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Community Corner

Q&A: KCRW's Jason Bentley

The radio station music director is spinning a live set Friday evening at the Taste of Beverly Hills.

Jason Bentley, music director at KCRW and host of the station's popular daily music program Morning Becomes Eclectic, will spin a live set Friday night at "The Art of Mixing" during the first ever Taste of Beverly Hills. The event is taking place now through Sunday at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard (directly behind the Beverly Hilton). Patch caught up with Bentley before his Friday night performance.

Beverly Hills Patch: Is this your first time doing a live set in Beverly Hills?

Jason Bentley: I've played plenty of times in Beverly Hills. I could look at a map of the region, and if I dropped a red flag each place I'd DJ'ed, the map would be covered with red flags. I've been doing this for a while.

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I have a feeling that this will be the most memorable of my gigs in Beverly Hills. It's the first year for Taste of Beverly Hills. It's in a unique spot next to the Beverly Hilton that's been in some stage of renovation for a while. It should be a great event.

Patch: What's on your set list for "The Art of Mixing"?

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Bentley: I don't have a set list, exactly. You never know until you're there where people are willing to go. So I sketch out some ideas, create a folder in iTunes and drop ideas in there. The rest of it is a game time decision—what order to play things in and where you ultimately go.

For Friday, we also have Miguel Atwood-Ferguson playing. He plays really soulful, jazzy music. I want to support what he's about—I don't want to fight that vibe—so my set won't be too boisterous. I'll try to fold in nicely and set him up.

Patch: How do you choose music for particular events?

Bentley: As music curator, one theme of the weekend is supporting local talent. At my core, I'm a promoter of music, whether it's radio, clubs or just talking to people. This is a great opportunity to support a lot of local talent and exciting bands. We have Fitz and the Tantrums—they put on an amazing show, very interactive, like a soul review. I'm also very excited about Quantic. He's a DJ, accompanied by some instrumentation—horns I believe. He's been another KCRW favorite recently.

Patch: What kind of crowd do you expect?

Bentley: I have no idea what kind of crowd to expect. Will people want to stay after the bands and hear DJs? Would it be better suited to have DJs playing earlier? We just won't know until we see how it plays out. It's the first one, so there's nothing we can do about that, except leave some room for flexibility. For example, on Friday I'm on hand. If it seems like people want to hang out and dance and vibe a little more, then I can play after the band is done.

Patch: What's the difference between playing a live set and playing a set in the studio at KCRW?

Bentley: It's totally different. The studio is a controlled environment. You can take your time, tell a story, take people on a journey involving lyrics and subtlety, using songs with connecting points. Live, you try to keep the energy moving forward. Usually you want it to be up-tempo and infectious so it can catch fire a little bit.

Patch: What are your favorite places to eat, shop or relax in Beverly Hills?

Bentley: I love shopping at Barney's or Dior for men, if I can afford it.

I think an event like Taste of Beverly Hills goes a long way towards creating a more well-rounded definition of Beverly Hills in the arts and culinary and music world. Usually, places with major art cultures are a little edgier and emerging, like Culver City. That's tied to economics a lot of times, because it's affordable for people who are trying to do things differently. So it's encouraging to see this type of thing happening that is very culturally and socially relevant. So hats off to the city for making the effort.

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