You may have seen it driving around L.A. A looming skull with hollow eyes holding up a cellphone to its’ ear. An iconic x-ray likeness of ourselves; simple, cool, and poignant. Painted on walls, billboards, posters and forged into neon signs. It peeks out at passersby in Silver Lake and flashes between electronic billboard advertisements. It shares the same name as the artist: Skullphone. Skullphone has managed to create a memorable and compelling icon in a town that’s lousy with lousy icons.
When the young ladies first see Gustavo Alfonzo, they are quick to notice his easy going persona with a drop of charm. His smooth good looks win them over as the Venezuelan born heart throb turns most females into adoring fans. With his boyish good looks you would think that he was a Spanish boy model, yet his blend of street salsa and urban hip hop is without question some of the best this reporter has heard in a mighty long time.
Don’t believe me check it out for yourself. his energetic and eccentric music video “Malibu Bash” sets the standard and contains all of the elements that every hetero/metro sexual male who wants to properly throw an epic pool needs to have… bad bitches, fat blunts and cases of brew.
When it was announced that Portishead would be playing the massive main stage at Coachella 2008, my reaction was a mix of elation and fear. The former because it would be the iconic band’s first U.S. show in nearly a decade. The latter because that particular spot had been known to swallow up even the most raucous acts, like the Prodigy in 2002. As any rabid concertgoer will tell you, your surroundings can make or break a show, or at the very least tip the scales. So how did the Bristol trio fare in the great wide open? Amazing. Intimate and powerful at the same time. When it was announced that Portishead would be playing two shows at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, I was less concerned. Big, indoor venue, general admission, easy drive. I liked my chances for a repeat experience. Until, of course, I walked inside.
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.
They’re baaaaaaack. Bass bin destroyers The Glitch Mob are about to blast through Europe on a 15-date tour, but to tide you over until show time, they’ve just release another free mix tape. This one’s called More Voltage, and we’re getting goosebumps from the tracklisting alone. Their 2009 mix, Crush Mode, is still in heavy rotation at ChinaShop HQ, but this one is definitely going to get some serious play. Download it for free and check the tracks after the jump, and be prepared to invest in a new set of speakers for your car.
Let me start by saying there was no breakfast. Not even a muffin or a packet of instant coffee, which, at 6:30 in the morning, is something one might be in the mood for. No, there were no comestibles to be found within the recently completed Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ in Los Angeles. There was just Coldplay, one of the biggest bands on the planet, performing a handful of new and old songs in an intimate theatre setting for 100 of their most enthusiastic fans. Actually, 101 if you count the precious cargo in the belly of the expectant mom next to me. Not a bad first concert, and not a bad way to break in Red Bull’s newest LA performance space.
In the first paragraph of their Wikipedia page, there’s an oft-referenced quote that Modeselektor’s Sebastian Szary gave when asked how he would classify his group’s music. He called it “happy metal, hard rap, country-ambient, Russian crunk,” a fitting response to whatever greenhorn journalist decided to pose such a question in the first place. Still, I can’t help but chuckle when Szary, in his slightly muddled yet perfectly polite English, asks the same question of his interviewer, the equally talented and just as unclassifiable Los Angeles rapper, Busdriver.
Sebastian Szary: You have a very special style of saying.
Busdriver: (Laughs) Yeah. I do.
Sebastian Szary: What do you call it?
Busdriver: It’s…well, hopefully…I don’t really know what I would call it but hopefully people call it good or worth paying for.
Myself, Busdriver (nee Regan Farquhar) and Szary have all jumped on our respective Skype accounts to discuss the latest Modeselektor full-length, Monkeytown, as well as their ongoing musical partnership; one that seems to push the boundaries of their respective genres each time they put their heads together. Their first joint was the twisted “BeatsWaySick,” which debuted on the Moderat album, a collaborative effort between Modeselektor and Apparat’s Sascha Ring. Now there’s “Pretentious Friends”—listen to it here—the freshest, neck-cracking hip-hop hybrid to come out of Germany since Funkstörung’s “Chopping Heads” in 2004.
Marquitos Garcia knows that it takes a special ear to appreciate an “obscure” genre like Afrobeat. While he welcomes a receptive audience, the Jersey-based one-man band, says he enjoys creating his groundbreaking Afrobeat/Afro-freestyle sound regardless of the crowd reaction. In an interview with ChinaShop, Garcia, aka Chico Mann jokes about not having time to gage audience reactions while he’s busy running the show on stage. He pokes fun at his alter ego, Chico Mann (Chico Maeng) and explains that he doesn’t take it too seriously. Garcia is all about the music, and thank goodness because he’s pretty damn good at it.
This weekend I dropped by a little kick-ass record store called Origami Vinyl in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles to see if they had a 12” copy of “Belvedere Cruisin.” Alas, poor Yankovic, they not know you well. Buuuuut, the two dapper chaps behind the counter talked me into sticking around for a slick ass group from Israel.
Electra, no not that awesome movie where Jennifer Garner is a super hot ninja, is an Israeli Garage Rock band with a smidgen of 60’s pop and a dollop of Rockabilly. The trio did a nice job of rattling the rafters high above the crowd in Origami’s magic rock attic. The jangly sound diving down from on high was at times reminiscent of The Beatles 12 string tracks of 64’ yet swayed as far left as Broken English. A damn fine show full of energy and somehow the right amount of trepidation.
I grabbed lead singer Nitzan Horesh for a couple of questions after the show.
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.