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.
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.
Thanks to Anthony Dray Johnson (who rightfully got a high five from M.I.A.) for the photos!
M.I.A. is definitely one of the most DGAF people alive. She's got the most swagger, the most epic beats, and puts on a show (or more like a party) so energetic that it will melt your face off. You're guaranteed to dance your ass off and shout along to every lyric. She played a fair amount of songs from each of her 3 albums, including the "hits"... one of the things I love about her is that her music evolves with every album but remains unmistakably her.
She's a raw performer, and she was all over the stage; dancing, climbing on stuff, and constantly going up to the audience to mingle. She even gave a bottle alcohol(?) to someone in the crowd, and invited people up to the stage for the finale, "Born Free". (I also noticed that one of her dancers was one of the guys in that video. He's a HELL of a dancer too, you've got to see it to believe it.) I mean, who else can effortlessly rock hot pink and yellow sequin suits? You have to see her live to experience the badass that is Maya Arulpragasam.
We'd like to thank Jamaica for playing at the Echoplex last week. We definitely missed Flo, but Asian Dan totally rocked it. They played a great show but our only complaint was that their set was unfairly cut short due to time constraints (they were the last on the bill and due to play after 1 a.m.). We hope they come back to LA soon and are allowed to play a full set! In the meantime, check out our remix of "I Think I Like U 2"!
So besides going to weird French parties, what else have we been up to since lagging?
Here's a few things we learned in Vegas:
1. We hate Clarence Carter. But we think we hate our friend Brian Lee Jones even more for making that video and introducing us to that song and making it the theme song of the weekend.
2. The TI Hotel and Casino, or the Hotel and Casino Formerly Known as Treasure Island, has a pretty good buffet. I mean, I'd never seen phở at a buffet before, let alone decent phở. Their Sirens of TI show, however, is downright unacceptable. I mean, we were raised here in Southern California on a steady diet of crappy entertainment and cheesy shows at Disneyland, and we thought that show was particularly bad. It was the most awfully written and executed live soft porn we'd ever seen. It is a free show, but come on. Only watch it if you want a good laugh while completely wasting your time.
3. Now Paris Las Vegas is pretty classy. I mean, nowhere with a fake Eiffel Tower can really be that classy, but by Vegas standards, I'd say it is. Well, kind of. It would have been classier if I'd found out that they didn't allow drinks up there after buying a plastic Eiffel Tower full of frozen Piña Colada. Chugging that thing before going up the Tower is either the best or worst idea, depending on your perspective. It kind of explains why they only sell stuff like pistachio flavored soft serve ice cream at the real one in the real Paris.
5. Now last but definitely not least... I've only got 2 words for you: PURPLE REIGN. Yes, it IS a Prince tribute show, and a surprisingly LEGIT one at that. If you love Prince, there is no excuse not to see this. Trust me, it will NOT be a waste of your time or money. Honestly, can any Prince fan turn down a Prince tribute show in Vegas? I don't think I'd pay to see a tribute show anywhere else... and I'm not sure if I'll see a better tribute show anywhere else.
Ok, so the Hooters Casino and its Mad Onion restaurant are mediocre at best. In fact, thanks to the Mad Onion (and my own drunkenness) I gave up eating fried food after ordering a platter with 4 different types of fried onions. But that's another story.
I was already kind of blown away as soon as the show started. Purple Reign was pretty much flawless in its execution from the get go, even down to the little details such as costumes and stage banter. They of course played most of Prince's crowd-pleasing hits. They didn't perform "I Would Die 4 U" or "Cream", but they did make up for it by playing "Pop Life", "Erotic City", and "Gett Off", which were all very pleasant surprises.
I definitely would not have been bored if it was all Prince the whole way through, but the Morris Day segments changed the pace up a bit and certainly didn't make the show any less entertaining. It was high energy all the way. Everyone was a genuine, natural performer and/or musician who knew how to keep the crowd going. I mean to be able to pull off a Prince tribute show that effectively, you HAVE to have talent and skills. Jason Tenner, who somehow bears a pretty striking resemblance to Prince, was nothing short of mind-blowing in his ability to capture his spirit.
This is the closest I'll ever get to seeing Prince live, and definitely in that small of a venue, that close to the stage, and in that price range. I can't complain. I may be a little biased here, but you'll probably enjoy this even if you're not a Prince fan.
