Review: Kicking this mix off is a tune from the Zimm himself, the opening song to the score for the third Pirates movie (there is a fourth on the way). The lyrics set the theme of "the criminal versus the tyrant". Mixing immediately out of the stomping of the opening track is Maynard's "Counting Bodies", switching the voice of the theme from the criminal to the mind of the tyrant and it's particular form of "protection". Carrying the mix to the end is Diplo's "Summer's Gonna Hurt You", a track so heavily influenced by the band Leftfield that one can almost abstract elements from different songs now more than a decade old. No complaints there, as one can never get enough Leftfield.

Sending mad gratitude out to the crew of the Gypsy Queen, easily one of my favorite art cars on the playa in years. Their late night DJ was mixing glitch and grime to the likes of Widdler, Glitch Mob and Mimosa. Who even knows about Mimosa other than me? I had such a great time dancing on this tug boat that I went and hunted down the DJ after the boat had docked. Sadly, I missed him, but found the house DJ, thanking him and forwarding thanks for the late night awesome music as well. Turns out they were camped right near by my own tent, so I was able to hitch a ride home the last few nights just by hunting down my favorite mobile party.

Music: The Glitch Mob has landed. Their year of touring paid off in a big way, as I couldn't walk three city blocks in the desert without hearing them. I couldn't believe it. Easily the song that dominated was their remix of "West Coast Rocks". It's one of their most popular songs, and easily the highlight of their energy packed shows. Also, a large portion of BRC's populace are from California, so the song makes all the more sense. While the Mob didn't make an appearance themselves, they've already made an entrance towards dominating the playa. Already looking forward to see how much more technical, glitchy tunes infect the desert next year.

Art: The temple--The Fire of Fires--is tied for my favorite temple of all time. It was opposite in almost every way to last year's--The Basura Sagrada. The Sagrada was angular, with sharp points and made almost entirely from reclaimed and purified materials. The Fire of Fires was almost all curves, an admixture of spirals and circles. Even the angular parts built in curves, whereas the points exploded from the central flame at the top. There was a lot of incredible art, as well as fun... the towering slide (50ft? 100ft?) being another highlight. Sheesh! Props to the Man as well. I usually shrug off the centerpiece that is this event's namesake, but this year's design really was awesome. Easily inspired by The Waffle of '06.

Community: This is the first year ever that I've gone rogue without a camp. I really felt it about a week after the burn, as I just didn't get enough of the peeps I love. I had hella fun in every other aspect, but was nearing the empty mark when it came to quality time with the tribe. At the same time, I met a lot of new faces from around the world and had a completely different experience this year than years previously. I missed one wedding from showing up too late on the playa, then missed a second wedding due to tent destruction by storm... doh. We'll see what next year holds.

Afterparty: Mad props to Reno-Tahoe International. Some parts of Reno can be very unfriendly to burners. Not so with the airport. The woman checking me in on my way outta Reno actually complimented me on how much dust I got out of my bags. Security was actually joking with us as we fumbled thru their check point... a true blessing, especially when you've had your logic circuit blown and are still repairing. This year, I wrapped a little "welcome back to the Default World" care package for myself that included my passport, my ticket receipt and some cash, then put it in my water bag where it would never be at risk of loss. Because of this, I had absolutely zero worries on the playa, so I completely let go this year... and am still recovering. Reno's lil airport made that re-entry so much easier.

Y Mas: Finally, sending mad props to the biobus, as this lil space shuttle drove us out to the desert from the airport with a stop off at Whole Foods for noms and water. Alejandro, our shuttle pilot, somehow spotted me as "the music guy" the second he met me and set me up as DJ for the bus on our way out. It was a drunken, crazy body party of a ride that I plan to repeat as often as possible in the future. More than half our bus were virgins, so it was the first time I got to see the gate keepers initiate a whole mass of people at once. Sold for life bitches... I'll be on the biobus again next year.

Next year's theme is Metropolis. While nowhere near as inspiring as this year, it's no downer. I'm expecting some towering art installations, plenty of art deco and some generous helpings from the cyberpunk scene. Either way, I'll be there. I never really leave.

Much love my peeps!