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Image courtesy of GRN+GLD.<\/em><\/p>\n Every second\u00a0Thursday\u00a0night for the last year and a half, an experimental beat scene has been quietly brewing at Que Sera. True to its underground ethos, it\u2019s remained largely under the radar, but faithful attendees have compared the monthly shows\u2014hosted by beat- and zine-making collective GRN+GLD\u2014to LA\u2019s Low End Theory, a veteran weekly party that\u2019s propelled the likes of Flying Lotus and Nosaj Thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more of like, a chill cult,\u201d GRN+GLD founding member Benny Edles, 27, said. \u201cWe hang out all the time.”<\/p>\n The Oakland-born beatmaker (also known as Dirty Merlin) founded the group some five years ago with his high school friend Rodrigo Chavez (G.Wrecks) out of Santa Ana, where they shared a studio. The two eventually moved into a warehouse in Costa Mesa, which they repurposed into an underground venue dubbed the “Wizard\u2019s Den” for \u201cstuff they liked\u201d and sometimes exhibits of their own visual artwork.<\/p>\n The early shows featured a number of punk bands, and in about a year\u2019s time, they were hosting OC\u2019s top-shelf DJs and producers including Dream Panther. But the collective made the biggest waves during its years-long residency at Costa Mesa’s Avalon Bar, the heart of Orange County\u2019s beat scene before its closure in 2013.<\/p>\n Benny Edles, AKA Dirty Merlin, in his apartment. Photo by Esther Kang.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe booked most of our first guests there,\u201d Edles said. \u201cIt all started there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sharing space with OC\u2019s most inventive beatmakers, GRN+GLD organically expanded its circle of like-minded collaborators and started collecting eyes and respect from the likes of\u00a0OC Weekly<\/i>, which in 2013 named it Best DJ Collective.<\/p>\n Today, GRN+GLD counts 10 official members, and it\u2019s become a close-knit \u201csecond family\u201d more than anything. The majority of them are beat producers, while some solely contribute visual art. Edles, a founding organizer for OC Zine Fest, is one of the few who contributes both (he designs cover art and fliers). GRN+GLD periodically releases its own zines \u2014 it\u2019s an \u201cextra way to expand on the myth\u201d about the collective, Edles added cheekily.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all over the BPM spectrum,\u201d Edles explained. \u201cBut there\u2019s definitely a strain, a timbre that runs through it. Just like the name thing it\u2019s a little ineffable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n After the Avalon Bar\u2019s closure, the collective floated around Santa Ana before finding a home in Que Sera about a year and a half ago. Their repotting in Long Beach was for no other reason than Edles\u2019 own move here about two years ago. Edles notes that Que Sera\u2019s dim red lights and laid-back vibe is uncannily reminiscent of the old Avalon Bar \u2014 but bigger with a fuller liquor selection \u2014 a recipe ripe for an underground scene to thrive. \u00a0<\/p>\n GRN+GLD is expanding its functional scope as well, with its first-ever compilation vinyl release set for this summer. The group has so far self-released some 15 EPs and albums, mostly digital and some handmade CDs. In the very near future, the group will be starting a sub label in order to release works of friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their past lineups at Que Sera have reached far and wide, reeling in artists from San Diego to the Netherlands. But GRN+GLD shows remain faithful to the cream of the beat-infused experimental crop across the OC, LA and Long Beach, hosting the likes of Free the Robots, The Natives (Porch Party Records), Breathing Effect (Alpha Pup Records) and NiceGuyxVinny (Soulection).\u00a0Guitarist Vincent Mazza of Furcast \u2014 Edles\u2019 favorite local band \u2014 debuted his solo project Boy Zebra at a show this past summer.\u00a0Their events typically feature about three guests and three GRN+GLD residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe main reason we book shows is to meet people,\u201d Edles said. \u201cThey\u2019re shows we\u2019d want to go to. Honestly I don\u2019t really care about the turnout. I just want to meet the people we book and get to hear their tracks.\u00a0We do it to practice our stuff and hear what the other dudes are working on, to keep pushing each other. And you just get to hang out. It\u2019s awesome.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"IMG](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_20160225_211931-2.png\")
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