Chinatown makes me crave dim sum and fireworks… nah mean? It makes me wanna get my chopstick etiquette on point and crack fortune cookies and shit. You know? Shrimp fried rice.. riiight. You can’t ignore the ambiance of the orient in LA’s very own little version of Beijing. From the neon pagodas to the stone lions which guard the pavilions, the fung shui is undeniable. And amongst the restaurants and chinese buffets that line the streets, there are several bars which splash duck sauce on the night life in the area.
The Grand Star is one of those bars that will put the crab in your wonton. It doesn’t serve beef and broccoli, or schezwan chicken, but you can get a can of Shock Top or a Hennessy on the rocks there. But more importantly, the Grand Star plays home to Boombox, which happens on the 1st Saturday of every month. Boombox is like big trouble in little china, and if you dig crates, freak the funk or enjoy the finer aspects of turntablism, Boombox is an event you gotta check out.
Hosted by resident DJ’s Inka One, Ben Diggin, and Analog, Boombox rocks the sure shot through an epic sound system. The pedigree of the resident DJ’s is high, that’s why they are able to attract world class talent and a large mature audience. I’m most familiar with DJ Inka One. He’s been putting in work for a long time, from his stint as an
underground king with Basementalism on Radio 1190 AM in Colorado, to his current situation in Los Angeles. The guy got skills for sure. Follow him on twitter @inka_one
On June 2nd, 2012, he was playing everything from the Eastisdaz and Snoop Dogg to J. Dilla to some throwback sensational shit I didn’ event know the name of. People were grooving upstairs beneath the disco ball to the sound selection. There was another DJ downstairs that kept the watering hole wavy. The party looked cracking from the outside… everyone from producer Aspect One to Swim Team’s own Alpha MC were kicking it in the smoking section on the patio. The downstairs bar was busy keeping the Heinekens cold. And after Inka One killed the decks upstairs, DJ Day took over on the wheels of steel.
Day reps Piecelock 70 with the likes of Peoples Under the Stairs. His set was all over the board, but chalk full of the head banging boogie. Exile made an appearance in the venue, cold maxing as DJ Day let the records spin. Exile kept it low key, but DJ Day turned the function up and got everybody ready for the headliner.
DJ Babu of the World Famous Beat Junkies Crew was the heavy hitter of the evening. If you don’t know the Beat Junkies, then worst comes to worst, you should probably know about Dilated Peoples, who Babu also DJ’s for. Boombox was packed with an eclectic mix of heads and their respective fashions. Babu quickly put the party in motion as fellow Beat Junkie, DJ Rhettmatic, grabbed the mic and let the crowd know who was who and what was what.
Babu dropped classic timeless records in the mix right next to hip hop’s brand new guys, like A$VP Rocky and his latest single, Goldie. DJ Babu had the bass pumping so hard he blew out the amp while playing Nas’ new record, the Don (produced by Heavy D, Salaam Remi & Da Intern). There was a moment of silence as the Boombox sound crew scrambled to get the music on once again, and in a few minutes, Babu was back to the Serato box, back to the juggles, and back to the scratches. You can’t stop a good thing from rising to the top.
I didn’t even have to use my AK. I gotta say.. it was a good night. Boombox was popping. Some of the best DJ’s in the world were in full effect. There were some pretty girls marinating at the spot. The drinks were cold. Boombox did it again. Mark your calendars. Every first Saturday of the month. It’s going down. Boombox got thump to thunder the concrete.
-you know ya man’s Drop Jewelz
All photos by Cali Grindz
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