Crystal Sky Full Moon

[damon]

It's funny how people who bitch about the dancefloor are rarely on it!   

I'm not bitching I'm stating the fact. Main stage dancefloor does not bother me almost at all.

[LucidFaerie]

HAHA thanks for posting the ewok dance Mike! 

And it was my pleasure to make the collage for the entire Chilluminati crew. Just a small thank you for all of the hardwork, time and effort put into all of these events.  My life has drastically changed in the past 1 1/2 years and I know that YOU GUYS play a huge part in that.

Much love!!

[The Fixer]

I think you're reading way too much into the dancefloor. It was fricking cold at night, and not everyone is the macho uberstomper that some are.

Secret Fire and Sacred Earth both had very hiper early morning dance scenes that lasted to daybreak. It was also alot warmer!! It was all weather not some metaphysical or existential quality of the Midwest or the "scene."

I am more for multi-night scenes because for deco and setup it is more bang for the buck. We spend the same amount of time on deco for a 3 night event as a one night event. It feels lame to go just one night now that I've got a taste for it. Of course all the non-deco people don't see that, they only do one set during the whole event, so as long as their set is complete they've spent their load and what's the point of the second night?

I meet way more people on multi-night events too. and there are so many more travellers!! It is a night/day difference between one-night and multi-night parties. I am all into community/meeting people/travellers so one of the things I have learned this year is that I believe that one night scenes are a necessity in the Midwestern Winter, but the rest of the year they are weak.

But the people bleeding their lifeblood on these events determine what happens, and I think it depends on how much the organizers can handle taking days off work, missing sleep, and driving hours to the venue. All this takes a toll.

I personally prefer one night events because, with less creature comforts and a shorter span, people really give it their all.  They're there for the sole purpose of getting down.  And then, *after* it's over, they go home and sleep.

i think the midwest scene may be in more of the one-nighter phase right now, though i really enjoy the chance to stretch things out for a full weekend. let people get a taste of the one-nighters all fall/winter/spring and maybe by next summer they'll be ready for a proper weekend rager (or a 5-day in CO )

[nod]

I think you're reading way too much into the dancefloor. It was fricking cold at night, and not everyone is the macho uberstomper that some are.

i think the cold definitely took its toll on the dancefloor...i know that was part of the reason i went to sleep saturday night (shit i almost couldn't get myself out of my tent in time for my set on the chill stage! ). we've had 'weak' dancefloors here in north carolina before as well - there's really no predicting how people will react once they get out to the party. i think y'all did a great job of preparing people for the long haul - good balance in the lineup, warm fire to dance near, plenty of psyowans out and about, but sometimes the crowd just wusses out (or blows their wad on friday night). plus, its the end of what's been a pretty long summer season...i've spent more weekends camping out at festivals than i have sleeping in the house i moved into a couple of months ago. when you combine that with drive time and other real life bullshit it can be hard to keep it rockin all weekend long...

i definitely do value the deco, and i know how much time & energy goes into it...i've helped shane (the devotee) with his spandex/string art at a few events here and in DC  - including the infected mushroom show where i sadly missed my opportunity to tear out their larynxes and prevent more singing - and i realize its a lot more physical on-site work than it generally takes to dj. there's also plenty of pre-show prep to do, making the designs & building shit in whatever fashion you prefer. this is why god gave us red bull

however, i think djs and other musicians dedicate plenty of time and energy to their part of the event as well...while i only played 2 sets (1.5 hours and 2-ish hours with a little tag-team action) i spend a huge amount of time and money outside of events acquiring new music and filtering through it to pick out the choice goodies - i also tend to spend a lot of time at the event itself listening to other chill djs so i don't play the same shit over again (though admittedly this weekend i did less of that than usual) and thinking about what exactly i am going to play. with all that going on, its great to know that there are people who are dedicated to making the visual side of the party just as immersive as the musical side...but don't forget that the soundsystem will almost always be heavier than the deco

and on a completely unrelated note, that video was great mike - fit quite well with the treva whateva in the background

[The Fixer]

I don't mean to shortchange DJs. I am talking more about the lack of personal acknowledgements of the efforts of the deco artist. DJs seem to do a better job of getting kudos and applause for their work.

