Kung-Fu Music [Archive] - Kung Fu Magazine Forums

GeneChing

12-04-2009, 10:57 AM

I'm taking this old thread in a new direction. Let's list some bands that use Kung Fu in the name (other than the Wu (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55471), which is already covered extensively here).

The first one that comes to mind is Kung Fu Vampire (http://www.kungfuvampire.com/). They are horrorcore, which is a music movement that I'm rather dubious of.

Another is Asian Kung-Fu Generation (http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/AKG/eng/), which I know nothing about beyond their website.

Another is Kung Fu, a jam band that more than a few friends have recommended to me specifically (but no one has dropped me a cd :() I don't have a site for them yet, but here's a review on jambase.com (http://www.jambase.com/Artists/72430/Kung-Fu/Bio).

Here's a new one:

Introducing Kung Fu Fax Machine (http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/nicole_sheahan/?id=11987)
By Nicole Sheahan
Friday, Dec. 04, 2009

Kung Fu Fax Machine. Definition: a band that writes and performs witty, acoustic folk-rock music.

Before I even heard them play, their creative name intrigued me, and I wanted to like their music. I was not disappointed in the least when I saw them live. Kung Fu Fax Machine's lyrics are clever and thought-provoking. They express emotion through lyrics like:

"Suddenly your name is the name of a street

I found you in the place we were never supposed to meet

And the dawn and the music and the lights of the town

Have the glimmer of your laugh and the pain of an eternal now"

(Lyrics from track one on their album, "Déjà vu.")

In other words, it is not your typical returned missionary attempt at wooing the ladies through music. Their songs talk about the struggles of life, questions of social politics and, you guessed it -- unrequited love.

Mike McClellan and Trevor Matthews were next-door neighbors at Helaman Halls their freshman year at BYU. Matthews heard McClellan playing the guitar through the wall and brought his viola over for a jam session. They started co-writing songs and performing at open mics. Both left for two years to serve missions in Brazil and New Mexico.

McClellan and Matthews recognize how their missions have affected their music.

McClellan said, "I realized who I wanted to be and how seriously I wanted to take my music. I feel like I got a much bigger view of the world. I saw sides of life I had never fathomed. Without my mission in Brazil, I would have an extremely shallow, narrow view of people and what they face in life, and that would be apparent in my music."

About his mission in New Mexico, Matthews said, "My missionary service has given me a lot of experience that I draw from as a songwriter; it helped me learn patience. Patience is an important part of our craft because good music so rarely comes to you all at once. It is mostly a piece-by-piece experience."

Now they are back together writing and performing more than ever. They recently recorded their debut album, "The Light in the Eye." McClellan rocks out on the acoustic guitar, as does Matthews on viola. Jason Sanders keeps the beat on percussion.

"(We want) to make interesting, catchy music that is also poetic and artistic. I believe that accessibility and artistry ... are not mutually exclusive. It is our goal to combine the two," Matthews said.

When McClellan was asked how he'd describe Kung Fu Fax Machine's music, he said, "My answer in one word: wood. Both the sound of the band (three finely crafted pieces of wood) and our lyrics are earthy and real. I think a lot of the appeal of acoustic music could be pinned on that idea. Nothing electronic. Nothing artificial. The acoustic musician can pick up his instrument, walk into the woods, or sit down on a sidewalk and play without any help from electronics. Just a man and his wood."

Kung Fu Fax Machine's debut album will be released Dec. 10. For more information on their new album and CD release concert, visit www.kungfufaxmachine.blogspot.com.

Zenshiite

12-04-2009, 04:39 PM

The NYC metalcore band Merauder's first full length was titled "Master Killer" and their second was "Five Deadly Venoms."

yutyeesam

12-08-2009, 10:13 PM

I like this new direction, Gene.
They aren't strictly Kung-Fu, but there are (were) bands called:
Karate
Sweep the Leg Johnny

There's a band called Danielson, and I didn't know if that was a misspelling of Daniel-san.

And of course, there's the Foo Fighters!

Fa Xing

12-08-2009, 10:34 PM

And of course, there's the Foo Fighters!

Actually, foo fighters refer to UFOs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_fighter) spotted by Allied fighter pilots during WWII.:cool:

MasterKiller

12-09-2009, 10:46 AM

Jeru the Damaja raps a lot about Chinese martial arts.

Dialated Peoples have a lot of Gracie jiu-jitsu references in their lyrics, as well.

Lucas

12-09-2009, 10:48 AM

Taken from the first Kung-Fu Hustle Thread:

This is really cool! Many martial artists and Kung-Fu masters are also musicians, or have musical ability. I just thought this was an incidental correlation, but it appears that there's more to it...does anyone have any further insights?

On a strictly superficial level, I can weave parallels between my form performance and in general, things like combat drills or hitting the bag, with my compositioning, in terms of dynamics, rhythm, etc. ...but that's purely on an external level.

I'd be curious to know anything about the internal aspects, if anyone has any insight into it.

-123

some ancients believed that music comes from the heavens and is displayed through our actions. such that our artistic expressions are windows of our souls that peer into the hights of heaven. with that belief its easy to see the correlation between music and combat, as both at their highest levels are forms of self expression.

of course that outlook is all a matter of personal belief.

Tao Of The Fist

12-09-2009, 10:57 AM

While it isn't neccessarily about Chinese MA, Dead Prez's "Way of Life."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kEirYlSlgM&feature=related

uki

12-09-2009, 11:06 AM

This is really cool! Many martial artists and Kung-Fu masters are also musicians, or have musical ability. I just thought this was an incidental correlation, but it appears that there's more to it...does anyone have any further insights?hmmmm... now imagine the approach from a deaf persons perspective. :)

yutyeesam

12-09-2009, 01:42 PM

hmmmm... now imagine the approach from a deaf persons perspective. :)

what approach? not sure what you're getting at. if you can't hear, then none of it applies.

uki

12-10-2009, 02:37 AM

what approach? not sure what you're getting at. if you can't hear, then none of it applies.you are suggesting the correlation between music and kung fu(martial arts), this is true, yet i am offering you to imagine what correltaion a deaf person would have... form can be directly linked to music tones, yes? expressing yourself corresponding to musical harmonies? ah well... nice to point this out anyway... made my brain go to work. :)

Xiao3 Meng4

12-10-2009, 03:28 AM

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen.html

A Master at work!

GeneChing

12-11-2009, 10:45 AM

Kung Fu Necktie (http://www.kungfunecktie.com/)
:o

GeneChing

12-14-2009, 10:54 AM

Now here's an act that sounds genuinely relevant.

Only God knows what to do with Voodoo Kungfu (http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/metro-beijing/update/culture/2009-12/491769.html)
* [00:50 December 15 2009]

By Robert Powers

Mixing elements of traditional Mongolian and Tibetan music with bone-crushingly loud and intensely grooving metal riffs, Voodoo Kungfu is a innovative, made-in-China musical act that has been a mainstay of Beijing's metal scene for nearly a decade.

Front man Li Nan, the band's sole remaining founding member, cuts a beastly figure for his height, and is known for growling, chanting and operatically singing his way through the band's charged live sets.

This past Friday at Mao Live, Voodoo Kungfu performed alongside a traditional folk orchestra, pitting their drummer against a Chinese lion drum, their guitarist against a matouqin ("horse-head fiddle") and Li Nan himself versus a throat singer.

Following a performance by local hardcore outfit Lose Control of Logic, stagehands went to work converting the club into a faux abattoir, hanging white bed sheets splattered with red paint on the walls.

With a banner reading, Only God Can Judge Me, the name of their latest album, draped across the back of the stage, the seven-member traditional-folk meets modern-metal ensemble's tore into their first song of the night: a hauntingly atmospheric mini-epic, which contained a repeating vocal line in Chinese, "Carry forth, develop and advance." [发扬光大]

The band's metal cover of Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" stood out as an evening highlight.

The next morning, the band departed by train for a follow-up gig at rock club Riff Live in Tianjin.

They had been told months in advance that the club would be providing the lion drum and gong required for their Saturday show. But upon arriving in Tianjin, they were told that neither was available, according to Nico Mazzei, Voodoo Kungfu's bass player. And at the last minute, a band member had to return to Beijing to bring replacements on an express train.

This incident, coupled with the club's apathy towards advertising the show (resulting in a less-than-promised turnout) and sound engineer problems, led band leader Li Nan to express himself in a way not commonly seen at live rock shows in China.

"Li Nan destroyed the stage," said Mazzei.

Near the end of their closing song, Li Nan became a bull in a China shop.

He upturned the 80-kilogram lion drum ("That thing takes three people to carry," said Mazzei), pushed Mazzei and the gong player over nearby amps and then dove, head first, into the drum set.

Accomplished matouqin player Jing Shan, hired for both Beijing and Tianjin shows, grabbed his classical instrument and fled the stage.

"Down on the floor, everyone thought the show was niubi," said a Swedish concertgoer, who saw the shows in Beijing and Tianjin. "But I've never seen anything so insane. It was like a hurricane had gone through. People started backing off when he was wrecking the stage, but when he jumped into the audience, the bar staff shouted 'everyone out!'"

"No one wanted to go back inside," she added, "but I went back in and saw Li Nan kneeling in front of the stage like Jesus."

"I'm not an angry guy," said Li Nan, who infamously smashed a Buddha statue on stage during 2007's Midi Festival. "I was just enjoying the music too much. It's a rock show, Jimi Hendrix smashed a guitar, Nirvana did the same thing."

The band's performs again at Mao Live on December 26. Though God only knows what will be in store for that show.

GeneChing

01-13-2010, 10:19 AM

A 5DV tribute album. How amusing.

SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD Featuring KING DIAMOND Drummer: New Album Out Now - Jan. 12, 2010 (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=133298)
SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD, the Texas-based experimental rock/metal group featuring KING DIAMOND drummer Matt Thompson, has released its long-awaited second full-length album, entitled "Five Deadly Venoms", via Do For It Records. The CD is loaded with 11 tracks and includes a five-song cycle inspired by the cult martial arts film of the same name, "Five Deadly Venoms", directed by Chang Cheh.

Commented guitarist David O'Hearn: "It's been a long writing and recording process, but those who enjoy SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD are a special breed — tenacious and dedicated — and we really think they will enjoy this latest offering. We really believe that this latest collection will be everything that has become expected of us. We're more focused and better rehearsed than ever simply because we've found a voice that we all agree is SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD."

Drums, mixing and mastering were done by Grammy Award winner Eric Delegard of Reel Time Audio. All guitars, bass, vocals and keys were recorded at Do For It Records Studio in Denton, Texas.

Selected songs are posted on SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD's new web site, along with a link to purchase a copy of the new album online.

"Five Deadly Venoms" track listing:

01. Romanza
02. Centipede
03. Snake
04. Scorpion
05. Lizard
06. Toad
07. Mischief and Epiphany
08. Let Us Welcome The Actors
09. Last Stand
10. Farewell
11. Peace Be Upon You

SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD is:

Vocals: Androo O'Hearn
Guitar: Dave O'Hearn
Guitar: Kenny Lovern
Bass: Gary Thorne
Drums: Matt Thompson

GeneChing

02-11-2010, 10:28 AM

a positive review for Five Deadly Venoms

‘Five Deadly Venoms’ combines kung fu and metal (http://www.dailycampus.com/focus/five-deadly-venoms-combines-kung-fu-and-metal-1.1124853)
By Aaron Burstein
Campus Correspondent
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

For all the people who ever wished that their love of kung fu movies and progressive metal could be combined into one product, the mask-wearing mystery warriors known as Shaolin Death Squad are here to save the day with their second full-length album entitled “Five Deadly Venoms.” With their latest release, Shaolin Death Squad provides yet another reason why they deserve to be at the forefront of their genre.

But groups like Shaolin Death Squad have become the odd men out in the progressive metal scene. If well-known progressive metal bands like Dream Theater and Pain of Salvation are equivalent to groups like Genesis and Rush, Shaolin Death Squad must be more like Univers Zero and Henry Cow. SDS is a band that chooses to get their hands dirty and they aren’t afraid to dive into the truly bizarre. Their style deviates from the expected and it makes for a unique and exciting listening experience.

Perhaps it is an overstatement to claim that Shaolin Death Squad defines the more extreme ends of progressive metal, but they definitely bridge the gap between the straightforward, symphonic prog metal and the wild avant-garde. They employ jaunty, atonal songwriting that reveals a strong influence from avant-prog and even math rock. But they still retain the structured elements of more traditional prog metal, and they pay their homage to classic progressive rock bands while still including a healthy dose of experimentation.

Contrast is the key to “Five Deadly Venoms’” success. Every song is a balance between tension and melody. Just when the songs seem to be getting too strange, the sound always reverts back to a clear and melodic hook, giving the listener something to hold on to. Musical accessibility is always kept in focus, but nothing is sacrificed in terms of unique songwriting.

Overall, “Five Deadly Venoms” showcases some of the best music that progressive metal has to offer. Every note is performed with all the elegance and precision of a Shaolin warrior. It’s a great album for fans and newcomers alike.

Lucas

02-11-2010, 11:04 AM

Jake Shimabukuro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Shimabukuro), one of the worlds greatest ukulele masters, has a really great song about Bruce Lee titled: Dragon.

Ive seen him live here in Portland at the Chinese Classical Garden and Tea House (http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/), and never having seen a ukulele played live before, I was deeply impressed.

He made his ukulele sound like mutiple different stringed instruments, and played a variety of styles. His skill, accuracy and passion are totally intense.

GeneChing

03-30-2010, 09:50 AM

I found Kung Fu Sophie's MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/kungfusophieandtheslowdyingdeath). There's some music samples there but I haven't listened to them yet.

Reno musicians raise money for schools (http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2010/03/29/reno-musicians-raise-money-for-schools/)
By: Garrett Estrada
Monday, March 29, 2010 - 7:19 PM

Michael Sion didn’t sit idly by and watch his sons play 40-year-old musical instruments in high school — he acted.

Sion, fed up with the lack of arts funding in Reno high schools, co-founded “Made in Reno” two years ago, a charity event for local high school arts.

“(Made in Reno) helps high school music students, gives exposure to our local working musicians young and old, boosts foot traffic in our downtown business district where the Knitting Factory is located – and of course treats the audience to an incredibly fresh, high-energy and bargain bill of live entertainment,” Sion said.

The show gathered 18 local comedy, music and poetry acts under one roof for $10, with all the money going to local high school music programs. Sion, emcee of the show, was “very gratified” by the large turnout.

“It was a near sellout with over 1,000 people,” Sion said of the show that included local comedy, music and poetry acts that raised $7,740 for local high school music programs. “That shows the grassroots community support for our public schools and our growing music scene.”

The show featured a fast-paced medley of artists, who performed three songs each. Musical genres, from mellow guitar by Kung Fu Sophie to spoken word poetry by Spoken Views to a performance by the Wooster High School Jazz Band were covered.

Acoustic pop-rocker Kate Cotter, who was one the many local musicians that performed, said she was excited to be part of the cause.

“It is just a win-win situation for everyone,” said Cotter, referring to the exposure the artists gained while raising money for the schools.

