D.J. MacIntyre’s SLC-6 Music 

Electronic music artist D.J. MacIntyre’s recent remixes and updated version of “The Great Simoon” pay homage to that day more than 150 years ago when Santa Barbara recorded the highest temperature ever on the planet: a whopping 133 degrees, though contemporary scientists have disputed the claim. 

“It’s a whirling burner of a track, which, like its namesake, rises like scorching wind, leaving the landscape singed in its wake,” explained MacIntyre of his updated release, which he named “June 17, 1859” after the date of the incident. The three remixes feature Uruguay’s Alex Efe, Argentina’s Francisco Castro and Derk, and Paraguay’s Casper Keys. 

It’s just the latest from this globe-trotting producer, who was raised in Lompoc and attended UCSB while launching his career, set off by his 2017 debut album, Tandava. He’s since played Burning Man, Moscow, Playa del Carmen, Siberia, and all across the United States, from Oakland to New York, finding himself “equally at home in a dark basement club as in an open-air festival.”

His label SLC-6 Music is another tribute, this time to Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex, which the City of Lompoc believed would become home to the Space Shuttle program. “When plans changed, Lompoc was left with disappointment and a lot of underused hotels,” said MacIntyre. “For many years, SLC-6 symbolized the dashed dreams of those looking to push the limits of our human reach, and those of a small California town.” 

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The complex reemerged in the 1990s to launch Delta IV rockets. “SLC-6 came again to symbolize progress, hope, and a reach for the sky,” said MacIntyre, who said his label embodies resilience, progression, and technological advancement by featuring the many DJs he meets on his travels. “We hope the music brings you the same sense of wonder and mystery that one experiences when observing a rocket launch into space.”

Today he lives in the Santa Ynez Valley. “I’ve lived in various places around the world but seem to always find my way back home to Santa Barbara County,” he said. “The label concept has its roots at home, yet the futuristic and space themes are ones that people from all over the world are able to connect with, and they align with electronic music well.”

He’s made the best use of his time during the COVID era. “The pandemic, in large part, has been a musically productive time for me, during which I’ve been able to finish quite a bit of music,” said MacIntyre, though he said it has been hard to stay motivated. “The isolation is taxing, and there isn’t much energy coming back at you. Some artists seem to have been able to turn lemons into lemonade, but there have been quite a few who have really struggled mentally and creatively.” Like many musicians, he’s ready to be back on a live stage. 

See djmacintyre.com and slc6music.com.

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