“Lu Fam Pro is a muli-faceted event production company, and growing to become a fully fledged music label, with international distribution. Our collective intention is based on the deeply rooted desire to serve the world, and uplift humanity through creative projects and high vibrational events. Maintaining a roster of positive minded artist, Lu Fam Pro has a created a platform for these voices to be heard, supported, and marketed in such a way that their unique gifts may inspire the masses and elevate the collective consciousness.”
Los Angeles is known in stereotype as a city of seduction, illusion, and materialism, but there are two sides to every coin. LA is diverse not only in nature but in history; its demographic lays the foundation for the merging of cultures, ideas and innovations. These sparks of ingenuity and passion make the City of Angels truly one of collaboration and co-creation. There is the possibility for the light of spirit to amplify and mature within everyone, for this culture of art and spiritual enlightenment to spread to the masses. Here to bear light as the living truth is Los Angeles native production crew Lu Fam Pro.
I met with J Brave, pioneer of the Luminaries and part of the Lu Fam Pro team, to discuss what is being called the “Luminous Movement”. The Luminous Movement is the name of a weekly music event hosted by J Brave that takes place every Wednesday at Zanzibar in Santa Monica. Included under this emblem is a band the known as the Luminaries. This weekly showcase of the Luminous Movement holds space for artists with no discrimination, for they are bound by no genre or scene. It gives electronic producers, djs, MCs, singers, guitarists and dancers alike a setting to share and express the innermost reflections of their being freely while connecting with one another through music.
“The Lu Fam Pro is a production company that facilitates not only the Luminous Movement, but we have done other events in the past… For New Years Eve 2011 we did a fundraiser with LA Yoga for the Yoga for Youth foundation. Working with incarcerated young people and teaching them yoga and meditation.”
Growing up in the greater Los Angeles area around 1985, J Brave came into consciousness through some of the harsh realities of LA life. We all have spirituality inside of us, it is part of nature, but it was not until J Brave moved to Venice in 2004 with his good friend and fellow Luminary, Free Will, that he fully submerged himself within his awakening and began acting out his greater intention. Through practices such as meditation, J chose to live a more conscientious lifestyle, making changes in diet and becoming vegan.
“When I moved to Venice I started to literally grow at that particular time in my life… My spirit, my soul, my community…I began to take action toward my inner path that I that knew I wanted to do, which was serving others and helping the planet. So that was a very monumental time in my life.”
A crucial person in this development was Free Will. Once they moved in together the creative energies began to flow, and they officially started the Luminaries in December 2005. Between them, the seed of expansion was sewn for the Luminous project. The two had also already had previous experience working together before in youth centers for at-risk juveniles.
“I still work with youth today, it’s been almost 8 years working with various non profits and youth centers… At that particular time around 2004 I was a full time youth counselor for the homeless and working with at-risk teens in Hollywood for 4 years…. My current bandmate Free Will worked with me, he got me that job…While he opened me up to that particular path of helping others via youth, I was really helping open up his connection via music, so it was an equal exchange. In that space working together we were just kinda like, Hey man lets make some music, some hip hop… cause that’s what we loved to do, that’s going to open them up and inspire the young people. ”
Today, the members of the Luminaries are better known as Konscious, Dreams, Ben Jammin, Freewill, Amore One, Toly and J Brave.
“Koncious owns his own studio in Santa Monica called “Koncious Studios”, so we recorded our album there as well. Koncious plays a huge role administratively and accounting wise for what we do. Ben does music scoring, so we’ve also done some stuff in that aspect.
As far as Elevate, they have produced all four of our Luminaries videos. The reason being ultimately that Mikki Will is a fan of our music. I think beyond the musical creative aspect, as he has expressed to me, he values that we are actually living the lifestyle and embodying the message… Its one thing to talk about change, transformation and love….but its completely another thing to actually do ones best, without judgement of others or of ones self, and to just live it and be of your words! Like Ghandi would say, be the change… Ultimately he just values what were standing for in our community work, so he and his wife Nadia have been a strong, strong support and the whole elevate team…. We are definitely forever linked and in great gratitude always to the Elevate crew.”
