Finding your way in Los Angeles

It is already 3,5 weeks now I am living in Los Angeles. To be honest, it is easy to adapt to the Californian lifestyle. Starting to like this!
As promised in the previous blog, I will use this blog to write down what is happening here in Los Angeles during my 5 month stay. Kick of this time is 'project car', so fasten your seat belts!!

                                               Project Car 2

The research for a convertible almost turned into an obsession; I probably visited every car sales website in and around Los Angeles. Finally made a selection and went over for test drives as well as a connection with the car salesmen and their companies. Every piece of the puzzle came together at LA Cars Repo 2, except the website maybe...: a pleasant car salesmen (he still texts me to ask if everything is fine), a solid Saab 900 S convertible, a good price and last but not least...While walking up to my car they played 'Man At Work - Down under', an all time Aussie favorite of me and my girlfriend.

What's happening?

In the process of moving to LA a lot of people introduced me to people they know. Several funny introductions have passed, but this one I definitely want to share with you:

Hey John,

A very cool friend of mine is relocating from Amsterdam to LA for the next 5 months and his interest is to network into gay midget porn! HAHAHAHAH - just kidding.

Thursday February 9th I was invited by the manager of Pretty Lights for the premiere of the Re:Generation Music Project: 

FIVE DJs TURN THE TABLES ON THE HISTORY OF MUSIC

Follow DJ Premier, Mark Ronson, Skrillex, Pretty Lights and The Crystal Method as they remix, recreate and re-imagine five traditional styles of music. From the classical perfection of the Berklee Symphony Orchestra to the bayou jams of New Orleans jazz, these five distinctive DJs collaborate with some of today's biggest musicians to discover how our musical past is influencing the future.

The premier was in the amazing Chinese Theater in Hollywood. While watching the documentary I found myself sitting among the artists involved with the project and Tommy Lee, LeAnn Rimes, Erykah Badu and the existing members of The Doors. After the premier we went to an afterparty where I met the talented Eskmo and bumped into Eva Mendes. What a way to start!!

The night ended very funny by the way: since my car was not ready yet, my roommate Jillian gave me her car this night. As you might remember from my previous blog, she is an instructor for Pet-CPR so her car looks like this:

The event was sponsored by Hyundai, there were a lot of limousines and there was valet-parking at the afterparty. While waiting on my car - as everyone else who left the party - I was talking with the guys from The Crystal Method when suddenly this 'dog car' arrived: everyone had a blast and The Crystal Method declared this car to be 'the coolest car of the party' - you have only 1 chance to make a first impression!

Friday February 10th I was invited to go bowling with the crew from CSI:NY. It was a long time ago I did this and definitely not my best shot...

The weekend ended with the birthday of Josephine Vandergun in the Pacific Palisades. Met some great people, played some music and watched the Grammy's. What a great view she has!!

                

Hein & Nina
Thursday February 16th Hein Meurer & Nina Poot arrived in Los Angeles. After picking them up from the airport we had lunch at Gjelina. Nina was very happy to sit next to Josh Hartnett. After some Santa Monica shopping we had a beer at the rooftop of Hotel Erwin in Venice.
Postponing to go to bed for their jetleg, we had dinner at Sunny Spot with the Deus crew. I was sitting next to a member of Empire of the Sun (again an Aussie favorite): we went for some more drinks afterwards, great guy!!

Friday February 17th we had lunch with Jordi Bouman, who introduced us to Maor Cohen: a very unique designer. That night Deus opened their 1st shop in the US (Venice): very cool place where I will definitely be hanging around the next couple of months.

After a short meeting on Friday with Touriya Haoud & her husband Greg Vaughn we all had dinner together on Saturday night @ Katsuya in Brentwood. We had a lot of fun and hopefully we will meet again soon.

The introduction with Maor Cohen lead to a meeting on Sunday morning again. This took longer then expected, which almost made Hein & Nina miss their flight. Unfortunately I received my first parking ticket but fortunately Hein & Nina made it just on time to get their flight. Thank you two for these exciting and energetic couple of days! Hope to see you both back soon 

Funny
O yeah, almost forgot...While sitting on 1 of my favorite spots in Venice, Steve Kardynal asked me to be part of 1 of his legendary YouTube videos, skip to 2.56...

Music

The 1st blog showed the Ringer end scene which featured the track of 'Eelke Kleijn & Astrid Kunst - Cold hands'. Because of the overwhelming requests for this track, we have decided to release it. It will be available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify soon as well. 

Listen to the track now by clicking on the picture.

This blog I would like to end with a mix I have made for Proton radio, Groovecollection podcast and for VRIJ Festival, Enjoy!

Welcome to my Blog!

This is the place where I will write down the stories about what is happening during my 5 months visit in Los Angeles, California. 

