Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 255: The Finishing Touch]

That evening, Ryan had spent all day in the kitchen preparing a feast for Taylor.

"What's up with you today? You came home early from work and made all this for me?" Taylor seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Come on, you've been bouncing from city to city all day. It's nice to have you back, and besides, I still need you to make me some money," Ryan replied, laughing as he sat down next to her.

Taylor took a fork and cut into a piece of meat, popping it into her mouth.

"You've got a point," she said, savoring the sweet and tangy flavors, clearly delighted.

"Let me know what you want to eat next time, and I'll get the ingredients ready," Ryan said.

"Sure thing," Taylor nodded eagerly.

They began discussing her new song Long Live, which had just been released online after its recording. Even though there hadn't been much time for promotion, thanks to online streaming and word of mouth, Long Live had already made its way into the top ten of the Hot 100. Taylor had developed a knack for landing strong positions on the charts.

Currently, the top spot was still held by the Black Eyed Peas with Boom Boom Pow, while Lady Gaga's Poker Face and LoveGame ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Interestingly, a newcomer named Pitbull was also making waves; his song I Know You Want Me had just hit number two after spending fifteen weeks on the chart.

In the 10-20 range, they recognized familiar names like Katy Perry's Waking Up In Vegas, Miley Cyrus's The Climb, and Carrie Underwood's I Do Not Hook Up. Meanwhile, Taylor's previous hit, Love Story, had slipped to number forty. Even with new music boosting her older hits, it was clear that it would be difficult for the old songs to re-enter the top twenty.

Though Taylor's album sales were strong, her chart performance had initially lagged compared to some of her competitors. Now, it seemed she was finally catching up.

Ryan's last single, Friends, was still holding at number eight, just behind Beyonce's Halo. Since its release, Ryan's song had never dropped out of the top ten. The daily accumulative sales from various singles and EPs were already at 500,000, not counting physical sales. He made at least $300,000 a day, even without lifting a finger.

That didn't include the upcoming Bad Room Carnival. Ryan had just seen the presale numbers; compared to the earlier Ultra Music Festival, the two-day pass price had doubled, with total presales already exceeding $100 million. After deducting online ticket sales percentages and various expenses, they were guaranteed to net tens of millions, not counting additional revenue from sponsors.

Considering that the show hadn't officially started yet, the final revenue would probably approach $200 million, even with just one stage.

"We need to set up more stages for the winter carnival," Ryan was already envisioning the next event's scale.

"It hasn't even started yet, and you're thinking about next time?" Taylor chuckled with a smirk.

"I've always been greedy," Ryan nodded.

...

Later that evening, after finishing a workout, Ryan headed to the bathroom where Taylor was soaking in a giant tub that resembled a small swimming pool, a thick layer of bubbles floating on the surface.

After working up a sweat, Taylor's fair complexion was flushed.

"What's up with you today? So gentle?" Taylor gently touched Ryan's cheek, her red nail polish catching his eye.

"Which do you prefer?"

"Both," Taylor playfully poked Ryan's cheek. "Nothing can come between us."

Though Ryan thought about the pregnant woman next door...

"I have to swing by the Spirit Club management company tomorrow afternoon. Ever since Ivanka left, no one's filled her position, and I'm even considering asking her back."

"Didn't her dad have a falling out with you because of bank guarantees?" Taylor asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Her dad may have had issues with me, but that's not Ivanka's fault," Ryan shrugged, preparing for another round of exercise.

"You're not actually into Ivanka, are you?" Taylor paused for a moment, then laughed.

"I heard she's already pregnant," Ryan replied.

"That's great! Now you won't be thinking about her," Taylor beamed, clearly unaware of who the father of Ivanka's child truly was.

...

Not far from Memorial Park, a stage had already been constructed at Bicentennial Park, designed like a medieval fantasy castle, closely resembling the architecture in Orlando's Bad Room. The stage design had also been done by Virgil, with construction led by Robert's team.

In light of a recent incident, Ryan had elevated security measures to new heights. The entrance required separation barriers that had already been set up. He had hired two additional security firms on top of his own personnel, boosting the security presence to three to four times that of the Ultra Festival. This time, they would not allow any partygoers into the park, citing "disruption to city aesthetics."

