DESERT HEARTS PRESENTS: HAUNTED HEARTS at 1015 FOLSOM
Date and time
Location
Refund Policy
Description
Desert Hearts Presents:
Haunted Hearts 2018
WITH
MIKEY LION
LEE REYNOLDS
MARBS
PORKY
PLUS INTERNATIONAL STARS
LATMUN
BUTCH
Friday October 26th / 10pm - 3am / 21+
MIKEY LION Twitter
Soundcloud
IT ALL STARTED WITH WU-TANG & DAFT PUNK...
Part mythical desert harlequin, part modern soul conductor, Mikey Lion is more than a DJ––He’s a freak of nature and a controller of energy. The San Diego-native has earned a dusty mystique over the past few years as the center of the Desert Hearts movement and as a house and techno provocateur with a stage presence that suggests he will ride this wave all the way to the top. If there's one thing Mikey does well, it's get the party started.
Lion has brought the mothafuckin' ruckus to the stages of Lightning in a Bottle, the dustiest storms at Burning Man, and The Do LaB at Coachella, earning nods from Claude VonStroke, Jamie Jones, and Green Velvet in the process. In doing so, Lion and his signature top hat have developed a boisterous voice in the House & Techno scene with strong tribal, hip-hop, and psychedelic elements.
But it all started with Wu-Tang and Daft Punk. Lion first found his way behind the decks as a thirteen year old kid, scratching underground hip-hop records religiously after school. At Coachella as a seventeen year old, he witnessed that legendary Daft Punk performance on the same night he tasted his first dose of psychedelics. The show had such a monumental impact on him, he gave up Hip-Hop and became a House DJ the very next day.
After honing his craft with weekly marathon DJ sessions at Sala Razzmatazz in Barcelona, Mikey was introduced to Burner culture at Lightning in a Bottle, 2011. It was at his first Burning Man in 2011 that he found a community calling and merged forces with his brother Porkchop, life long friends Marbs & Deep Jesus, and the inimitable Lee Reynolds to form The Desert Hearts Crew.
In November 2012, Desert Hearts began as a seedy, 200-person renegade gathering deep in the Mojave Desert. The intrepid crew barely survived a set of extreme weather conditions and unfortunate circumstances, but that first party sparked a fire. The entire point of that first Desert Hearts was to create as much love as humanly possible, and now that same gathering has evolved into the darling of the West Coast house and techno scene. The Bi-annual festival is capped at 3500 attendees in order to create the best possible vibe. Built upon beautiful people getting as weird as possible to deep and trippy house and techno, Desert Hearts has already achieved iconic status in the North American Festival Scene.
Desert Hearts has given rise to a family of thousands and it's safe to call it a bonafide movement of love. And while Desert Hearts Records launched in 2014 as a totally-free record label, pushes the sonic aesthetic of the scene, the crew’s busy international calendar of bookings has the DH message spreading far and wide. At the center of it all is Mikey Lion, the dusty prince of desert hearts, a beacon of weird far and wide, and one of this generation’s most compelling agents of love.
LEE REYNOLDS
Just as rave culture was making its first waves in the UK in 1988, a mad English kid named Lee Reynolds rode his BMX bike across the Atlantic to Los Angeles, carrying with him dreams of big air and sunny skies. He was as wild then as he is now, it’s just that on two wheels, Reynolds’ lack of abandon resulted in broken bones, not broken beats. In 1992, he limped off the ramp one last time and soon found himself lost to electronic psychedelia, and thusly one of the West Coast’s finest DJs began his path to the Desert Hearts movement and the hysteria he now conjures with every performance.
Now, a quarter century later, Reynolds has a lifetime’s worth of experience bringing the weird and the wonderful to the dancefloor. He earned his chops up and down the West Coast in the dance scene’s dustier institutions––Moontribe, Moonshake, LiB––That’s where he developed his endlessly wide palate, penchant for mysticism, and an understanding that a dance party should be a spiritual experience.
