Listen to Music Outside at Sunset in Downtown LA

It’s not often that Grand Performances gets to truly vibe out by hosting ambient experimental electronica. For Saturday’s one of a kind show, we leaned into the expertise of our co-presenters Leaving Records and dublab, who curated a remarkable lineup of young LA-based transcendental jazz artists and beat makers. It was a stylish and mindful crowd. Many in attendance brought their children and made the evening a family picnic on our lawn.

DJ BAE BAE

Low Leaf

Sharada Shashidhar

DJ Bae Bae, kicked things off with tribal house beats and glitchy breakbeats. These heady beats segued well into the harp centric jazz of Grand Performances favorite Low Leaf. A true musical journey, Low Leaf’s set evolved from melodic and ethereal jazz to beat driven electronica. Our second live act of the evening, Sharada Shashidhar, was a vocal powerhouse. Her voice soared over electrified blues and soul grooves. Her guitarist riffed effortlessly in multiple guitar solos.

Our headliners Laraaji & Arji OceAnanda took the night into a much more meditative and ambient direction. Using a variety of esoteric percussion and string instruments (including a gong!) they played over backing tracks that recalled the natural world: crickets chirping and wind rustling. This collage of sounds, coupled with the hypnotic light show provided by GP’s own lighting technician Edgar, really brought a rare tranquility to California Plaza. In those moments, we were imbued with a sense of calm and gratitude… two things that the world needs more of.