Watch an excerpt from film maker Matthew Smith's new documentary about Los Angeles's beat scene, the influential Low End Theory club night, and the producers and musicians who are a part of it. Looking For The Perfect Beat is featured in The Wire 368
Jack Law writes about Matthew Smith's Looking For The Perfect Beat and the musicians it shows at work: "What unites these producers, aside from geography, is their connection to the hugely influential club night Low End Theory, locus and incubator for the instrumental hiphop scene (or beat scene) that has produced artists such as Flying Lotus and Daedelus. Made in collaboration with Low End Theory’s founder and scene ‘godfather’ Daddy Kev, Looking For The Perfect Beat depicts the creative process behind the strain of music – experimental, jazzy, psychedelic and sample-heavy spins on hiphop – played at the legendary club night... The wellsprings that flow into Low End Theory’s central current are scattered all over the city. In numberless bedrooms, a varied crew of bohemian eccentrics jab away at samplers and MIDI keyboards, exhaling clouds of ganja smoke, bobbing their heads meditatively as their pet cats yawn stoically at their feet. The rise of the bedroom studio over the past decade or so is integral to the DIY ideals of the beat music community; the anything goes ethos of Low End Theory also means that anyone’s welcome."
The above excerpt features musicians Jonwayne and Ras G, each working in their respective studios.
Looking For The Perfect Beat is released by Alpha Pup.
