- To the readers of RA, Mathew Jonson probably needs no introduction, his name instantly bringing to mind a very unique and refined sound of techno. Clubgoers in the city of Los Angeles, however, were probably not as familiar with the producer before his recent gig at Cinespace, considering Jonson had only visited with his live set once prior, in 2006. Techno however, is seeing what is being called something of a revival in Los Angeles, its appeal entering the city's famous Hollywood nightlife slowly but surely thanks to the work of several groups of dedicated and like-minded individuals intent on furthering the sound in the LA club scene.
This particular party was hosted by Avalon's resident DJ crew, Droog, using Hollywood's Cinespace club, a medium capacity venue located right on Hollywood Boulevard, a stone's throw from The Avalon and King King. Cinespace was recently rocked by a M_nus showcase party thrown by Compression, featuring Richie Hawtin, Magda and Heartthrob live. And though not exactly suited to electronic music, the venue is relatively modern and simple, and this night was armed with a new Dynacord sound system which Droog brought in for the event.
Patrons had to wait in the front room for a few minutes due to issues setting up said sound. The space had been in the hands previously of a different promotion group playing mash-ups and top 40 that night, which in my opinion only served to intensify everyone's hunger for some quality electronic dance music. As the crowd was finally let in to the main room, the Droog boys and recent Chicago transplant Lee Foss traded off on the decks to begin the evening. The room filled up nicely while remaining very comfortable, with the Dynacord system pumping music into the space with beautiful and clear precision. A nice balance of people filled in; it would definitely not be a stretch for one to say it was a beautiful crowd. Folks got to dancing right away, and when Lee Foss dropped Jamie Jones' new track "911," the vibe in the room reached new heights.
Suddenly, everyone's worst nightmare: the power gave out. At first, people seemed to think it was part of the track, and many yelled and cheered. Within seconds a blown power strip was replaced and the music started back up to a slew of hollering and cheers. Unfortunately this did not last long and, within the space of 30 minutes, the power quit several more times until an extension cord solved the problem of a faulty plug. On the good side, the way that the crowd weathered each interruption was fantastic and a testament to the fact that people were there, first and foremost, for the music, which is great to see in Los Angeles, where techno and the like are usually relegated to the fringe.
With the outages behind us, the party was where it needed to be, alcohol was hitting the spot and people began to really let loose in anticipation of Jonson, whose table, with an impressive array of live gear, laptop, drum machines and a massive mixing board, was moved to the front of the stage. Jonson surveyed the party from the side of the room. With the mood electric and the room purposefully darkened to a minimum of light, he eventually took the stage just short of 1am to close the night. His set started off with a very subtle and building mood, and I recognized few tracks amidst his masterful and precise layering.
The tempo was raised and some fantastic music was played, and the sound system seemed even better, with the clear, full breadth of tones flowing out of the stacks making it even easier to appreciate every intricacy of Jonson's music. His remix of Inner City's "Good Life" set the crowd off and soon we arrived into what is arguably one of his greatest works, "Marionette." The live version is amazingly different than the original record: Hunched over his mixing board and playing with all his toys, Jonson enveloped the room in a steady stream of playful and teasing techno, creating tension and builds with small drops and breaks, perfect for getting lost in, which is what most everyone did.
The 2 AM closing time came far too soon. It's one of the reasons Los Angeles has such a tough time catching up to the endless party hedonism over in Europe. The people present ate up everything that was thrown at them musically, and despite some deathly sound issues the party seemed like quite a success overall. This music is definitely gaining momentum in Los Angeles, slowly but surely, and it is really exciting to be in an American city where things seem to be moving forwards and not backwards. Los Angeles definitely has the potential to become a regular stop for more cutting edge artists and DJs, and with a growing local scene, things are only looking up...
Photo credit: Christopher Soltis