What do you like to hear on the Playa?

[euthlogo]

Hey friends,

Our camp is planning on putting together a sound system of sorts, and as a virgin I was wondering what your favorite sounds are out on the Playa.

I have some Ideas about what I'd like to hear, but I imagine many of you are into some pretty awesome music that I have never even heard of. What is it?

To get the ball rolling, here is an example of the kind of stuff I will be grooving to.

[media]

[Elliot]

...wondering what your favorite sounds are out on the Playa.

People laughing, cheering and singing.

...music...

Yes. Ya' know; complex melodies, soaring harmonies, varied orchestration....

[TT120]

Death metal.

[TomServo]

[media]

[media]

[Simon of the Playa]

and as a virgin

first thing...there are 1000 sound systems out there, so don't worry about what we want to hear, somebody, somewhere will be dropping it, and i dont care whether its guy lombardo or gaslamp killer, it will be out there, if you just listen for it.

secondly...as a first year camp, you may want to think about maybe creating something other than a "dance club & chill space" which seems to be a trap many fall into....there are THOUSANDS of camps like youre describing........nobody goes there.....seriously.

sure, it's fun to have a party every night, but try to get creative about it...concentrate on how you are going to interact with the rest of the community as opposed to what do they like to dance to....and honestly, it should be about what YOU want to play...

be unique by being yourself...make it fun, participatory, and artistic...start small, get your playa legs, then worry about the little shit.

now with that said, on page two, you will be receiving an assload of snark, so be prepared.

remember, it's just a fucking survival picnic in the desert...play doris day all day long for all i care....

[euthlogo]

Awesome. Have you guys seen many live metal bands out in the dust? I would be so amped if I came upon a righteous live metal band. The more similar to this the better:

[media]

I'm surprised I hear so much about DJs and so little about bands. DJ equipment seems much more dust and heat sensitive than live equipment. Maybe if I knew as much about live PA equipment as I do about DJ equipment I'd be singing a different tune.

[euthlogo]

and as a virgin

secondly...as a first year camp, you may want to think about maybe creating something other than a "dance club & chill space" which seems to be a trap many fall into....there are THOUSANDS of camps like youre describing........nobody goes there.....seriously.

sure, it's fun to have a party every night, but try to get creative about it...concentrate on how you are going to interact with the rest of the community as opposed to what do they like to dance to....and honestly, it should be about what YOU want to play...

be unique by being yourself...make it fun, participatory, and artistic...start small, get your playa legs, then worry about the little shit.

now with that said, on page two, you will be receiving an assload of snark, so be prepared.

remember, it's just a fucking survival picnic in the desert...play doris day all day long for all i care....

I was wondering when a response like this would show up.

I have been getting these kinds of vibes from my research and from participation on the boards (oversaturation of soundcamps and chill spaces). I expect our soundsystem to be mainly for the benefit our camp members, but if others happen to enjoy it then all the better.

I just want to learn about some of the music eplaya members are into because burners tend to be into some pretty awesome stuff.

Thanks for the advice!

Here's another band whose vibe I have really been digging:

[media]

[Elliot]

... I'm surprised I hear so much about DJs and so little about bands. ...

That is a major concern, yes. An imbalance, as I think of it.

[some seeing eye]

Mr Simon nails it as usual. BM is a temporary city designed for friending strangers ASAP. Start with your camp - who are they, who do they want to meet? Then figure out how they will be found, other than blasting for a 200' radius 24x7.

[BBadger]

That pulsating sound emanating from all different directions that makes you feel like you're in the middle of some massive space battle...

If you don't know what I'm describing, you should probably just ditch that music you think you'll be "grooving to" at the playa, because you won't use it.

[euthlogo]

That pulsating sound emanating from all different directions that makes you feel like you're in the middle of some massive space battle...

If you don't know what I'm describing, you should probably just ditch that music you think you'll be "grooving to" at the playa, because you won't use it.

What an excellent description. I know the feeling, but I imagine that the sensation at the burn will be unlike any massive space battle I have experienced so far. Imagine how different that sensation would be if all the people like me listened to all the people like you and left their sound systems at home.

From these responses, I take it the eplaya doesn't listen to music much? Fair enough.

[Nipple]

Once you're out at the fence it's all beige noise.

As beige as this site and the playa floor.

[FIGJAM]

Get a sample here.

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=8891

[BBadger]

What an excellent description. I know the feeling, but I imagine that the sensation at the burn will be unlike any massive space battle I have experienced so far. Imagine how different that sensation would be if all the people like me listened to all the people like you and left their sound systems at home.

It would probably sound about the same, as most peoples' sound systems can barely be heard beyond the borders of their camp. Most of that music is whatever happens to be on someone's iPod at the time.

If you want to bring something awesome, by all means do so. I've heard some cool shit out there, from live traditional music from Persian singers, to weird alien-sounds, to live guitar music, to comedy acts. None of those I would have put in my "like" list, but having heard it, I liked what I heard at the time. But what I expect from "people like you" (and maybe I'm wrong) is the standard fare crap that people play in their cars. That's something I probably wouldn't miss, or at least seek out.

I want to hear what is what is being played and performed without my input, and if I don't like what I'm hearing, I'll wander off somewhere and find something else I want to hear. If I bring or play music, it's because I want someone else to hear it, not so much myself. I can listen to music "I like" anytime I want on my music player. I go to Burning Man to expand my horizons, not stick with what I know.

From these responses, I take it the eplaya doesn't listen to music much? Fair enough.

No, the question you asked was "what do you like to hear on the playa?" which is a different question than "do you listen to music much?"

To "answer" the rhetorical question you posed above: why don't you head on over to the Year Round Connections forum and check out the 23-page thread on "what are you listening to?" (linked above)

Yeah, people listen to music. Whether they're interested in hearing something they already know they like on the playa is a different matter altogether.

