A DREAM COME TRUE! That is the ONLY way I can describe this celebration!!!
How long I have dreamed of stomping in Iowa... the stars over head, solid ground beneath our feet, and no noise complaints or harassment from any close-minded neighbors! We are so lucky to have this land, surrounded by the awesome and tolerant people of the Lone Tree and Iowa City area!
For me, this event represents a major accomplishment for our electronic music tribe, as we have successfully, confidently, and PEACEFULLY stood behind what we represent, and the positive, genuine values which we attempt to promote with our all-night electronic events. Never have I felt that our message has been THIS clearly heard or our intentions THIS clearly understood.
Together we raised a total of
368 lbs of canned good items which we have already donated to the Iowa City Crisis Center and Food Shelf!!!(we raised 135 lbs at Spring Equinox)
I hope everyone appreciates the land owner's (Jerry's) trust in allowing us to have the event despite his stroke, and I can assure you that he appreciates the amazing condition that his land was returned to him.
So to start off this review... I'd like to say thanks.
Thank YOU, yes YOU... to
anyone, that supported or contributed to this event in
anyway. Whether you simply paid for admission or brought canned good items, gave a DJ, fire, or art performance, helped decorate, set up, tear down, or clean up, or even if you just helped pass out fliers or send the event positive thoughts and energy,
THANK YOU FROM THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF MY MIND, BODY, & SPIRIT!MUSIC: I couldn't have envisioned a better Midwest line up here folks... yes, the line up was not packed with national or internationally known talent, but it WAS packed with some of the very best DJs that the Midwest has to offer. From melodic and happy to robotic and dark, there was an unbelievable variety of sounds, rhythms, melodies, and beats in the music that was played on both stages. Of the chunks of music i was able to catch, EVERY DJ stepped up to give a big time performance. I heard so much music that I had NEVER heard before and so many smooth mixes / transitions that were so carefully planned and executed. The sets I witnessed spoke for themselves, and I could tell that the DJs that were playing really wanted to be there, and that they really wanted to make people move. We are lucky to have this caliber of talent readily available throughout the Midwest.
It makes me feel awesome to know that these Midwest musicians perform on a professional level, with not only great technical skills but great energy behind their performances! I know I was extremely busy at this event and was unable to enjoy nearly any single performer's entire set, but please know that what I caught was extremely pleasing to my ears, and that every single musician I heard made me proud to have them playing at our event. I have been told by many people that there should be more dubstep, breaks, and DnB music at future events, so it was awesome to learn another thing to improve on. I also learned that it is best to prepare ahead for weather, even when the forecast shows no moisture in the air, just in case things get crazy! We will have tents and canopies ready to protect equipment at the first drop of rain for future events. Sorry to anyone who's equipment may have gotten wet, and thank you so much for lending it to us!
DECO: I cannot stress enough that we are a family, and we are a tribe. If it weren't for all those individuals that come out to help decorate, help make decorations, set up their art, and even make their art live, Mindoutpsyde's events would totally lack any type of visual environment. We would be left dancing in the dark, while our ears have all the fun.
From construction paper fractal cut outs, to the high-quality visuals that were projected by Magic Lantern, to the live canvas painting, body painting, and fire performances that were executed throughout the night, to even those folks who helped hang glow sticks or dance around with glow sticks, there was so much contribution to the visual environment of Fractal Fields that it still has me smiling to this very moment! It wouldn't have been the same had everyone not contributed exactly what they did, how they did, when they did.
Thank you for taking off work, for traveling, for putting hours and hours in, for getting excited, for being excited, and for UNLEASHING your excitement here in Iowa! We love you for it!!! Again, sorry to anyone who's paintings or decorations got wet. We will try to prepare better for the rain next time!
FIRE & DRUMS: Wow, wow, WOW! So many fire performers contributed their energy to this event! Hours of practice, planning, and communication went into this ceremony, and the tribal participation of many people from all over the Midwest shows how truly united we are as a collective! It felt extremely uplifting to initiate our own sacred burning ceremony here in Iowa! With the people involved that were organizing and contributing their fire skills to the burn, Thank you so much for making this special for so many people. My spirit is burning BRIGHT, and i am sure that others will testify to the same.
It was truly inspiring to witness the pyramid and its all-seeing-eye, which for me symbolized the corrupt, selfish, greedy intentions of some of the world's wealthiest elite, totally going up in flames as we burned it to the ground. For me, it was as if we were sending out a huge surge of positive energy to help further accelerate the process of vanquishing the darkness in the world.
When you light a small candle in a dark room, the surrounding darkness immediately flees. However, the reverse is not true, since darkness does not cause light to flee. This fire ceremony, and this entire event, lit a HUGE candle in the minds and hearts of many people, including myself, and I have a very strong feeling that the darkness in our world is now fleeing at an even faster pace.
Cheers to making the world a better place, and to peace, love, happiness and truth for ALL!
WRAP UP: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! ANYONE AND EVERYONE INVOLVED! Each of us are one piece of this amazing puzzle, an ever changing formula / recipe which makes each event somehow different and better then the last! It felt amazing to stomp outdoors with everyone, to great music of a variety of styles, to witness some amazing art, to be involved in some amazing fire performances, to feel the tribal drums beating against my mind, to feel the rain cooling my body during the late morning, to feel my feet hit the even ground in synchronicity with the beat, and most importantly, it felt great to have SO MANY AWESOME PEOPLE in the same place, at the same time, all just hanging out, enjoying music and art, and CELEBRATING LIFE. Thank you SO MUCH for making this event so special to me and everyone else who left this party with an uplifted spirit!
Thank you everyone one last time, Love and light to you all, and we hope to have you at the next one!
We are a team, we are a family, we are a tribe.
BOM SHANKAR = WE ARE ONE
