Being True to LA
LA seems to be breathing with electric excitement nowadays, forming it's own unique culture, without a second thought or single regret. How could it not? LA houses close to 10 million people, hosting an incredibly broad range of cultures and backgrounds which makes the prospect of artistic crossover and experimentation inevitable.
A couple summers ago I met a pair of Irish people who were drunkenly ranting, in bitter tone, about the bubble that LA is, how it is cutoff from real life, the real world, real people... and I had trouble disagreeing, (nothing to do with the number of beers and tequila I had drank,) but because they were right! LA has always had some sort of mythical presence; the land of fame and entertainment, the final destination of aspiring artists, the pinnacle of creative devotion, how could it be connected to the "real world", and more importantly, why would it want to be?
Loop (2017) – Ableton Hosts its 3rd Annual Summit for Music Makers
It's that time of the year again, when the heat creeps in, fades out teasingly, then wakes you up in mid-September to remind you that Summer ain't over yet even though Fall is just around the corner. By the time Autumn has finally shown up in early November everybody's favorite music company, Ableton will be ready to host its international music conference Loop. What is this conference all about?
The name was inspired by live-looping/loop-cutting, both are relatively new methods of performing/producing music on the fly by solo or group artists. The conference is described by Ableton as, "three days of discussions, performances, presentations, studio sessions, installations and interactive workshops designed to share ideas at the forefront of music, technology, and creative practice". The conference will be held at the historic Funkhaus Nalepastraße radio station in Berlin for the third year.
Blog Recap: sidebrain Live at SamplenHold
SamplenHold is a new LA-based event for boundary-pushing performance artists hosted at Downtown LA hot spot, Resident. We are honored, grateful, but also not surprised our school's founder, Yeuda Ben-Atar AKA sidebrain, was asked to perform at the first SamplenHold event last Tuesday, July 11, alongside the likes of incredible talent like Amp Live, Josh Spoon, Portrait XO, and other special guests.
On SamplenHold's event page they described sidebrain as a "mastermind of multi-genre live performance and controllerism". He absolutely lived up to the hype. Using Ableton, a MIDI keyboard, and his famous Dreamcast controller - Yeuda threw down a set full of original loops, beats, and songs all while jamming out live with his controllers in masterfully creative ways. People we're feeling the heat and we can not wait for sidebrain to release some of the new material he was previewing.
Lido Workshop Recap: Wow
Lido Workshop Recap: Wow Lido is one of those producers that producers get awestruck about; how does he get that swing? That sound design? Those percussion patterns? The list goes on. We are so grateful to the man himself for blessing the Lab this past Saturday with our most packed workshop to date! su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmZGFmHEbq0″ showinfo=”no” rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” https=”yes” /su_youtube_advanced The day started out with a packed house, and people just kept showing up. Halfway through the workshop we had people sitting on the floor, lining the walls, and even a crowd watching from the hallway. Lido never stressed though and he really made everyone feel welcome and engaged. His passion for music is obvious in his work, but what really left an impression with everyone in that room was his passion for educating and connecting with other producers. He had an air about him that …
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Welcome to Festival Season – 11 Festivals to Play at this Summer
Welcome to Festival Season – 11 Festivals to Play at this Summer It’s February already and… festival season is basically around the corner. If you’re considering taking your performance skills to the next level and have hopes of performing at one this summer, it’s time to get your electronic press kit together ASAP. If you’re not yet ready to hit the stage, you should still try to make some festival appearances, as they can be an incredible source of ~inspiration~ and ~fun~. That $200 ticket not in your budget? Try volunteering—in exchange for about 4 hrs a day, you can get your ticket for free. Not a bad deal if you don’t mind lending a hand! Here are 11 California festivals to keep on your radar and reach out to. divider style=”clear” Do it Ourselves Fest – April 28 – 30 This tidy little festival is nestled up in …
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GIRLSCHOOL Music Fest 2017 – Female Fronted Festival this Weekend in Echo Park
GIRLSCHOOL Music Fest 2017 – Female Fronted Festival hits Echo Park The echoes of last week’s Women’s March can still be heard reverberating from City Hall to Hollywood and back. These echoes will soon harmonize with the powerful, face-melting, soul healing music of the dozens of female-fronted bands that are going to rock this weekend’s GIRLSCHOOL music fest. This will be GIRLSCHOOL’s second annual music festival, which is organized and fronted by females only. It runs January 27-29 at the Bootleg theater in Echo Park. Proceeds will benefit the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls LA, a summer camp that empowers girls to find their voice, then shout it from the rooftops—guitar/bass/piccolo/harp/bow in hand. The lineup features incredibly talented musicians such as Chelsea Wolfe, The Bird and The Bee, Francisca Valenzuela, Deap Vally, and The Wild Reeds. On top of that, the festival is also stacked with panels, workshops …
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