Monday, 31 December 2012
on repeat: weray ent - #ChingChangWallah
chale chale no be easy. ya man. very partial to tis kinda ting me
2012, tragedy of
I don't know if it's a good idea to start this summary with what I feel was the tragedy of the year but I am anyway. you know Austin Peralta? he's dead. I don't know what happened and I keep remembering to check as if it matters it doesn't. the reason I consider this the tragedy of the year apart from the fact that I think his music was inspired and the way he went about it was inspired is that this cheerful lovable hyperactive kid was as far as I could tell one of few - when you think in terms of percentages, of course there are many examples, but how many? - people whose genius and passion for art match their humanity and passion for people. no limits to creativity no limits to love. I think people like that are capable of changing the world and I think Austin Peralta has a little, but would have done way more in the years not to come. may he never rest, that's certainly not what he was about.
Austin Peralta Trio at Warsoul Sessions from SITKKO on Vimeo.
Saturday, 29 December 2012
1am
I have decided to do a little experiment. I will sleep when I have to. my sleeping pattern is now so totally screwed I don't know what part of day this is and what meal I just had. lunch?
for a while now - a few weeks I'm not sure how many but not that many three maybe.. Ive been staying up till (sometimes not so) early morning , then sleeping till (mostly) early afternoon. till I didn't go to sleep altogethere thursday night due to a trial body-snatching shift I was meant to do at 6 am Friday and a 10 am meeting shortly after. the body snatching didn't happen as the body snatchers won some contract and got insanely drunk (forgot to hang up as well so I know a lot more they think I know re the state they were in) but I still had to stay up for the meeting. got back home round 12:30 and resolved not to sleep till evening so I can drop dead and definitely sleep through the night and break this crazy routine then woke up six hour later. considered trying to sleep for 18 hours - realised I have not managed 7 in months - and got up. my brain's not exactly working in a standard way but then... ......
so yeah, I'll do this experiment and sleep when I have to regardless of times of day and common ways and see what happens. I am a bit worried for health reasons but I am doing it anyway, might as well go with the flow and see, maybe my body manages to sort it out somehow, I've not consciously been able to anyway.
for a while now - a few weeks I'm not sure how many but not that many three maybe.. Ive been staying up till (sometimes not so) early morning , then sleeping till (mostly) early afternoon. till I didn't go to sleep altogethere thursday night due to a trial body-snatching shift I was meant to do at 6 am Friday and a 10 am meeting shortly after. the body snatching didn't happen as the body snatchers won some contract and got insanely drunk (forgot to hang up as well so I know a lot more they think I know re the state they were in) but I still had to stay up for the meeting. got back home round 12:30 and resolved not to sleep till evening so I can drop dead and definitely sleep through the night and break this crazy routine then woke up six hour later. considered trying to sleep for 18 hours - realised I have not managed 7 in months - and got up. my brain's not exactly working in a standard way but then... ......
so yeah, I'll do this experiment and sleep when I have to regardless of times of day and common ways and see what happens. I am a bit worried for health reasons but I am doing it anyway, might as well go with the flow and see, maybe my body manages to sort it out somehow, I've not consciously been able to anyway.
Friday, 28 December 2012
2010
so. Ima do some posts on 2012 - hehehehe hehe - the most intense year I've lived so far. I'd never even imagined being able to learn so much in such a short space of time. not all of the lessons were welcome but I guess even the most unwelcome ones were valuable.
the world has ended no doubt. slightly earlier than the Mayan jokers led some on to believe or rather through evolution rather than revolution. mind you, evolution is now so fast and revolution so tired they've swapt places when it comes to causing actual immediate change.
first tho let me, very briefly, take you back to 2010:
(you not there yet, this is now)
I've decided to have another go at mixing vinyl hehe and every time I do - every time I do - this one is a must. since I got it 38 has been my favourite EP I own on wax. no change there for the moment. enjoy
the world has ended no doubt. slightly earlier than the Mayan jokers led some on to believe or rather through evolution rather than revolution. mind you, evolution is now so fast and revolution so tired they've swapt places when it comes to causing actual immediate change.
