A fall night in Chinatown is a great advertisement for L.A. — you'll often find an energetic, mixed crowd buzzing beneath neon lights and brisk, confetti-filled air.
Last Friday, November 4, it had the added bonus of being ground zero for the best house music in town, as Australian producer Dom Dolla took over the plaza for a night of his signature groovy tunes.
Dom brought some friends along for the lineup, and the evening kicked off with fellow Australian producer Torren Foot. When we arrived, people were finishing up drinks and milling about before filling up the dense dancefloor.
We found our spot in the crowd right as a special guest DJ took over the decks. We couldn’t make out who it was, but it didn’t matter, as by that point most people had warmed up enough to start bouncing. We later found out it was British producer Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and he did a worthy job getting the crowd amped for the headliner.
When time for the switchover came, one question percolated — we know Dom Dolla is a great producer who’s given us some of the hottest dance jams of recent years, but can he DJ?
Thirty minutes into the set, the energy from the professional partiers at the front of the crowd, the baggy-panted shufflers in the back, and from the friends-of-friends who tagged along all answered a resounding yes.
There wasn’t a stationary foot on the dancefloor as Mr. Dolla pumped out renditions of his kick-punch brand of house, including mega hit “Take It,” the just-released “Saving Up,” and this year’s “Rhyme Dust,” a certified banger made in collaboration with Detroit legend MK.
The sound was loud and crisp, and the event producers did a lovely job dressing up the plaza with stringed Chinese lanterns and foliage. And while there was no video screen, there was a pretty impressive light and laser setup that created ample ambiance.
(Photo: @shevindphoto)
Those who have been to a concert or KCRW’s beloved Chinatown Summer Nights at Gin Ling Way — which is both what Chinatown plaza is called when it’s a music venue and the actual street name where it’s located — know it's a picturesque and historic slice of LA.
But word to the wise — the plaza gets packed. And between the pops of confetti cannons in your ear, waves of bubbles, and the shoulder-to-shoulder bumpiness of the crowd, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you haven’t had a drink or three.
Thankfully it’s a big plaza, and anyone feeling claustrophobic can take a walk toward the back or around the corner to calmer pastures and still feel the rumble of the bass.
Also — and we may be wrong about this — the dancefloor seems to have a slight gradual incline towards the stage, which means if you’re short and standing in the back (like your 5’6” correspondent was), you’re mostly looking at the back of taller people’s heads. When I caught glimpses of the stage, it was between dudes’ necks when they lined up perfectly. But hey, in those moments, Dom looked like he was having a lot of fun!
The only real complaint I heard from those around me was the perennial one about nearly all in-demand events in LA these days: how hard it was to land tickets, which for this event, seemingly sold-out immediately after going on sale.
One Dom Dolla die-harder complained she hadn’t even heard of the event until the day-of, and by then it was too late to even score a ticket from a reseller like StubHub. She had to hop a fence to get in, while her 6’4” boyfriend, too obvious of a figure to pull off that feat, was stuck outside for much of the show.
Between this short guy who couldn't see much and that tall guy who couldn't sneak in, it was a good reminder that God doesn’t give with both hands.
The ticketing issue is a testament to the great demand LA has for events like these (and the ongoing battle with scalpers and their bots), not a knock on the music or production. Thankfully Dom Dolla now lives in LA, so hopefully fans of all sizes will get to see much more of him soon.
Rhyme Dust: parties at Gin Ling Way always leave a lot of debris. (Photo: Mark Stefanos)
(Photo: @shevindphoto)
Rhyme Dust: parties at Gin Ling Way always leave a lot of debris. (Photo: Mark Stefanos)
(Photo: @shevindphoto)