Andy HermannDon't forget to check our constantly-updated Los Angeles Concert Calendar
Wednesday, September 5th
Digitalism
Yost Theater
Only Germans would call themselves “Digitalism.” On the other hand, EDM production duo Jens Moelle and Ismail Tüfekçi did title their second album I Love You Dude. That duality between clinical zeroes-and-ones and hug-it-out-bro emotionalism is reflected in their music, a Daft Punk-like mix of robotic, Möbius-strip grooves and gushy synths that embrace you with all the sloppy euphoria of a 3 a.m. cuddle puddle. Based on their excellent contribution to the DJ-Kicks mix series, they're worth the schlep to Santa Ana for this, the only L.A. area stop on their current DJ tour.
Excision
Friday, September 14th
Excision
CONTROL @ Avalon
Stop saying “fratstep” like it's a bad thing. Canadian producer Jeff “Excision” Abel's Jurassic-sized beats are to dubstep what keg stands are to beer — crass, yes, but an undeniable headrush, and the shortest distance between you and the sweet oblivion you so desperately crave after that post-summer bummer of a week you just had in the lecture halls. If you like Skrillex, Excision's savage bass drops, steeped in heavy metal and testosterone, will leave you panting with glee like a dog with a new favorite chew toy. Or maybe Excision is the dog and you're the chew toy.
See also: In Defense Of “Fratstep:” An Open Letter To James Blake
Sunday, September 16th
Kode9
Smog @ Los Globos
While you're recuperating from your Excision hangover, you might want to pay your respects to dubstep's roots at Smog's excellent Sunday Night Sessions series at Los Globos. On the decks tonight: British producer Steve “Kode9” Goodman, whose Hyperdub label helped popularize dubstep with influential releases by Burial, Joker, Zomby and countless others. These days, Kode9's been getting all old-school with a decidedly non-dubstep sound that fuses Chicago juke, dancehall, '80s electro and speed garage — largely free of teeth-gnashing bass, but perfect for the Sunday night wind-down.
Friday, September 21st-Saturaday, September 22nd
Nocturnal Wonderland
National Orange Show Events Center
Maybe more DJ crews should break up. Thanks to their recent disbandment, members of Swedish House Mafia now get to headline both nights of Nocturnal Wonderland, the annual autumn rave from Insomniac Events, the people behind Electric Daisy Carnival. Besides ex-SHM spinners Axwell (Friday) and Sebastian Ingrosso (Saturday), the top draws on the festival's five stages include electro/dubstep/mashup maven Pretty Lights, Italian electro-house producer Benny Benassi, superstar DJs John Digweed and Danny Tenaglia, Scandinavian synth-poppers Royksopp, and venerable British acid house institution Orbital. But hey, according to the Nocturnal website, the real headliner is you. So break out your brightest raver plumage (but leave the LED gloves at home).
Friday, September 21st-Sunday, September 23rd
Earthdance
La Jolla Indian Reservation
If you prefer your raves to be more on the hippie, tree-hugger tip, ditch the candied-out crowds of Noctural and bring your camping gear to Earthdance, a three day celebration of love, peace and dancing in the dust. This is throwback, D.I.Y. raving, so be prepared to pack it in and pack it out, don't bring any glass bottles (they're really, really serious about the glass bottles), and don't invite anyone under 18 who's not accompanied by a legal guardian and willing to go a whole weekend without hearing a David Guetta track. Among the three stages' worth of DJs and live acts: members of every L.A.-based underground crew you care to name, from Moontribe and Green Sector to the Hush Crew and Ninja Skillz, playing a mix of funky house, techno, breaks and psy-trance. Tix and more info at ProjectAlma.org.
Friday, September 28th
Sepalcure w/Clark, Djemba Dejmba and Say Uhns
IHEARTCOMIX @ Los Globos
It's a stretch to call what Sepalcure does EDM, but whatever you want to call it, it's gorgeous. Mixing the chilled-out vibes of mid-'90s ambient house with the cavernous sonics of Burial-style dubstep, the New York/Berlin duo of Praveen Sharma and Travis Stewart cook up a sound that has all the warm fuzzies of chillwave but none of that annoying Instagram air of phony nostalgia. Their music is, instead, unapologetically and sometimes disorientingly futuristic. The undercard on this IHEARTCOMIX-curated night is solid top to bottom; get there early for the equally futuristic soundscapes of Say Uhns, an L.A.-bred talent who's coming up fast in the experimental beat scene.
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