Julee has told me it is not uncommon for deco artists to spend days setting up an installation and most people not even recognize who the artists are. I imagine that leads to a pretty high burnout rate on the part of deco artists.

however, i think djs and other musicians dedicate plenty of time and energy to their part of the event as well...while i only played 2 sets (1.5 hours and 2-ish hours with a little tag-team action) i spend a huge amount of time and money outside of events acquiring new music and filtering through it to pick out the choice goodies - i also tend to spend a lot of time at the event itself listening to other chill djs so i don't play the same shit over again (though admittedly this weekend i did less of that than usual) and thinking about what exactly i am going to play. with all that going on, its great to know that there are people who are dedicated to making the visual side of the party just as immersive as the musical side...but don't forget that the soundsystem will almost always be heavier than the deco

[Scatter]

The deco looked great.  THANK YOU to all who did the deco.  It's a great plus to the parties.

[psych0tron]

Awesome time was had. I wish I could've gotten there earlier but another gig on Friday night plus travel time had me arriving at the grounds shortly before sunset on Saturday. For being my first Chilluminati event ever and the first outdoor event I've attended in quite some time, I was thoroughly impressed by all the DJs, the crowd, the atmosphere.. everything =)

I'll deffinently be back for more.

[HARDKORNATE]

The deco looked great.  THANK YOU to all who did the deco.  It's a great plus to the parties.

Ya. Deco was tits.

As far as partiers go, bunch of pussies (except the Iowa people, of course)

[Pauldo]

I posted some pics on tribe:

http://people.tribe.net/3d3833b6-e459-494d-9131-f2aa06c52367/photos

I liked the industrial, totally thought it fit in well, totally danceable and I had seen a sizeable number of people dancing during Psych0tron's set.  I personally got 2 people to attend the event on an industrial act being present.  That same person used to go to a lot of raves previously and he had a view that the event was going to be a typical old skool rave with a certian criminal element.  He ended up commenting on the great nature of the people in attendance, the relaxed atmosphere, good art and good music.  I wonder how much of the Chilluminati parties are associated with "rave" or not, how much some people might like us to be less rave or more rave?  I def try to bring in old skool ravers, great for people who may have been burned out on the rave scene years ago, introduce them to our little psyscene.

[paradigm]

on this deco recognition debate

Deco is an essential part of most  events, that contributes to the atmosphere, vibe and overall context and emoition of it. It can be a thankless task, and is probably one of the most time consuming parts of event set up. I know ive done it plenty of times and have many batiks, and tapesties at home, plus oodles of other items necessary to creat the atmosphere

However we create these events for the music, not the deco, not the alters, so it only goes with out saying that those that are the reason for the event would be the most celebrated.

It no doubt a synergistic relationship, but i also have been to some very magical underground events in the desert, and other natural locals, where deco was sparse if non-existant, and it did not diminish the energy or vibe.

Further more, I am willing to bet that Random as well as Scott & Igor put just as much time into preparing their live sets as was spent on deco set up and concepts.  I also persoanlly put alot of work into my dj sets. Though i can just hop on the decks and play, I like to have a concept of proper flow emoting and vibe to a set. This takes searching for the right choices in music, scoring new and old to find the right compliments. I also will match tracks on key from time to time, and this takes "homework" as i call it.

So please just cause a set may be over in a hour, dont think thats all that went into it.  Sour Grapes dont do anyone anygood, and only serve to ruffle feathers.


