With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
All-Night Ambient Music Events? Where To Enjoy Dreamy Experimental Sound-Scapes In Los Angeles
Tonalism at Descanso Gardens.
(
Robert Nuñez
/
Descanso Gardens
)
Hours-long tones of lingering drones. Chords shifting nearly imperceptibly over time. The lilt of a dream-like soundscape, from dusk till the first hint of morning light.
“A stew of a psychedelic collage,” as Mark “Frosty” McNeil puts it. He’s the co-founder of the music collective Dublab, which puts on an ambient event called Tonalism, among other music and art events.
“The edges blur into greater infinity,” he adds.
Chill-out music
This is what one might experience attending a drawn-out night of ambient music. Not exactly a concert, these unique events are often referred to as “happenings,” a term that came to be in the 1960s, when artists like Yoko Ono, La Monte Young and John Cale from Velvet Underground put together experimental music and art events that combined elements of of music, theater, dance, live visual art and poetry to create an immersive, sonic experience.
Support for LAist comes from
“It's not about one person. It's about many people, there's not really a focal point,” McNeil says. “People coming together and communing through sound is really powerful.”
Later, in the '90s, these happenings paved the way for a new genre of music called ambient house, also known as “chill-out music.” Pioneered by the British electronic duo The KLF with a record called Chill Out in 1989, the album insert included a note that read: “Don’t bother trying to listen to this LP if you have neither first switched off the lights and then laid your body to rest on the floor. Hopefully then the trip will be complete.”
Two DJs at Tonalism in Descanso Gardens.
(
Robert Nuñez
/
Descanso Gardens
)
“It’s slower tempo, but even more sort of extreme in the variety of sonic palettes that were represented,” McNeil said of chill-out music. “They were really pushing the boundaries of how people experienced music in a public setting.”
Ambient music happenings like these have a rich history, and have recently become more popular in Los Angeles.
“Life is so fast paced and it's a hustle out here in the city,” says Rachel Day, Dublab’s program director. “Being able to gather with calming music is a reprieve for a lot of people.”
Support for LAist comes from
People wait for the ambient music event Tonalism to begin at Descanso Gardens.
(
Robert Nuñez
/
Descanso Gardens
)
Some people attend these events to sway to the soundscape all night long, like an endless moving meditation. Others come with pillows and blankets in tow to sleep or rest, allowing the sound to wash over them. Whichever style you choose, if an all-night, “psychedelic collage” piques your interest, there are a lot of “happenings” going on in and around L.A.
Life is so fast paced and it's a hustle out here in the city. Being able to gather with calming music is a reprieve for a lot of people.
— Rachel Day, Dublab program director
We recently attended Tonalism at Descanso Gardens, which is where we met the folks at DubLab. How to LA has a whole whimsical podcast episode about it, too. But if you missed this, check out the list below — there’s plenty of opportunities for you, too, to go on this dream-like journey this summer and fall.
Listen to the episode
Listen
• 18:23
Inside LA's All-Night Ambient Music Scene
Events around L.A.
Friday Night Moonlight Hike
What: A guided moonlight hike along a ridge trail of the Santa Monica mountains, put on by Floating, a collective presenting experimental sound experiences in nature.
Support for LAist comes from
When: Friday, July 28 at 6:30 - 8 p.m. (text a cloud emoji to 833-406-0681 for details, or check the schedule here for this event and others).
Where: Studio City, exact location provided upon ticket purchase.
Cost: $22 or free with a Floating membership.
The Listening Garden
What: A “sonic salon” with live ambient, international and new age music
When: Saturday, July 29 at 7 - 11 p.m.
Where: Ojai — exact location provided upon ticket purchase.
Support for LAist comes from
Cost: $44 per person or $33 with membership.
Ecstatic Dance
What: A weekly experimental outdoor silent disco experience on Venice Beach with a different live DJ each week. Get details here.
When: Sundays, 3:30 - 6:15 p.m.
Where: Venice Beach
Cost: Super Early Bird: $25, Early Bird $30; Door: $35.
Otay:onii at El Cid
What: Night of music and dancing with experimental musician, sound designer, film composer and installation artist Otay:onii
When: Thursday, Sept. 14 at 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Where: El Cid: 4212 W. Sunset Blvd.
Cost: $18.50
Reflections
What: An evening of dark ambient textures and improvisations by Italian musician, producer, and composer Alessandro Cortini.
When: Saturday, October 7 at 8 - 10 p.m.
Where: Immanuel Presbyterian Church: 3300 Wilshire Blvd.
Cost: $55
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist