After six years of believing that I was fully done with Burning Man, the stars happened to align this summer when I got a calling to go. 

Back in 2016, I never thought that Burning Man would allow me to press the reset button and relieve myself from many things I was carrying emotionally. Then suddenly when I was out on the playa in my element, I began to feel myself again: connected, worry-free, present. 

Thanks to 11 days of complete disconnection from my computer and phone, I was left at the mercy of nature’s elements which brought me back to a place of peace and serenity.  

It was such a joy to take part in Burning Man’s social experiment, one that unites a community of like minded beings from various backgrounds. 

I loved getting my hands dirty while building the camp, helping out with a friend's art structure and chatting with new and old friends every single day.  This was a whole new experience for me; an experience that filled my heart and inspired me in powerful ways. 

For the first time, I can safely say that I have been transformed by my time on the playa, and for that I feel grateful and humbled. 

Memorable moments like riding solo on my bike, letting go of plans, eating nourishing food, getting totally lost in the city, visiting random camps and more often than not connecting with strangers was pure magic. For me, this is the essence of Burning Man: an experience of contribution, full of serendipity and spontaneity. 
 
Here’s a personal highlight of mine that I’d like to share: 
It’s Friday evening, and I have been chosen to set the mood on the Robot Heart bus (which I must admit was one of my favorite nights out there). Here I am pre-set drinking Sake and sharing stories with my dear friend Benjamin Alexander.  The bus is parked at camp when I jump on top and begin to play for 20 minutes before the wheels start turning. Our drive to the deep playa begins, and with that a brutal dust storm follows.  I was instantly taken back in time to my 2015 Burn when I was fascinated by the fairy-lit bicycles chasing the bus, lighting up the space with an array of moving colors.  Eventually, after an hour of driving around, the wind stops, the dust settles, and the bus finds its parking spot for the night.  I finally remove my dust mask and watch the vast space in front me light up as I finish my set.  An unforgettable moment, visual, crowd…everything was perfect. 
 
To all of you who are reading this who were there dancing and glowing on the playa, I would like to say a huge thank you!  I will cherish that moment for the rest of my life.  You inspired me to smile and shine. 
 
Until next year.
 
Julien aka YokoO xx 
 
FOLLOW YOKOO
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instagram.com/yokoo_dj/ 
facebook.com/yokoomusic/
yokoo.bandcamp.com/ 
youtube.com/user/YokoODj 
https://djyokoo.com/ 

Photo Credit:
John Dill

YokoO - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2022

artist @MatthewDekay
www.facebook.com/MatthewDekay

artist @LeeBurridge
www.facebook.com/DJLeeBurridge

label(homepage)
www.alldayidream.com

label (facebook)
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Lee Burridge b2b Matthew Dekay live @ All Day I Dream BPM 2015

Hello Hot Dogs! I've waited for this day for over 14 years: mix #100 is live. When I released my first mix in 2010, I titled it [001] instead of [01]. Using three digits was aspirational, a quiet promise to myself that I might one day reach triple digits.

These mixes trace the narrative of my adult life. They've been the thread connecting me with so many of you—some I'll never meet, others who've become close friends (and even roommates—hi Dan, hi James).

Back when I released my first mix in 2010, we were still buying mix CDs for our cars. Soundcloud was just emerging, and I committed to monthly releases to this new platform. I may be overreaching here, but I can’t remember any other DJs presenting conceptual mixes, monthly, as packaged works of art: a conceptual title, description, and artwork. That consistency and novelty helped build a following outside of my local scene, and when my 2012 Robot Heart recording came out, things really took off internationally.

By 2015, the momentum led me to leave my software engineering job for full-time DJing—largely thanks to these Soundcloud mixes. I was purely a DJ then with a nascent Manjumasi label formed with Mark Slee, not releasing my first original track “Peculiar Colors” until 2017.

The landscape in 2024 looks different. As Soundcloud rotted to hell and Spotify rose, the value of mixes has sharply declined. With thousands released daily, they've become ubiquitous. The career path for electronic artists now revolves around original productions and social media presence.