first tho let me, very briefly, take you back to 2010:
I've decided to have another go at mixing vinyl hehe and every time I do - every time I do - this one is a must. since I got it 38 has been my favourite EP I own on wax. no change there for the moment. enjoy
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
vogon poetry
went to yet another poetry night last nigh, was disappointed again and on the way back decided - had an actual conversation with myself I do sometimes, especially at night and it's a good uneventful 40 minutes ride from new cross - I was going to give up on poetry for a lil while. not all of it and not without exceptions (a bit like quitting smoking or anything else far as I'm concerned, if you suddenly feel like having one or change your mind the next day so what?), but I feel if I don't stop seeing bad or unengaging poetry, especially live, I will lose even more heart for it and I don't want to.
I've recently been to a couple of what they seem to insist on calling poetry slams round here though why they insist on calling them poetry slams round here is unclear. there's judging and scores and winners so I guess it's a kinda competition so why not call it a competition? thugh frankly what the judging and scoring and winnig is meant to be in aid of is equally unclear. so you can say you won a slam I guess. judged by random people you've managed to convince to judge. am I ranting? I am ranting arent I? it's coz it pisses me off, can't help it, seems so pointless and forced and unnecessary. and it doesn't even matter that very often the winners are shit as far as I'm concerned. I don't care too much about people's taste. or rather I find it interesting rather than annoying. a little sad maybe sometimes but this is not somethig can be instantly helped. neither is the lack of criticism and the back-patting I guess, but the 'slam' thing is really unnecessary I find. guess it's meant to be entertaining somehow. one is not entertained.
the night I went to tonight was different though, it was a performance by a group of tallented American poets some of whom I had seen (on youtube) perform poems that impressed me so I expected to be impressed tonight. I wasn't much. well, it took me an hour to find the bloody place - seriously a proper 'beware of the leopard' box at the back of a closet - and it only lasted two hours so to be fair I saw only the second half. the second half did not impress me much. most of it was about suffering dontchano...
it so often is isn't it (often to do with racism). and this subject mostly bores me. partly because it's so ubiquitous but mainly because more often than not I don't buy it. people who really suffer and talk honestly about it - whether it's a poem or a chat in the street - don't use genaralisations slogans and clishes. they talk real situations and vivid images. I have heard rally amazing poems on the subject of suffering, discrimination, hard times etc just like I have had honest and humbling conversations about it but ususally what I hear is this package of cliches these 'poets' seem to be building their identities around. and the more cliche, hysterical and humourless it is the more audiences seem to applaud the more ppl choose it as a subject and so on.
...anyways anyways tonight. most of it was about suffering and very personal which is my least favourite kind as a whole. I often find it hard to figure out why this person wants me to know intimately their particular feelings, emotions, physical states etc, how they expect me to relate.
and the delivery was mostly hysterical.
the way I see it there are three aspects to performative poetry. the subject matter, the way you phrase it and the way you deliver it. the subject matter doesn't determine whether the piece will be effective or not. you can write and deliver an engaging poem about a can of tuna, I'm pretty sure (without mentioning the tuna's suffering before it got inside the can. serio). the actual words you use ARE the poetry. this is what makes a poem a poem. makes it good or not, effective or not, brings out emotions or not, makes people relate or not. the delivery is important too, your poem may be really good but if you can't make people hear it they won't know and if you sound false - they won't believe you.
a lot of poetry I hear is missing the second most important element and overdoes the other two - what many people seem to be going for is a strong/potentially controversial/shocking subject matter and a strong hysterical performance. not enough attention to the actual words and phrases, to the language being inventive and surprising, the story engaging and transcendent of one individual's feelings and experience.
