Tag: electronic

New Album Review: HEALTH- Death Magic

Danny Baraz August 14, 2015

Los Angeles’s own, HEALTH and their new album, Death Magic released by Loma Vista on August 7th might very well be my top record of 2015, thus far. Even with a more polished, less noise influenced battery of songs, HEALTH manage to keep that dark edge that mixes beauty with taboo concepts of the human condition and is delivered to fans in their familiar package of abstract messaging. There seems to be a formula developing in the nebulous vacuum that was once the music industry. It’s really not all that different than what existed previously. The previewing of new singles in the months leading up to an album release isn’t an original concept. There is just a greater volume of them, which has allowed fans to hear more of an album before it’s official release. That is, if there isn’t a strategy to “leak” the album. There was a very calculated build up to the release of Death Magic and a real attempt to control the message of music critics, which is a departure from the typical, laissez faire vibe of HEALTH. Death Magic successfully manages to cut the chord in the eternal association between HEALTH and Crystal Castles, not just

Hot Chip Make Machines Come to Life at The Greek

JustinThomas August 13, 2015

As the sun set last night over Griffith Park, both hipsters and middle aged white people congregated to relish in the sound waves of some of the better names in independent dance music. The historic Greek Theatre played host to a booty shakin’ line up consisting of Com Truse, !!!, and dance music staple, Hot Chip. Getting from Santa Monica to Griffith Park during rush hour is a gruesome task I do not wish upon even the worst of my ex-girlfriends. Yet there I was, Tinder swiping in grid lock traffic for two hours. Due to this, I completely missed Seth Haley’s electronic act Com Truise. I did, however, see Haley walking around the hospitality area, and if his beard was any indication of his performance, then I am sure it was nothing short of magnificent. !!!, audibly pronounced Chk, Chk, Chk, was next up. Taking the stage just as dusk was turing to dark, !!! had the task of loosening the hip muscles of the crowd that was beginning to fill in – and loosen they did. Lead singer, Nic Offer, looked like he could pass as Wayne Coyne’s twin as he danced the stage around in his short shorts. Overall, !!! had

Earl Sweatshirt at Low End Theory Fest 2015

Low End Theory Festival Wobbles The Shrine Auditorium

Danny Baraz August 12, 2015

When The Gaslamp Killer commandeered the decks at The Shrine for his set at Low End Theory Festival, I instantly started peaking. The interesting thing about that is that I wasn’t on any drugs. Something about how the visuals on the screen behind him were synched to the music in his set wobbled my eyeballs and made me question reality. That is what good art is all about. When Low End Theory convened for the very first time at The Airliner in Lincoln Heights on a random Wednesday in 2006, there is no way founders could’ve predicted how far reaching it would become. Even as dreamers dream, the reality of the waking hours and empty rooms is a deterrent that slows most people into a “it wasn’t meant to be” mind frame. But even the inconceivable becomes a minor afterthought when all you care about is shaking walls and windows and the impulse to entertain yourself and your friends as much as entertaining strangers. The second annual Low End Theory Festival at The Shrine Auditorium this past Saturday was a far cry from the empty rooms of the Airliner 9 years ago. 5000 people packed The Shrine to pay homage

Django Django Fit Their Big Sound Into The Constellation Room

Danny Baraz August 10, 2015

To state that the self titled, debut album by Django Django was a success would be an understatement. It was one of my favorites of 2012. I saw them live for the first time at a sold out show at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood in 2013. It was their first show in Los Angeles and the venue was bursting with a capacity crowd. Flash forward to 2015 and a valiant effort at a follow up called, Born Under Saturn. Nowhere near as powerful as their first release but still, some great tracks on the new album. With a previous engagement the night of their Thursday night show at the El Rey in Los Angeles, I decided Django Django were worth the drive down to Orange County to check them out at The Observatory. The night was full of surprises. Surprise 1: Django Django were playing in the smaller, low capacity room inside the Observatory called the Constellation Room. How is it possible that a band with one of the best albums of just a few years ago is not playing the biggest stage at The Observatory? I was happy for myself and the other patrons that we would be

