Freedumb '90

We don't need to say shit like we're "married to music". We'd rather have our freedumb, so don't step on it...

Step On Freedom by cmykdgaf

...sometimes clothes do not make the man.

Vice Cooler Couleur

We were so excited to hear that DGAFavorites Yelle were returning to the Echoplex after their hilariously entertaining DJ set back in April. We were FINALLY going to see their live set as we'd missed at least one other opportunity when they'd come to LA. It was nice to see the place packed because we knew it was going to be a good show.

We'd never heard of Hawnay Troof before but we definitely won't forget him. Vice Cooler is the definition of DGAF. I mean, holy shit. I rarely see performers give it their absolute ALL like that: raw, genuine, and real as shit. While some performers are too cool for the crowd, he actually connects, interacts, and engages with the audience. He's confessional, grateful, and humble; it's his dance party and everyone really is invited. His music is fabulously fun and inspiringly energetic, and we would LOVE to catch his next show.

We couldn't find any videos of him from that night, but here's one from this past September at the Echoplex which will give you an idea:



After the rocking warm-up, Yelle all took to the stage in denim shirts and a phenomenal set of new material. This is probably the most talented and underrated band out there right now. If you can effectively play live drums to dance music, you've got some epic skills. Yes, we're talking to you, Grandmarnier. And you've got to have epic skills to play in a band with Julie and Tepr, for sure. Their new songs were as polished and catchy as ever. There were parts where all three of them played live drums, and it was a nice touch. If you want to see live pop genius, check them out. I'm waiting for them to take over the world.



For such positive vibes from the stage, the crowd certainly was a buzzkill. Fucking hell, you can be obnoxious on your own time, so if you come to see music, try to enjoy it. You're not there to start fights, feel people up, or heckle anyone... or are you? Put down that next drink unless you REALLY don't want to remember the show the next day. Try going up on stage yourself maybe and see how your audience reacts to you. Bet you can't do it. Especially in a denim shirt. You know who you are.

OH AND ONE MORE THING. IF GRANDMARNIER STAGE DIVES, YOU FUCKING CATCH HIM. I couldn't see well from where I was standing, but I didn't see him crowd surf at all after he dived off the stage. I'm thinking he just sank into that apathetic sea of douchebags. Back in April there was less than half the people, and they were all wasted and on rollerskates, and Grandmarnier still managed to crowd surf.

So we'd like to say that we're thankful for acts like Yelle and Hawnay Troof, for playing in LA and keeping it real and DGAF. Or real DGAF. We'd like to show our gratitude with a mash-up. But this is also dedicated to all the cheap garçons that night and the ones we've met throughout 2010.

Cheap Garçons by cmykdgaf

Yelle Kills! And kills it every time...

time flies when you're being DGAF

Holy shit... where has 2010 gone? I swear we were just ringing in the new year with Chromeo and Peanut Butter Wolf at Club Nokia. Our musical input has slowed down a bit, but we should be back in full force next year (which is less than 2 months away?!?!)... We're planning a special remix for New Year's, and possibly another mash-up... but we have to take a break so we can finally finish the long-awaited interview with our DGAFriend Satsuki from zakka nouveau.


Let's see, so what else will we be up to for what's left of the year? Well, first of all, we will be DJing at Pop Monster this Saturday, November 20 from 7-10. It's free and local if you're from the South Bay. We love Pop Monster because they support local artists and it's the only place like this in the area. Check this place out because we're lucky here in Torrance to have it!

We may have missed him at HARD Haunted Mansion 2010 (not our fault) and the RUBBER premiere (totally our fault), but don't worry... we're going to ring in the new year with none other than Mr. Oizo.





Is anyone else already scared about 2011?

