Nu-Soul Magazine and ILLSOCIETY Magazine joined forces for a special performance from Brooklyn’s multi-talented artist Melo-X on April 16, 2013. Flanked by a lineup of SoCal up and comers and scene mainstays that included Soulection’s Jo_Def and NiceGuyxVinny as well as Sa’eed, Co.fee, Ahwlee, and DUSTDIGG, the event offered a multitude of soulful and cutting edge sounds.
Complex, an untapped venue in the Glendale area of Los Angeles, set the scene. While the area may not be known for its clubbing activity, Complex delivered on every front. The small yet spacious venue came fully equipped with one of the best sound systems in town, a fully stocked and creative bar menu, a lovely patio with a backyard feel, and a friendly and professional staff.
The night started off right with the vibes of NiceGuyxVinny who dropped a selection of Soulection joints to set the mood. Ahwlee jumped on next with a set that featured plenty of classic R&B and hip-hop vibes. Up and comer Sa’eed took the stage next performing his original music, a synthesis of spacey beats and soulful bass. Co.fee blessed us with a some of his banging tracks that kept the heads nodding.
Soulection’s own Jo_Def, representing Oxnard, CA, hit the stage next and came out swinging. Doing his squad proud he dropped a set of ridiculous bass that fused the sound of Chicago’s footwork scene with that of the SoCal beat scene. With a bag full of unreleased tracks as well as some of the best cuts from his Soulection release Steps, Jo_Def proved that he is one talented dude.
DUSTDIGG jumped on the decks for a quick set to celebrate the birthday of ILLSOCIETY’s Jay before the main event took place. The multilayered talent that is Melo-X graced us with a performance that made full use of all his skills. As an MC, Melo performed some of the standout tracks from his most recent release Piece de Resistance including the sexy track “Handle It”. But Melo-X is also a talented remixer, and he effortlessly created live remixes on the fly, mashing up tracks from his contemporaries and peers. The set was beautiful and varied, fully showcasing the range of talent that Melo-X has to offer.
Shouts out to the Delicious Vinyl crew for showing love and Radii Footwear for sponsoring the show.
All photos shot by Asato Iida
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