Occo Music Ska: Curating a Unique Playlist

Atomic Octopus is in no way, shape or form going to be a sound camp at Burning Man. There are no massive sound rigs. There aren’t even any tiny sound rigs. We do have a couple speakers to provide for a little music in our front-of-house space for guests to enjoy throughout the week. We’re also excited to feature our Occo Music Ska playlist(that is, a playlist of some of our favorite ska tunes) during the event.

There will not be any DJ’s or live performers that we are aware of, but in an effort to curate a fun and wonderful atmosphere we have been working on a number of playlists and specially made mixes. And those playlists have, in turn, created another fun opportunity for art as we played around with generative tools to work on some cover art. Since that art won’t really be public-facing on the playa (it will live in the music player app on campmate devices), we figured that we would subsequently share some of those pieces here on the site.

What Is Ska?

Ska music began in Jamaica during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It blended Caribbean rhythms with elements of American rhythm and blues, jazz, and boogie-woogie. As a result, ska developed a lively sound built around walking bass lines, upbeat horns, and guitar chords played on the offbeat. Over time, the genre evolved into rocksteady and later reggae. However, ska never disappeared. Instead, it inspired new generations of musicians around the world.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the British 2 Tone movement sparked a major ska revival. Influential bands such as Madness, The Specials, and The Beat combined traditional ska rhythms with punk energy and socially conscious lyrics. Later, a third wave of ska emerged in the United States and other countries. Bands like No Doubt introduced ska to a new audience by mixing it with pop, punk, and alternative rock. Today, ska remains popular thanks to its infectious rhythms, danceable grooves, and enduring message of unity, fun, and community. We used generative tools to come up with a piece of playful cover art that had a campy, skanky vibe. Check out posts about playlists we have created for Muse, Garbage, Underworld and our epic Retro playlist.