DJ Art Cars And Their Effect On Art

[The Rod]

I've been on the fence about going this year, anyway, but now I do believe with all these new rules, and you bitch-ass whiners that I'm done with this event.

If you're not going to be needing it, can I have your tattoo?

useless anecdote: When I was 19 my high school girlfriend and I got matching tattoos. Lobsters, because they mate for life.

A year and half or so later, after we broke up I still had that damn lobster tattooed on my calf. I was pretty fucking embarrassed. Every time I'd see it I'd think of the pain of heartbreak and how much of an idiot I was to think that (a) love was forever and (b) that I'd not regret it.



After 3 1/2 years of not speaking, one day that woman reached out and sent me an email on my birthday, we starting corresponding from a distance, then when I was back in the hometown one time we decided to meet up and... And well, to make a long story short we have been back together for almost 5 years now and share an unbelievably awesome life together and I have a fucking rock-solid relationship with the most amazing woman I have ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes on. The times we spent apart and growing individually have been wonderful for our relationship and if it wasn't for the heartbreak we wouldn't have the magic that we now share.


Moral of the story: You'll be back you whiney bitch. And when you finally show back up we'll have a shot of whiskey waiting for you.

[Jovankat]

I've been on the fence about going this year, anyway, but now I do believe with all these new rules, and you bitch-ass whiners that I'm done with this event.

Do you have a ticket yet? I know Ratty is looking to buy one.

Those performers practiced all year and jumped through numerous hoops to give us a show.

Fire hoops are the best!

The plain fact is the Dancetronauts repeatedly ignored a lot rules that already existed, that they agreed to as a part of their license to operate in BRC. There are no new rules, nothing has changed.

If you're that upset, you should complain to the Dancetronauts about ignoring the terms of their license, and getting themselves denied, thus not allowing you to enjoy them on the playa.

The Captain and Jovankat in complete agreement! Today is a special day

It's less of a ban as much as it's that their MV application for 2015 was denied.

So this means they could still bring the art car and just set it up at their camp as a stationary piece of camp infrastructure and comply with the sound regulations for the part of the city they're in right? Forcing them to stay put for a year and seeing how their neighbours felt about them by the end of the week seems like a pretty good way to see if they can be trusted again actually.

I've been on the fence about going this year, anyway, but now I do believe with all these new rules, and you bitch-ass whiners that I'm done with this event.

If you're not going to be needing it, can I have your tattoo?

useless anecdote: When I was 19 my high school girlfriend and I got matching tattoos. Lobsters, because they mate for life.

A year and half or so later, after we broke up I still had that damn lobster tattooed on my calf. I was pretty fucking embarrassed. Every time I'd see it I'd think of the pain of heartbreak and how much of an idiot I was to think that (a) love was forever and (b) that I'd not regret it.



After 3 1/2 years of not speaking, one day that woman reached out and sent me an email on my birthday, we starting corresponding from a distance, then when I was back in the hometown one time we decided to meet up and... And well, to make a long story short we have been back together for almost 5 years now and share an unbelievably awesome life together and I have a fucking rock-solid relationship with the most amazing woman I have ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes on. The times we spent apart and growing individually have been wonderful for our relationship and if it wasn't for the heartbreak we wouldn't have the magic that we now share.


Moral of the story: You'll be back you whiney bitch. And when you finally show back up we'll have a shot of whiskey waiting for you.

That story and your moral at the end were both excellent.

[trilobyte]

No, they could not. When bringing a mutant vehicle to the event, the approval/invitation paperwork must be shown at the gate in order to enter the city. Without that paperwork, it would go to D-Lot until the end of the event. Given the high cost of transporting a mutant vehicle, and the generally horrible carry capacity (compared other vehicles), plus having to shuffle whatever you'd packed into the unlicensed/impounded MV into something you could carry back to camp, it would be much easier (and much less expensive) to leave the vehicle at home and use another vehicle for hauling gear.

