LED has long been a major player in the EDM world, but after ending last year with a series of sold out to almost sold out shows in two different cities, 2015 is poised to be their biggest year yet. So it was no surprise to see LED orchestrate three shows in three days in three cities once more, culminating with their yearly anniversary show in San Diego, but not before making a stop in Los Angeles at the Shrine. LED enlisted the help of Borgore and Friends to help bring a heavy dose of bass and ratchetness to the iconic Los Angeles venue.

      The line for VIP and Media was mixed and made for slow going in terms of getting into the venue, which sadly meant that I missed the entirety of Brazzabelle’s set, from everything I heard she brought her usual amount of energy and set the tone for what would turn out to be a crazy night. My job is normally to simply photograph an event, so I’m usually looking for those “shutter shot”, moments where you are able to capture the perfect image to encompass the feelings of any particular event. But since this assignement required a review as well I found myself much more aware of all the interactions and energy around me. This wasnt your usual crowd, the look and feel was much darker; people were here to party and party hard. I walked into to Valentino Khan simply owning he room, and to do it on his birthday no less! I set to shooting but found myself dancing almost nearly as much, the heavy bass pumping the crowd into a frenzy. The room was now more than half way full and it began to buzz heavily with anticipation.

     At this point Milo & Otis are handed the reins and begin to take the shrine to higher levels of ratchetry with the help of their gluteally inspired visuals (read: ass cheeks everwhere). The whole room turns into a twerking, jumping, screaming, mass of bodies singing along to “whoop, there it is” but before you know it it’s DJ Mustard’s turn and with the first echoes of “Mustard on the Beat” the room erupts into frenzied cheering. Mustard proceeds to take the crowd on a sing-along fueled trip through his multiple hits, with a my personal highlight of the night – seemingly the entire crowd singing “bitch you guessed it!” Mustard has now officially set the stage for the headliner and as soon as the stripper poles were locked in place, I knew this was going to be a true Borgore show.

   Borgore is part dj, part singer, and all showmen; he not only sings along live to his own songs, but he does to while two very well trained and experienced dancers do things on a pole that i swear defied the laws of physics. As the set went on he and Ookay even tried their hand at conquering the pole and both failed miserably much to the amuesment of the crowd. I must say that that up until the point the lighting and laser work had been some of the best I had seen in  recent months, but when the custom visuals by Accent Creative for Borgore filled the screens, I actually found myself in awe. Check the pictures for a glimpse of the awesomeness, although I will admit it was not easy to take a picture that could give them any proper credit, it was a “you had to be there” moment.

   The Borgore kingdom spreads far and wide and this was never more clear than when, with Ookay as his twerk contestant recruiter, Borgore hosted his own mini twerking contest. The look on these girls faces was something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in person. The sheer effort they put into their twerking, whether they were good or not, whether they had any rear assests or not, was impressive. It was clear this was their moment in the sun and God dammit they were going to shine. I will give props to the girl in the black tutu, home girl you were doing the most and in my eyes, you totally won.  Soon after the girls were ushered off the stage the show was over and I was left trying to wrap my brain around what had just happened. Being in the photo pit is still relatively new and exciting to me, and even with the experience I do have, this was a night I wont forget any time soon. Big thanks to the whole Buygore family  for a night full of good music, good times, and all of the ratchetness that you could fit into a totally made up holiday. A HUGE thank you to the LED family and So Cal EDM Events for the immense hospitality and the opportunity to make a some amazing memories.

Helen 📷 (@gotophotography)! ✌ #SCEE

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