27-01-12

Arrived on LAX Airport. Was a bit nervous since it was the first time I used my renewed US passport (didn't use the old one for 12 years), curious if they would let me in the country. The last couple of years I was used to Miami Airport, so I thought it would take a while to enter the country. Well…the opposite happened: I was allowed to enter as a US citizen, no lines. Quickest customs passing ever in my life. Great start!

Fortunately Jillian (I rent a room at her place in February) picked me up from the airport. First we went to visit her place to leave some of my stuff. Something crazy happened: a motorcycle & clothing company a friend of mine (Hein Meurer) has the license for in the Benelux, Deus Ex Machina, will open in Venice in February. There will be a launch party for this, where I will DJ as the Amsterdam representative. 
This store is situated in the same block as Jillian's house where I will stay in February. How crazy is that? You fly 1000's of miles to a place where you have never been before and the 1 gig you have is in the same block where you will be staying…

Anyway. Jillian brought me to my hostel where I stayed the 1st 5 nights before moving to her place: this Hostel is the oldest building of Venice, situated ON the beach.

Background info on Venice:

Venice is like heaven for artists, New Agers, homeless people and free spirits of all stripes. This is where Jim Morrison and The Doors lit their fire, where Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped himself to stardom and where Julia Roberts, Dennis Hopper and Angelica Huston make their homes today.

In front of the hostel is the Venice boardwalk: It's a freak show, a human zoo and a wacky carnival. This is where to get your hair braided, your karma corrected or your back massaged qi gong-style. Encounters with budding Schwarzeneggers, hoop dreamers, a Speedo-clad snake charmer and a roller-skating Sikh minstrel are pretty much guarenteed.

28-01-12

Due to the jetleg I was up early so I started the day with some running on the beach. What a feeling of freedom. Afterwards took the lonely planet to the beach to discover the history and habits of California, Los Angeles and especially Venice.

4 pm Evelien Koole & Saskia van Wijk (2 friends of my girlfriend Anne) arrived. They are on a holiday in California and just came from Las Vegas. We went to the rooftop of hotel Erwin to view the sunset & drink Amstel beers. 

Followed with dinner at Joe's, situated at Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice (great wines by the way!) before heading to Club Avalon in Hollywood. Very cool theater style built venue with a lot of Asians. 

Why did no one told me it is California state law to not sell alcohol between 2 am - 6 am???

That was quite a disappointment, although the cab driver told us it is probably better for economy. Yeah right…

Damian Lazarus played some really cool tracks, thanx mate it felt as a warm welcome.

29-01-12

Together with the girls and their US Dodge rented car, we went to visit Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, Hollywood and Bel Air. Wow, enormous real estate in this protected park in Bel Air we visited. Do have the feeling though a lot of old people (or old money) lives here…

During lunch we again experienced that even small portions are way bigger then we used to in The Netherlands. Probably one of the reasons Americans are so…big…

30-1-12 --> 3-2-12

1st days of work in California. My plan was to go to a Starbucks or another ocean view wifi cafe. After searching for half an hour I said to myself, you are crazy! Look at the view from your window. Yes man, you are totally right! So I rebuilt my room and created a working spot with ocean view: "Another day at the office" 

4.15 pm is ideal to start running since it will be sunset at 5.15 pm. Watching some surfers, palmtrees, snips (yes, the bird on the 100 gulden note) and pelicans catching the final sunbeams gives - again - a feeling of freedom. 

To easily adapt to the Californian lifestyle, my evenings consist of watching Entourage :)


Tuesday January 31st The CW broadcasted the 10th episode of Ringer, a US TV-serie with Sarah Michelle Gellar as the main character. Epiqurus Agency's Eelke Kleijn & Astrid Kunst produced the music for the slot scene of this Episode :)

Wednesday February 1st I moved from the hostel to the room at Jillians place. Jillian is a hard working, hippie-Venice type of girl. She is an instructor for pet-CPR… 
"Only in America".

Project Car

In the US, you need a car to move around. A lot of time this week went into searching one. This wasn't easy since all kind of rules and taxes (smog tax!!) have to be arranged. While searching and talking to car sales representatives, more and more the feeling came upon me I should be driving a convertible... 
A car says something about your personality and the feeling of freedom a convertible gives applied perfectly on my state of mind of the 1st week: something I am willing to hold on to for the coming 5 months. So, this made the search not easier…What car it eventually will be I will post later on…

4-2-12

Saturday night I had a dinner meeting with Marissa Alix. Met her a couple of years ago in Miami during the Winter Music Conference. For consecutive years we partied in Miami.

She lives in LA for years now and she helped me preparing my trip and answering my questions, thank you again Marissa ;)

5-1-12                                   Super Bowl Sunday

Yes people, this is the biggest 1 day sports event in the US (or maybe even in the World). Jillian tipped me to go to a local bar called Whalers, good tip!

Made some friends very easily and while being part of the sunset, the match and Corona's it was an amazing Sunday afternoon. The last minutes were insane with a score by the Giants to win the match. Look at this humiliating, historic touchdown: