Today we’d like to introduce you to Dante Carmona.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In all honesty Hive Mind Collective as an idea first came into existence two years ago in the coffee shop next to my first apartment in San Diego, written down in my god awful handwriting with a super rough sketch of what ended up being our logo. It was an idea that had taken root a couple of months prior while I was taking a Music History course where we had actually followed how different genres of music came about and progressed through the 1900’s ending with House & Techno in the 90’s. Something that resonated with me during that course was how many of the genres of music that influenced me most, specifically Hip Hop/Rap & Disco, were in essence a way for the most underrepresented groups of people to tell a story or communicate a collective emotion/feeling in the form of music (to put that in the absolute simplest of terms). The transition from Disco to House music really captured my attention most, seeing just how much that message of love and unity was so easily translated through synchronicity on the dance floor spoke volumes to me.
Spreading thoughts and ideas through the hive mind that is the dance floor became this really interesting opportunity to me to create a party based around this sort of deeper meaning & motive while at the same time being this super silly, accepting space to let loose and party. All these thoughts had been floating around in my head for a while until I finally sat down and put pen to paper, after that, it just all fell into place. I had our signature Bee & flower of life logo designed by a very talented friend, Jake Fitzgerald (@jakefitztattoo) and took the idea to my co-founder of Hive Mind, Patrick Macnabb. Within a month after that, we threw our very first house party as Hive Mind Collective, and not even two weeks later, we had booked our first shows at Avenue PB in San Diego & Exchange LA. We’ve continued to build on the immersive experience we offer at our parties, turning every space we takeover into our own “Hive”.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think we’ve been extremely fortunate, we’re so lucky to receive the support that we do from friends, fellow artists and from the people we’ve been meeting through Hive Mind events. The struggles really stemmed from figuring out how to cultivate the atmosphere that we want for our parties, and something that we’re continuing to better every time whether it’s decorating or getting everyone to wear bee antennas… just finding different ways to keep the experience unique and not just any other party.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Producer/DJ under the alias Dante’s Inferno. While I’m still in the process of working towards releasing music, I would say that I’m most proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish so far with Hive Mind as a brand and as a party. I’m very new to the music scene as a whole so I’m excited to set myself apart in the coming years and really bring my sound and creativity to the table.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’m a total history nerd (and just nerd in general), it’s definitely one of the many reasons I really fell in love with House music specifically, I’ve had so much fun getting into the culture and history behind the music, it’s definitely made me feel more connected/passionate about what I’m doing.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @hive_mind_co
Image Credits:
Photos taken by Adrien Jaramillo (@adrien_kekoa_lokua)
