IN CINEMA

Wednesday, July 23rd at 7PM
Co-presented with MADE YOU LOOK: H2O (Hip Hop Odyssey)

WHERE WE’RE FROM: The Elements Documentary

DJ Bonds and DJ Breeze, 2021, 89 mins., U.S.

WHERE WE’RE FROM: THE ELEMENTS DOCUMENTARY is a 90-minute exploration of the emergence of the “underground” Hip Hop culture of the late 1990s-early 2000s in Los Angeles, recounted firsthand by some of its architects – the creators of Club Elements. In this space, the elements of Hip Hop – the DJ, B-Boy, Graffiti and MC – were sacred. While the mainstream media was obsessively focused on the glorification of gangster rap and its destructive messages, many Black and Brown youth found refuge from the turbulence of the time, able to connect with the art form that reflected their life experience and rock with their favorite artists. Every respected independent MC in the nation came through to Club Elements. This documentary chronicles that vibrant time of Hip Hop and shows a side of Los Angeles subculture that is responsible for an independent movement of Hip Hop within Los Angeles that spawned a slew of widely recognized artists. 

This documentary features exclusive interviews and untold stories with LA-based talent talking about the craft and culture of Hip Hop that came out during a time of media-dominant gangster rap culture. Featured artists include: Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, and Myka 9 of Freestyle Fellowship; Cut Chemist, Chali 2na, Akil, and DJ Nu-Mark from Jurassic 5; Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience from Dilated Peoples; J-Ro of Tha Alkaholiks; DJ Icy Ice, DJ Rhettmatic, D-Styles, DJ Melo D and Mr. Choc from The Beat Junkies; DJ Revolution from The Wake Up Show and more. 

+ Post-Screening Discussion / Reception with
directors DJ Breeze and DJ Bonds on Zoom

expo & mark LUV

breeze & bonds

Directed by DJ Bonds and DJ Breeze, executive produced by Damon Bonds – the three founders of Elements – WHERE WE’RE FROM is structured primarily in interview style with stories from artists, radio personalities, promoters and Elements participants, including live concert footage, MC battles, dancers & DJ performances intertwined with footage from the era, most of it never before seen. 

Producer David Massey is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, MA Advanced Film & Television from the American Film Institute. He is the first African American in Academy history nominated for an Oscar in the Live-Action Short Film category and no stranger to PBS. He won the prestigious PBS Teachers Innovator’s Award in 2011 and currently has a show, Not All Lost, airing on PBS KVIE for Black History Month.

PLANET ASIA WITH JROCC

evidence

bonds

breeze

dj numark dos marks

dj revolution

cut chemist

J-RO

medusa

DJ BONDS Bio –

Serving youth to seek higher education and self-empowerment is what drives Alemayehu Bonds, also known as DJ Bonds. His career in education began in 1996, teaching and tutoring at-risk and incarcerated youth in probation programs and juvenile hall in Los Angeles County. In partnership with the Heroes of Life organization, Bonds developed a curriculum to teach Hip Hop/turntable arts as a creative outlet, and was implemented in Compton, Long Beach, Palmdale and Van Nuys.

With Hip Hop as his passion, Bonds became an accomplished event producer in Los Angeles, founding Elements Entertainment in 1998, whose flagship program Club Elements was the venerable weekly Hip Hop space that honored the “elements” of Hip Hop, and all Hip Hop artists, from unknown to nationally acclaimed – made a pilgrimage to when in Los Angeles.

Under the Elements brand, Bonds also produced major concerts with up to 10,000 in attendance. While pursuing his Masters Degree in Management which he completed in 2014, the idea of bringing together his passion for education and Hip Hop culture in the tangible form of a documentary film was born.

As a young Ethiopian/African American man who grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Panorama City, Bonds credits Hip Hop for keeping him on the right path in life, and at times, sparing him from becoming another statistic. Where We're From - The Elements Documentary is one way he intends to leave a legacy and share the world and culture that shaped him and his generation with generations to come.

DJ BREEZE Bio -

Breeze is a DJ, Producer, Photographer and forever student of Hip Hop. Hailing from Los Angeles, Breeze got his foot in the door of Hip Hop by becoming the assistant buyer at the world-renowned Fat Beats Los Angeles store. That same year, Breeze was recruited by DJ Bonds and helped co-found Elements. A weekly club that would evolve into a staple in L.A.’s underground Hip Hop scene.

Making beats for over 20 years, his production has been featured on music by various artists including 2Mex, Writer’s Block, Pawz One, Soul King and Mc Destruct. In 2011, Breeze released “The Latch Key Chronicles'' his debut studio album featuring Rakaa Iriscience (Dilated Peoples), Prince Po (Organized Konfusion), LMNO (Visionaries), and Scarub (Living Legends).

As a DJ, Breeze held a residency for ten years on KPFK’s critically acclaimed weekly Hip Hop show, Seditious Beats and Divine Forces Radio. Breeze has also held live residencies with Brother J of X Clan, Writer’s Block, as well as notable L.A. Hip Hop spaces such as Elements and Sessions.

In 2019, Breeze and DJ Bonds co-directed “Where Were From”, a documentary about the weekly Hip Hop club called Elements. The documentary highlights stories of LA’s underground Hip Hop scene in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

+ Post-Screening Discussion / Reception with
directors DJ Breeze and DJ Bonds on Zoom

$15 General Admission / $7 Reduced Price