Over the years few producers have had the same appeal as Charlie Yin a.k.a. Giraffage. His productions have found the middle ground between the derivative mainstream zeitgeist and fringe-like irrelevance. In the past I have always characterized a Giraffage performance as a bit cheeky. His sets often injected a sense of humor by including songs like “Who Let the Dogs Out” and even a remix of the original iPhone ringtone. Whenever an electronic artist performs a “live” set I always have high expectations. It was abundantly clear that Giraffage bodied his “live” show. His stage set-up included not only a 7-foot high LED wall for visual projections but he surrounded himself with circular neon rings almost to create a spherical lens effect around him akin to a James Bond opening sequence. Overall, the presentation was pristine and immersive. Each of the LED visuals seamlessly reflected the essence of the song selection. There were animals and 8-bit video game characters for his lighter tracks and skulls and flames when the music took a darker turn. Nothing seemed predictable or redundant. The venue (The Fonda Theater) added some great texture to the evening as each bass drop was accompanied by on-beat floor rumbles and the finely tuned acoustics left nothing more to be desired of the intimate atmosphere.

The set started out slow and built nicely throughout his almost hour and twenty minute run-time. The kawaii vibes were ratcheted up to 100 as the anime-esque visuals blended perfectly with each hi-hat and cord progression as each note felt very in place. A major high point of the night was when Giraffage dropped “Be With You”. The set seemed to have a very strong love-song driven narrative to it and “Be With You” was the characterizing crescendo among the already stellar track selection he employed. All in all the show was the perfect ending point for the Too Real tour. The crowd was electrified and left wanting more. That performance won’t soon be forgotten and we can’t wait to see what tricks Charlie has up his sleeve in the near future.

The Bay Area has seen their fair share of artists rise to the ranks of international acclaim. Few have seemed so effortless in their approach and style as Giraffage. He’s unmistakably himself. He always has been. And he just continues to get better. The recent run of the Tour Real tour confirms what genius he can put together when his vision is able to flourish.

The first time I saw Giraffage was at SXSW in 2013. I had never seen him, nor had I even listened to his music; I was awe-struck. It was the first time I had seen electronic music fused with the vibes of hip-hop and 90s R&B in such a way. One of the many aspects of Giraffage that makes his sets unique is that he always incorporated live aspects using various controllers and drum pads. He used to defend himself for being accused of simply being a DJ, when there’s much more to his talent than that. I could see how they could be confused as DJ sets, because of how smoothly he was able to mix all of his songs and live remixes together. That’s just a perfect example of an artist dialed into his craft.

The ‘Too Real’ Tour happened to be the pinnacle of his prior years of playing shows around the world and the release of his third album of the same title. From some controllers and a laptop, to the aforementioned and an LED wall, to the aforementioned and a giant light portal! His visuals are best described for me as kooky; and I mean that in the best way possible. They’re all over the place: Kittens. Puppies. Chains. Fires. Bubbles. Naked unisex people. They’re always entertaining. They’re always unmistakably Giraffage, and that’s why we love him so much.

As you may have probably heard from a little birdie. WE FUCKING LOVE BOYS NOIZE. He’s really one of the only massive DJs to came out of the blog house movement, survive, and never sell out. Part acid, part techno, all aggression, Boys Noize has a knack for mining the crates for a litany of tracks you won’t hear anywhere else. Christmas is coming early this year because Acid Claus himself will be taking over Halcyon SF on December 15th. Get ready for a night of pure treble, bass, and debauchery.

Halcyon is one of our favorite clubs in all of the up and coming San Francisco club scene and it’s only right that the commander of the Tekno Noize Posse gets to put their impeccable sound system to good use. Come get weird with us as we surf some acid waves.

Grab your tickets Here!

Spotify

Cue the fog machines, light up the mirror ball, and slide into the funky, vaporwave world of Honeycraft. In that order! Catherine Rose has been dreaming up a new world behind the scenes, and she’s finally welcoming us in with the debut of Shelter. At the hand of producer Thom Monahan, she ties a comparison to the warm, cosmic synths of AIR and the retro, pop-doused vocals of ABBA. A fair, accurate comparison, I’ll add.

The song’s intro sprinkles you into a bassline that immediately catches flow within a warm ocean of “oohs” and “woohs.” Rose said those vocals were used off the original demo that she recorded raw into her Macbook in order keep that vintage feel.

Shelter is the first of many for Honeycraft. We’re very much looking forward to being whisked away into the soft hue of her new world. Check the song after the jump and be sure to return her warm welcome with a welcome of your own on her socials channels below!

Tickets

I still remember nearly four years ago when my friends were passing around Sales’ sophomore single “Chinese New Year.” Every time I put it on, it invigorates the feeling of a top down drive along PCH. It rekindles the soft smell of an ocean breeze and the warm sunny rays of a southern California summer gently resting on our backs. Seeing as how they’re from Orlando, ocean breezes and warm sunny rays are something they’re very accustomed to, and it oozes through their music.

Luckily for Bay Area, our friends at Noise Pop are bringing Sales and their warm sunny vibes to Oakland at the Starline Social Club next Tuesday December 5th! I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to sway with these guys and watch them in their element for too long. Be sure to snag your tickets quick. Come get some sun with us.

SoCal Friends,

This is your final reminder that the legendary Pete Tong of the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix will be @ The Hollywood Bowl tomorrow 11/9 serving as the maestro alongside composer Jules Buckley to the 65-piece orchestra and playing a litany of old school house classics of his Ibiza Classics Compilation. This night will be extremely special as the special guests on the docket include Moby, Aluna George, and more.

Get your ticket’s here before it’s too late!

Pete Tong host of the legendary BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix Series is bringing a little of Ibiza to Los Angeles on November 9th.

The event entitled “Ibiza Classics” will see Tong perform alongside avant-garde composer Jules Buckley and the 65 piece Heritage Orchestra reinterpreting classic dance tunes that have provided the soundtrack to the last two decades with the power of a full Philharmonic orchestra. If you’re looking for something fresh, new and exciting the check out then look no further.

Tong will be joined by opener Guy Gerber – who will perform his first live set in over four years – and special guests including Moby, making his Hollywood Bowl debut, Aluna George and vocalist Bipolar Sunshine, and special host for the night Zane Lowe

This could be a historic night for electronic music in California. There’s no perfect place to hold this event than in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl. The Bowl show follows Pete’s #1 record ‘Classic House’ earlier this year, and precedes the upcoming LP release of Ibiza Classics Dec 1.

Get your tickets here and we’ll see you out at the Bowl.