I like Bacardi. "Bacardi" rhymes with "party" and the actual meanings behind both words go off without a hitch. So, I guess it makes sense that Bacardi is behind one of the more epic tours of the year, one that includes Santigold, Major Lazer (Diplo and Switch), DJ AM, Jazzy Jeff and A-Trak. It's like a new rave in a box! Leave your glowsticks at home, though.
The FADER is one of the official media sponsors of the tour, so I will be at all of the shows. If you see a short Filipino with a video camera, hopefully that will be me and not some creepy dude trying to get shots of hipster 'tang. If it's me, say "Hi". If not, run like hell. Official tour dates and locations can be seen over at The FADER blog, but make sure to check in at the B-LIVE page to get tickets and see who's playing when and where.
Admittedly, my love for Clipse and Killa Cam hasn't been very well documented on this blog, but I've had those dudes on heavy rotation since when Macbook Pros were called Powerbooks. That being said, hearing about the upcoming collabo between three of my dearest coke flow giants got me all sorts of giddy. Needless to say, whatever street cred I can get for listening to them went down the drain once I heard the news and used "giddy" to describe the feeling. Artist's rendering of the upcoming track after the jump.
Mastodon! Check out how many spears of hate that thing took! Nothing can take it down. Read more...
True story: I spent few weeks doing prep, shooting, editing, etc making two of three spec ads shown on this reel so they would be done in time for grad show. In theory, my friends and family would have attended and watched the damn thing with a room full of strangers and after the last frame, the lights would have gone up and two models would have placed me on their shoulders while the rest of the crowd chanted my name-save for the agents and production company reps who were too busy writing my checks. In reality, my friends and I went off to buy alcohol and came back seconds after the whole thing was over with. Oh well. It's now online to be seen by the six billion people who missed it the first time. Enjoy, hos.
P.S. It can be seen in HD if you click through the Vimeo link.
Being the center of the entertainment industry is a rather dubious distinction in my opinion, but some Angelinos actually think this factoid should one to be proud of. I would certainly be in that group if A) I actually lived in Los Angeles proper and B) if there was more attention paid to screenings at the DGA instead of the Coffee Bean across the street when Paris or LiLo happen to come by. All bitterness aside, the Hammer Museum does have a rather clever and egalitarian event looming on the horizon. Their Open Projector Night is an event wherein people sign up to screen their short films while the crowd decides how much of it to play. The only way to determine this, however, is to weigh the cheers and the boos and hope your short isn't the one to cause a riot because some type nerds protest against your use of Cooper Black or Wingdings on the opening titles. The screening is on April 9th, if you plan on showing your work, make sure it was locally made and that you bring a thick skin and some brass balls.
Everyone that has ever tried to make it big through user-generated content, all the mash-up dudes, the trailer edits, etc just got owned. Kutiman came out of nowhere an launched his THRU YOU website today, featuring songs he made by sampling audio and video from YouTube clips to make new arrangements. And you thought datamoshing was cool.
I'm a card carrying member of the cult of Gosling so take everything with a grain of salt, but what is up with Ryan Gosling being the most awesome dude of my generation? Seriously, dude went from being the slow white cornerback in Remember the Titans to the actor that made me believe he had feelings for a love doll and that someone can not only endure Rachel McAdams, but actually build a house for the bitch with their bare hands. It almost pains me to say that he has a band whose album is coming out soon and they're actually good. Between him being the Bo Jackson of culture while I can't walk and light a cigarette at the same time and LeBron on the road to being Scrooge McDuck by bending space/time while still being younger than me, I'd have to say that I've been really unproductive. Hopefully Dead Man's Bones' album will wash away some of the pain when it comes out. Knowing Gosling, he'll probably make it an album of the year contender just to push me over the edge.
The new Spring Style issue of The FADER should be out in newsstands soon and it's a good one. Natasha Khan AKA Bat For Lashes shares cover duties with Beirut, the latter photographed with his cat and the former showing off that she's a free spirit by being all sorts of nekkid (sorry kids, no nips). This issue also marks a personal milestone for me, as it contains my first published writing assignment in the NWSPRNT section. Pick it up and I'll sign it if you want. Or you can just save it and use it as a ticket to ride shotty on whatever sports car I decide to buy when I'm making twenty grand a day making television commercials. Real talk.
The internet has been going apeshit about "datamoshing" since the Chairlift video dropped and even more so with Kanye following suit in less than a week, so it seems almost appropriate that the best way for me to even blog about the damn thing is to get all meta and quote my own Twitter post:
Over two videos in just as many weeks, datamoshing got big and got played. Seems like Ye really reduces the shelf life of non-music shit.
The awkwardly named technique is essentially forced digital compression artifacting and has been around for a few years. The two videos just happen to be attached to two of last year's biggest alt-music acts, which can account for the exaggerated cyber response.
