- Putting on a warehouse party in LA is never a sure bet. The risk of being shut down is in the back of every promoter's mind, while at the forefront are promotional strategies that seek a careful balance between getting the word out and keeping things under the radar. As if promoters in the city didn't already have it hard enough, Rhythm Rapport's party last Friday, which was meant to feature esteemed Turkish DJ and producer Onur Özer, showed how the current climate around US visas for foreign artists presents additional cause for concern.
Hours before the event, when attendees were expecting to be emailed the address of the venue, they received a different message: the US embassy in Germany had delayed Özer's visa and he would not be able to make the gig. Although Özer now resides in Berlin, where he's known for championing the city's minimal-leaning sound alongside the likes of Binh, he remains a Turkish citizen.
Difficulty attaining visas isn't a new problem for artists based outside the US, but the issue does seem to have grown in profile since late 2016. In March, Yussef Dayes, of Henry Wu's acclaimed jazz combo Yussef Kamaal, was barred from entering the country for the group's slot at South By Southwest. Further exacerbating the problem, US agencies announced in December that visa application fees for performing artists would rise by 42%. For LA's dance music boom, this is bad news. Yes there are homegrown artists and DJs to keep things rolling, but ultimately the scene's most prominent parties rely on imported talent to draw crowds.
Despite losing their headliner, Rhythm Rapport managed to delivered a solid night thanks to John Tejada, who had already guested once before at the relatively new party. Playing mostly vinyl, he worked his way through bumping techno and house, employing airtight blends as the occasional breakbeat fluttered in and out. Rather than relying on build ups, he generated energy via carefully measured blends that had each new track locking into the last like a puzzle piece. In the cavernous warehouse space, Maurizio's "M4" and Varhat's "Ban" sounded huge.
Had Tejada not been able to step in, Özer's absence could have easily killed the night. For the LA promoters who already put a lot on the line, the possibility of headline DJs being denied entry to the US only raises the risk. In a subsection of the music industry that largely depends on the global mobility of independent artists, Donald Trump's regime could have a severe impact.
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Nightmoves.me