First things first: last week's episode was M.O.S. This week's episode is P.O.S (the non-trance alias of Above & Beyond's Paavo Siljamäki). The alphabet soup similarity is a complete coincidence. Okay, glad that's out of the way.

Second, this is not a recording of Paavo at Explorations, because as far as I know, that doesn't exist. However, in the fall of last year, Paavo released a video of him playing this set on a lake in Finland. Within a few minutes of turning it on, like a soldier suffering from PTSD, I started having flashbacks. Thankfully, mine were of the joyous sort: happy memories of dancing with friends under the stars by the ocean.

Without a doubt, Paavo has played one of the best (if not the best) set the last two years in Albania. His 2022 masterpiece was an incredibly rare gem: all of us in attendance were blessed with two hours of music no one had ever heard, crafted during the dark days of a global pandemic. In an age where dance music is usually released as singles, having an entire album of new material - let alone enough for two or three albums - is unheard of. That kind of surprise drop is usually reserved for the likes of Beyonce.

In 2023, I ended up at his set almost accidentally, thinking I would just "catch a bit of it" and then head off to another stage. But boy was I wrong: it was evident from the start that, once again, this would be something incredibly special, and it was: a beautiful, rocking emotional journey over two hours. Again, this Finland set is only an approximation of what he played that night, but it hits all the same notes. The second track in this set - an ID, of course - is seriously one of the most beautiful layered melodies I've ever heard.

Needless to say, I will be prioritizing Paavo in my itinerary this year and I hope to see all you Explorers there too!

1. P.O.S. - ID

Original post: https://youtu.be/EpmAe7LHLh8?si=zxKUehqtESaQxQGe