If you’re looking for the latest MUSIC x posts, hop on over to Substack.
Hi everybody!
Nine years ago, I started MUSIC x as an outlet to discuss innovation in music. I wanted to help the music world better understand the tech world and vice versa.
For the first four years, the newsletter, originally titled MUSIC x TECH x FUTURE went out every Monday at 4pm Berlin time, which is also when you should be receiving this email. During the pandemic, I launched a daily newsletter called MUSIC x CORONA. During this phase, I got Maarten involved. Eventually, I decided to merge the two, and from that point onward, we sent out an email every Tuesday and Thursday as MUSIC x. For a while, that is.
Eventually, I had to take a step back. Being in a senior leadership position at COLORS meant that I didn’t have as broad a perspective as I had relied on in earlier years. Then, I struggled with mental health, just as I took over Mat Dryhurst’s course at NYU’s Berlin campus. Big shoes to fill. I told Maarten I would be taking a break from writing.
Now that my incredible time at COLORS has concluded, I’m picking up my pen again. In the past few years, I’ve become more intentional about my well-being and the communities I want to surround myself with. My new newsletter, Calm & Fluffy, combines these passions.
Why a new newsletter?
MUSIC x has always been deeply personal. The reason why I would always find something to write about was because I was almost exclusively obsessed with these topics. This has broadened in a way that I think doesn’t quite reflect the essence of MUSIC x.
Calm & Fluffy is where I explore technology, culture, growth, and mental health—through personal experiments, research, and interviews. It’s personal, pragmatic, and gentle.
If you’ve ever felt like the world is moving faster than you can process, I hope this can be a place to pause, reflect, and navigate it together.
What’s next for MUSIC x?
Maarten has done an amazing job stewarding this newsletter and community, so I’ll be handing over the reins to him officially. So, if I have something to say about music, I’ll pitch Maarten to do a guest post. Everything else stays the same, unless Maarten decides to make changes.
AND A MASSIVE THANKS TO MAARTEN FOR HOLDING IT DOWN!
Calm & Fluffy
I hope you decide to follow me on my journey. You’ll have to sign yourself up.
Feel free to give me a follow on Bluesky, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Threads. I’m also opening myself up again to speaking engagements, so if any conference curators are interested in these topics, drop me a line.
I’ll be leaving you with an article that I’ve written for my Calm & Fluffy newsletter, which is a good example of how I explore topics of technology and culture through personal narrative.
Take care, everyone!
Love,
Bas