Kelly Dean, one of our photographers on the scene, made his way out to Trust for the 1 Year Anniversary featuring Klever. Always in your face making his way through the place, you cannot escape this man’s lens.

Happy Anniversary Trust! Cheers to another year!

CLICK AN IMAGE TO VIEW GALLERY

View the full gallery on Kelly Dean’s Flickr.

Website: Kelly Dean on Myspace

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Los Angeles has a long history of underground music icons. From Freestyle Fellowship to Daedelus, the list could go on for days. There is one name that is synonymous with these artists and indie hip hop, his name is Daddy Kev. A true visionary who has contributed more to this music on the ground level than anyone I know. From his early days with Celestial Recordings, to the famed Konkrete Jungle LA weekly, to AlphaPup Records, and his most recent Low End Theory parties, Daddy Kev has given so much to so many that when you visit his weekly club night at the Airliner in Lincoln Heights you can literally feel what RE:UP magazine calls “One of the best things to happen to L.A. music since the Troubadour opened in 1957.”

Kev is responsible for so many underground classic albums over the years and has built a foundation for some of today’s most forward thinking artists in underground music. We had a chance to bounce a few questions off of this LA legend in the making. Check it out…

Daddy Kev Interview:

Media Contender:
For those who may not know you, will you introduce yourself and let our readers know a bit about where you come from?
Daddy Kev:
I am a born-and-raised Angeleno, hailing from Harbor City in the South Bay. I got my start as a graphic designer for URB back in the early 90s. Started throwing underground parties, then concerts, and eventually became a producer and label owner.

Media Contender:
You’re a highly respected producer and DJ responsible for many underground classics. You also have a great ear for talent. How would you describe what it is you do over all?
Daddy Kev:
That’s a tough question, but I suppose that more than anything I’m just a huge fan of music. From my work as a DJ and producer, to my duties as a label owner and club promoter, my ultimate goal is to stayed inspired. To get goosebumps when I hear an amazing song for the first time. To play the same track ten times in a row when I’m speeding on the 110. That is what it’s all about for me. I think for some musicians, they forget what it feels like to be geeked. They get old and jaded — never going out to shows anymore and not buying music anymore. They think they’re too cool for school. It’s sad because once a musician starts going down that road, it’s a slippery slope and they might as well just hang it up because there’s nothing worse than an uninspired artist.

Media Contender:
You have created several successful brands in your time. Alpha Pup Records and Low End Theory are two that are making big waves right now. Can you tell us about them and what artists your working with?
Daddy Kev:
Alpha Pup is the label and distribution company that I conceived with my wife in 2004. Initially it was just going to be a small imprint to administrate the royalties on some of my older releases. Then we started signing a few close friends at the start of 2005. By the end of that year we were a fully functioning label and distribution company, having signed the digital rights for Funkadelic, Ohio Players, The Mars Volta, !!!, The Locust and many other amazing artists. Now it’s almost 2009 and we are having even more success with artists like edIT and Daedelus, as well as signing label distribution deals with Glitch Mob Unlimited and Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder. Very exciting times for the label.
Low End Theory was started in October of 2006 by myself, Nobody, Gaslamp Killer, edIT and Nocando. And in August of 2007 we added D-Styles to the resident lineup. It’s very much a partnership/collective enterprise that is Low End Theory. Nobody and I act as the “project managers” so to speak, but all of the residents have an equal share in the club, and contribute to the phenomenon in various ways.

Media Contender:
Low End Theory is regarded by many as the home for today’s most promising beat-smith’s, but you provide a platform for so many diverse artists. Can you explain the philosophy on the different music you present at your clubnight?
Daddy Kev:
We have a very diverse curriculum that we deliver at Low End Theory, but the booking strategy revolves mainly around hip-hop, electronic and rock elements. At the end of the day, our main criteria is QUALITY. From the Mars Volta and the Entrance Band, to Flying Lotus and Sage Francis, we try to present the best live acts in their respective genres. While our booking schedule might seem schizophrenic at times, there is indeed a method to the madness.