As for my take, I'm not one to hate on dudes for taking avant garde techniques and applying them to commercial work as that's practically been my bread and butter. I do, however, dislike how the effect was pretty much an arbitrary stylistic choice on both videos (Ye's obviously the one that succeeds in using it and overusing it in one fell swoop). To be honest, I'm not sure what song, commercial concept, or narrative could even justify the technique's intentional use, but I'm pretty sure these two songs aren't the ones to do so. And if you want to know, I actually like Chairlift's video more than the Kanye one, despite me being on dude's nuts and him taking the technique to its logical end.
You can watch the videos and read a little more about datamoshing after the jump.
I caught FlyLo and the rest of the Brainfeeder crew a couple of months ago and I remember dudes talking about how this was the future. I don't disagree, but this new clip adds the argument that dude has his hand on the past and present as well-or maybe his chest like that Donnie Darko dude. Daniel Garcia directed this nice and surreal clip. Oh yeah, the track is nice, too.
I've been meaning to listen to the Fever Ray album for a week now and thought it would be a good idea to go through it now that it's all rainy and miserable in Southern California. What a terrible idea. All I want to do now is stay in bed all day with my cat as life passes by outside my window. Admittedly, this is my daily routine, but now that it comes with a terribly awesome soundtrack, it makes me realize how sad and boring I really am. Anyway, the Martin de Thurah-helmed video, "When I Grow Up", just dropped and it's as moody and weird as I expected. If The Knife had tried to do the same thing, I'm sure it would have ended up more like a cover of "Monster Mash" except with white chicks doing body rolls in the background, so thank God that it's for a Fever Ray track instead.
If there's anyone who likes free shit any more than me, I haven't met them. It's even more awesome when said free shit is actually something you would proud of owning the next day. New Shoegaze band The Depreciation Guild made their debut album, In Her Gentle Jaws, available for free on their website, making it the best piece of schwag I've come across in a while. Their album is part-Loveless, part-The Radio Dept. jam session, in the end making it the best new album to listen to in a dark room when you've just spent all of your severance pay on opiates. You can check out the video for my favorite track, "Nautilus" after the jump.
This is kind of personal for me as Andy Butler's Hercules & Love Affair album is one of the few reasons I survived my long commutes up to this point. Whoever came up with putting Antony over new disco shit is a genius that deserves a pat on the back, so head over to the anniversary party of Shits And Giggles and give him one. Butler is not the only big dog there, as Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem will be doing a set too. The whole thing goes down February 20th-fifteen bucks for presale, twenty at the door gets you in. Bring your cash, leave your leisure suits at home.
Here are the facts: Noah Kalina was awarded Image of The Week honors a couple of cycles ago and now, dude has a magazine coming out. See where I'm going with this, Mulder? There is no greater way for me to justify my delusion of being a tastemaker than putting myself behind the people who are next to blow and judging by how Noah Kalina is both talented and pro-active, the young photographer is an easy bet to make. Kalina Magazine dedicates each issue to a single theme or concept. The first issue, which is now available here, poses the question, "Why Won't You Love Me?". That sounds good and all, but what I need to know is: would dude have blown up without me? I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.
It's crazy to think that corporate sponsorship is the new patronism. It seems like the most interesting live projects these days have come about from corporate dollars. In my opinion, I'm all for it-the more people are exposed to great and/or under-appreciated artists, the better. ArtDontSleep and Mochilla's ongoing collaboration with VTech-makers of shitty, shitty phones-is one of the more ambitious projects I've heard of, as they have curated a composer/arranger series that shines a light on some of the greatest influences of hip-hop's more illustrious beatmakers. While that may sound like a press release for an expensive excuse to mix more cocaine and weed than Rick James, anything that has David Axelrod coming out is fine by me. The series runs from February to April with tickets to all shows available online at TIcketmaster AKA "the bane of my existence".
I recently went to the Silent Movie Theater to check out Cinefamily's first installment of Family Sundays, their collaboration with the Family bookstore. Family Sundays is a monthly series of film screenings wherein friends of both camps are hand-picked to screen a feature film and several shorts that are important to them and their work. Mike Mills screened the Hungarian New Wave masterpiece, Lovefilm, setting a high bar for everyone else. I'm sure that this won't be too hard to reach as one of the confirmed curators for future installments is fellow Beautiful Loser, Aaron Rose. Should be something worth checking out in the future. Look out for an interview with Mike Mills as well as Family co-owner David Kramer in an upcoming episode of LA Is A Nice Place To Live.
If you know me at all, you should know by now how much I love Friendly Fires. They're three British dudes who I will stand behind, regardless of whatever football club they have allegiance to-that's saying a lot. Anyway, those blokes recently finished their video for "Skeleton Boy" and boy, is it a doozy. The track is actually is one that I skip on a regular basis, not because it's terrible, but it's been placed in the middle of two of my favorite songs. But seriously, this is one of those videos that makes the song sound better. Remember when that type of video used to come out regularly? I can't be the only one that does.
Bonus video of Friendly Fires' cover of Frankie Knuckles' "I Need Your Love" after the jump. Dudes cover house songs, whowouldathunkit?