The Luminaries are expanding the positive hip hop of the 80/90s into conscious hip hop of the new era. The Luminaries have currently grown into a seven piece hip hop band with three vocalists, each member bringing their own signature, integrating influences from across the board such as guitar solos, reggae dub, organic instruments and electronic beats. Infusing into that enthusiastic verbiage that strikes you in the heart, encouraging the clear message of undying hope, respect, love, and the empowerment to create your own life.
“Our music is about inspiration, service, helping others expand and awaken to their inner truth. Hence the name Luminaries, we are all light… We are all luminous beings, having a human experience… So this event were now doing at Zanzibar every Wednesday is a reflection of that collective truth that we are awakening to. Its a good way to celebrate and bring artists that are speaking that message whether they are live painters, performers, dancers or DJs… We even have Kombucha at the bar and massage therapists. Whatever we can bring to celebrate! There’s nothing wrong with being at the club and having fun, but there’s a way we can set intention behind it.
As far as the Lu Fam Pro, there was always a greater vision to do more, its not just about the Luminaries… Like this event, the Luminous Movement is about creating a platform for others to shine and bring them in. We don’t play every week. I mean I host and sometimes will jump on stage and do a cameo… But its not necessarily about how the Luminaries can shine, you feel me? Its about how we can make an event that reflects the intention and allows other to have a stage… And when we’re in that space, when everyone is tuned to that, ultimately that portal of service and expansion happens for everyone anyway. We’ve brought artists in from out of the country, so the Lu Fam Pro is really just a place for artists on the positive tip.”
In their productions you will find that the Luminaries pull a lot of their inspiration from the depths of the EDM movement, like collaborations with underground, yet higher profile artist such as Stephan Jacobs. In closing, I asked J Brave about this trend and gave him the green light to speak independent, free and open heartedly on this subject and anything else he would like us to be be privy to.
“I just want to say that, to me, electronic music is so important right now because its beyond a dance party, its actually opening up peoples Chakras… Experiencing different festivals and performing at them I felt the transformation in my life through, it was like ‘Wow, Im having some sort of inner awakening with dormant energy that hasn’t moved. Not only on a physical body level, but on an inner Chakra level’… And I feel like that’s what is the underlying theme of whats really happening and why EDM is so powerful… Its not like ‘Ohh everyones partying in the club getting hammered’… that is happening; but also even on an unconscious and conscious level, with the different frequency beats especially in crazy dubstep, it is still opening up dormant energy in us… And I feel that, and I want to affirm that. I feel grateful to be apart of that and I feel so happy that the Luminous Movement can be a place every Wednesday here at Zanzibar for amazing high vibrational artists to come… We’ve had David Starfire, Birds of Paradise, Kaminanda, Goldrush, Pumpkin, Govinda… Some really great people come in these doors and share their incredible art… I am just really grateful to have the space to do that in this community.
So we definitely are going in that direction but want to stay in our hip hop roots as well… We have a strong affinity toward electronic music and value the community that’s a lot more engulfed in spirituality and high intention, so we can both latch onto that message and kind of cross breed into that as well…. More importantly beyond genre is the message and what the intention is. Thats the truest thing beyond any genre.”
Contribution toward the communities in which they live is of obvious importance to the Lu Fam Pro team. Through this they set a great example of the positive collaborations that come out of LA as a result of enlightened, yet savvy and creative entrepreneurial minds who give back to their community, assisingt in the designs and funding of new social organizations and charities. Professional yet passionate, the individuals of the Luminaries and Lu Fam Pro are reppin love at its highest. Whatever medium, whether its the Lumious Movement, Luminious TV, or the Lu Fam Label itself, together their combined forces make for creation of an outlet geared toward activation and celebration of your mind, body and spirit. Real proof that the sky is truly the limit..
Experience it for yourself every Wednesday at Zanzibar of Santa Monica. To RSVP to the next show with the unforgettable Kalya Scintilla visit:
http://www.facebook.com/events/455121094507030/
See the Luminaries perform as one at this weeks upcoming Grateful Fridays at the Bardot in Hollywood:
https://www.facebook.com/events/266351733474156/268221999953796/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity
For upcoming lineups be sure to tune in to the Luminous Movements official page:
https://www.facebook.com/LuminousMovement?ref=ts
And for all things Lu Fam go to:
