BM 2016

Out now on Beatport!
https://www.beatport.com/release/just-before-dawn/1852303

Fantastic visuals by Trey Ratcliff here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlrF_7dNrRY

Buy on Beatport

Just Before Dawn

"It was already a really overwhelming, but also exhausting, week for me at my first Burning Man. Then there was this Friday night. From the moment I started playing I felt so good and watching all those tiny lights on people's bikes heading towards the bus, it looked so beautiful. After my set I had so much energy that I stayed and danced on the bus for at least 12 more hours. This was a very special experience and that bus is definitely one of the coolest things I've ever played on, and I'm more than happy that I had a little role in this whole adventure.

cheers
Paul"

https://soundcloud.com/powel
https://www.facebook.com/Powel.Sonnenkinder

Photo:  John Dill

Art Piece: The Sonic Runway is a 1000 foot long corridor of lights connected to a sound system.  As thumping beats race across the desert, they trigger patterns of light that ripple down the corridor at the speed of sound. Wherever you stand, the lights and sound are in sync. You’ll never see sound the same again.

Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Powel - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

"Normally I know that high expectations kill the vibe, so I always try to walk my way open minded and don’t expect anything special from the future, but this time I couldn’t help it. When the Robot told me that she wanted me to play the sunrise set and that we will be connected with the Mayan Warrior soundsystem, I could feel it already in Berlin a full three weeks before… Then when I finally took the bus over to Robot Heart it was even better than in my craziest expectations. This gig was by far the most emotional gig I have ever played. All I can say is thank you, I am even more happy now to be born on this weird planet which can be really beautiful sometimes, when you give it  chance to be free. Thank you you for dancing with me and giving me so much Love. So here is my try to give something back.

(This set includes only sounds, samples, synths, basses, pianos, vocals and lyrics which are created, recorded and arranged by Jan Blomqvist, Felix Lehman & Ryan Mathiesen. Except the vocals at Dancing People are never wrong and one tiny vocal sample in the last track, you'll recognize it)"

- Jan

Track list:

Drift | Empty Floor | Black Hole Nights | Something Says I Don’t Think About You | Dark Noise |Back In The Taxi | Dancing People Are Never Wrong | More | Unreleased Last Track

www.facebook.com/blomqvist.music
www.soundcloud.com/janblomqvist

Photo: Seth Bunting

Art piece: Awakening

www.facebook.com/AwakeningBurningMan2016

The human body is the most highly engineered object in existence, a machine of uncountable parts and unfathomable function. Its workings have served as inspiration for all of humanity's greatest inventions. This work is an homage to the two most amazing mechanisms in that machine: the human eye and hand. The head is a 16 foot camera obscura demonstrating the ray optics principals underlying the spherical lensed eye humans posses and the hands are actuated mimicking the tendons and bones of the body. Together they represent what separates life from the rest of the universe, the ability to observe the world around us and manifest change in that world. 

Jan Blomqvist (Live) - Robot Heart x Mayan Warrior - Burning Man 2016

Now more than ever, building bridges, connecting with the people around us and promoting unity is a necessity to live in prosperity towards the future… Sometimes one plus one is more than two… On Wednesday night and Thursday morning we witnessed an example of this magic when we united forces with Robot Heart, creating an epic experience between both stages and a massive mixed audience. The sun had risen and it was time for the last set on the Warrior's side, it was time for MENTAL. Rebolledo and Dramian created an energetic hypnotic journey through a wide range of emotions. A morning to remember... It was one for the books...

Cover Photo by Gilles Bonugli
Mental (Dramian  + Rebolledo)

mayanwarrior.mx
@mayanwarriorofficial

Watch the full set on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/184084021

Mayan Warrior/Robot Heart Tie Up

Mental - Mayan Warrior x Robot Heart - Burning Man - 2016

Guy Gerber on the bus during the Catacomb of Veils burn - Friday morning sunrise

soundcloud.com/guygerber
www.facebook.com/guygerber

photo:  Aaron Feinberg

Catacomb rises like a rocky outcropping off the desert floor. It is a ruin, a remnant of our collective search for moments of quiet, introspection and reflection. It is a journey of discovery and a descent into a subterranean world.

