Tag: <span>Robot Heart</span>

Festival Reviews

Further Future – The Dark Side of Burning Man

It’s safe to say that Further Future founders Jason Swamy and Robert Scott have the support of Robot Heart fans and Burners alike. With the majority of attendees at this year’s sophomore event having had been to Burning Man at least once (if not five or more times), Further Future was dubbed by many of those attending as “The Dark Side of Burning Man.”

The mission of Further Future is “moving beyond the confines of a traditional music festival,” according to the festival website. “Further Future establishes a modern means of social movement and cultural change, engaging a conscious community through a unique curation of world-class musicians and art, alongside inspiring leaders in the areas of science, entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology.”

It’s an inspirational festival that allows attendees the privilege of self-discovery and soul searching. And it is the most incredible festival that I have ever had the chance to experience.

Further Future truly is so much more than a music festival. It allows for the exploration of technology, gastronomy, music, arts and wellness through an incredible lineup of speakers and activities. It is a festival where one can go and learn: about the future of the world we live in and the future that others see for our world. It is also a festival where one can go and learn about oneself with the help of like-minded individuals who are willing to go adventuring with you to the various enlightening talks of the Visionary Speakers Series, morning and afternoon yoga and mediation, and musical performances that carry on all through the night until sunrise.

The festival gives off insanely cool vibes, instantly upon arrival. Further Future is an extremely remote festival, in the middle of the desert, with the stages and tents being set up far away from any sort of civilization, surrounded by the canyons of Nevada under the big, blue desert sky. The location, while being at the mercy of Mother Nature, allows for attendees to explore themselves, discover one another, and connect in a way that is not possible unless you are in such a remote and awe-inspiring setting.

The energy and good vibes that I felt at Further Future are unlike any I have ever felt. Every Futurist that I met appeared to be on a spiritual journey and most helped to guide me on mine. Everyone affected me on my journey and, as a group, we were given the opportunity to explore, discover, and connect in a remote, Mars-like, breathtaking setting.

It is this energy and these vibes that shaped my experience at this festival. It was the people that I met along the way that made Further Future so special and such an incredible experience.

While the festival struggled a bit with organization and a lot with rain, the overall experience at Further Future was phenomenal. Especially for a festival only in its second year.

With craft Oaxaca-made and Damiana-distilled Mescal tequila, and Richie Hawtin’s own ENTER.Sake being the liquor of choice at the festival; sit-down dinners available for purchase with Frank Gorriceta of Nobu; technology talks with Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt; and headlining musical sets taking you on colourful journeys through the night and into the early hours of the morning with Lee Burridge, Caribou, Nicolas Jaar and Four Tet, it is easy to achieve a mind-blowing, life-altering experience at Further Future.

Further Future turned out to be a primo experience: it was luxurious and mature but maintained the laid-back and loving Burner mentality, with the remoteness of the festival being as humbling as the joy of dancing on the Robot Heart Bus.

The Ethos of Further Future is “to be kind and generous; to be passionate. To be innovative and not afraid to believe. To welcome a range of amazing and inspiring people to share our journey, past the future and beyond the horizon.”

I was lucky enough to experience this ethos at the festival. I came across kindness and generosity from so many people; I was able to pursue some of my own passions at the festival that brought me unabashed joy; I learned how to believe in myself and the possibilities that the future holds for me through explorations at some of the Visionary Speakers. I learned so much about myself, my values, my hopes and dreams.

And at the end of the weekend, Further Future helped me realize the possibilities that the future holds for us: the visionaries, the believers, the changers. Because it is the people and our connection with another that will change the world.

Festival Reviews

Five Best Things Seen at Further Future

I’ve barely washed off the body paint from my journey beyond Vegas at last weekend’s sophomore year of Further Future, and the reality of being back in the city is almost too much for me to handle. To help cope with this though, I’m reminiscing about the festival with a list of the five best things I saw at Further Future.