Sion’s sons Aaron Sion of Crush and Daniel Sion of Hopscotch Whiskey each spoke out on the need for more money for schools’ music programs. Daniel Sion, who used to play the trombone at Wooster, said that music needs to receive the same kind of attention and funding that football gets in order to keep students active in music. Younger brother Aaron Sion, guitarist for Crush and a junior in the Wooster music program, said there is a need for new equipment in the music program.

“We have been using stuff that has been there since the ‘70s,” Aaron Sion said.

The show, held at Studio on Fourth last year, provided the chance for local musicians to sell merchandise and give out free CDs.

The crowd ebbed and flowed with the style of each musician. It was not uncommon for one act to bring a certain section of people to life, followed by the next act touching a different group.

The area on front of the stage filled with people dancing and singing along to the songs. ****her back, members of the audience could order food or drinks from the bar and meet the musicians before and after their performances which gave the whole event a meet-and-greet feel.

Daniel Sion said he hopes the show will help get people interested in more local music and get people to seek out more shows.

“Check all the bulletin boards for flyers and go to all the basement shows around town; a lot of these guys rock harder than some of the stuff you see at these big stages,” Daniel Sion said.

Garrett Estrada can be reached at gestrada@nevadasagebrush.com.

GeneChing

04-12-2010, 09:44 AM

Not quite a kung fu name, but a kung fu vid.

EXCLUSIVE: Butch Walker's Kung Fu Epic (http://www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-butch-walkers-kung-fu-epic)
By Peter Gaston on April 12, 2010 10:02 AM 1 Comment
Butch Walker

L.A. rocker Butch Walker's new single, "Pretty Melody," is a mix of nostalgic '60s pop and modern songrcraft, and its video follows the same ethos, mixing classic matinee cinema and campy kung fu movies with modern special effects. Watch our exclusive premiere below!

Director Shane Valdez, an up-and-coming filmmaker who Walker describes as "a mix of Spike Jonze and Crispin Glover," helped the 40-year-old musician/producer imbue the video for "Pretty Melody" with a different vibe than the song itself, the second single off Walker's latest album, I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart. "I didn't want the sweetness of the song to be so literally translated into a sappy video because that would be, well, ****ty," Walker tells SPIN.com. "[Valdez] was able to put the tongue-in-ninja's-cheek element into it all and not take itself too seriously."

And speaking of ninjas, it was Walker's love for old school martial arts movies that fueled the video's concept. "Fist of Fury was the first Bruce Lee movie I saw growing up, and I also loved Game of Death," he says. "This was my whole reason for wanting to do this. I tried to talk the director into using these sweet overdubbed, but loosely-synced voices for the intro dialogue that I did. It definitely added a comedic element, but I suppose the real voices that are there are equally as funny."

Among the posse of ninjas, you might be able to recognize Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith. "I know those guys are talented actors and they seem very eager to throw themselves into any situation that might require hamming it up for the camera," says Walker of the duo, with whom he shares management. "[Brendon] is quite the next Marlon Brando -- or Brandon Walsh."

Urie also starred in a spoof of American Psycho that Walker posted earlier this year.

Watch the video below, and tell us what you think of Walker's kung fu epic in the comments below.

WATCH: Butch Walker, "Pretty Melody"

SPJ

04-12-2010, 11:06 AM

Taken from the first Kung-Fu Hustle Thread:

This is really cool! Many martial artists and Kung-Fu masters are also musicians, or have musical ability. I just thought this was an incidental correlation, but it appears that there's more to it...does anyone have any further insights?

On a strictly superficial level, I can weave parallels between my form performance and in general, things like combat drills or hitting the bag, with my compositioning, in terms of dynamics, rhythm, etc. ...but that's purely on an external level.

I'd be curious to know anything about the internal aspects, if anyone has any insight into it.

-123

kung fu is about your body or physique.

music is about your soul (emotions and feelings).

:)

GeneChing

05-13-2010, 09:26 AM

Groovy kind of moves (http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=46714)
BY CHAN SOO WAH

I HAVE had the impression that veteran Hongkong Cantopop star George Lam (below) ‘shouts’, not sings. But I was proved so wrong.

His concert at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands, last Saturday night, showed that he needed no amazing stage set or dancers to entertain the crowd – just his voice and his songs.

It was an added bonus that Lam has with him on stage, the legendary Taichi Band (above), which set the tone for the night with the screeching intros by lead guitarist Joey Tang and guitarist Ernest Lau as well as an explosive drum solo by Ricky Chu. And when Lam entered, singing his signature hit Man of Determination, the crowd roared their approval. Taichi’s vocalist Patrick Lui added his voice to the mix and later took over for one of the band’s hits, Everyone Sing Together.

The energetic Taichi Band rocked on without Lam with Upright, Stormy Lips, Happy and Sad, and ended its session with Every Words. Lui was prancing around on stage and kept inviting the crowd to stand up and dance but his requests seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Even Lam was prompted to ask at one point in the night: "Have you all waken up from your nap yet?" After all, it was a rock concert, for goodness sake!

The 62-year-old crooner was, however, undeterred by the subdued reaction from the majority of the crowd, continuing to woo them, this time, with a string of love songs, including To Avoid Further Tragedy, Who Do You Love, 1,000 Stings and Forgotten Dreams.

When Lam called for a volunteer to come onstage and sing with him the duet, Choose (which he had performed with his wife Sally Yeh), a tourist from China ran to join him. Despite being rather shaky at the start, she turned out to be quite good.

The ballads continued with Lam and the Taichi Band covering Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight and Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman. And when Lam continued with the love song, Need You Every Minute, the crowd warmed up and sang along.

The mood changed again with Number Life, one of Lam’s hits in which the lyrics consist of numerals! The pace heated up with Taichi Band’s Red Sports Car, Crystal and Keep Me.

Lam returned with yet another of his classics, Digital Life, and his Cantonese version of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl, renamed I Love You. He ended his concert with Mirage and came back with the Taichi Band to deliver Who Can Understand Me? as an encore.

It was only then that the crowd stood up and danced to the next few tracks including the rock ’n’ roll number That One Night, Flower Street No.7, Nothing Gonna Stop as well as an impressive rendition of Santana and Rob Thomas’ Smooth by Lam.

The concert finally ended but not before bowing to requests from the crowd for Drizzles on Me by the Taichi Band and 0:10 and Ten Million Nights by Lam.

Altogether, Lam and the band delivered 34 songs but without Lam’s famous 10-minute-long medley, 10 Minutes 12 Inches.

Despite the crowd’s initial lack of enthusiasm, Lam still has this to say: "I’ve been staging concerts in Malaysia since the 80s and I can tell you that Malaysian fans are the best!"

Updated: 11:12AM Thu, 13 May 2010
A rock concert, for goodness sake? Who the heck uses 'for goodness sake' to review a rock concert?

Xiao3 Meng4

05-13-2010, 11:54 AM

Found some Voodoo Kung Fu on Youtube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyQTsSjF5fM&feature=related) :cool:

GeneChing

10-22-2010, 09:40 AM

...I don't endorse this video just because there's a ballerina with numchuks (http://www.martialartsmart.com/weapons-nunchakus.html). :rolleyes:
Travie McCoy: Need You [OFFICIAL VIDEO] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c16KraHZ7GE)

GeneChing

11-02-2010, 09:41 AM

...I don't endorse this video just because there's a dominitrix with numchuks (http://www.martialartsmart.com/weapons-nunchakus.html). :rolleyes:

Overlord (Director's Cut)
Black Label Society (http://www.vevo.com/watch/black-label-society/overlord-directors-cut/USKO11090112)

GeneChing

12-23-2010, 11:43 AM

No Numbchuks (http://www.martialartsmart.com/weapons-nunchakus.html)? :(

December 22nd, 2010
The Asian Influence on Hip Hop (http://www.channelapa.com/2010/12/the-asian-influence-on-hip-hop.html)
by Zoey Flowers

The Asian Influence on Hip Hop - Wu Tang Clan“The Asian delegation chooses the RZA, the GZA, U-God, Inspectah Deck, the Ghostface Killah: the Wu-Tang Clan.” The leaders of the legendary hip hop group, RZA and GZA come to the stage and blissfully accept this selection. RZA explains, “This is big for us, yo, because we’ve always been a fan of the kung fu and the Chinese culture”.

Yes, Dave Chapelle has brought us some memorable moments on The Chapelle Show, and declaring Wu-Tang Clan was now fully Asian was definitely one of them.

But let’s be real. The Asian culture has truly influenced some of our hip hop heavyweights. From their music and videos to even their lifestyle, rappers have done their homework. In the words of Rza from his book, The Tao of Wu, “Wu-Tang Clan truly did take a martial arts approach to hip hop – to the sound of music, the style of the lyrics, the competitive wordplay of the rhyming, the mental preparations involved”. Rza named this book after Tao, known as “the way” from Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, who is considered the founder of Taoism. Even the rap group’s name originated from the art of fighting. In the1981 kung-fu film, Shaolin and Wu Tang, two rival martial arts schools, Shaolin and Wudangquan, display their kung fu and sword fighting. The movie had the rap group enamored enough to name themselves after it. When RZA was thirteen years old, he watched another kung-fu film, The Thirty-sixth Chamber of Shaolin. Eleven years later, the classic album, Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers, was released by the hip hop elite.

Quite influential, the Shaolin monks are known for their peacefulness, inner life force or chi, and most popularly, their mesmerizing fighting techniques. A protected culture, it has been said that once you were in Shaolin, you couldn’t just get up and leave. It was a world with internal rules and bylaws. But throughout its history and time, things have changed. Shi Yan Ming, a 34th generation Shaolin warrior monk, launched The USA Shaolin Temple to share the Shaolin philosophy with the world. Unsurprisingly, some of his students have included members of the multi-platinum rap group, such as Ol’ Dirty *******, Ghostface Killa and of course, RZA, who had the renowned warrior write the foreword for his book. In addition to members of the Wu, Shi Yan Ming’s students have also included Busta Rhymes, members of A Tribe Called Quest, and Jeru the Damaja.

The Asian Influence on Hip Hop - Jeru the Damaja

Legendary rapper, Jeru, has made no secret of also being heavily influenced by the Asian culture. An avid lover of kung fu movies, his classic single, Ya Playin Yaself, portrays a backdrop of Hong Kong as Jeru is draped in traditional Chinese garments. In the beginning of the video, Jeru is kneeled down holding numerous sticks of incense. The classic clip continues with a game of mah-jong, which he interrupts to spar in a kung-fu style fight. Jeru’s Far East inspiration was so strong that even the cover of the album, Wrath of the Math, portrays the young lyricist donning the Chinese-style clothing. There’s no doubt that hip hop has shown the Asian culture a lot of love with their music as well as genuine interest from hip hop artists. As they say, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.

And there’s also no doubt that that love is being returned to hip hop with our own movement. Alongside a strong influence, hip hop has also had stars of Asian ancestry. Inga Fung Marchand, better known as rapstress Foxy Brown, is part Filipino and has identified herself in her sop****re album as Chyna Doll. Part Filipino Black Eyed Peas member, Apl.de.ap, gives back to the children in the Philippines and Asia with his Apl Foundation. In addition, established artists of Chinese descent include Ashanti, Kelis, and Ne-Yo.

The Asian Influence on Hip Hop - Jin

The Asian hip hop movement is definitely in effect. When the ink dried on his Ruff Ryders contract, Jin became the first Asian rapper signed to a major record label. Setting his place in history, I don’t think I could say it any better than he already did on Same Cry. “I got some big shoes to fill. But if I don’t lead the movement, then who will”. With his spot secured in the hip hop books, Jin released his debut Cantonese album, ABC, produced entirely by a group called Far East Movement (Have you heard of them?). Producers as well as rappers, this group is now dominating the charts and radio waves with Like a G6. FM’s name certainly holds weight as they are unquestionably part of this significant movement.

And this expansion has just begun.

Thanks to the likes of Carl Choi, Misnomers, Jin, Far East Movement, Southstar, Joseph Vincent, Channel APA, and so many more, the Asian culture is becoming more than just a moment in hip hop. It is well on its way to becoming a force in entertainment. I must say that I am more than grateful to be here for our history in the making.

jethro

12-23-2010, 11:51 AM

Someone posted this on kfc.com I don't know if it's real or not.

http://cityonfire.com/quickimages/BigBossDopeInIce.gif

GeneChing

02-02-2011, 10:54 AM

Love that band name, but I'll be sorely disappointed if the band members lack afros...

* From: The Advertiser
* February 03, 2011 12:00AM

Shaolin Afronauts (http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/monks-of-mystery/story-e6fredq3-1225998998888)
http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2011/02/02/1225999/002114-shaolin-afronauts.jpg
The Shaolin Afronauts, Kevin van derZwaag, Ross McHenry and Lachlan Ridge. Picture: Matt Turner Source: The Advertiser

DON'T be alarmed - these mysterious men in hooded monk outfits mean no harm.

They're The Shaolin Afronauts, an Adelaide-based afrobeat band who are part of the eclectic line-up at this year's Womadelaide music festival.

"We try to explore the music of 1970s West Africa with our own take on that," one of the group members, Ross McHenry says.

"It's very expressive music ... it actually helps to have some sort of guise that you can use to express yourself so that you're not standing there in T-shirt and jeans."

The unique outfits also help to disguise Ross and fellow musician Kevin van der Zwaag, who you might know from their other group, The Transatlantics.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

Seven members of the 10-piece Afronauts are in The Transatlantics.

"It's just cool music and great sounds, once you hear it, you have to investigate," Kevin says.

Get an early taste of the Afronauts as they perform at the Womadelaide Warm Up Party at The Highway on February 9.

The free all-ages event features ticket giveaways and limited edition Womadelaide merchandise.

Womadelaide is on from

March 11 to 14 in Botanic Park

GeneChing

03-25-2011, 10:09 AM

Because we all know that Kung Fu is fun-keh! Kung Funk rocks the heart of my bottom.

Kung Fu Kongress brings the funk (http://www.montanakaimin.com/arts-culture/kung-fu-kongress-brings-the-funk-1.2124138)
By Michael Beall
Published: Friday, March 25, 2011
Updated: Friday, March 25, 2011 02:03

http://www.montanakaimin.com/polopoly_fs/1.2124145!/image/2195346345.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_240/2195346345.jpg
Kevin Van Dort sings with the rest of Kung Fu Kongress during their set at the Wilma Theatre Wednesday evening.

The March sun falls behind the Wilma Theatre. Inside, New Orleans funk band Galactic runs through their sound check for Wednesday night's show. Bass notes and horns pulse through the venue's walls to the parking lot below.

In the parking lot, local group Kung Fu Kongress prepares for their opening set. Drummer Campbell Youngblood-Petersen, discusses time signatures in 44/16 and 22/16 with trumpet player Tully Olson. Youngblood-Petersen taps his thigh and snaps his fingers in unison with Olson's hummed melodies, trying to kick their nerves.

Only a year into their young music careers, the eight-piece funk band is thrilled for a rare opportunity that few local groups are granted — playing before one of their biggest influences at one of the largest venues in town.

"Words can't even describe how I feel right now," Olson said, minutes before sound check.

Kung Fu Kongress is composed of eight core members: two guitarists, a bassist, two saxophones, a trumpet, a keyboard and percussion. All are jazz and classical music majors at The University of Montana's Music School, except guitarist and vocalist Kevin Van Dort and keyboardist Josh Farmer.

Galactic was brought to town by the national music promotion The Knitting Factory, and Kung Fu Kongress was the first local northwestern band to work with them.

"I shook their hands. Now I can't wash mine," a member in the group outside said after speaking with Galactic. "They asked me if we were touring, and all I could say was, ‘uh … no.'"

Logan Foret, Kong Fu Kongress' 22-year-old booking agent and manager, is also a member of the Bassface Artist Cooperative, a collection of DJs, painters and break dancers around Missoula. Foret's experience and relationships in the Missoula music scene helped their chances to land high-profile performances such as Wednesday night's opening slot.

"We already had relationships with a lot of venue owners," Foret said. "So getting it going wasn't too difficult. It was really about setting themselves apart from other funk bands around the state like Reverend Slanky and Cure for the Common."

Kung Fu Kongress got their start performing in basements and house parties around Missoula, playing classic funk covers with musicians who could find time away from school and other side projects.

The outfit performed their first venue show at The Palace last April. Their progression from house parties to selling out shows at The Top Hat and other downtown venues has been swift, but the band hit a roadblock when their original vocalist Cove Jasman moved to Portland.

"From there it was kind of a stopping point," Foret said. "We took a couple months off for hiatus last school year to see what kind of direction we were going to go with a vocalist."

That's when 39-year-old local blues musician Kevin Van Dort approached Kung Fu Kongress with an interest in filling their void.

"A lot of these guys knew Kevin from doing some jazz shows out in the Missoula Winery, where Kevin plays a lot of music," Foret said. "Kevin has a good stage presence. He has a really powerful voice, and we need someone who's a charismatic front man."

Van Dort joined Kung Fu Kongress in December, and the group performed New Year's Eve at The Top Hat. Van Dort became a full-time member of the band, helping them stray from strictly covering songs to composing their own tunes.

"It's cool to see the next generation of guys who are still in school," Van Dort said. "Just to have the University here and draw music majors is really fun. It's an interesting process. They keep me real, and I try to get them dirty."

Kung Fu Kongress is looking into recording an album and playing shows across the state this summer. Currently, they're focusing their time writing and composing original songs, which has only been in progress for the past two months.

"All of us are very creative in our musicality, so you have to find a lot of wiggle room," Olson said, outside in the Wilma parking lot. "You have to learn to work with other people. The style of music that we play is definitely complex and takes a lot of thinking to play."

"Yo, Campbell," Olson shouts. "Do you remember what meter ‘Playing Hard to Get With Your Girlfriend' is in?"

"Should we say it in a way that sounds most impressive?" Campbell replied.

Campbell leans into his car and starts tapping out the rhythm.

By the time the 15-minute warning for the band's 8 p.m. set rolled around, the talk of the next night's headlining show at The Palace and future travel plans ended. They lowered their voices and talked strategies. The horns and sax players sang melodies to Campbell's practice drum, and Foret got them organized.

The band followed Foret up the spiral staircase and onto the stage, where he took the mic and introduced Kung Fu Kongress. With a bass line from Trebor Riddle, the group kicked in to high gear.

The seven-song, 45-minute set ended in a standing ovation from the Wilma crowd. Kung Fu Kongress packed up their gear, and soaked in sweat with full grins across their faces.

"It went really well," Olson said after the set. "We got to hang out with Galactic. The sound was so good, and the energy from the crowd really helped us out."

A half-hour later, the Wilma continued to fill as Galactic hit the stage for their headlining performance. But even if they didn't fill the hall, it was time well spent.

"Tonight brought the band closer together," Van Dort said. "I'm glad we got the opportunity."

GeneChing

04-25-2011, 10:01 AM

I still haven't heard these guys (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=974480#post974480).

Deep Banana Blackout Members Sit in with Kung Fu (http://www.jambands.com/news/2011/04/25/deep-banana-blackout-members-sit-in-with-kung-fu)

http://www.jambands.com/images/2011/04/25/28168/203510_298379790900_1045652_n-353x.jpg
Kung Fu performed at Fairfield CT’s Acoustic Café on Friday night. Midway through the group’s first set, Deep Banana Blackout’s Johnny Durkin (percussion) and Cyrus Madan (keyboards) joined the band for “Scrabb,” Frank Zappa’s “King Kong, Deep Banana Blackout’s “Bringing Up The Rear” and The Meters’ “Sissy Strut.” Durkin reappeared during the band’s second set and remained on stage for the rest of the night. Kung Fu features Deep Banana Blackout saxophonist Rob Somerville. Kung Fu will appear at the

Both bands will appear together this Summer at the GOTV music Festival while Kung Fu will play a headlining set at Kempton, PA’ s Some Kind of Jam 6 this Friday.

GeneChing

06-24-2011, 09:35 AM

Some day they'll appear at a festival near me.

Published: 2011/06/23
by Fady Khalil
Summer Stars: Kung Fu (http://www.relix.com/features/2011/06/23/summer-stars-kung-fu)

http://www.relix.com/images/2011/06/23/29264/kungfuphoto-300x.JPG
Here is another of our “Summer Stars,” emerging acts featured in the 2011 Relix Festival Guide who will be making the rounds this summer…

When a serendipitous jam session brought together keyboardist Todd Stoops and bassist Dave Livolsi—Connecticut’s Kung Fu —it “wasn’t a very serious thing.” Stoops recalls its debut show, an informal Monday night residency at a friend’s New Haven, Conn. bar: “The first week, maybe like 70 people came.” But, much to the band’s surprise, he adds, “From the third week on, we were sold out! We ended up doing 14 weeks, and it was sold out almost every week!”

And so it’s been for the band composed of seasoned live music veterans, Stoops (RAQ) and Livolsi (Scofield/Jazz is Dead), with Rob Somerville (Deep Banana Blackout), Tim Palmieri and Adrian Tramantono (The Breakfast). In just 15 short months, its brand of “kick you in the teeth fusion” has garnered national attention with well-received performances at numerous festivals including The Big Up, Camp Barefoot and Gathering of the Vibes. And though its originals “run the gamut of styles” from up-tempo funk to odd-meter jazz—with reinvented covers of classics from Jeff Beck to Herbie Han****—Kung Fu’s mission at live shows remains simple: “We come as a group of commandos.” Stoops quietly elaborates. “We come to blow up the bridge.”

Appearing at: Gathering of the Vibes, The Big Up, Strange Creek Campout, A Bear’s Picnic, Jam at the Grove and more.

GeneChing

07-27-2011, 09:51 AM

Jared Leto: I want to do kung fu (http://www.musicrooms.net/showbiz/38206-jared-leto-i-want-to-do-kung-fu.html)
By Cover Media on 27/07/2011

Jared Leto is frustrated by the “sleep demons” who have been making his nights unpleasant.

Jared Leto has revealed his dream to “be a chick and take kung fu”.

The 39-year-old US rocker is best known as the frontman of 30 Seconds to Mars, as well as for his successful television and movie career.

Jared harbours a hidden ambition though, which he has revealed after being inspired by action picture Sucker Punch. The film stars Hollywood beauties including Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone and tells the story of a young girl fighting to escape a mental asylum.

Watching the movie stars in action made Jared realise he should take up martial arts, and he took to social-networking site Twitter to reveal his plans.

“Watching suckerpunch. Pretty girls kicking ass. Makes me want to be a chick and take kung fu (sic),” wrote the heartthrob.

Jared also vented about his current sleeping problems. The musician has been restless during the night, and blamed his issues on evil spirits.

“F**king sleep demons robbing my dreams tonight. If I catch them I'm gonna...(sic)” wrote Jared.Not sure on the 'be a chick' part. For more on Sucker Punch... (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=954)

GeneChing

09-09-2011, 04:20 PM

Christian rap.

What happens when LA born and raised musician who is also a Taekwondo champion meets a Russian battle MC, who was one of the first females in Russia to participate in hip-hop competitions? That’s right – International Love Movement takes its place.

International Love is a Band from Sacramento, California, formed by Reeta Style and the Kingdom .

It's TKD music, not kung fu music. Rapper E. J. Harris aka Kingdom claims he is a TKD champ.

Here's their website.
(http://lovemeorgo.com/)

GeneChing

10-12-2011, 09:37 AM

Almost posted this in the Shaolin forum...

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 | Posted by PrimaDonna_Jam
Shaolin Jazz – The Gil Scott Suite (Tribute Project) (http://stupiddope.com/2011/10/11/shaolin-jazz-%E2%80%93-the-gil-scott-suite-tribute-project/)

http://stupiddope.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/shaolin-jazz-gil-scott-tribute-500x500.png
Who is Gil Scott? That is the question many will be asking after hearing this dope FreEP tribute to the late jazz poet, musician, and author. Shaolin Jazz, a concept developed by Gerald Watson and DC’s own DJ 2-Tone, combine the works of Gil Scott and Wu-Tang Clan to deliver a unique three track album entitled The Gil Scott Suite. They describe the project as a musical marriage of the elements of an iconic Hip Hop group and the assortment of jazz to bring a new genre and experience to music lovers. The album has an old school hip hop, feel good vibe to it and is definitely different from today’s heavy bass and punchline filled music. It’s that Pinky Ring S**t, as the first song is appropriately titled. The album’s cover art was designed by Shamona Stokes, the winner of the Shaolin Jazz Album Cover Design Contest.

Gil Scott was an inspiration to many Hip Hop artistes, including Kanye West who used some of Gil Scott’s work on his latest solo album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Gil Scott died May 27, 2011.

GeneChing

01-18-2012, 10:39 AM

Aoki plays the Bill Graham Civic this Saturday and I'd really love to see him, but I'm already committed to the Beijing Wushu Team performance at the Palace of Fine Arts that night.

Steve Aoki Expands His Horizons (http://www.independent.com/news/2012/jan/18/steve-aoki-expands-his-horizons/)
The UCSB Grad and Dim Mak Founder Plays the Earl Warren Showgrounds
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
By Aly Comingore (Contact)

http://media.independent.com/img/croppedphotos/2012/01/17/SteveAoki-Credit-DoveShore_t479.jpg?6626f76dcd72edc2e28f46812c70264 50162bdb2
Martial arts and music are not so different; both are tied to the body and how to achieve its best efficiency. In the case of Steve Aoki, globetrotting deejay and founder of Dim Mak Records, the two are one in the same. Music is most certainly a doing word for the former UCSB student, who, since founding his label in 1996, has helped some truly indelible acts find their footing in the U.S., including Bloc Party, MSTRKRFT, and Battles. Most recently, Aoki has set his sights on conquering the kingdom of dubstep, the busiest and buzziest genre emerging from electronic music that has kids mobilizing in droves. To this end, he signed Canadian deejay/producer Datsik, who will be accompanying him on his Deadmeat tour alongside a menagerie of other artists on his label. Aside from all this, in January alone Aoki has still managed to release a single with Tiësto, a remix for Bassnectar, and his second album of original material, titled Wonderland — his first full-length since 2006. Not a bad start for the New Year.

Aoki’s relentless energy was all too evident as I caught up with him on the phone in the middle of a trip to Vegas. Even over the din of the casino, I could fully hear the conviction in his voice as he described the recent doings of Dim Mak, named after the “death touch” of Chinese martial arts lore. “Efficiency is anything that scores,” Bruce Lee once said. “One utilizes all ways and is bound by none.” Certainly the right approach when applied to music, as well.

Wonderland has a huge range of guest personnel. What do you see as the uniting factor between them? The uniting factor is essentially me. The way I see this album is a culmination of all the different influences and sounds that have been a part of my life for the last four years. My goal for this album was to be totally eclectic and totally diverse. I wanted to showcase all these different sounds that I love, because the thing is, I love all kinds of music. I’m a punk, a hardcore kid, a raver; I love hip-hop, rap … in that token, I wanted to work with all these different artists, and also work with their swagger and style, as well. So the album is meant to be a proper album of songs, rather than the bangers and singles I’ve been putting out the last couple of years.

Dubstep is obviously a big influence on Wonderland. To what do you attribute the genre’s massive popularity? It’s a new style for people. It’s actually been around a long time, but it’s finally emerged with certain artists. I think what it is is artists who put melody along with the heavier side of dubstep; it makes it so interesting for people. Skrillex is like Daft Punk; he really commercialized dubstep because he put amazing melody and incredible, heavy sounds in his tracks so that all kinds of people can listen to it and not be alienated by it. It’s all about certain traditions that can bring a sound or culture to the masses. Like Justice, in my opinion, in ’07 — they were the artist who put electro on the map. In 2011, Skrillex brought dubstep to the masses.

What can we expect from Dim Mak this year? We’re putting out Datsik’s album this year. We’re actually putting out Infected Mushroom’s album, as well, and broadening our horizons as far as sound. I’m involved in helping curate and making it different. They have their own lane, of course — they’ve created their own sound — but now they’re trying to do something unique and newer, and we’re helping build that new lane for them. So when you guys hear it, it will be a collaboration. We’re putting out [an album] called Evilution — it’s Datsik and Infected, and it’s coming out in February or March.

It seems like you have been phasing out bands in favor of deejays/producers. Is this a conscious thing on your part? Well, we’ve evolved through so many different genres across the last 15 years. At one point, we were putting out hardcore and emo. The thing is, as I said, I love all kinds of music. In 2007, we stopped putting out indie bands and made a diligent effort in the dance community and signed MSTRKRFT and The Bloody Beetroots. They required a lot of our attention, because when you sign someone at that scale, you really have to give them the time and the opportunity to help build them. So I made that decision to focus on those two artists rather than try to find the next Bloc Party, or the next Gossip, or something like that. So when that happened and they were becoming more and more successful, our work also increased, so we just tried to focus on that.

What do you have to say to kids struggling with music? How do you break out of the DIY mentality? You never break out of the DIY mentality. It’s always been part of Dim Mak’s business model. When we have people coming into the office, we’re pitching them that same concept: Get your feet, get your hands dirty. You’re gonna have to do the work yourself. You can’t really rely on too many people. No limitations: That’s DIY. If you don’t have the money, find a way to get it. You might have to do certain things to get there, like what I was doing early on: I was stealing. I was stealing from Kinko’s to make all my copies. My friend worked there, and luckily I had that outlet to make all the inserts for my LPs and 7 inches. The Dim Mak motto is “by any means necessary.” You’ll find a way if you really believe in what you’re doing.
4•1•1

Steve Aoki plays the Earl Warren Showgrounds with opener Datsik on Friday, January 20, at 8 p.m. Visit collectiveeffortevents.com for tickets.

GeneChing

01-26-2012, 10:13 AM

Asian Kung-Fu Generation Band Releases First U.S. Album (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-01-26/asian-kung-fu-generation-band-releases-first-u.s-album)
posted on 2012-01-26 01:00 EST

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/fit300x300/cms/press-release/48204/best-hit-akg_cover.jpg
CD includes rock band's Naruto, FMA, Tekkonkinkreet, Bleach theme songs

Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation announced on Tuesday that their Best Hit AKG album has been released to U.S. audiences, marking the band's first stateside release. The greatest-hits album shipped in Japan and became available on the U.S. iTunes Store and Amazon's MP3 download service on January 17.

