House Music In Reno: Heart Beat Of Reno Festival

Photo by Sam Ray-Johnson.

House music in Reno has come a long way since the pandemic – it’s still going strong almost four years later. With Burning Man just a few hours of a drive away and festival-goers flocking here every year, the Biggest Little City has definitely put itself on the map as an EDM must-visit location. Compared to even a few decades ago, house was still a pretty underground thing, with a lot of social stigma connected to being a “raver” or a Burner. Now, techno music and music festival culture is widely accepted in the mainstream – even along Fourth Street in Reno. 

Fourth Street too has seen a revitalization over the past 10 years – I remember being a young, bushy-tailed and bright-eyed journalism student sent to cover the renovation efforts of the area back in 2014, with needles on the sidewalks and graffiti everywhere. It wasn’t the place you wanted to walk alone, but now it’s a budding hub for creativity and the arts, with homegrown breweries, galleries and sold-out music venues like the popular Dead Ringer Analog Bar. What used to be the butt of every Reno-related joke, has now been transformed into the hip place to be if you’re looking for a party. 

That’s exactly what the Heart Beat Of Reno Festival was about last weekend – showcasing the heart of Reno, that Fourth Street corridor. Partnering with five businesses in the Brewery District, the two-day event was jam packed with local artists selling paintings, a cute photobooth, craft beer and an impressive list of DJs organized by area collectives. Put on by umbrella collective Biggest Little Tribe, the organizers told me the group has gone through a lot of evolution to get to this large-scale event. 

“It was a perfect opportunity to create more of a familial group and it started off with monthly dinners, people just DJing together and sharing wine, and that turned into more official things,” David Hahn, Co-Founder of Biggest Little Tribe (BLT) said. “It’s been a real fun journey.”

“I’ve never experienced just a close, tight knit group so I was grateful to be connected and see how much it’s grown,” Lauren Levi, also a Co-Founder of BLT, said. “It’s been really great to see everybody lift each other up, embrace all the different ways that they’re able to contribute in to something that is so big like this.” 

There’s a lot of Burning Man and EDM crossover in Reno, and with that comes a lot of cultural pretenses. Creativity is elevated, participation is encouraged, environmental and social responsibility is always at the forefront of mind but most of all, Levi says, inclusivity. The human connection is something I can also attest to – something I miss very much about the music festival circuit, and the little tribes that congregate every year out in the Black Rock Desert, but also with each other to share a common love for music that used to be a niche interest.

“I was shocked at how welcoming and how beautifully warm this group of people was, and more than anywhere I’ve ever lived, they’ve just kind of embraced me,” Levi said. “We’re all just such good friends, I’m so inspired by how talented everybody is… seeing individually what everybody is doing but then seeing how much bigger and better collectively everybody is by working together.”

“House music has exploded… Now that the genre has been embraced… it's that much more accessible and that more creative,” Hahn said. “We all share a lot of values but what's really become obvious is how we go about these events, the extra detail… It’s essentially a bunch of friends keeping each other in check, and continuously amping each other up.” 

The venue I decided to frequent for most of the night was Abby’s Highway 40, organized by one of our local Burning Man Camps, Second Rodeo. The DJs were spectacular, laying down tracks so seamlessly between each other that you didn’t even notice a new one was playing, or when the DJs had handed off. The creativity Levi and Hahn were talking about was apparent here – and reminded me a lot of what being out on the playa was like at Burning Man. Throwing genres from old disco to organica, you wouldn’t think the two of those could be in the same mix, but they did it with finesse and style. It was upbeat, fresh and fun – and with a Valentine card booth, cheeky decor and even face painting near the bathrooms, it was clear the Reno burners were there to turn up in all the right ways.

Photo by Sam Ray-Johnson.

I will say post-pandemic, I’ve definitely noticed it’s a little harder for people to integrate into super social spaces regardless, especially without a group of friends in tow. With events put on by Burning Man camps in particular, if you go solo or are a more introverted person, it can feel like you stumbled upon a private party sometimes. For Biggest Little Tribe, they say that’s not really the problem for them as they only continue to grow.

“I think our biggest challenge is working through all the fluctuations within all the collectives, things ebb and flow… there’s also difficulty just with the vast number of people who are involved now… managing that sheer number of individuals,” Hahn said. “A lot of cool things occurred after March 2020… it’s also made individuals and the collectives kind of reevaluate, do we want to continue what we were doing, do we want to call it something different.”

While the organizers of Heart Beat did claim an inviting nature to the house scene in Reno, they did recognize its challenges with newbies. 

“It does become kind of insular, so what we’ve tried to do is reach new people that might not be familiar with the scene, but I don’t know if we know the best ways of doing that,” Levi said. “It does end up being a lot of the same people at the shows… that’s something I would love to learn how to do better, reaching out to people who might be curious, or might not know anything about house music.”

The scene at Lead Dog Brewing was great as well. The artists were very kind and friendly, and one of them even agreed to take photos with me at the booth. DJ Ivan The Terrible, who I’ve interviewed previously, was putting on a killer set, and I do wish I had chosen to stay a little longer there first or check out the other venues on the list. I tried a hard seltzer that was the best I’ve ever had, and I look forward to covering a different show at this spot in the future. 

Photo courtesy of Biggest Little Tribe. Artist pictured: Keeka.

I would agree with the organizers of Heart Beat Of Reno and Biggest Little Tribe that while the scene still has a lot of work to do when it comes to ushering in a new generation of house fans, the overall mood of the festival was very warm and positive. Any events that get to highlight the immense talent that resides within Reno is something I can be proud of, and I’m looking forward to giving this event a second chance next year. 

“Don’t be shy, maybe not relate it to your experience with other music scenes where you have to look a certain way or dress a certain way or know the bands, it’s the most inclusive and welcoming scene ever,” Levi said. “Just showing up as yourself and not being nervous and knowing that's the best way to connect with the group – that's a really beautiful part of house music, is you can just show up as you are.”

“Just come have fun and show up with a smile and you’ll make a lot of friends,” Hahn said. “If you know about house music, you'll find us and keep your eyes out.” 

To stay up-to-date on more house music in Reno, follow Biggest Little Tribe on their Instagram.