Traviata, or Idris to all you eurobeat fans.

During his time as a student of music & media, Clemens Geiger wrote, produced and published his solo album „Sprachsavant EP“ under the artist name Clemenceau.

With a strong focus on lyrics and poetry, he combined the genre-specific musical expressions of hip hop with anthropo-philosophical themes and raw, melancholic instrumentals. Although unsigned, his album spread rapidly throughout the German underground scene and gathered a small but committed fan base.

“Clean lines, no replies, stuck up in the haze again,” The opening line from Rotoscope’s new single could standalone as their musical mantra. Conveying the angst that accompanies the exponential growth of technology, the beeps, clicks and whirs of information flow and the fractured sounds of a broken society which seductively swirl around us in this modern age. 
At the heart of the formerly DC-based  Rotoscope is Charlottesville-based musician John Athayde who has surrounded himself with a stable of trusted collaborators on both the Clean Lines EP and the album Permanent Daylight which is due out next year.  Partially co-written with the likes of Leyla Akdogan from L.A.’s Loch & Key and Courtney Totushek Brown, each of Athayde’s guests have left their own indelible mark before returning to the rush. 
Athayde’s music was forged in the production-orientated electronica scene in DC and with outside influences such as Brian Eno, Depeche Mode and Portishead, his meticulous sound explorations evolve from their skeletal beginnings until they oscillate and brim with layers. Imagine Trent Reznor’s film scores with an added focus on melody and songcraft. 
Named after an old animation contraption which projected a frame under a table so that the artist could trace over it and also a visual effects technique to remove objects from a background by cutting them out by hand, Rotoscope is a fitting moniker for a band that augment their own music with samples to create a continuously shifting sonic landscape.
It’s all there on the simmering Clean Lines EP which ripples with the dangerous thrill of a late-night drive through a neon city. An audio scrapbook of Athayde’s life and the frightening times we live in, its fragments hint at conflicts in the Middle East, the retrenchment of civil liberties in the name of security and the constant hum which accompanies 21st century life. Everything that used to be personal has become impersonal, but in the hand of Athayde and his friends it has also become something quite beautiful.

For press inquiries please contact:
Sean Kelly; seanmfkelly@gmail.com

For the unexposed, the Opulent Temple started as a Large Scale Art & Music theme camp at the annual Burning Man arts festival that takes place in the Black Rock desert of Nevada the week before Labor Day. We throw nightly parties showcasing underground, world class electronic dance music in a setting of art and creation we've made ourselves. Our community and fund raising events are based in San Francisco, and though our production is associated with the BM event, you can find us in many settings wherever there's fun to be had.

The Vision of the Opulent Temple is to gift a space for sacred dance to world class dance music. It is our intention to create the space for peak experience, community development, and inspiration that serves as a road map for what's possible in the so called 'default world.' The effort is self generated by the tribe, ie., no one gets paid to create our production. On the contrary, key members put a lot of their own time, effort, and sometimes money all year around to bring it back every year.

It's not just about partying.

It is our view that social change will not happen without individuals doing their part to elevate our collective spiritual center of gravity. Thus, it is our responsibility to nudge our own evolution to catch up with the outpaced growth of technology without the soul getting left behind. It's within this community of creative seekers that coalesces around the playa tribes that leaders must emerge to help steer this nation and this world towards a better day.

To create a space for Sacred Dance is to create a playground for connection with the Eternal, but in our case, still infused with the need for social action in the real world. Big beats and community are the launching point for insight to remind us there is a point to evolution. Transcendence, and nothing less. It might sound like hippy New Age shit, but in this case that doesn't mean it isn't true...

The Musical Vision
We're obviously firm believers in the beat, the transcending properties of mind blowing electronic dance music (EDM), both to open the heart and make the ass shake depending on one's preference and the moment. We value diversity in the range of world class artists that play our camp, as well as the camp dj's who build it so get to play what they feel. Most nights are fairly cohesive unto themselves, but day to day it can be all over the place. Our past line ups speak for themselves.

We'll see you in the sweet spot, under the stars...

Empowering a creative and passionate community through innovation. Welcome to the Family!

Jeffrey Horn is following