Robot Heart crowd

[tmousel]

I've only seen this camp a few passing times in previous years, but this year I wanted to spend more time with them. I was shocked at how different the crowd/ people surrounding this deep playa party were from everywhere else. Did anyone else notice the different/ darker vibe? Many if not most there did not wear lights, dressed mostly dark and usually in black. I didn't see pictures being taken at all either. ( I have no problem with these things either way, just observing ). Some older guy did "body check" me at dawn Sat AM, aside from that no troubles.

Did anyone else notice this difference in attitude/ vibe/ dress?
I'm intrigued....

[666isMONEY]

I like Robot Heart's music better than most of the sound camps, though I once liked Opulent Temple better.

Someone asked me if I thought Robot Heart did not have Burner-Spirit. I told her, "No."

They have a large following and come all the way from New York City, they raise funds during the year to support their trip.

Here's their Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/robot-heart

[Fan C]

Yeah Robot heart is one of my favorite sound camps. Their style fits me and several of my campmates. It tends to gather a slightly older and old schoolish burner crowd. It's hits that sweet spot between the typical EDM camp and Deathguild.

It embodies "everyone loves you and doesn't give a shit about you, all at at the same time".

[FossaFerox]

I've found it both years, both times the music was frustrating. Beautiful, but it never built to anything. The crowd never struck me as being particularly different, though. Same spectrum of people I'd expect to see at any oontzy sound camp. Also, FanC, did you just transform ygmir's line from my sig into an adage? Awesome.

[Ano]

That's part of what Robot Heart attempts to curate. They don't book bit time EDM acts (with the stark and odd choice of Diplo/Skrillex b2b to replace a Seth Troxler set, one which I boo'ed, along with tons of others in the crowd), and they don't release lineups or allow the bus to be used for promotion/business purposes. They try to make everything as anonymous as possible. They avoid the general build-up/break-down style of dance music that is popular right now, and instead focus on grooves, psychedelia, basslines, and crystalline highs. No builds, no drops, all just one big long robotic heartbeat. There are tons of camps that curate other genres, but, as far as I've seen from my deep explorations into the playa sound, only their system plays that specific "playa-tech" sound... although some camps do play deep or tech house music, the bot bus seems to have a very specific flavor that they curate.

I gained a ton of respect for the crew after stopping by their camp in the off-hours and talking with the folks who run the bus last year and this year. They have their head in the right place with regards to running a sound camp on Playa. They aren't trying to launch a business or create a brand (although it has somewhat unwittingly happened from media coverge on their bus). They are merely creating a very specific on-playa experience that you can see once per year in the desert, along with a few fundraisers in their home base of NYC. At the fundraisers, they specifically test out new stuff to be applied to the real Bot bus on playa. They gift out a ton of water at their on-playa stops to keep people hydrated, they GPS mark each and every spot the bus stops and sends out the DJs who played and their own crew to MOOP and cleanup the next day (including announcing after their show is over that it's time to clean up and encouraging participants to stay back and clean up/line up bikes) they gift out tons of Robot Heart gear at every single party they do, including those heart glasses, goggles, or patches, they are silent during the temple burn, they park far away from the man burn, they never aim their system towards the city (and they aren't even allowed on open playa with their sound on technically, despite some other very large and loud systems being allowed to play and drive anywhere), and they also work very hard to keep the bus owners anonymous so nobody really benefits from the bus other than the participants in front of it. I have a lot of respect for these guys. I highly recommend stopping by their camp and talking with the folks who build/run/curate/etc it, they are really cool guys with a ton of enthusiasm for Burning Man and for what they do. It's fun to be around folks like that, as opposed to some other sound camps who won't even let you within ten feet of their art car unless you're cool enough.

They even build extra art cars with impressive lighting and mutation to park around their bus for folks to climb on and dance around, like their projection-eye anglerfish art car with a bed on the first floor. They want you on their bus to dance, but they have to run a bouncer at the front to prevent things like high people falling off of the heart and onto the DJ equipment (happened) or really high people trying to play with the equipment controls (happens more than it sould). If you walk up to the door and ask to come on and dance, generally they are very accomodating unless you are E-tarded out of your mind.

Really cool guys and they totally revolutionized how I thought about Large Scale Sound on the playa. They made me enjoy it, and now I definitely aim for at least a couple of Robot Heart sunrises every year.

[Fan C]

Also, FanC, did you just transform ygmir's line from my sig into an adage? Awesome.

Yep, I love that line because it's so very true.

[vargaso]

That's part of what Robot Heart attempts to curate. They don't book bit time EDM acts (with the stark and odd choice of Diplo/Skrillex b2b to replace a Seth Troxler set, one which I boo'ed, along with tons of others in the crowd), and they don't release lineups or allow the bus to be used for promotion/business purposes. They try to make everything as anonymous as possible. They avoid the general build-up/break-down style of dance music that is popular right now, and instead focus on grooves, psychedelia, basslines, and crystalline highs. No builds, no drops, all just one big long robotic heartbeat. There are tons of camps that curate other genres, but, as far as I've seen from my deep explorations into the playa sound, only their system plays that specific "playa-tech" sound... although some camps do play deep or tech house music, the bot bus seems to have a very specific flavor that they curate.