The CD's 17 tracks feature selections from six of the band's albums and two EPs as well as the new single "Marching Band." Songs also include the Naruto opening theme “Far and Beyond,” Fullmetal Alchemist opening theme "Rewrite," Tekkonkinkreet theme “A Town in Blue," and the Bleach opening theme “After Dark.”

Asian Kung-Fu Generation formed in 1996 and released their first album Hōkai Amplifier in 2002. Magic Disk, the group's sixth album, rose to #2 on Oricon's album ranking chart after its release on June 23, 2010. The rock band has sold about 2.5 million copies of its albums and single CDs.

Official website (http://www.asiankung-fu.com/eng/)

I mentioned them when I first pillaged this thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=974480#post974480). Now we know more.

GeneChing

02-28-2012, 10:21 AM

I've heard of Planet Asia as it's an S.F. thing, but I don't really know the music at all.

Sunday, February 26, 2012
Kung Fu Slaps: Influential rapper Planet Asia covers new territory (http://www.dailycal.org/2012/02/26/kung-fu-slaps-influential-rapper-planet-asia-covers-new-territory/)
By Ian Birnam | Staff
Last Updated 1 day Ago

With hip-hop’s ever-changing spectrum of styles, you may be hard-pressed to find a rapper from back in the day that can still sound fresh. Ambient production is growing, as is the trend of incorporating genres from the complete opposite side of the soundscape. To have been around for 15 years and still remain at your prime is something rappers should all aspire to. In Planet Asia’s case, this aspiration is a reality. Starting back in 2000 as one-half of the rap duo Cali Agents, Asia has become a leader in the underground hip-hop community. With the release of Black Belt Theatre — his first retail album in four years — the San Francisco artist’s prime production value and skillfully executed rhymes prove that age really is just a number.

Although Asia has been a producer for various artists over the years, this album marks his return as a solo MC. Asia described his path toward the album as a journey to his roots. “I was going towards a more producer role in terms of records for a while,” said Asia. “But this album is more like your typical Planet Asia record like the Jewelry Box Sessions.”

By going back to the basics and strengthening them, Asia hopes to bring forth a record that will not only please new fans, but serve as a thank you for fans who have been with him from the start. “I’ve really made this album for the people that have been listening to Planet Asia my whole career, so they finally get a quality album with good features, good production.”

Asia preaches the truth here. As a self-proclaimed “beat fanatic,” the production quality is the main highlight of Black Belt Theatre. Producers like Khrysis, Dirty Diggs and Soulprofessa all leave their own distinct mark on the album with Asia leading the overall direction of the sound. The features also offer a variety of styles, ranging from known acts like Talib Kweli to local legends like Mistah F.A.B. and The Jacka. “All my features were with people whose music I love,” said Asia. “I haven’t done any songs with a lot of these dudes before, and I was wondering what kind of sound we could get when we put our styles together.”

Whether it’s the rhymes strong enough to chop wood on “Lost and Found,” or the way that Raekwon’s calm collected approach contrasts with Asia on “No Apologies,” the record’s diverse beats and lyrics strike hard with violent precision on each of the album’s 18 tracks.

One of the biggest concepts of this album is growth. As an MC with 15 years in the game, Asia has been slowly perfecting a style that has yet to become dull or tired. Asia described this record as a comeback album, but jokingly interjected, “But don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.” He mentioned that he was more comfortable on this album, especially in terms of his rhymes. Specifically, how a carefully executed lyric can hold stronger than a rapid-fire send-off. “I remember when I would try to cram as many words as possible, and run out of breath just trying to rap,” said Asia. “ If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that less is more.”

That ideology is apparent especially in tracks like “Big Fish,” a song where Asia described seeing himself “sitting in a little boat on a river, thinking deep.” The melodic string section combined with the thumping bass mix together in an aquatic, trance-like groove. Asia delved further into the track, saying that it describes how he feels about being in the game. “I’d rather be a big fish in a small pond, then a regular-ass fish in a big-ass ocean. I never intended on being the torch-holder for the underground, I just wanted to make good music.”

Other tracks aren’t quite as philosophical. Some like “**** Rappers” — or the “torture song,” as Asia referred to it in the interview — showcase the quality of hip-hop today as seen by the veteran artist. While the tracks that express thoughtful musings or views on the world are definitely worth a listen, it’s the songs with unconventional themes whose sole purpose is to display heavy beats and lyrical mastery that stand out on the album. “Bruce Lee” in particular exemplifies this idea, as the track blends a kung-fu-esque horns section with some old-fashioned bass and snare that captures a unique fusion of tones that sound dope even with the comical martial arts cries layered on.

Asia also described working with Rasco and Chace Infinite on the track and how the dichotomy of their voices complement each other. “One (voice) is real deep, and the other is more raspy with a jazzy feel,” said Asia. “I would not have wanted that track to come out any other way.”

Black Belt Theatre serves as a testament of how Asia has been able to preserve and strengthen both his flow and beats over the years. The album never sounds stale, nor does it feel forced as a rapper trying to hang on to his last few minutes of fame. Asia is living proof that you don’t need a major label or some glitzy shtick to affirm your place in the hip-hop scene. “A lot of hip-hop dudes feel that if some dude is on TV every day, then they’re not a real MC. That’s bull****,” Asia said. “If it’s good music, then it’s good music, and that’s what I feel Black Belt Theatre is representing. Good music can come from anywhere.”

Ian Birnam is the lead music critic.

GeneChing

03-21-2012, 09:18 AM

20 March 2012 Last updated at 16:34 ET
'Kung-Fu' inspires folk artist Laura J Martin's debut album (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-17351069)
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59043000/jpg/_59043822_barrie_dunbavin.jpg
Laura J Martin by Barrie Dunbavin

A Liverpool singer songwriter says "Kung-Fu films" and "childhood memories" are the inspiration behind her debut album.

Laura J Martin said the "haunting flute melodies" featured in Japanese films have inspired her folk music.

The Maghull singer songwriter released The Hangman Tree in January and has since received national air play.

She was recently tipped for success by BBC 6 Music DJ Marc Riley who described her as "nothing short of brilliant".

She said: "I used to watch a lot of Kung-Fu films before I went to sleep at night, and I loved the haunting flute melodies on them.

"My song 'Spy' sounds particularly Kung-Fu-esque, one of my tracks is based on a Japanese legend and 'Fire Horses' is about a Japanese arsonist."

The album features a range of instruments including the flute, mandolin, ukulele and Japanese drums -as well as objects found around her home.

Ms Martin added: "I banged pots and pans in the kitchen, a sugar bowl, my sister's typewriter, a cheese grater and I even blew across beer bottles, when I was recording the album.

"If I could afford a drum kit, a studio and a bunch of musicians, I would have gone with it, but my budget and being an impatient person meant that I was going around the house and banging things there instead.

"Recording in my bedroom meant that I could be as experimental with the sound as I wanted to be."

Ms Martin will play a series of festivals in 2012 and plans to start writing her second album later this year.

Here's Laura's MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/lalajmartin). You can hear Spy there.

Runlikehell

03-23-2012, 10:07 PM

Don't have a link, and it may have been mentioned already but there is a death metal band called Dim Mak.
Album titles like 'Enter the Dragon', 'Intercepting Fist' and song titles like 'Phoenix Eye Fist'.

High on Fire also have a song written about Bruce Lee called 'Master of Fists'.

GeneChing

03-30-2012, 05:16 PM

Not quite sure which is the band name and which is the album name (and I don't really care either way).

http://blog.tastebuds.fm/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/worstalbumcovers15.jpeg

From Worst Album Covers of All Time (http://blog.tastebuds.fm/worst-album-covers-of-all-time/) (NSFW)

GeneChing

05-18-2012, 09:21 AM

I've been having this fantasy of a music festival with all of these kung fu named bands.

Kung Fu *******: As Awesome as Its Name (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2012/05/18/kung-fu-*******-as-awesome-as-its-name/)
Posted by Michael J. West on May. 18, 2012 at 11:56 am
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/files/2012/05/muncy.jpg
Bobby Muncy

In advertising its first-ever gig last night, the awesomely named Kung Fu ******* kept its description simple: "The only thing to say is that it is something completely different." This is true. Indeed, there were times during the group's 8 p.m. set at Twins that even back-to-back tunes were completely different.

"The idea behind this group was to play stuff that was hard for us," saxophonist Bobby Muncy elaborated from the bandstand. "And to be free and open." That's also true. Muncy and guitarist Anthony Pirog were responsible for the quartet's entire repertoire, and it was difficult, avant-garde-leaning stuff. The band had the advantage, however, of also being brilliant—and one of the most exciting new jazz projects to hit D.C. in recent memory.

Kung Fu ******* is an equation in which there is no constant. Drummer Larry Ferguson seemed at first like an anchor, holding down swing where it was needed and shifting at all the right spots on Pirog's "Song in Five" (which actually had sections in four and six as well). But he was more devious than that, stretching and contracting the time in unexpected places, hiding the one here and there, and scattering around accents on "Motian." Bassist Mark Foster didn't even offer that suggestion of stasis. His electric six-string was elastic and abstract on the opener, Muncy's "Tough Guy," but had no compunction about walking, or going funk. On "Paraphoresis," probably the set's highlight, it joined with Pirog's guitar in a fearsome post-rock drone.

Speaking of Pirog, he was the most powerful weapon in the band's arsenal, and the most representative of their versatility. He switched attacks and effects with seemingly every piece, although a certain proggy, melodic wash did recur. Undoubtedly Pirog is one of the area's most eclectic musicians: He plays jazz, Slint-influenced rock, contemporary classical (his performance of Terry Riley last year will not soon be forgotten), and the folkish experimentalism of his most prominent project, Janel & Anthony. All of that comes to the fore in Kung Fu *******.

As for Muncy, he didn't even stick with one axe. Skronking tenor and mesmerizing soprano saxes came out (an alto was set on stage, but didn't make an appearance in the first set), as did a bass clarinet in "Paraphoresis"—where, surprisingly, it shrieked. The commonality between them was simply the momentum that Muncy was able to build on each instrument, winding into long, powerful lines that could startle in their heft or melodic charm.

Put these four protean sounds together, and all at once, and you have some serious adventure happening. This first gig was six months in the making, and Kung Fu ******* doesn't have another scheduled. When another one comes along, drop everything and flock to it.

ShaolinDan

05-27-2012, 01:23 PM

Not sure what this has to do with the kung fu school in Kunming, but I found this video and thought it belonged here. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQz-HNH3nPk

GeneChing

07-03-2012, 09:33 AM

Aesop Rock - ZZZ Top (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZvE7dQ-C5o)

Directed by Pete Lee
Produced by Lizzie Rose
Exec Prod: Aesop Rock
Dir. of Photography: Drew Daniels
Sound Design: Matteo Grilli
Starring Aesop Rock + Hao Zhi Hua aka Patti Li,
Zumbi, Dennis Ruel, Edward Kahana, Vlad Rimburg, Lucas Okuma, Alvin Hsing, Bryan Cartago

:cool:

GeneChing

08-29-2012, 09:23 AM

KungFu String Girls Band (http://centralstockton.news10.net/news/arts-culture/103544-kungfu-string-girls-band)
Submitted by Linda Park, Community Web Producer
Saturday, August 25th, 2012, 8:00am
http://media.dtsph.com/sites/news10.net/files/imagecache/story615/kungfu_girls.jpg
The KungFu Girls String Band creates a unique vigorous Eastern style of music. Formed in 2006, as a youth ensemble, this force is suddenly rising in the music world, and is now striving for a worldwide stage. A featured opening act at the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games, this ensemble is making their way to the historic Bob Hope Theatre in Stockton, CA.

The music of the KungFu String Girls Band is now re-defining the typical instrumental performance. If you do not witness, it would be hard to imagine their passion on the stage. The KungFu String Girls Band has been followed by several Chinese and international mediums with great interest. After giving a successful performance in Vienna Golden Palace In January 2006, the KungFu String Girls Band have accepted many invitations in Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Chinese news mediums have called them “the coolest strength-group beauty band in the instrumental performance history in China”.

These talented performers have all had professional training since childhood. Furthermore, most of them come from the top music academy in China – The Chinese Central Conservatory of Music. With several years of professional experiences, the KungFu String Girls Band has its own distinguished annotation and comprehension about music. They have integrated modern popular music elements into classical music.

These girls show their creativity and confidence on the stage without any limitation. Their appealing performance originates from their dramatic dance and their passionate performances of beautiful melodies when you attend the live show of the KungFu String Girls Band.

Saturday September 22, 2012 at the Bob Hope Theatre
Doors open at 6pm
Show begins at 7pm
Tickets NOW on sale
$27.50 - $90.50
www.ticketmaster.com
"strength-group beauty band" That's a great term. I'm going to poach it.

hmmm, Stockton isn't too far from me.

GeneChing

10-01-2012, 09:40 AM

There's a vimeo vid if you follow the link. Cool Asian jazz with a meowing violin.

Shaolin Fez (http://www.timeout.com.hk/music/features/53673/shaolin-fez.html)
Posted: 1 Oct 2012
http://www2.padshowoff.com/content/normal/24669_shaolin_fez111.jpg
Describing the music of Shaolin Fez, a nascent 13-piece Hong Kong-based musical troupe, is no easy task. You’d likely make comparisons to jazz in your attempt, acid or otherwise. World music, afro-beats and Latin rhythms too. And probably some experimental classical references on top. But such is the broad range of influences that this rather innovative group is drawing from, it may not sufficiently describe the world of sounds that seeps into the Shaolin Fez sound.

The brainchild of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra bassist Sam Ferrer, and fronted by the swooning vocals of songstress Jennifer Palor, Shaolin Fez was started with a view to bringing a more diverse sound to the city. Impressively, the group draws from a wide pool of Hong Kong musical talent. You’ll find a handful of the HKPO’s finest in there, as well as LA guitarist and producer Andy Abad, who has just been nominated for a 2012 Grammy.

Descriptions are difficult. Perhaps check out their vids and, for a much better feel, their gig at the Fringe Club.

Shaolin Fez play the Fringe Club on Mon Oct 22. Tickets: 2521 7251; hkfringeclub.com. For more info, see shaolinfez.com.

GeneChing

10-04-2012, 09:13 AM

I worked a Muse show in 2010. They were a-muse-ing. ;) If this tour makes it to the states, I'll have to work it again. I do like their latest tune Madness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek0SgwWmF9w).

October 4, 2012 14:16
Muse: 'Our UK tour will feature aliens, pyramids and kung-fu' (http://www.nme.com/news/muse/66464#1)

http://static.nme.com/images/article/2012MusePR090812.jpg

Muse's forthcoming UK tour will feature dancing aliens, an LED pyramid and kung-fu.

Drummer Dom Howard revealed the Devon trio's ambitious stage plans, saying fans will be able to see "dancing aliens" and "me doing some kung-fu at some point onstage".

