The B Side of our very first release on Desert Hearts Records has Mikey Lion & Jonjo Williams telling a story through the eyes of one of the world's biggest superstars, the one and only James Brown. Sampled from one of the most classic and hilarious on-air interviews in history, it's safe to say we've all been on his level at some point in our lives. This song is a tribute to James Brown and a reminder that no matter what problems you have in life, a positive outlook and a great sense of humor will get you through just about anything. It's time to bring back the fun in the funk. We Are All Desert Hearts.

Here's me dropping The Defendant @ Coachella 2014:
youtu.be/8Oj2VfMGAuI?t=2m19s

Mikey Lion & Jonjo Williams - The Defendant (Original Mix) - OUT NOW!!

Good songs, good mixes, always keeping the good vibes around with music. Enjoy ♫♫♫

#Electronic #House #Chill #TechHouse #Dub #Minimal #Future #Trap #Reggae #Roots  

Music is Peace.
Peace is all we need.

Drummer/ DJ bringing that up-beat funk, kick and slaps, not just some of the time, all the time. Let the good times roll...

UK Garage, Experimental Bass, 140, DnB, HipHop, House/Dance DJ @ Beatniks Bar

SMEER Campaign’s musical journey began in Chicago and has been shaped by the vibrant pulse of its underground scene. Now based in Brooklyn, he continues to immerse himself in the NYC club scene and has played at many venues including Dead Letter 9 and Speak Softly. With a collection curated meticulously over the years, he continues to feed his curiosity to seek out new sounds and push the boundaries of dance music. Known for his deep minimal hypnotic house grooves, his sound continues to evolve with elements of funk, acid and breaks layered in to take his audience on a journey. Experience the unique blend of influences and the unmistakable groove when you join the SMEER Campaign.

UPCOMING SETS

Burning Man 2025

PAST SHOWS

9/24/24 | Earthly Delights w/ Sola System | Brooklyn, NY
8/17/24 | Kronos w/ Denninger, Heedon & Kipp @ Dead Letter 9 | Brooklyn, NY

12/25/23 | Xmas Sunset w/ J Rynecki @ La Barca | Playa Venao, Panama
8/24/23 | Burning Man Thursday Dustoff @ My Favorite Things | Black Rock City, NV
5/11/23 | Berlin Thursdays @ Ruby Room Shibuya | Tokyo, Japan
1/1/23 | House of House NYE w/ Acid Alien & Mas Gallo @ Speak Softly, Lou Lou | Manhattan, NY 

7/10/22 | Jamais Vu w/ Serrain @ Sultan Room | Brooklyn, NY
4/16/22 | House of House w/ Acid Alien & Mas Gallo @ Nublu | Manhattan, NY

9/6/21 | ARC Festival Omni Afterhours | Chicago, IL
5/13/21 | Voyage Nights w/ Sam White Sound @ Arbella | Chicago, IL
4/6/21 | Eris w/ Brian Thibualt | Brooklyn, NY
2/10/21 | Abstract w/ Mandi & Serrain @ Paseo Bar | San Juan, Puerto Rico
2/17/21 | Abstract w/ Mandi & Naldo Snow @ Paseo Bar | San Juan, Puerto Rico
1/22/21 | Celeste Garden w/ K.HSIA | Chicago, IL

8/11/20 | Pragmatik w/ Hunter Vita @ Fox Bar, Soho House | Chicago, IL
6/24/20 | Le Nocturne w/ Sam White Sound | Chicago, IL
2/28/20 | OTB Departure Afters w/ Bontan & RJ Pickens | Chicago, IL

9/26/19 | Off The Rails w/ Slipping Jimmy & Sam White Sound @ Chit Chat | Chicago, IL
9/3/19 | 3 Feet Deep w/ Jozif @ City Hall | Chicago, IL
8/22/19 | Off The Rails w/ DJ Heather & Sam White Sound @ Chit Chat | Chicago, IL
7/14/19 | 3 Feet Deep w/ Facundo Mohrr @ City Hall | Chicago, IL
7/11/19 | Airwaves w/ Victor & Berko @ Cerise Rooftop | Chicago, IL
6/23/19 | 3 Feet Deep w/ Roy Rosenfeld @ Cerise Rooftop | Chicago, IL
1/12/19 | 3 Feet Deep w/ Sravan @ Arbella | Chicago, IL

9/13/18 | 3 Feet Deep w/ Zimmer & Berko @ Cerise Rooftop | Chicago, IL

♥ Desert Hearts Records Boss ♥
Bookings ~ Americas and Australia: jon@liaisonartists.com
Management: t.gould@deserthearts.us
PR: mfrieser@infamouspr.com

Part mythical desert harlequin, part modern soul conductor, Mikey Lion is more than a DJ––He’s a freak of nature and an energy controller. The San Diego-native has earned a dusty mystique over the past few years as the center of the Desert Hearts movement and as a house and techno provocateur with a stage presence that suggests he will ride this wave all the way to the top. If there's one thing Mikey does well, it's get the party started.

Lion, real name Michael Leon, has brought the mothafuckin' ruckus to the stages of Lightning in a Bottle, the dustiest storms at Burning Man, and The Do LaB at Coachella, earning nods from Claude VonStroke, Jamie Jones, and Green Velvet in the process. In doing so, Lion and his signature top hat have developed a boisterous voice in the House & Techno scene with strong tribal, hip-hop, and psychedelic elements.

But it all started with Wu-Tang and Daft Punk. Lion first found his way behind the decks as a thirteen year old kid, scratching underground hip-hop records religiously after school. At Coachella as a seventeen year old, he witnessed that legendary Daft Punk performance on the same night he tasted his first dose of psychedelics. The show had such a monumental impact on him, he gave up Hip-Hop and became a House DJ the very next day.

After honing his craft with weekly marathon DJ sessions at Sala Razzmatazz in Barcelona, Mikey was introduced to Burner culture at Lightning in a Bottle, 2011. It was at his first Burning Man in 2011 that he found a community calling and merged forces with his brother Porkchop, life long friends Marbs & Deep Jesus, and the inimitable Lee Reynolds to form The Desert Hearts Crew.

In November 2012, Desert Hearts began as a seedy, 200-person renegade gathering deep in the Mojave Desert. The intrepid crew barely survived a set of extreme weather conditions and unfortunate circumstances, but that first party sparked a fire. The entire point of that first Desert Hearts was to create as much love as humanly possible, and now that same gathering has evolved into the darling of the West Coast house and techno scene. The Bi-annual festival is capped at 3500 attendees in order to create the best possible vibe. Built upon beautiful people getting as weird as possible to deep and trippy house and techno, Desert Hearts has already achieved iconic status in the North American Festival Scene. 

Desert Hearts has given rise to a family of thousands and it's safe to call it a bonafide movement of love. And while Desert Hearts Records launched in 2014 as a totally-free record label, pushes the sonic aesthetic of the scene, the crew’s busy international calendar of bookings has the DH message spreading far and wide. At the center of it all is Mikey Lion, the dusty prince of desert hearts, a beacon of weird far and wide, and one of this generation’s most compelling agents of love.