KCRW’s Sound in Focus is a free, four part concert series co-hosted with the Annenberg Foundation and curated by DJ Jason Bentley. This event, which took place Sunday August 1, 2015 in Century Park, located within proximity to Annenberg Space for Photography, featured an all star line up of performers. British born DJ Will Holland, aka Quantic, opened with a 10 piece band and featured guest singers. The headliners, Grammy-winning hip-hop giants, De La Soul, were personally introduced by host, DJ Garth Trinidad.
The popularity of the Sound in Focus concert series follows the success of its two previous concert events, Country in the City and Who Shot Rock & Roll Live. The popularity of the outdoor concert series prompted the foundation to curate Sound in Focus.
Sound in Focus is inspired by the “Emerging” exhibition at the Annenberg Space for Photography. “Emerging” is on view at the Annenberg Space from June 6 through September 20, 2015. The Annenberg Space for Photography is known for being the first photography only exhibition of both digital and print photography in Los Angeles. Organized in partnership with Photo District News (PDN), the award-winning publication for professional photographers, the exhibit showcases images by more than 90 photographers.
The Sound in Focus event serves as an invitation for the public to examine the intersection between photography and sound, as diverse mediums and forms in which contemporary culture has been influenced and continues to evolve through the dissemination of philosophical concepts and ideas. The largely multi-media exhibit touched on a multitude of social topics with large scale prints adorning the walls.
At the main stage, Will Holland and his guest performers, from as far as Brazil and Colombia, entertained the crowd with a Latin influenced jam session. Featuring a live band, the sound generated was an exotic arrangement of Afro-Latin folk, blues, and hip-hop easily bringing the crowd to their feet in appreciation.
Classic hip-hop trio De La Soul finished the night with a contagiously energetic set. De La Soul members Posdnuos, Dave and DJ Maseo, at one point, stopped their show and urged the photographers to drop their cameras and participate by pumping their hands and continued to stop the show until they all complied. The trio performed songs from their catalog such as “Ego Tripping,” “A Roller Skating Jam named Saturday,” “Me Myself and I” and “Rock Co. Kane Flow.”
The Sound in Focus series runs from July 25 to August 15 at Century Park adjacent to the Annenberg Space for Photography.
To check out the rest of the concert series lineup or for tickets, visit http://soundinfocus.kcrw.com/
Photos by the author.