By Josh Herwitt //

Beats Antique with Haywyre //
Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles
September 12th, 2024 //

There might not be an act that represents the Do LaB better than Beats Antique from the moment when the experimental world fusion and electronic music group out of Oakland formed in 2007.

At the time, belly dancer Zoe Jakes had just approached her manager Miles Copeland — producer and brother of drummer Stewart Copeland from The Police — about hitting the studio to make an album and received the answer she was ultimately hoping for. Within months of that meeting a partnership between Jakes, multi-instrumentalist David Satori and drummer Tommy “Sidecar” Cappel quickly came to fruition as their debut LP Tribal Derivations was born on Copeland’s record label CIA. From there, the trio would go on to issue 10 more releases over the ensuing nine years.

But the LA event design and production company based in Venice Beach that has showcased its art at Coachella every spring for the past two decades and has put on the “transformational” boutique festival Lightning in a Bottle in that same span has also helped foster a unique community of like-minded artists and creatives — one of which has undoubtedly been Beats dating back to their first live performance at LIB in 2009.

Much has changed for the Bay Area three-piece since those early days growing up with the Do LaB, albeit maybe none more than its announcement a couple of years ago that Satori would be taking an indefinite break from touring. And even though he remains involved in the creative process for Beats Antique, you could tell from their statement that the news must not have been easy to take for either Jakes or Cappel as they navigated the shift “with love and compassion.”

Nevertheless, the two of them have pressed on to embrace their artistic vision and loyal following with the multi-talented Miles Jay filling Satori’s shoes for the unforeseeable future. That was apparent last Thursday for their latest visit to the City of Angels, which saw Grammy-nominated electronic producer and classically trained pianist Haywyre (born Martin Sebastian Vogt) kick-start the evening and get the dance floor at the Teragram Ballroom moving thanks to several new singles he has dropped this year.

The last time we caught Beats Antique they were co-headlining The Novo (fka Club Nokia) in downtown LA nearly a decade ago for what proved to be an eclectic bill as funk collective Lettuce played first and brought out Nigel Hall to sing Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Gratitude” plus a few more tunes during their groovy set (read our show review here).

Considering the disparity in size between the two aforementioned music venues, this outing was bound to feel more intimate — and indeed it did. Not that the Teragram’s 625-person capacity came that close to being reached on this night, but a spirited crowd was there to welcome Jakes, Cappel and Jay when they finally arrived onstage prior to 10 p.m.

There’s something mysterious about a Beats Antique concert that’s hard to fully comprehend until you have the chance to experience one for yourself. Whether it’s the Middle Eastern sounds and afro-beat influences that regularly permeate their tracks or the various costumes Jakes dons in the matter of 90 minutes, there’s never a dull moment once the music begins. It’s those twists and turns, both sonically and performatively, that have always made Beats Antique an exciting force in the live space and what ultimately had us coming back for another taste in 2024.