[VultureChow]

From these responses, I take it the eplaya doesn't listen to music much? Fair enough.

Read the responses again. I think most people here like music and listen to it. The playa is just... different. The music is pervasive. The whole place just thrums at all hours of the day. And you can find it all. Acoustic sets at center camp. Sitars in a yurt. Gangster rap from a passing mv. Seizure music at 10 and 2. There is no one thing that all burners like and there is nothing unique or new about having a sound system (even a spectacluar one) out there.

The advice is dead on. Bring what you like to listen to. Someone passing by is sure to like it as well.

[Savannah]

From these responses, I take it the eplaya doesn't listen to music much? Fair enough.

Read the responses again. I think most people here like music and listen to it. The playa is just... different. The music is pervasive. The whole place just thrums at all hours of the day. And you can find it all. Acoustic sets at center camp. Sitars in a yurt. Gangster rap from a passing mv. Seizure music at 10 and 2. There is no one thing that all burners like and there is nothing unique or new about having a sound system (even a spectacluar one) out there.

The advice is dead on. Bring what you like to listen to. Someone passing by is sure to like it as well.

Yes! Euthlogo, you'll want your camp to be happy. Bring what you like, and ask them what they like. It'd be a waste of a sound system if you don't start out by making sure the people who will hear the music the most can feel like they're throwing a party, and welcoming people to it.

You can also throw in some experiments. Ask your campmates what they like but don't know much about yet. If someone says "Well, I love Latin pop, but I don't have a big collection", put the word out and borrow some from friends, or search it online at the library, check it out, & drop it to iTunes.

[euthlogo]

From these responses, I take it the eplaya doesn't listen to music much? Fair enough.

Read the responses again. I think most people here like music and listen to it. The playa is just... different. The music is pervasive. The whole place just thrums at all hours of the day. And you can find it all. Acoustic sets at center camp. Sitars in a yurt. Gangster rap from a passing mv. Seizure music at 10 and 2. There is no one thing that all burners like and there is nothing unique or new about having a sound system (even a spectacluar one) out there.

The advice is dead on. Bring what you like to listen to. Someone passing by is sure to like it as well.

Yes! Euthlogo, you'll want your camp to be happy. Bring what you like, and ask them what they like. It'd be a waste of a sound system if you don't start out by making sure the people who will hear the music the most can feel like they're throwing a party, and welcoming people to it.

You can also throw in some experiments. Ask your campmates what they like but don't know much about yet. If someone says "Well, I love Latin pop, but I don't have a big collection", put the word out and borrow some from friends, or search it online at the library, check it out, & drop it to iTunes.

Good advice all around. Thanks guys!

I was being intentionally provocative with that sentence (ePlaya doesn't listen to music much). I think I am being punished for trying to be deceptive. I really just want to know who some of your favorite musicians are, especially those musicians who you think have a playa feel (whatever that means to you). I am addicted to discovering music, and I have found personal recommendations much more consistent than Pandora or Spotify.

[FIGJAM]

Zappa.

[Savannah]

I'm not going to tell you who my favorite artists are. I don't need to be catered to. I would rather have to ask a camp or a DJ what they're playing than hear something I listen to regularly at home.

I did enjoy the vintage tango music halfway into this Burning Man video, though. Surreal.

[media]

It's unexpected, which is part of what makes it wonderful.

[TT120]

There was a camp down the street from me last year that was playing some good old classic rock and it was pretty cool. After days of dubstep, I enjoyed hearing some the music I grew up with.

I thought they played "Freebird" at exactly the right time last year. It seemed perfect to me although most didn't seem to like it at that particular moment.

[VultureChow]

What do you like to hear on the Playa?

Silence. Those blissful quiet moments around 7am or so when I wake all refreshed and eager and I get to watch the all-nighters stumble home. Coffee, some fresh grilled steak, silence, bliss.

[knowmad]

I like the Sound of dust slithering across the playa in a night wind. The warbling sounds distorted by distance, layers of heat and pools of stillness. The screams of a qintzillion electrons radiating from thousands of Speakers. The aural assault punctuated with the Roar of Fires and the pulsation of every shade of light. The Anthem of a Party so big it builds a City.

[Simon of the Playa]

i love the smell of bull-horn in the morning.

[Sic Pup]

I sat out 2012 (new job) but in 2011 I had one project that worked better in a sparsely populated area (catapult) and another that tied in well to Kindergarten (Toddler Tweets - oversized alphabet blocks/camera/website) so I was in the boonies, next to the last street/avenue (whatever Bmorg's convoluted logic deems it to be) at 5:30ish (I think). Anyway, in my roundabout way, that brings me to the constant sound of the greeter's bell and subsequent cheering, whooping, hollering and woo-hooing, day and night, during calm and wind storms, Sunday through Friday. On more than one occasion I was awoken, and could do nothing but roll over and go back to sleep but not without a shit eating ear-to-ear grin on my puss.

If I close my eyes and concentrate I can still hear it, it was like a non-stop parade of angels earning their wings, in a word, ethereal. Out of all the wonderful things one hears on the playa, that remains my favorite and probably always will be.

[BBadger]

I was hoping to hear an air-raid siren during an epic condition alpha dust storm... but the weather was pretty nice last year.

[shykat]

assholes on bullhorns.....

[theCryptofishist]

Polka

[Savannah]

I like hearing the lamentations of my enemies' women.

[oscillator]

Piano music like this...

[media]

[tamarakay]

My husband's laughter, the sound of someone calling out my name as I walk by their camp, the laughter of children and adults laughing like children.

The music is constant. The thump thump thump becomes a part of your world. When we hit Fernley our first night out I could not sleep. It was so quiet.