There’s no question that L.A. has had thriving Hip-Hop and Electronic cultures for decades. You know about the larger than life luminaries of the past, but today one of the most interesting scenes is centered around a community of underground beat producers.
Take your pick of genres – Glitch, Dubstep, IDM, Avant-Rap, Experimental Hip-Hop – the forward thinking label, Alpha Pup Records, has been at the forefront of getting some of L.A.’s most adventurous music to the masses.
The story of the label from co-owner, Daddy Kev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM9qaIjcT4o
The label grew quickly after its formation in 2004, becoming a prominent outlet for the experiments of L.A. producers like Nosaj Thing, Daedelus, Teebs, and Take.
In 2005, Alpha Pup made it’s first of many digital distribution deals, picking up the classic back catalog of Detroit Funk imprint, Westbound Records.
One of the classic Westbound groups, Funkadelic. Believe it or not, this is probably their least weird video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8JE-d2TESc&feature=related
Since the Westbound acquisition, the label has been all about expanding its catalog and bringing as much good music to the forefront as possible. The label works closely with a number of smaller labels like Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint and FoF Music.
In 2006, Daddy Kev started Low End Theory, a club night that showcases artists from the L.A. beat community. Low End Theory continues to happen every Wednesday night at The Airliner. Check out the Low End Theory podcast
Check out a couple interesting videos about how some of Alpha Pup’s artists make their music:
– Submitted by Justin Main, Music Design