Random Photo #27

DF5K <3 PURE FILTH

I AM A LASER FEB 11: Govinda, Tokimonsta, Ora N Gina and Shee

Join us for a special edition of the monthly art and music event I AM A LASER on February 11 when the focus is on the fairer sex. That’s right, it’s ladies’ night at the Club Nokia Mezzanine Bar and we have some fine examples of female artistry on the luscious lineup for you to enjoy.

More than a monthly, I AM A LASER is also an online magazine chock full of free downloads, artist interviews and profiles, music reviews, fresh videos, fashion galleries and more. Check out the website and see the inspiration for our monthly event, then join us February 11 after the Downtown LA Art Walk for a pre-Valentines celebration of beautiful beats:

Govinda, a smooth and modern artist from Austin, Texas likes to induce states of bliss and ecstasy with mystical beats, described as “erotic” and “sensual.” Govinda’s music goes well with chocolate and satin sheets; expect more downtempo, lounge-laden beats, perfect for some easy grooving on the dance floor and a snuggle in the corner of the club.

Tokimonsta is LA’s reigning Beat Queen and a member of the Brainfeeder family, home to Flying Lotus, SamiYam, Ras G and Strangeloop. Her avant-garde beats have a hip hop soul, and with a combination of digital manipulation and live instruments she will take you on a dusty voyage through a vast musical soundscape.

Completing the lineup are Ora N Gina from Chicks with Decks and local dubstep DJ Shee.

Creating the live art for the night are Yuki Miyazaki of Cannibal Flower and Ashley Bowers, and as always Curious Josh will be on hand taking pictures for the LA Weekly. Check out some of his shots from a previous show here.

I AM A LASER combines bass heavy glitch, dubstep, electro, urban hip hop, indie, and gypsy for your pleasure along with live art painting, digital media, and who knows what else. The party goes down at the Club Nokia Mezzanine Bar @ 800 W Olympic Blvd (enter on Figueroa across from the Holiday Inn); street parking is a possibility, there are $5 lots around, and you can find more parking information here. Cover is $10 or $5 with RSVP to rsvp@iamalaser.com. Event is 21+; click here to go to the Facebook event page.

Winter Music Conference in Miami 2010

Are you going to the Winter Music Conference or Ultra Music Festival this March?

Because I AM!

I am also the new Editor-in-Chief of Nightlyfe.com, a website devoted to WMC coverage: listing of all the parties in Miami, artist interviews and spotlights, informative guides on everything from hotels to nightclubs, tips for saving money, getting drunk and avoiding lines. Right now if you Google “Ultra Music Festival Lineup,” Nightlyfe is the first site that pops up- so we are doing something right!

Check out the website and stay tuned for HEAPS more information and exclusive artist interviews. And see you in Miami bitch!

Shilo’s February Events

Ah February, the month of LOVE:

I keep this post updated and added to throughout the month and you can find it by looking in the right-hand column on my main page under “Shilo’s Event Calendar.”

• Feb 2: Friendly Integration & Droid present Technique w/[D]Squared (live) AKA Derek Michael vs. Baseck, Death by Acid (live) AKA Acid Circus vs. Subversive, EEzir, Laura Escude @ CPU on visuals @ Zanzibar (Santa Monica)
• Feb 2: Nobody, Kutmah, Frosty, Hoseh & more @ Verdugo Bar
• Feb 2: Hope for Haiti Benefit Event @ Nucleus Event Center w/DJ Miss Julia & more
• Feb 3: Low End Theory w/AWOL One, Kone, Intuition, Daddy Kev, Gaslamp Killer, Nobody & Nocando
• Feb 3: Gaslamp Killer, Prefuse 73 & Voices Voices at the Troubadour
• Feb 4: Ghetto Blaster Haiti Benefit w/Earthsteppa, Oscure & Geno Cochino @ Area 33
• Feb 5: Magical Properties Tour w/Daedelus, Nosaj Thing & Jogger @ the Echoplex
• Feb 5: Culprit presents D’Julz, Droog & Bas @ TS2
• Feb 5: Calling All Kids w/Carlos Nino, Danny Holloway, Matthewdavid, Sodapop and maybe Mahssa @ Hyperion Tavern
• Feb 5: Raindance & an-ten-nae present Chinese New Year w/OOah, Krazy Bladhead, 16Bit, Jazzsteppa & much more (SF)
• Feb 6: LA Tech- A Chinese New Year w/Erphun, Android Cartel, Acid Circus, Drumcell, Robtronik, Matt Xavier & Treavor Moontribe @ Area 33
• Feb 6: Boombox J Dilla Tribute w/House Shoes, Jeremy Ellis & Frank Nitt @ Grand Star Jazz Club

