What I really enjoyed from Paul's story is to see his magic in mashing cultural references, philosophical ideas, and sonic bits in a story. I've heard it in his music and read it in his articles, but I didn't know he was able to do that so articulately and spontaneously live.

Fun story from DJ Spooky, going back to an early stage of the Festival when the anti-commercial ethos of BM held true resolutely -- even for music. This year marked my first trip to Black Rock City, and one of the few disappointments I registered was the preponderance of mainstream or generally insipid dance music filling the night air.

As a lifelong Electronic Dance Music fan (and once upon a time, a phat pants-wearing raver) my complaint here isn't derived from an ignorant aversion to 4-on-the-floor "techno" beats. (If you've never felt swept away by a DJ or danced 8 hours straight into the morning, you probably don't get it. A lot of people don't understand house music... it's a spiritual thing.) I was really just a little taken aback by the ubiquity of bad rave music on the playa. I've heard enough to last me the rest of my days -- how about something a little more eclectic and unexpected, like funky industrial bluegrass, or ambient dub-zydeco?

Also, as Paul mentions at the end of his story, some of the biggest names in commercial dance music are now star performers at the Festival, playing 45-minute showcase sets to massive crowds at MTV-Beach-Party-style setups. Oakenfold, DJ Dan, and Rabbit in the Moon at Burning Man? These guys are some of the highest paid and most accessible names in DJ culture. No offense to the artists -- they've all earned their cred in one way or another -- but it's the EDM equivalent of putting a Starbucks or H&M on the Esplanade.

I would love to hear true musical diversity at Burning Man, rather than the cacophony of 22 different epic trance records "blowing up" from every imaginable direction...

Would it be possible to subit this clip to youtube.com so it shows up in this search: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=reality+sandwich+burning+bri... Thanks, David S

I had never heard of DJ Spooky until I first arrived at the Burning tales on August 10th. This man has such a dynamic personality about him and he is able to capture his listeners with his body language and resonance. What I love the most about him is that he speaks from the heart, and therefore his intention is felt. Thank you DJ Spooky for that free music! It's still being played in my car. “

 

 

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” -Mawlana Muhammed Jalal ad-Din