“When I DJ, I want people to feel ecstatic, in a zone, in the moment, like the only thing that matters is the dance,” he says. “I don’t want to play music that people can dance to, I want to play music that makes people dance. I want it to sound like aliens are about to land on the dancefloor.”
In 2011, It was an encounter with a plucky bunch of San Diegans barely out of their teens that was the calling Lee Reynolds had spent his whole life working towards. Alongside Mikey Lion, Deep Jesus, Marbs, and Porkchop, Reynolds formed Desert Hearts and the rest is history in motion. Over the past three years of bi-annual renegade ragers and relentless touring, “Papa” Lee Reynolds has developed into the patriarch of the fastest growing and most visible cultural movement in all of stateside dance music.
“My real role in Desert Hearts is more on a spiritual level, making sure we spread a positive message and do the right thing,” says Reynolds. Wise words, maybe, but behind the decks, Reynolds is a maniacal presence as he channels his past lives, tastes, adventures, and perspectives into a dancefloor magic that captures you upon first beat and does not release: House, techno, acid, and breaks, they’re all conjured up in a plume of purple haze and that little mad bastard is at the center of it all.
Dance music now is so often about fast rises and immediate gratification, but Lee Reynolds’ story is a reminder that some beats taste better when slowly fried over the course of 25 years. “I’ve been obsessed with this shit forever and I’ve always believed the madness was coming,” says Reynolds. Well, the madness has commenced, and it seems like it’s here for good––and Lee Reynolds is conducting the score.
MARBS
The sun fades, the last glitter trails of light hit the shimmering and spinning dusty desert disco ball. A throng of dedicated and debauched hard partying Marbie’s Barbies hurtle their way towards center stage (really…they’re Barbies), educated party-goers make their way to the dance floor, no questions asked, while whispers of "King of Darkness, crazy house and techno, psychedelic vibes” spread through the new night sky. The first melodic notes travel the space, ethereal beauty pouring from the stacked Funktion speakers, waving its way through the crowd. Your eyes close, your body grooves to the sounds and the beats and the thuds of the tech house that is now expertly laid out for all to enjoy. Dark and driving, thumping techno is paired with mystical, beautiful, melodic house. That passionately and expertly paired genre bending style can only mean one thing. Marbs has taken the decks.
Having grown up in Southern California with the now notoriously known motley crew called Desert Hearts, Marbs, an artistic kid, was primarily influenced by legends like Pink Floyd and Tool, while also listening to underground hip hop, reggae, and rock, displaying his no holds barred love for all genres from an early age. Flash forward to San Francisco's Love Fest, art cars roaming the city, house music spilling from speakers, and Marbs’ musical tastes were forever changed thanks to ruler of the house music game and party guru, Lee Burridge.
After years of djing the San Diego, LA, and Burning Man party circuits, the Desert Hearts crew took it upon themselves to throw their own kind of party. One built on love, acceptance, and strictly, House and Techno, their 2012 one time gathering of 200 people in the Mojave (the coldest one ever, we swear!!) has turned into one of the most talked about and adored boutique festivals in the US. None of which could be possible without Marbs, lovingly coined, "Papa Bear", he is truly the backbone of the project behind the scenes, where he runs most of the logistics with a steady hand and a humble heart. He’s easily one of the nicest guys on the planet and is the most modest of the crew, which is insane given his endless barrage of talents beyond his musical endeavors. While Desert Hearts catapults successfully into the scene as a major player through their twice yearly festival, touring internationally throwing parties under the moniker City Hearts, and launching a (free!) record label, Marbs continues to hone his production skills and also blows the art game out of the water, hand drawing all of the label’s artwork and inspiring tattoo artists everywhere.
Marbs’ musical talents and humble dj presence commands any dance floor with his sounds of mystical darkness and whimsical tribal rhythms; the night sky is the limit for this King of Darkness. With a sound like no other, a heart of gold, and a determination matched by few, Marbs is sure to lead this movement of love until the very happy end.