*****

• Feb 8: Monday Night Social w/Dave Dresden @ the Playhouse
• Feb 10: Low End Theory Nocando “JIMMY THE LOCK” Record Release Party with King Cannibal and Dntel
• Feb 11: I AM A LASER with Govinda, Tokimonsta, Ora N Gina & Shee at Club Nokia Mezzanine Bar
• Feb 12: STS9 @ the Wiltern
• Feb 12: STS9 Afterparty w/Big Gigantic, Eliot Lipp, Devonwho & St Andrew @ the Roxy
• Feb 12: Lost Minds with Goodghost Army, SR-71 & Nitrous @ (San Diego)
• Feb 12: Control presents The Crystal Method @ Avalon
• Feb 12: Damaged Goods w/Derek Plaslaiko, Jonni Darko, Justin Sloe & Deliquent Frequency @ King King
• Feb 13: LUCENT L’AMOUR Valentine Art & Music Festival pres. by The Do Lab @ Shrine Expo Hall w/Bassnectar, Stanton Warriors, N.A.S.A., Ana Sia, Lazer Sword, Beats Antique & more
• Feb 13: Lucent L’amour Afterparty Sunrise Love Plus w/Knowa Knowone, Ruff Hauser, Oscure, Primal Luxe & Karim So @ downtown location TBA
• Feb 13: Love Groove w/Excision, 12th Planet, Downlink, Druley, 007, RudElgin, DemonOne + heaps more @ San Bernardino County Fairgrounds

*****

• Feb 17: Low End Theory: FOF Music presents SHLOHMO, Ernest Gonzalez, Sodapop + residents
• Feb 20: ABSURD w/Evil Eddie Richards, Tigerskin AKA Dub Taylor & Alex Villalobos @ TBA
• Feb 20: Baseck & So Simple present Technical Itch, DJ Skull Vomit, Miyuki, Naha, Baseck & EMU @ 651 S. Anderson Street
• Feb 20: Insomniac presents Awakening w/ATB and Infected Mushroom @ the Hollywood Palladium

*****

• Feb 24: Low End Theory with Fulgeance, Rob Swift and Deru (Record Release Party) + residents
• Feb 26: Geekdown @ the Crosby w/Tokimonsta, Kutmah & Fulgeance
• Feb 26: EOTO (live), DLX, Jupit3r & 007 @ The Roxy
• Feb 27: Infinite Filth w/Noah D, Spor, Chris Renegade, Mark Instinct, The Professionals, Drumcell & Kemst @ Lot 613

Hitler vs. Dubstep @ Burning Man 2010

Thank you Amelie for this gem!

Jimmy the Lock: Debut Album from NOCANDO

If you have been losing faith in rap lately, you might just want to crack open that brain and give it a taster of what Nocando has offered up, because it is absolutely delicious- a pristine blend of the filth of modern life, the funk of doing it Cali-style and the fun inherent in the whole goddamn thing. Nocando’s debut album is the first major release on Alpha Pup Records for 2010 and is already receiving love and praise from many corners of the music universe.

First the business:

BUY THE ALBUM on iTunes and Boomkat (more to come throughout the day)

DOWNLOAD the first single “Hurry Up and Wait” for free here.

Now the fun:

With creative and entertaining lyrics on top of exquisite beats from some of the most talented producers of 2010, Nocando takes us on a bumpy ride filled with a mad variety of emotions- the good, the bad, and the crazy. The mood of the album is fresh as a slap, hardcore and so SoCal, with Nocando’s rhyming ruminations an apt reflection of day-to-day life: wild nights, girls, love, drugs, parties, getting fucked up, fucking, vodka in water bottles, house parties that get shut the fuck down, stumbling into orgies and masturbating with a gun in your hand.

Well maybe not YOUR day-to-day life.

But Nocando’s not just talking shit. He also speaks the truth, in the manner of exploits and glitches. Loud-mouthed MCs have taken the place of the court jester today, and Nocando does not waste his lauded position. Crammed in and in-between his words, bouncing between the beats and filling your head are inescapable truths, like LA’s finest offerings to the world: blue collars, bright lights, brown skies and bullshit.

Some tracks like “Two Track Mind” are more contemplative and insightful, others like the ode to skanks “Skankophelia” have an old school R&B feel to them, and “Flight Risk” sings the sad, sour side of love. Stripes of dark circus parties, tales of freaks and Nocando’s amusing words are backed up by a all-star cast of producers on the beats: Nobody, Nosaj Thing, Thavius Beck, Th’ Corn Gangg, Free the Robots, Maestroe and Daedelus all offer their unique musical visions to the album. I can see these producers’ personalities shining through their tracks, and the result is an engaging collection of perspectives from the groovy to the grimy.

Add in the guest vocalists: Busdriver, Nick Diamonds, VerBS and Iron Mike Eagle and you have an album brewed to perfection on the hot slice of reality we call life on the West Coast – amusing, entertaining, inspiring, and most of all:

FRESH! I love it, ten points. I have been listening to Jimmy the Lock in high rotation since I received it! THIS SHIT IS FIRE!

Buy the album on iTunes and Boomkat.

Come to Low End Theory every Wednesday night and hear resident MC Nocando here.

Read the piece on Nocando in the LA Weekly here.

Excellent interview with Nocando in LA Record here.

Nocando on Facebook

Nocando on Twitter

Read more about Nocando below the cover art.

MORE ABOUT NOCANDO:

The LA underground has many voices, some covered in grit and dirt, some slapping the asphalt, some hitting high and brassy- but none ring truer than that of Nocando. A seasoned member of the hip hop community who isn’t content to count his battle scars by the dozens, Nocando brings fresh rhymes week after week at the world-renowned club night Low End Theory where he is the resident host, as well as to a variety of steazy joints all around the West Coast.

With a witty style and open voice, Nocando’s raps are unpredictable, funny and lean towards social commentary, although this MC is just as likely to tell you about a wild night on the streets of LA as to make a point about the fallacies of the music industry. Brash and confident while also being laid back, Nocando’s lyrical delivery is an apt representative of the California attitude. Winner of the MC Battle at the 2007 Skribble Jam, the largest hip hop festival in the nation, Nocando’s mouth often seems to have a life of its own, throwing an excited energy onto any crowd he meets and providing an important connection between the music and the dance floor.

Nocando has held his own performing on bills with Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hills, Flying Lotus, MF Doom, Supernatural, Cee-Lo Green, Souls Of Mischief, Typical Cats, The Chicharones, Grand Buffet, The Visionaries, Nancy Sinatra, The Fucking Champs and Autechre. The MC has also released a myriad of collaborations with artists such as Subtitle, Aceyalone, Murs, Lucky I Am, Busdriver, Abstract Rude, 2mex, LMNO, Pumpkinhead and many others.

Never afraid to get dirty, Nocando has won (and lost) numerous rap battles. Countless Thursday nights spent spitting freestyle in Leimert Park in the Crenshaw District of South Central LA established him as Project Blowed’s new school poster boy and a Customer Service hard hitter. The tireless MC has traveled to New York City, Boston, Canada, France, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Japan and many other locations giving international music fans a taste of Los Angeles’ main exports: blue collars, brown skies, bright lights, and bullshit.

