Nobody

A Beat Happening

This week we welcome to the show the only DJ to hold a residency at both Sketchbook and Low End Theory: Elvin Estela aka Nobody. Originally from Carson, Elvin fell into the world of hip-hop and beat making via college radio, including Mike Nardone's KXLU show We Came From Beyond, and trips to South Central LA to hear what was happening at the Good Life and soon after Project Blowed. He befriended Omid and others who turned him onto new ideas and eventually parlayed an early beat tape into an album deal with San Francisco label Ubiquity, which released his debut album, Soulmates, in 2000. Taking a cue from the likes of DJ Shadow, Mumbles, and DJ Hive, Nobody made dusty beats but where others leaned on funk and soul he instead focused on psych rock, which at the time was still largely ignored as a sample source. In the following years he befriended Prefuse 73 and learnt to DJ in order to promote his music, eventually ending up as one of the irregular residents at Sketchbook before becoming one of the founding residents at Low End Theory, where a close proximity to the new generation of producers led him to evolve his sound towards the dancefloor both on his own and in collaboration with Low End's host, Nocando.

This episode was edited and produced by Laurent Fintoni. Intro and outro music by Duke Westlake. Artwork by Kutmah. Design assistance by Paper Resistance and Brandy Flower. This show is a labor of love and if you enjoy what you hear and would like to support us in being able to continue, you can donate via PayPal at https://paypal.me/abeathappening.

In this episode we discuss...

• LA radio landscape and the importance of college radio
• Going to the Good Life and meeting Omid
• Making his first beat tape and working with Ellay Khule
• Being inspired by DJ Shadow, Hive, Digiak and CVE
• Signing to Ubiquity and getting into psych rock
• Meeting Justin at Aron's
• Meeting Prefuse and the IDM moment
• Making RoadKillOverCoat with Busdriver and Boom Bip and the beginnings of Low End Theory
• Collaborations with Nocando and Mystic Chords of Memory
• Getting into modern rap in the '10s and the EDM crossover

Tracklist:

• CVE - KKK/K
• Nobody - Green Means
• Bonzo Dog Band - Noise For The Leg
• Nobody - Porpoise Song (Savath Y Savalas Remix)
• Busdriver - Bloody Paw On The Dance Floor
• Nobody & Mystic Chords Of Memory - Decisions, Decisions
• Nocando - Hurry Up And Wait

Links:

• Nobody Bandcamp