2016 Robot Heart

"It was already a really overwhelming, but also exhausting, week for me at my first Burning Man. Then there was this Friday night. From the moment I started playing I felt so good and watching all those tiny lights on people's bikes heading towards the bus, it looked so beautiful. After my set I had so much energy that I stayed and danced on the bus for at least 12 more hours. This was a very special experience and that bus is definitely one of the coolest things I've ever played on, and I'm more than happy that I had a little role in this whole adventure.

cheers
Paul"

https://soundcloud.com/powel
https://www.facebook.com/Powel.Sonnenkinder

Photo:  John Dill

Art Piece: The Sonic Runway is a 1000 foot long corridor of lights connected to a sound system.  As thumping beats race across the desert, they trigger patterns of light that ripple down the corridor at the speed of sound. Wherever you stand, the lights and sound are in sync. You’ll never see sound the same again.

Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Powel - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

"Normally I know that high expectations kill the vibe, so I always try to walk my way open minded and don’t expect anything special from the future, but this time I couldn’t help it. When the Robot told me that she wanted me to play the sunrise set and that we will be connected with the Mayan Warrior soundsystem, I could feel it already in Berlin a full three weeks before… Then when I finally took the bus over to Robot Heart it was even better than in my craziest expectations. This gig was by far the most emotional gig I have ever played. All I can say is thank you, I am even more happy now to be born on this weird planet which can be really beautiful sometimes, when you give it  chance to be free. Thank you you for dancing with me and giving me so much Love. So here is my try to give something back.

(This set includes only sounds, samples, synths, basses, pianos, vocals and lyrics which are created, recorded and arranged by Jan Blomqvist, Felix Lehman & Ryan Mathiesen. Except the vocals at Dancing People are never wrong and one tiny vocal sample in the last track, you'll recognize it)"

- Jan

Track list:

Drift | Empty Floor | Black Hole Nights | Something Says I Don’t Think About You | Dark Noise |Back In The Taxi | Dancing People Are Never Wrong | More | Unreleased Last Track

www.facebook.com/blomqvist.music
www.soundcloud.com/janblomqvist

Photo: Seth Bunting

Art piece: Awakening

www.facebook.com/AwakeningBurningMan2016

The human body is the most highly engineered object in existence, a machine of uncountable parts and unfathomable function. Its workings have served as inspiration for all of humanity's greatest inventions. This work is an homage to the two most amazing mechanisms in that machine: the human eye and hand. The head is a 16 foot camera obscura demonstrating the ray optics principals underlying the spherical lensed eye humans posses and the hands are actuated mimicking the tendons and bones of the body. Together they represent what separates life from the rest of the universe, the ability to observe the world around us and manifest change in that world. 

Jan Blomqvist (Live) - Robot Heart x Mayan Warrior - Burning Man 2016

Guy Gerber on the bus during the Catacomb of Veils burn - Friday morning sunrise

soundcloud.com/guygerber
www.facebook.com/guygerber

photo:  Aaron Feinberg

Catacomb rises like a rocky outcropping off the desert floor. It is a ruin, a remnant of our collective search for moments of quiet, introspection and reflection. It is a journey of discovery and a descent into a subterranean world.

Guy Gerber - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

"This time every year I come back down to reality with the perfect state of both happiness and sadness. Every feeling tied into one. I walk with a smile on my face from all that was experienced that makes me feel so alive. Each time I learn something a little more about myself and the world around us in which we live in. Sometimes I can surpass this world and find myself in another. I transcended and have descended, bringing back with me a glow from another state..Love, eternal."

facebook.com/OonaDahlMusic
soundcloud.com/oonadahl

Photo Credit: Manuel Pinto

Art: Hybycozo 
The Hyperspace Bypass 
By Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu. 
Lighting collab w/ Oren Leiman. 
Geometric exploration and exhibition 
Hybycozo.com

Oona Dahl - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

After so many years I finally got my feet on the cold sand of playa and ran to this bus I’ve been hearing about for so long. My first night and my first show. Never to be forgotten. My expectations ended up being meaningless because I was living the unimaginable. This special moment deserved my very best, so a set full of my own unreleased originals is what I played! and off to what will always be remembered as one of the most incredible experiences of my life: My first burn! Thank you Robot Heart for the opportunity, the love and the support. Hope you enjoy!

facebook.com/briancidmusic
@briancid

Photo: Nadav Havakook

Art: The Black Rock Lighthouse Service
by: Jonny and Max Poynton

A crystal like cluster of Lighthouses ranging from 6 to 60 foot tall and some leaning as much as 20 degrees. Inspired by the juxtaposition of creating a destination of fun and shelter by something that is meant to warn you of danger. This adult jungle gym aims to become a destination where participants come to seek shelter, play, meetup with friends and navigate the inland sea that is the Playa. At night the Lighthouses will truly come alive with fire, light, and a few other surprises.

http://brlighthouse.org/

Brian Cid - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Thugfucker is Greg Oreck & Holmar Filipsson. A couple of residents of this planet that have dedicated themselves to the debaucherous worship of all good things that can happen in a dark crowded room with good lightning.

