Now You Know: Liquid Geometry

“The morning of the festival I didn’t have a sound system or generators,” says Joe Mousey, a member of the psychedelic rock band Pilots and organizer with the Liquid Geometry arts and music collective. The group’s second free outdoor gathering, Haloa, took place in the Imperial Valley desert last November. By the afternoon of the festival, Joe had rounded up all the necessary music equipment and assembled a homemade geodesic dome stage in the Ocotillo Wells canyons.

“Everyone was doing their own thing and coming together to make it happen,” Joe says of the do-it-yourself community that amassed for Haloa. “It was really cool to see all these creative people working together.”

Liquid Geometry promoter James Huntington, who produces music as HM.T DM.T and plays in an experimental electronic duo called Sludge Butt, named the collective after a Goethe quote, “Geometry is frozen music.” Organizer Corey Howard and Sludge Butt’s other cheek, Steve Canfield (aka Sleeve), complete Liquid Geometry’s core crew with the help of Kava Lounge manager Mateo Bambaataa, beat-producer Mike Gao, and “a few shadow members who choose to remain anonymous.”

“I spend pretty much my whole summer out in the desert,” says James, who attends outdoor gatherings put on by similar art and music collectives regularly.

“It’s easy to convince people who have already done it to come out to the desert,” says Steve. “You do it once and you wonder why you haven’t been in the desert all summer.”

“Liquid Geometry isn’t just about the music,” Corey explains during the monthly Galactic Reign night at the Kava Lounge, “it’s about artists, writers, producers, philosophers, film, graffiti, love, etc.”

Liquid Geometry’s Galactic Reign started last September, showcasing live artists and psychedelic, experimental, and beat scene musicians such as Demon Slayer, Griefshare, eLAN, Teebs, Lorn, Dr. Strangeloop, Osal8, and Samiyam.

“It’s ever-evolving,” Corey says of the music. “It’s out of the ordinary to the point where it’s digestible but gives you a little bit of heartburn. I see room for more growth and more of the experimental stuff, just trying to keep a mind on the future culture of music in San Diego and the possibility that we could play a part in shaping that.”

The fifth installment of Galactic Reign comes to the Kava Lounge on January 20 with Take, Illuminauts, Misk, DJ Pound, and Sleeve.