A Hard Time at HARD Summer 2015

Justin Cornwall August 5, 2015

I have been a HARD Presents fan for a minute now. HARD Haunted Mansion 2011 at the Shrine was my first HARD event. HARD Summer 2012 was my first HARD Summer. Both events were top notch and helped forge my musical tastes as I grew into the LA being I’d one day become. Between then and now, I’ve been a part of about a dozen different HARD promoted shows and festivals. Over the weekend, on Sunday, I came upon the opportunity to head to the Pomona Fairplex to see what HARD Summer 2015 had to offer. As a fan of the brand, I had high hopes – as the lineup seemed eclectic enough in a plateauing ‘rave’ culture. We arrived later in the day, but there were still lines of barely dressed teens at the gate. It was an 18+ event but the security was barely holding the seams together with a very lax bag/ID check – there was definitely a <18 crowd at this event. We got through just fine and headed to meet some friends at the PINK Stage for some Jamie XX. There were 5 stages; 3 indoor and 2 outdoor. Pink, Yellow and 7Up (green) were

HEALTH at The Echo: First L.A. Show in 3 Years Delivers

Danny Baraz July 23, 2015

By Danny Baraz HEALTH is the most original sounding bands in music today. Dissonant chords fed through filters and stomp box effects. Galloping tribal rhythms so succinct and steady that you could set a watch to them. Reverberated falsetto vocals that create a layer of tenderness through the violent rhythms. Piercing sound designs that wash over the listener in a rebirth of the senses. The dichotomy of sound that Los Angeles band HEALTH creates is extraordinary. It all amounts to a New Wave, Gothic, Punk stew of noise and melancholy melody that we have been deprived of for far too long. On Wednesday, July 22nd, the HEALTH hiatus in Los Angeles ended at The Echo with the first of three sold out shows, carefully crafted to promote their new album Death Magic. There has been a steady build up since April of this year to tease new songs from the new album. The video for the song “New Coke” was premiered on YouTube in April and has racked up over 180k views in the few months that it’s been live. Not bad for an indie band. Between the imagery of Alice Glass and Pictureplane partying in the first minute to

Alice Glass Drops First Solo Single “Stillbirth”

Brent Smith July 19, 2015

Get giddy, kids. Bad ass, sharp-tonged former Crystal Castles front woman Alice Glass just released her first solo jam “Stillbirth”. In collaboration with L.A. noise rocker Jupiter Keyes from HEALTH (recall this 2007 gem), Alice Glass has crafted a darkly metal neo-psychedelia track, featuring her signature sylphine cooing over some very crunchy industrial beats (that’s just a lot of words for saying it’s rad). The 26 year old, Alice Glass explained via social media and her website the genesis for “Stillbirth” came from getting herself away from an abusive relationship she’s been involved in since she was in her teens. This, along with her recent not-so-smooth split from her CC cohort Ethan Kath, points to Alice Glass processing a lot of smashing and crashing lately. But alas, such is life in your 20s. We just hope she continues to keep on keepin’ on while busting balls and taking names. At least we can selfishly admit that we’re all benefiting from her expressive output. “Stillbirth” is now available to stream and buy digitally. All proceeds benefit organizations that help survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and incest. Apparently there’s a sister track soon to follow. Stay tuned, glitch heads!

Caribou Does NOT Push Play at The Fonda Theater

Danny Baraz March 2, 2015

There is a difference between pushing “set” and pushing “play” and Dan Snaith of Caribou don’t push play. With all the fans of electronic music paying top dollar to dance to pre recorded tracks these days, Caribou comes armed with a show that is a digital jam session and a powerful arsenal of songs that possess an incredible amount of depth, sadness and redemption. Caribou and particularly the album Swim, go into that rare classification of music that has brought tears to my eyes. There is so much creativity in the musical arrangements and the level of intimacy in the lyrical content is rare. Prior to the 3 sold out dates at The Fonda Theater this past week in Hollywood, I had never seen Caribou live. FYF 2014 was going to be my first time and logistical issues on the first day of the festival’s first year at Exposition Park caused issues with getting into the Sports Arena for my first Caribou show. Between missing Caribou and yet another Death Grips no show, it almost ruined L.A’s best festival for me. Thank god for Run The Jewels. FYF Presents made up for it in spades on day 2 of the

