Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse “North” Lingenfelter
Hi Jesse, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It’s an interesting story from where I started to how I got here today, Let’s Start where I’m currently at. Right now I am a Professional DJ, Bike Mechanic, and Burning Man Camp Co-founder/Operator.
Now, how did we get here? It all started when I blew my car up heading to work. While I was saving to fix my car, I started to bike to work everyday and really enjoyed it and would bike around my neighborhood in the evenings. I was doing custom auto work at the time, working on commission and needed to pick up a second job to supplement my income during slow times. I was biking around and saw a bunch of bikes parked out front of this bar and went to look at them, and noticed a hiring sign in the window. I got the job as a bar back and it turns out all the other bar backs were bike messengers. And the got me really into cycling. I worked there for about a year met a ton of people in the cycling scene, and while bar backing there I would watch the DJs come in every weekend and just look over their shoulder to see what they were doing.
In the meantime during this year, my car got stolen while I was saving up to fix it. So bought some turntables with the extra money I had saved and taught myself how to DJ. Fast forward a year, I quit that auto job, quit the bar back job, started DJ at another bar downtown Minneapolis, and got a job at a local bike shop, that happed to also run a burning man camp. Now fast forward a few more years, I throw my own parties and events, play at other promotors events, I work at the best bike shop in the city, and I now own and operate my own Burning Man Camp.
All because I started riding a bike.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not really, going from driving everyday, to now having to bike everywhere was a huge adjustment and complete lifestyle change. During this time I didn’t own a car and biked 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I did that for 5 or so years, while maintaining 3 separate DJ residencies around the city, while also still working my bike shop job.
I would bike to the shop in the morning with my DJ gear in a backpack, work 8 hours, bike from work, strait to whichever bar I was going to DJ at that night, DJ for 4 to 6 hours depending on the night, and get home at 3am. It was tough and took a real toll on my mental health and my relationships.
One of the requirements for working at the bike shop was going to Burning Man with the camp to fix bikes out there. Part of my job was to help with planning and logistics for the camp. Running a camp is seriously different from just attending Burning Man. The event is only one week long. But when you run a camp you have to get there early and stay late. I would spend an entire month on playa at Burning Man. I did that for 3 years while affiliated with that camp and that bike shop. Burning Man became a way of life for me. Biking became a way of life for me, DJing became a way of life for me.
And then the pandemic hit, everything I had in my life was stripped away from me. I didn’t know who I was anymore. During the 2 years of the pandemic, I got a work from home job, Burning Man was Cancelled, I couldn’t even look at my DJ setup, I had some failed relationships, a death in the family looming debt from said death. Life did not look promising.
In 2022 things started opening up, I got job at the bike shop I work at now, started DJing for some local promoters, Burning Man announced It would return that year. I built a bike at my shop and took a month off to bike across the country with a friend, during that trip, me and the co-founder of our Burning Man camp had gone through the necessary application process to become what they call a placed camp, and I got the news that we were “Placed” while I was on my bike. I finished that cross country ride, had a month to prepare for Burning Man went, it was success, we returned safely. I felt like I had the opportunity to get my life back.
That first time we went was 3 years ago. It was rocky 3 years. But after the burn this year I finally feel like I have my life back. My camp is very successful, I’m regularly DJing and throwing my own events, and have created amazing relationships through those things that I would never have had I not thrown caution to the wind and went all in on starting a camp. for the first time since about 2019 I am excited to see what the future holds.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am DJ North,
I specialize in throwing underground off grid raves, I co-own a Burning Man camp, that has garnered the attention and notoriety of the entire Burning Man organization,
I am known for being a talented technical DJ, with a very unique and eclectic style.
What sets me apart from others? My willingness to just put in the fucking work. It’s not easy putting speakers on your back and hauling them into undisclosed locations to throw a party with your friends, It’s not easy to haul 10,000 pounds of DJ gear and infrastructure across the country and live in the desert for 3 weeks. It’s not easy to bike to work every day.
But if you want to literally live your dreams, you have to put in the work. I’m most proud of just having the will and determination to just keep going with my dreams and Ideas and trusting myself that it will pay off, and it has. I live a life not many get the chance to all because I didn’t give up.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was very shy, and introverted growing up. But in high school I started playing bass guitar in a couple local bands and I was in a couple local plays, and I really felt comfortable in the spotlight and on stage. My family was very musical, we all played instruments, were in bands, collected records and cd’s, so I was musically inclined from the beginning, but living in rural ND I didn’t think anything would ever amount from that. I was also very interested in cars, I’m a big car guy. I like working with my hands, I like tools. I like building things. So when I left home I wanted to get into the auto industry, and kind of quit pursuing music, I didn’t really think I could ever turn music into a career. But one thing led to another and music is the cornerstone of my life, It’s payed the bill, it’s gotten me so many opportunities, it’s lead me placed I never thought I would go.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @djn0rth
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djn0rth
