And the year 12021 of the Human Era (i.e., 2021 AD, but let’s try not to be religious here) just ended. But the pandemic has not. Damn you, Biden, and all your unfulfilled promises! I’m kidding. I know Biden is not in charge of covid. Xi is. Ok, stop it. Let’s get over with the 12021 HE wrap-up. Here I go:

• Starting the year with our friends up in Marin. We found the biggest mushroom I’ve ever seen. Hikes in the Bay Are are incredible.
• Having fun with Littlefinger (i.e., my pink strat) in the beginning of the year. Some Opeth (full Deliverance solo!) and Porcupine Tree.
• Recording the second album of Rumbahía.
• More Catalan elections in February of 12021. I write about them.
• I land a job at the amazing Audio Research Group at Adobe Research! It is bittersweet to leave Pandora, but it was the right time for me. I made a song about it.
• I take a deserved break, and we travel to Tahoe and the Eastern Sierras. It is epicly beautiful. I think the days skiing at Mammoth are the best skiing days of my life. Also, Anita is getting so good!
• My sister becomes a doctor. Boom!
• I finally get the vaccine. I cry when I get it. I now have a vaccinated brother, the amazing bass player Scott. After a few days of getting the J&J (aka the Grocery Outlet of the vaccines), they announce that it can give deadly blood clots. But I’m totally fine and happy of being fully vaccinated and being part of the J-gang.
• Finally some live music again!
• Right after I start at Adobe, I work with my friend Justin on a Music Segmentation paper. We end up submitting a patent and publishing it to ISMIR. Read it here!
• After 1.5 years without visiting home, I spent part of the summer in Granollers/Barcelona. So good to see my family and friends. Especially my abuelito!
• For the second album of Rumbahía, I turn a poem of my grandfather into a song. And I get to sing it live in front of him! (I’m not crying, you’re crying).
• We see Pau Vallvé at La Monumental. I cry of happiness.
• Sant Joan with friends and their families, feels like covid has disappeared (only for a week…).
• The four Sargons get together again!
• The titans of Seek’em All let me play a song with them at the Poble Espanyol. I have a blast!
• Spending a few days in Menorca with some of my favorite people in the world.
• Working from NYC with my friends and their gatetes.
• I visit some titanics in Rhode Island.
• I play FFVII again (and I get embarrassingly addicted to it).
• Erin joins Rumbahía! What an amazing human and sax player <3
• First show of Rumbahía since the pandemic. Right in the streets of San Fracisco!
• I visit the Adobe offices for the first time after a few months working there. I thought I would never say that I missed commuting. But here I am, enjoying my BART + bike rides!
• I re-write the entire website for La Bossa d’Urina (it uses Hugo now, like this very website. I love it :D).
• Our second Rumbahía album, Casi al Compás, is out!
• For Halloween we are an Octopus Teacher and her pupil.
• We need to cancel the big album release party of Rumbahía due to very serious personal issues. Extremely sad times. Rumbahía takes a break.
• We publish our first original song with Los Pandejos!
• I’m a project guide for the WiMIR Workshop, and I get to talk about Music Segmentation.
• I accept the position of Social Chair for ISMIR 12021. It ends up being so much more work than I thought. But absolutely worth it. I organize Trivia Nights, Music Jams, Yoga Sessions, and a show with Sabertooth Unicorn. Good times, despite the pandemic! ISMIR is still the best conference ever. I write all about it here.
• I get boosted!
• I give a talk about our latest ISMIR paper on Music Segmentation at the MagniMind Academy.
• Look at these insane Bay Area skies, you titan!
• I decide to spend the days before Christmas in Barcelona, right when Omicron hits. Still, I manage to spend some quality time with family and friends. Look at my abuelito making a 1,000 pieces jigsaw puzzle! And look at the amazing company I have when hiking el Montseny!
• After two years, we go on another World Tour with La Bossa d’Urina: Eas Clase De Persona World Tour 2021-2022. Unfortunately, we have to cancel the show in Barcelona due to covid. Fucking covid.
• I spend Christmas is Pasadena, and we hike amazing hikes. I love Pasadena and SoCal in general <3
• We were supposed to camp in the desert. But weather and a shitty car makes us pivot and spend some days in Vegas.
• We say goodbye to 12021 from Oakland, with a little gathering of lovely friends and their beautiful dog.
• I read 18 books this year.
• Miraculously, somehow, I still haven’t gotten covid (as far as I –and the countless covid tests I’ve taken– can tell).

Ok 12022, here I go!