Guy Gerber - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

www.soundcloud.com/leeburridge
www.facebook.com/djleeburridge

Art: Spacecats by Ayda Keshtkar
Photo: John Dill

Lee Burridge - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

It’s been a long time coming and it was nothing but pleasure and bliss to play atop the Robot Heart bus. Much love to the great group of souls who year after year continue to put on this mind blowing showcase of music, art and performance. Thank you for having me boys x

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mia-lucci
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mialucci/

Art: Tangential Dreams created by Arthur Mamou-Mani

"Tangential Dreams is a climbable sinuous tower made from off-the-shelf timber and digitally designed via algorithmic rules. One thousand “tangent” thin wooden pieces are held in position via horizontal pieces rotating along a central axis, gently moving in the wind like leaves of a giant tree. "

The art piece was "a homage to all artists and day dreamers, people living on the tangents, exploring possibilities creatively and with passion”. - Arthur Mamou-Mani

Photo: Regan Parrish

Mia Lucci - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

It was well into the night when we commenced our search for the Robot Heart Bus. We say search, as the sand storm started earlier in the night had completely covered the desert, making the visibility extremely limited. Since this was our first Burning Man, we weren't well prepared for the fury that nature would bring - our eyes were filled with sand as the shivers of the cold night rolled through our bones. We drove around aimlessly not always knowing whether we're headed in the right direction. All the directional signs were completely covered in sand and any people around us were just as disoriented by the storm while trying to find their own path. 

After a while we noticed a silhouette resembling a glowing heart. As we started moving towards it, there was no doubt that the Robot Heart Bus was in front of us. There really isn't anything like it, and if you haven't seen it before it's not easy to paint its picture with words. Completely covered in speakers and a large flickering heart at the top, the bus stands in the middle of the desert. It's filled with amazing people, who immediately make you feel as if you've known them for a lifetime. 

There are places on earth that are so rapt with special meaning, that from the moment you experience them... the first minute, this unique, magical atmosphere shakes you to your core and settles comfortably into your soul for eternity. For us, Robot Heart at Burning Man is definitely one of those places. 

Gorje Hewek
www.facebook.com/gorjehewekmusic
www.soundcloud.com/gorjehewek

Izhevski
www.facebook.com/IzhevskiOfficial
www.soundcloud.com/izhevski

Photo: John Dill
Art: Shrumen Lumen to Foldhaus Collective

Shrumen Lumen is a garden of over sized origami-inspired mushrooms that react to the presence of people by blooming and shrinking. At night their light patterns undulate through their folded structures.

Gorje Hewek & Izhevski - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

www.facebook.com/majorlazer
https://soundcloud.com/majorlazer

Art: Guardiano Leone by: Kevin Clark

Lions are representative of protection and therefore our Guardiano Leone is the guardian of the Man.

Photo : John Dill

Major Lazer - Sunset - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

I knew what I was doing, I was going to Burning Man; but what I did not know was just how I’d assimilate and react to all the data, images, sounds, smells ... what would become of my ex-asthmatic anxieties and the difficulties of living in this kind of environment: dust, dust, and more dust!!  

In Black Rock City you'll find all the good and all the evil of this world, the only thing that changes is how you take it in, because here the available tools of art and provocation operate differently ... so why not the music too?

Whatever one may think, there is still a comfort zone in Black Rock City. It’s about attitude: it’s always with a given attitude that you do something to then obtain a determined result, break the routine, open up to something new, not appearance at all costs, just letting everything happen because it has to happen. Running the other way in a dark hostile but magical place like this with a voice that says, "I'm not afraid, I'm here now!” the same voice you hear when you're sitting all alone in front of the pyramid of Cheope, its outline standing out majestically in the dark ... far from comforting places. 

I saw some friends collapse because, inevitably, if you let something get to you here that something will change you. I believe that these people will come away with a greater awareness. There is no magic to Burning Man: there are those who listen and those who continue to sit in their comfort zone, the same as those who from home point fingers with their two bit sarcasm.

The moment when the Man burns is certainly one of the most contemporary and modern tribal experiences I've ever witnessed, it’s like being at the centre of a big blockbuster; but where the characters are no longer Ben Hur or gladiators!

