electro-music.com   Dedicated to experimental electro-acoustic
and electronic music
 
    Front Page  |  Radio
 |  Media  |  Forum  |  Wiki  |  Links
Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
 FAQFAQ   CalendarCalendar   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   LinksLinks
 RegisterRegister   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in  Chat RoomChat Room 
 Forum index » electro-music.com » electro-music festivals
Burning Man Anybody?
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Page 1 of 1 [6 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
Author Message
sbowman



Joined: Jun 02, 2005
Posts: 38
Location: Media, PA

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:10 pm    Post subject: Burning Man Anybody?
Subject description: Exploring the idea of taking Electro-Music to Burning Man, 2008
Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I finally made it to Burning Man this year. I got the bug two years ago at E-M 2005 when Tim Thompson showed a few slides of his installation. Thanks, Tim!

Wow!

Now, Greg just told me that he and Hong are going to go next year, for the first time. Here's part of my email to Greg when he ask me if I had "a few tips" for him. I'm pasting it in because it goes where I want to go in this thread:

***********************

Greg,

You want to talk about Burning Man? Got a few dozen hours?

I'm glad you're going. Yes, I do have lots of advice, but much of what I
have to say is already published in easy-to-find places on the web. Start
with the BM website www.burningman.com and read as much as you can (it's big), starting with the Survival Guide. [url]Eplaya.com[/url] is the big discussion forum.

It's so true that it's hard to convey what it's like, even in photos and video,
because it's such a total experience. And it's very true that just
surviving the desert is a big part of the challenge, especially the first
time. I went well briefed and well prepared and still struggled. I had a
great time, though, and want to go back. It has had a profound influence on my aesthetic and sense of scale.

The art is amazing. I've been a long-time fan of sculpture and big-scale
installations, but I've never seen anything like the art on the playa!

Much of the music is techno--some good, some bad. Amplification everywhere, including on many of the art cars. But from what I heard and saw, there's a growing movement to feature more and different music. It's there, but not as prominent as the techno and not at the same high quality level as the visual and concept art. I met some guys with a circuit bending camp, Mutant Audio Outpost (pics at: http://www.mutantaudio.net/forum/topic-489.html&highlight=burning+man)
and saw some roving electro-music dudes (equipment pulled by bikes). There were a number of sound-producing installations that bridge between e-m and art installation. Lots of possibilities there.

I see a huge potential for a theme camp that features e-m. I'm sure the
audience is there. Burners love extreme art, and they'd cheer extreme
music. Besides, space music is the perfect chill to balance the techno.
Although I agree with your plan to go as spectators the first year, it might
be worth trying to hook up with an existing theme camp that might sponsor some e-m. I'm sure Tim would have some ideas. BM projects demand well-organized group efforts, and I think E-M could be a natural nexus for making it happen. A group could join forces and make it possible to bring out some e-music equipment.

I suggest we start a thread on the E-M forum and see how many others in our community would want to join the effort. (Maybe start the E-M thread with this email.) BM is a mostly west-coast phenomenon, and I know E-M includes west-coasters some of which are probably veteran burners. I'd love to be a part of it next year, but I know now that I can only do it as part of a larger group.

Steve

*********************

So, how many of you are burners? Are there enough people interested in focusing on an eventual E-M effort to take e-m to the playa in some shape or form?

Steve

P.S Tim has a great site that summarizes his six years at Burning Man, including lots of great photos.
http://nosuch.com/tjt/ and 2007 photos at
http://www.nosuchparticles.com/album/burningman2007/

_________________
_________________
Steve Bowman
Available Space
www.AvailableSpaceMusic.com
www.BizClarity.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
jksuperstar



Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 2503
Location: Denver
Audio files: 1
G2 patch files: 18

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Yeah, all that, and more. I'd say-- go balls out, or it's a complete waste of time. Got INTO the art. Be completely receptive to EVERYBODY, and talk to ANYBODY you see, even if you find them passed out in your tent.

Good words for life in general.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
egw
Stream Operator


Joined: Feb 01, 2003
Posts: 1569
Location: Asheville NC
Audio files: 18
G2 patch files: 8

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I think this is a great idea! Seems to me that Burning Man and electro-music have similar philosophies - communities of artists who get together to express themselves and share their art without so much focus on the commercial aspects. I will be happy to help organize this. However I've never been to Burning Man, so I'm clueless about that aspect. Also I would not be able to bring much in the way of equipment. Let's see if we can stir up enough interest to do something.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
sbowman



Joined: Jun 02, 2005
Posts: 38
Location: Media, PA

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Greg, you're right to be wary of just launching out to do any project at Burning Man. It's hard to just get there and survive the dust, wind and heat. Trying to bring or do anything else just compounds the difficulty.

I see this more as a long-term goal for the e-m community, accomplished a step at a time. The first step is for more of us just to go and make it through the first year. Part of the plan would probably require teaming up in some way with a group of west-coaters who already know what they're doing Ideally the group would have their act together with a music theme camp and some PA system (I saw lots of Mackie 450's in camps and lashed to art cars). I think that's within the realm of possibility. Tim Thompson is a veteran burner, and maybe he has some ideas how this could work, or can introduce us to the right people.

I'm convinced that electro-music ought to be at Burning Man. It's a ready-made AUDIENCE, for cryin' out loud! But I'm under no illusions that it's going to be easy. That's part of the charm of Burning Man--everything's hard. It takes planning, resources, time, commitment and lots of teamwork to make anything happen. Which is also why only people who REALLY want to be there make it, and why the art is so different, intense, and good.

Steve

_________________
_________________
Steve Bowman
Available Space
www.AvailableSpaceMusic.com
www.BizClarity.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
tjt



Joined: Apr 05, 2003
Posts: 32
Location: San Jose, California

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Burning Man Anybody?
Subject description: Exploring the idea of taking Electro-Music to Burning Man, 2008
Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

sbowman wrote:
I finally made it to Burning Man this year. I got the bug two years ago at E-M 2005 when Tim Thompson showed a few slides of his installation. Thanks, Tim!

Wow!

Nothing makes me happier than being responsible for someone discovering Burning Man.
sbowman wrote:
You want to talk about Burning Man? Got a few dozen hours?

Ah - the enthusiasm and awe after the first time, I recognize and remember it well.

I was actually supposed to perform with a couple friends early one evening at the Mutant Audio Outpost you found, but that was the afternoon of a big dust/wind storm that kind of tore things up, so it got cancelled.
sbowman wrote:
I see a huge potential for a theme camp that features e-m.

Agreed, and I have some friends (reasonably experienced burners like me) who may be thinking along similar lines. I'll make them aware of the potential interest here.

...Tim...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
jmcdaniel_ee



Joined: Mar 22, 2007
Posts: 18
Location: SW Louisiana, US
G2 patch files: 1

PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Bump: I've never been, but it's something I've kinda always wanted to do. I guess the time is getting shorter. Any plans materializing?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Page 1 of 1 [6 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
 Forum index » electro-music.com » electro-music festivals
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Copyright © 2003 through 2009 by electro-music.com - Conditions Of Use