PORKY
Don’t be mislead by the light-hearted name, Porkchop is a man who takes partying very seriously. David Leon, as he is otherwise known, is the wildcard of Desert Hearts, the San Diego-bred crew of DJs and rabble-rousers tearing up the underground with deep, dark, and weird house and techno.
A San Diego native, Leon was influenced early on by older brother Mikey Lion and dusty jaunts to Lightning in a Bottle and Black Rock City, but over the past two years, his renown as a DJ and chops on the decks have grown to match his larger-than-life personality.
Porky leveled up his game performing in the mystical jungles of Tulum, the dusty expanses of Burning Man, and perhaps most notably, at the bi-annual Desert Hearts weekenders in Southern California. The group’s ascent from a renegade rager to a dance music phenomenon that has been one of the most celebrated stories in dance music over the past couple of years, and Porkchop’s standout sets and take-no-prisoners party attitude have been at the center of the whole whirlwind.
In a sea of black-shirted stoics, Porkchop pours himself into the DJ booth bursting with life and color. His hair and clothing melt into bright gradients and he smiles unpretentiously as he deals out techno obscurities and house crowd-pleasers alike. His sets are a reminder of why we’re all on the dancefloor in the first place––to party. And nobody gets the party started like Porkchop. He’s noted for being one of the most versatile member of the Desert Hearts Crew. His ability for weaving narratives through genres is clear, and he has a knack for dropping tracks that become moments you remember.
With hair in technicolor and his USB filled at all times with dancefloor demolishers, bursting with love and positive vibes, Porkchop has developed into one of the most unpredictable, but dependable DJ’s in the whole scene. He’s earned his way onto stages with the likes of Lee Burridge, Justin Martin, and Tale of Us, played festivals like Symbiosis and Envision in Costa Rica, five-time veteran at Burning Man, playing iconic camps like Robot Heart and Distrikt, and all over North America with the hot-ticket City Hearts tour. This is just the beginning as Porkchop is only rising. All signs point to 2017 being the Year of the Chop as he cements his place in the highest echelon of underground dance music.
BUTCH
Constantly working in parallels - drenched by a potent mixture of juxtaposition and fluidity in both his sets and his productions - Bülent Gürler AKA Butch, fuses the grey-area space between music of the body and mind. With over 20 years consumed by a thirst for electronic music, the Alzey-born, Mainz raised entity has released on leading imprints such as Desolat, Cocoon, Rekids, Sei Es Drum and beyond, while maintaining a solid DJ schedule that’s seen him opening the minds and hearts of crowds at fabric, Time Warp and his continuing residency at Berlin’s Watergate.
22-years ago, a 12 year old Butch received his first record player, some second hand vinyl and obediently burrowed into his room to scritch-scratch and beat juggle, imitating and idolising the masters he saw at the DMC World Championships and the vinyl culture central to its core. Of course, he grew older and louder and continued to broaden his palate for music. Butch got hooked on the art of sculpting beats sometime in the last millennium. He started with baby-steps in 1991 before reaching his current optimum state - a refined style that’s seen him voted as ‘Best Producer’ in Germany’s Groove and Raveline magazines two years in a row, whilst also sitting atop the All-Time Most Charted section on Resident Advisor.
“My further musical influence came from my brother” reflects Butch…”recording the techno mixes from the radio as he was out at night partying”, he says, explaining the gradual transition from boom-bap to 4-4 funk and drive. “I absorb influence and ideas from everywhere. So, as my music and DJ sets contain many styles, I like to make those different styles too.”
Techno heads love Butch, house heads love Butch, as well as the deep and dirty and the light & bright. Few artists flow through genres and emotional landscapes with such ease and fluidity as Bülent, challenging preconceptions of the dance-floor and the expected outcome in the process. The spark behind his excursions is natural: as a music lover he’s always stayed open to different styles and aesthetics. As an artist, he’s always allowed himself to express his take on each genre – it’s true that with Butch, you never know what to expect, other than consistently fresh and unique output.