With almost a decade of active duty in the LA beat scene and plenty of battle trophies under his belt, Nocando has earned the respect of peers, veterans and newcomers alike. Unpredictable and vivacious, Nocando will light any night and every crowd with his clever words and dynamic delivery style. With the continued convergence of the hip hop and electronic music communities in Los Angeles and around the world, Nocando is poised to shout his drops from the peak of the movement all the way to the vibrating dance floor of the underground.

DAEDELUS Interview in Covers Magazine

One of the pioneers of the Los Angeles beat music community, Daedelus has been delivering wild live performances in the area for years with the help of the futuristic Monome device and a penchant for dressing as an nineteenth-century dandy.

The experimental music producer hits New Zealand this month and then sets off on a nationwide tour beginning February 4 for his new label Magical Properties with Nosaj Thing and Jogger. Daedelus sat down with me for an interview for the “Dandy Sessions” issue of Covers Magazine at Philippe’s French Dip to speak on dandyism’s relation to his music, collisions of sound and art in the creative communities of LA, and his personal conspiracy theory.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW

Click here for more information about Daedelus’ Magical Properties Tour.

I walked away from this interview profoundly inspired by a true artist. What is published in Covers Magazine is only an excerpt; if you would like to read the entire interview (there’s so much more good stuff!), please email me at shilonikelle -at- gmail.com and I will be happy to send it to you.

Doktor Krank: Top 20 Mixes of 2009

If you don’t know Doktor Krank’s blog, check it out. Doktor Krank is one of my favorite fellow bloggers and holds down the bass music scene in Poland by delivering a fresh stream of sounds from the heavy, glitched-out future funk side of the universe.

Start with this post: Doktor Krank’s Top 20 Mixes of 2009, which includes choice selections from Heyoka, Nosaj Thing, Pantyraid, Mary Anne Hobbs, Pressha and Kat1lyst, Alex B, Samples, Sleepytime, Eprom, Lazer Sword…I think you get the drift!

Shilo’s Virgin Burning Man Guide by Tricia

Tricia is my best friend and a fountain of wonderfulness, a faerie-nymph of the first order and a bright shining light upon the horizon.

Last year Tricia wrote this guide for me so I would not die in the desert. It is delightful. Read it, take it to heart, and if this is your first year to go to Burning Man, talk to everyone you can who has been there before.

Please feel free to leave your own tips in the comments section at the bottom!

REVOLUTION BITCHES!

~The Burning Man Survival Guide:  READ IT!  Read everything you can on the BM website. Twice. Thrice.  Memorize it.

~Google Eplaya it’s a discussion forum for burners, there is an unbelievable amount of info on here, you just have to dig.

~http://www.scribd.com/doc/18573441/The-Arctic-Monkeys-Completely-Unofficial-Burning-Man-Guide-Pack-List

~If you have time Tribe.net is a really good source of info, they usually have a Burning Man virgin group for every year, but if you just browse through the past couple years of virgin groups you should find everything you need, they also have a good search engine for random things like how to make furry legwarmers…

*GOGGLES!!!!!!!!!   Bring as many pairs as you can find and afford because you will lose them and they will break and you will be incapacitated and blind if you are caught in a dust storm without them.  Or at the very least incredibly uncomfortable.  You need ones for day (dark colored) and ones for night (clear or very light). Also sunglasses.

* Dust masks!!!  Get the round kind that medical professionals wear, they are ugly and uncomfortable and most of the time a bandana works fine and looks way more badass but always have several in your pack because you will need it to breathe if a dust storm happens.  On that note bring lots of bandanas they are very useful and good playa gifts to give to people (“Ahh I have the perfect bandana that goes with your outfit!”)  Seriously.