not only should all the three elements be there - they have to work together too. emotional delivery will not make a poem powerful and some things are way more effective when said calmly and with humour.
another thing I find is plaguing the poetry world is the lack of editing - some poets clearly don't like cutting stuff out - I actually heard two say this the other day - and seem to think the more they say the better. the result is a kind of emotional vomit. when I hear a poet say I wrote this today my expectations tend to be low.
end rant
I've actually been to something cool and promissng that involved spoken word the other day - James Massiah's new lil venture's launch - but won't elaborate on that in this post as this post is not abut cool n promissing lil vetures or individuals. hope I will in one of the next ones but you know how it goes, I rarely do elaborate on things I promise to elaborate on. posibly never come to think (too little to be sure) of it. barely never ever, thats the one. which is why I'm mentioning it so you know.
for this same reason I won't write about but will mention this kid called Donte Collins that I've been being impresed with a lot since I dicovered him a while ago.
I've recently been to a couple of what they seem to insist on calling poetry slams round here though why they insist on calling them poetry slams round here is unclear. there's judging and scores and winners so I guess it's a kinda competition so why not call it a competition? thugh frankly what the judging and scoring and winnig is meant to be in aid of is equally unclear. so you can say you won a slam I guess. judged by random people you've managed to convince to judge. am I ranting? I am ranting arent I? it's coz it pisses me off, can't help it, seems so pointless and forced and unnecessary. and it doesn't even matter that very often the winners are shit as far as I'm concerned. I don't care too much about people's taste. or rather I find it interesting rather than annoying. a little sad maybe sometimes but this is not somethig can be instantly helped. neither is the lack of criticism and the back-patting I guess, but the 'slam' thing is really unnecessary I find. guess it's meant to be entertaining somehow. one is not entertained.
the night I went to tonight was different though, it was a performance by a group of tallented American poets some of whom I had seen (on youtube) perform poems that impressed me so I expected to be impressed tonight. I wasn't much. well, it took me an hour to find the bloody place - seriously a proper 'beware of the leopard' box at the back of a closet - and it only lasted two hours so to be fair I saw only the second half. the second half did not impress me much. most of it was about suffering dontchano...
it so often is isn't it (often to do with racism). and this subject mostly bores me. partly because it's so ubiquitous but mainly because more often than not I don't buy it. people who really suffer and talk honestly about it - whether it's a poem or a chat in the street - don't use genaralisations slogans and clishes. they talk real situations and vivid images. I have heard rally amazing poems on the subject of suffering, discrimination, hard times etc just like I have had honest and humbling conversations about it but ususally what I hear is this package of cliches these 'poets' seem to be building their identities around. and the more cliche, hysterical and humourless it is the more audiences seem to applaud the more ppl choose it as a subject and so on.
...anyways anyways tonight. most of it was about suffering and very personal which is my least favourite kind as a whole. I often find it hard to figure out why this person wants me to know intimately their particular feelings, emotions, physical states etc, how they expect me to relate.
and the delivery was mostly hysterical.
the way I see it there are three aspects to performative poetry. the subject matter, the way you phrase it and the way you deliver it. the subject matter doesn't determine whether the piece will be effective or not. you can write and deliver an engaging poem about a can of tuna, I'm pretty sure (without mentioning the tuna's suffering before it got inside the can. serio). the actual words you use ARE the poetry. this is what makes a poem a poem. makes it good or not, effective or not, brings out emotions or not, makes people relate or not. the delivery is important too, your poem may be really good but if you can't make people hear it they won't know and if you sound false - they won't believe you.
a lot of poetry I hear is missing the second most important element and overdoes the other two - what many people seem to be going for is a strong/potentially controversial/shocking subject matter and a strong hysterical performance. not enough attention to the actual words and phrases, to the language being inventive and surprising, the story engaging and transcendent of one individual's feelings and experience.
not only should all the three elements be there - they have to work together too. emotional delivery will not make a poem powerful and some things are way more effective when said calmly and with humour.
