision come to light is humbling, and the support we’ve both received after it was released has been truly touching.

ZULUECHO Initiative has always been about celebrating passion. About unifying people’s visions for what their best selves look like, by celebrating the things about us that make us unique. Music has always been a huge part of my life, and tying that together with the work I do for ZULUECHO Initiative is one of the things in life that brings me the most joy. This project went beyond me and MAR1’s passion for what we do and brought people from all over the world together to share their own love for good music, even during the challenges of COVID-19.

I’m so grateful to be able to say that I directed and filmed this amazing set for an up and coming DJ that I’m proud to call a dear friend.

I want to thank BadVSS Entertainment and Aftershock for having us, as well as The Arboretum staff for allowing us to use their beautiful location.

Without further ado, please enjoy MAR1 X ZULUECHO Initiative – Live from the Arboretum.

You can follow MAR1 by clicking here