Electronic music festivals have come under attack recently. As we previously reported regarding the now infamous Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles, a young girl’s death has prompted municipal authorities in the area to scrutinize the practice of these gatherings and their safety. Far from new—whether it be “raves,” club shows or open-air festivals—the scene has always drawn controversy due to its association with illicit drug use. At various times even in the U.S., lawmakers (including our current Vice President) have proposed legislation aimed at curbing the ability of so-called “raves” to operate unfettered. Trying to pin down the dividing lines between electronic dance and what constitutes rave-centric music can be as hard as defining what punk music really is; ask any fan and the answer will be radically different.
Although the image of thousands dancing in below-radar warehouses to throbbing techno beats may be a seldom occurrence nowadays, electronic music as a whole has veered oddly close to the mainstream again, arguably even closer than the late 90’s period brought to life by much of the British big beat scene. And while The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Fatboy Slim may never have quite cemented the widespread and enduring acclaim of the masses, the aggressive dance of the now is poised to attempt the same feat. Leading the charge in Los Angeles (along with Insomniac Events) has been the concert series Hard. After already canceling a slated M.I.A. headlining performance in Los Angeles under a cloud of dubious circumstances, their effort went to their Hard Summer event, headlined by the Belgian electro band Soulwax. Could the event, its fans and the promoter rise to the challenge and display why electronic dance belongs in the mainstream? Sadly, the answer is no.
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Features Benga, Breakbot, Crystal Castles, Diplo, Erol Alkan, Flying Lotus, Green Velvet, HARD, Major Lazer, Proxy, Sinden, Skream, Soulwax, The Twelves, Tiga
“Scratching at the surface now / And I’m trying hard to work it out”
Three distinctly different male/female duos took to the packed Hollywood Bowl for another installment of KCRW’s World Music Festival on a warm evening. One a quirky indie pop act, another a regressive look back at pop of yesteryear and the last a stirring revelation evoking the best of folk and rock traditions learned from American and Irish artists. This was the strongest evening of music so far this Summer at the Bowl. The Swell Season, after years of building popularity found themselves headlining quite possibly the biggest show of their career. Their Oscar win for “Falling Slowly” from the inspiring film Once they also starred in, catapulted them to new levels of exposure. Their music is a soulful rumination on love both lost and renewed and their performances are relished amidst their fans for both charming banter and heart-wrenching honesty. This set was no different, and conclusively proves how the duo has carved out a special place for themselves that few musical acts ever manage to reach.
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews, Show Reviews Glen Hansard, Greg Kurstin, Inara George, Juliette Commagere, Justin Meldal-Johnson, M. Ward, Marketa Irglova, She & Him, The Bird and the Bee, The Chapin Sisters, The Swell Season, Zooey Deschanel
Jenny and Johnny, the newly formed group from couple Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley fame) and Johnathan Rice put on an informal giveaway and signing today at the Mollusk Surf Shop in the heart of Venice Beach in Los Angeles. Announced via the group’s Twitter account, there were minimal details available. However, to the delight of about twenty or so fans, both Jenny and Johnny were present and happily posed for photos with fans and signed autographs. At the surf shop they gave away stickers promoting the duo’s upcoming album I’m Having Fun Now and a limited edition cassette of album track “Big Wave.” Fans can most likely expect more of the same, so be sure and follow the group on Twitter. A picture of the limited edition cassette is below.
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in News Jenny and Johnny, Jenny Lewis, Johnathan Rice, Jonathan Rice, Mollusk Surf Shop
Unlike last week’s afrobeat extravaganza, this time the unifying theme at the latest installment of KCRW’s World Music Festival was strong, leading women. Though hailing from California, Cuba and England respectively, tUnE-yArDs, the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club’s Omara Portuondo and Goldfrapp all captured the crowd with unique flair and style.
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews, Show Reviews Goldfrapp, Omara Portuondo, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Review, tUnE-yArDs
“I don’t know what’s special about me, I just want people to dig what I’m doing,” says nineteen-year-old singer Robert Fortune. Coming from a blues background—his mentor is venerable Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top—his Robert Fortune Band is a distinct form of the harder, rockier side of the blues. Jack White may have cornered the market with his project The Dead Weather, but Fortune has the goods to be viable. Fortune Band bassist Zach O’Rourke exclaims emphatically, “Rob has this thing, when he picks up a guitar whether it’s in a recording studio or hanging with friends, people immediately stop and they listen. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just something about the way he plays. People listen and they want to hear it.”
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Features Robert Fortune
The term “glitch music” was coined to describe electronic music producers that specialize in a particular sound and enlisting a variety of audio artifacts. Taking accidental dissonance and turning it into artful expressiveness, purveyors of said “glitch” music have quietly carved out a loyal and widespread following. Depending on one’s own personal taste—Matmos, Kid 606 and Daedalus have all been associated with the movement—the music is progressive and forward thinking. Roughly fifteen years into its existence, the genre finds the birth of its first-ever super group, The Glitch Mob. Comprised of Ooah (Josh Mayer), Boreta (Justin Boreta) and edIT (Ed Ma), all acclaimed electro-producers individually, the trio is a force to be reckoned with.
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews, Show Reviews Boreta, edIT, Ooah, The Glitch Mob
On a day that weather-wise can only be described as “stunning” even by Los Angeles standards, some of the greats from Africa and other strong acts from the USA took to Los Angeles’ most famous stage, The Hollywood Bowl. As the opening night of KCRW’s World Music Festival, Baaba Maal the famous Senegalese singer headlined tonight’s lineup, but with an early noise curfew to meet, this show had four other acts slated to play first so there was no time to waste.
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Reviews, Show Reviews Baaba Maal, Fool's Gold, Playing for Change, Tinariwen, Yeasayer
Champions of the modern big-budget video game, Activision took over the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles for a preview event of epic proportions. With little signage and indication of exactly what would take place, throngs of lucky invitees piled into Downtown’s STAPLES Center, greeted by the most unusual phenomenon imaginable at the venue–free food and beer at every single corner the building. That’s right, for whatever reason all the typically overpriced, concert junk food and beverages were entirely on the house. As the crowd tried to make sense of the situation, security kept all gates into the main floor blocked. What was unmistakeably Eminem could be heard on the other side of the curtain.
Check out video clips and more after the jump!
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Top Story Activision, Chris Cornell, David Guetta, Deadmau5, E3, Eminem, Jane's Addiction, Maynard James Keenan, N*E*R*D, Perry Farrell, Rihanna, Usher, Z-Trip
We’re proud to announce a new partnership between us and our good friends at TG Daily.com. Each week, our news team will be assembling a wrap-up of the week’s top stories to run over at TG Daily. This week’s introductory piece focuses on the debut free EP by How to Destroy Angels, The Pixies’ new Doolittle tour, Live Nation’s temporary (and hopefully soon-to-be more frequent) month of ticketing without service fees and more. Read all about it over on TG Daily every week!
By Raymond Flotat Posted in News How To Destroy Angels, Live Nation, TGDaily.com, The Pixies, Unplugging
Class Actress is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Elizabeth Harper and producer Mark Richardson. After a few years of working towards a solo career, Harper teamed up with Richardson and Scott Rosenthal to make a meditative electro-pop that harkens back to the days when Madonna and Depeche Mode were trailblazers for a generation of artists. We sat down for an interview with Harper on the Los Angeles stop of her tour opening for Little Boots.
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By Raymond Flotat Posted in Features Class Actress, Elizabeth Harper
