Buster

ASCNY MUSIC VIDEO

This is the video that we worked on for the aids service center. they were given the rights to the song and we shot in one day. i think for one day of shooting and one day of editing its impressive.

Medieval Money

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/06/24/opinion/1194841161149/bloggingheads-medieval-money.html

this is pretty interesting... how we went to a centralized currency system.

Jeremy Fish on Art and T-Shirts

As I said in comment on the post below, I agree with Jeremy Fish's philosophy on the commercialization/domestication of art. Here are his thoughts on the matter:



The one part of this he doesn't really respond to is the idea of street art being "from the street" and the sort of idea that this makes it more "authentic" than art in a gallery or on a t-shirt. To me, though, that argument is stupid. Street art (or any art) can be both on the streets AND in galleries or on t-shirts...those are not mutually exclusive venues for art to be viewed in. They each have their merits and their drawbacks and do not directly contradict each other. Jeremy Fish is the bomb. Here's a link to another video of him painting a mural. And another where he paints in response to Aesop Rock's "Pigs."

Looks like things are heating up in Sao Paulo...

Last week a group of 30 Pixadores stormed the Choque Cultural Gallery in protest against the "marketing, institutionalization and domestication of Street Art" by the galleries and media. Paintings by Gerald Laing, Speto, Titi Freak and others were tagged by the Pixadores. A bit of an interesting discussion.. At first I thought it was an intentional art installation.

SWOON

This woman needs no introduction. Upper Playground is really doing a nice job with these artist features, and this one may be my favorite so far.



And a couple little bonus links in case people are interested:

NY Times article about Swoon
NY Times article on her "Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea" project

MUUAHAHAHAHA!!! (evil laugh)

So........ the fun has begun. Lots of thanks and respect to Matt's friend Will Sears for putting this piece together on short notice so we could make it happen. First a disclaimer, this didnt actually work!! Very, very frustrating. The tool broke before the profile was finished being cut, shown by the additional material still attached. BUT, it proves this is possible and can work really well, most likely on a larger scale. This one was 1" tall, 2.4" long , and .300" thick. Material is bronze. I want to play around with finer tools to define the details more. The inner 'accent' lines are at .005" depth and the outer lines are at .010" in an attempt to create contrast. Could definitely be improved. This is the simplest type possible, a 2-D engraving with a 3-D profile. Now I want to push it. Anyways, hope yall like, ask any questions, and make lots of suggestions for future projects. Primarily you, Mr. Rainbowbright. Start thinking amigo. Hope everyone's doing well. Peace

PS..Blank

Fresh Phace

*Photo by Innis Lawrence

At this point, I'm sure yall all know about my man Tu Phace. Formerly one of the three vocalists for Subliminal Orphans, Phace has been doing big things since the group went on hiatus, launching a serious solo career, forming a new touring band, and getting attention from several labels. His new single, "La Di Da," was just released in partnership with Vitamin Water for some sort of promotional push for their "Sync" flavor involving several Philly musical artists. I'm not really sure how that came about, but having Vitamin Water's name on it definitely means more exposure for Tu Phace, so I guess it's a good thing. After hearing this one live a few times, I'm glad a final studio version is being released. Peep:

Tu Phace - La Di Da

So fly I could touch the sky.....

So this is the first tag. Really satisfied with it for a first run. The outer shape is a bit rough because it was hand finished. Next time it will be cut out by the mill and be much cleaner. So much fucking potential!!!!! This could go many places. Hope you like.

GM says reaches deal to sell Saab to Koenigsegg

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden's Koenigsegg, a niche manufacturer of some of the world's fastest and most expensive sports cars, has struck a deal to buy loss-making Saab Automobile from General Motors, the companies said on Tuesday.

In one of the most unlikely pairings in automotive history, the tiny sports car firm of 45 staff is expected to take over a company that employs around 3,400, a cherished Swedish brand that became a national icon for stability and reliability.

GM Europe said on its website the deal, set to close by the end of the third quarter, includes an expected $600 million of financing from the European Investment Bank, guaranteed by the Swedish government. Other terms were not disclosed.

"Additional support is to be provided by GM and Koenigsegg Group AB to fund Saab's operations and product program investments. This includes plans to launch several new products that are in the final stages of development," GM Europe said.

Like its U.S. parent, Saab has been in bankruptcy protection. It has said it needs $1 billion to see it through the crisis and has asked creditors to write off 75 percent of its 10.6 billion crown ($1.4 billion) debt, most of which is owed to GM.