We even went to the shady nightclub/bar afterward and managed to meet the bass player, the guy who played Morris Day, the the guy who played Jerome, and Jason Tenner. They were all super nice and down to earth. In fact, when amy told Jason that he was "wonderful", he replied with "I'm not Prince." WOW. Probably one of the most DGAF statements ever, from one of the most DGAF people ever in the most DGAF tribute band ever. HAHAHAHA!!!
We HAD to return to Ooh La La Fest this year to catch Kavinsky. Shit, we at DGAF had been waiting like a year and a half to see him. He was supposed to come last November, and I was CRUSHED that he didn't make it. So I was excited when we found out he'd be at Ooh La La this year.
Of course, we worship the movie Steak so we thought it was hilarious that Sébastien Tellier would be playing that night too. We missed him last year at Ooh La La because we didn't go the night he was playing. We missed Turzi and Acid Washed, but fortunately we did make it to the El Rey in time to catch Tellier.
Obnoxious drunks in the crowd yelling during Sébastien's acoustic set
I was actually cracking up from the very start. Shimosh said he looked like a "sparkly Jesus". She was not kidding. Everything he was wearing was sparkly. In fact I swear he had some glitter in his hair too. The shit-faced audience was shouting stuff like "sexy French" at him. I can't really disagree with the guy who yelled that out, though. The whole experience was totally ridiculous. But totally entertaining.
Sébastien Tellier singing in the crowd of drunks
Sorry Tellier, but as soon as I saw Kavinsky at the side of the stage near the end of your set, I lost my mind. IT WAS ALL ABOUT KAVINSKY FOR ME. I waited anxiously for his set to start, and I was amused before he even started playing. There is just some bizarre paradox about him that I can't explain. He's sexy and goofy at the same time. He's got some major swagger but there's also something comical about him. I'm SO glad I made it to the front row, in the center.
I had as much fun watching him DJ as I did listening to his set. He has a lack of self-consciousness as well as a lack of hiding his emotions or expressions while playing. He played an eclectic, memorable set. I expected no less from him. The set started off with some technical difficulties, but luckily the volume was fixed early on. I feel sorry for all the people who decided to leave during his set. They missed out on such an undisputed badass. It was a damn shame that the place was almost empty when he did his finale with "Baba O'Riley". But someone shouted "Vive la France!" as he was walking off the stage, which was more like it. And hilarious. But I mean, REALLY?
It was a huge downer when I found out that following Monday that Record Makers actually had an exhibit the day before the show. Don't you LOVE finding out about things the week after something happens? Especially when they had ended the day before you found out about it? I was either too excited about Kavinsky playing to read any full descriptions of the Record Makers 10th Anniversary, or details of the exhibit weren't posted when I'd bought the tickets for for the El Rey show. Whatever the reason, it was major fail, and I need to be a more diligent internet stalker. But we're already excited for the next time Kavinsky comes back to LA!
If Sliimy doesn't come to LA anytime soon, he NEEDS to play Ooh La La Fest next year. Jamaica, who we saw there last year are playing this Friday, Oct 15 at the TILT 3 Year Anniversary at the Echoplex.
We'll be there. Be there of be DGAF. Or rather, be there AND be DGAF.
Remember this guy? Kavinsky is finally back in LA tonight along with Sebastien Tellier and others at the second annual Ooh La L.A. (aka FRENCHFEST 2010). Hope to see you lovely DGAF betches there tonight at the El Rey.
the french national bird is the cock.
We had a blast at last year's Ooh La L.A. festival and are super stoked that they've brought back Tellier and added Kavinsky. I don't know too much about Acid Washed or Turzi, and I'm lazy so i haven't researched them, but i hope i'll be pleasantly surprised.
Last year's Ooh La L.A. fest
Jamaica (formerly Poney Poney) at Ooh La L.A. 2009
check out the rest of the festival and tickets and lineups and other crap here: www.oohlalafestival.com
DGAF stands for Don't Give A Fuck, and we use it to describe the most ridiculous, hilarious, craziest, badass people/places/events/crap we know in existence. Yes, we are in this category. You don't start a blog about DGAF without being a little DGAF yourself. CMYK is the Coolest Motherfuckers You Know: Suzanarchist and Shimosh. and we Don't Give A Fuck
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