Hollywood’s Music Box originally opened in 1926 as a theatrical entertainment center. After nearly a century's worth of ownership and name changes, it now stands as Goldenvoice's “The Fonda Theatre”, and claims the title of LA Weekly’s number one music club in 2015. Last Friday night, the Parisian Father of Future House brought his magic to this celebrated locale, with support from a talented Floridian young-blood.
The doors opened at 8pm, giving the growing crowd a solid hour and a half to prepare themselves. The dance floor was considerably full by the time opening act Landis LaPace took the stage in his denim overalls. Having never heard Mr. LaPace play before, we were not sure what to expect. However, after just a few tracks in, we could tell the 18-year-old had a solid set planned. Tiptoeing back and forth between four-to-the-floor and breakbeat kicks, LaPace had the room moving with his techy bass house vibes.
The first act ended at just about 10:55 p.m., setting the crowd down in a five minute carryover mix to hinge them in anticipation for who they had all come to see. When the time came for Tchami to emerge, a mysterious stand that had since lain dormant on stage began to pulse a bright white light. It soon became clear that this glowing object was actually a pulpit, with the shaping of faux stained glass windows along its façades. After an atmospheric intro of humming and luminosity, the “priest” took the stand to deliver his sermon to his congregation, beginning his set with the very familiar vocals of AlunaGeorge’s “You Know You Like It”. Everyone knew what was coming next.
For the rest of the night, Tchami proceeded to deliver his signature brand of swinging, syncopated future grooves. Though sticking mostly to the house style he is known for, he caught this writer off guard by dropping Calyx & Teebee’s remix of his track Promesses, followed by the Sigma Bootleg of Kanye’s “Bound 2”. The drum & bass stint ended soon thereafter, and Tchami transitioned back to the 130 bpm range to finish out the night.
The evening’s performances had everyone there in the mood to dance. And with three stories to house its attendants, The Fonda provides the perfect environment to do just that. It is events like this past weekend’s that prove the historic venue has earned its accolades as one hell of a party house, emphasis on house.
Photos by Conner Lee Coughenor Photography