De La Soul and Quantic bring killer beats to KCRW's Sound in Focus at Annenberg Space for Photography

If you haven’t made it to one of KCRW’s free Sound in Focus shows at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Studio City yet, you’re missing out.

In its second weekend of 2015, an enticing double-bill featuring Quantic and headlined by throwback hip-hop stalwarts De La Soul took center stage.

The outdoor courtyard is one of the prettier places you can take in a show. It has a one-day music festival feel to it, with DJs spinning at 5 p.m. and food trucks and beer gardens surrounding the area. People bring their blankets to nab a good spot for when the main musical acts take the stage and there’s always plenty of room opened up to get close to the action.

There was something special about getting to hear classic De La Soul jams like “Rock co. Kane Flow” and the J. Dilla produced “Stakes is High,” which was preempted by a “This one’s for Dilla” shout.

“F*ck all this photography sh*t! Put down your cameras for one song!” was shouted from the stage at one point.

“When we say AHHH, you say AHHHH!” got some heavy crowd participation before they jumped into “Ego Trippin’ (Part Two).” The entire crowd had their hands in the air for pretty much the entire hour-long set from these three legends.

The most well-known De La Soul song “Me, Myself and I” had everybody on their feet dancing along to the infamous beat.

Quantic brought out a collective of musicians on stage with him that differs from his regular DJ sets he’s been known to do. He featured a full live band, including a killer bongo player, as well as a series of guest vocalists. The sound drew largely on a Latin theme, and it had a large influence on the kind of dancing you saw in the crowd as the sun began to set. Quantic certainly made this a special performance for the KCRW show and hopefully we see more of this when Will Holland’s brainchild returns to LA soon.

Between De La Soul and Quantic, there was no better place to find excellent beats on Saturday night.

Words: Mark E. Ortega

Photography: Farah Sosa

Quantic