LOCALS ONLY Fortune Sound Club Takeover - March 15th, 2019: BUMPTHOUGHTS Review
If you live in Vancouver and you are wondering what the current state of the city’s local Hip Hop and art scene are looking like, you need to attend a LOCALS ONLY event, you won’t be disappointed. I had the pleasure of attending the event on March 15th at Fortune Sound Club that featured work displayed by local visual artists; Aidan Lawson, Tyler Pengelly, leanflavoredkoolaid, lakedamage, alexadamoi and Kevin Hackett. The focal point of the night was the stacked Vancouver Hip Hop lineup of Andrew Mulat, Howl, Goop Da Kidd, Juju Ki, Axel Muco, Stonecold Finger, and Auto.
Aidan Lawson photo display
LOCALS ONLY(@locals.only.events/Instagram) gave attendees an entrance to the night by first opening the photography & visual art exhibition in the underground room of Fortune Sound Club, with bumping trap & 808 heavy tracks playing in the sound system to get the audience ready for the array of local Hip Hop talent that was to come. The work of the visual artists had a similar effect as the album art, Photoshop work, crisp photography, and meaning that went into these pieces fit the theme and energy of the event perfectly.
visual art lineup for the night
Once everything was set attendees moved upstairs to get ready for the night of high energy local Hip Hop. On a personal note, I was very interested and excited to hear what some of these less familiar artists brought to the table, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. The show began with Auto(@dontshift/Instagram) where he brought his alternative-trap sound, strong live vocal, and 2Pac/Chance the Rapper inspired overalls(DRiP) to set the tone for the night while doing a great job of keeping the crowd engaged.
Next up was Stonecold Finger(stonecoldfinger/Instagram), who kept the energy rolling but moved it into a different direction, as he used his versatility of different flows and strong lyrical content over spacey 808 beats to keep everyone bumping.
musical talent for the event
One of my favourite sets of the night followed as Axel Muco(@axelmuco/Instagram) took the Fortune stage, where his talent was shining. The performance started with a bang as Axel’s Autotune sound brought out a vibe that reminded me of Playboi Carti, and it immediately got the crowd engaged, but as the songs progressed it was apparent that Axel Muco can really sing. The proper mix of enough Autotune to define his style without overshadowing his vocal range and ability made for a sound that left a strong impression on everyone in the audience.
If you were to ask me who had the most L!T performance of the event I would have to go with juju ki(@jujukii/Instagram). Juju used his dynamic Denzel Curry-like flow, crowd engagement, and his hype man to create a large stage presence, and even brought out Coquitlam’s own JMON(@yuhh_itsjmon/Instagram) to turn up even more. The most apparent thing with juju ki is that he knows how to perform his songs very well live, and knows when it’s time to go hard and when to catch his breath, and it made for a performance that locked the enthused crowd in for the entirety of his set.
Goop da Kidd(@goopdakidd/Instagram) was next as he brought his catchy hooks, laid back delivery, and good range of songs to the event. Goop can be considered Vancouver’s Lil Pump by his appearance, and combined with his confident stage demeanour and the utilisation of his brother Yurmsauce(@yurmsauce/Instagram) for a few tracks, he displayed swag that was undeniable.
From there the night became a little edgier once howl(@howwwl/Instagram) took the stage, as he brought his Billy Idol-style and punk-trap sound to provide a dynamic show. Stage strategies like outfit changes and a hype man did a great job of contributing to howl’s overall performance and showcasing his style, and I am sure that that style will be remembered by anyone who sees him perform. The music closed out with Andrew Mulat, a fusion artist that brings touches of Trap, Alternative, and even Chillout EDM to his sound. Andrew used his unique style and confident stage presence to anchor the show with a bang while maintaining a strong sense of individuality.
that’s me at the event
Overall, LOCALS ONLY did great job of bringing a diverse collection of artists together, while maintaining the energy and sound that they knew their audience was looking for. Fortune Sound Club was also a great venue for the event, as a proven Hip Hop stage, the crowd was enthused, and the utilisation of the lower room for the art gallery added an influenceable dynamic to the night. I would recommend that anyone in the Vancouver area who is a fan of underground Hip Hop and local art check out a LOCALSONLY event, it was my first time attending one of their shows and it definitely made me want see another.
To keep up with LOCALSONLY events and their upcoming dates, follow @locals.only.events on Instagram and Locals Only on Facebook.
This show definitely BUMPED