Good Times Roll by GRiZ x Big Gigantic

I think we all could use some good times rollin' in to celebrate the last Monday afternoon of the summer. Just think...only 1 week until 1 of the best Mondays of the year! :)

Outlaws by Alessia Cara - NEW!

Canadian singer/songwriter Alessia Cara may be the most soulful 19-year-old ever. I'm excited to hear the remaining 2 previously unheard tracks on her EP Four Pink Walls when it drops this Friday 8/28! Her debut full-length studio album will be released by Def Jam later this year.

The Debut Single by SEXWITCH (Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes + TOY + Dan Carey) = Helelyos

I've been craving some new material from Bat for Lashes for a while now so Natasha Khan's new side project SEXWITCH is just what the doctor ordered. Khan has teamed up the British rock act TOY & producer Dan Carey to create a 6-track, self-titled LP that'll be released on September 25th. The LP will feature covers of '60s & '70s psychedelic tracks from around the world. The first single entitled Helelyos is SEXWITCH's rendition of the Iranian singer Zia Atabi's track by the same name.

The 2nd New Single from Beirut's New Album = Gibraltar

Beirut's 4th studio album No No No is due out September 11th & the 2nd single Gibraltar is getting me extra excited to discover more of the beauty that is Beirut!

Light by ODESZA Featuring Little Dragon - NEW!

The brand new single from ODESZA's upcoming deluxe edition of their 2014 album In Return is entitled Light & features Little Dragon (who I adore!). I just got a chance to bump this track in proper hardcore headphones & it lit up my eardrums! Yukimi's voice is so heavenly!

De La Soul & Quantic @ The Annenberg Space for Photography - 8/1/15

I very much enjoyed the only free Sound in Focus event I was able to attend at The Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City this summer. The weather was perfect, the sangria was deliciously refreshing & the performances by Quantic & De La Soul were phenomenal. Also, Garth Trinidad of KCRW did an excellent job MCing & DJing for 2 hours prior to Quantic's opening set.

Jason Bentley nailed his Sound in Focus 4-part, KCRW-sponsored series! I really wish I could make Other Lives & Cold War Kids this Saturday. If you're in LA this weekend & your Saturday night plans still aren't set, get your butt over to The Annenberg for the final show of the summer!

EL VY = Matt Berninger of The National + Brent Knopf of Menomena & Ramona Falls

I'm loving Return to the Moon, the 1st single from the debut album by EL VY aka Matt Berninger of The National + Brent Knopf of Menomena & Ramona Falls! And, because I won't be able to purchase tickets at 1pm PST this Friday since I'll be at Outside Lands in SF, I hope someone will be so kind as to sell me an extra ticket to EL VY's November 7th show at Troubadour. It's going to sell out within seconds I'm sure. I can only imagine how incredible it'd be to see Matt in my fave intimate venue in LA!

Jamie xx @ The Echoplex - 7/28/15

I LOVED every second of Jamie xx's super duper sold out 1 hour 45 minute set at The Echoplex last Tuesday night! $33 face value tix were going for $215+ on Stubhub...it was insane!

I danced my ass off all night & had an absolute blast! The disco balls & extra spinning lights throughout the back of the venue were an excellent touch. And I was lucky enough to snag a spot up on a side bench for the last 30 minutes (which was ALL material from his new album In Colour) where I was able to watch Jamie xx work his magic on many turntables plus the stoked crowd going nuts. 

Jamie xx is beyond talented. Even when he's DJing other people's material, he does it in a way that is SO perfect. He blends different genres beautifully & throws in interesting little sound effects I've never heard before. I'm a bigger fan than ever!