another thing I find is plaguing the poetry world is the lack of editing - some poets clearly don't like cutting stuff out - I actually heard two say this the other day - and seem to think the more they say the better. the result is a kind of emotional vomit. when I hear a poet say I wrote this today my expectations tend to be low.
end rant
I've actually been to something cool and promissng that involved spoken word the other day - James Massiah's new lil venture's launch - but won't elaborate on that in this post as this post is not abut cool n promissing lil vetures or individuals. hope I will in one of the next ones but you know how it goes, I rarely do elaborate on things I promise to elaborate on. posibly never come to think (too little to be sure) of it. barely never ever, thats the one. which is why I'm mentioning it so you know.
for this same reason I won't write about but will mention this kid called Donte Collins that I've been being impresed with a lot since I dicovered him a while ago.
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
The Sure Co. 5ive by jazz re:freshed
I've just finished listening to it second time in a row while doing numerous other things and you know what, Ima go ahead and put it back on again coz it's such a good good background. I don't mean it's 'background music' I am actually listening to it and it grabs my attention while not distractig me from what I'm doing. not many things can do that
saw spaven windsor and Neil Charles at - give it a guess, gwan - jazz re:freshed the other (last thurs)day and it was so good good (I'd seen them not long before that at the jazz meet and that was great too). they are fantastic live musicians, create beautiful energy and take you exactly where you want to be. I've said this before Ima say it again if jazz re:frshed doesn't lift up yout spirits then probably nothing can, and spaven and windsor are among my favourites within this beautiful family.
every thursday at mau mau bar in portobello road. just go. you will love it. they don't do average.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Mark de Clive-Lowe & the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra - Take The Space Trane
Out February 4th/5th, ‘Take The Space Trane’ is the new album from producer, composer and musician Mark de Clive-Lowe in collaboration with the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra.
MdCL and the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra join forces for the first time, delivering big orchestral jazz grooves with a nod to club productions, for a modern, experimental take on the big band sound. The album brings together a selection of bespoke compositions and existing cuts from across MdCL’s highly prolific career, as well as a cover of the jazz standard, "Caravan" – all realised with traditional big band arrangements and instrumentation.
The idea for this project was born when MdCL met the trumpeter Rob van de Wouw at an improv festival where he was performing, in Rotterdam; on hearing him play, van de Wouw approached MdCL to ask if he would guest with his big band.
on repeat: Earl Sweatshirt - Chum
I've always cut a lot of slack for OFWGKTA. the obnoxiousness, political incorectness and general fuckeduppery has bothered me less than I would have liked it to. can't help but somehow respect unapologetic clowning around, offending everyone and not giving a fuck. plus it was new and different if quite consistent nahmean. when they good - collectively or individually - I really dig it. can't say hearing a kid spitting you know it's not rape bitch if you like it etc ever felt comfortable - yep, much of the rape n kill (n mince the bodies then eat them vomit n eat again) stuff spat by 16-year old Earl on Earl is a bit you know. disturbing? - still 16-year old Earl's flow was dope as fuck.
I'm way more comfortable listening to lil Thebe Neruda Kgositsile - now 18, a mere couple years later - reflect on that and more in Chum.
the loop and the drum pattern are addictive, the video's beautiful, tight, meticulous lyrics effortlessly and effectively delivered which comes as no surprise. Thebe's not quite Quik yet but he's getting there quick. maybe. and if you still think hip hop's not poetry then you don't know what poetry is. the way-too-grown-upness of it - something sinister to it no doubt and he seems proper depressed too. still somehow I feel he'll be fine if his genius doesn't fall into wrong hands and burn out, hope he's as strong as he's dope. the way he's come back is kinda reassuring. instead of riding the hype and putting out a rushed boring overconceptualised album with a couple of hits on it (I'm gonna have to write that post about you know who after all just to get it out of the way) - he features on a couple songs, waits till the hype blows over then puts out this er... life summary. a kinda closure with little indication of what's to come other than that it may well be a much more interesting groove than the one he left for Samoa. or not. Doris LP is to drop in May apparently see what happens. on repeat.
