In a time where everyone produces music, everyone DJ’s, and everyone creates beats, and samples music, LA has no shame in saying, “this is where it all began.”
Picture this, it’s a Wednesday evening and you’re running on empty. You can only take so much of your boss, who you’re pretty much certain has anger management problems, and you’re fed up with your no good, monotone professor, you know, the one that likes to use every single minute he is given to teach the class, and looks like he just got out of bed and forgot to wipe the crusty va va’s (saliva) off the corner of his mouth? Not being able to take one more minute of your everyday routine, you decide to take a long drive to clear your mind. Before you know it, you find yourself in Los Angeles, and for some odd reason, you stop at the corner of Broadway and Daly St. You have no idea what’s in front of you. It is a place unlike any other. A place where one can lose him/herself and become one with music. An ordinary, boring looking building known as “The Airliner”, and it definitely holds true to its name. But keep in mind, this event is not an every night kind of thing. You were lucky enough to come on a Wednesday night. This place is special. Not because of the infestation of sweaty potheads and alcoholics, but because of the history it holds. Every Wednesday night, The Airliner is suddenly transformed into a night known as Low End Theory. Nothing is done to change the atmosphere on the outside. But just like Alice’s first step into Wonderland, the minute you walk in and experience the music, you’re suddenly seeing the world through a different lens. The music that takes over the building is more then enough to transform the place entirely. From the likes of Flying Lotus, to Thom Yorke, each one of these artists, and founding fathers of the beat scene, have been seen here, not just performing, but relishing in the art and atmosphere that cannot be found anywhere else but at Low End Theory.
You see, these aren’t your everyday one trick pony beat makers. These are innovators, originators, thinkers. Artists who think outside the box and don’t create music to appease the crowd or try to get rich (or die trying). These artists create music because, to them, there is nothing more to life then music. It is what makes life meaningful; it is their heartbeat, their one last breath of life. At Low End Theory, these artists don’t go off and hide backstage before and after the show like an untouchable person with leprosy. These artists climb the same staircase you climb, breath the same air you breath, bond with the like minded attendees. Maybe it’s because there is no backstage. Or maybe it could be that these artists appreciate those that have the same love and passion for the music, and are there strictly due to their love for the music. Artists like Shlomo, Groundislava, Daedlus, and The Gaslamp Killer, who actually feel the music they are presenting. At Low End Theory, you witness artists who will, without a doubt, go down as legends. You leave there not only asking yourself, “what just happened?”, but also feeling honored enough to be apart of something bigger then yourself, as if you were invited to look deeply into an area of ones soul for the first time that only a handful of people are lucky enough to see.
Don’t take my word for it, venture off and become a self thinker. But, believe me when I say, it’s not for everyone, and it’s definitely not a place you want to take your nana (unless she loves to get down). So The next time you find yourself on a Wednesday night drained from life’s mishaps and feeling a bit adventurous, take a worthwhile trip to Low End Theory and let the music carry you away.
