When my good friend Jessie moved from Wānaka to Ōtautahi Christchurch at the start of 2022, we pretty soon started talking about hosting an Ecstatic Dance together, with her facilitating and me behind the decks, curating a sound journey to allow the dancers to drop into their bodies. Jessie is already an experienced facilitator but for me this was a first, and was definitely outside of my comfort zone as a DJ who until this point really only played 4/4 music. It only took us until the end of 2022 to finally host an event, and we had the pleasure to use the chapel at Windrose house with leftover decorations from a Kiwiburn fundraiser party, hosted by Swing Fling - thank you so much to Windrose and Swing Fling for that!

This set feels very special for me in many ways. In one way I feel it shows my excitement to finally be able to share so much of the other songs and music that I love but never get (or choose) to play. It also feels special because of the participants: amazing humans from the community who support each other and lower each others' barriers to step outside our comfort zones. It feels special because Jessie has trusted me to deliver something she deems worthy of her facilitating. And it very much feels full of the summer energy that is properly kicking off here in Aotearoa New Zealand now. It also expresses some of the nervous energy I've been holding in my body for the last few months, and playing this set feels like a cathartic release of some of that anxiety.

I'm full of gratitude and bliss for this journey that I get to share with you now - a journey we're all on together, and always have been.

12/12/2022

Ecstatic Dance Sessions #1

German-born David Juno discovered electronic music in Jena before moving to New Zealand. Melody and organic sounds are at the core of the music he is passionate about, through different tempos and moods within the 4/4 realm of house and downtempo. David Juno concocts harmonious brews that enthrall listeners at large and small gatherings; clandestine woodland rendezvous; thundering, pitch-black basement blowouts, light-speed gigs aboard gleaming spaceships, and even interdimensional celestial soirées. He's a regular at XCHC and core member of Mary Hush. David Juno is a sonic conduit - his sets create atmospheric journeys that connect audiences through sonic storytelling, ranging from dark, spacious soundscapes to bright, energetic peaks that capture the full spectrum of human emotion and experience - with all the nuances in between.

2024
Abracadabra at Ponderosa Ranch - March - Waihi, NZ
Shipwrecked Festival - February - Te Arai, NZ

2023
Rhythm & Alps Festival Yumm Zone - December - Cardrona, NZ
Summer Technical
Mary Hush VI: The Holographic Hotel - May - Christchurch, NZ
Relish Festival - March - Waimate, NZ
Splore Festival @ Lucky Star - February - Tapapakanga, NZ
Kiwiburn @ Swing Fling, Paradox, Devour & Delight - January - Hunterville, NZ

2022
Splitfest - September - Temple Basin, NZ

2021
Mary Hush presents Simulation '75 - Dec 18 - Christchurch, NZ
Super Sounds w/ Harry Charles and Laminar - Aug 6 - Christchurch, NZ
Abracadabra Festival - July 23-25 - Waihi, NZ
Mary Hush Presents: Night Dive to Neptune - May 1 - Christchurch, NZ
Omnishakti Festival - Feb 28 - Takaka Hill, NZ
Shipwrecked Festival - Feb 14 - Te Arai, NZ
Kiwiburn - Swing Fling and Paradox - Hunterville, NZ
Flux First Birthday (with Beacon Bloom) - Jan 16 - Christchurch, NZ

2020
Slow Motion 01 - Dec 4 - Christchurch, NZ
XCHC: The Underworld - Oct 31 - Christchurch, NZ
Mary Hush Presents: Slow Boat to Centauri - Jul 25 - Christchurch, NZ
XCHC: Where the Wild Things Are - Jul 17 - Christchurch, NZ
Mary Hush Presents: Aftergloom Delight - Jan 17 - Christchurch, NZ

2019
Something Else Festival - Nov 15 - Lake Sumner Park, NZ


Header photo by Lukas Vacha during my set at Shipwrecked 2021