Film: Funkstorung - The Zoo (Video) by Zeitguised

Here is a great visualizing of the Funkstorung track "The Zoo" from Zeitguised.

Funkstorung - The Zoo (Video)

Actually, check out the website, these guys have been doing some fantastic avantgard work for some time.

Here are a couple of my favorites: 1 2 3

The Website

Film: Mind Game / Dead Leaves

Well these look... umm... interesting... Mind Game looks like FLCL (Furi Kuri) meets Yellow Submarine. I'm not much of an anime watcher these days, there is just too much garbage to sort through.

Mind Game by Masaaki Yuasa

Japan Times Interview

Dead Leaves IS actually by Production I.G. who did FLCL... and Jin Roh, and Blood, and Ghost in the Shell 1 & 2 and Patlabor and the segment in Kill Bill... blah blah blah

Dead Leaves by Hiroyuki Imaishi

Production I.G.

Music: Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape 03

Dang! Well, Mercedes-Benz officially wins the award for best corporate promotional mixtape series. Mixed Tape 03 is out today... and let me tell you they keep getting better and better, though each one seems to have more and more recognizable names. Personally, I'd rather here cats I've never heard of before.

Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape 03

The cuts of note on this one are by Mocky, Larissa Pop, Wale Oyejide and a HOT HOT track from Sol Uprising. I am really feelin' this one...

Sol Uprising - Sol Power

Though, if you listen close, they are using the Neptunes distinctive kick and snare. That is a NO! NO! NO! in my producers rulebook. - Don't bite!

But the cut is hot, there is no denying.

Wale Oyejide just had new album "One Day, Everything Changed" drop that i've been meaning to mention. It is worth checking out and it has an aggressive Jay Dee jizzoint on it called "There's a War Going On". Peep it.

Quality.

Film: !!! - Hello? Is This Thing On? by Laurent Briet

!!! (Chk. Chk. Chk.) is everything DFA wanted the Rapture to be, minus the BS hype. Here is a great video by Laurent Briet, a former visual effects artist at Method Studios who made the jump to directing.

!!! - Hello? Is This Thing On? (Video) by Laurent Briet

The song is from the great new album Louden Up Now...

Music: Marley Marl & Pete Rock - The In Control Radio Show

I've been a serious homebody lately and really haven't felt like going out much but friday night I found myself stumbling into the MARK THE 45 KING show at MILK at my homegirls prompting. And im glad I did. It was dope.

After hiding in the car out front for who knows how long. Mark rolled in with a stack of about 15 records... of course he came correct with the classic cuts played the old school way... but! the classics can't compete when the crowd wants to partay. So, openers Haul & Mason out of LA stole the show, bangin' everything from Soul II Soul to the new Neptunes / Snoop jump off 'Drop it like its hot'.

So. Here is some old school for ya... Classic NY radio from 1989 - Marley Marl and Pete Rock's In Control radio show. Guess whose in the studio?? Run DMC and EPMD... yup.

From ZAID

Part 1 / Part 2

Wish I had a tracklist...

Music: Kanye West - New Workout Plan (Lil' Jon Remix)

Has anyone seen the video for the original version of this song? Its pretty funny... and filmed as an infomercial. Nice to see some creativity it today’s generic as hell blatant T&A hip hop videos...

Kanye West - New Workout Plan (Video)

Is Hype Williams still making videos?

Okay well, anyone who knows me knows I'm an old school booty bass fanatic and Crunk-a-holic. Well here is a tasty cut that was finally released. Kanye rinsed this at the Rock-A-Fella concert here in SF a while back. The crowd went nutz... Lil' Jon still runs the club . Well, at least in my club.

Kanye West - New Workout Plan (Lil' Jon Remix)

Actually, I would prefer this without Kanye's vocal on it. "...girl your breath is HARSH cover your mouth like you got SARS..." What!?? Stop it. Please.

Where my Ying Yang tape at?!?!

Music: Amon Tobin - Out From Out Where (Ninja Tune)

Amon Tobin - Out From Out Where (Ninja Tune)

Download it. Listen to it. Buy it.

Music: Toph One / Miles / Grandmaster Slice

Well I just got back from playing a RARE gig at the Rickshaw Stop here in San Frandisco... I've been trying not to play out lately and focus on other thangs (booty)... just kidding ;P but seriously, it was for my homegirl and all the proceeds went to a SUPER cause, so I had to represent. I went all over the place... back to the future... foward to the past... Youuuu knoooow...

So anyway... here is one of the joints I played... from back back in the day day...

Grandmaster Slice - Electric Slide

Actually, I can remember when and where i was when i heard this for the first time... Yep, its one of those old school jizzams.

