Latest in Calendar

• Latest in Calendar

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    Calendar Dance

    Recommended

    Wayne McGregor & Random Dance

    Often described in his native Great Britain as a modern Renaissance man for his blending of choreography with computer technology, science and architecture, choreographer Wayne McGregor is seriously in demand. In his now-viral TED talk, McGregor discussed dancemaking as cognitive research, then joined two members of his company in improvising a dance aptly inspired by the "T" in TED. In 2012, he enlisted hundreds of dancers and nondancers for a semi-choreographed Olympic Festival event in Trafalgar Square. His choreography is performed by major international ballet companies and appears in music videos. And if he weren't busy enough, since 2006 McGregor has juggled being resident choreographer for England's Royal Ballet with continuing to helm Random Dance, the contemporary dance company he founded in 1992, at age 22. As a dancer, McGregor is loose and lanky — think the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Random Dance's calling card for this visit is FAR, which features 10 dancers, a score from Brian Eno collaborator Ben Frost and 3,200 pinpoint LED lights with their own choreography. UCLA, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Wstwd.; Fri.-Sat., Jan. 24-25, 8 p.m.; $30-$50, $20 student rush 1 hour before show. (310) 825-2101, cap.ucla.edu. More
    Jan. 24
    UCLA Royce Hall
    Ann Haskins
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    Calendar Music

    Recommended Club

    Ryan Hemsworth

    Canadian producer Ryan Hemsworth has been making waves. While he's known for remixing the likes of Grimes, Cat Power and Frank Ocean, the former journalism major's creative blend of electronica and R&B; has made him a popular figure on the underground circuit. Origins as a background singer and guitar player served the producer well in laying the foundation for his production style. However, it's his solo material, both 2011's No Plans, which landed on Spin's Top 20 R&B; albums of that year, and last year's Guilt Trips, that has caught the attention of music fans abroad. Now comes the hard part. For a producer to convince his audience that he's more than the guy behind the scenes, a dynamic live show is a necessity. Let's see if Hemsworth is up to the task. More
    Jan. 25
    The Echoplex
    Daniel Kohn
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    Calendar Music

    Critics' Pick Recommended Concert

    Washed Out

    Ernest Greene, better known as Washed Out, introduced himself in 2009 with the single "Feel It All Around." A quiet pioneer in the chill-wave movement, Washed Out steadily gained popularity from there, with that song being chosen as the theme for the IFC series Portlandia in 2010. But such downtempo soundscapes have since been abandoned with his most recent LP, August's Paracosm. Greene cites the rural surroundings of his home in Georgia as a major influence, offering an organic, pastoral vibe in his recent works. The complex arrangements of tracks like "Weightless" and "Don't Give Up" retain the signature hazy melodies and vocal sounds with a light psychedelic fantasy to round them out. Greene has humbly admitted to liking Katy Perry and Drake as well as enjoying long gazes out his large office window. Local L.A. duo Kisses will open with their own swooning synths. More
    Jan. 27
    El Rey Theatre
    Britt Witt
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    Calendar Music

    Recommended Club

    Dum Dum Girls

    Dum Dum Girls is really Dee Dee Penny, although the former one-woman band has expanded with backing from a full group of musicians since starting out solo in her L.A. bedroom five years ago. Now based in New York City, Penny has seemingly evolved just as much as Dum Dum Girls have. In the beginning, Dum Dum Girls' songs were draped in thick layers of echo and reverb, like the music of her heroes, The Jesus & Mary Chain. More recently, however, Penny has moved away from the rust-laden, minimalist starkness of her early style into a more expansively lush pop sound on Dum Dum Girls' upcoming album, Too True. As usual, the latest CD was produced by Richard Gottehrer (Blondie) and Sune Rose Wagner (Raveonettes), but Penny's symphony of sighs on fuzzy opuses like "Lost Boys and Girls Club" simultaneously evokes the shadowy clangor of her past while opening up the sonic spectrum for her serenely sunny future. More
    Jan. 28
    The Echo
    Falling James
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