On Friday night this unique duo played one of the most incredible and sophisticated sets heard on the Mayan Warrior, watching all of the beats synced with the Sonic Runway made a big highlight of our burn.

Enjoy


Watch the full set on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/186425836

Follow Thugfucker:
http://www.thugfucker.org/
https://www.facebook.com/holmarandgreg/

Cover Photo by: (looking for the photographer, please contact us) 
Cover Design: Esteban Armendariz

Mayan Warrior 
mayanwarrior.mx
facebook.com/MayanWarriorBurningman
@mayanwarriorofficial

Thugfucker - Mayan Warrior - Friday Night - Burning Man - 2016

"Gusts of swirling dust and fleeting raindrops the size of gumdrops fill the chilled morning sky.  Sunday morning seemed to hint more at the end of days than the end of Burning Man.  We could hardly have grasped any more open and inviting fun!  Defiant to the elements, a soundtrack of psychedelic dub-house disco found its place in the air.  Mixed long & loose on 3 decks with no FX and some cosmic electronica to tie the knot.  Another year on the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man yielding another resonant memory.  Keep the faith."

www.soundcloud.com/djthreeofc
www.facebook.com/djthree

Photo:  Peter Ruprecht

Artwork installation: "What you seek is seeking you" by Olivia Steele
@steeleism

DJ Three - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

www.soundcloud.com/leeburridge
www.facebook.com/djleeburridge

Art: Spacecats by Ayda Keshtkar
Photo: John Dill

Lee Burridge - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

It’s been a long time coming and it was nothing but pleasure and bliss to play atop the Robot Heart bus. Much love to the great group of souls who year after year continue to put on this mind blowing showcase of music, art and performance. Thank you for having me boys x

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mia-lucci
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mialucci/

Art: Tangential Dreams created by Arthur Mamou-Mani

"Tangential Dreams is a climbable sinuous tower made from off-the-shelf timber and digitally designed via algorithmic rules. One thousand “tangent” thin wooden pieces are held in position via horizontal pieces rotating along a central axis, gently moving in the wind like leaves of a giant tree. "

The art piece was "a homage to all artists and day dreamers, people living on the tangents, exploring possibilities creatively and with passion”. - Arthur Mamou-Mani

Photo: Regan Parrish

Mia Lucci - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

It was well into the night when we commenced our search for the Robot Heart Bus. We say search, as the sand storm started earlier in the night had completely covered the desert, making the visibility extremely limited. Since this was our first Burning Man, we weren't well prepared for the fury that nature would bring - our eyes were filled with sand as the shivers of the cold night rolled through our bones. We drove around aimlessly not always knowing whether we're headed in the right direction. All the directional signs were completely covered in sand and any people around us were just as disoriented by the storm while trying to find their own path. 

After a while we noticed a silhouette resembling a glowing heart. As we started moving towards it, there was no doubt that the Robot Heart Bus was in front of us. There really isn't anything like it, and if you haven't seen it before it's not easy to paint its picture with words. Completely covered in speakers and a large flickering heart at the top, the bus stands in the middle of the desert. It's filled with amazing people, who immediately make you feel as if you've known them for a lifetime. 

There are places on earth that are so rapt with special meaning, that from the moment you experience them... the first minute, this unique, magical atmosphere shakes you to your core and settles comfortably into your soul for eternity. For us, Robot Heart at Burning Man is definitely one of those places. 

Gorje Hewek
www.facebook.com/gorjehewekmusic
www.soundcloud.com/gorjehewek

Izhevski
www.facebook.com/IzhevskiOfficial
www.soundcloud.com/izhevski

Photo: John Dill
Art: Shrumen Lumen to Foldhaus Collective

Shrumen Lumen is a garden of over sized origami-inspired mushrooms that react to the presence of people by blooming and shrinking. At night their light patterns undulate through their folded structures.

Gorje Hewek & Izhevski - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

www.facebook.com/majorlazer
https://soundcloud.com/majorlazer

Art: Guardiano Leone by: Kevin Clark

Lions are representative of protection and therefore our Guardiano Leone is the guardian of the Man.

Photo : John Dill

Major Lazer - Sunset - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

I knew what I was doing, I was going to Burning Man; but what I did not know was just how I’d assimilate and react to all the data, images, sounds, smells ... what would become of my ex-asthmatic anxieties and the difficulties of living in this kind of environment: dust, dust, and more dust!!  