Made in U.S.A., Godard's awkwardly titled (or translated) 1966 film is finally making its ways to our shores this month. The film, made immediately after Masculin/Feminin, never got an official U.S. release due to some legal issues. The film can be considered a rarity even in the post-"be kind, rewind" era as it hasn't been available on TV, VHS or DVD out here either. Angelinos can catch the film for one week only at the NuArt theater. Rialto Pictures, the U.S. distributor of this release, has cut an appropriately self-reflexive and post-modern trailer-with Anna Karina looking pouty and Jean-Pierre Leaud appearing to do what he normally does-which can be seen here.
I was watching The Shining the other day before I tuned into the "The Bachelor" (seriously) and I was struck by how weird that film is. To clarify, I've always regarded it as a genius piece of work and it's what first got me interested in the cult of Kubrick, but goddamn, that movie is weird. Perhaps it's just the performances of the actors or maybe it was just the novel idea of someone actually wanting to marry Shelley Duvall, but something just wasn't right in the Overlook Hotel. Anyway, someone was clever enough to publish Jack Torrance's-Jack Nicholson's character-novel and sell it as a tangible item. Congrats to Jack. I know there were moments while I was writing where I wanted to chop people in half with an axe, so it's good to see the dude up on it.
While social networking seems to aim to be all-inclusive, there are certain moments where one can let loose their inner snob and lord their impeccable taste over others. While The Auteurs doesn't explicitly aim to give you an opportunity to do so, they do lay the groundwork for the bold and troll-y to act a fool if they wish. The site-currently in a public beta-is one part Hulu, one part Facebook, with an emphasis on high cinema. No streaming of Weekend At Bernie's here, dudes. They have partnered with the Criterion Collection to show films in online "festivals" for free, while other films can be streamed for a small nominal fee. Of course, there is a section to post reviews and list your favorite auteurs, perfect for contrarians or for those looking to meet and get recommendations from like-minded people. I've included a link to my account on the Web Presence section for those that want to link up.
I must admit, I winced at the thought of this project. A Biggie biopic directed by the dude who did Soul Food and Men of Honor? Whowouldathunkit? Over recent months, this project has been getting a decent buzz and now the people over at Flux as well as Nike Sportswear are showing it at The Montalban before it gets it's general release. It's been a good minute since I've hit up that venue, but I think I'm going to this one. Even if the movie blows, at least you can get free Belvedere drinks. Head here to RSVP and make sure you go to the theater early to get a seat. And maybe a drink or two.
While I always talk about SNL Digital Shorts having been a decent stopgap in between seasons of Conchords, I can't help but feel elated to see the folk duo from Middle Earth come through with their second season. Folks in LA will have a chance to check out an episode or two early, as there will be a free screening over at the National History Museum. Daedelus will also be there-to do a set, not just to watch-as well as free food and beverages. I hope by "beverages" they mean "booze". There's only so much sideburn I can handle sober and Jemaine and Daedelus seriously push my limit. RSVP here. It's 18 and over, so find something else to do youngins.
Get your right foot ready for some stomping, kids. I hesitated posting this at first, but since it's YACHT-related, I might as well do it. Scion is continuing its House Party series this month with a free party over at The Roxy. YACHT, on a seemingly never-ending tour, will be performing as well as a couple of acts from DFA Records. Normally, I would hype that up a bit more, but since they didn't book Holy Ghost!, they can go fuck themselves. Regardless, it should be fun. RSVP here and make sure to get there early because admission is based on capacity.
Drop what you're doing right now and watch Reprise. It's been forever since I've blind bought a DVD, but a recent trip to Best Buy proved fruitful because I picked up this Norwegian film. Joachim Trier-kind of related to Lars Von Trier, but not really-follows the post-Dogme Scandinavian trend of taking the French New Wave aesthetic and perfume commercial preciousness and blending them into some sort of sublime post-modern reflection on love, youth, angst, and identity. Let's just say I haven't walked away from a film feeling this good about the medium since watching Christoffer Boe's similarly bold and equally Scandinavian Reconstruction. While you might not come out of it feeling the same way, I'm sure you'll be at least inspired to go out and buy Fred Perry shirts, Cheap Mondays, and Joy Division records on vinyl.
File this under: "shit, cool". LJ blogger, thehoodwatch, recently shot photos of the abandoned set of HBO's The Wire. I'll say this is a convergence of interests, as it combines my obsession with abandoned spaces and the truly transcendent television series. If you're a fan of either, check it out over here. There are some spoilers, so if you haven't seen the damn thing, watch it and then click through.
Nite Jewel, the Los Angeles-based lo-fi Italo artist (whaaaaaaat?), will be performing at the Tiny Creatures closing event this Saturday. If checking out an artist who's going to blow up like Mickey Rourke's cheeks isn't enough to get you interested, the gallery will, as always, be showing a lot of art by people of a nice pedigree who have somehow gravitated towards Tiny Creatures. Check it out and support, even though the space is shutting down, I think it will be more of an Irish wake vibe than a hanky fest.