I gained a ton of respect for the crew after stopping by their camp in the off-hours and talking with the folks who run the bus last year and this year. They have their head in the right place with regards to running a sound camp on Playa. They aren't trying to launch a business or create a brand (although it has somewhat unwittingly happened from media coverge on their bus). They are merely creating a very specific on-playa experience that you can see once per year in the desert, along with a few fundraisers in their home base of NYC. At the fundraisers, they specifically test out new stuff to be applied to the real Bot bus on playa. They gift out a ton of water at their on-playa stops to keep people hydrated, they GPS mark each and every spot the bus stops and sends out the DJs who played and their own crew to MOOP and cleanup the next day (including announcing after their show is over that it's time to clean up and encouraging participants to stay back and clean up/line up bikes) they gift out tons of Robot Heart gear at every single party they do, including those heart glasses, goggles, or patches, they are silent during the temple burn, they park far away from the man burn, they never aim their system towards the city (and they aren't even allowed on open playa with their sound on technically, despite some other very large and loud systems being allowed to play and drive anywhere), and they also work very hard to keep the bus owners anonymous so nobody really benefits from the bus other than the participants in front of it. I have a lot of respect for these guys. I highly recommend stopping by their camp and talking with the folks who build/run/curate/etc it, they are really cool guys with a ton of enthusiasm for Burning Man and for what they do. It's fun to be around folks like that, as opposed to some other sound camps who won't even let you within ten feet of their art car unless you're cool enough.

They even build extra art cars with impressive lighting and mutation to park around their bus for folks to climb on and dance around, like their projection-eye anglerfish art car with a bed on the first floor. They want you on their bus to dance, but they have to run a bouncer at the front to prevent things like high people falling off of the heart and onto the DJ equipment (happened) or really high people trying to play with the equipment controls (happens more than it sould). If you walk up to the door and ask to come on and dance, generally they are very accomodating unless you are E-tarded out of your mind.

Really cool guys and they totally revolutionized how I thought about Large Scale Sound on the playa. They made me enjoy it, and now I definitely aim for at least a couple of Robot Heart sunrises every year.

Robot Heart is my favorite sound car based on the music they play, and hearing who they operate makes me love it even more.

[Simon of the Playa]

Thievery Corp. Full Band set at RH was WINNING!!!....they did it "right"...



and yes, that WAS my girlfriend & i giving LouLou (the lead singer) a big fat juicy hug right before the set......i know you saw me....Black Vest, Red Fez, Bushy Beard...



kiss the ring, bitches...


NEW YORK HOLLA!!!

[bluemiragemi]

When were you there? Because, that section of the Esplanade got DARK on like...Friday night? Thursday night? at 3am. It wasn't just RH, it was OT and surrounding areas too. Dark and stormy. I moved from OT to RH to home because of it.

[H.G.Crosby]

i think thievery went on at around 10:30 pm on thursday night.

[ACfromSAC]

Thievery Corp. Full Band set at RH was WINNING!!!....they did it "right"...

WHAT?! NOOOOOOO!!! So bummed that I missed that.

[Hope-a-Lope]

Robot Heart's first NYC warehouse party was my first burn-ish event, and I've been to every one since. Last year (my first burn) was the first time I experienced them in deep playa. While I always enjoyed their NYC parties, it was then that I *got it*. I love their music, and their whole setup makes it look so easy. No need to blast everyone in the face with crazy lights. Just groovy, deep, dark house, two beautiful (comparatively simple) light pieces, a killer fucking sound system, and a great atmosphere. They're a little full of themselves, but they know what they're doing.

I got to dance on the copy bus in NYC at their spring party this year, and you know what? It's better on the ground anyway. Long live RH.

[Bless]

God bless Robot Heart

[louisacrystal]

I've always felt like they are trying to be to exclusive! People were less friendly. When I would compliment any one on an outfit they would not smille or say thanks. More like they are entitled to complements. That's unattractive to me.
We always try to go see if the vibe is different because I like some of their soundcloud post. Each time we go it's the same aloof crowd. And I've wasted precious playa time!

[forty_eight]

I was out there for 10 minutes on Thursday AM - just sort of stumbled across it and noticed "hey this is that Robot Heart thing." People seemed pretty high, at first. Then, I thought maybe being a little too cool for school. I was dressed in pretty much default gear because I had just finished setting up camp. Whatever. The music was mellow, but I wasn't tuned in to it really. Interesting scene. But, I like the rest of the city way more than sound camps/art car sound shit.

[robrob]

I've always felt like they are trying to be to exclusive! People were less friendly.

Robot Heart is rad- but I do think much of the music they play attracts a more snobbish crowd.

My ex spends every night there. Like, she might as well buy Robot Heart tickets, because that's her burn. I think their gift is pretty amazing, and I usually can do a couple hours out there, but not all night every night. (but plenty of others can. to each his own)

[RedHeaven]

I've been going out to sound camps and giving em a whirl since 2006. I always got a cold dark vibe out there no matter what camp. Pick a stage any stage. Always. Gotta have a little crew or friend to trudge thru the zombie vibe if that is bothering me. Unless I am feeling zombie like myself, which is pretty rare.

A few occasions, once was Random Rab sunrise in 08, I felt a glowy feeling and some what friendly bubble of love.

Beats Antique out at 2:00 in 2009 was brutally cold. And I'm not talking weather...

Guess I'm just used to dorkier folks or something

I decided that I shouldnt go out to the rave camps to make friends. Just go out to hear some untz.

I bet that Thievery Corp set really lit up the vibe, though!

Music is magic in all of its forms. Black magic, white magic, grey magic.

If I want to make friends out partying, best I climb art or go small club hopping!

[Sandstorm]

For me it's weird to hear people talk about the vibe and crowd at and around Robot Heart being aloof or dark and that's because every time that I've danced with them I had a blast and so did the rest of the crowd. I found them for the first time in '10 just after the Temple Burn and I can honestly say that night was one of the best that I've had in my life. Their music tends to stand out against the generic thump thump that can be found at so many other camps.