White out conditions all day chased us into the early party of Friday night, but naturally mostly cleared up by the time Above & Beyond hit the booth to an electric crowd who would have weathered any elements to dance and witness this legendary moment in OT's long history. The power and melody carried us all into desert magic. Hope this set takes you back.

Opulent Temple Podcast #156 - Above & Beyond - Live at Burning Man 2022

Video software engineer @ fubo.tv / Proud ridgeback father / Music enthusiast & dj hobbyist

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...