I receive links to articles of this type almost daily, but it's important to reiterate some facts when considering just what star to hitch your retirement wagon onto. From an ABC News article from this past April, "Though vinyl sales account for less than 1 percent of sales, Rollingstone.com reports that the number of records sold last year jumped to 1.88 million from 988,000 in 2007. The Recording Industry Association of America officially acknowledged a resurgence of vinyl records when statistics proved it in 2007. That year, the American music industry saw a 46.2 [...]
Photek is a drum and bass artist that was much used in the 1990s as a remixer of more downtempo artists in other genres, particularly following his "HiddenCamera" release. I only really know his work through those remixes. Though Goldie became the first superstar of jungle, the recordings of Rupert Parkes -- as Code of Practice, Aquarius, Studio Pressure, the Truper and Sentinel, but most famously as Photek -- made him an easy pick for the style's most artistic and intelligent producer. Working his way through street-level hardstep (on [...]
Drawing comparisons between Squid Ninjaz and Wu-Tang would be easy, lazy journalism – but I'll do it anyway because it seems so apt: there are lots of them, they're dirty and grimey and there's the whole martial arts thing too. The production comes from Metabeats mainly although Dogruffbeats, Lousain Hekla and Imakemadbeats all in pitch in too with beats. Sparse, crunchy and dusty and ultimately very heavy backdrops back up the Squids – the LP's strength. Opener '8 Bars' features fifteen MCs who all come in full on ill lyrical mode. However, as the album goes [...]
So as we told you a little while back, DMX is broadening his horizons this December and stepping into the ring to fight a guy named Eric Martinez in an event called Alabama Pride. X is supposed to be squaring up with Martinez, who's undefeated by the way (hey, 1-0 counts), in three two-minute rounds. Given, the Dark Man is very much so used to his share of scraps and obviously has the street appeal in the bout. But one thing that may not serve to X's advantage is that he recently revealed that he will not be [...]
Friday, October 23, 2009 I might be calling this week a winner right out of the gate. A rarity in these days of Hollywood dropping trouser on the discerning viewers of the world. Feels a bit like 'Ollywood is ramping up for Halloween, what with a vampire, a werewolf and film about a serial killer named Jigsaw. My enthusiasm, it even makes me a little wary this week. As always, thanks for reading. Hitting Theaters This Weekend: [...]
Rarely does one think of Ballet and in the next thought think twisted, perverse and sadistic. These rare combinations of thoughts were combined for me last week at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse's one-night production of the Lost Angels Ballet "Burn" & "Bathing for Beauty". Wishing I had become a ballerina, I've spent the past decade of my life going to ballets, admiring the grace, agility and beauty of the men and women who glided across the stage. Most of what I've seen has been classical performances. You know, Swan Lake or the Nutcracker, where [...]
In 1979, the Peoples' Republic of China publicly reported that several thousand of its children aged 8-14 were capable of telepathy, clairvoyance, X-ray vision, or psychokinesis. Having already heard about this program, the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, and the US Army were simultaneously pouring billions of dollars into their own similar research. The Army program was headquartered at Fort Meade, Maryland, and was part of the Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). Leaders included Generals Edmund Thompson and Albert Stubblebine, and Colonel John Alexander. The First Earth Battalion was [...]
The good folks over at Mens Fitness put together a list of the top 10 most superstitious athletes. Who knew that eating chicken, wearing skimpy lingerie, and drinking your own urine could ensure a high level of play? Michael Jordan You wouldn't think the greatest professional basketball player of all time would rely on superstition, but even Michael Jordan himself was known for a specific quirk. While leading the Chicago Bulls t [...]
This is an ever changing and (hopefully) expanding list of some of the songs I have mentioned before in this blog or simply stuff I have found somewhere on the web that I find interesting, but have no time to write about. All files have been found somewhere in cyberspace (and NONE of them have uploaded by me, so I cannot help you with any requests you might have - just keep returning and something new might pop up), so they will be available until the artists, record labels, fans, whatever decide to remove them. Thanks to a few readers, [...]