So... tonight I played with one of a handfull djs I really admire... San Francisco's finest... Mr. Toph One. He and Miles outta Dallas Texass. They be some godfathers of soul to me. Mad inspiration and respect... ill selection. which is what it is being a DJ is all about.

And peace to my homeboy and his girl in Austin, getting married on saturday... wish I could be there brotha. much love.

And I'd also like to shout out to Old Dirty Bastard and GZA (The Genius) who taught me to diversify my assets. And werd up to the submarines.

Music: Drum and Bass Mix Madness

More mixes than you will ever listen to...

Right Here

Knock yo 'sef out.

Art: Moira Hahn

Former bay area resident, artist and animator Moira Hahn has been perfecting her craft for more than 20 years. She now teaches in southern California. One of the many interesting things in her work is her use of Japanese popculture icons such as Astroboy along with more traditional Japanese elements.

Moira Hahn

Here are some of my favorites...
1 2 3 4 5

Some of them look like they could exist in the same world as Myazaki's Spirited Away.

More Work

She is currently showing at the Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Hollywood until February.

Film: House of Flying Daggers by Zhang Yimou / Christopher Doyle

Well Zhang Yimou's latest film is done filming and it is suposedly being released in the US and Japan later this year... Zhang also directed the recently released Jet Li flick Hero, which everybody seems to dig and Miramax took its sweet ass time in releasing (you could buy the dvd from Hong Kong over a year ago). So like Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer) Zhang has jumped ship to Sony.

As far as Hero goes, I wasn't really moved by the story like I was with Crouching Tiger. However, the cinematography and production design was absolutely fantastic and gorgeous.

The cinematographer was Christopher Doyle who has done most of Wong Kar Wai's films including In the Mood for Love and the forthcoming 2046.

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

House of Flying Daggers stars Takeshi Kaneshiro from Infernal Affairs, Andy Lau from Chung King Express, and Zhang Ziyi from... uhhh... my dreams.

Film: Glassworks

Glassworks is a visual effects and production firm out of London. This VFX house has created an enormous body of superb work from commercials to films and, of course, videos. They have done work on all of Chis Cunningham's most recent videos including Bjork's robotically enhanced 'All is Full of Love'.

Here are some of my other favorites...

Bjork - Nature Is Ancient

DETR - Vectorscope

Massive Attack - Butterfly Caught

Music: DJ Premier

Here is a live mix DJ Premier did on German radio - Back to the Basics 93.0 FM. Premo is one half of Gangstarr a legend in Hip Hop and one of my favorite producers. Mix was recorded on September 17th.

DJ Premier - Back To The Basics

That new Alchemist "Hold You Down" (14:00) joint is illll!!! Features Prodigy, Illa Ghee and Nina Sky on the hook. Yeauh!

Peep the instrumental on the last Jadakiss cut 'Still Feel Me'. Lovely.

Grab it quick.

Music: The Flashbulb

Benn L. Jordan aka The Flashbulb has been making some of the best under appreciated IDM / Braindance music for a while now. Running the gamut from glitchy hip hop to ambient instrumentals to synthetic crystaline dnb style Braindance, Mr. Jordan is an extremely talented producer.

The Flashbulb - She's Moving Right Along Now, But I'm Not Going To Be Dramatic

There are no shortage of technical producers in the genre but only a few that keep it musical not just combining shredded beats and maniac effects. A lot of his work harkens back to IDMs golden age, where technology was infused with a helthy dose of pop and every other single genre. See old Aphex, Mu-Ziq and Squarepusher if you need further examples.

Visit his website for more tunes and download the free Lawn Funeral EP.

Tight.

Film: 2046 by Wong Kar Wai

Haven't I said enough?

New Trailer

Oh man...

Music: Christina Milian / Kelis / Nina Sky

Okay... this is hot.

Christina Milian - I Can Be That Woman

Think filtered French funk meets Kylie's sugar coated pop vocabulary.

But I have 2 PROBLEMS... 1) The beat isn't BANGIN' BANGIN' and 2) The godamn bridges... AAaaaaah!!! ENOUGH!

THE BRIDGE IS OVER.

It is very rare that I don't hear a bridge in a pop song that doesn't make me cringe. Is it because I have pounded my brain with that simplified synthetic song structure, for so long...

NAAAAaaah.... i am hard pressed to think of any bridge i have liked recently... ummm... let me think.... uhhh... yep. none. bridges rarely work for me and they are all over pop music.

See Kelis' Dallas Austin produced joint "Keep it Down" for another example. That shit is hard with a heavy badunkadunk beat and Rick Ruben inspired guitar stabs... then it drops into a wack ass bridge.