At that moment, near the park, several broadcast vehicles from CW were already in position. Lacking prior broadcast experience, they had borrowed an entire crew from major shareholder CBS. Besides CW, other reporters had also set up camp around the park, capturing news footage from various angles.

...

Simultaneously, rehearsal efforts would begin today.

At that moment, Lady Gaga was on stage, dressed casually, running through her entire performance with her dancers.

"I can't wait to see what you'll wear for your performance," Ryan greeted her backstage.

"Oh, I promise it'll be a sight to behold," Lady Gaga responded with a laugh.

Ryan wanted to chat with her a bit more, but backstage was crowded with artists, and the small space made things chaotic.

"Where's my guitar? I swear I left it right here!"

"Who's next to perform? Where are they?"

"Is there no place to rest?"

Ryan heard three different voices calling out simultaneously. According to the pre-planned arrangement, the coordination backstage had been assigned to a director from the original Ultra team. However, bringing so many people together proved more chaotic than expected.

While DJs only needed to confirm their setlists and equipment, artists had far more preparation.

With no other option, Ryan decided to step into the fray.

Despite a scattering of errors, they were managing to keep the rehearsal going.

...

"Ryan, with the way things are going... is the show going to run smoothly?" Alex approached Ryan, anxious as he reported back. He was now responsible for the entire festival team.

"We have to ensure everything goes off without a hitch," Ryan replied firmly.

"I understand," Alex took a deep breath, aware that there was a mountain of tasks lined up for him. Backstage was a mess, issues were cropping up on stage, and even outside, there were plenty of matters to attend to. There was no time for eating or even hitting the restroom.

This was all while broadcast duties had been completely handed over to CW; otherwise, it would have been even more chaotic.

As Alex opened his mouth to speak, he noticed Ryan had already moved on. The Black Eyed Peas had arrived.

...

"Everyone, this is Ryan; we've spoken a few times on the phone," Will, the soul of the Black Eyed Peas, introduced him to the rest of the group.

As one of the hottest stars at the time, their presence immediately drew attention.

Ryan hadn't met the group members yet and took the initiative to welcome them.

"Ryan, do you think you can handle this big event? Need me to lend a hand?" Fergie joked.

"How would you help? Ryan's got this; he's more than capable and already has his own thing going on," Will immediately countered, still somewhat miffed over Ryan's earlier rejection.

Then staff came up for a final check on performance details.

"If we're doing three songs, will there be time to rehearse? Plus, the equipment here isn't up to par; let's just stick to one song," Will looked at the busy staff behind Ryan and chuckled lightly.

They weren't very invested in this music festival; their appearance was merely at Jimmy's behest, and the pay wasn't that impressive either, leading Will to feel even less enthusiastic.

"I get that, but the show must go on. The audience is really looking forward to your performance," Ryan smiled, though it was more of a veneer of politeness.

"You're the boss," Will responded resignedly, leading the three members away.

...

"Why treat him like that? Are you still sore over him turning you down?" Fergie glanced back at Ryan.

"I didn't say that," Will shook his head.

"This is good too. Maybe after he joins, we won't be able to release those songs," Fergie suggested.

...

After the Black Eyed Peas left, Ryan ran into Eminem, Katy Perry, and others. Eminem's daughter wasn't with him today, likely brought by someone else.

Luke and Kesha arrived to join the fun; Kesha was this time one of Katy Perry's backup dancers.

Unlike their previous closeness, it was evident that Luke and Kesha were now standing a bit further apart, suggesting a possible argument the previous day. As the primary instigator, Ryan chose to remain oblivious for now, focusing instead on the music festival preparations while planning to address Kesha's situation later.

...

As evening fell, Ryan scanned the area and noticed one big-name star was still missing.

"I've contacted Beyonce; she mentioned she wasn't feeling well. I hope she doesn't decide to skip out on the performance," Alex replied when Ryan sought him out.

"I need to give her a call myself," Ryan decided.

