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outfits. In the distance you can see the
artcars driving across the desert and
when you look up there’s a clear sky and
the shape of mountains on either side.
Awesome is the only word to describe it.”
We continue rocking through ’til Syd’s
sunrise set and beyond, caning it with Lee
and American house jock DJ Dan.
An annual visitor since his first trip three
years ago, Burning Man and the Opulent
Temple continue to strike a chord with
Dan.
“I’m still blown away by how kind and
generous everyone is, everyone looking
out for each other and just showing an
honest love for their fellow man,” says
Dan. “The amount of creativity that
people put into their art, music and
clothing is so inspiring. I haven’t felt this
much electricity in the air since the early
rave days.
Following an extended power nap, we’re “The people here are of all ages and all
back at the Opulent Temple in time for walks of life but they’re all here for the
tonight’s belly-dance show and then same reason — to inspire and be inspired,
throw ourselves into the middle of the to give and receive love and to love and
throng as Jefr Tale and femme fatale respect the land and each other. Every
Dulce Vita apply the right amount of bass year it refuels my soul.”
pressure, setting it up perfectly for UK
breaks funkateers Ali B, Dylan Rhymes Special Magic
and Lee Coombs. In succession, tonight’s Friday night is the real biggie for Syd and
Brit contingent drench the crowd in an his crew. DJ Dan is playing tonight along
electrical storm of house, rib-rattling with Christopher Lawrence, with Carl Cox
tech, rocket-powered electro and making his Burning Man debut at the
ass-shaking acid accentuated with their Opulent Temple. Rubbing our eyes awake,
funkified breaks. Every bone in our body is it’s well into the evening and the sound
aching but non-more so than our stage is unusually silent. There’s a huge
cheekbones, sore from flashing constant crowd gathering but no music. Fuck.
grins as each tune kicks in. Calmly (at least it seems), as the minutes
“That DJ booth is one of the greatest stretch into hours, the sound engineers
places to DJ in the world,” chuckles Lee work out the cause of the problem and fix
after his set. “I’ve played a huge range of it. With the line-up reshuffled, DJ Dan
clubs and festivals over the years but this makes up for lost time by slamming down
is truly original. Where else would you some fucked-up twisted house as the
resident Vinkalmann veers down a more who really make the camp happen,” says have a giant metal pod with massive crowd swells beyond imagination.
progressive route and as DJ-controlled Syd. “They’re motivated by the same thing flame-throwers on the top that the DJ Carl Cox on the bill has a magnetic impact.
flames shoot out from the booth, lighting I was in the beginning, to rock Burning controls? There’s nothing quite like Around 5000 people have been drawn to
up the scene in a fierce orange glow, Man at the biggest sound camp. Others letting off a huge flame as one of your the Opulent Temple and the fug of creative
there’s nowhere on earth we’d rather be have offered to help after being touched favourite records kicks in. energy is all but crackling. Lasers dance in
right now. It’s quite a party. by their previous experiences here, epic “All you can see out of the booth is the sky as Coxy drops his first record. The
But what really strikes is that while Opel experiences at Opulent Temple that have thousands of people dressed in crazy invisible touchpaper has been lit and Carl
Productions is Syd’s commercial venture, completely changed their lives. I’ve had
the Opulent Temple is a completely people emphatically say, ‘Dude, you
self-funded exercise. Everyone donates changed my life, ‘You saved my marriage’,
their time and expertise for free. No-one ‘You’ve renewed my faith and vigour’ and
gets paid a penny, not even the DJs. The that’s why they help us.”
$60K production costs are met through a
series of fund-raisers held throughout the Bass Pressure
year. And sadly failing to recognise music After dancing until sunrise and following
as art, the Burning Man organisation offer a few hours sleep we feel strangely
no financial support. Hell, the OT crew refreshed. So we walk the few miles over
and the DJs even have to buy their own to The Deep End where Syd is playing an
tickets! electro classics set. But it takes longer,
“I have nothing but admiration for the OT much longer, to get there than we
guys,” says Lee Coombs when we bump reckoned and by the time we make it
into him. “They put in so much hard work we’ve missed Syd. After an unsuccessful
to make this happen and it’s really all for scout around to find him, we opt for the
the love.” long walk back. Then just as Syd,
Of course, Syd is at pains to point out that Samantha and Brenda make it back to the
he couldn’t stage the Opulent Temple on RV we come over all faint. With our head
his own. between our knees, their concerned
“There’s around 130 people in the camp fussing leaves us mightily embarrassed.
and probably a core of about 30 people The desert has just whipped our ass.
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