Nosaj Thing wows the crowd at Coachella.
This is later than late, but better than never. The Spin Magazine fellers definitely know a good thing when it bludgeons them over the head with experimental beatwork, then nurses them back to health with a warm, enveloping beauty. That, combined with my incessant badgering, resulted in a gallery highlighting some of the Los Angeles electronic talent that made it out to Coachella 2011.
That's a double helix by Teebs. Get yr DNA right.
Los Angeles. So much reason for so much pride right now. This city had an unbelievable year in music, and nothing’s slowing for 2011. Mark my words. Just as the noise scene grew up this year with more “mature” releases from No Age, Wavves, Abe Vigoda and others, the next two will be marked by increasingly sophisticated and beautiful releases from the local beat fam. But you don’t want to wait for Rolling fucking Stone or Paste to tell you that, do you? Nah. Get on the train now, and check out five future classics that came out this year, but which didn’t make it onto the A.V. Club’s year-end list (which is why Baths and Lotus are excluded).
Click here, then scroll down ’til you see:
THE L.A. BEAT SCENE, FOR DUMMIES (ya dummy!)
Teebs does not make aquacrunk music, but you should still buy his 'Ardour' LP.
I make no attempts to hide my reverence for the L.A. beat scene. Just when I think I’ve got it pinned down, someone like Teebs will come along and flip the script by making something as rich and subtle as Ardour, or Flying Lotus will go ahead and release a new EP, like Pattern+Grid World, that sounds nothing like the incredible album he released a couple months previously. That’s why most of the links below are to MP3 debuts — shit happens so fast, the best you can do is channel it. Oh, and then there’s …
* “Early in Drowned in Sound’s screed, the author identifies the late J Dilla, an extremely hallowed name in L.A. and in hip-hop production overall, as the father of aquacrunk.“
(all stories via West Coast Sound, via L.A. Weekly)
Kutmah's much needed passport?
Quick blog bits from around the L.A. underground (and up). Share ’em.
(all stories via West Coast Sound, via L.A. Weekly)
* After being expelled from the U.S., DJ Kutmah delivers a fifty-minute mix featuring a ton of unreleased gems — including a Flying Lotus track and a Fugees remix by Jonwayne.
Take and Matthewdavid's All City Records split
Hello! Come one come all. Tune in and drop out of the daily grind with the sweet, sweet sounds of L.A. residents Take and Matthewdavid. These beat scene regulars have come together to share two sides of a sorely limited 10-inch platter that’s a must own for fans of progressive electronic fare.
Dig in to the latest installment of INCHES here.
The origin of Jeans Wilder.
Quick bloggy bits from around the L.A. underground (and up). Share ’em.
(all stories via West Coast Sound, via LA Weekly)
* “I recorded this song in my room, by myself, over the course of a two or three day cocaine and OxyContin binge at the beginning of the year.” – Jeans Wilder
Madlib at work.
L.A. news roundup: For no particular reason other than the Los Angeles beat scene’s own prolific nature and commitment to excellence (Glitch Mob excepting), every single one of my news items for LA Weekly‘s West Coast Sound last week concerned our hometown digital heroes.
* “Is this why the Glitch Mob weaseled out of its handshake contract with Alpha Pup, effectively leaving Low End Theory behind for good? To divine advanced methods of stylish douchebaggery?”
And boy can he Cook. Nyuk nyuk.
It’s been a great week on the blogging front, which is why I’ve included that picture of a great Dane above, and the love below.
(all stories via West Coast Sound, via LA Weekly)
*If you like it, then you better put a tweet on it.
TAKE on the titular mount?
Today, Alpha Pup Records — the Downtown L.A. label behind the Low End Theory club and numerous worthwhile beat scene releases — announced the long-awaited next full-length record from TAKE. Only Mountain will be released on April 20, and judging from the free MP3 the label’s sharing, it’ll be a roiling pot of old school IDM, ’90s R&B percussive elements, Dubstep bass-derived doom, and ethereal melodies. Download “Incredibright” below.
Free music: TAKE – “Incredibright” [MP3]
Ladies and gentlemen: INCHES003. By journalistic law, this column now qualifies as a trend. Installment number three is actually the first “regular” edition, an unthemed collection of just-released L.A.-relevant vinyl reviewed (with original photos and free MP3s, of course), accompanied by a top ten vinyl sales chart from one of our local record shops. This week, you’ll find a new Flying Lotus EP, some incredible throwback bossa nova by Triorganico, seven inches of Adam Payne jamitude, and a killer Dublab release compiling work from the best of this city’s beat music scene. Plus, see what Vacation Vinyl’s been selling (hint: rhymes with “meth kettle”).
Flying Lotus, "L.A. 3 X 3 EP"
Stay tuned for much, much more, and if you’ve got ideas, reach out.
Chris Writes Things 