He told BBC Newsbeat: "We made this huge upside down pyramid, which is made out of LED screens so we can put visuals on it. Basically this screen moves and can morph into different shapes. It will come down and completely consume me on my drum kit."

Meanwhile, singer Matt Bellamy has told The Telegraph that he thinks arena-touring electronic artists such as Skrillex, signal out the "value of human beings performing".

"People will pay money to see someone with a laptop who's done all the experimentation at home and pretty much just hits the space bar," he said. "There is a part of us that is definitely clinging to the organic, human side of music, to honour our friendship and the fact that we want to play together in a room."

He added:

We're not afraid to bring new elements into the equation but we're not quite prepared to go full robot. I think we're kind of cyborgy!

Muse's new album '2nd Law' is on course to topple Mumford & Sons in the UK Album Chart. The record includes new singles 'Madness' and 'Survival' as well as dubstep-influenced track 'The 2nd Law: Unsustainable'. The 13-track album is the follow-up to 2009's 'The Resistance' and was recorded in London.

GeneChing

11-28-2012, 10:18 AM

I guess KARATE is always capitalized for them.

Exclusive Premiere: Black Belt KARATE "Kaleidoscope" Video (http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/exclusive-premiere-black-belt-karate-kaleidoscope-video/10297691)
Mon, 26 Nov 2012 08:48:57

Exclusive Premiere: Black Belt KARATE "Kaleidoscope" Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Chj7qMHBk) - Watch it now and get to know this hot, new L.A. rock band

ARTISTdirect.com has teamed up with Black Belt KARATE to premiere this video for "Kaleidoscope." The band boasts members who've played with everyone from David Bowie to Foreigner and more. Black Belt KARATE features singer Ryan Hanifl and under-the-fingernails guitarist/producer Jason Achilles Mezilis (Chris Wyse of The Cult), who have joined forces with the crack-shot rhythm section of drummer Ryan Brown (Foreigner, David Bowie) and bassist Harry Anthony Ostrem (Dizzy Reed of Guns N' Roses) to conjure Southern California desert-rock with a New York City-influenced punk attitude. It doesn't get much better than that.

The video for "Kaleidoscope" was directed by Tyler Jackson (Korn, Papa Roach, Nine Inch Nails) and tells a no-holds-barred, unapologetic tale of a relationship gone wrong. The story goes back and forth between metaphorical Day of the Dead festivities and literally burying the past.

Black Belt KARATE guitarist and producer Jason Achilles Mezilis said, "Tyler's got a great combination of old-school experience married with ultra-modern style and focus. Plus, he gets the band's quirky sense of humor and understands how to bring out our best on the screen. 'Kaleidoscope' is the second video we shot with him...and counting!"

The band does not have a specific release date for their debut album, but rather, they have embraced the endless possibilities of the digital age by recording and releasing it song-by-song and shooting a video for each track.

Black Belt KARATE Upcoming L.A. Shows:
11/27 Silverlake Lounge
12/12 Boardner's

pateticorecords

11-29-2012, 08:45 AM

STELLARSCOPE - STILL STANDING
This indie psych song is about continuing to fight (both physically as well as mentally)
Kung Fu included in the video;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1I4jOC26i4

GeneChing

01-31-2013, 10:15 AM

Official site (http://kungfucrimewave.com/)

Following up on that MUSE post above (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1190410#post1190410), they just came through the Bay Area on Monday, but I decided to go to Kung Fu practice instead. One of my friends who went said this "At one point they lowered to form a pyramid around the drummer as he was portrayed "Kill Bill" style fighting off bowler-hatted silohuetes while keeping rhythm to "Uprising"." He also said it was a really good show, and he's sees a lot of music and is seldom so flattering.

GeneChing

02-22-2013, 10:29 AM

Not sure that I've heard Mexican Ska-Punk. It sounds intriguing.

Los Kung Fu Monkeys: The Last Warriors of Mexican Ska-Punk?
The band plays on despite being the last of their kind in Tijuana
By REYAN ALI Thursday, Feb 21 2013

Bernardo Leos' childhood in Tijuana, Mexico, was one without cable television. The future vocalist of the Tijuana-based Los Kung Fu Monkeys would catch San Diego channels whose signals were strong enough to reach across the border. Channel 69 (today a Fox affiliate called KSWB-TV) had a habit of broadcasting B-movies, and thanks to its programming, Leos experienced a revelation at age 10.

http://media.ocweekly.com/los-kung-fu-monkeys-tijuana-bernardo-leos.8580170.40.jpg
Jureños de ska
Location Info
The Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen
122 E. Commonwealth Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92832
Category: Bars/Clubs
Region: Fullerton
Details
Los Kung Fu Monkeys perform with Mustard Plug and Defunked at the Slidebar, 122 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 871-7469; www.slidebarfullerton.com. Wed., 8 p.m. 21+. Free.

"Suddenly, one day, I put on the TV, and Rock & Roll High School was on," remembers the 32-year-old, referencing the 1979 cult classic. "I started watching the movie, and I saw the Ramones, and I'm like, '****, yeah!'" The New York City punk group's scrappy tunes and leather jackets left an impression on Leos. His first record purchase was one of that band's albums.

Splicing punk angst with Mexican culture and SoCal-inspired brass is the hallmark of cult favorite Kung Fu Monkeys, making their honorable distinction as the only ska-punk band in Tijuana all the more important decades after the salad days of the genre.

In the early '90s, popular groups such as Nirvana were in their heyday, which was also critical in hooking Leos before the formation of his band. This burgeoning interest in alternative and underground music led him to a NOFX record; he scoured the album's "Thanks" section in search of more new-to-him bands.

"I wasn't the popular kid in school. I wasn't a preppy kid. I wasn't the kid listening to pop songs," Leos says. "I think this is going to sound very cliché, but I was the outcast among a lot of people, so I started hanging out with people who liked the same kind of stuff I did."

When Leos was in high school, his buddies were Tarek and Hassan Limas, brothers he had actually met in Catholic school. A mutual interest in skateboarding between the friends eventually turned into serious discussions of them playing music together. "We tried skating. We weren't very good at it, so I guess we started a band," Leos says with a laugh.

Launching as Monkey Kung Fu in 1997 (another band's onstage shout-out to them as "Los Kung Fu Monkeys" left them with today's moniker), the band's first tune was a cover of the Suicide Machines' "No Face." Since then, they've maintained a serious allegiance to punk, as well as ska and hardcore. Los Kung Fu Monkeys specialize in upbeat, unabashedly enthusiastic tunes that are best for lighthearted mosh pits. The group's melodic approach would have found a perfect home on SideOneDummy or Fat Wreck Records circa 1998, but just because the tides of time have pushed their brand of ska punk out of cultural vogue (even those labels rarely sign acts with their sound nowadays) doesn't mean they've stopped making it.

After establishing their cred through shows with punk bands of similar leanings and dates on the Vans Warped Tour, Los Kung Fu Monkeys have continued to tour steadily, although their recorded output has slowed. (Their last album was self-titled and released in 2006.) Though Leos is a big enthusiast of groups within metal, new wave and indie rock—namely Testament, Depeche Mode and Foster the People—he takes great pride in his seven-piece's loyalty to their original sound. "We're kind of like the only ska-punk band in [Tijuana] now and possibly one of the only five in Mexico altogether," he says.

"We didn't get in it for the trend. We got in it because we wanted to play this kind of music. [We've] always considered ourselves more of a punk band. Ska came into the mix because we were listening to bands play ska," Leos says. "I'm a punk rocker. I'm going to be be 40, and I'm going to still be a punk rocker. I'm going to enjoy listening to Frank Sinatra, but I'm going to still be a punk rocker. I don't see myself playing anything else very far away from punk rock. Maybe I'll start a hardcore band as a side project, but with Kung Fu Monkeys, we're never going to leave our line of music."

GeneChing

03-21-2013, 09:46 AM

Chief Keef - Jet Li (March 2013) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q48fjnyn4-U)

GeneChing

04-02-2013, 09:25 AM

Unfortunately you have to get through 4 mins of Brown being a Michael Jackson wannabe just to see a silly breakdancing fight scene. More unfortunately it's a reinforcement of Tong stereotypes. This probably isn't worth your attention, but it's a slow news morning...:o

Chris Brown - Fine China (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGs1gODLiSQ)

GeneChing

05-03-2013, 09:06 AM

That's the name of the tune; the act is Sinden & Vato Gonzales. It's EDM. Follow the link for a taste. Just can't resist a track title like that. ;)

Sinden & Vato Gonzales – $100 Infinite Kung Fu Vixens (Go Freek Remix) (http://stoneyroads.com/mp3s/sinden-vato-gonzales-100-infinite-kung-fu-vixens-go-freek-remix/)
Posted by wow on May 2, 2013

Sinden & Vato Gonzales - $100 Infinite Kung Fu Vixens (Go Freek Remix)
http://stoneyroads.com/media/Sinden-Vato-Gonzales-100-Infinite-Kung-Fu-Vixens-Go-Freek-Remix.jpg
Australian based electro duo Go Freek have remixed Sinden and Vato Gonzalez’s song ‘$100 Infinite Kung Fu Vixens’.

The remix that is set to be released on Ajax’s legacy label Sweat It Out has already received some early support from Boys Noize! The clarity within the noises created in this interpretation makes for a brain tingling experience. This song gives the same sensation to your ears as to when you have a fizzy drink in your mouth and it’s really bubbly. A good energetic bangor!

If you’re ever in Sydney, you can catch these dudes most weeks on Saturdays at Cakes @ World Bar

GeneChing

07-02-2013, 05:39 PM

the video makes it...
THE CHUCK NORRIS - STEVEN SEAGAL - VAN DAMME SONG By Eric Bert (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF6cdL9gYUA)

GeneChing

08-14-2013, 10:28 AM

Just Blaze & Baauer feat. JAY Z - "Higher" (Official Short Film) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLCeO2uIj1g#at=15)

I liked this a lot.

Hebrew Hammer

10-15-2013, 11:46 AM

Not really martial but enjoyable music with a cello and a piano...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCaH-qqTWpk

GeneChing

10-17-2013, 09:24 AM

I follow EDM a little but I've not heard of this DJ yet. I hope he makes it out west someday.

Fact: Laidback Luke Is (Literally) a World Champion Kung-Fu Fighter (http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2013/10/laidback_luke_kung_fu_interview_miami_2013.php)
By S. Pajot Tue., Oct. 15 2013 at 11:00 AM

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/Laidback_Luke_Kung_Fu_Interview_Miami_2013.jpg
Laidback Luke isn't just some international EDM superstar. He's also a kung-fu master.

But like all truly dangerous martial artists (and genuinely famous DJ-producers), he prefers to undersell his neck-snapping and ass-kicking skills.

"I'm not really a master yet," Luke insists, modestly. "But I am practicing at a high level, yes."

http://distilleryimage2.ak.instagram.com/421ebea8a8b011e2905222000aaa031b_7.jpg

Despite this show of humility and grace, the Dutch DJ does readily acknowledge his superiority among Planet Earth's 35- to 40-year-old kung-fu fighters.

"It's true," he admits, "that I actually won five medals, four gold and one silver, at the championships of kung-fu in Hong Kong. And this is like the Olympics of kung-fu. There's like 10,000 competitors. So it was a dream come true."

http://distilleryimage0.ak.instagram.com/1292261ea0c911e2afff22000aa80361_7.jpg

But how does one become an expert at both beat-matching and Tiger Claw-ing?

Well, Luke explains, you learn to fight, beginning at the age of 8. "I definitely come from the Karate Kid generation."

You become obsessed with dance music as a teen. "The first track that inspired me was Technotronic's 'Pump Up the Jam'!"

And you practice and teach these sacred disciplines. "I basically train for kung-fu about one and a half hours per day, and I'm also a trainer. Oh, and I've also got a new Pioneer DJ tutorial on YouTube right now."

Obviously, though, it isn't the medals or the money or the glory that's the goal. It's balance and well-being and self-empowerment.

"The kung-fu and the DJing really adds up for me," Luke explains. "It helps me feel energized and it helps me deal with stress.

"Basically, when I come out of a kung-fu session," and presumably a DJ sesh, "I feel like I can take on the world!"

Laidback Luke's Musically Driven Bus Tour. With D.O.D. Friday, October 18, at Story, 136 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. The show starts at 11 p.m. and tickets cost $35 to $45 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up. Call 305-538-2424 or visit storymiami.com.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/Laidback_Luke_Story_Miami_Flyer_2013.jpg

GeneChing

01-24-2014, 11:13 AM

The 90s are 'vintage'. :rolleyes:

Jae Millz Drops New Freestyle "Live From Shaolin" (http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/jae-millz-drops-new-freestyle-live-from-shaolin-news.9010.html)
Rose Lilah | Jan 22, 2014 at 09:58 AM
http://thumbs.hh.ulximg.com/public/article/600_1390413359_livefromshaolin3_69.jpg

Lamar Odom Raps About Using Drugs & Cheating On Khloe In Bizarre FreestyleLamar Odom Raps About Using Drugs & Cheating On Khloe In Bizarre Freestyle
Ria Christina - The Lead Girl Of Schoolboy Q's Ria Christina - The Lead Girl Of Schoolboy Q's "Man Of The Year" (Interview & Gallery)
HNHH Premieres a new freestyle joint from Jae Millz, "Live From Shaolin."

Jae Millz is planning to take us back to the '90s for a vintage mixtape 1990+ filled with freestyles over classic instrumentals. 1990+ is going to drop on Monday, January 27th, but for now Jae gives HNHH the very first look from the tape, "Live From Shaolin" freestyle which features a variety of beats. How's the raspy rapper sound on '90s ish? Look out for the new project next Monday.

Quotable Lyrics

"Millz flow So So Def you can't escape it / I Colorado beats like Kobe, yeah I rape it / Now who wanna be my dinner? / I kill niggas like that house in Virginia / And I ain't even take off my coat yet / Haters still ain't take my **** out they throat yet"

GeneChing

03-18-2014, 08:49 AM

Laidback Luke Talks Kung Fu Takeover Class: "You Can Even Come in Furry Boots!" (http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2014/03/laidback-luke_interview_kung-fu_wmc_mmw_miami_2014.php)
By S. Pajot Tue., Mar. 18 2014 at 9:00 AM

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/Laidback-Luke_Interview_Kung-Fu_WMC_MMW_Miami_2014.jpg

Meet your new sifu.

His name is Laidback Luke. And though he may be most famous as a EDM megastar, this friendly Dutch dude also happens to be a kick-ass kung fu fighter.

At last year's "Olympics of kung fu," as Luke describes the world championships in Hong Kong, he snapped up four gold medals and a silver. "There's like 10,000 competitors," he told Crossfade a few months after his wins. "So it was a dream come true."

And now he's about to realize yet another dream -- teaching ravers to kick, punch, and fist-pump like true martial-arts masters.

http://instagram.com/p/kUwOJDgX5e/embed/

As the host of Laidback Luke's Kung Fu Takeover, "a very special lesson led by the gold medalist," the DJ, producer, and world champ will instruct 200 possibly hungover fans ("everybody is welcome!") in qigong, tai chi, punching and kicking, and real kung fu.