On the danceflor debate, Don has summed it up preety good, but i think the single night thing might work better for the midwest scene as it seems they have not fully broken out of the "rave time schedule yet" and are still adapting to the psy/ goa ideal.  If you go to SF, LA or NY, as well as almost any forign trance scene, the peak point of the outdoor  party is between 7am and noon. Not 3am. 3am is the peak point for house and jungle and other edm genres.
I think that with time this will catch on as people slowly get more acustomed to it, The Iowans are proof of that, but getting people used to it wiill take time. I think also it in part has  to do with bashfullness. I takes alot more balls to dance in the daylight when everyone can really see how silly we look.

I think a great idea would be have an event that starts at midnight or even later  and ends at noon. But cycle thru genres and build energy with a single stage. Downtempo to breaks, to prog to psy, with the psy not coming on untill around 4am. By that time the crowds should be amped and waiting for it, and still have the energy to go strong into the morning.

my 2cents, though with this long of a ramble, its more like a quarter

[The Fixer]

However we create these events for the music, not the deco, not the alters, so it only goes with out saying that those that are the reason for the event would be the most celebrated.

"it goes without saying" - no it doesn't, because I completely disagree. Without the deco and the creation of sacred space, this kind of event becomes indistinguishable from a rave or any other music event. I most definitely do not do it for the music. I do it for the balance of light/sound/dance/atmosphere. If I lose a critical portion, I  think it is no longer the kind of party worth celebrating.

If we had mountains or ocean nearby, we could have a different kind of space where deco might be needed less or in a different way. But I think space needs to be created, like pagans draw circles to create space.

Deco requires many hours of work immediately prior to the event, whereas dj's can spread their work out over many weeks in theory if not in practice. It is a different kind of pressure.

[Mike]

oi... let's not get into the whole thing of who/what's more important. We value every contribution towards the event, and everyone is thankful for every single drop of sweat that goes into it. and it's not just about music, it's really about everything! If it was just about the deco, then stay home and decorate your bedrooms. if it was just about the music, then stay home and listen to your headphones. if it was just about the people, then come out more to Onomatopoeia every Wed in Chicago. But hence, it's not. so let's not get into it

[paradigm]

well, I will chalk it all up to personal preference then. You do raise a good point that deco is more a all at once labor intensive undertaking, than the spaced out preperation for a set.
However I have, as i did this past weekend, given all my energy into a performance, and collapesed from exhaustion just after. There is something about performing and being a conducter of emotion and energy to people that takes alot out of you. For some of us it is not just playing music, (as you would have us believe) but something much more that it is beyond description. So please dont diminish what i do. Ive done deco at dozens of my own events, and helped out with others somewhere near the hundreds, but have you ever stood on my side of the fence??
Personally I would much, much rather see a well deco'd out gathering than not, I have  even gone to an event with a shitty lineup to see a good deco artist. Case in point i endured a 3hour set of Void ( or A-void as they are called in certain psy circles) just to go to an event to see the artwork of Punk-a-delic (whio is mindblowing btw), but a sacred space can be made by good intentions, and a little heart, and perhaps a alter.  With the proper setting (which your location is fantastic and i cant help but feel that because you see it all the time you are taking it for granted), all thats needed is the right  music and vibe. Over the top deco is just the icing on the cake, but i disagree whole heartadly that deco is the distinguishing difference between a gathering of this nature and a rave.

I can go back and forth with you on this , with your views versus mine for pages of conversation i am sure,  but this will get us no where, where we are both right, and we are both wrong.  so in the interest of not hijacking this thread any further, Let us just say  it really boils down to personal vision and let us let things move on
Feel free to retort if you wish, but i will no longer respond to this topic as i have said my piece.

[damon]

I also will match tracks on key from time to time, and this takes "homework" as i call it.

Kudos my friend for doing that.

PS. I don't think I've met you last weekend. Next time drinks on me 

[The Fixer]

if it was just about the people, then come out more to Onomatopoeia every Wed in Chicago. But hence, it's not. so let's not get into it

shameless plug.

how about no more events with unpronouncable unspelllable names.

onammamtoaaolalapwoshgogspaieyeaya