Robot Heart’s Artful, Underground, Oakland Residency
Throughout April and May, Robot Heart has held a residency at The Loom, a 5.5-acre historic series of warehouses turned creative hub, artist studio, and event venue in Oakland. Their diverse events encompass speaker series, children’s activities, dance showcases, and electrifying DJ sets extending into the early weekend hours.
I first learned about Robot Heart at Burning Man, on the playa they are known for their amazing art installations and massive art car with an epic sound system delivering electrifying electronic beats spun by DJs from all over the world.
Robot Heart Residency in Oakland – photo by Riley Westgaard
Since its initial start, Robot Heart has expanded its presence globally, curating events and gatherings that emphasize creativity, inclusivity, and connection – maybe most importantly, they became a non-profit. As part of their non-profit status, they are continuing to expand their offering beyond the dust of the playa and into the warehouses of Oakland.
Their Oakland residency recreates the communal ambiance reminiscent of their origins through a series of amazing events which foster connections and embrace radical inclusivity, one of Burning Man’s 10 main principles.
Robot Heart Residency – image from the @RobotHeartFoundation Instagram
About Robot Heart Residency in Oakland
Up until recently the Robot Heart events were fairly underground. To get a ticket, you needed to know someone who could include you as their +1. However, as their residency is in their last two weeks, more and more folks are hearing about the amazing events hosted by them and are finding their way to their somewhat secret location for a series of events that have a little something for everyone.
Theo Croker | Cole Odin at Robot Heart Foundation residency in Oakland – photo by John Dill
The first Robot Heart Residency event I went to was back in November of last year when I went to see Sainte Vie and DAVI perform. With two full bars, an indoor and outdoor space decorated with large Burning Man art installations, and cozy chill zones complete with fire pits fostering community connections. When that initial residency was over, the team wasn’t exactly sure if they would be back again but lucky for us they came back with an even more amazing roster of events.
Radical Inclusivity Through A Wide Variety Of Events:
Robot Heart is not just a burning man camp with a residency, far from it. “The Robot Heart Foundation is a 501c(3) registered charity, our events are not designed with the intention of making month but instead are designed with the goal of spreading the reach of our brand and our mission to support arts and the artists.” – Robot Heart Foundation.
Supporting artists and the community at large means that they bring together events beyond the electronic dance music sets they might be more wildly known for. This month their events have ranged from talks about the underground art scene in The Bay, ballet performances, live jazz, and even teaching kids how to DJ.
If I had to pick which event has been my favorite, it’s probably the one I wasn’t technically allowed to attend (but lucky me, I was able to for this story). On Thursday, May 9th, Robot Heart Foundation hosted over 20 youth for a day-long workshop where the students learned how to DJ and make their own beats. Speaking with of their teachers, Kara Fortune, I learned that the youth were given a specific assignment.
DJ Lessons for kids where they learn how to DJ and Make Beats at Robot Heart by David Kong
They were asked to make a beat for what they imagined the future could sound like. Teachers from Blue Bear School of Music (@bluebearmusic ) came and helped teach the youth workshops for the afternoon and each student was given top-of-the-line equipment to use during each workshop. This is the type of community connection that is so amazing to witness.
DJ Lessons for kids where they learn how to DJ and Make Beats at Robot Heart by David Kong
“Last November during the first Residency, Robot Heart did something really special—for the first time, we brought our world-class sound and lighting system to the youth of Oakland! In collaboration with @Mochaarts, middle-school and high-school-aged youth from throughout the East Bay engaged in hands-on DJ and lighting workshops, and showed their skills on the Robot Heart system. The Youth have arrived—we can all retire now!” Robot Heart wrote via @robotheartfoundation.
Inner Heart: An Evening of Dance – photo by John Dill
Past Events
Inner Heart: An Evening of Dance (BALLET)
LIVE BAND: Theo Croker | Cole Odin (JAZZ)
DJ Lessons for kids where they learn how to DJ and Make Beats
Talk: Stories from the deep underground Bay Area scene
HOSH | N/UM LIVE | Stacy Chrstine
Coming up this weekend:Â
Friday, May 10th: Art Department (Jonny White + Kenny Glasgow) | Cole Knight | Since 9pm-4am tickets
Friday, May 11th: Chez Damier | Analog Soul 9pm-4am tickets
Some other rad music events upcoming:
May 15th: LIVE BAND: Blaque Dynamite + TBA 7-10:30 pm  tickets
May 15th: The WAVES LIVE | Vintage Culture 9pm-2am tickets
May 17th: Âme b2b Trikk ALL NIGHT 9pm-4am tickets
May 18th:Â Thomas Melchior | Maayan Nidam | Yamour | Justin Shaffer 9pm-6am tickets
There will also be more speakers coming up at Robot Heart but those have yet to be announced. Given their other events, I imagine they will be just as inspiring as the others have in the past. To be honest, this residency gets me excited about future of the art and music scene in The Bay. This series of events effortlessly reignited my belief that our surroundings are brimming with extraordinary adventures waiting to be discovered at every turn.
How to get a ticket to an event:
To get into one of Robot Heats events, you’ll want to keep an eye out on their schedule.
There, you can see a ticket link for each event and if you’re not already registered you will have a few steps to add yourself to the Robot Heart Community.
Learn more about Robot Heart Here:
Website: www.robotheart.org
IG: @robotheartfoundation
Inner Heart: An Evening of Dance – photo by John Dill
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