Music on the Playa

If there's one definitive thing I can say about music on the playa this year, it's that I've now heard all the James Brown I need to hear for an entire year. Every day, several times a day, I would hear The Godfather testifying from somewhere, and even saw him being towed in effigy around the Esplanade behind a bicycle one day.

The aural omipresence of James Brown was an indication of what seemed like the general musical mood; breaks and big electronic thumps certainly had their place at 10 O'clock and along the Esplanade, but when you got into the small soundsystems the vibe was much more about easygoing party pop 'n' rock. On Thursday night, trying to find my way among various pathways of the mind, the dance party at a camp down Allante made me think I had stumbled back into Drunk and Horny, while during the day I had happened into a Rolling Stones party at the Solar Snow Cone camp.

There were of course plenty of big whoo-whoo parties with electronic music, but distance and the difficulty of getting around on bikes due to the sand traps kept me from really going out to the big dance camps like Opulent Temple. There's something about the scale of those camps, too, that I find a bit off-putting; if being around a thousand fucked-up people at 1015 seems a little much to deal with, try adding a couple thousand more people to the mix. Just think about the amount of dust generated by all those stomping feet.

My best musical moment came on Friday at the Deep End, where Worthy of Dirty Bird fame had the opening set. I had been up for a pretty intense twenty-four hours at that point, and had become even more doggie than usual, but Worthy's set sparked me back to life for a few more hours. After that, though, I was basically done with dancing at Burning Man; I checked into the Honey Sound System party at Comfort and Joy after midnight that night, deemed it too hot and reeking of sweaty faeries for my physical condition, and soon after was passed out in my tent (J, though, later told me that Pee Play laid out a fun set).

I did play a set at Camp Zoom on Wednesday night, but it was Lord Kook who can lay claim to two truly awesome sets, both at Glitter Camp on the Esplanade. On Tuesday, after struggling through a dust storm on Monday and then spending all day Tuesday working on our camp art project, we were ready to party, and so, it seemed, was everyone else there. LK held that space for a solid two hours that night, drawing in lots of wandering gay boys, including Pee Play, who was drawn in by the whoops that went up when LK dropped Lindstrom's "Another Station." LK returned on Wednesday to play a tag-team with Jovino that lasted a full five hours, until both of them were just too exhausted to play another track.

On the Burning Man census this year there was a section to check off the things that brought you to the playa, and one of them was "the music scene." I ticked this off as one of my attractions, but I really think that the version of the Burning Man music scene that I experience here, through Opulent Temple, Space Cowboys, and the host of fundraisers is a lot more interesting for me than what I've encountered on the playa. In many ways, the sound of the playa has become pretty predictable, and the scale of the event makes it both very difficult to find things that are more off the beaten path, and to get to them when you do find them. I know, though, that all these things move in cycles, and just as breaks superseded trance as the sound of the playa, something else new will eventually come along; I just wish it would hurry up and happen already.

Event Review: Fuck Shit, Let's Dance! (FSLD) at Deco Lounge

This past Friday’s installment of Fuck Shit, Let’s Dance! (FSLD) was about all that a boy could ask for in a birthday party, though I wish I had been feeling a bit better from this crummy upper respiratory infection that has been dragging me down for the past two weeks.

For me birthdays are always a time of perspective, an opportunity to look back over the previous year and assess how things had developed, and I’m happy to say that this year’s ruminations were pretty positive. Last year I had set my sights on starting a club night, which has come to pass, and as I looked around Deco on Friday evening I had ample opportunity to think about all the new friends and acquaintances I’ve made over this past year. Even better, there were many people who I had no idea who they were, which only contributed to the feeling that things in my life are still growing and developing.

We had great sets from all participants, with Lord Kook tag-teaming with both Jovino and Kenvulsion during different parts of the night, and I think overall it was the most consistent vibe we’ve had yet. I especially enjoyed the old-school techno that Ken brought, which still sounds remarkably fresh and deep when you put it up against contemporary tracks.

Yesterday I ran into my friend Chickpea, who told me he’d been at a potluck in the East Bay where some boys were talking about going to a rave at Deco. Puzzled, he dug a little deeper and found out that they were talking about coming to FSLD. Well, it’s not quite a rave, but we’re trying. In June we’re taking a break to do Mr. for Gay Pride, and then in July we’re coming back with a slightly different format in mind, but still with techno, tech-house, and minimal as the main choices on the musical menu. We know where we want to go, it’s just a question of how to get there from here, and I have faith that next year’s birthday party will find us having successfully arrived.

Upcoming Event: Fuck Shit, Let's Dance (FSLD) at Deco Lounge, Friday May 23

It's time for your monthly dose of Faggot Techno, and this time around we've got Ken Vulsion of Honey Sound System, who has promised us a night of four-on-the-floor techno bangers, with the possibility of a special guest tag-team during his set. And if that wasn't enough, we'll also be celebrating my birthday, so I'd be happy to see all your smiling faces there. We're on hiatus from Deco next month because of Mr., the Official Pride Opening Party we're doing at Mighty with Fag Fridays, Beatbox Events, and Big Top, but in July we'll be back again.

Fuck Shit, Let's Dance! (FSLD)
with guests Ken Vulsion (Honey Sound System) and Jovino (Theory Radio)
Resident DJ Lord Kook
9PM - 3AM
$5, FREE before 10
Deco Lounge, Larkin x Turk

Bunny Party!

This past weekend my friends Jovino and (DJ) Mermaid, the creative genuises behind Bunnywarez, fine purveyors of playa wear, celebrated their simultaneous birthdays with a party at their Oakland warehouse/factory, and I was reminded of how much fun it can be to just hang out and get goofy with a strange group of people and then crash on a makeshift bed, surrounded by bolts of fun fur, as the gloaming is showing through uncurtained windows.

I've know Jovino and Mermaid for about three years, and have watched with great pleasure as Bunnywarez has exploded from an occasional sale at various cons to a thriving Web business (their front page currently shows 729281 views). As Jovino put it, they are now battling the Boss that bars their entrance to the next stage of the game, as their orders have well exceeded the capacity of their home sewing operation. Bunnywarez has become a full-time business for the both of them, and it looks like the next move will be to delegate the needle and thread work to contractors as they manage the clothing design and administration of the business.

For me Jovino and Mermaid exemplify the promise of the Bay Area, the idea that you can be an eccentric, kooky, freaky, smart person and find a way to thrive without needing to buy into the typical corporate track. They live in a warehouse, they have friends who are in punk bands and spin fire, they're regular Burners, they DJ and participate in crazy events like Bunny Jam, while at the same time they are successful entrepeneurs with a thriving business. They should be an inspiration to us all.

The party itself was great fun, if somewhat on the small side. Lord Kook got to DJ for a bit, I met and talked with some interesting people, and even got to walk away with a fantastic furry shrug that everyone agreed was totally me. Sometimes parties don't have to be huge woo-woo affairs to satisfy the craving for social interaction, they just have to be populated with good friends who enjoy one another's company.

Upcoming Event: Prepare for the Playa, Sunday June 10

Okay, so whether you want to prepare for the playa or just make sure you have some togs that will get you off the cover charge when it says "playafied," you should definitely check out this playa fashions sale at Mighty (especially gear from my friends Jovino and Mermaid at Bunnywarez). DJs, fire, fashion, essential playa gear, dancing, all at Mighty (119 Utah Street) from noon until 7PM. Hit the link for full details: Prepare for the Playa!