Matthewdavid and Jonwayne to hit Long Beach for Dublab gig

Despite being relatively close to L.A.'s percolating beat scene, the crates and laptops of Dublab DJs seldom seem to plant a flag on Long Beach soil in official fashion. That's about to change Saturday as the L.A. collective/radio station heads to Open, a boutique bookstore in the LBC for a daylong lineup of local bands and DJs from the collective featuring Brainfeeder artist Matthewdavid and Alpha Pup's La Habra-based young gun Jonwayne.

Presented by Long Beach event promoters Robots and Angels, the gig is a fundraiser to feed Dublab's nonprofit organization from 2 to 10 p.m. The $7 suggested donation at the door gets you a taste of sonic worlds colliding — from artsy and affectionate Long Beach bands like Feed the Feeble and Miniature Houses to boom bap beats and beard-scratching ambient rhythms of Matthewdavid and Jonwayne (whose mixtape "I Don't Care" just dropped yesterday). 

ALSO:

M.O.P. meets Morrissey: BLKHRTS mash-out at Low End Theory

Ambient beat producer Matthewdavid's 'Outmind' tells the story of his Los Angeles experience

Jonwayne fires off track from Alpha Pup debut, 'Bowser,' connects Low End Theory with Super Mario Bros.

— Nate Jackson

Photo: Jonwayne. Credit: Courtesy of Jonwayne

 

 

 

Ambient beat producer Matthewdavid's 'Outmind' tells the story of his Los Angeles experience

 
It was a balmy spring afternoon and the day’s woozy effect seemed magnified within the cozy, white, hillside backhouse in Highland Park. Through an open window, sunlight and breeze streamed into the home recording studio of Matthew McQueen, a.k.a. Matthewdavid, who at 26 has amassed a laundry-list of extant titles: artist, engineer, label head, local promoter, radio host/DJ, digital content manager and, in his words, “interstellar cross-collaborator.”

The multi-tasking is a lot to keep up with -- not least of all for him -- but the most common thread running through his various occupations is clearly visible in the rented space he shares with his girlfriend, visual artist Jesselisa Moretti. In fact, it almost qualifies as a third resident. His collection of cassette tapes seems to have the run of the place. There are easily a thousand of them -- stacked neatly on shelves, piled haphazardly in corners, or loose on the mauve carpet.

“I love the sound,” said McQueen, taking a break from finalizing the cassette-sourced DJ mix he’d made that morning for website Altered Zones, the experimental music offshoot of Pitchfork Media. “The crunchiness, the warbling, the swelling. That undulating sonic quality that happens when you have an old tape that’s gone bad. You can’t find it anywhere else.”

Friday night: Leaving Records presents Matthewdavid, Asura, and an Exclusive MP3

It's almost antithetical to brand anything related to Leaving Records as "exclusive," considering the experimental local imprint projects a total air of inclusivity (provided you have a tape deck).

The music of its founder Matthewdavid  (also signed to Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder) gravitates toward warm, ambient washes of sound, his beats more auroral haze than aggressive mind-melt. But he and his roster of artists achieve a gentle psychedelia that strikes a perfect equilibrium of futurism and nostalgia. Hence the Space Invaders-like video for Friday night's "Leaving Records Presents Show" at the Public Fiction Gallery in Highland Park.

With performances from Matthewdavid, Asura, M. Geddes Gengras, DubKnowDub and a special video installation, the evening will likely explore interstellar space as seen through the prism of psilyocibin and Serrato DJ software. In honor of the event, Leaving Records is offering a votive consisting of the "MD Ragamix" of Dem Hunger's "Mosque Vibrations," one of last year's most wooly, weird and unsung beat records.

The label is asking for $5 donations at the door. Those looking for a glimpse at the sort of cosmic wandering that will go down tonight would be well served to first check out David's "Open-Wide" mix for Dublab. Sun Ra would surely approve of it, or at the very least, Ras G.

--Jeff Weiss

Download:
MP3: Dem Hunger-"Mosque Vibrations (MD Ragamix)" (Pop & Hiss Exclusive)

MP3: Matthewdavid - "Dublab Open-Wide Mix"

 

Matthewdavid picks his top five tapes of the moment in advance of Friday's Top Tape night

Three months ago, August Brown's "A Sonic Rewind" profiled the nascent cassette tape revival occurring both local and nationally.

Over the last few years, the Low End Theory and Dublab-affiliated Matthewdavid has made it possible for your old Bell Biv Devoe tapes to be more than anachronisms. Between the Hyperion Tavern's monthly Top Tape nights that he co-presents with Dublab's Frosty, and his own Leaving Records imprint, dedicated to reissues and contemporary music, David is at the forefront of the new weird America.

For those who missed it, his recent podcast for XLR8R befits the Brainfeeder-signed artist's eclectic talents, including everything from Milli Vanilli, to his own work, to a "Mexican tape from the '80s [he] ended up throwing away." In honor of this Friday's Top Tape night (where anyone can sign up to tape DJ), we asked Matthew to list the top five tapes he's jamming at the moment. Press rewind if they haven't blown your mind. 

-- Jeff Weiss

Matthewdavid's Top Five Tapes of the Moment

1. The Taxi Gang - Electro Reggae Volume 1 - Island Records - 1986

Maybe my favorite way to kick off a tape set is some danceable '80s reggae. Warm and melodic, purely authentic drum machines, all-instrumental.