ideologies, and literatures. Although not exclusively a neo-pagan event (or any other
distinctive or exclusive kind of event), it contains many neo-pagan and sacred
elements that we will explore within this chapter. It is a temporary spatial
phenomenon that its participants construct as sacred and even utopian. Burning
Man focuses on the ecstatic creation of community. It urges participants to celebrate
embodiment and features radical inversions of social norms. It embraces the
exploration and use of ritual. It is deeply entwined with the participative ethos of
DIY (do-it-yourself) culture and politics (McKay 1998). It embraces contemporary
technology, extensively using the internet as a recruitment, organizational, and
communication medium (Gibson 1999). Like the “doof”—an important post-rave
manifestation (see St. John 2001; Tramacchi 2000)—it is opposed to
commercialism and commercial sponsorship, seeks a participative ethos, and follows
an environmental “leave no trace” ethic.^1 Finally music (electronic and otherwise)
plays a key role within the event. Due to its importance within this volume, we will
introduce the role of music before turning to our central exploration. To
demonstrate how a Burning Man participant’s experience of the event is shaped by
music, we will begin by considering and analyzing “Alexander’s” recounting of his
experiences after he entered Burning Man for the first time.^2
We stopped at another gate for info on where to set-up camp. Apparently
there was a “quiet” side (South) and a “loud” side (North). We picked the
“loud” side.... There weren’t many signs of people, just a million tents and
wisps of smoke slowly rising in the distance. In contrast, the spacey sounds of
techno music were pounding the desert sky. It added to the surreal ambiance
of this strange new world we had entered...Burning Man had lots of music.
Yeah there was plenty of electronica in the air, but I also saw rock and reggae
bands. One afternoon, I grooved for hours to a Latin band in the neighboring
camp. Some complained of the constant techno dance music. The techno did
seem to play 24/7 here.^3There are several important points to note in Alexander’s account that link our
examination of Burning Man to the investigation of post-rave techno culture. First,
Alexander begins by telling us how, from the very first moments of their Burning Man
experience, the sound of music spatially orients participants within Burning Man. The
volume of music unites and divides Burning Man communities, as people arrange
themselves preferentially in response to it. Alexander’s experience of his social reality
is also shaped by his interpretation of sonic reality at the event. Diversity in music
can be seen as an expression of tolerance for diversity in culture and way of life.
Grooving for hours to Latin music can be construed in some sense as an accepting
experience of another culture, a signal of the expansive inclusiveness of Burning
Man’s culture. The ubiquity of the beat seems to signal a different type of social
space, and perhaps the phase-shifting to a different timing for everyday life. The
presence of 24/7 techno, rather than signaling a rave, therefore signals a liminal
space (Turner 1967), a place that is betwixt and between, a site where the party is
286 ROBERT V.KOZINETS AND JOHN F.SHERRY, JR