[tipidenizen]

i think the ban is justified, but at the same time it demonstrates the weird dynamic of a community whose own sense of radical inclusion might author the demise of the vibe it was meant to foster. what really irks me here is that a centralized power structure (BMORG) unilaterally decided to exclude a group of people from our 'radically inclusive' society. it goes against the anti-hierarchical nature of our community.
i dont necessarily like or dislike the dancetronauts, but hearing about the rampant self-promotion and attempts to use burning man as a platform for wealth accumulation makes my skin crawl, and i am glad they have been asked not to return. they broke the rules that the rest of us work really hard to uphold, and they did it blatantly and shamelessly. so yes, fuck them. however, i feel a bit strange that the BMORG has the ability to ban a group of people for being assholes. should that choice not be left up to the community? if they suck so bad (which apparently they do) and they dont belong in our community (which they dont) why dont the rest of us just let them know how we feel? perhaps they would take a hint more gracefully than they have taken the official ban (that burners.me post was a fucking joke... painful to read).
i suppose my issue is just with the balance of power here...

[Captain Goddammit]

When you apply for a Mutant Vehicle license, you agree to a bunch of specific terms. They agreed, then repeadly broke the agreed-upon terms. After MANY complaints from the community, they got denied a license. They were given warnings and leniency in prior years.

I'd like to point out something else; they were already getting a big break from the rules getting the Strip Ship licensed in the first place. Take a look at it: what's the base vehicle? Well, plain as day it's a Ford F800! The cab is fully exposed, it looks like a truck. Pretty much every other vehicle with an exposed truck cab gets turned down on the basis of insufficient mutation level. It's very clearly spelled out in the rules that a Mutant Vehicle cannot resemble a car, truck, bus, buggy or any other street vehicle. The Strip Ship could be fairly and properly denied an M/V permit just on lack of full mutation level regardless of the past behavior of the operators.
Sure it's cool as hell, but a lot of other cool as hell vehicles get turned down for having less street vehicle showing than they got away with. So if you think Dancetronauts was treated unfairly, well.... you're wrong.

[trilobyte]

Their application was denied for repeated violations of a number of issues related to rules and regulations (and in the case of a mutant vehicle, signed agreements). It wasn't a case of somebody waking up one morning and deciding "I don't like them anymore - get rid of them!" - it's a case of accountability.

[pink]

The Dancetronauts aren't being banned for a year, it's just they did not get an MV license and possibly lost placement. Radical inclusion doesn't mean you get to bring an MV or get placed.

I got peeved just because I walked by their camp and saw www.dancetronauts.com plastered all over their MV. Saw it as shameless self promotion. And one less camp/car blasting EDM with 'Grammy winning DJs' at intolerable levels? Made my day

[Jovankat]

No, they could not. When bringing a mutant vehicle to the event, the approval/invitation paperwork must be shown at the gate in order to enter the city. Without that paperwork, it would go to D-Lot until the end of the event. Given the high cost of transporting a mutant vehicle, and the generally horrible carry capacity (compared other vehicles), plus having to shuffle whatever you'd packed into the unlicensed/impounded MV into something you could carry back to camp, it would be much easier (and much less expensive) to leave the vehicle at home and use another vehicle for hauling gear.

Huh ok. That makes sense now that I read it. I just know of a local theme camp whose art car won't be a MV this year because someone dropped the ball and didn't get the application in on time. What I'd heard, admittedly thought the grapevine, was they were looking at ways to utilise it in camp as a stationary art piece. That may mean they're only bringing the art bit and not the car bit or maybe there were extenuating circumstances with the application mishap and a special deal is being made to allow the car in the gates to just stay parked at camp. Or maybe they're just going to be told no-can-do, I don't know.

[Roundabout]

i feel a bit strange that the BMORG has the ability to ban a group of people for being assholes. should that choice not be left up to the community?

So, tipidenizen.... You are for mob rule? Get a bunch of folks riled up, get the testosterone flowing, and the "community", a/k/a the mob, will go over and get tough until they leave or throw them out. Sounds like recipe for things to get severely out of hand....

[tipidenizen]

i feel a bit strange that the BMORG has the ability to ban a group of people for being assholes. should that choice not be left up to the community?

So, tipidenizen.... You are for mob rule? Get a bunch of folks riled up, get the testosterone flowing, and the "community", a/k/a the mob, will go over and get tough until they leave or throw them out. Sounds like recipe for things to get severely out of hand....

no, i dont think i ever suggested some violent sparklepony insurgency. and like i said, i agree with the decision... i just think decisions like this could be made in a better way. if the bmorg wants to avoid curating the event to the point of being a festival its important to include the whole community in decisions like who to allow to build their art. if they were getting a lot of complaints and acted on it then that obviously makes sense. in any event, seeing them take a time out for trying to sell an album at the man burn does put a smile on my face

[ZaphodBurner]

As a mutant vehicle builder and driver, I applied for a permit knowing that lots of other people were applying for a permit, and that not everybody can go because of issues above and beyond the Org.