Koenigsegg, which produces powerful roadcars that cost around $1 million, came out of nowhere to emerge as a front-runner to buy Saab.

But analysts are skeptical a tie-up makes sense, noting that Christian von Koenigsegg, founder of the firm bearing his name, has no evident experience owning or running a firm so large.

Last year Koenigsegg made 18 cars, Saab more than 93,000.

"There are no economies of scale between Saab and Koenigsegg. This is a constellation of buyers that probably have different interests than GM, which was driven by volume," said Mikael Wickelgren, an automotive expert at Skovde University, in southwestern Sweden not far from Saab's headquarters.

"This will be a business where one would assume that the owners want to chisel out a personality for Saab. The logic would be in the special and unique. Otherwise I cannot understand this deal."

Koenigsegg has backing from Norwegian entrepreneur Bard Eker, whose holding company owns 49 percent of the car maker.

Halldora von Koenigsegg, spokeswoman for the company and wife of its founder, said a memorandum of understanding had been signed but declined to comment further.

TWO DECADES UNDER GM

The deal would see Saab, which was put up for sale earlier this year, emerge from two decades under its U.S. parent. GM is already in the middle of offloading two other brands -- Saturn and its Hummer SUV line -- as it works to restructure its operations in bankruptcy.

Saab's roughly 220 U.S. dealerships have until Friday to sign an agreement which allow their franchises to be transferred to a new owner, a person familiar with the matter said. Dealers have been asked to prepare for an orderly wind-down should the automaker be unable to close a deal to sell the brand.

While Saab is known for its appeal to safety-conscious but slightly sporty family drivers, Koenigsegg caters for clients who arrive in private jets at the firm's factory, which boasts its own airstrip.

Christian von Koenigsegg, who founded his firm 15 years ago when he was 22, is known in the industry as a quality-obsessed car enthusiast as opposed to a businessman.

But Saab and Koenigsegg do share a history of technological innovation. Koenigsegg has patented some of his own gadgetry while Saab created a sensation in the 1970s with the use of turbo technology in everyday cars.

Burial

After releasing almost no music since his 2007 masterpiece, Untrue, Burial finally resurfaces. This is off the new EP, Moth/Wolf Cub, that Burial and Four Tet just put out, a collaboration between the two of them consisting of two 9 minute tracks. I really like that you can hear in this the distinct characteristics of both Burial's music and Four Tet's. From the echoing ambience and vinyl crackle of the opening (familiar to any Burial fan) to Four Tet's signature atmospheric melodies, this one is a true collage of two incredibly unique, yet compatible styles.

Burial & Four Tet - Moth



**Bonus: Just for kicks, here's a nice little track Burial put out on a dubstep compilation on 2007. True late night music.

Burial - Unite

The Real And Raw

To me, the best blogs create a narrative so that the content follows a progression that feels both natural and constantly engaging. I figure I can try establish this sort of thing with my music posts here at times, weaving a thread through related musical themes or artists to establish a narrative that can explore the different facets of a particular sound, movement, or influence. And so, with that, I will continue one of the themes explored in my last post, the work and musical influence of James Dewitt Yancey III, also known as J Dilla. This time we travel back to the source...

"The name is Dilla Dawg and I can only rep the real and raw."

Since Jay's death of a rare blood disease in 2006, his music and influence have spread like wildfire, promoted by the plethora of artists and listeners he inspired over the years. If anyone deserves the title "Your favorite producer's favorite producer," it's definitely Dilla. His new album, Jay Stay Paid, was put together by the legendary Pete Rock and Dilla's mom (who has come to be known in the music world as Ma Dukes), and is intended to be a collection of unreleased productions that explore the full spectrum of Dilla's career. Here's a couple gems off the album:

J Dilla - Big City



J Dilla - Mythsysizer

Connection

From the front page of Core77. Iran is going to be everywhere for a while.

The Digital Smuggler

News

In case you haven't seen, read , or heard about this the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave a speech today outlining a proposed Palestinian state. Of course, his demands included demilitarization and Israeli control over Jerusalem. The plan was quickly rejected by Palestinian officials. What's crazy is that this newly elected PM's entire political campaign has been a pro-nationalist, one state solution, military hardline. After pressure from the US he suddenly changes his entire stance, but with demands he knows the Palestinian's will reject so he can keep face with the right wing. He gets to say he tried to setup peace negotiations, was rejected, and now can continue the back and forth bullshit that's gone on for years now. Interesting world politics. And of course now Iran has 're-elected' the Ahmadinejad, which is a scarier event that everyone should check out....

'Israel sets terms for Palestinian state'

DESSA is the hottest woman ALIVE

Education

Originally wanting to attend Columbia University in New York, Dessa felt the pressure was too great, and instead went to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities on a basketball scholarship, which she was forced to forfeit after injuring her Anterior Cruciate Ligament. She achieved a Masters in Philosophy at the University of Minnesota.^[1] Before becoming an artist full time, Dessa was a technical writer for a medical manufacturer.^[2]

read the wiki its pretty interesting..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dessa

she also dated P.O.S. for awhile (im sure josh knew but i had no idea)

Another Sweet Blog

http://chicksandbikes.blogspot.com/

lovin it.

The Last iPhone, by Robert Fabricant

The Last iPhone

What if you are holding the last iPhone ever made?
What if the 3G-S looked no different than the 3G?
What if the 4G looked no different than the 3G-S and so on...?
What if all iPhones looked the same from now on?

What if it didn't matter that the iPhone could be made 1/16" thinner next year?
What if it didn't matter that the iPhone could be produced in a host of different colors and metallic finishes?
What if the design could not be improved upon?
What if Apple stopped releasing new iPhones?

What if you could expand the capabilities of the iPhone infinitely through software?
What if there were a billion different apps available to download instantly?
What if you could plug-in new hardware modules to extend the capabilities even further?
What if you could send in your iPhone to have the internal components upgraded each year?

What if you subscribed to the iPhone instead of owning it?
What if the iPhone was guaranteed for life?
What if you never bought another phone?
What if Apple really decided to think differently?

(What would you be willing to pay for a Continuously-Upgraded-iPhone-for-Life? I would love to hear your answers...)

Robert Fabricant is the VP of Creative at frog design

Grand Finale

I'm on a roll, let's keep this going. I got this album, Finale's A Pipe Dream and a Promise a while ago but I didn't give it a true listen until today. This kid Finale is a serious emcee, and he worked with some great producers (many from his native Detroit) on this one to really create something tight. The track below is produced by Dimlite, who I have never even heard of, and has a vibe that just feels at once unique and familiar to me in a really dope way. I need to get some beats like this...I could write to that for days. Plus Whipper Whip's interlude at the end is gangster.

Finale - Issues



This second track is a nice homage to the late great Jay Dilla, and is produced by Flying Lotus, in my opinion one of the best Dilla-influenced producers working today. The boy FlyLo is definitely helping to carry on Dilla's musical legacy by mixing those influences with something of his own to create really interesting material. Finale does a great job lyrically here as well. Peep game:

Finale - Paid Homage (R.I.P. Jay Dilla)



(Props to The Full Clip for originally putting me on to this album.)

Grizzly Bear

It's been a while since I've posted, probably because we've all seen each other a bunch lately, but I figured I'd give yall something new. I've been listening to this band a lot lately, and I really think they're making some incredible music right now. Grizzly Bear is from Brooklyn and their new album, Veckatimest, is definitely one of my favorites of the year so far. Figured I'd get away from posting hip-hop for a minute and give yall some indie shit that I've been loving. Hope you like this track...I think the keyboard part and the harmonies interact is pretty dope.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Hokes

Teaser

Here is a taste of the peace I just finished.

Whole in the Wall

Went to this great art show on Sunday at a gallery downtown. All street art, incredible artists, and it was free to get in. Link to an article here. Banksy, Lee Quinones, Nunca etc. so much dope shit. Everyone should go and see it!! Weird part was that it is in a very upscale gallery. Odd contrast to some of the pieces. Here are a couple from the first floor.

NewFlavor

Pravherb...You Can Vibe To This

Hilarity. I'm not sure if Spence knew I had a finished track over this beat or not, but I would guess not considering he used an old version of it with different drums (probably the original snippet that Mark send out when he made it). This is off of The Top Shelf, a new mixtape that he's on with a bunch of other cats, I think people he goes to school with. Kind of funny to hear a different track over the Vibe To This beat after this long right? I was definitely surprised to hear it. Prav drops some tight lines on some of the tracks on this tape though...a few Illus productions, including a one over a new beat I hadn't even heard. Take a listen:

K-Mello & Pravherb - Mello Music (Outro)



Earlier:

WordSmith - Vibe To This