In Black Rock City you'll find all the good and all the evil of this world, the only thing that changes is how you take it in, because here the available tools of art and provocation operate differently ... so why not the music too?

Whatever one may think, there is still a comfort zone in Black Rock City. It’s about attitude: it’s always with a given attitude that you do something to then obtain a determined result, break the routine, open up to something new, not appearance at all costs, just letting everything happen because it has to happen. Running the other way in a dark hostile but magical place like this with a voice that says, "I'm not afraid, I'm here now!” the same voice you hear when you're sitting all alone in front of the pyramid of Cheope, its outline standing out majestically in the dark ... far from comforting places. 

I saw some friends collapse because, inevitably, if you let something get to you here that something will change you. I believe that these people will come away with a greater awareness. There is no magic to Burning Man: there are those who listen and those who continue to sit in their comfort zone, the same as those who from home point fingers with their two bit sarcasm.

The moment when the Man burns is certainly one of the most contemporary and modern tribal experiences I've ever witnessed, it’s like being at the centre of a big blockbuster; but where the characters are no longer Ben Hur or gladiators!

On the Monday 70,000 people left Black Rock City and on the ground there wasn’t even a crumb .. only the footprints of those who had been there, which the wind will take care to remove all traces of.
Thanks to everyone who made this experience so special. Thanks Jan, Anton, Amanda, Eduardo, Michelly, Tara, Chris, Reagan, Martinik, Susan, Rachel, Jonathan, Laura, Benjamin, Jason,  Andrew, Ko, Behrouz, Eugenia,  all the people with whom I had a conversation, and of course Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel! Danila, Rita and all my family.

My set at Robot Heart is dedicated to Pierluca Rossi, you too were in Black Rock City.

Art: IDENTITY AWARENESS UNION - Shane M. Pitzer

A 13′ tall steel question mark at a 10 degree slant and is held up by a 7′ human form. A female form embraces the human form. The idea is to evoke the question of how relationships and others affect our identity.

www.facebook.com/lucabacchettiofficial
www.soundcloud.com/lucabacchetti

Luca Bacchetti - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Sunday morning, the most beautiful sunrise, after almost a whole week in the desert. It was been the coldest night so far, I remember setting up my gear, nervously hoping it wouldn’t let me down, when the sound-technician came up to me and said, "We might have a problem, there’s a storm coming!“. I turned around and saw a huge dark wall of sand reaching up to the sky, rolling into our direction.
I started playing anyways, and somehow the storm merged together with the lyrics of my songs, and changed their meaning. It had been the roughest condition I ever played in, and it really was a special one. Thank you for that experience!

www.facebook.com/monolink
www.soundcloud.com/monolink

ART:

The Chapel of Dancing Shadows is a space of contemplation, meditation, wonder. It is a communal space serving as art gallery, refuge, and sound bath. The 8-ft walls are covered in delicate drawings— the first 12 images of a developing 150-plate series of works composing Maria Kreyn’s Codex, an allusion to an invented creation myth. The ceiling is an elaborate CNC cut structure, creating the feeling of an arabesque lace canopy. From it hang detailed rafters and a collection of wind chimes, as an ode to the sounds in the temples of Myanmar.   

"As a child, I doodled. As an adult, the images have evolved into a complex universe in their own right-- a surreal, yet classically inspired world of fantasy, illusion, spatial bending, and mythology. The images are meanderings through the labyrinths of the subconscious. They gesture at a creation myth of an invented civilization, at the beauty and aesthetic of pattern making in the human mind--both visual and literary.  As this body of work evolves, the images find new outlets, new homes, new media to participate in. Making their debut as the walls of an immersive installation (The Chapel of Dancing Shadows), they are now available to enjoy in a smaller, more intimate print form, closer to their original size.”  -Maria

PHOTO BY: Peter Ruprecht

Monolink (live) - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

"2016 was the fifth consecutive sunrise for me on the Robot Heart bus. It was the first one where a silent and beautifully spread out deck of clouds filled the sky, and played hide and seek with the sun for the first hour after sunrise. I had another amazing morning that I will forever remember. Hope you liked it too, and looking forward to sharing the recording with all of you!" - Scumfrog

soundcloud.com/thescumfrog
www.facebook.com/ScumfrogArtist

Art: OID by Michael Christian - michaelchristian.com

Photo: Cliff Baise / Piczzl Photography

Scumfrog - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

My 4th year in a row playing music at Robot Heart, and it still gives me butterflies of excitement and anticipation. You forget just how incredible the sound on this beautiful bus is, or how breath taking the view of the mountains on the horizon are. The hospitality and warmth one feels from the Robot Heart family is second to none on the Playa. Thank you to everyone who came out to deep playa on the last night of an unforgettable week to dance under the desert sky. Hope you enjoy the ride, and see you soon in the dust…. Sabo

