[The Audiofiles] Make Wednesdays Wobble at LA’s Low End Theory

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Basking in the success of their second annual Low End Theory Festival, Los Angeles’ Low End Theory stands as the wobbliest weekly Wednesday night adventure in town. Reveling in rambunctious lineups, stacked to the brim for your listening pleasure, their calendar perpetually showcases blossoming local talent alongside international stars and talented residents Daddy Kev, Nobody, Nocando and The Gaslamp Killer. Beyond their weekly gigs in the City of Angels, Low End Theory heads to Japan on a quarterly basis and bounces off to San Francisco, New York City and even off to Europe every once in a blue moon. With Echo Park’s The Airliner as their home base, the Low End Theory Squad has cemented more than just a name for themselves on the West Coast, they’ve started a movement, paying homage the fusion of Hip Hop within Dance Music with Glitch Hop, Future Bass and Experimental Dub.

With almost nine years under their belt, their underground following has catapulted them to international acclaim while refusing to go mainstream – letting the artists and their work marinate within the counter-culture and breed creativity within the dance music community. Artists like The Glitch Mob, Flying Lotus, Nosaj Thing, Baths, Thom Yorke, Erykah Badu, Earl Sweatshirt, Mr. Carmack, Daedelus and TOKiMONSTA have all graced the decks at Low End Theory, leaving a strong legacy of auditory taste-makers behind. For a closer look at the ethos of Low End Theory, go ‘Looking for the Perfect Beat’ in a documentary produced by founder Daddy Kev and Music Documentarian Matthew F. Smith.

Low End Theory is gearing up for their 9 year anniversary, coming in hot on October 14. Don’t sleep on this wonderful occasion, snag your tickets now and get wobbly with your Wednesday.

RSVP HereTonight, join in on the fun with Daddy Kev, The Gaslamp Killer, Nocando and Nobody as they’re joined by TEEBS, DAYE JACK, OICHO and B.R.E.E.D! The Airliner is 18+ to Dance, and 21 to drink with a $10 cover at the door. Featuring house regulars TeachingMachine on visual duties and Pure Filth with sound reinforcement, it promises to be one wonky evening!

For more on the Low End Theory – head to their socials:

Low End Theory: Website | Facebook | Twitter

[The Audiofiles] Funky Beats for a Funky Mood

   

 Originally, when I was getting ready for today’s post I had nothing but House, Techno, Love and Desert Hearts on the mind; if you’re not familiar with the group, trust me when I say over the next few years you’ll be hearing this name more and more frequently.  A band of merry music makers and rump shakers from in and around San Diego, the Desert Hearts tribe is more than just a community of conscious music lovers – they embrace the yearning, creative fire that burns inside all of us and manifest it into a whirlwind of a weekend.  From Friday morning through Monday morning, I’ll be grooving and moving to 72 straight hours of House Music.  If you think of EDC like a race, and Lightning in a Bottle was a marathon – ths might just take the title of Hippie Olympics in my book (sorry, LIB – it was good while it lasted!).  Plus, don’t get me started on the time, energy, love and passion it takes to last a week in the Desert for Burning Man – especially since I’ve yet to experience my own Playa Magic!

But, apparently – life had other plans for me. In the last 24 hours, I’ve dealt with and processed more emotions than I care to know about or share.  It should’t seem so convoluted that the world can turn on top of itself in the same amount of time it takes to breathe, blink and iterate a heartbeat – but at the end of the day, it still is.  I’m aware that we can only conquer or emotions if we make a conscious choice to control them, and doubly so that the people in our lives can give us expectation hangovers.   On a personal level, I absolutely am enthralled by people who are passionately, unequivocally, unapologetically themselves – almost to a fault.  I love the humanity it in, however flawed it potentially could be.  But somehow, all of a sudden – because I’ve never installed rules, guidelines or boundaries – it all backfires. You know, those fast friends where you invariably said some familial form of ‘I Love You’ much too soon without getting to actually know them; the people that you accept at 110%, but then refuse to give more than 25%.You don’t adopt a dog expecting it to meow, and you certainly don’t acquire friendships for the flippant sake of social guise.  The friends that I keep close to my soul are the ones that love me for the person I’ve become and constantly challenge me to be the best version of myself.  At moments of stagnation, of static movement – we’re not just standing still but we’re moving backwards; especially in a world where we have to run so fast just to stay in place.

‘When words fail, music speaks’ so I’m going to shut up and let these songs take it from here.  My heart hangs heavy, but my eyes are hopefully and my mind is open.

Happy Tunes-day: The Trickle Down Effect of Music Festivals

There are so many great aspects of the Los Angeles EDM community that it’s hard to narrow it down to just one – or in my case, just a few.  Not only are we home base for an epic amount of talent but artists, DJs and producers alike flock to our city of angels to pursue fame, fortune or in many cases: just a little bit of sunshine.

Insomniac Events – Beyond Wonderland

This past weekend, Insomniac Events – LA’s premiere EDM production and promotion company – threw their fourth annual event Beyond Wonderland.  Back in the day, when I started out in the scene, the Spring fling event was ‘How Sweet It Is‘; I’m beyond pleased to report that the website still works and I can still think about how damn epic the lineup was.  But, that’s neither here nor there: one of the best things about DJs and Producers swinging through my stomping grounds on the regular is that they typically play smaller, local shows around the dates of the festival.

If  I had better knowledge of the new venue that was being used for Beyond, chances are I would’ve gone – it looked absolutely luscious, almost like a combination of Lighting in a Bottle and Coachella; I’m definitely keeping my eye out for more festivals there!

Anyhow, the lineup was good – but not good enough for me – almost all the artists I’ve seen within the past year and simply wasn’t impressed with the breadth of new talent; however, of the artists that I’d seen – half of them were playing at shows around LA before and after the festival.  Maya Jane Coles and Maceo Plex gave us a dose of deep house Friday night at Exchange and Hospital Records brought their signature Drum & Bass sound to Dim Mak Studios for some Sunday Funday action.

 

Maya Jane Coles

Kicking off Friday right was Adam Auburn, one of our local house loves – I’m stoked that his set is already up, definitely a highlight of the evening!

One of my favorite new female DJs on the scene is Maya Jane Coles; I know she’s been around for a few years but I didn’t discover her until April of 2012 thanks to some amazing friends and their fabulous collection of music.  Her Essential mix is definitely worth a listen:

The night rounded out with Maceo Plex, another deep house fav:

High Contrast

Sunday night’s Drum and Bass lineup from Hospital Records was unreal – and I was excited because I’d never seen any of the acts. As a huge fan of EP’s from D&B artists, I have to admit that there’s nothing quite like seeing a live set so if you get the chance, takeit

Fred V & Grafix:

High Contrast:

Camo & Krooked:

Camo & Krooked