The music of our state serves up the California dream like no other artform. Songs can feel like California. But what is the sound of California? Is it the oceanside music of beach-blanket pop? Is it Laurel Canyon folk or San Diego hardcore punk? California music is all this and more; it is a conversation between cultures, taking place on the dancefloor. As effervescent Norteno rhythms spill over the border and West Coast hip hop takes cues from SoCal jazz and soul, California’s cultural confluence creates music distinct to this place. Here, on the coast where societal norms are written and rewritten, music is a writhing leviathan, a sprawling, multi-faced beast, where the only unifying factor is innovation. Fela Kuti learned funk while living in Los Angeles, Gram Parsons explored cosmic rock in the Palm desert, and Black Flag tore up Orange County stages. California is where musical revolution begins.