Moving Images: Resident Advisor + KCET In “Real Scenes”

It looks like the shiny underground music culture of LA is getting a well-deserved spotlight. Through the world’s biggest online electronic music magazine, Resident Advisor, and KCETLink Media Group, the national indie-nonprofit digital broadcast network comes a nine-part documentary series, Real Scenes, set to premiere on KCET this Saturday, March 19th at midnight. The capture will give viewers a zoomed in study on the fully developed—and forever expanding—electronic music culture across the globe, including cities like Tokyo, Mexico City, Johannesburg and others in new episodes weekly.

Of course, there was a private screening involved (we’re still really Hollywood you know) and it threw down a few days ago at the awe-inspiring cultural center and co-working space, NeueHouse, where RA’s office has recently opened. We clicked play on the screening in NeueHouse’s Studio A, which packed up about 300 people—including some subjects in the film—who enjoyed light shows, art, next level audio, and DJ’s like Peanut Butter Wolf, M Geddess Gengras, Tropic of Cancer and others until 2 a.m. The real highlight, however, was when Patrick Nation, head of Resident Advisor Films welcomed the crowd and presented the debut—it’s always within an experiential IRL moment that one can appreciate hard work and passion by witnessing an influx of joy.

You’ll find that joy in Real Scenes, too: Expect culturally diverse neighborhoods in LA that sprout with an abundance of perspectives of artists, promoters, historians and record shop owners, with topics that include mainstream vs. underground music culture, DTLA highlights, experimentalism in the West, and exclusive BTS performances by Gifted + Blessed and Hypoxia. Our favorite voice over from the trailer goes, “You don’t have to live in the hills to have success here. You can just find your own slice of heaven and exist within that.”

Tune this in and view it as your playlist while you polish your looks for one fine pivot into nighttime festivities this weekend, with future episodes that can be streamed on KCET.org.

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