Sometimes, when the world feels like it's too much, you need to stop, breathe, and find a way to regroup. There are many forms of rejuvenation--I've always found mine in yoga, martial arts, or meditation. And I've increasingly found that the right music soothes my frayed nerves like nothing else. But finding the right music can be tricky, and most new age music is too airy-fairy for my taste. It's thin and whispery, like cotton candy, and I need something solid and whole and grounding. New age music also tends to scare people by conjuring images of [...]
In the interests of journalism, I decided to listen to a Jonas brothers song, while gazing intently at a picture of them, hoping that their mysteries might be revealed, like an ancient parchment holding the sacred scriptures of a lost civilization. Then I decided, nah, I'm too old for that shit.
French Photographer Guillaume Herbaut has recently published photographs of a relatively secret Ukrainian tribe of women that have purposely segregated themselves from society due to the country's high rates of sexual trafficking and gender oppression. Herbaut's photos date back to 2004 when the Ukraine was amidst the Orange Revolution . The Asgarda, as the women refer to themselves, number around 150, and hope to revive "the tribal traditions of the Scythian Amazons of ancient Greek mythology." Primarily students of varying ages and backgrounds, they "train in martial arts, taught by former [...]
Ultrafunk - The Kung-Fu Man The discotheque song of the month to do the "Kung-Fu" dance to (strike various martial arts-inspired poses, each pose lasting four counts of the music. Careful with the kicks). British Contempo label 1974. Related posts Ghetto Kung-Fu A Song From India Bruce Lee Return of the Dragon
We attend the same educational institute, albeit differently, and share many of the same visions on the way music works, and the way we must work to achieve our goals. And a shared penchant for those old school jams... An incredibly interesting person to talk it up with (about whatever...), and a very talented man with the pen - I hope this is the first of many contributions, not just to NDM, but to the www. by my good friend Leke. ---------- There comes a time when student becomes [...]
Wow, DMX . Once you were a rapper. Then you were a jailbird. Soon after, you announced plans to become a televangelist . And now this: DMX is set to make his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut this very fall. According to Allhiphop , DMX is set to face off against musician/Power Moves Entertainment CEO Eric Martinez in a December 12 exhibition match. The fight will take place at Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Alabama. Uh, can Don King get a piece of this action? The event has been dubbed "Alabama Pride" [...]
Rabbit Stories is a short film exploring the study of mental illness. The film follows the life of a young Schizophrenic man called Fenton Fuller. Fenton, who seems to suffer beyond the actual illness itself, deals with many absurd worries and fears during the film as the severity of his illness unfolds. He also finds himself battling with the looming possibility that he may be forced to live in an institution and taken away from his families care. This brings a series of confrontations with his parents that question his sanity. Rabbit Stories tries to paint the picture of a [...]
The hip-hop DJ/producer suffered a cardiac arrest while practising Krav Maga…
The hip-hop community suffered another tragic loss this weekend with the untimely passing of one of its best turntablists: DJ Roc Raida of New York City crew the X-Ecutioners . Born Anthony Williams in 1972, Roc Raida made his first indelible stamp on DJ culture as a young competitor in the DMC World DJ Championships, an international competition that challenges beatmasters to test just how far the turntable can be pushed as an instrument. Each year competitors lift the disciplines of scratching, mixing, beat juggling and body tricks to ever-higher levels. In 1995, ten years [...]
Have you seen Chocolate ? Not the Depp-Binoche un de flime , the Thai martial arts snack : You must! It's no cinematic masterpiece, and will work your patience while it establishes the concept, sledgehammers symphathies, and makes excuses to get from A to Bambambambam to Crackcrunchpow. But "Jeeja" Yanin Vismistananda puts the y in amazing, and when her Smarties -popping autistic collections agent goes foot-to-face with a Tourette's-ridden breakdancer you know you're watching something special. Yes! Also, no! Rent [...]
2009 is turning out to be an extremely hard year in our losses in folks in Popular Culture as a whole. Hearing about Grand Master Roc Raida's passing this weekend was definitely sad, just not as a loss for Hip-Hop ( especially the DJ Community) but for the music industry in general. I personally never met Grand Master Roc Raida, but I do know he was he few people involved in the entertainment industry (which we all know can be kind of crazy) who I never heard did anything wrong or sideways towards people. [...]
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
Bobby B's Top 50 Albums Of The Decade (#25-21)
HOT CHIP TAKE another crack at IT and I’m IN