"It'll be kind of like DJing, where you must respond to the crowd," Luke suggests. "My own sifu says, 'If you teach a class, you have to cater to your students.' So in this case, I will have to be aware of everyone's level of expertise and how drunk they are," he laughs.

Among his pupils, there will be novices, veterans, and all sorts of other folks. "You can even come in furry boots!" Luke exclaims. "That would actually be nice. Because when we do some kicking training, you won't be able to hurt anybody.

"To me, it's not about how you look," he sagely intones. "It's about how you train."

So throw on some shorts, a spirit hoodie, or whatever's comfortable. Here are the four lessons to be learned at Laidback Luke's Kung Fu Takeover.

http://instagram.com/p/ki_P9ogX_-/embed/

Qigong. Need to get your chi under control after a crazy night of raving? Our sifu suggests the ancient Chinese practice of qigong.

"This is one of my little secrets," Luke confesses. "Whenever I am in the middle of a heavy tour and I don't feel the urge to train, because I am just lazy or too tired, it only takes some qigong to get me going.

"I will go into my breathing exercises. And soon, I've fooled myself, and I get the energy to start the workout. So these techniques are almost magic for de-stressing and activating the body.

"Most people could really use some qigong. Because when we hit our mid 20s, and we start working all the time and chasing success, there is a lot of strain. But these breathing exercises help us take control of our being, so we can just stop a moment and enjoy the moment. Or we can find the strength to do some kung fu. Or we can manage to go party for the sixth night in a row!"

http://instagram.com/p/SExnczAX84/embed/

Tai chi. Now perhaps you're wondering: Tai chi? Isn't that stuff for old people in public parks? Well, the answer, according to our sifu Laidback Luke, is an emphatic nope.

"Often," he says, "people think martial arts should be really fast. And that's true. But only in the end.

"So, to start, we need to learn the essential movements while going very slowly. We will practice balancing and holding positions and focusing our minds on the direction that we're sending our limbs. That way, when we speed things up, we will be doing everything correctly.

"Tai chi is like slow-motion kung fu," Luke explains. "And it teaches us to gain full control over our bodies."
Punching and kicking. So listen up, raver -- while we're on the topic of learning to be in command your fists and feet and such -- Luke would like to point out that it's not nice to knock out innocent bystanders, whether you're at the club or a kung-fu class.

"It is a very common mistake for beginners, when they punch or kick, that they don't actually look where they are punching or kicking," he laughs. "And that can be dangerous!

"Similarly, when new kung fu students are trying to defend punches or kicks, they sometimes aren't looking at the opponent. They are looking at the ground or they are looking at the sky.

"In kung fu, we say: 'Train the mind first.' And I say, the eyes too. Because where your eyes go, that's also where your fists and feet will go."

Real kung fu. The final lesson of Laidback Luke's Kung Fu Takeover will naturally be the most important and exciting -- a crash course in the basics of this ancient discipline.

"To end, we will dive into some real kung fu," Luke says. "We will practice some dance-y Shaolin movements and cool low stances and animal techniques, because I have noticed that after certain classes, people will be like, 'Oh, this is it? This is like a karate class or something!'

"But no, styles like karate and tae kwon do are derived from China where it all started with Shaolin monks, but they miss out on the majority of techniques that are taught in the typical kung fu class."

As our sifu insists: "Kung fu is the mother of martial arts." And now, raver, you can be counted among her many children.

Laidback Luke's Kung Fu Takeover. Sponsored by Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Hong Ying, Dancing Astronaut, and Miami New Times. Friday, March 28. Fontainebleau Miami Beach, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Class begins at 10 a.m. and ends at noon. Tickets for participants cost $10 plus fees via wantickets.com. Admission is free for spectators. Ages 18 and up. Call 305-538-2000 or visit fontainebleau.com.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/Laidback-Luke_Kung-Fu-Takeover_Miami_2014.jpg
There's some vids too, but I didn't watch them...

GeneChing

03-28-2014, 02:00 PM

Shoot, I already got a gig for Memorial Day weekend or I would have tried to connect.
https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/p480x480/1966861_10152497468253888_746813551_n.jpg

Insomniac back to basics presents Audio on the Bay (http://insomniac.com/festivalDetails.php?event=1594)

Tickets Now On Sale

The Bay Area is going #backtothebasics with a new 3-day show: Audio on the Bay! Come celebrate with us Memorial Day Weekend at The Craneway Pavilion, located right on the waterfront. Audio on the Bay is dedicated to uniting all styles of music, bringing you a truly diverse musical experience! Tickets & line-up out Thursday, March 13th at NOON! #onestageonelove #AUDIOontheBAY

Friday, May 23rd
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
R3hab
DVBBS
Mercer
Wolfpack
special guest: Benny Benassi

Saturday, May 24th
Eric Prydz
Audien
Loudpvck
Alexx Adam
+ more tba
special guest: Zeds Dead

Sunday, May 25th
Laidback Luke
Dyro
Clockwork
Henry Fong
Bare
Shellboy

The Craneway Pavilion
1414 Harbour Way S, Richmond, CA

GeneChing

05-05-2014, 08:11 AM

Not that Wu
Not my sound really, but maybe it'll appeal to our Appalachian members here.

This Chinese-American trio describes their music as 'Kung fu Appalachian indie rock folk' (http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-05-02/chinese-american-trio-describes-their-music-kung-fu-appalachian-indie-rock-folk)
PRI's The World
Reporter Alex Gallafent
May 02, 2014 · 1:00 PM EDT

http://www.pri.org/sites/default/files/styles/story_main/public/story/images/Wu_Force_Luke_Mines.jpg?itok=25YTxIcP
Credit: Luke Mines
From left to right: Abigail Washburn, Kai Welch and Wu Fei

The United States and China are both global powers. Sometimes, the back-and-forth between the two takes place at the highest diplomatic levels. And sometimes, it happens informally, when musicians get together to see what happens.

Wu Force is a Chinese-American collaboration between three singer-instrumentalists. The group performed at Global Fest in New York earlier this year. They describe the fruits of their work together as "Kung fu Appalachian indie rock folk music," with some performance art thrown in between China and the US.

The three members are Kai Welch on guitar and trumpet, Abigail Washburn on banjo and various other instruments, and Wu Fei, who plays the guzheng (a Chinese zither.)

Wu Fei says all of the band members have experience in both the US and China.

"Kai has been traveling a lot since he was really young, and Abby spent lots of years in China and so she speaks Mandarin and knows a lot about Chinese folk music and culture … And I lived in the States for over 10 years," says Fei.

Wu Force began when Fei moved back to Beijing. The trio started playing together in her apartment.

"You know, when I first got to China, I thought the whole place was hilarious, in the best possible way — like the way people are yelling at each other in the streets … or the way old people are hawking gargantuan loogies on the sidewalk," Fei says.

"I was experiencing some reverse cultural shock. I thought I was so Chinese until I moved back to China — I just couldn't fit in, I felt so confused," Fei says. "And, of course, every creativity is about what you are experiencing at the moment."

The members of Wu Force may have experienced jolts of cultural confusion. But they're harnessing those feelings and making the most of the opportunity.

For now, the band's experimenting. But the trio says the first Wu Force album is on the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQFWycJLiis

TaichiMantis

05-05-2014, 08:23 AM

Cool find! Enjoyed it

GeneChing

05-12-2014, 08:19 AM

I caught Zion I on Saturday at Edge of Eden, a new music festival I was working at UCSC. I've heard Zion I before at other festivals. They're local (Oaktown) and have been on the edge of my radar for a while, but they really won me over at the show last weekend. Very energetic and really got the crowd moving, which was exactly what was needed as the wind came up and it was getting chilly. Upon reviewing some of their vids yesterday, I came across this little gem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtz7y2oKrZE

TaichiMantis

05-12-2014, 04:21 PM

Love it, good find!

GeneChing

07-16-2014, 08:58 AM

Follow the link for the track on soundcloud.

Rivergazer – “Tai Chi” (Stereogum Premiere) (http://www.stereogum.com/1692295/rivergazer-tai-chi-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/)
Jul 15th '14 by Miles Bowe @ 12:18pm

http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2014/07/rivergazer-credit-heather-craig-1.jpeg

Rivergazer, a project from Kevin Farrant of porches., are set to release their new album, Random Nostalgia, and today they share the new single “Tai Chi.” As the title suggests, the song has a relaxing vibe, especially in the chorus, where Farrant sings, “So if you wanna do some tai chi baby, tai chi with me, tai chi with me, tai chi with me” like a mantra. But there’s a creeping dread behind that sense of ease, a yearning that brings to mind the summer-jam crisis of Real Estate’s Atlas. As his voice rises to sing, “I’m doing the best I can,” “Tai Chi” becomes an empathetic song about those who are doing just that, and fearing it might not good enough. Listen below.

TaichiMantis

07-16-2014, 06:03 PM

ok...nice tune...but...wtf?

GeneChing

09-19-2014, 08:39 AM

This is the first I've heard of Kung Fu Dykes and it is only mentioned in passing. I've seen GWAR, up close and backstage even. I've been GWARed. :cool:

By David Renshaw , September 19, 2014 11:51
Gwar replace late frontman Oderus Urungus with new singer Vulvatron (http://www.nme.com/news/gwar/79861)

Vulvatron, aka Kim Dylla, was formerly a member of Kung Fu Dykes

http://nme.assets.ipccdn.co.uk/images/gallery/2014Vulvatron_Gwar_190914.jpg
Photo: Twitter/Vulvatron

Gwar have confirmed that Kim Dylla, aka Vulvatron, will replace the late Oderus Urungus as lead singer of the band.

Urungus, better known as Dave Brockie died of a heroin overdose in March of this year (2014). In August, he was given a traditional viking send-off involving his stage costume being set on fire.

New singer Vulvatron will join vocalist Blöthar in fronting the band. She joins Gwar from her regualr band, Kung Fu Dykes. She previously performed with the band at the group's annual Gwar-BQ event in 2013.

Known for their outrageous costumes and prosthetics, Gwar released their 13th album in 2013 and mark their 30th anniversary this year. According to Gwar's "mythology", Oderus Urungus was 43 billion years old, and was assembled on a planet called Scumdogia. He wielded a sword called Unt Lick. The latest chapter of the band's mythology dictates that Vulvatron and Blöthar will lead a quest together for the departed Oderus Urungus.
http://nme.assets.ipccdn.co.uk/images/article/2014Gwar_DaveBrockie_Getty71540405240314.jpg

GeneChing

10-02-2014, 10:05 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MphYyOc5NI0

GeneChing

11-19-2014, 11:49 AM

Not Jackie Chan style. Bruce Lee style. duh. :rolleyes:

T-ara Reveals Their Concept For Debut In China 'Jackie Chan Style Sweats?' (http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/138234/20141119/t-ara-reveals-their-concept-for-debut-in-china-jackie-chan-style-sweats.htm)
By Esther Chung | November 19, 2014 01:28 AM EST

http://images.kpopstarz.com/data/images/full/247237/t-ara-jackie-chan-sweats-in-china.jpg?w=600
Group T-ara's concept for their Korea-China album Little Apple was revealed. (Photo : t-ara)

On November 18, one Chinese media stated, "T-ara will be singing the song 'Little Apple' by famous Chinese singers Chopstick Brothers in Korean version."
They continued, "They filmed the music video with Chopstick Brothers, preparing for an official debut in China. The album will be released on November 24."
In the picture revealed, T-ara members in yellow sweats that are 'Jackie Chan style' and have their hair tied to the sides, making funny poses.

GeneChing

12-02-2014, 06:22 PM

Sure enough, she is mentioned on our The-SEA-Games (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49262-The-SEA-Games&p=826107#post826107) thread in the 2nd news item.

'Wushu Goddess' launches music album (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/11/30/14/wushu-goddess-launches-music-album)
Tha Good Life - by John Paul "JP" Tanchanco
Posted at 12/01/2014 2:50 AM | Updated as of 12/01/2014 2:51 AM

Meet the fierce and sexy wushu champ Janice Hung and get to know more about her new music album and acting career.

I had coffee with my friend Janice to catch up on her wushu career and chat about her new album and music video.

http://cdnimages.abs-cbnnews.com/access/tvpatrol/tvp112014/113014photo1.JPG
JP Tanchanco, Janice Hung

The Wushu-champ, Musician and Actress

Janice Hung is a popular wushu artist and champion martial artist. She was first introduced to showbiz thru a shampoo commercial featuring her movements from the world-famous sport of wushu. To date, Hung has won a total of 15 medals, including bronze and silver medals in the Asian and Southeast Asian (SEA) games.

"I consider bagging my first international medal during the 23rd SEA Games as my most memorable competition experience coz after winning, it opened a big door of opportunities for me like commercials, TV series, cover of magazines, billboards, etc," said Hung.

http://cdnimages.abs-cbnnews.com/access/tvpatrol/tvp112014/113014photo2.JPG

According to Hung, Wushu is a Chinese martial art which harmoniously blends the mind, body and spirit. It's good for all ages. It is also the martial art that has been popularized in numerous films.

"It is considered a Jet Li-style of martial arts. It has been used in films like Fearless, Romeo Must Die, Once Upon a Time in China...For the non-Jet Li films, we have Crouching Tiger, Matrix, Charlie's Angel, Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Hustle and many more," she said.

Hung's entry into showbiz carved a niche to her career. Today, she sees herself as an ambassador of the martial art.

"Writers, bloggers and friends are the ones who started calling me as Wushu Goddess coz normally, their first impression towards me is like I'm a commercial model or a beauty queen, and when they learn that I am an athlete, most of them are shocked coz I don't look like one," she added.

Hung's showbiz experiences grew when she landed an acting role in the TV series Rounin. This was followed by Kung Fu Kids and Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo. She has also hosted several events such as Ms. Earth 2009.

http://cdnimages.abs-cbnnews.com/access/tvpatrol/tvp112014/113014photo3.JPG

The expression of the artist in Janice also grew as she pursued her childhood passion in music and integrated it with her wushu demonstrations.

In July 2010, she belted it out on the stage of “Fontana Rocks” held at Fontana Hot Springs and Leisure Park in Clark Field, Pampanga. She performed together with Philippine rock idol Ely Buendia, Christian Bautista, and La Diva.

Music Album

Hung took her music to higher ground when she started recording singles for her first album.

Today, she is excited that several of her music video covers and album singles are out and available online. The music video for her first single features a surprise action sequence that you can expect from an 80s martial arts action flick.

"Well, first single is an original song...it’s a Filipino Chinese song, I wanna put my identity with this single, that’s why even in the music video, I have incorporated some things I really love doing which is singing and wushu," she said

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAWNql4RY5Y
"Cruel" is Janice Hung's first single that features her martial arts prowess

"I've loved singing and song writing since I was a little girl but my music needs to take a back seat since I need to focus in wushu. Now that I have the chance and opportunity to do a single, then why not?" Hung said.

Hung has also done several covers of Chinese songs that have been uploaded online. My favorite is Ai Wo De Ren He Wo Ai De Ren.

Janice Hung Show

Hung is also hosting and shooting her internet-based show called Janice Hung TV that will also be aired on Net25.

