Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Tune in to These BMIR DJ Playlists

It may be their off-season, but your Burning Man Information Radio (94.5) DJs have been busy putting their curatorial genius to work on SoundCloud. Now when a BMIR DJ makes a playlist, you know it’s gonna be good — and I did expect some cool and esoteric picks. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the emotional range and sheer personality of the things. Press play, and you’ll see what I mean in the first of several posts that showcase the ace taste among us.

Jennifer “Jex” Longo, Production Director, BMIR

Please meet Jex, aka Jennifer Longo, a musician, veteran Burner, and the Production Director of BMIR. On the flip side, she’s also one half of the music project subatomica, the Production Director for New Mexico stations KTAO, 101.9 and LUNA 96.7, and a software engineering student.

In 2008, she journeyed her first Burning Man and, to no surprise (she’d been in love with audio since she was three), found herself involved in BMIR years later. “BMIR is my family — an eclectic menagerie of musicians, DJs, engineers, techies, and music enthusiasts, who build a station from the ground up and curate a plethora of delicious, obscure, and abstract music your ears can indulge in,” she says. Jex’s playlist provides a taste of this magic. Ranging from deep cuts, seductive cumbia, entrancing auditory bliss, and abstract underground, her choices are meticulously selected and played during the pre-dawn bewitching hours as participants begin their journey into the surreal and cacophonous heart of Black Rock City.

Audrey Loraine, BMIR DJ

“The intention behind this mix is to make whoever listens to it stop, cock their head to listen, and then laugh,” Audrey reveals.

Joshua “Kanizzle” Cunningham, Operations Manager, BMIR

First, a bit about the Operations Manager of BMIR. This “Cheshire incarnate,” “absurdist extraordinaire” is a 12-year BMIR vet and 20-year professional radio vet. He makes a lot of the stuff (and noise) happen behind the scenes throughout the year so you can enjoy the radio waves in BRC. He says he hates bios, but he loves cute animals, large mountains, and bass music.

As for his playlist, here’s the deal: “My friend Squachek said one of my fav quotes about TTITD a few years ago: ‘The best thing about Burning Man is that it’s about absolutely nothing.’ Trying to put any sort of definition onto what we’re doing out there beyond our own subjective experience is basically impossible, yet maybe telling a story through music is a little more attainable? Burning Man to me is strange, boundary pushing, awe inspiring, sexy, dark, magical, enlightening, scary, elated, and absolutely psychedelic. These songs were picked because they told that story of, in some order that all of us have probably experienced in some form of emotional rollercoaster or another in the Black Rock Desert over the course of a week or even a couple hours. The playlist is meant to be listened to in the order it was sequenced… unless… you don’t want to. Then just hit shuffle. Whatever. Do you.”

“At the very end is an hour long interview I did with David Best a couple of years ago, during what was supposed to be his last temple. It’s some great insights into this man’s beautiful soul and why he does what he does. I hope you enjoy, and allow it to end your journey through whatever madness I’ve unleashed throughout your neurons in this first of many playlists for your eardrums.”


Top photo by Steven Fritz

About the author: Mia Quagliarello

Mia Quagliarello

Mia Quagliarello is Burning Man Project's Digital Community Manager. She went to Burning Man for the first time in 2006 (seven months pregnant, no less) and immediately wanted to leave. (She didn't know dust storms were a thing.) But 24 hours after that initial shock, she fell in love with it, and it's been a part of her life in big and small ways ever since. On playa, you'll usually find her camping in Kidsville, riding Bahamut the dragon, or hugging a speaker because she loves music so much.

6 Comments on “Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Tune in to These BMIR DJ Playlists

  • It says

    This track is not available in your country.
    Play related tracks

    Why not on stream?

    Its Icecold on the line.:)

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  • roissy says:

    I mostly stopped listening to BMIR on Playa because most of the music is just a rehash of what you hear on the outside… ie: no surprises…
    These are an improvement…

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    • Thanks for resolving the admin probs !

      Sounds like the 2016 repeat?

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    • Kanizzle says:

      In my playlist there are 14 tracks with under 15k plays.

      So are you really THAT hip that you happen to be one of those 15k people that have heard those tracks?

      Like seriously, did you really listen? You can’t tell me that you have heard ALL these songs. Quite a bit of world music and psychedelia for your thirsty eardrums.

      Or is it because they’re mostly electronic? Is that your problem? If yes, then just say that. But we plenty of dj’s who don’t play electronic music. And we go out of our way to tell our dj’s to NEVER play things that you would hear on the radio outside of Burning Man.

      So, unless you’re the king of tastemaking the world over, maybe take a step back and really dig into these selections that were purposefully curated because I’d hoped that you HADN’T heard them.

      Much love, and snark…..

      Kanizzle

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  • I would like to thank you for your nicely written post

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