Free Kutmah! L.A. DJ/Artist Faces Deportation

The story’s already been told (and quite well, I might add) by L.A. music journo Jeff Weiss, but the word needs to spread yet further. One of the city’s most vital creative minds, DJ and visual artist Kutmah, a.k.a. Justin McNulty, has been detained by immigration agents and is being held in New Mexico while officials prepare to expel him from the country.

Kutmah is part of the larger Dublab collective, and one of the founders of the L.A. beat scene. Click on either of the banners above or below to sign a petition, or otherwise rally to stop this from happening.

News Roundup: Dublab + Lucky Dragons, Local Natives, Ninjasonik Remixed and more…

Luck Dragons performs, Yoni Wolf looks on.

Quick bloggy bits from around the L.A. underground (and up). Share ’em.

  1. FEATURED: Dublab Drive Kicks Off with Lucky Dragons MP3*
  2. MP3: Machinedrum Rmx’s Ninjasonik’s “Gonna Get Pregnant”
  3. Watch: Local Natives Go Blue Blood (via Zissou) for “World News”
  4. MP3: Opolopo’s Funked-Up “Mothership” Remix by Portformat
  5. (all stories via West Coast Sound, via LA Weekly)

* The collective’s DJs include some of the city’s best, including artists like Daedelus, Ras G, Dntel, Gaslamp Killer, Nobody, Matthewdavid and Kutmah — the latter of which won’t be able to participate due to a controversial immigration arrest.

LA Weekly Cover: Flying Lotus’ Cosmic Drama

Steven Ellison, a.k.a. Flying Lotus (Star Foreman)

The story is pretty thorough, so I’ll keep the introduction brief. I had the pleasure of profiling Steven Ellison, a.k.a. Flying Lotus, for the new issue of LA Weekly, on stands today. Ellison was kind enough to invite me into his home on two occasions, to share some very “special” snacks with me, and to more-or-less grant me unlimited access to his personal Rolodex. Cameos come from an international cast — Mary Anne Hobbs, Ravi Coltrane, the Gaslamp Killer, Daddy Kev, a man named Thundercat — but this is, at its core, an L.A. story. So if you live in that fair city, pick up a hard copy to read. If not, click here to dive in.