It ain't Halloween unless it's HARD

ALL PHOTOS BY OUR FRIEND KAREN PEDROZA. THANKS GIRL!!! :)

I always thought Halloween was one of those holidays that of course reached its prime in childhood. I mean, dressing up in a costume and getting free candy? You can't top that. As an adolescent, I discovered things such as Knott's Scary Farm, to much disappointment (I found it more annoying that anything, but that's another story). I started to be at a loss every year for costume ideas. Besides, all the costumes for women were getting annoyingly "sexy". And with no Halloween parties REALLY worth going to, I just accepted that I'd outgrown the holiday.

That is, until in 2008, HARD revived the holiday for me. I can't imagine Halloween without it anymore. It's now back to being the holiday I look forward to the most! It's WAY more fun than trick-or-treating, and good music is also good for your health, unlike candy (no pun intended). I've also realized that dressing up is something you should NEVER grow out of. You're an adult, and you can come up with more ideas and more elaborate costumes. HARD Haunted Mansion, we salute you.





We arrived this year a little late, but we managed to score free street parking around the USC campus. We did miss Busy P, which was a bummer, but ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I AM GLAD TO HAVE MADE IT IN TIME FOR CROOKERS. THEY NEVER DISAPPOINT. They played a lot of their old fidget hits, and kept the crowd relentlessly going until they ended it with a Boyz II Men song. They will always be DGAFavorites and DGAF heroes.

Rusko was dirty and heavy... fucking dope. I definitely wanna see him again. I don't give a shit, I loved the tracks he produced for M.I.A.'s latest album.

Fortunately Shimosh remembered JUST in time that SebastiAn was playing indoors, and we clamored to get back into the Harder Stage. There was understandably a huge crowd wanting to get in as well. The setup is great so that when you walk into the indoors stage, you're already up at the front by the stage so you don't have to fight your way up from the back. SebastiAn KILLED it as usual. He is DEFINITELY one of the most underrated (if not THE most) DJ out there right now. He always plays pretty flawless sets. Very DGAF.

Now, we were SUPER bummed that Mr. Oizo had to be cut from the lineup (apparently due to visa issues). He was definitely one of the acts we wanted to see most. (He was replaced by Diplo, who wasn't a bad choice at all.) Now Mr. Oizo sure didn't play... but we did see him there! In the crowd! With TWO Flat Erics!!! WTF??? We're not trying to start any internet rumors or anything...





Bloody Beetroots were a good close to Saturday night. It was a more mellow live set, but they still made you dance. You don't mess with the Bloody Beetroots or their genre-defying live shows. Ever.



We returned Sunday as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. 2 days of HARD is always tiring but worth it. It just feels more epic. We ended up getting there late again, but we scored free street parking for the second night in a row! We managed to get there for the start of A-Trak and Flying Lotus. It was a TOUGH decision, and a kind of painful one, but we decided to check out Flying Lotus as we hadn't given him a chance at HARD Summer. We'd seen A-Trak play a mind-blowing set at the Ed Banger 7 party back in February, and it was tough knowing we'd missed another one, but we had to make a choice. I did not regret that decision at all, because FlyLo was nothing short of sick. He killed it with his ominous, eclectic mix of tunes. I believe the hype now.

We saw a bit of the special guest, who was Miiike Snow. As much as I wanted to stay, I needed to go to the Hard stage to see the act I was looking forward to the most that night: Underworld. The last time I'd seen them was 11 years ago at the Santa Monica Civic Center! Yes, ELEVEN years!!! How time flies. 1999's "Beaucoup Fish" was one of my favorite albums when I was younger, and I was dying to see what they'd be like in 2010. I was NOT let down. They were as vital as ever. It's hard to believe they've been around for 30 years!!! Karl Hyde is super DGAF... he's got way more energy on stage than performers half his age and dances around with an undeniable presence. Their music is uplifting but with dark undertones, and doesn't sound dated a decade later. "Two Months Off" felt like a total ray of light, "King of Snake" was a glorious surprise, and "Born Slippy" was the finale that just burned down the house.

Underworld just couldn't be topped. We caught some of Boys Noize and Jack Beats, who were both tearing it up, but by that time I was too tired and blown away by Underworld. But we already can't wait for the next HARD event.

Go HARD and go DGAF.