The Wonder of Synthwave
Loud sound systems. Bumping bass that sings through trees. How do we get festival quality music at our burn?
Well, for that answer you would have to ask the subwoofers. This is not that article. This is the article I sat down (through signal chat) with our up and coming DJ Danger Kitten to talk about all the wonder their FIRST EVER set is bringing to playa at Camp Du Jour, 7pm on Friday evening.
"In the 80s, there was a sense of wonder at the possibility of a future where all of us could use technology that at the time was radically new and astronomically expensive. Music-makers of all stripes saw how computerized synthesizer technology opened up enormous potential for emotional expression, and it gave them a type of hope and optimism that is instantly recognizable as distinctly 80s.
A rainy weekend camping in rural Pennsylvania during a dystopian time when technology oligarchs control almost every aspect of our lives seems like an odd choice of context for revisiting that optimistic vision. But I was drawn to the contrast as I curated a set of music to play at sunset Friday.
From the perspective of the 80s, we’re 40 years in the future, a quarter century into a new millennium, and everyday musicians, producers, and yes, even first-time DJs like me do have access to that kind of technology. And it turns out that one place to find the freedom to experience the range of emotional possibility born in the 80s is not the driver’s seat of a supercar on a Miami highway, but rather a big field in rural Pennsylvania hosting a regional burn.
From the perspective of the present, the 80s’ synthy vision of the future turns out to have been much less naïve and much more sophisticated than we’ve come to accept it to be, and I think that itself is a wonder. What’s more, our technology is more sophisticated and powerful than it was back then, which most notably means modern synth music has crisper highs and much deeper bass.
My set gives my burn community the opportunity to go together on an exploration of a vision of the future that actually has not been lost but is more alive than it has ever been."
Sounds like your kind of frequency? Wanna nerd out about synthwave? Find Danger Kitten camping with Radish. Now, I know they are stunning but please remember consent.
Well, for that answer you would have to ask the subwoofers. This is not that article. This is the article I sat down (through signal chat) with our up and coming DJ Danger Kitten to talk about all the wonder their FIRST EVER set is bringing to playa at Camp Du Jour, 7pm on Friday evening.
"In the 80s, there was a sense of wonder at the possibility of a future where all of us could use technology that at the time was radically new and astronomically expensive. Music-makers of all stripes saw how computerized synthesizer technology opened up enormous potential for emotional expression, and it gave them a type of hope and optimism that is instantly recognizable as distinctly 80s.
A rainy weekend camping in rural Pennsylvania during a dystopian time when technology oligarchs control almost every aspect of our lives seems like an odd choice of context for revisiting that optimistic vision. But I was drawn to the contrast as I curated a set of music to play at sunset Friday.
From the perspective of the 80s, we’re 40 years in the future, a quarter century into a new millennium, and everyday musicians, producers, and yes, even first-time DJs like me do have access to that kind of technology. And it turns out that one place to find the freedom to experience the range of emotional possibility born in the 80s is not the driver’s seat of a supercar on a Miami highway, but rather a big field in rural Pennsylvania hosting a regional burn.
From the perspective of the present, the 80s’ synthy vision of the future turns out to have been much less naïve and much more sophisticated than we’ve come to accept it to be, and I think that itself is a wonder. What’s more, our technology is more sophisticated and powerful than it was back then, which most notably means modern synth music has crisper highs and much deeper bass.
My set gives my burn community the opportunity to go together on an exploration of a vision of the future that actually has not been lost but is more alive than it has ever been."
Sounds like your kind of frequency? Wanna nerd out about synthwave? Find Danger Kitten camping with Radish. Now, I know they are stunning but please remember consent.
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