This industry evolution pushed me toward producing my own music, opening up new creative paths I'm grateful for. The social media aspect has felt natural, as it's been an integral part of my project from the start. These last few years, the touring schedule, studio time, and home life as a husband and father slowed me down from my monthly cadence, but each mix still feels like a deep-rooted part of my message to the world, (mostly) through other people's music. 

Mix [100] was recorded September 7, 2024, at Public Works in San Francisco, the city that "raised me" as a club kid, where I first learned to DJ. This 5-hour set marked my last show in North America before taking an indefinite mental health break from touring. Playing this set was emotional, to the point of tears in the DJ booth, with support pouring in from both new listeners and those who've been there since the beginning. I couldn’t think of a better way to reach 100.

I've also created http://www.atish100.com to house all my mixes and their 1,400+ tracklists in one place, which I'll keep updating as new mixes go up on Soundcloud and YouTube.

This mix marks a meaningful milestone for me. Thank you for making this journey possible. You, and the 1400+ artists and labels I referenced helped create a life I never imagined.

Tracklist

atish - [100] - Atish All Night (Live in SF, 5 hours)

Some words from XLR8R:
"[...] And then there's this podcast. It's one of the most scrumptious, gorgeous sets that XLR8R has run in recent months—which, consider we've hosted mixes from the likes of Laurent Garnier, Audiofly, Dance Spirit, Fort Romeau and Virginia lately, is saying quite a bit. As YokoO explains in the video, the session's emotions run the gamut from joy to sadness, love and loneliness and back again, its soothing passages punctuated with moments of pure drama. In short, it's a musically rich hour of listening pleasure. Our suggestion: Grab a glass of wine (or whatever) and settle in for a while."

XLR8R full feature: http://www.xlr8r.com/podcasts/2015/06/podcast-391-yokoo/

Track list:
01 Kadebostan "Sofia On Stage"
02 Dance Spirit "Beauty And Sadness"
03 Powel - unknown
04 Dorisburg "Emotion"
05 Francis Harris "Of The Field"
06 [subtle transition] Premiesku "Trandafirit"
07 Prompt "Nayara"
08 Luc Angenehm "Anabel"
09 Gorje Hewek & Izhevsky "Calinerie" (ambient edit)
10 Dorisburg "Mima"
11 Gorje Hewek & Izhevski "Calinerie"
12 YokoO "Vali"
13 [subtle transition] Jade featuring Venus "Love Heart"
14 Kiasmos "Looped"
15 Holy Spirits "White Walls"

ENJOY!

http://www.djyokoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/yokoomusic

The story

XLR8R Podcast 391 - YokoO

Coming Back to Life

Woomoon @ Cova Santa - Ibiza, ES

YokoO - WooMooN - August 17th

♫ Download ♫:
http://www.deephouseamsterdam.com/dha-mix-267-yokoo

Catch YokoO in St. Martin at SXM festival 2017, March 15-19

https://soundcloud.com/yokoo
https://soundcloud.com/sxmfestival

♫ DOWNLOAD ♫

YokoO - DHA Mix #267

© artwork by franz zünkler ➲ contact ✉ franz.zuenkler@t-online.de

Atish (https://soundcloud.com/atish) presents Afterhour Sounds Podcast Nr.134

Unsere Nr. 134 kommt heute von einem amerikanischen Künstler, der mich seit 3 Jahren ununterbrochen musikalisch begleitet. Ich erinnere mich noch sehr gut an seine damalige Bunring Man Aufnahme… Sie haute mich schlichtweg um. Seitdem komme ich nicht mehr um Ihn herum. 

Die Rede ist von „Atish“, einem ehrlichen und unkomplizierten Künstler, der keinen geradlinigen Weg ging. Anfangs noch Programmierer für Facebook, entschied er sich vor knapp 10 Jahren selber Musik zu mixen, wie seine unzähligen Mixe belegen. Anders als viele andere Künstler, die gerne ihre so genannte ‚peinliche‘ Anfangszeit verheimlichen möchten, sind bei Ihm tatsächlich noch alle Mixe zum Anhören verfügbar. Dass er damals wie heute seinem Sound gleich geblieben ist, spricht umso mehr für diesen sympathischen Menschen. 

