February 7, 2012

A Review of the Exciting Lucent L’amour by Ariel Coto and Pat Cornell

Robot Love warming up the crowd.

INDOORS

The indoor section of Lucent L’amour this year was truly unreal. With sparkling sea creatures, black light paintings and a huge tree, the entire indoors area was littered with some seriously visually stimulating pieces.

The first to lay down their set on the indoor stage was Robot Love. This duo did an amazing job of pumping up the crowd as people slowly flooded the venue. With some great dubstep and pounding beats, Robot Love definitely set the mood for the rest of the night.

As Robot Love rounded out their night, Patricio took over and laid down an epic set. Complete with his own set of bongos, Patricio dropped some serious beats and drew a major crowd with his balance of dance and dubstep. Patricio’s set was an amazing one to watch that definitely got the crowd going.

N.A.S.A.’s set was without a doubt one of the best shows of the night. With a faster paced techno sound, N.A.S.A. played some insane remixes and dropped some classic crowd favorites. N.A.S.A. played hit after hit and really set the bar high for the following sets.

With N.A.S.A. throwing down such an awesome set, I could only guess what kind of set Bassnectar was going to roll in with. As he took his place on stage, Bassnectar dropped some of the dirtiest and heaviest bass I’ve ever heard in my life. Those slow, pounding beats shook me to my core and had the entire crowd going absolutely nuts.

Stanton Warriors finished with style as they introduced a fresh dance sound to the awesome dubstep beats that most DJs at Lucent L’amour had been spinning. With some epic techno beats and just about the loudest set of the night, the Stanton Warriors made for a perfect ending to an insanely awesome night.

The aforementioned tree con art shack.

OUTSIDE

I don’t know about all the stuff that Coto kid was trying to tell you, but the real action at Lucent L’amour this year was outside. Outside housed the majority of the art, including a live-art auction, bathroom area complete with an amazing bathroom attendant, and another stage for music. Combine these with the refreshing night air, and you have a formula for a grand old time.

When you first walk outside, to your left is a sort of flea market where people are selling hand-made things, like jewelry and couture clothing. Only a few feet away was the bathroom attendant who, solely working off tips, offered an array of items like gum, cigarettes, lotions, hand sanitizers and even blow-pops. Along the inner wall was a row of blank canvases that artists slowly turned into masterpieces as the night progressed. There was a live auction held for the works, and all of the proceeds will be donated to a charity to keep arts in public schools. At the very front of the outdoor area was the stage that hosted acts such as Lazer Sword and LYNX & Janover. It also hosted acts like The Lucent Dossier Experience and Yard Dogs Road Show. The first is sort of a Cirque du Soleil-lite. They had amazing acrobatics and interesting music. It was quite a delicious feast for the eyes.

Yard Dogs Road Show, on the other hand, was more of a sketch comedy troupe. They were easily the most entertaining act of the night. Each song that they performed was a different show altogether. It could go from a Pineapple Queen and her beautiful pineapple dancers to a punk rocker in skin-tight zebra pants in the blink of an eye. They even had a magician who made an entire live chicken appear from nowhere. The rest of the space outside that wasn’t filled with exuberant concert-goers was filled with large-scale works of art, including a large, metal spider and an attendee-run “Hug Deli” that offered hugs for the low, low price of 2 compliments. Ultimately, it is obvious that The Do Lab know what they are doing. Undoubtedly, Coachella this year will be amazing, but for those with shallow pockets, I recommend trying out Lucent L’amour.

Yard Dogs Road Show - blowing minds since 2005.

DO NOT MISS: Lucent L’amour, a festival of art, music and creativity, brought to you by The Do Lab

Lucent L'amour 2009, courtesy notcot.com

Got any Valentine’s plans yet? How about at the wee hours of the morning on Valentine’s Day? Well now you can be busy all day long thanks to the great guys at The Do Lab, the proprietors of events like Coachella. They are hosting Lucent L’amour, something that they call a “festival of art, music and creativity.” Because they know how awesome this show is going to be (as well as the knowledge of the shallow pockets of college students), they have been kind enough to offer a pretty hefty discount to anyone with a “.edu” e-mail, for more details click on this link to the Lucent L’amour website http://lucentlamour.com/student.  With over 5,000 attendees expected, this is one show you should not miss.

BASSNECTAR

The headliner for this year’s Lucent L’amour, Bassnectar (Lorin Ashton) will get you moving whether you like it or not. Hailing from San Francisco, Bassnectar is known for his eclectic style and stimulating visuals. From his slow, trip-hop sounds to his pounding dance beats, Bassnectar’s show will leave you tore up from the floor up.
“Cozza Frenzy”

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STANTON WARRIORS

The breakbeat duo from Bristol is back in the States for this epic street festival, and their set will be sure to blow your mind. These DJs are masters of the remix and will undoubtedly please your audio senses with both their creative edits and original tracks. With these breakbeat champions on the bill, Lucent L’amour is an event you won’t want to miss.

N.A.S.A.

North America South America, better known by their acronym N.A.S.A., truly brings a unique sound to the bill. Comprised of DJs Squeak E. Clean and Zegon, this duo strives to bring about a sense of unity in the musical community by putting together sounds from different genres around the world. Whether it be bars from Kanye West’s tracks or funky Brazilian riffs, this diverse sound is sure to get you moving.

YARD DOGS ROAD SHOW

Lucent L’amour is chalk full of unique acts, and the Yard Dogs Road Show is no exception. With an unusual mix of cabaret, rock and roll and other strangely entertaining acts, this band will undoubtedly be a musical experience.

BEATS ANTIQUE

Hailing from Oakland, Calif., Beats Antique provides a new twist to the electronic genre.  With sounds and beats from the Middle East fused with dubstep and hip hop, Beats Antique offers a sound that you won’t find anywhere else. With live horned and string instruments, this sound will be something new for you to sink your teeth into.

ANA SIA

This California native understands the value of dance. Her live set will force you to work muscles that you had no idea you had. As a front-runner in the West Coast future sound movement, Ana Sia is an act to listen and dance along to for sure.

LAZER SWORD

Lazer Sword is the fusion of Low Limit, from San Francisco, and Lando Kal of New York. Regardless of the Star Wars allusion, Lazer Sword is pretty boss. With an ever-growing fan base, these guys are something to watch for in 2010, and you’ll experience them live at Lucent L’amour.
“Gucci Sweatshirt”

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LYNX & JANOVER

Though they have only recently released their first collaboration, this duo has been tearing up the live circuit. They spit an interesting blend of low-tempo techno with rapping and acoustic instruments. This year at Lucent L’amour, their smooth beats will be sure to keep you entranced and wanting more.

PATRICIO

Having been a DJ in the greater Los Angeles area since the ‘90s, Patricio is what you could call a seasoned veteran. His sets are practically guaranteed to raise the energy level so high that the only thing higher is the sound level. For all you rump shakers out there, check out Patricio this year at Lucent L’amour.

ROBOT LOVE

This mysterious group is something that must be experienced first hand. The best information only claims that their influence is “static” and their biography is “music for life forms.” After sampling some tracks, it becomes clear that the latter is more appropriate. Their songs, without a hint of static, will make any “life forms” within their sphere of influence begin to boogie down. Get to Lucent L’amour early enough to hear these guys kick off the event.

In addition to the amazing musical lineup that Lucent L’amour offers, a series of art installations, as well as interactive art, will be present at the inside portion of The Shrine. This should be as much as the concerts themselves. I am envisioning a type of awesome street festival. The website even describes one of the artist collectives, Lucent Dossier Experience, as “a playground for the innovative genius child in all of us.”  It should be a very good time, to say the least.