One Time at Desert Hearts Festival…

If we ask almost any of the DJs, music producers, and performers who performed at Desert Hearts Festival this weekend what makes the occasion so particular, most will in all probability take us on an extended stroll down reminiscence lane. And, why not?

For a pageant in its eleventh 12 months, recognized for its tight-knit crew, and potent love-centric philosophy few ship magic fairly like the dual labels: Desert Hearts Records and Desert Hearts Black. After greater than a decade of throwing this music pageant, these younger titans know the best way to get bizarre in probably the most irresistible vogue. They can get bouncy and enjoyable within the trippiest methods in the course of the day, however then go storied and cinematic with tunes so darkish they make the night time come alive.

Between a last-minute venue change to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and a difficult financial time that makes the whole lot from throwing a celebration to purchasing a ticket slightly tougher, Desert Hearts Festival is definitely going to be a particular one this 12 months. Beyond juggernauts of the dance scene like Skream, Dusky, Mark Farina, Lee Foss, Melé, and Catz ‘N Dogz–simply to call a couple of, this explicit version of the pageant is serendipitously extra intimate than the larger, more moderen iterations of the fest–a high quality music followers all the time lengthy for as the key will get out about our most cherished events and inevitably they develop into more and more fashionable.

Like discovering a pageant in a time capsule, for a lot of, Desert Hearts Festival 2023 would possibly even have been extra “like it used to be” than it has been or shall be once more for some time. It’s an necessary step on an extended journey for the crew and their followers as nicely. It was experientially extra akin to the City Hearts occasions of previous years. A far cry from the earthy, pashmina-rocking, tenting music pageant that Desert Hearts is so well-known (and cherished) for being, however within the context of the present financial state of the business, that was simply outweighed by the truth that a lot of our favourite boutique home and techno occasions have already cancelled on 2023. It’s really admirable that even with the challenges of adjusting a venue final minute Desert Hearts did not take a go on the 12 months as nicely. It took guts to take that probability amid shifting plans, and it will in all probability repay huge within the hearts and minds of home and techno lovers. One factor we are able to say for certain, this 12 months there shall be much more cherished tales that begin out with these 5 little phrases: “one time at Desert Hearts Festival…”

Justin Martin performs an epic dawn set for one of many largest all-night turnouts within the pageant’s historical past.

C/o Desert Hearts Festival

To study extra concerning the golden vibes that home and techno followers and performers have skilled through the years at the pageant, we requested a number of the most devastatingly badass OG’s on the lineup to share their favourite Desert Hearts Festival reminiscence.

Read on to listen to each what they sound like and what they needed to say.

Justin Martin

“I have had the honor of playing quite a few Desert Hearts parties… but, by far my favorite memory was being granted the sunrise time slot in 2022. I still get goosebumps thinking about that morning, the amount of love that I was surrounded by on stage, and magical energy radiating from the crowd. The community that this crew has cultivated over the years is truly outstanding! Second to none! I am so excited to be back with everyone this weekend.”

Mary Droppinz

“My fav memory was when I was on stage at city hearts (DHLA) in 2019 and watched Patrick Topping take the tempo up to 150 bpm. That’s the first time I had gotten to experience that with my own eyes and I’ve been loving the fast lane ever since! DH has always been super influential and inspiring for me as a DJ since I first started attending the festivals in 2015.”

Rinzen

“My favorite DH memory was getting to play the festival for the first time in 2019! After attending the festival as a fan for many years, it was so surreal to be on the decks myself, at the helm of the music for 2 hours during sunrise. I distinctly remember the moment of the sun peaking out over the trees, and how alive and present I felt in that moment.”

Cascandy (aka Andreas Henneberg)

“The first ever Cascandy show with the Desert Hearts family was at the autumn edition of the festival back in 2015 at Los Coyotes. This was everything! The people, the music, the crew and the vibe was something very special. We don’t have anything similar to this in Europe.

I’m more than proud to be a part of this special event at the LA Coliseum. Let’s rock that sh*t!”