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.
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“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.”
“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.”
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.
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
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.
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.
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