The DMV are volunteers. They are all kinds of people. The vast majority of them have always been most awesome to us, and when we accepted the invitation to come based on agreement to the terms established, I feel like as a burner I have a responsibility to not only adhere to the agreement, but to make sure that I'm extra-respectful to the community in light of the fact that so many honest-hearted builders don't get to bring their mutant vehicles. I would like people to know that we respect them, and make them feel like we were a worthy and useful addition to the playascape, rather than some group of narcissistic douchebags who caused somebody else not to be able to go in order to serve their own purpose. Perhaps it's a bit like survivor's guilt. In what way am I personally worthy?

I think, given the limitation on capacity and infrastructure that cause so many awesome people to have to miss the burn, that it shouldn't be a contest, but that participation should include respect for the greater community. We should be adults, capable of leading by example. Burning Man is a lot of things to a lot of people. I want to bring to it the best that I can do and if I'm doing something that's pissing people off I'd like to know about it so I can address it before it becomes a thing. It's not just a rave for whichever group shows up with the loudest PA.

Look for The Red Baron on the playa and come say hi. (There are two.. the other guys are awesome.) We'd love to spin you around the city..

-gatt

[Captain Goddammit]

in any event, seeing them take a time out for trying to sell an album at the man burn does put a smile on my face

That's where people are wrong. There is so much more to it than just that. And that's ignoring the lack of vehicle mutation they should also be disqualified for, because everyone else is.

[Elderberry]

The burners.meh site is funny. They are the Fox news of the playa.

hahahaha

[DoctorIknow]

OK, so MV's with music can be obnoxious, which I don't think is saying "fuck you all" for conditions outside of their bubble, but more of not even sensing things outside of their bubble. Can I say myoptic?

What amazes me most at all Fire Conclave performances that I've seen on Man Burn night is that I seriously doubt ANY MV blasting their music would have ever even had an thought that maybe it would be cool to broadcast the drumming thru their huge systems. Instead, the huge burn night crowd is "gifted" the same music styles they've been gifted all week, many of them shell-shocked from samesame by that time.

Didn't 30 some odd MV's sync together for the pre-Embrace burn event?

Perhaps Dancetronauts could promote that idea, with an offer to set it up, to the BMORG and see what they think. Personally, I'd love to hear all the MV's that could hook up wirelessly blast 1,000,000 watts of drumming pointed right at the Man. I would think by the end of the week, all MV's with sound would love a 20 minute break from having to please the DJ's or the crowd, and maybe they could even sample the drumming and have new 0's and 1's to play with in their sets....

[Eric]

i think the ban is justified, but at the same time it demonstrates the weird dynamic of a community whose own sense of radical inclusion might author the demise of the vibe it was meant to foster. what really irks me here is that a centralized power structure (BMORG) unilaterally decided to exclude a group of people from our 'radically inclusive' society. it goes against the anti-hierarchical nature of our community.

Um ... are you sure you've been Burning since 2007? Because if you're irked that a "centralized power structure" has made this decision, but you've been fine with the event the rest of the time you've been going, you are either 1) looking for things to irk you, or 2) very unaware of how the event actually runs, possibly both.

The event has always had a hierarchy, and since 1997 it's been a formal one, with first a small group of people owning the event, and now a non-profit owning it. They decide how tickets will be sold, who will sell them, how much they'll cost, and the quantities in each category (working with the BLM to decide how many people will be allowed to attend). They do the negotiations with the Feds, the state and the counties, as well as surrounding communities. They decide which camps that apply get placed, and where they get placed, and how many (if any) Early Access passes they get. They choose the art that gets grants, the builders of the Temple, the artists who paint around Center Camp, and the outside vendors who keep the city running - like the gods who clean our potties multiple times a day, and without whom the event would cease to exist. They also happen to decide which MV's meet the criteria they themselves set out, and on the playa they make sure those MVs did what they said they would to give them approval to drive around at the event. The participants may bring the event to life, but there is a lot of groundwork that an actual organization has to do to get it to the stage where we get involved.

[maladroit]

Some burners seem to think that you can fly your flag under just one principle and ignore the rest. "I ride under the crest of House Radical Inclusion!" These burners are typically described as assholes. I'd describe them more as a blemish, an angry entitled pimple maybe, on the perfect round smooth toned yoga-butt that Burning Man can be.

[Simon of the Playa]

like the goddess who cleans our potties

fixed that for ya....Happy Birthday RobbiDobbs.

[Ratty]

Happy Day Robbi. Make it an extra special one.

[louisacrystal]

I'm very happy with the one year ban on the Dancetronauts. Maybe it will teach them to be more aware of others.

[robbidobbs]

Thanks Simon & Ratty! I don't clean them, I'm a potty cleaner enabler though

[some seeing eye]

Happy Birthday!

The Dancetronauts can't be making any friends with the DMV or the BMORG by going public over their time out. It is going to take a lot of staff time just when things are busiest.

[DrYes]

This wasn't out of the blue. Burners.me tends to, as someone else pointed out, be pretty radically slanted against the BMORG, and he left out the fact that Dancetronauts was on probation for 2014, having generated complaints in 2013 that led to them being put on probation. So it's not as if this was out of left field, unpredictable, or delivered without warning.

This is from an email chain shared by one of the Dancetronaut fellows, between Dancetronauts and the DMV.

On Fri, Sep 26, 2014 at 4:41 PM, DMV Hotties:
"It is also important to note that your vehicle was CONDITIONALLY invited for 2014 due to sound level complaints in 2013. This means this is the second year in a row that participants have had issues with the sound levels of your vehicle.”

[Simon of the Playa]

This wasn't out of the blue. Burners.me tends to, as someone else pointed out, be pretty radically slanted against the BMORG, and he left out the fact that Dancetronauts was on probation for 2014, having generated complaints in 2013 that led to them being put on probation. So it's not as if this was out of left field, unpredictable, or delivered without warning.

This is from an email chain shared by one of the Dancetronaut fellows, between Dancetronauts and the DMV.

On Fri, Sep 26, 2014 at 4:41 PM, DMV Hotties:
"It is also important to note that your vehicle was CONDITIONALLY invited for 2014 due to sound level complaints in 2013. This means this is the second year in a row that participants have had issues with the sound levels of your vehicle.”

*boom*

[Simon of the Playa]

phil.jpg

[some seeing eye]

EDM promotion has its own customs, fliering, stapling/pasting posters, unending FB and other social media promotion. Sure many have had their vehicles fliered in the outside world, and seen fliers as litter everywhere. Apparently that MV thought it could operate by the "anything is fair in promoting" philosophy of the outside world. Similar in a way to the Caravansicle "anything is fair in theme camps". It isn't acceptable and the community spoke out.

[Zubeneschamali]

The burners.meh article was my first introduction to this event and look - they've got good writers who know how to elicit an emotional response. If you were to take it for face value, then yes the BORG is a bunch of party pooper asshats in the midst of a premature ejaculatory hissy fit. OMG, they are taking our freedoms away! The BORG is so jealous! The BORG is 70 and crusty.....

Dig a little deeper and the literary mirrors show their cracks and the smoke isn't that thick. You quickly find errors and omissions during a cross verification of sources, and suddenly the story isn't only not true - it contains false statements.

I doubt I'll ever know the whole story as versions are recounted, emails are released, opinions are made. Internet claims are always "I was there" when the truth is only 5 or 10 people really were involved and suddenly there's 500 people who claim first hand knowledge. There are things that I have read that have come across as pretentious and condescending, with a side of superiority. Based on some terrible stories, then yes banning the mutant vehicle is an option. Hey, you got 75 days, maybe you can turn it into a stationary stage and rock a patch of playa for the week.

In the past the BORG has made rules that have pissed off Burners, who ended their relationship with BM. They have disappeared into the night, or maybe have gone off and become instrumental in their own, creating a utopian festival to their liking. Maybe that's what will happen here and all the 100K watt and above MV's band together and boycott. Its evolution and BM will change again.

[The CO]

The burners.meh article was my first introduction to this event and look - they've got good writers who know how to elicit an emotional response.

Welcome to eplaya! The first thing to note is that burners.me is 1 person with a budget and a grudge. Closer to tabloid journalism than anything else.

[1durphul]

As far as Dancetronauts goes, I was less bothered by the music they played (it wasn't my taste, but so what) or even the volume as much as I was the advertising and vip bs. On Friday night they rolled up close to where I was at for the Alien Siege burn and was bombarded with numerous DJ voiceovers plugging some album that was now available for sale on iTunes.

