In less than four years, the Deserts Hearts family has developed from an unknown SoCal entity to a burgeoning community centred around a distinct love for positive vibes and essential House & Techno goodness. April 1st sees the crew throw down for their highly anticipated 2016 Spring Festival – an event, which will see a bundle of top quality artists turning up including the likes of Butch, Dance Spirit, Atish, DJ Harvey, Extrawelt, Patrice Baumel and Joyce Muniz. Ahead the party we caught up with the troop spiritual leader and Minister of Design Lee Reynolds, who, in addition to providing an exclusive sixty minute selection to whet the appetite, talked us through the festival concept, the DH vision and exactly what they have in store for the latest edition!

WWD: Thanks for joining us Lee! Where are you right now and what have you checked off the to-do list this week?

My pleasure! Happy to be home in San Diego for a couple of weeks before our Spring Festival. We’ve just wrapped a two month tour and I just got back from an extended trip to Costa Rica which was definitely on my to-do list. Such great energy down there!

WWD: So close to the launch of the festival, talk us through your feelings right now!

Very excited! There’s a bit of last minute stress of course, but everything always seems to come together. Mostly just excited to see our extended family together in one place, play some tunes and make some new connections. Digging deep right now to find the best possible jams for my set.

WWD: You’re somewhat the spiritual leader in the crew. In your eyes, how would you describe your role?

My official role is Minister of Design, but yeah I try and keep us in line morally and spiritually. It’s a pretty easy role with such a conscious and loving crew! I do feel like somewhat of a role model due to my age; I think the Desert Hearts family looks to me with hope for the future, so I try to spread a positive message. You don’t have to get old and boring, and you can do it in a respectful and loving way. I’m here to experience life and have fun, and I hope it rubs off on people 🙂

WWD: What are the key ingredients to the spiritual experience that Desert Hearts seeks to provide?

The people that come and the amazing amounts of love that they bring. Being in a place where everyone is sharing and looking out for each other and being in a place where you can express your true self. I honestly believe that when that many people are vibrating on a positive frequency it’s exponential and creates an energy field that you can’t help but feel good in. It really makes you appreciate life and what this whole world could so easily be.

WWD: How are preparations going for the festival? Has it reached the point of mad scramble or is everything right on schedule?

We’re 98% on schedule. There are always a few last minute hang ups but nothing that would ever stop the show. We’ve gone through the mad scramble days for the most part and now are trying to focus on creating the best experience we can. We have a really good crew of people that we work with now, and this will be our fourth time at the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation so logistically we have it pretty figured out.

WWD: This ain’t your first rodeo, you’re a veteran of dance music. What aspects of the modern scene excite you?

I love how the music is coming back together. I feel like I can play stuff that has elements of techno, house, electro, dub, ambient, new wave and all the music that’s influenced me. So much good music right now! I also love the people that this music attracts. I get to meet so many like minded, positive, caring people that really get what’s up. It gives me hope for the future. I’ve never actually been to a rodeo but I do like to ride the horse from time to time.

WWD: For the Desert Hearts first timers, what does the crew have in store?

Well firstly, three days non-stop of what we consider the best house and techno on our favorite Funktion One sound system (run by the amazing Funkworks) with a line up curated by us to flow perfectly through the weekend. That’s the most important part for us, and ultimately why we started Desert Hearts. Music and sound always come first. On top of that tons of live art and art installations. For the size of our event (around 3500 attending) I believe we have more art than any other festival. We also have our spiritual/healing area where you can go chill out, do some yoga or sound healing. Plus we have amazing theme camps where you can go grab a drink, play some whacky games and hopefully fall in love.

WWD: On a side note, the label has been going from strength to strength. What does the rest of 2016 have in store? Can you spill the beans?

We’re all super excited about our latest release from The Glitz. Andreas Henneberg played the last festival and was such a homie. Plus he absolutely killed it, so when he gave us some tracks to release we were over the moon! Also the tracks are really dope. Next we have a release from LA whizz kid Fritz Carlton that is also fire. Then a release from me and my good buddy Machino. Expect releases from a lot of the Desert Hearts crew as we’re all working on music as much as we can, although the last few months have been beyond hectic for us!

WWD: Three artists you’re looking forward to hearing at the festival?

It’s hard for me to pick three! Our residents are often my favorites as they know the crowd and vibe so well. I also love seeing local DJs come out and tear it up, but I guess if I had to pick three I’d go for the gentlemen that have been in the game the longest: Harvey, Onionz, and Extrawelt. Very excited about Extrawelt playing live. We had to rethink our stage design to fit all the gear they are bringing.

WWD: You’ve put together a special mix for us, what will one find in there?

Just having a listen now. I always have a hard time describing music with words! Definitely got an earthy tribal feel to it. Got a bit of a mellowish intro before it really takes off. I tried to keep it interesting, but if I had to stick a genre on this one it would be house. I think I was pretty buzzed when I did it, and it’s still sounding good as I sit here sipping my morning cuppa. So that’s a good a sign! Hope you like it, it’s probably a bit less techy than what I’ll play at the festival. I feel like when you’re outdoors in a venue like that with so much space to fill up you can get away with playing more big synths and crazy breakdowns and build ups that would be too much for a mix, in my opinion.

WWD: Before we part! A message for those set to join you at the Festival?

As always come with love in your heart. Respect the Native American land that we get to use. Be prepared for cold nights and warm hugs. Most importantly, safety third.

Also, can’t sign off without mentioning my profound love and respect for my Desert Hearts partners in crime Mikey Lion, Marbs, Porkchop, Deep Jesus and everyone’s favorite hippy Our Lady Kristoff.

Photo Credit: Wobsarazzi

Desert Hearts Festival – Tickets available here.