On April 21st, B-Side Los Angeles will celebrate its 8th anniversary at the Regent Theater with the finest underground bass music! Founded by a group of passionate music lovers in 2014, B-Side has solidified its position as the top advocate of underground music in the area by creating partnerships with local vendors and promoters.
With an international booking strategy that distinguishes them from others, B-Side brings in talent from all over the world, including headliners from overseas who helped put out many of the artists that are now popular in the US. As B-Side continues to evolve and expand, its commitment to curating high-quality events with an emphasis on audio and visual elements remains unchanged.
Join them for a night filled with talented performers, including Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Bukez Finezt, VEIL, Wraz, LYQD, and Anabadi, as they celebrate their 8th year of supporting the underground bass music scene in Los Angeles.
B-Side Los Angeles: From Strangers to Underground Promoters
B-Side Los Angeles was founded in November 2014 by a group of strangers, led by Murad Rezian, who shared a love for bass music. After attending a Sub.mission Anniversary event in Denver, they realized the need for a similar event in LA, especially after the iconic Smog and Pure Filth night had ended.
The collective quickly became close friends and began building partnerships with local vendors and promoters, solidifying their position as the top promoter of underground music in the area. Gabrielle Watson, aka A Hundred Drums, who started out as a promoter, later became a core member and co-founder of B-Side Los Angeles after relocating to the Bay Area and launching B-Side Bay Area’s “Eyes Down” series.
B-Side garnered recognition by featuring distinctive acts in their lineups and implementing an international booking strategy that distinguished them from other promotions.
“We were booking artists who played a style of dubstep that wasn’t popular at the time, as we had few attendees, with only around 100 people attending our shows across the country,” Murad Rezian says. “However, because we were booking very niche acts to play on a proper sound, people were flying in from all over the country to participate in our events. While we were booking artists from the US, our headliners were from overseas, which helped to put out many of the artists that are now popular in the US. Our international booking strategy is what made us prominent, especially with the amount of international talent that we were bringing in to be signed.”
B-Side Los Angeles 8-Year Anniversary Celebration
Talented performers will fill the night up as B-Side Los Angeles gears up for its 8-year anniversary lineup! With such an exciting lineup, B-Side has established relationships with some of the most renowned artists in the underground scene while simultaneously creating a sense of community. For the performers joining the anniversary show, being a part of the B-Side family is a source of excitement and pride.
“Mungo’s Hi-Fi are pioneers and legends in our scene, having been around since the early days of dubstep!” Gabrielle says. “Their live performances have resulted in a unique sound that incorporates reggae dub, reggae music, dubstep, and even reggaeton, with a touch of jazz due to the live instrumentation. Eva Lazarus, an amazing singer, and rapper has been performing with them for years. By bringing them to B-side, we pay respect to the Founding Fathers and Mothers who helped create this music scene and allowed us to thrive in this lane!”
There is more! Bukez Finezt has been a trailblazer in the world of sound for many years, playing an instrumental role in shaping the early days of dubstep. The B-Side team has expressed its immense appreciation for his contributions and looks forward to having him on board for the event. Additionally, VEIL, a longtime friend of Gabrielle, will bring her budding production talents and veteran DJ skills to B-Side’s 8 Year event.
“With her project and label Stream Ritual, she is doing amazing work for the underground scene and it is important for us to pay respect to her as another powerful woman in the scene,” Gabrielle says. “As far as other artists go, this will be Wraz‘s Los Angeles debut, as he comes in from Canada. He is a Don of the Deep Dark and Dangerous label, and we are excited to have him bring everything loud. Additionally, we have LYQD celebrating their birthday, and a new B-Side resident, Anabadi, performing!”
The Future Of B-Side Los Angeles
For B-Side Los Angeles, one of the ways it ensures continued support for underground bass music is to realize that it needs to expand its offerings, which COVID-19 somewhat forced upon them. When B-Side started again after the pandemic, they realized that over half of the usual artists they booked couldn’t enter the country.
“We didn’t want to continue doing the same thing and limit our growth, so we started incorporating new music while still honoring our roots,” Murad Rezian says. “For instance, at our eight-year anniversary, we have VEIL performing, whose music is experimental-based.
We love her music, and her performance covered the other unique side of bass music culture that we feel is important to showcase. Moving forward, we are committed to continuing to grow B-side while carefully curating our lineup in memory of our origins.”
B-Side Los Angeles is looking to make an impact on the next generation by putting on high-quality events with an emphasis on sound systems and production. The team has already managed to attract fans who were initially hesitant to attend their events, and they plan to continue to build on their success by bringing together different scenes. This trend is happening across the country, and B-Side is doing its part by bringing in experts in bass music and focusing heavily on the deeper UK sounds.
“To continue our influence on the culture and scene in Los Angeles, we aim to stay focused on what sets us apart from other crews,” Murad Rezian says. “We take pride in being strictly a sound system culture and having the best sound in Los Angeles, so when you attend a B-side event, you can expect to hear and feel the best sound!”
For B-Side, supporting the underground bass music scene is not only a passion but also a way to create a sense of community among artists and fans alike. For tickets and information, visit their links here!