...

He immediately reached out to Beyonce under the pretext of checking in on her health.

"I woke up feeling a bit off this morning, and I heard the conditions there aren't great; I think I'll skip rehearsal," Beyonce informed him from the other end.

She was currently on tour and likely wanted to take it easy. Given that she was performing a routine she'd already been rehearsing, there was confidence that she could skip preparation without damaging the performance.

But Ryan wasn't content with that; he insisted she come today.

"Maybe I should come in person to invite you?" Ryan suggested with a friendly tone.

"Fine, I'll make my way over," Beyonce agreed.

...

When Ryan hung up, he hadn't expected her "soon" would equate to four or five hours later, which forced all the staff to wait around indefinitely.

Even though she arrived late, Beyonce didn't show any sign of remorse. After a cursory run-through, she unloaded a slew of demands onto Alex.

"You're in charge, right? Don't keep me waiting too long, and prepare an extra lounge. By the way, this coffee is terrible; after the performance, make sure my car is ready out front. I don't want to walk far," Beyonce rattled off rapidly.

By this time, Ryan had already made his exit, leaving Alex to deal with the demanding star. Reluctantly, he could only nod in agreement.

...

After leaving Spirit Club management company's office, he hadn't gone home or headed to Mar-a-Lago; instead, he returned to the Bad Room.

"The final version of Levels is complete and has been emailed to you," Avicii was waiting outside Ryan's office and followed him in.

Without a word, Ryan opened his computer, put on his headphones, and listened to the track multiple times. The expression on his face didn't show relief but rather concern, as he frowned. Clearly, he wasn't satisfied with the final version.

"I feel like something is missing; it doesn't quite feel like a song."

"Lyrics? Are you talking about the lyrics?" Avicii jumped in, agreeing with him.

"But there are only a few days left until the festival. Where can we record the vocals?"

"Why do we even need to record?"

Ryan was considering sampling directly.

"Let's do it soon; we need to start searching the catalog," Avicii shrugged in response.

Ryan invited him to sit down next to him, randomly playing a jazz track.

They listened for hours.

...

"I'm trying to find sample material with Avicii," Ryan pushed his hair back from his forehead.

"Who knows if we can settle this tonight; it might take forever," Ryan remarked.

"Got it, you should get some sleep," he said, ending the call.

...

"Should I look for it myself?" Avicii glanced at the clock; it was already late.

"No, I'm with you," Ryan said, thinking for a moment before adding, "Though aimlessly searching isn't going to work. Let's go back to the heart of the song; what do you want to express?"

"The kind of elevation I propose, though I didn't think I wanted to convey anything specific. Isn't it just supposed to be fun?" Avicii shrugged.

Ryan thought of keywords and started searching lyrics based on those.

After trying countless keywords, Ryan randomly started playing the next song.

♫ Oh-oh, sometimesI get a good feeling, yeahI get a feeling that I never, never, never, never had before, no noI get a good feeling, yeah ♫

A powerful, soulful voice rang out from the speakers!

"This is it! We nailed it!" Avicii jumped up, his expression filled with elation; this was the vibe he wanted.

Ryan looked at the track title; it was a soul jazz piece from the 1960s called Something's Got A Hold On Me, performed by one of the most significant singers of the soul genre, Etta James.

It was well-known enough for Ryan to find it through his search.

Right in front of Ryan, Avicii began producing, sampling a few lines from the lyrics, and after applying various effects, he skillfully blended them into the electronic music.

To Ryan, this version sounded entirely different; the vocals brought new life to the whole song.

It was the missing piece!

Avicii's face lit up with a sense of relief that hadn't been felt in ages.

When he turned, he found Ryan seemingly frozen in place.

After a while, Ryan smiled at Avicii.

"I've got some new ideas now. There's not much time until the festival; we need to get this finished!" Ryan grabbed the phone.

...

"Don't sleep, Ellie Goulding, come to my office right now! I know it's 3 AM, but I bet you don't want to miss a chance at stardom. If you don't get up, I'll find someone else."

"Alright, I'll wait for you in the office," Ryan nodded.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.