Once again, we had a blast with Karmacoda! It was an honor for Anji to share the stage with them for their epic remix of “Motherless Child,” and fun for Ryan to do a DJ set for the Harlot crowd. A few of the songs for the upcoming Anji Bee album were shared for the first time, which was exciting. Local friends came out to hang. Good times!
I’ll be DJ’ing in Long Beach, California on Thursday September 16th from 9 to 10:30 pm at the mellow coffeehouse club, Dervish. Dervish runs 7 PM to midnight at Portfolio, 2300 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA. 562-434-2486. Resident DJs Glenn Bach and Chowderhead, along with guest DJs and musicians, perform a wide variety of electronic and analog music, including ambient, dub, drone, downtempo, IDM, drum-and-bass, and free jazz. Visual artists provide a spatial environment of video, projections, and loops.
Saturday, August 12th: DJ Ryan Lum spins a late-night/early-morning set in the chillout room of the Family 6th Year Anniversary Party in Los Angeles. For more info, please call (213) 891-4756 or (818) 503-7535.
We just added another unreleased new track, called “Hand in Hand,” to our mp3.com page. This is the flip side of the “Ecstatic” dubplate that I’ve been including in my recent DJ sets. Once again, it features the sax of Doron and vocals of Anji, and is even more jazzy than “Ecstatic.” If you enjoyed “Misunderstood,” from Temporal, you’re bound to dig this track, too!
Had a chill time at Portfolio Coffeehouse’s Dervish club. Here’s a photo Anji took of me DJing.
THE DARLINGS OF PROJEKT
Interview & photos by Anji Bee
Love Spirals Downwards are known as the darlings of Projekt Records. And with just cause; they are the best selling band, with the hottest moving new release of Projekt for 1998, “Flux.” This latest of 4 popular full-length albums marks a turning point in the band’s ever-fluxing sound. Whereas the last album, “Ever,” showcased several electronic-based songs in the mix, “Flux” concentrates almost completely on the electronica side of band mastermind, Ryan Lum’s musical influences. There has been some slight controversy over LSD’s “sound change” and band member relationships, but all of that seems ludicrous to the mellow, well adjusted Lum. He’s always created the music for Love Spirals Downwards using whatever inspiration happened to hit him, be it a fine dining experience, an exotic vacation, a shamanic vision, or just simply a new piece of gear to fiddle around with. Although a philopsher at heart, searching for his own personal truth in life, Ryan isn’t a terribly serious artist with an attitude or an agenda. He just likes to make music like anybody else does, for the fun of it.
Anji: What are you working on now?
Ryan: I’m working on getting live stuff together for us to do some shows soon. Not sure where or when yet, but you can check our web site for updates on that at the Projekt web site. I personally update our news, so there’s no rumors — everything is confirmed and absolute and will happen.
Anji: Playing live is not a usual occurrence for Love Spirals Downwards…
Ryan: We usually play a few shows a year. I don’t know what happened last year; we only played one — the Projekt Fest in L.A., at the El Rey. That’s why I always tell people not to flake out on us; ’cause you don’t know when — or even if — we will play next.
Anji: It’s always difficult to take such a studio based project to the stage.
Ryan: Yeah. The way we work is kinda backwards. Most bands typically have a song first, then they go into the studio and record it. We’re the total opposite of that. We have no song first. I just start messing around in my studio, coming up with ideas, and at the end of a long process, finally, a song emerges. So, it’s kinda weird. We don’t rehearse ever, a song just gets created, almost through chance accident and goofing around.
Anji: It’s mostly just you, isn’t it?
Ryan: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah.
Anji: You’re the man!
Ryan: I am. (Laughs) I put a lot of work into it. Yeah. It takes me a long time to make a record.
A couple shots from Ryan’s second DJ set at the Virgin Megastore in Hollywood. The decks were set up in a different spot this time as it was an opening slot before a Black Tape for a Blue Girl performance. Nice to see Sam and the old Projekt crew again. Thanks to Anji for these pix!
DJ’ing at La Belle Epoque in San Francisco was one of the funnest things I’ve done yet! Thanks to those of you who came out. I’ll be back again sometime soon for sure! The Megastore was cool too, but it wasn’t a club, so not quite as much fun (no booze or dancing).
Friday April 23, I’ll be dj’ing at Spaceland, here in Los Angeles at 1717 Silverlake Blvd (323-833-2843). This will be the release party for the Dewdrops Records’ compilation from last year called, Splashed With Many A Speck, featuring tracks by us, Cocteau Twins, Scenic, and Lanterna – to name a few. Scenic, the Von Trapps, and Daniel Figgis (all the way from Ireland) will be performing live.
More stuff’s in the works, so check back again soon.
Here’s a few pix from the DJ gig at the Hollywood Virgin Megastore the other night. Thanks to Anji of KUCI FM for coming out to support!
Had a good time doing an opening DJ set at Sterile this weekend. Great to see Halou and Sweet Trip as well as the 9-5 Super Spy and KUCI peeps. Here’s a few pix Anji took of the event.
