Conscious Creators, House, Music, Series

Conscious Creators 009: DH founder Mikey Lion is wiser, stronger, & more enlightened on statement-making debut LP, ‘For The Love’

June 7, 2021

1.03k

The world of EDM is vast and diverse. From the commercial realm to the underground, electronic music is always moving at hyperspeed. But how can fans sift through all the noise to seek out the more substantive, meaningful, consciously-attuned musicians? Introducing: Conscious Creators, a focused writing series dedicated to highlighting artists who continually devote themselves to creating music that upholds CE’s mission.

These are the industry tastemakers committed to bypassing the surface-level gimmicks in favor of something more substantial. Their art encourages alignment with the self, affirmational living, shadow and light work, self-healing and self-love, living authentically, practicing intention. These are the creatives dedicated to leading their audience into a conscious awakening.

Love—it’s one of the strongest and most universal connectors in our world. It’s also the driving force behind everything Mikey Lion does, from the music he crafts to the events he runs as the leader of Desert Hearts, to the circles he keeps. To honor this all-encompassing force, the artist today releases the full rendition of For The Love, his debut studio album, and the 100th release on Desert Hearts Records.

A patchwork of nine tracks depicts Lion’s saga spanning from the day he discovered his true purpose, to the highs and lows of realizing it, and up to the present where he ponders on reaching the next chapter for himself and his community.

Before nurturing his brand and record label into the behemoth that it is today, a young Mikey Lion had been living with his parents and questioning the direction to take his life. Mesmeric album closer, “Talking To The Trees,” sketches out how Lion’s path was revealed to him.

“On my 23rd birthday back in 2012, my brother, Porky, set me up for my first blast-off on DMT in my parent’s backyard, which has a solid jungle of palm trees and tropical plants,” says Lions.

During that fateful psychedelic trip, he was guided to spread love and community under the banner of House, Techno, and Love that fans know today. Desert Hearts was officially launched in 2012, and the rest is history.

“About 2 minutes after inhaling the DMT, I opened my eyes and looked up to find every leaf, on every branch, on every tree looking back down at me with these huge smiling grins, nodding their heads, ‘YES! YES! YES!‘ I watched fractal patterns of shapes, colors, and information shoot back and forth between the trees. It became clear to me that the trees were talking to one another, and somehow I was on their level and had the ability to understand their communication as they said.”
– Mikey Lion

From the breezy vocal jam crafted alongside Lubelski and Jackson Englund, “When I’m With You,” to the dulcet melodies of “Above The Clouds,” to the cheeky, dancefloor-ready “Spot Freak” with its off-kilter synth effects, licks of acid, and hard-hitting percussion, and more, the entire LP represents Lion’s interpretation of house music heaven—a feeling he seeks to emulate at each Desert Hearts event.

“We created DH with the mission of spreading as much love and positive energy as possible through music, culture, and community. For The Love is a reflection of this intention and is the best way I know for me to facilitate healing and love. This album covers the whole spectrum of dance music that I’m into from deep to house to tech.”
– Mikey Lion

For The Love is ultimately a culmination of the triumphs and tribulations Mikey Lion has faced through the years since he first set out to bring the mantra of House, Techno, Love to a global scale—and is also a marker of an artist just beginning to step into his own sonically. Its timeless influences and multifaceted, yet polished sound design point to an artist who’s put in the work to master his craft.

Through painstaking detail, instrumentation, and arrangement, Mikey manages to tell years worth of stories in just nine compositions. At the end of the day, the lesson remains: community comes first always, and the decisions we make should be guided by, if not entirely, For The Love.