Art: Reared Steel

Sabo - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert … Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

– Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

www.soundcloud.com/hvob
www.facebook.com/HVOBMUSIC

Art piece: Mechan 9 

Mechan 9 is the newest creation from Tyler FuQua Creations.  It is a giant fallen metal robot that is half-buried in the ground.  Over thirty five feet in diameter and six feet tall at his heart chamber, Mechan 9 is shrouded in mystery!  Decode the strange text on his body to reveal the secrets of not only his past, but of the universe as well.  Mechan 9 was built by an amazing crew and with the help of a Burning Man art grant in 2016 where it made its debut.

Track list:

00:00 Reason 
06:30 Clap Eyes 
13:03 Cool Melt 
20:23 Window 
30:25 Ghost 
35:00 The Anxiety To Please 
43:57 Let's Keep This Quiet 
50:57 Azrael 
59:52 Jack 
1:08:54 Dogs 
1:16:20 Moon 
1:23:15 Pay As You Go Mobile Phone

HVOB - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

It was the last morning of the 2016 Burn and there was a small, but beautiful crowd of dedicated burners gathered, as most had already continued back to the outside world. We were feeling very spent, tired, dusty and freezing, but powered through the transition from night until dawn and once the sun broke through, it brought warmth to our bones and it turned into very special morning indeed...

https://soundcloud.com/nicostojan
https://soundcloud.com/thugfucker

Photo credit: Julien Vergely

Art piece: Pulse & Bloom 

Pulse & Bloom is an interactive art installation that visualizes participants' heartbeats with the hope of syncing human heartbeats in a rhythmic pattern.

www.pulsebloom.com

Nico Stojan & Holmar Filipsson (from Thugfucker) aka Lovestruckk - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Friday Morning on the Robot Heart bus was very special for me. The flames of the Catacombs were still high.
Something was dying, something was born.
I was never so nervous, never so relaxed.

Thank You for listening!

Art installation: Roshanai (Illuminate) by Charles Gadeken. 

Photo: John Dill

LUM - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Every year on the Playa brings new lessons. Some are complex, some are simple reminders. For the two of us this past year, the message was "back to basics." As hyper-analytical DJs, we're prone to focusing on performance from a critical viewpoint: did we gauge the energy level correctly, were our transitions dialed in? But this year, playing after the sunrise on Friday, seeing so many friends and campmates out for a morning dance reminded that the point of all this is a simple one: coming together and sharing moments of joy. A wonderful and welcome wake-up call. Thanks to Robot Heart for setting the stage!

Soundcloud: @atish, @mcslee
https://www.facebook.com/atishmusic
https://www.facebook.com/marksleemusic

Art: Let Go - Darrell Ansted

Let go is a 15ft-tall steel form crafted from wire mesh. It invites reflection on the baggage we carry that is no longer needed.

Photo credit: Amy Kunkel

Atish & Slee - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

It was Wednesday night, and anticipation was high. Robot Heart and Mayan Warrior were to link up for the very first time in Burning Man history. So despite it being my third Burn, and second time playing the bus, it felt like my first time all over again. There is truly nothing like seeing the surreal orgy of lights from atop the bus; its glowing, pulsing heart serving as a beacon admidst the entropy. A sea of neon bicycles followed us until we found the perfect spot in the desert. Suddenly the crowd kept multiplying as the Mayan Warrior converged. The energy in the air was palpalbe and increasing in intenisty by the minute. At one point after mixing a record I looked back up to see my surroundings and realized our meeting place had completely transformed into another dimension. It was the beginning of one of the most intense nights of my life. And I am extremely grateful to have been a part of that mystical experience. Thank you to Robot Heart and everybody involved in creating the magic. I will never forget it. 

Art:  Tangential Dreams
"Tangential Dreams is a climbable sinuous tower made from off-the-shelf timber and digitally designed via algorithmic rules. One thousand “tangent” thin wooden pieces are held in position via horizontal pieces rotating along a central axis, gently moving in the wind like leaves of a giant tree. "

The art piece was "a homage to all artists and day dreamers, people living on the tangents, exploring possibilities creatively and with passion”. - Arthur Mamou-Mani

http://mamou-mani.com/project/tangential-dreams/

Photo: Gurpreet Chawla 
http://www.gotaram.com/u/gurpschawla / @gurpschawla

FB: https://www.facebook.com/joncharnis/
SC: https://soundcloud.com/joncharnis

2016 Robot Heart

WestsideDB