On the Monday 70,000 people left Black Rock City and on the ground there wasn’t even a crumb .. only the footprints of those who had been there, which the wind will take care to remove all traces of.
Thanks to everyone who made this experience so special. Thanks Jan, Anton, Amanda, Eduardo, Michelly, Tara, Chris, Reagan, Martinik, Susan, Rachel, Jonathan, Laura, Benjamin, Jason,  Andrew, Ko, Behrouz, Eugenia,  all the people with whom I had a conversation, and of course Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel! Danila, Rita and all my family.

My set at Robot Heart is dedicated to Pierluca Rossi, you too were in Black Rock City.

Art: IDENTITY AWARENESS UNION - Shane M. Pitzer

A 13′ tall steel question mark at a 10 degree slant and is held up by a 7′ human form. A female form embraces the human form. The idea is to evoke the question of how relationships and others affect our identity.

www.facebook.com/lucabacchettiofficial
www.soundcloud.com/lucabacchetti

Luca Bacchetti - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Sunday morning, the most beautiful sunrise, after almost a whole week in the desert. It was been the coldest night so far, I remember setting up my gear, nervously hoping it wouldn’t let me down, when the sound-technician came up to me and said, "We might have a problem, there’s a storm coming!“. I turned around and saw a huge dark wall of sand reaching up to the sky, rolling into our direction.
I started playing anyways, and somehow the storm merged together with the lyrics of my songs, and changed their meaning. It had been the roughest condition I ever played in, and it really was a special one. Thank you for that experience!

www.facebook.com/monolink
www.soundcloud.com/monolink

ART:

The Chapel of Dancing Shadows is a space of contemplation, meditation, wonder. It is a communal space serving as art gallery, refuge, and sound bath. The 8-ft walls are covered in delicate drawings— the first 12 images of a developing 150-plate series of works composing Maria Kreyn’s Codex, an allusion to an invented creation myth. The ceiling is an elaborate CNC cut structure, creating the feeling of an arabesque lace canopy. From it hang detailed rafters and a collection of wind chimes, as an ode to the sounds in the temples of Myanmar.   

"As a child, I doodled. As an adult, the images have evolved into a complex universe in their own right-- a surreal, yet classically inspired world of fantasy, illusion, spatial bending, and mythology. The images are meanderings through the labyrinths of the subconscious. They gesture at a creation myth of an invented civilization, at the beauty and aesthetic of pattern making in the human mind--both visual and literary.  As this body of work evolves, the images find new outlets, new homes, new media to participate in. Making their debut as the walls of an immersive installation (The Chapel of Dancing Shadows), they are now available to enjoy in a smaller, more intimate print form, closer to their original size.”  -Maria

PHOTO BY: Peter Ruprecht

Monolink (live) - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

"2016 was the fifth consecutive sunrise for me on the Robot Heart bus. It was the first one where a silent and beautifully spread out deck of clouds filled the sky, and played hide and seek with the sun for the first hour after sunrise. I had another amazing morning that I will forever remember. Hope you liked it too, and looking forward to sharing the recording with all of you!" - Scumfrog

soundcloud.com/thescumfrog
www.facebook.com/ScumfrogArtist

Art: OID by Michael Christian - michaelchristian.com

Photo: Cliff Baise / Piczzl Photography

Scumfrog - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

My 4th year in a row playing music at Robot Heart, and it still gives me butterflies of excitement and anticipation. You forget just how incredible the sound on this beautiful bus is, or how breath taking the view of the mountains on the horizon are. The hospitality and warmth one feels from the Robot Heart family is second to none on the Playa. Thank you to everyone who came out to deep playa on the last night of an unforgettable week to dance under the desert sky. Hope you enjoy the ride, and see you soon in the dust…. Sabo

Art: Reared Steel

Sabo - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert … Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

– Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

www.soundcloud.com/hvob
www.facebook.com/HVOBMUSIC

Art piece: Mechan 9 

Mechan 9 is the newest creation from Tyler FuQua Creations.  It is a giant fallen metal robot that is half-buried in the ground.  Over thirty five feet in diameter and six feet tall at his heart chamber, Mechan 9 is shrouded in mystery!  Decode the strange text on his body to reveal the secrets of not only his past, but of the universe as well.  Mechan 9 was built by an amazing crew and with the help of a Burning Man art grant in 2016 where it made its debut.

