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Downset

Founded in Los Angeles in the late 80's as part of the thriving scene, downset has evolved into an icon of sorts. As the original blenders of , , , , , and socially aware lyrics, they drew influences from Black Flag to Black Sabbath, Public Enemy to Bob Marley. Becoming a huge draw, the industry took notice and they caught the attention of Mercury/PolyGram Records and released their self titled debut in 1994.

Read more about Downset on Last.fm.

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Ewan MacPherson

Although he was born in Liverpool, Ewan MacPherson has always been most at home in the countryside. He was brought up in a beautiful river-valley in North Wales, an inspiring place where his love of music and especially simple, strong songs began. He moved back to the city in 1996, to be one of the first ever students at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Accepted on the strength of his singing and song-writing talents, Ewan worked on many aspects of his music, graduating with a BA (hons) in 1998.

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El Ten Eleven

El Ten Eleven is a Los Angeles-based instrumental rock duo consisting of Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty. What separates El Ten Eleven from their musical peers is that they are only two musicians on stage creating pounding landscapes of sound with no laptops or sequencers. Dunn switches off (sometimes mid-song) between a double-neck bass/guitar and a fretless bass, while his feet dance on an extensive floorboard of looping devices and effects pedals. He plays everything live, loops himself and juggles all the layers of tracks on top of each other.

Read more about El Ten Eleven on Last.fm.

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Wasted Youth

There have been at least three Wasted Youths. The first Wasted Youth were a punk/new wave group from Canning Town in east London who released several records on the Bridge House label in the late 70s. Similarly to early Only Ones their sound was very Lou Reed influenced. The first two singles "Jealousy" and "I'll Remember You" remain classics of their kind The second (sometimes known as "LA's Wasted Youth") was a band in early 80s from Los Angeles, California, who played classic hardcore punk.

Read more about Wasted Youth on Last.fm.

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White Arrows

Lead singer of White Arrows, Mickey Schiff was born blind. At the age of 11 after years of gradual eye exercises and otherworldly determination, he regained his sight. Someone who has experienced and achieved this is undoubtedly going to be profoundly effected and perhaps understandably, a degree in Business Studies was not ever going to be an option for Schiff when he came to select his subject for college: he chose Ritualistic Shamanism.

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Crazy Town

Crazy Town is a hip-hop/rock band formed in Los Angeles, CA, USA in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. The band is best known for their 2001 single, "Butterfly", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Members of the band mix elements of hip-hop and rock but are mainly alternative hip-hop. As a group, they have released two studio albums, The Gift of Game and Darkhorse. Their debut album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

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The Dream Syndicate

There are two groups known as The Dream Syndicate: 1. The Dream Syndicate was a guitar-driven band from L.A. from 1981 to 1989, originally associated with the music movement. While attending the University of California, Davis, Wynn and Smith played together (with future True West members Russ Tolman and Gavin Blair) in The Suspects. Moving back home to Los Angeles, Wynn recorded a single under the name 15 Minutes (as in “of fame”) as his intended farewell to music. He did not follow that course.

Read more about The Dream Syndicate on Last.fm.

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Laish Quartet

Amazing down tempo electronic folk outfit hailing from Brighton England - not strictly always a quartet this outfit headed by Daniel Green, is an eclectic but inspiring group with a melancholic heart-warming sound. Go seek them out on Glosses fur de masses.

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Jerry Goldsmith

Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was a famous and prolific American film score composer from Los Angeles, California. Goldsmith was nominated for eighteen Academy Awards (winning one, for The Omen), and also won five Emmy Awards. Goldsmith learned to play the piano at age six. At fourteen, he studied composition, theory and counterpoint with teachers Jacob Gimpel and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

Read more about Jerry Goldsmith on Last.fm.

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Charlie Haden Quartet West

Thematic exploration of genres not typically considered to be jazz standards became one of the signature approaches of the Charlie Haden Quartet West. Started in 1987, the Quartet consists of Ernie Watts on sax, Alan Broadbent on piano, and Larance Marable on drums. Quartet West's albums feature lush, romantic arrangements by Broadbent, often with strings, of music from the 1930s and 1940s, often music associated with films of that period.

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