Butch's production might have contributed to his rise through the ranks, but it’s his avid work ethic and undying love that gives his success a solid and deep-rooted foundation. Striking a fine line between quantity and quality is no easy task, but this juxtaposition comes easy to an unpredictable talent such as Butch. Holding residencies over the years at venues and clubs such as Sankeys Ibiza and Robert Johnson in Offenbach Germany, Butch continues to squeeze the best out of every after hour party and every club night floor that he holds court over.
Butch might be the hardest-working man in the scene, but it all comes naturally to a man who is first and foremost a music lover by heart. 5 days a week he spends emphatically producing music, as well as performing around the world at various parties, all of whom are looking for the special vibe and touch that Butch brings to his unpredictable, existential sets.
“I like to make people dance and have fun. I’m the captain of the spaceship and I’m driving it. People who come to the show get in the ship – and I take them on a trip. To get into the spaceship, they leave their physical body at the door. You must switch off the real world and switch off the mind. I will do the rest.”
As with any restless entity, Butch is set to further explore pastures new in 2014. He’ll be launching OTHRSIDE and working on more experimental, “psycho-acoustic’ music with friend and percussionist Chris Hohberg. A mixture of sonic soundscapes and electronic structures, the planned album will seek to cast its tracks across the divide of musical consumption and appreciation – an album suited to home listening as much as it is for dance-floor.
Further collaborations are also on the horizon, with a return to making music with friend and cohort Ricardo Villalobos as ButRic - with the two figures being anything but generic, it promises to be another feet twitching, brain melting escapade in Butch’s musical ride.
It’s Butch’s interplanetary connection to the music – and willingness to create out-of-the-box slabs of detailed sound - that maintains his position at the forefront of the underground electronic scene.
LATMUN
Latmun, the moniker of Joe Bradley is making his mark through a unique interpretation of the Tech House soundscape. Both his DJ sets & own productions have a coherent energy, infectious grooves being the key component for crowds to be captivated worldwide.
2016 was career defining for Latmun, with all 3 EP's breaking into the top 10 on the Beatport Tech House releases. This started off with his 'Def' EP on VIVa, which received support from scene heavyweights like Skream, Claptone, Claude Vonstroke, Mathias Tanzmann, Steve Lawler and many more, it still continues to soundtrack the biggest festival stages today. The Dance & Bop EP on Wow! Recordings had similar success and carrying on the momentum through to his most recent offering via Leftwing & Kody's Lost Records. 'Cosmic', the titular track shot all the way up to number 5 in the top 100 tracks chart, showing he earnt being named one of the stand-out artists of 2016. The most exciting project came about when Green Velvet asked him to remix his seminal classic - Flash - alongside the likes of Eats Everything and Oliver $. Considering the relatively short time he's been in the limelight, he's already made a lasting impression.
Showing consistency, 2017 went straight into full throttle with the Everybody’s Dancin’ EP on Green Velvets Relief Records securing the number 1 spot on Beatport. Making sure people knew there was more to come, Latmun then released the appropriately named ‘Groove Tool’ on Lee Foss’s repopulate mars, and is now following up with a debut EP on the coveted Hot Creations titled ‘Footsteps’ to close of 2017. Already gaining support from Jamie Jones, Carl Cox and other scene heavy weights, its sure to be another defining EP for the artist. Coupled with an intense worldwide touring schedule, and an armoury of releases waiting to be unleashed on the most exciting labels in the scene… 2018 is set to be the best yet.
Latmun is an all round lover of music, the rest can be denoted by virtue of listening and experiencing what he brings for yourself. With regular appearances in acclaimed venues such as Ibiza's DC10, Manchesters Warehouse Project and many more; Latmun is sure to be creating moments and sharing experiences on a dancefloor near you.
Latmun is an all round lover of music, the rest can be denoted by virtue of listening and experiencing what he brings for yourself.
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