Lured in by the promise of an epic after party, the audience at the Los Angeles screening of Favela On Blast at the popular dance club Cinespace was as interesting as the film itself. Produced by Philadelphia native Wesley Pentz, popularly known as Diplo and also one half of the duo Major Lazer, the film delves into the Brazilian Baile Funk culture, a strong influence on his work. The popularity of Diplo led to the unusual make-up of the crowd for a film that would usually be screened in front of a room of musicologist and critics. With a rough median age of twenty-two, and adorned in vibrantly colored sneakers and respective LA hipster dance gear, the audience waited patiently as though they were at a grade school assembly. The Q+A afterwards was a continuation of that dynamic, with Diplo leading the young Los Angeles dance scene into the world of ethnomusicology. …MORE