"The Janice Hung show is a lifestyle show. It’s thought provoking and has the right amount of sizzle that I will provide. You can treat yourself to insights and bits of information as I take you to different places, interviews and feature people from all walks of life," she said.

Part of the show will be a Wushu 101 segment that promotes wushu as a health regimen.

"Wushu 101, a cardio-fat-burning workout for everyone that you can do anywhere, anytime, spending only 12 minutes of your time. Wushu 101 is only a 12-minute workout complete with 3-minute warm-up, stretching, wushu routine and cool down. Wushu 101 will make your body the sexiest body you own," Hung said.

http://cdnimages.abs-cbnnews.com/access/tvpatrol/tvp112014/113014photo4.JPG
JP and Janice hanging out at the UnderArmour store

Sharing the Passion of a Life Champ

Hung's passion in the arts and sports has also been expressed thru a foundation she set up which aims to support and help future champions.

"My foundation is for champions not only in sports but also in life. I found the true meaning of being an achiever in 2010 when I decided to establish the Janice Hung Arts and Sports Foundation or simply JHAS Foundation, which aims to support and hone future champions," she said.

"The JHAS Foundation was established to be a family and support system coz I know how hard it is to fulfill a dream without a support, without a guide and without someone who believes in you. And now that I have this opportunity to help, to inspire and lift their spirit, then why not," she added.

Check out Janice Hung's songs and shows. Visit Janice Hung Music https://www.facebook.com/janicehungmusic.

John Paul C.Tanchanco is a travel, food, party, film and music aficionado. He is also an economist, businessman, MYX/Awit award-winning media producer and Kala guitarist.

"ThaGoodLife" is a special feature for ABS-CBNnews.com about pop culture, travel, music, entertainment, business, food, clubbing, shopping and events.

For questions, features and comments, e-mail him at jptanchanco@yahoo.com or tanchancotrimediaproductions@yahoo.com

GeneChing

12-02-2014, 06:23 PM

only 1 vid per post....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSjEYJby40

GeneChing

12-31-2014, 09:09 AM

Chief Keef Drops New Song "Young Black Bruce Lee" Feat. Production From Young Chop (http://www.musictimes.com/articles/21696/20141224/chief-keef-new-song-young-black-bruce-lee-young-chop-bang-3-mansion-musick-crashing-computers-mixtape.htm) [LISTEN]

http://images.musictimes.com/data/images/full/19458/young-chop-chief-keef.jpg?w=600
Young Chop & Chief Keef (Photo : Via HotNewHipHop)
Right after dropping his new track "Kill Him," Chief Keef came back with more new music. Sosa brings fans his second Young Chop-produced track in 24 hours with "Young Black Bruce Lee." No word yet on where this track will appear, but the Chicago rapper has a number of projects in the works, so it could really end up on anything.
"She say she choose me cause she like my jewelry / And I'm come through choppin' **** like Young Black / Bruce Lee / I'm smoking gooey, got cut like the movies / I'm smoking motherf**ker just for suing me," Sosa raps over heavy bass, machine gun sounds, and spacey synth.
In addition to these two new Young Chop tracks, Sosa also released his proper full-length album Nobody last week, which was his second LP overall, following his 2012 debut, Finally Rich.
His long-awaited Bang 3, which was originally slated for release back in March, is expected to drop on Christmas (Dec. 25) as well as his Mansion Musick mixtape. His upcoming mixtape Crashing Computers is set for release next week on Dec. 31 (New Year's Eve) while his Thot Breaker mixtape is scheduled for a Valentines Day release. (This guy apparently likes to give the gift of music on holidays).
Check out "Young Black Bruce Lee" below (via HotNewHipHop), and let us know what you think in the comments section! Follow the link above to hear the track.

GeneChing

01-08-2015, 09:48 AM

For a moment, I thought this was filmed in our studio here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYa8J-k9ocM

GeneChing

01-15-2015, 10:27 AM

Holy nachos! Clearly I am training at the wrong school. :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2GGh_hWc0

sanjuro_ronin

01-15-2015, 12:08 PM

****......

GeneChing

01-19-2015, 09:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zj3dwNxJw

GeneChing

01-20-2015, 11:43 AM

It's hard to beat the vid at the top of this thread, but here's yet another, with the sensei from the black lagoon no less. :rolleyes:

http://vevo.ly/dT1gBw

GeneChing

01-20-2015, 02:41 PM

Not sure if this really counts as a martial arts music vid but it's got cute Japanese girls in crazy armor with even weirder weapon-like things....and KISS! KISS totally trumps the sensei from the black lagoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivJZljEostEb

GeneChing

02-05-2015, 01:15 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuDKqaqdhH8

GeneChing

03-20-2015, 09:56 AM

An update on Asian Kung-Fu Generation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1154544#post1154544)

Asian Kung-Fu Generation Announces 2015 Japan Tour (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/03/17-1/asian-kung-fu-generation-announces-2015-japan-tour)
"Asian Kung-Fu Generation Tour2015: Wonder Future" kicks off in July in Saitama
Paul Chapman
March 17, 2015 6:20am PDT (3 days ago)

http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire1/de1915bebee750046acb21b471ee78d01426591383_full.jp g
http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire4/40673535a94ae9b8c9ac760fbd90a8671426590600_large.p ng

Japanese alternative rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation is getting ready to release a new album, and they've planned a Japan-wide tour beginning in Saitama in July of 2015 in preparation for its release.

http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire3/b19bb3828d351b4499154f6d08a1c39b1426591424_full.jp g

Asian Kung-Fu Generation has created music that has been used in such anime as Tekkon Kinkreet, Naruto, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, and The Tatami Galaxy.

The tour listings are as follows:

[ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Tour2015『Wonder Future』]

Sunday, July 5 - Toda-shi Bunka Kaikan (Saitama)
Wednesday, July 8 - Beisia Bunka Hall (Gunma)
Saturday, July 11 - Utsunomiya-shi Bunka Kaikan (Tochigi)
Saturday, July 18 - Yokohama Arena (Kanagawa)
Wednesday, July 22 - Asahikawa Shimin Kaikan (Hokkaido)
Friday, July 24 - Sapporo Shimin Hall (Hokkaido)
Tuesday, July 28 - Matsuyama Shimin Kaikan (Ehime)
Wednesday, July 29 - Sun Port Hall Takamatsu (Kagawa)
Monday, August 24 - Kamakura Geijutsukan (Kanagawa)
Tuesday, August 25 - Kamakura Geijutsukan (Kanagawa)
Saturday, August 29 - Honda no Mori Hall (Ishikawa)
Sunday, August 30 - Niigata Kenmin Kaikan (Niigata)
Wednesday, September 2 - Omiya Sonic City (Saitama)
Saturday, September 5 - Act City Hamamatsu (Shizuoka)
Sunday, September 6 - Fuji-shi Bunka Kaikan Rose Theater (Shizuoka)
Friday, September 11 - Ofunato Shimin Bunka Kaikan (Iwate)
Sunday, September 13 - Iwaki Geijutsu Bunka Kouryukan (Fukushima)
Friday, September 18 - Kagoshima Shimin Hall (Kagoshima)
Sunday, September 20 - Fukuoka Sun Palace & Hall (Fukuoka)
Tuesday, September 22 - Ueno Gakuen Hall (Hiroshima)
Wednesday, September 23 - Kurashiki Shimin Kaikan (Okayama)
Friday, September 25 - Kobe International House (Hyogo)
Friday, October 2 - Nagaragawa Convention Center (Gifu)
Sunday, October 4 - Nagoya Congress Center Century Hall (Aichi)
Friday, October 9 - Orix Theater (Osaka)
Saturday, October 10 – Orix Theater (Osaka)
Monday, October 12 – Sendai Sun Plaza Hall (Miyagi)
Thursday, October 15 - Tokyo International Forum (Tokyo)
Friday, October 16 - Tokyo International Forum (Tokyo)
Saturday, October 24 - Okinawa Shimin Kaikan (Okinawa)

More information is available at the official tour (http://www.akglive.com/wonderfuture/) website.

Source: Tokyo Hive

Paul Chapman is the host of the Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.

GeneChing

04-14-2015, 11:40 AM

Luv that title. ;)

Hiatus Kaiyote share new track 'Shaolin Monk Motherfunk' (http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/168682-hiatus-kaiyote-share-track-shaolin-monk-motherfunk.html)
New album Choose Your Weapon out May 4
News ⋅ Jeremy Daniel ⋅ April 14th, 2015 ⋅ 56 Views

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=121&v=ya7aDtEdTTo

Hiatus Kaiyote just released a new track from their upcoming second album Choose Your Weapon, 'Shaolin Monk Motherfunk'. The song is available now as a new Instant Grat track via iTunes & Amazon, and their highly anticipated new album will be available on May 4 via Flying Buddha/Sony Music Masterworks. Choose Your Weapon is now available for pre-order via Amazon (mp3 / CD) and iTunes (mp3). The Grammy-nominated four-piece received rave reviews for their sets during SXSW last month, and is set to return to the U.S. for a headline tour kicking off May 2. The shows include sold out nights at New York City’s Gramercy Theatre and Los Angeles’ The Roxy

Choose Your Weapon is an 18-track, 70-minute odyssey from the Melbourne, Australia-based band. It takes listeners on a journey through the group’s self-created ecosystem, populated with songs each embodying its own mini-cinematic sonic soundscape. The album is the hotly anticipated follow-up to their celebrated 2013 debut album Tawk Tomahawk, which was championed by media and fellow artists including Questlove, Erykah Badu, Pharrell and Prince, among others. Legendary producer/songwriter Salaam Remi handpicked Hiatus Kaiyote as the first signing for his new label Flying Buddha, an imprint of Sony Music Masterworks, and they immediately gave Tawk Tomahawk an official worldwide release in July 2013.

Conceived on stages worldwide, Choose Your Weapon differs from its predecessor in that the band were no longer merely getting to know each other as bandmates and a newly formed family—they now were able to communicate musically on a virtually telepathic level. Taking this new framework, the band - Nai Palm (vocals/guitar), Paul Bender (bass), Perrin Moss (drums/percussion) and Simon Mavin (keyboards) - honed the songs in the studio, transforming them into exquisite pieces of music, pushing the boundaries of their comfort zone.

Hiatus Kaiyote Tour Dates:

May 02 Providence, RI - The Met
May 03 New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
May 05 New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre *sold out
May 07 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
May 08 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
May 09 Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall
May 11 Chicago, IL - Double Door *sold out
May 12 Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe
May 14 Boulder, CO – The Fox Theatre
May 17 Seattle, WA - Neumo's
May 19 San Francisco, CA - The Independent *sold out
May 20 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy *sold out
May 21 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room *sold out
May 22 San Diego, CA – House Of Blues Voodoo Room
May 23 Las Vegas, NV - Insert Coin(s)
May 26 Austin, TX - The Parish
May 27 Dallas, TX - Trees
May 29 Atlanta, GA – Vinyl
May 30 Philadelphia, PA – The 8th Annual Roots Picnic @ Festival Pier
May 31 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage

GeneChing

05-14-2015, 09:19 AM

I was tempted to go tonight as I've always wanted to check them out, but I'm kinda busy right now (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68165-2015-Tiger-Claw-Elite-%285-16%29-amp-KUNG-FU-TAI-CHI-DAY-%285-17%29-in-San-Jose-CA). :o

KUNG FU VAMPIRE (http://www.gtweekly.com/index.php/santa-cruz-area-music/love-your-local-santa-cruz-band/6572-kung-fu-vampire.html)
Wednesday, 13 May 2015 11:16 AARON CARNES Music - Love Your Local Band

http://www.gtweekly.com/images/stories/051315/LYLB-Kung-Fu-Vampire.jpg
Over a decade ago San Jose/Santa Cruz rapper Kung Fu Vampire started fusing straightforward hip-hop with a live band and dark theatrical elements of vampires and kung fu. It took several years, but when the Insane Clown Posse’s fanbase (known as juggalos), heard him, they embraced him full on.

Since then he’s toured the U.S. 13 times, with some Midwest markets drawing bigger crowds than right here in the Bay.

“I’m heavily connected to a super niche market. The good thing about that is that I have loyal fans that are super supportive, with my face tattooed on them. At the same time, it hurts me that other people who might enjoy my music might be turned off because they have the wrong idea,” Kung Fu Vampire says. “It’s not some freaky-deaky thing. It’s not metal. It’s not a rock kind of thing. It’s straight-up hip-hop. It’s just a cool name and a cool image.”

When he started, he was unaware of juggalos, and always played to hip-hop audiences, some of which felt his theatrics were a bit over the top. Now that he’s got an audience, he’s trying to expand it and show the hip-hop crowd that he is, more than anything, a rapper with skills. He’s performed on four TeamBackPack cyphers—which are well-respected in rap circles—and he even did a co-headlining tour with Wrekonize (of ¡Mayday!), who was featured on a Tech N9ne song alongside Kendrick Lamar.

“I grew up in Latin culture and low-riding, going to classic hip-hop and live rock shows. I have so much love and respect for the juggalo kids, but it doesn’t make sense for that to be my only fan base.”

Kung Fu Vampire has a new album expected out this year, along with a new video dropping this month that he promises will be “movie quality with an American Horror Story, paranormal kind of theme to it.”

INFO: 9 p.m. Thursday, May 14. Catalyst Atrium, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $22/adv, $25/door. 429-4135.
Comments (0)Add Comment

GeneChing

05-19-2015, 10:15 AM

This is the beginning. Through this music video, Taylor will inspire a legion of nacho ninjettes all over the world.

And they SHALL RISE.

RISE UP!

FOR WORLD NACHO NINJETTE DOMINATION!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHHA!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcIy9NiNbmo

GeneChing

06-16-2015, 09:34 AM

One of my favorite music artists right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAYPacrJnyQ

GeneChing

06-16-2015, 09:45 AM

Not nearly as good as the one I posted above. :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeqPztekQiU

GeneChing

07-16-2015, 10:19 AM

M.I.A. had me GENER8ION + M.I.A. - The New International Sound Pt. II (Official music video) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1284591#post1284591) above. Now she's just toying with me.

MIA's New Video Elevates Badass South Asian Warrior Women (http://themuse.jezebel.com/mias-new-video-elevates-badass-south-asian-warrior-wome-1717759954)
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
7/15/15 9:05am

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--PvQWkVeH--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1343305384681592423.png

Though MIA’s 2013 album, Matangi, was generally well received, it was not well understood. This was, in part, because of many Western music critics’ lack of curiosity about cultures outside their own, and specifically the music within; Matangi was an assertion of MIA’s globality, but also centered specifically on a spectrum of Hinduism that went beyond the gesture of spirituality most (white) critics seemed to grasp. She purposely made the internet the locus of her spiritual exploration, an artistic statement that cobbled together and curated goddesses in the decoupaged way she records her music.