Twin Shadow at The Troubadour: New songs and awkward banter

Amir Kashani January 26, 2015

Most people who know me know I have a bit of a soft spot for Twin Shadow, so it was no surprise when I asked Janky Smooth if I could cover their first live LA show this year. For those of you living under a large solid mass formation, Twin Shadow is George Lewis Jr. Thanks to the internet, I discovered him doing a ridiculous cover of Lou Reeds, “Perfect Day”, days after Lou’s death. The rest is history. I walked up to the Troubadour, grabbed my ticket and walked in to catch Zoe Kravitz aka Lolawolf wrapping up a set. Their material is raw and she and her voice are exhaustively attractive. They have a familiar yet experimental vibe to them. The material is appropriate to groove or isolate to. The dance vibes are unmistakeable and the production on the beats is impressive. However, my focus Thursday night was not the beautiful spawn of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz and her art projects. The Troubadour is a great venue. I walked around to find my typical sweet spot and as soon as I land into my nook, George and his band take stage. The crowd was tightly formed and

Future Islands at The Wiltern: Torn Shirts, Gargled Roars and Bouncy Blue Orbs

Amir Kashani November 22, 2014

On the 20th night, Red Bull’s 30 Days in LA gave us Future Islands to continue the trend of one great show after another. It was obvious everyone was driven to The Wiltern to see Future Islands and their lead man, Samuel T. Herring aka Hemlock Ernst. However, two upstarts with a very similar vibe took the stage first. The first band, Speak from Austin, took the stage to an almost empty room. They opened with just a drum machine and synth. The young, black clad upstarts are interesting but the two gentlemen on strings sort of reminded me of a younger Skolnick and Gilbert from the Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity. The lead’s voice is high and reminiscent of a younger Ezra Koenig, at times. It took him and his crew about five or six songs to be adopted by the crowd but for the most part this crowd was saving up for the next course on the menu tonight. I went out for a popcorn and came back to a much fuller room of jihadi hipster beards and the stronger scent of quickly smoked, fermented barley. I hurried back to my spot and noticed 4 guys take the stage

Death From Above 1979 at The Regent Theater

Two Nights of Death From Above 1979 and MSTRKRFT in L.A. and The O.C.

Danny Baraz November 16, 2014

Death from Above 1979/MSTRKRFT: Night 2 in LA. Within the 20 minutes between opener, Hustle & Drone leaving the stage and Death From Above 1979 taking it, the house went from sparse to capacity. The night was filled with false fire alarms and a few sound issues of the newly opened and opulent Regent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles- A gorgeous venue that is still working out the kinks. The P.A. was filled with the sounds of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and other old country classics as a surprisingly eclectic and beautiful crowd filed in to witness a show by the experimental thrashers from Toronto. I myself discovered DFA in 2008- a good 2 years after they had already broken up. O.G. DFA fans love to separate their fan base into a B.C and A.D. category- a snobbishness I have been guilty of myself on many occasions. Now it appears there is a third category of fans that have discovered the band after their more, commercially friendly, reunion release of The Physical World in September of this year. This was my first time seeing DFA live after devouring the catalog for the past 6 years with no satisfaction or release

Galantis Submerges the Mayan Theater on a Monday Night

Justin Cornwall November 5, 2014

If you caught Galantis at any point this year, you’re one of the lucky ones. I say this because they’re going from small clubs to the main stage at festivals – and fast. This Swedish duo is refreshingly far from a House Mafia and there is no stopping their momentum right now.. The happy spin they put on heavy house music can do no wrong and has been featured in sets by everyone from Diplo to Pete Tong. Christian Karlsson (of Miike Snow) and Linus Eklöw (aka Style of Eye), who make up Galantis, punched some serious life into everyone attending at The Mayan last night. We arrived at The Mayan as Germany’s Booka Shade was wrapping their set. Steady house music with live elements, never a bad way to set the mood. After a short intermission to swap out the live setups, the anxious crowd was buzzing with energy. The #seafoxNATION (their fanbase) was alive and well – most of the crowd donned the paper Seafox (their brilliantly branded mascot) masks that Galantis had brought with them to gift to their fans. The headliners met the stage as an enthusiastic crowd welcomed them. The opening track was a clear acapella