Music Monday: Olive F, Sam Divine, Ladymonix, and a taste of Burning Man
Love link letter #2: Here's some music for the soul.
I’m still unpacking what was a beautiful escape from the doldrums of daily life: A weekend of camping at the San Benito County Fairgrounds where 3,500 people transformed an expanse for horses and carnivals into a small town of tents and canopies, bookended by tricycle race track, a roaming El Pulpo, a Kentucky DISturby, a magical butterfly that loved classical music, and a smattering of RVs.
In its center, past the children serving pancakes and the adults serving grilled cheese, a large red truck full of stuffed animals hid under a massive, illuminated UFO-style art piece, engulfed in sound, with dancers all around it.
In other words, I just came back from unSCruz, the regional Burning Man event without the dust.
I had the pleasure of playing sunset sets for two days in a row with my Burning Man crew, Heavy Petting Zoo, under the epic Empyrean Gate at Entheos and guided by the beautiful soundscape at The Sound Garden. You can listen to that set here.
Here’s some more music I’ve been loving lately to start off your week.
Who I’m Digging
Olive F has been one of my favorite recent soulful House selectors lately. She has a way of bringing that classic smooth House rhythm into today’s fast-moving world. It shows with her gripping, hypnotic old-school Deep House selections.
Sam Divine has been a staple of the global House music scene for decades, and I’ve been going back to this DJ Mag set every time I’m searching for inspiration. Also known as the “Queen of Defected,” she’s been involved with Defected Records since 20099. I wish she would make her way back to San Francisco. Or heck, I’d love to catch her and the Defected crew in Ibiza, Croatia, or Malta one day.
And finally, LADYMONIX, a Deep House staple based out of Detroit who happens to be coming to San Francisco this weekend. I’ll be there, and I can’t wait to bask in her soulful tunes again at Movement in a few weeks.
A quick aside: I’d love for you to subscribe to this little meditative experience called a newsletter. If you’ve been to my shows as Black Panda, you know I love to stay connected to the people around me. Much love.
What’s Next?
It’s Taurus season, folks. We’ve got a whole lot cooking in May, including the first-ever Paradise Found. Let’s make it even more special: It’ll be not only my birthday party but also part of my friend Nikki’s celebratory weekend. With that comes a little treat: If you buy a ticket now, you’ll get a second ticket for free to bring a homie with you.
May 11: It’s Giving Mother @ Hibernia Bank. Daytime rooftop party? C’mon now. I’ll be playing alongside some friends vRok, DJ Trevs, Lil Surr, and TCILT. Let’s ring in Mother’s Day together. Get your tickets here.
May 16: “Reset The Rhythm” release on Black Techno Matters’ Liber8 Compilation. It’ll be my second release of the year, and I’m so excited to join the BTM crew. They’re doing an amazing job uplifting the Blackness of techno’s beginnings. They’re already planning a nationwide series of pop-up parties in honor of Juneteenth. I’m honored that they took on my groovy techno and House hybrid. You can buy the whole Liber8 compilation here on Bandcamp.
May 18: Soul Salon Bay to Breakers Edition @ Location TBD: We’ve got a special pop-up edition of Soul Salon. Will it be outdoors? Will it be a house party? Stay tuned to find out. Subscribe to On Beat, and I’ll keep you posted.
May 21: Pandamonium Takeover @ F8: An Ode to Detroit House and Techno with Strut SF. I’m excited to share more about this. We’re properly preparing for Movement with all the sounds inspired by the birthplace of Techno. In the front room, our friends at Strut SF will be hosting Anthony Mansfield, Jason Peters, and Amatric. Get your tickets here.
May 24 - May 26: Movement Festival Detroit: This is the Mecca of Techno. I can’t wait to finally go on this pilgrimage to Detroit to get inspired. I’m especially excited to check out the Detroit Love, Defected, Black Techno Matters, and KMS Records after parties. Here’s a whole list of the parties for the weekend. It’s quite insane. Hit me up if you’re going, and let’s revel in it together! And if you happen to be a promoter reading this, here’s my press kit (EPK).
Saturday, May 31 - Pandamonium Presents: Paradise Found @ Bergerac (SF): This one’s massive. It’s my first ticketed event, and we’ve got a jam-packed lineup. I want to bring the immediacy and intention I saw in Sydney and elsewhere into Bergerac that night, just as we do on every dance floor we grace. We’ve got audiovisuals from DJ Maculate, go-go dancing from Voluptuous Vibes, and dancing from the incredible drag queen, Amyl Westwood. We’ve also got a stellar lineup of dear friends who are doing amazing work in the San Francisco Bay Area dance scene from Charles Hawthorne (subscribe to their newsletter!) to Bay B Sol to GOMA to NISA. Get your tickets now for $10.
Let’s Not Forget
As a treat for making it to the end, here’s a pic of Nano.
Edwin “Eddie” Rios is a Brooklyn-born, Oakland-based freelance writer and DJ/producer (Black Panda). You can find his writing life here. You can follow his musical journey here. Here’s his SoundCloud and Spotify. Share this with your friends.