Postcards From La #08

 
Commentary

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last word wobbling mission upon the good ship R$N, but fear not as I’m back for another of slice of LA tip bits and electronic music that your mother probably wouldn’t like.
This weeks journey finds us taking a round trip to Barcelona courtesy of Downliners Sekt, record hunting in Pasadena, Los Angeles discotheque institutions, techno via London and Detroit, plus the finest chicken Venice has to offer.

Rose Bowl Flea Market
LA has it’s fare share of flea markets, and if like me you love a good car boot sale then your Sunday isn’t complete without a proper rummage searching for those allusive house imports amongst the endless Jim Reeves and Barbra Streisand records then Rose Bowl Flea Market is the holy grail. It really does have the lot, but make sure you get there early (unlike me, who has nursed a beastly hangover on both of my visits) to bag yourself a bargain. Amazingly I didn’t walk away with any records on my recent excursion, but I did find a Superman glass from 1973 which has win, written all over it!

Fill your face
If it’s one thing Los Angeles knows how to do it’s good eating. The restaurants here have it laid on proper, and this week the baton goes to one of my local faves Barn Yard. With a head chef who cut his teeth at the renowned Tasting Kitchen, this low-key Venice spot is a must. Mine choice from the menu goes to their half chicken speciality, I’d recommend getting this up in your grill. The rare orange wine isn’t half bad either!

Audion new live show debut
Like most of the R$N readership I’ve been on the new Audion music like white on rice. Matthew Dear’s techno leaning alias hits all the sweet spots and then some. When news that he was debuting his new live show in LA on February 22nd naturally I reached straight for the bat phone. With the same production team who brought us the mind melting Amon Tobin ISAM show, this is going to be a sight for sore eyes. Not only that but on the same night Perc will be hitting Los Angeles with a pounding live set, so I’ll be sure getting my techno fix and then some. I will be reporting back with a full review for R$N so keep em’ peeled.

Downliners Sekt – Silent Ascent

I have been champing at the bit for an earful of the InFin Music from DownlinersSekt album for months, and good lord it really is the bee’s knees. This week I’ve had the album on constant rotation, touching on outsider house and noise but channelling it through their own electronica game plan Downliners Sekt really hit their stride. If this doesn’t find it’s way into a chunk of ‘best of’ charts that close 2014 I will eat my words. 

P.S.
After over six months living in Los Angeles I’d yet to make it to the infamous A Club Called Rhonda but last Friday the wait was finally over, and I bust a move to LosGlobos for an evening headed up by the city of angels key party makers. One of the finest discotheques I have encountered in all my years! John Talabot took the reigns laying down his fine formed Italo soaked outsider house. Dropping ‘The Voice of Q’ midway set the place alight.
?Gold standard times were had.

Alex Oxley