KOAN Sound Joined B-Side for Their LA Tour Stop

Underground collective B-Side Los Angeles brought UK duo KOAN Sound to 1720 Warehouse for a memorable stop on the Led By Ancient Light tour.

Since their return from a brief hiatus, UK-based duo KOAN Sound has returned to the electronic music world with one of their biggest projects to date. Known for their blends of hip-hop, halftime, drum and bass, as well as different forms of incorporating live instruments. Their past works such as their Polychrome EP and more recent Chronos EP, are just a few examples of how diverse and intricate their works have become to be. Playing all over the world, including festivals like Lost Lands and Infrasound, the duo is currently on tour debuting the live playthrough of their newest release, Led By Ancient Light.

The new release from KOAN Sound is a leveled-up version of their known musical style, creating a sonic soundscape that tells the sci-fi story from the graphic novel that was released in accompaniment to the soundtrack. Tunes like “Voice of Dissent,” “Embers From Chaos,” and “Ascension” all incorporate extremely cinematic elements as well as different styles of breaks and drum patterns. There’s also intricate involvement of live instrumental features in the album, including a strong strings presence and classic Koan Sound piano arrangements. The work is an auditory novel from start to finish, translating well into their live performances as they usually have a professional modular setup working the mixdowns.

One of Southern California’s most beloved collectives, B-Side Los Angeles, brought the duo to town for their stop in LA. Run by Murad Rezien and A Hundred Drums, this collective has put on legendary showcases and consistently scouted for organically grown producers who bring something new to the industry. Pairing with the beloved 1720 Warehouse in DTLA, the night brought out a packed room of music lovers from all corners of electronic music.

Photo Credit: Mattie True (@mattietrue)

The opening acts for KOAN Sound all fit the vibe, with their flair for blending genres and incorporating unique production styles.

The event was opened by LA local and newest B-Side resident, Little Lion. His performance had an impressive mix of bass music, live sampling, and incredible vocals, incorporating hip-hop and R&B into experimental production. Following next was rising bass music star Floret Loret, who is known for his synthy-blended dub tracks that incorporate environmental soundscapes within his tracks. The penultimate opener, Parkbreezy, from all:Lo collective, hyped the crowd with his hip-hop sampling and groove-heavy mixdowns.

As the room was now packed, KOAN Sound immediately opened with a gorgeous piano introduction, dropping into the story of Led By Ancient Light. The duo had both a keyboard feeding into the sampling and a modular analog setup driving the set. Watching them curate the sound like this as a live performance was both inspiring and awe-striking for an electronic music enthusiast, watching them break down every track within the complexity of the tools behind the music.

The crowd got down to tracks like “Ascension” with its high-energy strings feature and a more mellowed-out “Liquid Levity.” The transition between each track was so smooth that the whole set felt like one big story being told – fitting for their graphic novel to match the album. Because of technical difficulties, the only downside to their performance was the cutoff of the gorgeous A/V setup that would accompany the set, featuring snippets from the graphic novel that came out with Led By Ancient Light. The event closed out with Tenessee bass music producer Chief Kaya, who brought a heavier, deep dubstep flair to the night, filled with clever bootlegs and layerings of dubplates.

The honorable note about B-Side LA is that they’ve continued their mission to keep shining a light on different areas of bass music and uplifting the trailblazers and those honing in on their craft and needing a bigger audience. This event reminded me of how progressive electronic music’s heights have reached, breaking genre boundaries past what we already know. If you’re ever in LA, we encourage you to catch a B-Side Los Angeles show if possible and support the underground. Stay tuned for their 9th Anniversary announcement and catch KOAN Sound while they’re still on tour to experience Led By Ancient Light played live!

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