since it was mostly a work trip, i was not out every night whoring myself to the various venues around. well actually, i probably would have if getting around los angeles was easier but as we know, it must easily be the largest city in the world with the shittest public transport. however i still managed to sneak in a couple things here and there..
* on random last.fm correspondence, i met up with ben from santa monica who is well into his local hip hop and was gracious enough to give me a ride to the brainfeeder show feat. flying lotus, daedelus, kode9 (uk), hudson mohawke, gaslamp killer, martyn (norway) and ras g.
most of these guys are locals centered around the low end theory club night and dublab.com who make various (and plenty good) incarnations of instrumental hip hop/cut n paste electronics, and seeing it all together made for a fantastic night. the crowd vibe was great too, everyone was really into it, not too much hipster posturing and no aggression - just locals having a good time blah blah.
anyway i already blogged about it in detail here so there's not much more for me to say other than that i'm glad i got to see another, more energetic side to flying lotus.
* the next night, same venue, different scene altogether at the dodos show. i didn't care much for the main support, some minimalist rockabilly duo who did nothing for me. the dodos were solid, and i really had to see this show to make up for the sxsw showcase where i was physically there but so not aurally. too busy talking to my girl jess, who i had not seen in a year and did her best to get me in trouble with lone star tall boys. by the time i came back in march and gotten hold of visiter, i was pretty sore at myself for so readily dismissing them. anyway the echoplex show was great, pretty much what i expected from the two albums with fine ex-metal drumming that really pops out at you.
* oh look, it all comes around. so same austin venue, different band! and much colder climate. on the outside stage of mohawks in austin tx, i saw headliners gang gang dance. they were... okay. it's not like i didn't know the new album well enough - in fact i seem to be in the minority amongst friends who actually rate saint dymphna quite highly, so i enjoyed hearing the new stuff. and though technically proficient and concocting a good set in theory, it seemed just to lack a certain sparkle. not all the band's fault perhaps. i think the outdoor space and certainly the cold seemed to scatter the sound. if it had been in a more intimate indoor room or even a backyard show, it could've been something quite special, but instead i felt kind of disconnected to the whole spectacle. oh well, better luck next time.
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