Run DMT w/ SPL @ King King Hollywood

Having just gone to Sub Focus the night before, I have to admit, I was having reservations about going to see Run DMT and SPL at the King King in Hollywood.

Holy fuck balls, am I glad that I got over whatever that was.

Run DMT and SPL put on one of the best shows I've been to this year, despite the meager turnout.

Originally scheduled for the end of October, to open up for Maxim, of The Prodigy, the show was postponed until last night. The King King is a small bar off of Hollywood Blvd. I hadn't heard of it having any connection to bass music, but that must have been before The Do Lab got a hold of it - now it's hosting the likes of Phutureprimitive and The Lucent Dossier Experience. Still being new to the bass scene provides its own challenges, namely drawing in a crowd.

I arrived about 15 minutes before SPL's set time and there were maybe 25-40 people there? At most. Highly disappointing. Even by the end of the night, there were perhaps 250-400. (I'm awful at estimating, if you can't tell.)

As for other bass music event necessities - sound and lights - there were no lights. Which actually... didn't bother me too much. It was a small venue/bar anyway and the dim lighting was more than enough for the show. As for the sound, it's nothing like the Avalon or House of Blues, but with such a small venue, you don't need that much. With what was there, it was enough.

Now, as for the music - I said earlier, Run DMT and SPL put on one of the best shows I've been to this year. I'm not kidding. SPL did a damn fine job representing LA-based record label SMOG by showing off his chops throwing double drops and throwbacks from Flux Pavilion, Skrillex & Alvin Risk and more. His own style of "balearic" bass music, termed after the balearic house of the 80s and 90s, is exciting, melodic and plenty unique. And while playing to such a small crowd, SPL's energy didn't seem affected in the slightest - bouncing around, throwing his arms up, shout outs to the crowd were all in full form last night.

Run DMT was no different. The heavyset heavyweight of trap and bass stunned the crowd with his wide array of genres, reaching drumstep, dubstep, drum and bass, electro and trap. I was especially pleased, personally, that a metric fuckton of Figure tracks were dropped. Nothing kicks up the crowd like some 160 BPM magic. The trap was also not entirely displeasing. As the producer for the track 'Shaman Juice,' I had high expectations for whatever trap Run DMT would be throwing and he did not disappoint - only the highest quality for this man.

Energy remained high throughout the event, and I would be remiss to pass up an opportunity to see either of these amazing musicians again in the future.

My next show is in Santa Ana, seeing Dirty Deeds supporting Figure on December 29th at The Observatory. See you there!