Track list:

00:00 Reason 
06:30 Clap Eyes 
13:03 Cool Melt 
20:23 Window 
30:25 Ghost 
35:00 The Anxiety To Please 
43:57 Let's Keep This Quiet 
50:57 Azrael 
59:52 Jack 
1:08:54 Dogs 
1:16:20 Moon 
1:23:15 Pay As You Go Mobile Phone

HVOB - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

It was the last morning of the 2016 Burn and there was a small, but beautiful crowd of dedicated burners gathered, as most had already continued back to the outside world. We were feeling very spent, tired, dusty and freezing, but powered through the transition from night until dawn and once the sun broke through, it brought warmth to our bones and it turned into very special morning indeed...

https://soundcloud.com/nicostojan
https://soundcloud.com/thugfucker

Photo credit: Julien Vergely

Art piece: Pulse & Bloom 

Pulse & Bloom is an interactive art installation that visualizes participants' heartbeats with the hope of syncing human heartbeats in a rhythmic pattern.

www.pulsebloom.com

Nico Stojan & Holmar Filipsson (from Thugfucker) aka Lovestruckk - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Friday Morning on the Robot Heart bus was very special for me. The flames of the Catacombs were still high.
Something was dying, something was born.
I was never so nervous, never so relaxed.

Thank You for listening!

Art installation: Roshanai (Illuminate) by Charles Gadeken. 

Photo: John Dill

LUM - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

Where to start . . . ?! This second Burning Man experience was indescribable. 
Filled with serendipitous moments, my week was as magical as it could have been.

Robot Heart was the last of the seven shows I played and certainly one I was looking forward to the most. Why? Because I was given the opportunity to play an extended set. Pretty damn special isn't it?!

It's 7.30AM, Saturday after man burn, I wake up all dusty in my yurt after playing through a mad storm at White Ocean from 3 to 5AM hoping for the weather to have settled a little. I walk outside and guess what . . . 
it is a complete white out!!! 

Putting all the good will I have out there, I decide to jump on my bicycle and ride out to the deep playa to find the bus. The wind is very strong and the visibility so low that I literally get thrown off it. I desperately start walking, like a blind man, following whatever sound I can hear. Slowly losing hope, I eventually run into a bunch of white walkers on the same mission. I realise time is running low as I have lost all sense of direction. My skepticism increases, yet my ears magically take me to the Heart just before the start of my agreed set time - 8.30AM. Monolink is performing live in front of a bunch of troopers. I get informed that performances have slightly been delayed due to weather conditions. The sky gets darker by the minute. The crew warns me that rain had been forecasted and that music would have to be turned off for safety reasons in case of another storm. I then realise that my set could just get canceled. Sad face. I pray the weather gods for mercy.
As I get on, the sky magically clears. No more wind, barely any clouds, no more dust. My nightmare turns into a dream and my journey on the decks begins.

I hope you’ll appreciate and enjoy the spontaneity of this set.

Love, and Love only.

https://soundcloud.com/yokoo

Art Project:
Ursa Major
Reaching to grab what is within her grasp is Ursa Major, a 14 foot tall, grizzly bear sow. She may simply be reaching for berries but perceivably she is reaching higher: to the northern sky and the constellation that is her name, Ursa Major. In navigation, the constellation is useful in pointing the way to the North Star.  Ursa Major’s pose is inspiring, she brings the gaze and hopes of the participant skyward. She also demonstrates respect for the bears and nature, her pose is not like a taxidermy bear. She is in her natural state and unthreatening.  With a durable, unique material that was used on their previous Burning Man project (Penny the Goose), Ursa Major’s fur will be made of US and Canadian pennies. The pattern and feel will be like fur.

