February 19, 2011 – Proud Bird Airfield

Despite some technical difficulties and poor organization, Diplo put on a show not soon to be forgotten.

Initially, the line to get into the venue was incredibly long for general admission.The dance floor was barely ventilated, and everyone was drenched in sweat, not that that’s surprising. The carpet couldn’t even prevent people from getting their dance on, though a few people were complaining about not being unable to shuffle.

The crowd was already grooving before Diplo even started DJing, so the vibe was great from at the beginning. Early in his set, he dropped Major Laser’s famous “On the Floor” and followed it with Steve Aoki’s “Warp” at which point everyone went crazy and the party really began. He then began dropping new songs every time there was supposed to be a drop in the song he was playing at the time. He would then go back to the beginning of the song just dropped. It made for an interesting sound and kept the crowd on their toes. I wasn’t surprised that he was playing well known songs by Skrillex and Skream, as well as other dubstep, but I was surprised that I didn’t hear any of his original remixes. As the night progressed however, Diplo began playing more and more hip hop and pop, creating a college party vibe because of the familiar songs. I think this struck a chord deep in the crowd, and the party raged on. Diplo’s serato box broke in the middle of the set, but after it was fixed he continued on dropping more hit songs, and the crowd resumed as though nothing wrong had happened. All in all a good night.

-Sunny D, The Korova Milkbar (Tuesdays 10PM-12AM)

To some Grammy fans, the award show of 2011 may have passed over some of the bigger names in music to honor a few lesser-known gems such as Esperanza Spalding and Arcade Fire. Spalding collected the Grammy for Best New Artist, while Arcade Fire won the equally noble Album of the Year.

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On the Thursday edition of Between the Covers with Jack and Jessica, we had guest Cleary Clark, a USC film school grad student, and up and coming rapper.  After a shared interview with Jack and Jasmine from Pink Gold, a fashion blog, Cleary performed a live freestyle over Souls of Mischief “93 Live”.  His flow was lyrically smooth and well articulated.  It was a breath of fresh air to finally hear a young rapper that wasn’t boasting about how much money he has.  If you are a fan of hip-hop and a supporter of local artists, Cleary will be performing at Café Ground Zero February 28^th at 10 PM.

Check out Cleary’s new release “The Graduate”. Here

Straight out the suburbs of Los Angeles, SutterMusic (a.k.a. Jake Lester) has been perfecting his art for years. Currently based in Agua Dulce, Sutter grew up on the drum kit jamming out his token mind-bending rhythms across the local music scene. Ranging from many styles such as jazz and hard rock, Sutter soon became acquainted with electronic music and never looked back. You could try to classify his music as progressive or house, but their is truly no name for his unique style. Sutter is currently hard at work in his home studio pumping out beats for a new era in electronic music. Be sure to stay tuned for a SutterMusic appearance during winter quarter once he finishes up in the studio. Until then, check him out at as he drops banger after banger. Here’s his latest track; be sure to crank up the bass.

Donnie Kendall
DJ Thor

The second annual Beyond Wonderland, a massive rave put on by production outfit Insomniac Events, is to be held Saturday, March 19th, at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino. There has been a fair amount of hype surrounding this event year, and with good reason; as always, Insomniac has delivered a phenomenal lineup that can be appreciated by fans of all different sorts of dance music.

For the house and electro fans, progressive house favorite Kaskade will be headlining the Queen’s Domain stage. Kaskade had originally stated that he was not going to be in attendance at the party; to the surprise of all his fans, though, barely a few days before the release of the lineup, he made an announcement on his Twitter that he would be playing the show. Dirty South, producer of the 2010 house anthem “Phazing,” as well as indie-electro star Calvin Harris will also be playing the Queen’s Domain.

The event also has plenty to offer for trance lovers; the Madhatter’s Castle will be headlined by psy-trance group Infected Mushroom, whose unique performances tend to favor live instrumentation over pre-recorded music. Their style is best described as polarizing; based on the wall posts I read on the Beyond Wonderland event page on Facebook, listeners either hate or love the group. Regardless, with their innovative, triply sound, Infected Mushroom is sure to be an interesting performance. Acclaimed trance duo Cosmic Gate, made up of Nic Chigall and DJ Bossi, will also be playing the Madhatter’s Castle. Known for their uncanny ability to fuse trance and house, I predict that Cosmic Gate will bring the best set of the night. Don’t miss them! Christopher Lawrence, British big-name Judge Jules, Simon Patterson, Andy Moor will also be playing the Madhatter’s Castle.

For connoisseurs of the more underground genres, Insomniac, for the first time ever, has added an all-techno stage to the event: the Chess Village. It will be headlined by Resident Advisor #1 DJ Richie Hawtin, an immensely talented techno and minimal DJ whose style is described universally as massively influential and innovative. Also playing the Chess Village will be Loco Dice, whose deep techno grooves, such as “Minina Brasileira” are sure to keep the crowd dancing.

Make sure to also be on the lookout for the Caterpillar’s Garden stage, which features dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass. It will be headlined by DnB trio Noisia. Dubstep producer Datsik, Dirtyphonics, as well as breakthrough liquid DnB producer Netsky will also be playing the Caterpillar’s Garden.

Overall, whatever your taste in dance music, Beyond Wonderland is sure not to disappoint. With the guaranteed production value that an Insomniac event carries, as well as the impressive lineup for the night, this event is sure to be one that will further solidify LA’s love for raves.

It’s been about twenty five years and twelve albums since Yo La Tengo has been churning out their eclectic brand of Indie pop while managing to remain fresh and relevant; a daunting task for any band. And while other musicians that have been around that long have resorted to writing Broadway adaptations of Spiderman, Yo La Tengo still remains a prominent force in the independent music scene. The key to staying on task in a band that’s been around so long is to not continue writing the same material over and over, but too change your sound around and explore new territory without getting to self-indulgent. Yo La Tengo definitely show cased their affinity for spicing things up in the band as they covered many different milestones in their musical career and played an inspired show and sometimes unpredictable show.

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As always, thanks for spending your Sunday night with the Boom Boom Room. Now to the music.

Hour 1:

• Can I Take You Out Tonight – Luther Vandross
• Lady – The Commodores
• Ascension – Maxwell
• At Last – Etta James
• Sara Smile – Hall & Oates
• This Old Heart of Mine – The Isley Brothers
• Stomp! – Brothers Johnson
• Knock on Wood – Eddie Floyd
• Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
• Baby I’m Yours – Barbara Lewis
• Have You Seen Her – The Chi-Lites

Hour 2:

• Could It Be I’m Falling In Love – The Spinners
• I Pledge My Love – Peaches & Herb
• Wishing On a Star  – Rose Royce
• Tell It Like It Is – Aaron Neville
• Show and Tell – Al Wilson
• I’m So Proud – The Impressions
• What You See Is What You Get – The Dramatics
• Me and My Baby Brother – War
• Tell Her She’s Lovely – El Chicano
• Nothing Can Compare To You – The Velvit Satins
• Footsteps in the Dark – The Isley Brothers
• Black Magic Woman – Santana

*Italics denote listener requests.

Don’t miss the final show of the quarter this Sunday!

This Saturday, UCLAradio.com’s very own Charles Fox will be opening the Honey Lounge inside of club Avalon. An early start at 9:30pm, his sexy deep tech-house will refuel your spirits and fit nicely with the open bar. Come out and see why Morgan Page and Donald Glaude will have to put on their best in the main room to keep up with Charles Fox, Dory Kim, and Jay-You in the Honey Lounge.

Avalon Hollywood

Link to Buy Tickets

Link to RSVP

Listen to Charles Fox every Tuesday night / Wednesday morning
from 12am-4am PST

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On Saturday morning the 2011 Dance Marathon participants woke up from (hopefully) a good night’s sleep. Ahead of them, an arduous journey full of dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, and a severe lack of anything sitting-related.

9:00AM: Check-in, debriefing, stretching. 11:00AM: The dancing begins. Every three hours the theme of the party changed, varying from outer space to dreams to decades to sports. For north campus majors, that’s eight costume changes. For one-track minds, yes, they left the dance floor to change. For nosy people, yes, they could go to the bathroom but had to squat just above porcelain comfort.

Why donate so much energy and time to a party seemingly invented by endurance ravers? Well, it is pretty cool to be able to say that you did it, but there is a better reason – Dance Marathon raises funds for organizations like Project Kindle and OneHeartSource, which are dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness and family assistance. Every few hours a group of children or project organizers would take the stage or video feeds to tell their story or remind the dancers of the important projects and causes they are helping fund. Each dancer’s fundraising helped 2011 Dance Marathon raise $41,053,068! That’s a whole lot of money, by the way.

Next year, when you hear about Dance Marathon 2012 coming up, go ahead and sign up. It’s not that hard to raise the money – people love to help a good cause. Then, when you dutifully listen to UCLAradio.com on a lonely Saturday morning and hear the booming bass and shouting dancers bleeding into the DJ’s mics from next door in Ackerman, you’ll remember that you’re conveniently signed up for a crazy awesome 26 hours of dancedancedancedancedance.

Does the name Hans Zimmer sound familiar? If not, then read up, because chances are this one man has affected your life in more ways than you realize.

