echoplex | ChinaShop

Music Sipping Inspiration with DJ Shadow and Gold Panda

October 28, 2011 - 10:42 am

I once read a book (Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee And How It Transformed Our World by Mark Pendergrast), which suggested our world would be drastically different if during the Industrial Revolution, philosophers/politicians/professors (and other “important P” people) had held up in pubs rather than cafes. “Why,” you ask? Oh, because if they were hopped up on, say, beer and spirits rather than caffeine it’s likely that technological development would have puttered along rather than galloped.

Two electronica shows this past Monday helped illuminate for me what inspiration looks like—whether or not the caffeine/alcohol induced sort. Electronica giant DJ Shadow held a free in-store performance at Hollywood’s Amoeba Records and later that day, the Echoplex headlined with Gold Panda. Even if you’re not a fan of this music genre, you should be a fan of these guys. They literally drip with inspiration.

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Gallery Music Tycho: A Deep Dive into Art and Music

by Rich Thomas and Dustin Downing

October 21, 2011 - 8:30 am

When it comes to the melding of music and design, few have cultivated a more intriguing and appealing aesthetic than San Francisco artist Scott Hansen. As Tycho, the songs he composes are lush, deeply emotive pieces that shimmer and buzz with analog warmth; the soundtrack to a long drive up the coast at sunset. As ISO50, his bold, colorful design exudes a simple sophistication that’s both classic and futuristic. See him live—as we were able to this summer, backed by a new band setup—and you’re in for a complete sensory takeover. An unfortunate leak caused Ghostly International to bump up Tycho’s latest LP release by a month, which means Dive is now available for purchase from the label’s online store.

We got Scott on the line to talk about the new album, his artwork, and how both halves paint a picture of who he is at the core. We’re also giving away one of his amazing t-shirts to one lucky ChinaShopper. All you have to do is Like us on Facebook and post your best sunset or sunrise camera phone photo to our Wall, or follow us on Twitter and TwitPic your shot. Just use the hashtag #tychosun so we know to look for you. We’ll be taking submissions until midnight PST on Monday, October 31.

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Music Composition: Visual Notes on Music

by Catie Laffoon and Nicole Pajer

October 10, 2011 - 12:25 pm

Filter’s Culture Collide Festival is taking over Los Angeles this weekend and bringing bands from over 30 countries to perform in historic venues such as The Echo, Echoplex, 826 LA, The Church, Taix, Co-op, Origami, and ReForm Academy. The four-day festival kicked off on Wednesday night with a launch party that featured an array of DJs, dance competitions, and a gallery of music-oriented photography titled Composition: Visual Notes on Music.

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Gallery Music Dirtbag Dan Dominates Red Bull EmSee L.A.

by Dustin Downing

June 14, 2011 - 12:07 pm

“My name is Dirtbag Dan, I’m from San Jose, CA and I am the best rapper in this bitch.” Normally, I would talk some smack about such a gloat when spoke by a hirsute man bathed in that ruby glow which emanates from the roof of the Echoplex in Echo Park. But we’re cool, considering that only a break beat later this particular clairvoyant MC smoked 7 other regional competitors in front of distinguished judges Kurupt, Chali 2na and MC Supernatural to earn his ticket to the Red Bull EmSee finals in Hot-lanta to battle in front of B-rabbit himself, Eminem.

Red Bull EmSee, a less street chump invitation-only affair, builds upon the traditional head-to-head battle by flashing random images and key words on the plasmas above. Each MC has to then spit that lick somewhere in their flow for it to count in that round of 3. “In these freestyle competitions, it is much more like an out of body performance than me in control of the performance,” So says Dirtbag Dan.

In the end, 8 men enter, one MC leaves.

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Gallery Music Check Yo Ponytail 2 Brings Out the Dancer in You

by Zoetica Ebb

January 19, 2011 - 9:52 am

Last week, the Echoplex was rocked by a new installment of Check Yo Ponytail 2, a cross-genre 18+ club night dedicated to all things new, edgy and danceable. On the roster: Terminal Twilight, Teengirl Fantasy, Pictureplane, and DJ sets by that Killing Spree collective you might have heard of around town. With such an eclectic lineup of everything from coldwave to neo-rave [that really was not meant to rhyme, and I apologize] we knew it was going to be an interesting night, and we were not disappointed.

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Gallery Music Ninja Tune 20th Anniversary Party

by Rich Thomas and Dustin Downing

November 3, 2010 - 11:45 am

After stops in New York and San Francisco, the Ninja Tune express finally rolled into Hollywood on Saturday the 30th, and the freaks were out in full force to wish the UK label a happy 20th birthday. ChinaShop contest winner and ultra Ninja fan Damien Higdon showed up to collect his wares, then stayed through to the end of a long night that featured 10 artists spread across two stages.

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Music Tipper: Tweaking Knobs and Then Some

by Christine Spehar

June 23, 2009 - 8:35 am

Call me jaded, but these days it seems like you can’t swing a glow stick without hitting another DJ or producer (and if you did, would that be a bad thing?). It’s hard to know who’s really talented and who’s just remixing somebody else’s songs or recycling ready-made sound samples taken from the latest music software package. But while that debate will rage on in music circles everywhere (ok, maybe not everywhere, but it does seem like a pretty popular topic of conversation), there’s no denying that electronic music is here to stay and that it is one of the defining sounds of this generation.

Why the rant? Because I just saw some really good electronic music that reminded me of why I fell in love with it in the first place. Finally. Tipper, the British breaks producer who headlined at the Echoplex, has been an influential presence in the electronic music scene for over 12 years and is one beat maker I can get down to. (Oh and believe me, I did. You should have been there.)

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