1. The Brit and the Yank

You know it’s going to be a good festival when the first two people you meet are your camp neighbours who met at the airport on their way to the festival, and, upon knowing each other for t-minus five minutes, decided to camp with one another. Enter the Brit and the Yankee. The Yank recalls seeing the Brit walking through the airport with nothing but a rucksack, looking a little lost. Upon seeing him, he knew he was heading to Further Future as well and, together, they went on a mission to find the somewhat challenging-to-find shuttle bus to the festival. Along the way, they became fast friends and decided to camp with one another, the Yank referring to the Brit as his brother by the end of the weekend. It was this kind of friendly, welcoming energy that could be felt throughout the entire weekend across the festival grounds. With the grand majority of festival attendees having attended Burning Man at least once (if not five or more times), the same sort of Burner mentality and principles could be seen at Further Future. And for someone who has never experienced energy of this sort in such a colossal way, this is enough reason to head back to the festival next year.

2. Sunrise sets with Lee Burridge


Lee Burridge is a techno king. He is known for his amazing sunrise sets on the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man, as well as for his All Day I Dream parties, and for being a pioneer in the underground club scene. He also is known for playing some of the most incredible, lengthy sets, with his sunrise set at Further Future spanning four hours, from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. It seemed that, as the sun rose over the desert, casting the large, cage-like heart above the bus in a majestic golden glow, the energy of the crowd picked up and Lee Burridge dove deeper into the sounds of the underground. More people seemed to appear, fervently dancing in front of the bus, while women in sky-high moon boots continued to dance atop the bus. And the best part of it all wasn’t Lee Burridge’s unique sounds resonating across the Valley of Fire, but the huge grin that remained plastered upon the artist’s face throughout his entire set. Discover Lee Burridge, but definitely discover him while he is performing because the man appears to be at home, in his happy spot, and his joy while he is performing is just as infectious as his beats that will make you dance until the sun has long since risen.

3. Apocalyptic rain storms

Normally, an attendee’s experience at a music festival is very dependant on the weather during that festival. Unfortunately the weather – extreme heat, extreme cold, crazy rain – is completely out of organizers’ hands. The Valley of Fire gets an annual average rainfall of four inches – so not much. Leading into the festival, there were four days of rain. During the festival, there was rain Friday night, and once again Saturday night. While Friday night wasn’t too damaging to the experience, Saturday’s intense rainstorm, filled with thunder and lightning, rivers and lakes in the campgrounds, and washed out roads, had the potential to ruin the weekend for festival-goers and organizers. Instead, the intense weather, that caused evacuations and attendees to take cover wherever they could, encouraged a sort of bonding between attendees. It was a storm one only really witnesses in the desert and it was a storm that was survived together, in the desert. Batten down the tents, take refuge under neighbours canopies or in their cars, and then, celebrate with fireworks. Mother Nature won that day, but she couldn’t put out the fire that burns brightly inside Further Future attendees.

4. Girl power with Amanda Kahlow

Further Future proved that a festival can explore so much more than just music and art. With an astounding Visionary Speakers lineup that saw the likes of Eric Schmidt of Alphabet Inc. and Bob Pittman of iHeartMedia Inc. giving intelligent talks to attendees, Further Future allowed festival-goers to expand their minds by diving into talks about the future of technology, education, food, cannabis, and so much more. Amanda Kahlow of 6sense delivered one of the most empowering talks of the weekend. Exploring the challenges of running her own business, while also being unapologetic of having to be what people sometimes consider a “bitch,” Kahlow reminded us that girl power can be the best power, to never give up on your hopes and dreams, and yes, women can be just as successful as men.

5. Sunset sets with Easy Star All-Stars

Closing the festival was reggae cover band Easy Star All-Stars, followed by HVOB. Seemed like an odd addition to a lineup that was stacked with electronic and techno artists but it worked. And it was fantastic! From trombones and saxophones, to drums and guitars, the band jammed the night away, covering old songs and new songs and demonstrating the fluidity and joy of music. With the barefoot lead singer, Kirsty Rock, who kept dancing and feeling the music throughout the entire set, Easy Star All-Stars helped close down the official festival with a fun, energetic set that embodied the good vibes of the festival and kept the crowd grooving all the way through long past the final sunset.