Something about the vibe at "Brasilintime Live" at the Mayan Thursday night reminded me of the feeling you get at a close cousin's long-awaited welcome-home party, or a spontaneous gathering of true friends. It feels like a concentration of undiluated freshness and good energy -- above and beyond the ubiquitious forces of cynicism and irony. This is what happens when you bring together new-school hip-hop DJs and old-school Brasilian precussionists and let them make music together. It felt like everyone was there to participate, from the crowds in the line snaking almost to the corner of 11th Street to the artists on the Mayan stage, to the security guys even.
Sao Paolo's DJ Nuts opened the night with some very fresh tropicalia-meets-hip-hop grooves while interesting covers of vintage Carnaval records flashed on the screens in the Mayan, which if you've seen on the inside is really one of the most ornate, dazzling venues in Southern California, covered with exocitized "Mayan frescoes." Brian "B+" Cross and Eric Coleman (who DJs regularly at Firecracker in Chinatown) put together the night to cap a special week in Los Angeles for the premiere of the film "Brasilintime," which is more or less the film story of how they combine the forces necessary to create the magic of a live show such as Thursday night's.
Magic is the correct word in this context. By the time me and a friend climbed to the very top of the theater's balcony, somehow finding our way into the VIP area, the four DJs stood behind the four forefathers of beats, creating a wall of sound that was constantly moving, snapping, surprising, and invigorating to experience. Once we were caught and politely asked to leave the fancy zone, we found the floor to be that much more satisfying. All the people were swaying and jamming, making a hip-hop tropical wonderland completely within their heads and bodies.
* Here are some documentary images at Flickr. Let it also be noted that Lynell George of the L.A. Times had this excellent preview of the week on Monday.