SMOG wins Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash
Four Collectives Reppin’ the Los Angeles Music Scene Competed To Be Named The Best
SMOG | Dim Mak | Friends of Friends | Jeffree’s
Surprise Guests Included George Clinton, DMX, B-Real, Pusha T, Too Short and Street Drum Corps
SMOG performs during Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash in Exhange LA in Los Angeles, CA on December 5, 2012
Los Angeles, CA- December 6, 2012 – Last night, Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash returned to Los Angeles, bringing four internationally respected collectives to compete under one roof at Exchange LA. The collectives—Smog and Dim Mak, both of whom competed in 2010, and newcomers Friends of Friends and Jeffree’s—battled in a series of four rounds to be named winner by a show of applause from the 1200 people in attendance. Each collective brought huge crowds and dedicated fans, but at the end of the night it was Smog and Friends of Friends who were neck-in-neck on the leaderboard. After a final round of voting to see which of the two had the most crowd support, Smog was named the winner and treated the enthusiastic crowd to a victory set.
The show’s format featured four stages (one for each collective) in each of the four opposing corners of the main floor with the crowd in the middle and peering down from the balconies above. The evening’s host Mr. Choc (The World Famous Beat Junkies) introduced Smog, who kicked off the “Introducing the Crew” round to thunderous applause. The Jeffree’s crew performed next, with their stage flanked by an inflatable Mad Decent air dancer (just like one you’d see at a used car dealership) and with vuvuzelas in hand. Groundislava and Jerome LOL introduced the team on the Friends of Friends stage with a “What’s up haters?,” starting the fierce battle of music and words that defined the rest of the night’s competition. Dim Mak’s response? “You ready to see some real DJs up here?” By the end of round one, the groundwork was set for an epic evening of battle.
Round two’s theme was “I Can Do What You Can Do Better,” which provided a competitive twist, as each collective strayed outside their comfort zone and played an interpretation of another collective’s signature sound. Jeffree’s kicked off the round taking on Smog’s sound. With Daedelus taking the reigns and Borgore getting the crowd going with the “Macarena,” the Jeffree’s set was hard to beat but the other collectives proved up for the challenge. Friends of Friends then took the stage and mimicked Jeffree’s sound, followed by Dim Mak’s take on Friends of Friends, as the Friends of Friends crew looked on disapprovingly from their own stage. Smog closed out the round with their interpretation of Dim Mak, complete with a crowd-surfing Steve Aoki impersonator who busted out an inflatable raft.
The “Let Us Entertain You” round was arguably the most anticipated, as it featured each collective bringing a surprise special guest to the stage, and the collectives did not disappoint. Friends of Friends started off the round with special guest Pusha T and the crowd went wild, enthusiastically singing along to his performance. Dim Mak quickly stepped up to the plate by bringing out DMX, whose mini-set included the classic “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” Smog brought the flash, opening their set with six Street Drum Corps performers before bringing the night’s hip hop back to the west coast with B-Real performing Cypress Hill’s “How I Could Just Kill A Man.” After a round filled with icons, Jeffree’s ended it by bringing out funk legend George Clinton, who performed “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” and wowed the audience and performers alike. Daedelus tweeted, “My gosh just heard George Clinton sing over “Accordion” from Madvillain. My chords beneath one of my musical heroes. Profoundly happy.”
The final round of the night was the “Leave It All On The Table” round, also known as “The Banger” round, which was each collective’s chance to pull out their biggest and baddest tunes in an attempt to win over the crowd once and for all. Dim Mak kicked it off followed by Smog, who had one more trick up their sleeve: an appearance by Too Short, who performed “Blow the Whistle.” Jeffree’s brought up their whole crew and in a nod to Dim Mak’s surprise guest DMX, they played his recent rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” Friends of Friends closed out the competition bringing everything they had which included dancers, gloving and more.
After Smog was announced the winner and all of the smack-talk was semi-over, 12th Planet stepped to the middle of the stage and with a huge grin on his face, said, “We’re friends with all of these guys, but its strictly business.” With the four collectives performing under one roof, Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash 2012 delivered an unforgettable night of the very best in cross-genre exploration. A full recording of the night will be streamed on Red Bull Music Academy Radio, www.rbmaradio.com, in approximately one week.
About the Collectives:
SMOG: Widely known for bringing dubstep to Los Angeles, SMOG works closely with artists such as EMU, Kemst, DLX, Datsik, Breakage and Plastician and is lead by 12th Planet.www.smogla.com
Dim Mak: A label started in 1996 by international DJ Steve Aoki, Dim Mak is well known for working with indie and electronic dance artists such as Bloc Party, MSTRKFT, The Bloody Beetroots, Felix Cartal, Atari Teenage Riot, Etienne de Crecy, Fischerspooner, Mustard Pimp and more. www.dimmak.com
Friends of Friends: Creating releases that are inspiring and engaging for both artists and fans alike, FoF is a rising LA-based label, started in 2009, with a variety of sounds from the likes of Daedelus, Ernest Gonzales, Shlomo and Red Bull Music Academy alumn Salva. www.fofmusic.net
Jeffree’s: Showcasing innovative sounds from some of the world’s best up-and-coming producers, Jeffree’s—an offshoot of Diplo’s Mad Decent label—releases a new single for free every other Thursday on their website. www.thejeffrees.com
About Red Bull Music Academy
The Red Bull Music Academy is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals: a platform for those who make a difference in today’s musical landscape. Two groups of 30 selected participants – producers, vocalists, DJs, instrumentalists and all-round musical mavericks from around the world – come together in a different city each year. For two weeks, each group will hear lectures by musical luminaries, work together on tracks and perform in the city’s best clubs and music halls. The Academy began back in 1998, and has been traversing the globe since: from Berlin to Cape Town, São Paulo, Barcelona, London, Toronto and many other metropolises. The upcoming edition of the Red Bull Music Academy is set to take place in New York City from April 28 through May 31, 2013. For in-depth interviews, live recordings and exclusive content with today’s essential music makers and yesterday’s pioneers, visit www.redbullmusicacademy.com
RBMA Radio is one of the largest resources for curated cutting-edge music on the web. Launched in 2005 as a spin-off of the Red Bull Music Academy, it features thousands of in-depth interviews and features with today’s essential music makers, exclusive mixes and live recordings from the world’s best clubs and festivals – and every bit is hand-picked.
Twitter: @RedBullLAX | @RBMA | #CultureClash
Credit: Rick Rodney/Red Bull Content Pool
Caption: DMX performs on Dim Mak’s stage at Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash at Exchange LA
Credit: Rick Rodney/Red Bull Content Pool
Caption: George Clinton performs on Jeffree’s stage at Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash at Exchange LA
Credit: Carlo Cruz/Red Bull Content Pool
Caption: Too Short closes Round 4 on Smog’s stage at Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash at Exchange LA
Credit: Carlo Cruz/Red Bull Content Pool
Caption: Smog brings Street Drum Corps out during Round 3 at Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash at Exchange LA
Credit: Carlo Cruz/Red Bull Content Pool
Caption: Smog wins Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash 2012 at Exchange LA
Credit: Carlo Cruz/Red Bull Content Pool
Caption: 1200 fans cheered for their favorite collective at Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash 2012 at Exchange LA
Credit: Carlo Cruz/Red Bull Content Pool
Caption: Friends of Friends brings Pusha T to the stage during Round 3 at Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash
