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Over a year ago, the work of three modern composers took stage at the Luckman Auditorium at Cal State Los Angeles in a three part series called “Timeless.” Miguel Atwood-Ferguson brought a 60-piece orchestra to perform strikingly beautiful renditions of the work of J Dilla, Arthur Verocai performed his powerful eponymous debut in its entirety, and Mulatu Astatke performed classics and new material from his prolific body of work. Though hip-hop, ethio-jazz, and bossa nova may have stylistic differences, each has had a profound effect on numerous genres today.
Last Friday evening, fans from all across Los Angeles came together under the downtown skyline to celebrate the work of these three composers with a live re-edit of these Timeless performances. J Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies performed this feat, taking to the turntables to scratch, loop, and cut the three performances together, a bravura display of live video editing and reimagining.
Dublab Soundsystem DJs Frosty and Morpho kicked off the evening with a set that mixed together different styles and textures of music from across the globe. Sounds reminiscent of Dilla, Verocai, and Astatke were very much a part of the mix as Frosty and Morpho warmed up the crowd before the screening of Dublab’s Vision Version film.
After Dublab’s set, the projector kicked in, the crowd settled down, and a compilation of Dublab’s Vision Version film series took to the screen. From tUne-yArDs’s howling melodies in an office titled the Echo Park Time Travel Mart to the serene performance by Jennifer Furches on a sunset hilltop in Elysian Park, Vision Version showcased performers playing in idyllic settings throughout Los Angeles.
All the while, Hit + Run was very much a part of the evening. During the screenings, the H+R crew silk-screened free t-shirts, customized with images of all three composers for any fan willing to wait in line. At the end of the night, one hundred fans left with a shirt to commemorate the three artists.
Next up was J Rocc, bringing his masterful skills as a turntablist to the stage. When DJ-ing a film’s worth of universally applauded music, J Rocc found a tasteful balance: certain drum breaks or quick melodies were looped and cut up to give new life and meaning to the arrangements, while other moments were allowed to breathe and develop as originally performed. Each melody, from Verocai’s Sylvia to Dilla’s Gobstopper, was cut – but never stifled – by being altered. One thing was certain, though. All evening, no matter the song, heads nodded and bodies moved throughout the crowd. At the end of the performance, Ma Dukes, mother of J Dilla, claimed that music is universal. With J Rocc’s performance, the music of three composers from three different backgrounds was played together seamlessly, conveying boundless emotion. This is a testament to Ma Dukes’ message, that the music of Verocai, Astatke, and Dilla transcends culture, language, and time. These composers are truly… Timeless.
-Henry Stambler, Mochilla-
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You do NOT want to miss this premiere. Los Angeles are you listening? Timeless is premiering Arthur Verocai for you this Wednesday and Thursday at the Downtown Independent Theater with the man himself in attendance.
