BetweentheBeats
Reinheimer
The alternative alternative DJ CodeStar on growing up grunge, raves and ecstatic dance by Stephen Sellers
Oregon instead of backwoods Virginia. What was it like being in Portland in the ancing is one of the best forms of medicine, and it height of Alice In Chains and grunge music? doesn’t cost a thing. In Durango, you’d be hard It was epic, man. We’d go to all of these punk and pressed to find a more powerful pharmacist for goth shows. By 14, I was definitely very into sex, drugs this medicine than Cody Reinheimer, aka DJ CodeStar. and rock and roll. Probably what you imagine. Crazy, Reinheimer is a longstanding yet youthful pillar of the dark, sweaty club with a bunch of moshing kids and farming and music community, having worked with Turolder, stronger skinheads beating us up. A band like Nirtle Lake Refuge and the Durango Farmers Market. Reinvana had already gotten too big to play in our city. It was heimer has also been one of the major drivers behind the very much about the local and smaller touring bands. It Dandelion Festival for the past 13 years and, more rewas always what was the alternative to the alternative. cently, was a major organizer of the wildly successful UniIs that how you found your way into DJing – son Dance Music Festival at Tico Time last September. It chasing the alternative to the alternative? was Tico Time’s most attended event last year, which is Exactly. When I was 16, we were hanging out downno small feat. town, and someone told us about this party that was hapOne of the hardest working organizers and DJs in pening at an outdoor theater. There was a DJ who was town, Reinheimer has cultivated a thriving private-event playing rave music. I was kind of emotionally hit by this DJ business. He has also helped establish a lively and vithing. And I started dancing to this music and it felt revacious ecstatic dance community, all while balancing ally good and liberating. There’d be these massive multithe joys and struggles of raising a family in our bustling story raves with a few thousand people and different DJs mountain town. We sat down recently ahead of his openon each floor. Everything was super technicolor, glow in ing performance for Guatemalan electronic DJ, musician the dark, super dirty techno, a bunch of raver kids just and producer Mose at the VFW this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. dancing all night. For me, I was like, “Look at what a DJ can do. Let’s dance, let’s connect.” And, I also started to Have you always had a passion for music? realize that there was something more to all of this. Dude, my parents had subwoofers installed under my There was something beyond rave culture? Great parties but also just crazy drug use and all of that? Yeah, I had friends who literally lost their mental faculties from overusing drugs and psychedelics. My parents saw what was happening and offered to buy me a car if I went to community college where I could get my high school diploma instead of going to the high school. The high school was shit. Preach. This DJ walked into (the community college) one day and was like, “I want to throw this sock dance thing; I’m a DJ.” And so we did this barefoot dance party in the commons. And as I look back, I think that might have been my first ecstatic dance. He took me under his wing, and I started going to some of his gigs, and we Cody Reinheimer, aka DJ CodeStar, discovered the wonders of elec- became good friends. He did weddings and stuff, too. He was a former stoner who had tronic music at an early age./ Courtesy photo gone Christian. We’d smoke weed tocrib as a baby; I had no choice! So, it’s definitely been gether, and he’d feel guilty about it. “And, I’d be like since the beginning. They would lay me down in a pile of ‘don’t worry about it! The universe loves you!’” And he’d coats at these reggae shows, must have been ’82, ’83. be like, “‘No, but God does!’” and this and that. We had some good times. In addition to Turtle Lake Refuge, you were a huge part of the Durango Farmers Market for Durango seems to represent this opening in many years, too, right? your life for you. Durango is the land where dreams come true. To live Yes, I was the market manager and the music manager. and work on a functioning organic farm, to grow as a live That was 2014-18. It was perfect timing. I worked with DJ and community dance sanctuary, to have a band. I althe board to really grow the market over those years. But, ways wanted to work at a ski area and enjoy the mounthe day job was killing me. Waking up at 5 a.m. to run a tains, hike and live a life close to nature. And then I set full market, turn around and an hour later be DJing a my sights on wanting to do a multi-day transformational wedding till midnight. I was so wrecked. festival. Where did you grow up? What is ecstatic dance? I grew up in Portland, Ore., from age 3. I was actually You check your shoes, you check your ego, you check born in a log cabin in West Virginia. My parents were your conversations at the door to really listen in and be back to the land of hippies and were growing all of their present with the music and your body. And it’s super own food and stuff. But my mom wanted to raise me in
D
10 n May 12, 2022
telegraph
powerful. Going through break ups, going through deaths in the family. I’ve seen friends of mine falling in love on these dance floors and end up married! We have cheesecake and a cacao elixir bar. People are stretching and connecting on the sides, but the dance floor is for dancing. If you want to find out more, come and dance with us! What do you love about it as a DJ? The most exhilarating is when you come in with some harmonic rise, getting into a rhythm to get everyone moving. And then from there having a strong collection of music to draw on is most exhilarating. You have to have antennas up to see what kind of direction the room wants to go in. When you’re surprising yourself, when the crowd becomes this whole organism, it’s so good. Tell us about the Mose show. There’s a lot of excitement about it. He’s a world class musician who’s toured throughout Europe and Latin America. He’s doing his first U.S. tour as he lives in Lake Atitlãn, Guatemala. He brings a really cool fusion of electronic production and organic sounds and collaborating musicians. It’s very entrancing. Our friend Lotte Water is also joining him. Our local musician friends Bards in Between will be joining me for my opening set. I’ve had several friends who were super, super pumped about your festival at Tico Time–Unison. Congrats, man! Thank you. Last year was amazing. We will probably cap it at some point. We want something that’s more on the intimate side but still high energy. We asked for feedback and heard great things about our lineup and the flow of the event. The vibe was super good and everyone was super safe. And we didn’t sell any alcohol. We promoted people showing up with their senses at their peak in sobriety. Moving forward, we just want to be better prepared as the festival grows. We also would love to have more indigenous integration. People can find out more at unisonfest.com or on Facebook .
