Mike Watt somehow knew that Thundercat was coming. When he said people thought the Minutemen were Martians from planet Jazz, well … that is pretty much exactly what we get with Thundercat’s The Golden Age of Apocalypse, made by a kid who played bass for Stanley Clarke and Suicidal Tendencies both. Thundercat speaks now about the sublime and the ridiculous, but not in that order. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

[Read more →]

Thundercat Thundercat, Mia Doi Todd, Hanni El Khatib, Swahili Blonde, Tom Brosseau, the Club Pacific Band, and DJs Dan Collins, Tom Child, and Andres Renteria at the L.A. RECORD x dublab stage at Abbot Kinney Festival on September 24, 2011. Photos by Lainna Fader.

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

Unlike the Thom Yorke DJ set at Low End in March, Erykah Badu’s seemed to be a secret well-kept until the few hours right before her performance. The first lady of neo-soul finally took the stage at around midnight, after sets by Nocando and Co.fee. The dance floor was packed and steamy as she played a mix of 90s hip hop and old-school R&B–Rick James’ “I Love You Mary Jane” drew a particularly good response—and contemporary hip-hop, like Dilla’s “Workingonit.”

[Read more →]

Download: “Happy Birthday, Flying Lotus!” Jam Session [Audio clip: view full post to listen] L.A. visionary Flying Lotus just had a birthday, and in the true spirit of birthdays, ArtDontSleep delivers a gift in his honor to the world: the “Happy Birthday Flying Lotus!” jam session featuring Lotus, Exile, Shafiq Husayn, Computer Jay and many [...]

[Read more →]