Mr and Mrs Ferguson Art
www.facebook.com/Mr-and-Mrs-Ferguson-Art-434710516694820/
www.lisa-and-camera.com

Photo by : Jim Parisi

Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016 - Sunday Morning - Black Rock City

YokoO - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

"As I listened to this set once again, back home, I was transported back to a place where everything feels like a dream and where time seizes to exist.   This is the power of music. I once again felt the sun on my face, I saw the smiles of joy below and around  me, was almost brought to tears by that moment on the playa, surrounded by limitless love and affection.  

We are affected by each other in such profound ways and this should never be underestimated.  It is because of this that this set exists.  As you listen, I ask that you allow the introduction by Alan Watts to fill you with intention and allow the music to become the soundtrack for your actions after the music has stopped.  We are all in this together, and I thank the Robot Heart family for facilitating these pivotal moments in all of our lives."

Art: Identity Reorganization Portal - Michael Emery 

Identity Reorganization Portal is a steel gazebo-like structure. The portal’s footprint is narrow and circular with a diameter of 48″. Its total height is 11′. The entire structure, covered with thousands of small irregularly-cut mirrors, shines from a distance. Unable to avoid shiny objects, myriads of Black Rock citizens will be drawn closer only to find their own reflections scattered, reorganized and blended with the reflection of others nearby. This installation endeavors to raise important questions in the group mind about the nature of Identity. Passing through the center of the portal reveals one’s reflection now compressed by the inner concave nature of these mirrored walls. Two lighted buttons inside the portal activate a random set of verbal instructions for successful identity reorganization. Identity Reorganization Portal is designed to be a gauntlet thrown down before the apparent solidity of the assumed “I”.

http://michaelemeryartworks.blogspot.com/

Photo by: John Dill

Eduardo Castillo - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

On a lovely Tuesday night we made the long trek over from Disco Knights for my first time playing the legendary Robot Heart bus.  Early in the evening, so initially a very family affair, but it quickly turned into a lovely dance party with friends and strangers alike.   A lovely experience with great hosts.... 

www.soundcloud.com/anthony-mansfield
www.facebook.com/anthonymansfieldmusic


Art: Da Vinci Virus - Brennan Steele

Symbolizing the connection between people, technology, and the environment, the Da Vinci Virus was a giant kinetic clockwork bacteriophage. Participants powered the bio machine by pulling a dangling chain to rotate the cube and engage the clockwork skin of the capsid head, thus spinning all of the gears in unison revealing hidden murals etched on each face.  Inline with the theme of last years burn, the Virus was inspired by Da Vinci’s love off geared machines, and burned Friday Night. 

Photo by: Julian Walter

Anthony Mansfield - Robot Heart - Burning Man 2016

In 2014, i spent my first Burning Man sunrise aboard the legendary Robot Heart bus. To me, it might as well have been Shangri La... 

As i looked outwards to the horizon during the peak of the sunrise in amazement, I glanced over to my good friend and told him that I would not die happily until i had the opportunity to play the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man. 

I'm truly humbled and honored to now have the amazing RH team present you with my set from the Tuesday late night hours. The set begins just as the bus parked itself in deep playa. So i had a special opportunity to welcome everyone who drove, biked, and walked over to the middle of nowhere to experience the nightly musical offerings. 

With that said, I truly hope you enjoy this experience I was grateful to share with the Robot Heart family and the countless people in attendance. 

All my love <3

www.facebook.com/goldcap
www.soundcloud.com/goldcap

Art: Jar of Sand - Trish Dolman and friends

Jar of Sand is a large-scale (8′ tall x 4′ diameter) canning-style “glass” jar filled with plastic collected from beaches of the Pacific Northwest. By engaging people to clean up our oceans, Jar of Sand intends to create awareness and encourage action. Domestic garbage and pieces of garbage from the Pacific Trash Vortex—the massive island of floating trash—are carried across oceans and wind up on our shores, telling a story of resource extraction, production, and consumption. In this time of climate change and excessive use of fossil fuels, this art installation is a reflection and commentary on our plastic consumption and ultimately unsustainable waste. Participants are welcome to bring plastic that they have collected from the ocean and beaches to the playa and put them in the Jar. The collected plastic will be creatively layered in an over-height custom fabricated jar that will be displayed at Burning Man .

https://www.facebook.com/jarofsandart/

Photo: by Jar of Sand Family

BM 2016

Tyler Chase Davidson