So if pop vocals don't bother you, this is a dope jam... till the bridge comes in and... ahhhh gawd damit... Anyway, I imagine this track will be all over the radio soon as its the only other stand out on the new album besides Dip it Low the dancehall flavored lead, which is alright... but overproduced and not nearly as effective as the Move Your Body (Coolie Dance Riddim) (bridge free) hit from Nina Sky.

Film: Plaid - Itsu (Video) by Geoff McFetridge

Uhhh.. duuude... whaaaat???

Plaid - Itsu (Video)

Aaahahahaha... Awesome.

Geoff McFetridge is a nutter.

Film: Peace Running by Bessy and Combe

Here is a super piece of animation for Panasonic's Capture the Motion promotion (say that twice real fast) for the Olympics (Are they over yet?).

This looks superb. By two French animators I have never heard of... Bessy and Combe.

Peace Running

Music: Miguel Migs / Rasoul / Massive Attack

Well, its Sunday and Sunny here in San Frandisco and one of the best ways to spend it is at a Sunset party. This week it is front and center at the Civic Center (SF City Hall) and its free as usual. Miguel Migs is making his annual Sunset guest DJ appearance today so expect a crowd and a hefty dose of that silky sexy soul that he is known for. It - will - be - dope.

On that note...
Here is a little know chill B-Side by Miguel and Rasoul (Nightsource) from The Rise Above EP on the Naked Music imprint.

Migs & Rasoul - Sidewaze

Obviously channeling Massive Attack / Craig Armstrong on this one... I like it.

Massive Attack - Weather Storm

Sunshine here I come.

Film: The Incredibles by Brad Bird

A new trailer is out today for the latest Pixar flick "The Incredibles". This one is directed by Brad Bird of Simpsons and Iron Giant fame. Looks like another hit...

The Trailer

Samuel L. Jackson as Frozone.

Music: TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun (Video)

Okay, as you can probably tell, when it comes to guitar music I have a some what limited vocabulary. With the exception of a handful of bands since the days of Nirvana and The Pixies I have been pretty uninterested in that sound. Not to mention there continues to be SO MANY other NEW sounds and styles released.

What was I talking about? Oh, right guitar music.

See?!?!?! I'm just not that interested....

Okay.. Okay.. my point is that there still is (and always will be) a wealth of fantastic post pop post op post rock music still being released... "Staring at the Sun" by TV on the Radio is currently winning in my Best Rock Song of 2004 category. And the video is sweet too...

TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun (Video)

Directed by Elliot Jokelson.

Film: Sin City by Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez

Here is a trailer for Sin City, the new film based on the graphic novels of the same name, by legendary comic book artist Frank Miller. Robert Rodriguez co-directs, unfortunately? I haven't liked anything he has done since his $7,000 original debut "El Mariachi". This looks intriguing however, and it looks like the style stays true to the novels. I am eager to see it.

The Trailer

Music: Erykah Badu Vs Creamshower

Here is a mashup I did last year using the vocal from Erykah Badu's On & On and a re-edit I made of Creamshowers "Who Got the Key?".

Turned out well me thinks. Enjoy.

Bruce Wang - Erykah's Creamy Shower

The original version of "Who Got the Key?" is available on the fantastic Sunshine Club 3: Meierei compilation from the Vienna label - Sunshine.

Buy it.

Art: Masami Teraoka & Shunga Art

I am not a big fan of most of Masimi's newer works, however, his earlier stuff in the Ukiyo-e tradition using modern themes... I am really into that.

Check this... and this...

Damn, EVERYTHING has ALREADY BEEN DONE. Is art more about timing than content?

And ahhh.. what the hell... here are some Shunga prints from the 1800s (ie: Japanese Porn) Here...

Masami Teraoka is currently showing at The McKinney Avenue Contemporary.

Film: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Here is a clip from the new Mamoru Oshii film. Beautiful melding of 2d and 3d animation. The film opens tommorrow in San Francisco. Finally!

GITS2: Innocence (Clip)

Film: Brian Beletic

I first heard of Brian Beletic when someone sent me this hillarious video called Discover Hip Hop. Since then Brian has completed videos for Cee-Lo, Dead Prez, Black Eyed Peas and even The Basement Jaxx.

These two are my favorites...

El-P - Deep Space 9mm

Black Eyed Peas - Joints & Jams

Art: Mark Newport

Yarn artist Mark Newport's latest exhibit (knitted costumes of our beloved superheros) has just finished showing at the Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle. These are his best works yet. Get a load of Plastic Man's threads... Just cheeky!

The Exhibit

Music: Lady Sovereign / Chris Phillips

Here is the video for "Shhh..." the new single from UK Garage/Grime MC Lady Sovereign. The video is directed by Chris Phillips.