*Tent:  be prepared to have your tent destroyed.  The dust ruined the zippers on my tent. (luckily I was able to return it to REI COVERED in dust, I literally left a pile of dust in front of the counter)  a little water and some lube (no joke) will help with the zippers.  Bring garbage bags and tape to tape over the vents in your tent, the dust just comes right through otherwise.  It will be hot but at least everything won’t be covered in a layer of dust, including yourself while you are napping.  It’s also a good a idea to do this whenever you are leaving for a long period of time.  It’s best if you can set up your tent behind some sort of wind barrier, use your car and/ or any other structure that you can at camp.  Bring enough tarps, strong twine and rebar stakes to make your own shade structure from your car just in case, shade is so freakin vital!

*SPRAY SUNCREEN!  Parasol or umbrella, (I’m just going to decorate an old umbrella)  Really it’s so hot it’s hard to go out during the day but sometimes you have to  and sometime you want to so be prepared.

*Layers. Bring lots of layers, it does get pretty freakin cold at night, but bring layers that you would be willing to lose, I lost an awesome furry vest last year that I really wish I still had…bring lots plan on losing at least one every night…not that I think you are going to lose everything but there are just SO MANY people and so many things going on its hard to keep track of things.

*Backpack:  bring a small backpack or camelback, you can get a platypus water holder and a hose for a lot cheaper than a camel back and that can just fit in any backpack.  Also, always have water (of course) sunscreen, warm layers (including legging or tights!) dust masks, bandanas, chapstick, baby wipes! (bring lots of baby wipes) candy and some snacks.  Even if you are just going to get ice or going to visit someone at another camp or going to a playa bar bring all of this stuff, there is so much cool shit going on that you won’t want to have to trek back back to your camp to get your essentials.  I know you know all of this but I am writing it it anyway partly to remind myself and also just to remind you that people do die and get really fucked up every year at Burning Man because they didn’t have what they needed.  Holy shit I am getting really excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*LIGHTS  blinky lights, raver lights anything, even glowsticks if that’s all you have. bring lots, they will break, you need enough blinky lights to light up yourself and your bike if you bring one.  LED string lights works really well, the ones with the little balls like Christmas lights or EL wire although it is probably too late to  buy that online and I makes a really high pitched sound that I can’t handle to have on my body, but it does work well for bikes.  Get some glowsticks just in case everything else breaks so at least you are somewhat lit up.  People get hit by art cars, like I said, the drivers of the art cars are more than likely just as fucked up as you are (or more) the more lit up you are the less chance you have of being hit.  Same for bikes and bikers, have a headlight on your bike if you bring one and light it up!  Also on the bike note, bring a lock, sadly people do steal bikes on the playa, people also “borrow” them.  There are a couple hundred communal bikes to be found on the playa, I think they are green, if you find one feel free to use it.

*I LOVE YOU!

*WATERWATERWATERWATER bring more than you think you will use, it is good to gift to people and someone may let you use their shower if you want to if you have your own water to use. Also, it creates a lot of trash but a bunch of plastic water bottles are really handy to have strewn about everywhere in your tent and car just so you always have water readily available

*FOOD also bring more than you think you will eat… you will be hungry, also good to have on hand to share…lots of snacks, easy to eat things…

*Cooler: bring one, there is ice available for cash on the playa.  Limit the amount of glass you bring.  PBR!!!  Lots of it.

*Shoes:   Most people wear knee high or calf boots, even during the day, they don’t let any dust in and look good with any costume.  If you wear sandals be prepared to get “playa foot” big painful cracks in your feet (the dust is really alkaline) that have to be soaked in vinager.  I wore boots the whole time last year and never had any problem with my feet…they did get hot during the day but I looked good and never got cracks in my feet. Bring lots of socks.  If you bring zipper boots lubricate the zippers everyday (even just with water).  Bring a couple pairs of shoes just in case.