Sein Coming Out hatte er 2012, als er auf dem Robot Heart art-car spielte. Seitdem ging es steil bergauf. Tokio, New York, Istanbul, Berlin,…um nur einige Stationen seines vollgepackten Kalenders zu nennen.

Aber auch in seiner Wahlstadt San Francisco treibt er weiterhin sein Unwesen. Und wie!!! Neben dem etwas anderen Clubformat mit dem Namen ‚Late night tonight!‘, einer Mischung aus Talk-Show und Club Party, gründete er auch das Label ‚Manjumasi‘. 
Und wäre dies nicht schon genug, feilt er in jeder freien Minute an kommenden Releases und Remixen. Tendenz steigend. Sowohl in Qualität, als auch in Quantität. Wir sind gespannt.

Das von Ihm eingespielte Set ist eine herrlich ‚afterhoureske‘ Reise ins Dickicht der melodischen und verträumten elektronischen Musik. Das sich Atish für dieses Set etwas ganz besonderes einfallen lassen hat ist unüberhörbar. Ich war beim ersten Hören des Sets tatsächlich komplett geflasht, hatte ich doch etwas anderes erwartet. Aber diese Überraschungsmomente, die unsere Reihe und die jeweiligen musikalischen Interpretationen immer wieder mit sich bringen, hauen mich, nein uns, immer wieder um. Darauf darf man auch ein wenig Stolz sein. Vor allem wenn man am Ende ein ganz außergewöhnliches Set erhält. So auch hier. Schnallt euch an… Ich kann mich nur wiederholen, aber es erwartet euch eine Reise durch verspielte, sehr deepe und hypnothische Felder, wie gemacht für eine tanzbare Afterhour sind. Das gabs bei uns schon lange nicht mehr….seid gespannt.

Wir danken Dir vielmals für dieses besondere Set Atish. Umwerfend und überraschend gut. Wenn Unikat, dann Hier. Chapeu.

Wir sind entzückt.

[Text: arkadiusz.]


✘ Atish (San Francisco/United States Of America)

soundcloud.com/atish
facebook.com/atishmusic

TRACKLIST | bit.ly/atish-afterhour

Podcast 2018

download

atish presents Afterhour Sounds Podcast Nr. 134

Christian @ Members Only Rooftop (Brooklyn, September 2018)

I’m happy to release my recording from Sandbox Festival in Hurghada Egypt. I always love playing the Middle East. The sights, sounds, tastes, and smells are very different than my home, all of which represent one of my favorite aspects of DJing: getting enjoy the world’s diversity. Beyond that, I’ve found that the people of the region are an incredibly friendly and passionate bunch, so playing a festival that attracts the heads from many across the region was special for me.

The Sandbox mainstage was a big one - these stages are sometimes tricky for me as I feel pressured to go for the jugular and bang out a medley of big drops for those hands in the air moments, but I resisted the pressure and went instead for undulation between the deep moments building to the big ones while maintaining a steady groove through. Hope that idea came through, hope you enjoy the set, and can’t wait to make my way back to the Middle East!
Thanks @moagalleryph (IG) for the photo.

Tracklist: http://bit.ly/atish-mix-sandbox-festival

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atish - [079] - live at sandbox festival, egypt

Hoj's 2012 post-sunrise set atop the Robot Heart at Burning Man has become one of his most popular. What many people don't know is Lee Burridge joined him after his set for an epic back-to-back session that went on into the afternoon. Hoj and Lee found the recording on an old hard drive, and wanted to share.

Live on the Robot Heart 2012

Hoj b2b Lee Burridge - Burning Man 2012

Broadcasting from the heart of Amsterdam since 2012, DHA has evolved from the deeper side of the musical spectrum into a platform for all things electronic. We convert new audiences and reinforce old ones through carefully curated music and editorial selections, remaining one of the most engaging and informative platforms today. DHA is internationally known, but locally felt, offering content meant to inform, discover, and highlight.

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YokoO - DHA Mix #267

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