Lady Sovereign - Shhh (Video)

I like Sovereign... though she doesn't have a ton of material out yet, she is one of few Garage or DNB MCs to grab my ear recently. Here is a pretty good live mix with her and Feline on the 1s and 2s. 7:30 is the jump off.

Feline & Lady Sovereign - Live on Choice FM

Lady Sovereign

Art: Tarkovsky's Polaroids

Soviet film-maker Andrei Tarkovsky directed the original adaptation of the celebrated novel Solaris. Which is a classic film, as well as, one of my favorite books. Well... Apparently, he always carried a Polaroid camera with him. Which is pretty cool as I am a recovering Polaroid fanatic myself...

Tarkovsky's Polaroids

My Polaroids

Music: The Beastie Boys / Green Lantern

Mixtape king DJ Green Lantern has released his newest tape "Beastie Boys - NY State of Mind" which is a mashup of Beastie Boys cuts old and new over different hip hop instrumentals...

Check out what he drops halfway through this cut...

The Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump (The Green Mix)

The other joint worth a note... Body Movin' VS Poor Righteous Teachers' Funky Joint... nice.

Buy the Tape

Art: Indeterminable Collective

Here is some cool time lapse work from Theo Jemison and others in the LA based Indeterminable Collective.

The Light 3000 - Set to the schneiderTM tune of the same name.

Indeterminable Collective

Film: Nintendo

Funny...

nintendo.mov

Art: Tribute in Light


Music: Kid Koala - Scratchcratchratchatch

Brought to you via 2 turntables and a mixer... no sampler. The now legendary cassette that made Kid Koala famous and landed him a deal with Ninja Tune...

Scratchcratchratchatch Side A. / Side B.

Still my favorite Koala album...

I highly recommend checking him out live and picking up his new illustrated comic book (illustrated by Koala as well) Nuphonia Must Fall... which of course comes with a soundtrack...

Images

Film: Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter

Holy shit! This is the movie Mel Gibson... REALLY wanted to make... but couldn't get the rights to the story so he used the bible. 'cause... uh.. well... it was cheaper... Aaaahahaaha.

Buy tickets for your church or bible study group NOW!!!!

The Trailer

Art: 24Mb of Brain Pain

Well, they got the title right.

mindfuck.mpg

Music: DJ Face Off - Dub Mix

Here is a mix of delectable dub selections I've been enjoying...

DJ Face Off - Dub Mix

Film: Plaid - Zeal (Video) by Minivegas

Here is the video for the Plaid single "Zeal" from the album Spokes. Video is directed by UK collective Minivegas.

The Video

Film: Kings of Convenience - I'd Rather Dance with You (Video)

Well, here is the vid for the new Kings of Convenience single... I'd Rather Dance with You. This is simply one of my favorite songs of the year... just a lovely little tapper with king head dork vocalist himself Erlend Oye... dude cracks me up. Aaahahaha...

Love his voice.

Anyone know who directed this?

The Video

Film: 2046 by Wong Kar Wai

Well here are some new HI-RES press photos for the film I have been anticipating the most this year, besides Otomo's "Steamboy" and Oshii's "Ghost in the Shell: Innocence"... Wong Kar Wai's "2046".

The last Wong Kar Wai film was the romantically haunting and beautiful love story - "In the Mood for Love".

This will be his first film using computer generated effects (environments, set extensions, etc.) so it will be interesting to see how he uses that new tool.

The Visual Effects were completed by France's most respected FX house BUF Compagnie, which burst onto the scene with Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 1995 film "City of Lost Children".

Still no release date in the USA... although it already premiered at Cannes.

New Pictures

More Pictures

Korean Trailer (Windows Media)

Music: De La Soul - Live in 1996

Here is a bootleg of a 1996 De La Soul Show... enjoy.

Side A / Side B

Film: Steamboy by Katsuhiro Otomo

Steamboy will be the first film Katsuhiro Otomo has directed in well over 10 years, since the release of the legendary Akira. That film came out in 1988 and made the world take notice of Japanese Animation... for good. Initially to be released in January of this year, that date has been pushed back indefinately.

Here are some new photos...

The Trailer

Art: Back in Black (Burning Man vs RNC)

fucknewyork.mov

Well... i am back from an insane week in the nevada desert. I need a couple daze to get my brain and body functioning again, back here in the "real" world. Overall, it was nuts. Different from last year to be sure...

Over 36,000 people turned out this time.

I question the true importance of this event for most people, including myself... Has it officially become just a big party? or is it still something more significant?

For me... this year... it was... just a big... hot... dusty party.

I will be taking 2005 off.

ZZZZzzzz...