I’ve had the pleasure and honor to play the bus three times now, however this time I decided to take a different musical direction. As the bus was getting ready to depart, I started the journey with experimental tribal, synth rhythms, then in true celebratory form I brought the house-y vibes to gear us up for what would be a truly magical night…
So many emotions and thoughts go through my head as I am writing this. It was an unplanned and unexpected play for me this past year. I heard the news only a few hours before, when my dear friends Gunita and Colin came to wake me up. Without a flinch I quickly got myself together while various groups of friends stopped by to rally after getting wind of the news. My dear friend Atousa styled me while I quickly prepared music with my muse, Bilaliwood, then we all set out to find the bus. We had a little trouble and couldn’t see any sign of the heart at first, but after some time we bumped into two lovebirds and asked if they knew where Robot Heart was. They replied, “Out there”, pointing to the deep Playa. At this point I realized I have a flat tire, so I pushed my bike back to Big Imagination where we were camped, and I started thinking to myself that I was going to fail and miss the whole thing. My beloved friend Simar found a fellow camp-member’s working bike, then he and Bilal decided to escort me.. Just as we’re about to head out, Bilal and I ask another couple where the bus is; they sadly replied, “They’re not doing it tonight” and pointed back to the Robot Heart camp. This is when I decided to let go and surrender to the Universe and let whatever is meant to be…be.
After a bit of struggle trying to find the bus, it turned out the bus was still parked and the heart just wasn’t lit yet. Nonetheless, Bilal, Simar and I dropped the bikes and walked over… Literally, right as we turn the corner of the bus, the heart LIGHTS UP! This is the moment when I “officially” met Gary!
Shocking as it may be (and is to me), though I’ve known Swamy, Dill and Ben, well over a decade now, I had only briefly met Geo once. There were a lot of people surrounding Geo at the time, so I was never really properly introduced nor got the time to connect. I told this to Gary after walking up to the bus that night, but in the totality of our conversation throughout the night before/during and after my set, Gary and I covered so many life-topics and learned a great deal about each other. What transpired during that time was nothing short of beautiful. I got to know Geo through the energy of his brother Gary. We also learned that he and I technically met many years ago... Back in 2010, my second year on the Playa, I tagged with Lee Burridge and when we were done a massive dust storm developed and wiped us ALL out, literally. As I was telling Gary about that experience, he tells me that he was the one who was driving the bus that day and remembers it clearly.
This was my 10th Year on the Playa and the true highlight for me was getting to know Gary on a deeper level, mixed with the fireworks going off simultaneously during our AH-MAZING conversation and at the perfect time during my set. It all seemed kismet and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The fact is, the desert is my favorite place on the planet, and the pleasure and journey to play on the bus every year is something that I hold sacred and would do in a heartbeat. The Playa always provides... For me, this past year’s experience was a reminder to let go and always SURRENDER to the Universe!
MEGALOVE to the whole Robot Heart crew and all of YOU for making this and every year such a wonderful and otherworldly experience!
-N-
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Photo Credit:
Christian Lamb
John Dill