*I am sure I will think of more things in the next couple of days…but this is the main shit.  Just remember that there will be more than 50,000 people it is the 3^rd largest city in Nevada for the week, watch your back there are a lot of assholes, just like any city not everyone is cool…there are definetly sleazeballs that go there just too look at hot scantily clad girls and hook up with them by whatever means possible…don’t accept drugs, water or alcohol from anyone you don’t know. Be careful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I ’m so fucking excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I still have so much to do to get ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   But I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE END (for now)

Jabba the Frog photo by me all others by Sudapop who loves TRANCE

Introducing: DREADBASS SOUND SYSTEM

Worlds collide in creative combustion when three bass music ambassadors unite to bring their eclectic tastes and dynamic talents to the stage as DreadBass Sound System, the new endeavor of Kush Arora, Nate Mars and Juakali. From three pulse points of the domestic electronic underground, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles respectively, this trio of artists connect their multiple styles together, pulling the weight of dubstep into the future by its roots to produce a sound thick with a global feel and dusted with digital dub, experimental electronica and energetic dancehall. The resulting music is motivating to the mind and body, with up-front lyrics and assertive beats popping together with grime-ridden basslines and proving that the dance floor doesn’t need mindless bangers to get down.

Kush Arora provides the drums, effects and dubbing for the trio; this mainstay of the San Francisco underground has recently set to flame West Coast festivals such as Shambhala in Vancouver, BC and Jujubeats in OC. His unique sound is a warped future-fusion of dancehall, dubstep, bhangra and grime, stepping away from the usual psychedelica found in the Bay and leaning towards a refreshing smack of boldness more indicative of his roots in the Punjabi region of India. Kush’s two releases of 2009, Dread Bass Chronicles and Boiling Over, were both critically acclaimed, with Dread Bass Chronicles on several “Best Of” lists of the year. He has contributed to releases on Surya Dub, Record Label Records and Blipswitch, and Kush’s presence in the Bay area’s electronic arts community is as dynamic as his sound, which pushes forward a world of influences to widespread and welcoming crowds.

Nate Mars contributes to the group his eclectic musical palate and trained talents on the keyboard and bass guitar, adding a substantial thwomp to DreadBass Sound System’s bubbling global sound. A regular on the BBC Radio 1 shows of Mary Anne Hobbs and Annie Mac, Nate’s singular style has evolved into a signature sound, his wobbling waves in the low end installing him as a stable force in the international dubstep scene. Dabbling in a myriad of genres, he has received accolades and fans from his drum and bass track “Concentric Circles” on compilation album The Deprogramming Sequence (Liberation Systems) as well as his acid house EP with a remix of a Morgan Page track released under the name “The New Yorker.” Nate’s debut dubstep album drops in spring of 2010 on Blipswitch; its first single “Above and Beyond dem feat. Jahdan” was included on Freq Nasty’s FabricLive 42 compilation. Heavy and rich and dripping in bass, Nate’s original sound delivers a fat shoving dose of dubstep to the dance floor’s starving ears.

Adding a tactile touch of organic voice to the trio, Juakali caps the group with his unique and inspiring lyrical stylings. One of the foremost MCs of the global underground electronic community, Juakali’s melodic delivery is accented with an island lilt from his native Trinidad and slapped with smarts from the city of LA. His animated performance style together with his uplifting words and authentic delivery help to unite the musicians and crowd together as one blast of creative energy. Juakali also performs as part of the live electronics crew Sub Swara and is host of the first all-dubstep event in the United States, Dub War in New York City; as such he has been an integral factor in the introduction of this new sound to new ears. Knowing no genre boundaries, Juakali’s words are a ribbon of hopeful smoke that weaves through the deep waves of dub, bhangra, dancehall, jungle and reggae, leaving behind a wake of positive vibes, moving bodies and pulsing minds.

Together these three artists are DreadBass Sound System, a new sonic journey into genre-denying territory that never forgets the dance floor and always delivers a fresh sound rich in influences from all over the world, a few of other planets and the future of music as well. Kush Arora’s vigorous sound design along with Nate Mars’ substantial groove and Juakali’s vocal upswing combine to create an original and inspiring musical experience rooted in the global bass community and pushing forward to a creative future where we don’t need labels- only dance floors.

Catch the debut of DreadBass Sound System at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas on March 17 at Barcelona with N-Type, MRK1, Eskmo, Eprom and the Spit Brothers. Wow.