Image via Complex Original
Los Angeles, a city with a metro area population of 16.4 million, is hard to holistically describe in any real capacity. The weather’s great, though sometimes there’s smog. The city sprawls over 500 square miles so people drive everywhere. They commute, they wait in traffic on their way to a secret taco truck or Korean BBQ spot, they shuttle to casting calls or to the beach, or to hike the canyons. Like New York, L.A.’s music scene is representative of the overall American music psyche. Its history stretches back further than we care to elucidate upon at the moment, but suffice it to say that it deserves a few chairs at the king’s table in the pantheon of music history.
As rents continue to soar in San Francisco and New York, once-skeptical artists are moving to L.A., thus contributing to a just-barely-underground creative scene that seems to be having somewhat of a renaissance as of late. It’s a city where the old school lives in harmony with the new school. DJs still spin Egyptian Lover, G-funk, 2Pac, Pharcyde, Snoop, and Dre. You can still bump into local musicians at Amoeba or Origami, or catch them at a show. But L.A. is also a city that doesn’t publicize what’s really happening—as the motto for the Sarcastic Disco party goes, “If you don’t know, ask somebody.”
In celebration of the Budweiser Made in America festival hitting L.A. this weekend, we figured that we’d showcase who’s doing a killer job repping the City of Angels in the music scene right now—some you may know, some you may not. Either way, if you want some insight into this sunny city that sprawls between the Pacific and the Sierras, keep reading.
Kendrick Lamar
Perhaps the biggest name in hip-hop to come out of Los Angeles since Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg is Kendrick Lamar. We caught Kendrick’s show recently at Pitchfork Fest, and he performed with the confidence, charisma, and perfection of performers twice his age. Kendrick is real serious. We don’t need to tell you that his record good Kid, m.A.A.d City was one of the best hip-hop albums of the decade. good Kid paints a completely engrossing autobiographical portrait of Kendrick’s time growing up in South Central. If there’s one record that gives you an impression of what the city feels like, it’s this one.
Brainfeeder
With that, we step a few feet below the surface to L.A.’s hip-hop underground. Founded by the godfather of avant-garde beat making, Flying Lotus, Brainfeeder has becoming a legend in the underground electronic music world, especially in the obscured corners where hip-hop, jazz, and psychedelic subconsciously intersect. This is music that’s made by studio whizzes for headphone junkies. Home to artists like Thundercat, Lapalux, Underachievers, TOKiMONSTA, the Gaslamp Killer, Jeremiah Jae, and Mono/Poly, Brainfeeder has a diverse roster for sure, and one that continues to inspire beatmakers around the world. On that note, stay tuned for FlyLo’s latest record, You’re Dead!, out Oct. 7.
Low End Theory
A staple hip-hop party in L.A., the Low End Theory has an impressively diverse roster of DJs and artists who’ve come through since the party started back in 2006, including Brainfeeder artists like Gaslamp Killer and FlyLo. Founded by Daddy Kev, the head of L.A. label Alpha Pup, Low End Theory has consistently been the epicenter of L.A.’s alternative hip-hop and beat-making scene. It’s superb curation and inviting atmosphere have spread the party from L.A. to quarterly events in Tokyo, monthly events in San Francisco, and occasional events in NYC and Europe. A great way to get a better idea of the Low End Theory vibe is by checking out their monthly podcast.
Liars
In yet another realm of the Los Angeles musical underground we find Liars, the experimental rock trio that’s unwaveringly been their own creative force for 14 years. The band met in L.A., started out in Brooklyn, then moved to Berlin for a while, only to finally resettle back in L.A. Coincidentally, this exploratory, circuitous career arc also reflects their sound, which varies drastically from one record to the next. If the concept of art rock still exists in 2014, the brightly glowing ember of it is most likely found in Liars.
Amoeba Records
Originally opened in Berkeley in 1990, Amoeba has since grown like some amorphous immortal microorganism, expanding to massive San Francisco and Hollywood shops, not to mention partnering recently to sell exclusive vinyl in Urban Outfitters’ Herald Square location in NYC. Known as one of the last remaining independent record store titans, Amoeba reliably stocks records from around the world, and from many, many different genres and generations. There are, of course, plenty of smaller, more specialized shops around L.A. that people hold near and dear (shout out to As the Record Turns, Permanent Records, Atomic Vinyl, and Mono; Origami, we’ll see you in a minute), but Amoeba has always been there for us and for L.A.
Origami
Origami is small fish compared to the absolutely massive store that is Amoeba, but it’s nevertheless built up quite the name for itself thanks to an expertly curated vinyl selection, vast array of events, and community-oriented mentality. As a testament to its musically locavore mindset, the Origami website features a L.A.-based artists page, so you can explore records by local artists. Owner Neil Schield and crew regularly DJ in the neighborhood, hosting a Record Club where people can submit their favorite side of a record to be DJ’ed. They also have plenty of free or cheap in-store performances and sponsor shows at The Echo and The Echoplex.
Fade to Mind
What do you think music will sound like 20 years in the future? Something like this? Probably. One of the biggest on-the-low tastemakers in the past year has been the L.A.-based label Fade to Mind. They’re more of a collective of producers, DJs, and artists than a traditional hierarchical corporate label, and their hard work shows with frequent and uninhibited collaborations. Last year, they released Kelela’s debut mixtape, Cut 4 Me, introducing the larger public to their forward-thinking handiwork. If you’ve heard anything that Fatima Al Qadiri, Nguzunguzu, Kingdom, DJ Sliink, Rizzla, or Total Freedom (among others) have contributed to, then you know the kind of sway they have. If not, now would be a great time to get introduced.
Harriet
Los Angeles is somewhat of a muse for rock and roll. Fleetwood Mac recorded a lot of Rumours here, to give just one example. Harriet wisely follows in the footsteps of Fleetwood and other Laurel Canyon frequenters with its agile thinking-man’s pop. While we know little about this modern rock band, it got our attention with a string of seriously awesome music videos. The band's latest, “Ten Steps,” finds frontman Alex Casnoff in blue face makeup with an air of misguided confidence backed by a track that’s part Paul Simon, part Tom Petty, and part Beyoncé. With their awesomely titled album, It’s Totally Cool, I Wouldn’t Even Worry About It, due out soon, these guys are definitely on the rise in Los Angeles.