From the classic musical rhythms of Disney’s The Lion King to the recent emphatic soundtrack of Inception, this German-born composer is leaving his mark on cinema. Out of all the film composers I follow, Zimmer is one of the top masters of “epic”, that unique ability to create music which will inspire even the most hardcore pessimist to go out and save the world, or at least try. Listen to the score of Nolan’s Batman Begins and you too will find yourself looking for falling babies to save, cats in trees, that sort of thing.

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Neil Patrick Harris, Vanessa Hudgens, and Daniel Barnz

New from CBS Films: Beastly

In theatres March 4, 2011

The Grove – Los Angeles-February 24, 2011-7:00PM

The stars arrive on the red carpet for the premiere of Beastly, a modern interpretation of The Beauty and the Beast based on the Alex Flinn novel of the same name. Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, and Neil Patrick Harris star in the film about a spoiled teenage boy that is obsessed with appearances until he is bewitched into a mutilated beast. The only way to retrieve his stunning good looks is to find someone who can fall in love with him within a year. The film was written and directed by Daniel Barnz. Brittany Snow and Kendall and Kylie Jenner were also on hand to show their support.

Verdict: This is the perfect date movie, showing us the age-old adage: it’s really what’s inside that counts.

The film, while not straying too far from the basic principles of The Beauty and the Beast, reinvents the story in a modern, teenage setting, complete with high school cliques, parental drama and romance. Its most endearing moments come when the ever self-absorbed Kyle (Pettyfer) is ashamed of his new appearance, yet completely captivated by the thoughtful hipster, Lindy (Hudgens). Kendra, played by Mary-Kate Olsen, also has some memorable moments of cryptic dialogue. However, the highlight of the entire movie has to be Kyle’s blind tutor, Will (Harris). His combination of wit and wisdom allows for some well-timed one-liners that drive the comedic aspect of the film. If not for any other reason, go watch the film to see Neil Patrick Harris.

While Beastly is definitely not the most unpredictable, unique story ever told, it benefits from its familiarity and the timelessness of its message: true beauty comes from within. (But, I guess that’s easy to say when you have stars that look like Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens.) All in all, the film delivered exactly what you would expect – a story of love that overcomes hardships and personal insecurities. At the end of the day, don’t we all just want people to see the beauty within each other?

So if you’re looking for sweet story about young love, look no further and go see Beastly when it hits theaters on March 4.

To hear what Alex and Vanessa had to say about the movie, click here: http://sharedfiles.junketproductions.com/Beastley_02_24_11_Print_Online_Alex_Pettyfer_and_Vanessa_Hudgens.mp3

For more info, go to: http://beastlythemovie.com/

With the Fox Theater Pomona as the final stop of their Business Casual Tour, Dave 1 and Pee Thug of Chromeo did not hold anything back for their show last Saturday. Fans rejoiced as the duo outdid themselves, playing all their hits from “Fancy Footwork” to “Night By Night,” and even some new material. As Dave 1 shredded with his guitar and Pee Thug brought the bump with his synths and cowbells, the packed crowd went into a dancing frenzy. The lights, the energy, the amazing sound quality, all added up to create an electric atmosphere at the show. Most of all, Chromeo simply confirmed the fact that they are the reigning kings of electrofunk.

On Thursday night I went to the Echoplex to see Lucero and Olin & The Moon.

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Looking for a way to escape midterm/pre-final blues? The “Queen of Neo-Soul” Erykah Badu will be paying Los Angeles a visit later this week, and will be the jazzy medicine to any ailment.

Badu, known for her funky head wraps, politically inspired music, and soulful melodies released her latest album in March 2010, titled New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh, a continuation of her 2008 album. The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard chart in 2010, and surrounds her personal and romantic experiences. But before you write off this disc as another fluffy musical love saga, indulge in the euphonic sound of “Incense” and watch the edgy “Window Seat” music video.

If you’re down for some soulful seduction and mind calming melodies, check out Erykah Badu in concert live this Thursday, February 24^th featuring DJ Lo Down Loretta (aka Erykah Badu) w/ Biz Markie at the House of Blues on Sunset Strip at 8pm- tickets available @ http://www.ticketmaster.com/Erykah-Badu-tickets/artist/781503 .

You can expect hits off her latest album, as well as some of her classics from Banduism, Mama’s Gun and New Amerykah pt. 1 (World War), while sitting in the House of Blues, located in the heart of West Hollywood— a perfect recipe for a mystical evening.

Even if you don’t have the resources/guts to leave the Westwood bubble this Thursday, make sure to bump to Badu’s “Bag Lady”, “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long”,  and “Love of My Life” on the internetz.

Showroom for Compassion, Cake’s sixth studio album and first since 2004, brings something new to the table. A long time in the making, Cake expressed its desire to create something a little different than its other five albums. And Cake successfully did just that, with lead singer John McCrea uses his compelling voice in a variety of ways to demonstrate that rock and roll can still find some new sounds.

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