Asian indie music collective EXPOSITION presents its first showcase in Los Angeles

by Sydney Ling

EXPOSITION showcase flyer designed by Alexandria Handaja

On August 15, Asian indie music collective EXPOSITION will host its first music showcase in Los Angeles at Moroccan Lounge, featuring six live performances. Ethan Low hails from Canada, and Aleebi lives in the Bay Area, while the four Southern California artists consist of juhye, hyejin, Bachyard Ghost, and donny daydream. Combined, the musicians form a setlist that fuses R&B, hip hop, alternative, and pop genres, balancing calm and melodious love songs with hyped-up energetic tracks.

EXPOSITION was founded in 2022 by artist managers Aeon Wang and Chris Vitori as a Discord server for Asian singer-songwriters, producers, managers, publicists, and other creatives involved in the music industry. Wang, based in Toronto, and Vitori, based in New York City, aimed to create a community of independent Asian music creatives that work together to utilize resources and gain opportunities.

Ethan Low press photo credits:
Photographer/Creative Direction: Martie Fernandez Hechanova
Stylists/Creative Direction: Mc Joyin Rey Sy Pagalan, Anael Domingo
Wardrobe Assistant/AD: Patrick Salonga
MUA: Sharon Xu
Gaffer: Ryan Ng
PA: Jackie Tan, John Yoon

Not long after the network’s start, Vitori connected with Bay Area-based artist manager and publicist Josh Gong, who was the Promotion Director of his college radio station at the time. Gong expressed that when he first joined the server, he was surprised because he didn’t know people could use a platform like Discord to form communities and network in the music business. To him, the concept of EXPOSITION ties into his primary motivation in pursuing a career in the industry: uplifting underrepresented artists with limited resources and experience. Gong frequented the different channels and voice chats, enjoying the group effort of people exchanging advice on subjects that ranged from algorithm reach on social media, to mixing and mastering music, to long-term branding. Members also bonded through live studio sessions where producers would make beats, or simply play League of Legends together.

“We market ourselves as a hybrid community-collective where people are able to choose their level of affiliation to us, but we are always there as a hub, and almost like a group of friends where we offer our resources, and we offer our tools to anyone that we feel like deserves it or anyone that could use it,” Gong said about the open-ended nature of EXPOSITION.

Because of Gong’s constant involvement in the server, such as giving feedback on artists’ songs and branding, Vitori invited him to become the third co-head of EXPOSITION this past January. The three started planning to expand the collective beyond Discord.

The idea of the showcase loomed in the trio’s minds since the beginning of the year, but they didn’t decide to move forward with it until early spring. While EXPOSITION previously had members open for more prominent artists’ concerts, they wanted to branch out from a solely digital platform and shift towards in-person events. Their goal is to start with LA, and in the future, expand to the Bay Area, Canada, and other locations. The concept of the showcase also fluctuated initially– at one point it was supposed to be live performances alongside a market of local Asian businesses. However, due to logistical constraints, the team scaled it down to a concert.

juhye press photo by EXR Film Production Collective

hyejin press photo by Coco Tsaur
Photo Assistant Jacqueline Tran

At the beginning of planning, Gong, along with music publicist Keisha-Tara Watkin and freelance manager Emi An, established ground logistics of what the team would need to accomplish to set up the event. Wang acted as the middleman with An to find a venue, and Watkin became the production head for relations, handling the guest list. Vitori gave advice and brought in connections, including LA-based video producer and artist manager Jun Park, who offered to work on-site production because of his contacts in the area. Park showed exceptional initiative while outlining the schedule and logistics; because of his prominent role in planning, Park became a co-organizer for the event alongside Gong.

Since EXPOSITION isn’t an official business entity, Park explained that finances were difficult at the start. Additionally, orchestrating a large crew of people, especially the artists flying into LA that needed housing, proved challenging as the team struggled to overcome a learning curve to organize their first event.

However, EXPOSITION was able to lean on its resources by working with a team of creatives consisting of individuals from New York, Southern California, the Bay Area, and Canada, resulting in a collaborative effort that spanned all over the continent across time zones. Despite being from different areas, people assisted with production to plan a live concert in LA through the power of strictly Discord calls, FaceTime calls, and text messages. The entirety of the staff volunteered for the event without ulterior motives for financial gain, so the showcase was made purely from the love and trust of everyone who wanted the event to happen.

“It’s basically a way to showcase that we have people that we work with. We don’t need crazy or major industry backing to be able to throw something like this [...] It's finalizing all the work, all the people, all the progress [that] has been built up until this point, to just do a physical embodiment of what [EXPOSITION is] supposed to represent. And really just bring people together,” Park said.

donny daydream press photos by Jasmine Lee
Stylist: Ryan Phung

Last month, Park was promoted to new co-head of EXPOSITION alongside Gong, as Wang and Vitori stepped down due to other commitments. The two continued to spearhead the creative direction and marketing, working alongside Alexandria Handaja, Justice Gin, and Breanna Tam, who designed the flyers for social media announcements.

While the change in leadership wasn’t originally planned, Gong and Park have discovered advantages in replacing the two co-founders. The two now have the ability and the freedom to reset the board and take the experience and expertise they’ve accumulated to rebuild EXPOSITION into a more fluid, proficient, and efficient collective, Gong explained.

“[EXPOSITION is] very not an exclusive club or some kind of thing that you can't get into,” Park added. They want to be able to allow anyone who has a creative hint to share their knowledge or learn something new, he expressed.

The showcase will also act as an opportunity for Gong and Park to introduce themselves in person and present the first project they’ve ever tackled together. The two will be emceeing as hosts of the night, introducing EXPOSITION and the artists, with little speaking bits and moments sprinkled throughout the event.

The experience itself will be purely live music. Park described the showcase as a buffet of music, where attendees can come after a day of work or school, bring their friends, and simply have fun and enjoy the night.

While the lineup was originally longer, the team cut it down to six artists to create longer, more meaningful sets. Each musician will have instrumentals, such as bands with drummers and guitarists, and their own visual background and lights set up, to form a unique and intimate ambiance that will help people connect with the music.

EXPOSITION’s larger purpose is to serve as a community network for independent artists, helping them distribute their music to the public and exposing them to more people within the industry, Park explained.

“I think there's a lot of untapped talent that flows inside the channel within everyone, whether you're an artist, a videographer, a photographer,” Park said. “And I think one of the best ways you can accomplish that is to really showcase it live.”

The showcase will be a celebration of everything that’s happened since the inception of EXPOSITION– from the artists’ success to the ability of the overall community. It will introduce the collective to not only people involved in the music industry but also to the fans themselves. Gong noticed that many of EXPOSITION’s followers are young, either in middle or high school because of its presence on social media, like TikTok and Instagram. Many fans are also starting to pursue music and find their pathway in the industry. Gong hopes that the showcase will inspire the audience that they can follow their personal aspirations while supporting others with similar interests along the way as well.

“I want the audience [to know] that you guys can also make your own way and [...] eventually [...] inspire people,” Gong professed.

While the event is made for fans, Gong believes it will also operate as a mixer for members of the collective to finally meet each other in person for the first time. Several people will be flying in from places like Texas or the East Coast, just to see the showcase after talking online for so long. Gong looks forward to taking a photo at the end of the night with everybody. A year ago, he didn’t know any of the people who have now become close friends and collaborators. He anticipates that the photo will capture what will become a valuable memory in everyone’s recollections.

“It would be really cool to just be able to be at the venue, post up behind the audience, and just be like, ‘peace sign’ and be like, ‘Yo,’ and it’s just everyone there,” Gong said.

Buy showcase tickets at https://www.ticketmaster.com/exposition-showcase-feat-ethan-low-aleebi-los-angeles-california-08-15-2023/event/09005EF2F5B560EB

Sydney LingAugust 13, 2023Comment