I'm way more comfortable listening to lil Thebe Neruda Kgositsile - now 18, a mere couple years later - reflect on that and more in Chum.
the loop and the drum pattern are addictive, the video's beautiful, tight, meticulous lyrics effortlessly and effectively delivered which comes as no surprise. Thebe's not quite Quik yet but he's getting there quick. maybe. and if you still think hip hop's not poetry then you don't know what poetry is. the way-too-grown-upness of it - something sinister to it no doubt and he seems proper depressed too. still somehow I feel he'll be fine if his genius doesn't fall into wrong hands and burn out, hope he's as strong as he's dope. the way he's come back is kinda reassuring. instead of riding the hype and putting out a rushed boring overconceptualised album with a couple of hits on it (I'm gonna have to write that post about you know who after all just to get it out of the way) - he features on a couple songs, waits till the hype blows over then puts out this er... life summary. a kinda closure with little indication of what's to come other than that it may well be a much more interesting groove than the one he left for Samoa. or not. Doris LP is to drop in May apparently see what happens. on repeat.
[here's another one from mid August]
last night I had the bestest dream. I figured out how to repair human relations and living conditions, started implementing it and it was working. I WAS CHANGING THE WORLD! one of those dreams you wake up from and then spend a long time replaying it to yourself again and again to try n remember till you forget. I do remember one important theme tho (which will also be yo weekly suggestion. might as well try n kill as many birds as possible with this post what with three people staying with me at the same time, two bffs and one mother) which is also a bit of a leitmotif here dontchano... : it was done by mutual help. I think I was somehow arranging it, I have this image of playing a kind of social tetris. looking for gaps and filling them with what comes around.
so. the weekly suggestion is: help and get help
if u suffer from the Not Enought Time to Do Everybloodything syndrom like me u know how exhausting and cunter-productive it can be . but wait! it can be alleviated if not cured: delegate! have people who are good at things that will take you ages to figure out do them for you. while you do what you are best at and then go do the same for them ('them' n 'the same' are rethorical of course reciprocity is not I repeat is not obligatory, it's not what it's all about, favour for favour mentality bears ugly children). there. not only time saving - maybe even not most importantly - but hugely satisfying if you are not a selfish ..... person
Monday, 10 December 2012
2morrows Victory - Prime EP v Odeon EP
promised myself am not gonna write anythng new before going thru the (currently 47 and counting) drafts so here's one.
went to Giles Peterson's WWA warm-up at xoyo this year (instead of the real ting the next day everyone else went to and loved) and ...it was shit. no - I mean yes but that's not what I was going to say - ...these guys were the highlihgt. it was an overal bad experience for reasons that are neither here nor there but it was worth going to hear four I think tunes by a band I'd not heard of before. I then saw 2morrows Victory again shortly after at Odeon's release party at look mum no hands - a nice cycle cafe bar in Old Street you should check out and was really rather happy that I'd seen'em before. there was no soundsystem or acoustics to speak of in any sorta positive terms. still it was fun, they are fun, you can't not like them they are so cool, and I don't wanna say cute but I'm gonna have to say cute and I'm sure really good people, it shows. and their rides are cool. and most of their videos are very cool.
so I had fairly high expectations for this new EP and when it came out tried hard to like it. listened to it many times and liked bits but overall it joins a sea of things that nearly stand out. I liked Odeon more. it was less polished and felt more honest, it had urgency and soul. hey I loved Odeon - it was righteous! this one is ok I guess but doesn't touch me as a whole (like I said there are bits that do, rancid dreamstate is mostly a beautiful track). it's also pensive and that clashes with my image of this band and where I see their potentail. plus large parts of it sound familiar (in a bad way). if I was played fragments with no vocals and had to guess the artist in some cases I'd guess wrong, possibly repeatedly. ye this pensive cinematic polished feel, can't dig it, it just doesn't engage me enough like Odeon does, effortlessly. but worst of all and what I'm pretty sure is the main reason I dont like this EP and will not listen to it again is the fucking pads. I hate pads I'd ban them, I'd sacrifice easily the few cases when they work and are cool to get rid of this painful painful experience. pads make me cringe and this EP is full of particularly nasty ones. no thanks. sorry...
I'll keep listenng to this one for now see what happens next..
went to Giles Peterson's WWA warm-up at xoyo this year (instead of the real ting the next day everyone else went to and loved) and ...it was shit. no - I mean yes but that's not what I was going to say - ...these guys were the highlihgt. it was an overal bad experience for reasons that are neither here nor there but it was worth going to hear four I think tunes by a band I'd not heard of before. I then saw 2morrows Victory again shortly after at Odeon's release party at look mum no hands - a nice cycle cafe bar in Old Street you should check out and was really rather happy that I'd seen'em before. there was no soundsystem or acoustics to speak of in any sorta positive terms. still it was fun, they are fun, you can't not like them they are so cool, and I don't wanna say cute but I'm gonna have to say cute and I'm sure really good people, it shows. and their rides are cool. and most of their videos are very cool.
aside of all that coolness they also seem to be talented and innovative musicians and I really dig Greg B's vocals and flow (no idea what happened
to the other half of them though, there seems to be only two left drummer
Rafael Powell and Chi's Greg Bhailin)
so I had fairly high expectations for this new EP and when it came out tried hard to like it. listened to it many times and liked bits but overall it joins a sea of things that nearly stand out. I liked Odeon more. it was less polished and felt more honest, it had urgency and soul. hey I loved Odeon - it was righteous! this one is ok I guess but doesn't touch me as a whole (like I said there are bits that do, rancid dreamstate is mostly a beautiful track). it's also pensive and that clashes with my image of this band and where I see their potentail. plus large parts of it sound familiar (in a bad way). if I was played fragments with no vocals and had to guess the artist in some cases I'd guess wrong, possibly repeatedly. ye this pensive cinematic polished feel, can't dig it, it just doesn't engage me enough like Odeon does, effortlessly. but worst of all and what I'm pretty sure is the main reason I dont like this EP and will not listen to it again is the fucking pads. I hate pads I'd ban them, I'd sacrifice easily the few cases when they work and are cool to get rid of this painful painful experience. pads make me cringe and this EP is full of particularly nasty ones. no thanks. sorry...
I'll keep listenng to this one for now see what happens next..
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Juggaknots - Trouble Man
well if we crazed deranged well then we fit in. if you say the world's a normal place, who the fuck you kiddin? your mind's blind if you say you haven't seen this as I walk the fine line between insanity and genius
see hear. substantial
one of my favourite
cuts (prod. algorythm) off one of my favourite albums by one of my favourite rappers
gets one of my favourite videos of the year. the year's write up on
my mind and it's a scary monster.. 2012 has been long long n eventful
and my mind has been off music not at all. can't see it happening - last year's one is still a half-posted draft but if it does DMV's Stanley Robinson's in it. in case it doesn't ima jus say been a long eventful while since he came here to whip ass n chew bubble gum and well done the dude who's given him the name. the man's substantial no doubt in what he does as well as says. mhm. another member of my favourite world-changing fam nahmean. and here's one that showcses it nicely: 'more of a musical documentary than a music video' about the city of Baltimore grim, devastated, crime ridden and full of hope, creativity, good people and a school-teaching, community-building, youth project-funding conscious rapper.
yo what I hear is what you say, what I see when I see
you these days baby is lack of locks.... just kidding (notreally).
Home Is Where The Art Is album (9/12)
listen / buy digital
buy LP
Home Is Where The Art Is album (9/12)
listen / buy digital
buy LP
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