Red Bull Music Academy Session KL 2015 Pres. TOKiMONSTA
TOKiMONSTA, the hybrid moniker of DJ-producer Jennifer Lee, is a combination of the Korean word for rabbit and “monsta”, the colloquial spelling of the conventional word for creature or beast. It’s a juxtaposition of two opposing elements that are reflected via her aesthetic and music production. Lee has been working up the ranks of being one of LA’s most promising beatmakers; transitioning from a classically trained, industrious bedroom producer to honing her DJing and production skills to eventually becoming the first female artiste to join Flying Lotus’ record label Brainfeeder, eventually culminating with the formation of her own label called Young Art.
Her Low End Theory-informed brand of electronic, hip hop, and r’n’b tunes makes for a bracingly energetic concoction of remixes for artistes like Jessie Ware, Shlohmo, and Tinashe, as well as many original releases that piqued the interests of all the major music outlets, zeroing in on her for being the next big thing from the esteemed LA beat scene. Her inclination towards percussions and sampling is a strong indicator of the TOKiMONSTA sound, though it’s diverse from track to track. Since graduating from Red Bull Music Academy in 2010, she went on a globe trot – performing with the likes of Skrillex and Grimes on a train tour through Canada.
It’d be a mistake to limit her appeal to just the niche, independent scene though. Moving from FlyLo’s cult indie label to signing with the prodigious dance label Ultra Records in 2013 further proved that her formidable talent is universal even in the mainstream dance scene as she joined an eminent roster that included the likes of MDNR, Deadmau5, and Paul van Dyk. Although there was an apparent dichotomy of styles between her underground-born sound and Ultra’s EDM predominance, TOKiMONSTA is on a mission to widen the perception of the electronic music scene on both strata.
In conjunction with Livescape Asia’s After Dark Social Club (ADSC), of which we collaborated with last year for JUICE 12th Anniversary party, TOKiMONSTA will be heading down to Kuala Lumpur for Malaysia’s instalment of RBMA Session 2015. Those who had attended previous sessions would know, the event will be a night of tinkering around with her musical mind during an hour long invite-only lecture guided by our own Mr. X, Cee of Bass Sekolah. After which, TOKiMONSTA will then demonstrate her commanding presence for a public afterparty that’s definitely not to be missed.
Exactly the sort of nightlife event this city needs.
Date Friday 16 January ‘15
Time 8pm (lecture) / 10pm (afterparty)
Venue Nagaba KL
Lineup TOKiMONSTA | DANGERDISKO | +2dB | Bass Sekolah
Cover Invite only (lecture) / RM35 (afterparty)
Admission fee for afterparty is RM35, lecture is strictly by invite. Log onto redbull.my/rbma to score some of those coveted exclusive invites to the lecture. Application is only opened til Friday 9 January ’15.