Media Contender:
I was a regular when you did Konkrete Jungle LA with Hive @ Spaceland, and I visited you at your Celestial Recordings studio with Hive and TC Izlam back in the day. I have to say you have stayed on top of your game without compromising the integrity of your projects, despite everything in the record business drastically changing over the last 10 years. How would you say your perspective on how you operate has developed as an independent label owner over time?
Daddy Kev:
Back then things were very different. It was way easier to sell records because there was a lot less labels and aspiring recording artists. These days, the independent music market is extremely oversaturated. We also have an entire generation of music fans that believes music should be free. As alarming as that sounds, it’s ultimately where things are heading, so instead of fighting it I think it’s important to embrace consumer trends and move with the times. In the very near future, your typical indie label will function more like a management company, taking percentages on bookings and merch sales because the revenues from record sales will be insanely low. There’s the possibility of licensing income too, but that’s always been a feast-or-famine endeavor for most indies.

Media Contender:
Thanks for taking the time, is there anything else you want to let our readers know?
Daddy Kev:
I’d like to thank everyone who comes out to the shows and keeps buying the records. The best is yet to come. Promise!

Grab these Daddy Kev beats from one of the infamous Beat Invitationals @ Low End Theory.

Click Here to Download Daddy Kev “Do Not Disturb”
(Stream & Download Courtesy of Media Contender)

Click Here to Download Daddy Kev “Born Bad”
(Stream & Download Courtesy of Media Contender)

…and live and direct from Low End Theory NYC on March 1st, 2008.

Click Here to Download Daddy Kev “Live @ Low End Theory NYC”
(Stream & Download Courtesy of Media Contender)

Check out the Low End Theory Documentary Trailer:

Website: Daddy Kev on Myspace, Alpha Pup, Low End Theory Club

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“Lord of the time-streams, master of the multiverse, androgynous, bisexual, well-dressed, gun-toting, drug-taking, fast car-driving arsonist, rock star, nuclear physicist and assassin”

CORNELIUS

THE FIRST STEP… THE CLIP, THE STORY, THE NIGHTMARE

The clip intertwines the real Bloody Beetroots life style with the oniric dimension of the nightmare. A tale without any redemption, an absolute neorealism under strobe lights, an out-and-out social piece, a vortex without ideology…practically the era of the rotten apples without any dialogue.
Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo, the satyr, the man without face, the iconoclast, lives his umpteenth reincarnation and he does it trying to escape from a clumsy dream inhabited by vampirized characters (Tommy Tea, Steve Aoki, Mon Colonel, Crookers, LA Riots etc.etc.). It is a noir back-of-the-scene activity, where the maximum aspiration is the flash of a camera from the social blogs. Editing and photography follow the rhetoric and the fil rouge of “Smack My Bitch Up” from Prodigy, where the dodecaphonic histerya of the international parties shot by Mark “Cobrasnake” is added.

2.55 MINUTES OF PURE UNCONSCIOUSNESS

Cornelius is not only a videoclip but an elaborate product combining within itself: music, literature, arts and fashion.
A thorough social piece of work in various acts, with unvarnished aspects
of a reality that dwells the nights.
Foremost character, only leading dream actor, even though in flesh and bones: Cornelius- Rifo, the alterego of the characther of Moorcock.

SOON CORNELIUS WILL BE UNVEILED IN ITS WHOLENESS,
CORNELIUS IS MUSIC, THE NEW EP BY THE BLOODY BEETROOTS,
CORNELIUS IS FASHION, THE NEW LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT FROM SIX PACK

A SECRET MULTIMEDIA EVENT
18TH DECEMBER 2008

CORNELIUS from borntofilm on Vimeo.

Website: DIM MAK, The Cobra Snake

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