What is Los Angeles Techno?
Despite its reputation for glitz and glamour, palm trees and sunshine, pool parties and Hollywood, Los Angeles’ techno history has deep roots and dates back to the early-90s rave heydays.
Trying to summarize Los Angeles techno is, therefore, an arduous task because there is no way to do the answer justice when we are talking about three decades of rich history. Not in an e-mail at least.
The truth is that as of 2020 Los Angeles has become recognized world-over for its warehouse techno scene, and continues to be one of the most sought-after destinations for artists to perform in. But beyond that, it has become a hotbed for some of the best techno producers and DJs in the world.
At 6AM we are cognizant of the fact that we are a small part of a much larger city-wide ecosystem that is constantly evolving, churning out quality techno artists and event series for far longer than we have been around.
In fact, we have personally been greatly inspired by artists, labels, collectives and events that have, through the years, become synonymous with Los Angeles techno. As we have grown, we have become lucky enough to welcome these artists to our events, to collaborate with these historic promoters to host nights together, and to become a part, ourselves, of this greater LA movement.
One of the key pivotal event series that influenced our love for techno and techno events was Interface, co-founded by Drumcell. Whether it was the original warehouse parties in LA, or the annual Detroit gathering during Movement, we can confidently state that Interface changed our lives on a personal and visceral level.
While Interface events aren’t happening anymore, the series is “survived” by the more recent Observe event series, co-founded by Drumcell alongside other legendary American techno artists with a deep connection to LA: fellow Angeleno Truncate, and Chicago’s DJ Hyperactive, who lived in Los Angeles for an important part of his life.
As of this week, we are proud to have been able to welcome all three of the aforementioned artists for mixes on our Global Vibe Radio series. Drumcell was the last of the three to provide an episode, which was released last Tuesday.
>So… while the answer to the question “What is Los Angeles techno?” is one that requires a much longer answer than I can provide in this e-mail, we figured we would link you guys to a selection of Los Angeles techno artists who have provided mixes for us, letting their music be our answer for today.
This newly-curated playlist is available on our SoundCloud and will be constantly updated to reflect new Global Vibe Radio and 6AM Guest Mixes released on our platform by Los Angeles-area artists.
As of today, the playlist contains mixes from Drumcell, Truncate, DJ Hyperactive, Annika Wolfe, Secus, 3rd Project, Guillermo, Motionen, Modus, AXKAN, Mesmé, AltRd Being, Darc Sounds, Conduit, Tap Newo, Dean Paul, Stephen Disario, Ønyx, Demek, Trovarsi, LINUS, Adrian Adonis, Josh Sturges and Jelani, with many more to be added.
These artists are a musical representation of the fantastic techno talent this city has to offer.
Enjoy the mixes, be sure to follow us on SoundCloud and to share them with your friends!
Remember: the gift of music is one of the best (and easiest) gifts you can give to someone you love.
P.S. Our Los Angeles Techno tee is now available on the shop as part of a two-shirt bundle deal.
