Out of the 7 nights that I was at the burning man event, I DJ'd 4 of them. That may not seem like a lot until you take into account the moving of gear and records back and forth, stopping by the day before to check-in and back the next day to pick up items forgotten. Headphones, mixers and records smeared with dust, put back into wrong envelopes, CDs momentarily misplaced. I was so busy with DJ tasks that I missed The Man burning and the Seattle Memorial Temple burn. I didn't ride on an art car or take a swim on the deep playa looking for ladders that touched the sky. I didn't see Alex Gray's camp with his amazing works or Bassnectar pumpin' beats into burner's hearts. I missed so much, sacrificed so much.
And yet, I gained.
On Tuesday night I DJ'd at Camp Lemeria, thanks to Jeremy Ball. That DJ capsule was amazing! It was in the shape of a spaceship. They even had air conditioning. Then on Wednesday night, I played for the BRC Zu kidz . Their cozy camp and great sound setup rocked my night.
On Friday night, Robb Green , the SF from Seattle transplant who had last DJ’d with me at Playa-go-Round the year before, joined me once again for our BRC ‘residency’. We'd each left the playa the year before with a specific sound in our minds, a sound that Robb had berthed at the Leschi Lounge only weeks before. A year later, we'd both brought that sound together as if we'd been playing it in accompaniment for years, even though we'd last played together 1 year before in that very same spot. Funk Rock Disco, a fusion of Funky Tech House and Electro Clash. We started off playing 5 records a piece, then three's. Soon we realized that our record bags were identical twins in terms of sound. We fed off each other with each new track, tantalized the progression of the set, played with each others' smiles. And we laughed like two kids who'd ingested mushroom-laced rice krispy treats. Pure playa magic. A birthplace of Art. Esnce blended brilliantly as he rode our wave, spinning the merry-go-round slightly deeper yet retaining all the ticklishness of Tech. J-SUN completed the circle, diving into his own devilish deviance, sending a crowd of clubbers deeper into the dusty sand, a true Seattle House legend in the making. Then on Saturday I received an amazing gift from Damian & Ryan. Esnce and I were asked to play from the time the man burned till dawn on the Esplanade at Idaho-built Blunderland. And what an amazing feeling that was, touching so many with our heart beats.
By DJ'ing at all the camps that I did, I spoke my Art to so many. I was asked to play at some of the most amazing spots on the playa, places where my music and melodies could be heard 1/2 mile out. I drew in crowds, even for a few moments, where around them are hundreds of clubs and art installations doing the same. I amused the attention of hundreds of burners who may never have blessed with my words had I decided to take the night out to fulfill my own intentions.
And so in Truth, I was blessed to play this year with friends, old and new. What a treat. What a true playa gift. Thank you, friends. Thank you, playa.
... one more installment! Stay tuned for part IV ... the Journey Home.