Me too. Which is why when I read this in the response letters to the DMV (provided by Dancetronauts to Burners.me) it became crystal clear to me why they were not invited back for 2015:

Thank you for sending the complaints. The majority of which are practically copy & pasted from blogs, posts & many of the same authors.
...
Alien Siege complaints is the same group of bloggers jumping on.

When multiple people independently bring a complaint like the one about the Alien Siege Machine burn, to just dismiss those complaints as fictitious shows a mindset that isn't about examining what they did wrong, and instead is looking to minimize the mistakes they made and placate the people holding the axe over their head.

P.S. the stacked polygon art piece that is visible in the Skrillex photo was next to the art piece + soundscape of Squared. It was impossible to hear Squared's soundscape though over their dance performance. The stacked polygon art piece (sadly I don't know it's name) became effectively gogo boxes and bleachers. Something I'm sure the artists intended when they created their pieces.

[DrYes]

Also turns out that Dancetronauts were reportedly offering early entry passes as rewards in their Indiegogo campaign, and was one of the reasons cited by the DMV for denying them their permit.

On Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 9:58 AM, DMV Hotties wrote:
Hello Philip & Trav –
I apologize for the delay in getting back with you as I’ve just recently taken responsibility for DMV following the departure of Wally Bomgaars.
Our continuing concern is that your responses don’t address the core issues raised by DMV and by participants.
The key responses you sent us are:
“People have a choice to move away from a loud vehicle…”
In terms of the Man Burn, this is not a reasonable answer. Participants who have selected a spot to watch the burn cannot be expected to change locations in the middle of a packed crowd when a loud mutant vehicle parks behind them. Nor is it reasonable to expect them to do so.
“Dancetronauts bring famous DJs to the Playa…”
This has no bearing on the issues of music volume or civic responsibility.
“We have a safety team…”
Again, this has no bearing on the issues of music volume of civic responsibility.
“Other vehicles are loud…”
That other vehicles may have issues does not excuse yours from having to follow the rules that all mutant vehicles are required to abide by. The DMV is having discussions with all other vehicles that we received complaints about.
It’s important for you to understand that the complaints about your sound levels on Burn night are serious and include complaints from two Burning Man founders, several members of the DMV Council, other Burning Man staff and the DMV Manager (Wally Bomgaars) personally. It did drown out music from other nearby mutant vehicles.
“Lots of people like us…”
Again, this has no bearing on the issues of music volume of civic responsibility.
“We followed all the rules…”
No, you didn’t, Your vehicle clearly violated the Mutant Vehicle Sound Policy. The concerns we need you to address relate to the Mutant Vehicle Sound Policy and to civic responsibility. As noted in the MV policy:
“Keep in mind that if we continue to have the level of complaints and issues that we have been having for the past few years, we may have to take greater steps to limit large sound on vehicles. Please consider your impact on the community and help us all keep sound on MVs a positive experience.” To recap:
The Dancetronauts mutant vehicle was issued a conditional license for 2014 based on sound policy violations from 2013.
Following the 2014 event, as previously mentioned, we received more sound complaints about the Dancetronauts mutant vehicle than any other vehicle in the history of the event. Despite multiple requests, you have not provided a satisfactory response to these complaints nor provided a plan to address them for 2015.
Additionally, in 2014, we were notified Dancetronauts were offering among other things, Early Entry passes and access to their mutant vehicles as a perks as part of your Indiegogo fundraiser. Early Entry passes were created specifically to allow artists, theme camp organizers and mutant vehicles owners early access to the event site to prepare for the event. It was a violation of the Early Entry pass policy to offer them as a perk.
This combination of infractions and your inability to provide a satisfactory response and resolution leave us no option but to deny a license to the Dancetronauts mutant vehicle for 2015. You are welcome to apply next year for 2016.
Sincerely,
Terry Schoop and the DMV Council

[EspressoDude]

"So this means they could still bring the art car and just set it up at their camp as a stationary piece of camp infrastructure and comply with the sound regulations for the part of the city they're in right? Forcing them to stay put for a year and seeing how their neighbours felt about them by the end of the week seems like a pretty good way to see if they can be trusted again actually. "


If it is street legal, has license plates and registration, and is driven to the gate, + has a vehicle pass it can be driven in and parked in camp.

It has only been denied an MV pass to allow it to drive during the event.