On Monday, MIA (Maya Arulpragasam) released “Matadatah Scroll 01 Broader than a Border, (https://itunes.apple.com/us/post/idsa.e62049a2-297b-11e5-8564-dbb405c2dc2a?app=music)” a new video shot in Western India and Cote d’Ivoire, viewable on Apple or Tumblr if, in her words, you “don’t fux with Apple.” (The woman who predicted that our government is monitoring us certainly would have a sensitivity to an aversion to the company, though that did not stop her from releasing it on the Apple Music video platform exclusively.) It’s an MIA-directed video element synced to two songs, the new track “Swords” and Matangi’s “Warriors,” which sampled a cacophony of djembes and Spanish mákina as she repeats the refrain “warriors in the dance.”

Those warriors are embodied here, MIA herself appearing only intermittently among groups of physically strong brown women working in tandem, awe-inspiring at their agility and fortitude as a crew. “Swords” begins by sampling the clink of sword upon sword and metal shield, featuring a nimble-footed crew of what could be kalaripayattu dancers and women spinning the staffs of silambam, two Tamil martial arts whose quick choreography is “bangin’ like Bangalore.” (The goddess Matangi is sometimes depicted with a sword and a goad.) On the outro, the camera focuses on MIA seated on a temple pier with a bowl of incense as she hums a a sacred “Om,” like she did so much on Matangi. Om signifies the moment of creation, an explicit suggestion that she sees music-making itself as a spiritual act, that artistic creation and the quintessence of living are not mutually exclusive.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--9IjjHUo8--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1343305384825361767.png

“Broader Than a Border” is also in profound contrast to other Western music video takes on India—Major Lazer’s “Lean On,” a perfect song marred with its video’s othering qualities or, infinitely worse, Iggy Azalea’s “Bounce,” both of which place gleaming white women at the center of the Indian women dancing in the background. (It’s pretty ironic that MIA claimed her label made her hold back her video for “cultural appropriation,” though she’s been reasonably accused of that before, most notably with the “Bad Girls” video.) In “Matadatah Scroll 01,” as with many of her other videos, MIA re-centers these Indian women and girls, emphasizes they’re not your back-up chicks, nor exotic props to be put on film for Western eyes to consume as pretty flowers, but in fact real women with real lives that are not to be erased simply because they may live in a developing nation.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--quzBMePz--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1343305384900006759.png

MIA’s always been reflective of both her culture—she salt and peppered her mango on her first-ever track—and her cultural multitudes. But as she gets older, she takes deeper dives into the essence of what that means. “Broader Than a Border” is just the first Matadatah track to receive a video; in an official statement released via her label promises this will be yet another globally-traversing, globally-created project:

I directed and edited my first music video for “Warriors” for my last album, MATANGI, and I held it back until now, because it inspired me to make a whole series of songs and videos on the concept of borders. Making songs and videos at the same time out of a suitcase on location is something I did on my album KALA, but it’s video, as well as music, made by me in a very ARULAR way. [...] There’s ten more of these countries coming and I haven’t chased where to go yet, so who knows where this project will take me.

Borders are what were theoretically obliterated once the internet began to explode; a lack of borders is what helped create the genre-blind “global bass” music that MIA makes and, indeed, helped create. As a refugee and a world traveler, borders are something she’s uniquely primed to understand, as no one knows the chasm between arbitrary cultural and national land divisions better than a person who is forced to leave their homeland due to war, poverty, or other unlivable concerns. (Famously, she was supposed to have been unable to enter the States during the recording of Kala due to visa troubles. “I’m locked out! They wont let me in!” she wrote in 2006 on her MySpace page. “Now I’m strictly making my album outside the borders!!!!”)

Presently, borders are perhaps a more volatile and important topic to explore since the time she’s been making music, with immigration-policy tensions bubbling in the US, UK, and across Europe, as countries like Libya, México, and Syria are less stable by the day. It’s interesting that after a childhood defined by displacement, MIA’s chosen to lead her adult life rather nomadically, traveling to parts of the global South that rarely receive a tourist spotlight in the Times when she’s not on tour, working with peoples who (She discovered the Cote d’Ivoire dancer in the latter, “Warriors” half of “Broader than a Boarder” in a YouTube video and, she says, spent two years searching for him.)

Of course, it’s easy to ascribe MIA with the kind of topics we want to be talking about in pop culture but often don’t, to project our social, political, and personal aspirations onto her. We do that because that is what we do with all pop stars—and particularly with MIA, because she is truly one of perhaps three current English-language pop stars who are migrants and/or refugees (Rihanna, Pitbull) and the only South Asian pop star in the US, a segment of people who very rarely see themselves represented in Western pop culture. If it seems like some fans elevate MIA into a political superhero, it’s churlish to cast blame; she’s not perfect, but as with Beyoncé up in front of that “FEMINIST” sign, her mere existence is giving agency to women of color who don’t always feel they have it.

“We dem gyals say, holla holla holla,” she chants, “we hold (/hope?) the world say holla holla holla,” as the LED-buzzed, tabla-juiced dancehall riddim of “Swords” cuts out into chimes and a bhangra sample. That’s when the video shows this:

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--LsBLzN3u--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1343305384998856807.gif

It’s a feat, laying still while someone you must trust very much chops a gourd right on your neck. Showing it not only lets MIA’s non-Indian fanbase in to a tiny aspect of these women’s lives when, even in 2015, the going narrative remains a Slumdoggian, feel-good, third-world fantasy, but also represents the danger and bravery women the world over have to embody just to get through the day to day. It’s also a scene leading into a darkened, woman-only space in the temple she filmed; the staffs are lit up with fire and an image of the Om symbol (stylized as MIA’s name in lowercase) is in flames.

With “Warriors,” MIA shifts from the womanly paradise into a heavily male-centric video, focusing mostly on the twitchy-legged, Ivorian dancer’s astounding moves, his legs jittering almost independently of his torso, which remains taut the whole way through. (He must have an incredible core, I thought, my Americanness spooging all over itself.) Top dog even though I didn’t speak no English, MIA raps in “Warriors,” both an acknowledgement and validation of a huge part of the immigrant experience that is often rendered invisible. That she said it as a point of pride in a verse about swag is even more important.

As he dances, his feet look as though they’re ghostriding the whip. He’s clad in a green iridescent track suit embellished with raffia wrists and ankles; it matches MIA’s manicure.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--LyShzedN--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1343305385188163943.png

Between moves, she cuts to archival shots of the green-skinned goddess Matangi, regal in her prayer stance, surrounded by drums as is her domain as the protector of music. “He is a spiritual warrior and communicates through dancing,” said MIA in a press release. “It’s a lifelong commitment for him to be the designated spiritual body that channels that dance.”

“Gangsters bangers, we’re putting em in a trance,” she raps. Two years later, the double entendres are still exciting. So is her vision.

GeneChing

08-31-2015, 10:20 AM

https://vimeo.com/35597580
Enter The Dragon Remix (EM)
from Eclectic Method

GeneChing

08-31-2015, 10:22 AM

Way to go T Swizzle! All you Swiftees can get your ninja gear here (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html). :cool:

'Bad Blood' wins Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs (http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/30/vmas-2015-video-of-the-year-bad-blood)
by Mary Sollosi • @missollosi

http://www.ew.com/sites/default/files/styles/tout_image_612x380/public/i/2015/07/28/bad-blood.jpg?itok=scGKa_N9
Posted August 30 2015 — 11:36 PM EDT

The 2015 VMAs have come to a close, and the night’s top prize went to Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar for “Bad Blood.”

“I want to thank Kendrick Lamar,” Swift began in her acceptance speech alongside the members of her “Bad Blood” squad who were able to make it to the ceremony. “I wish he was here but he’s off in Europe on tour being amazing but he’s such a postive influence in my life and I wanted to thank him first.”

Swift continued:

This video was such a collaborative effort. These women helped create their parts, helped write their roles and decide what they wanted to be — and there were two women in the video I’ve named cats after! I love them so much and the factt that you would vote and give us this bonding experience we’ll have forever … thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I know there’s been a lot of discusison about this video and what it means but I’m just happy that in 2015 we live in a world where boys can play princesses and girls can play soldiers.

“Bad Blood” beat out Ed Sheeran’s romantic dance in “Thinking Out Loud”; the video for the infectiously danceable “Uptown Funk” from Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars; Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” video, shot in moody black and white; and 2014’s Video Vanguard Award recipient Beyoncé’s low-key, pants-free “711” dance video.

Swift’s win comes as no surprise. The hyper-stylized revenge fantasy video, featuring Swift’s coterie of supermodel BFFs, premiered at the Billboard Music Awards to enormous hype and has since broken the Vevo record for most views within 24 hours.

“Bad Blood” is Swift’s first Video of the Year win, and her second nomination in the category. She picked up the most total nods this year, with nine — seven for “Bad Blood” and two for her self-aware “Blank Space” video. “Bad Blood” also took home awards for Best Female Video and Best Pop Video.

This is the beginning. Through this music video, Taylor will inspire a legion of nacho ninjettes all over the world.

And they SHALL RISE.

RISE UP!

FOR WORLD NACHO NINJETTE DOMINATION!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHHA!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcIy9NiNbmo

GeneChing

09-08-2015, 05:31 PM

I could have sworn I posted this here already. I'm working a Major Lazer show this Friday and remembered this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKKdJoXF7PI

GeneChing

09-23-2015, 08:36 AM

San Francisco's international Plum Blossom Kung Fu tournament? How did I miss that? :rolleyes:

I've found some reference on Yu Dai Fu on the web (but you can find anything on the web if you look hard enough. Here's more on Laidback Luke here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1252795#post1252795), here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1263614#post1263614), and here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1264155#post1264155). I've tuned into Laidback Luke and I do like his stuff. I hope we can meet someday.

Laidback Luke wins four medals at professional Kung Fu competition (http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2015/09/laidback-luke-wins-four-medals-professional-kung-fu-competition/)
By Lucy Davidson · @lucylough
Sep 23 2015

Veteran Dutch DJ and producer Laidback Luke is known around the world for his chart-topping hits and explosive main stage sets. Luke (real name Lucas van Scheppingen) has a less-known but no less impressive talent as well: he is the current world champion in the Kung Fu sub-category Yu Dai Fu. Luke travelled with the three other members of the Dutch national Kung Fu team to San Francisco for the international Plum Blossom Kung Fu tournament.

The competition is well-known for its high caliber of competition, and the team managed to bring home an impressive eleven medals. Luke won four of the eleven- two gold, one silver, and one bronze. About the experience, Luke said

“It was an extremely tough playing field with a lot of close finishes. Very proud of the Hong Ying Kung Fu pro team with a result of 11 medals and I am very motivated to keep working on my skill.”
Luke has also recently participated in championships in the USA and China. The Dutch team’s coach, Mark Horton, was elated at the recent success as well.

“I was incredibly proud of the guys for the fantastic results even though the level of the competition was very high, especially with the American teams. This is a great indication for the world championships in 2016.”

GeneChing

10-05-2015, 08:48 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xo9vzcPJvw

GeneChing

10-15-2015, 09:39 AM

Soundcloud tracks are available if you follow the link.

Shermanology On Their 'Philosophy,' Second EP, Martial Arts, More [Interview] (http://www.musictimes.com/articles/50689/20151013/shermanology-philosophy-second-ep-martial-arts-interview.htm)
by Ryan Middleton Oct 13, 2015 12:38 PM EDT

http://images.musictimes.com/data/images/full/46338/shermanology.jpg?w=775
Shermanology (Photo : Courtesy Of Shermanology)

Holland is known as one of the powerhouses for dance music. Whether you have the titans like Armin van Buuren, Laidback Luke, Sander Kleinenberg, Joris Voorn Tiësto or Hardwell, talent is everywhere in the small Northern European country. That is not is not just reserved for those who stands behind soem CDJs and make beats, there are those who also write songs and sing them, in addition to making tracks and performing them live. This is where the exciting group Shermanology step into the fold. Strictly a family affair, brother and sister pairing Andy & Dorothy Sherman, have collaborated with the likes of Avicii, Afrojack, Fedde le Grand and Martin Garrix, but are now entering a new chapter in their career, leaving the main room behind for a more soulful sound closer to their hearts and roots.

Their father was Tony Sherman, who was part of the 70s funk band the Sherman Brothers, which had a major impact on Andy and Dorothy's youth and their decision to get into music. A process a year and a half in the making, Shermanology released their Philosophy EP. Coming in at five tracks, it was a much more personal affair from the pair, devoid of collaborations and felt more honest as they dove into a sound where they felt more at home.

We had a chance tp catch up with both Andy & Dorothy after the release of the EP to discuss their Philosophy on dance music, forthcoming music that includes a secodn EP and some collabs with MNEK and past jobs and talents like Pencak Silat. Stream the EP below and purchase it on iTunes.

MT You guys started as MCs and singers, was it tough transitioning to being DJs too?

Andy: In the beginning it was because most DJs, not all of them looked at us as singers not DJs and thought we should keep it separate. But I had already been DJing for years at my friend's house with vinyl. So when I had to get to know the CD players, it was quite an easy switch. In the beginning, we were lucky we had support from all of the promoters in Holland. So that made the step easier.

MT: What is tough to being producers too?

Andy: I was already making music even in the MC and singing time. But when I found out I really wanted to DJ, I picked it up more seriously. From a very early age, Dorothy and I were writing toplines on top of existing r&b songs.

Dorothy: The first song we wrote was with Fedde Le Grand and they took the song right away. That was when we knew this might work.

MT: What is the Philosophy of your new EP?

Andy: As long as it feels good.

Dorothy: In the past we would make a song, but didn't really like it. However they would release it anyway. Now we are never going to do something that isn't good for us. Maybe it will be good for somebody else, but if it doesn't feel good for us, then we won't do it.

Andy: In the past all the songs like "Can't Stop Me" and "Blessed" were ones that we really believed in, but because we made all of those songs with different artists, we never really got to brand the songs like we wanted music-wise and vocally. It always had a touch from a different producer and that's why with this EP, we said let's do what we feel music-wise. That's why it feels 100 percent Shermanology compared to tracks before.

MT: When did you decide this was the direction you wanted to take with your music?

Dorothy: I think about a year and a half ago. We just decided to press the reset button and build a whole new team around us. Once we decided to make the music we wanted to make, that's when we booked a flight to New York and hooked some very good writers.

Andy: After a certain point, we would come back from gigs in Holland or somewhere abroad. We would come back with a bit of an unsatisfied feeling. At one point I was playing music to please the crowd instead of playing the songs that we really want to play. That's when your heart and your mind start to conflict. It just didn't feel right anymore so we hit reset.

Dorothy: If you aren't having as much fun anymore, then you need to change what you are doing to make sure you are having fun.

MT: This EP has five songs. Why did you choose these five and were there more you could have added?

Andy: We could have done an album.

MT: Why didn't you do an album?

Andy: We decided we had some collabs on there and we have some ballads as well. Instead of doing an album where it might confuse people even more from where we came from, we picked the five songs that were in between the club and downtempo style we want to do as well. We said "let's do it one step at a time" and not put too many collabs on there. We had to kill our darlings. However for our second EP we have a lot new songs ready. We are going to be able to put more variety on the EP like ballads and club tracks.

We are working on it [the second EP] now. We have half of the songs done now. The next few months are going to be a lot of traveling and doing a lot of songwriting for the second one.

MT: How the song with Pep & Rash come about?

Andy: Every year we have a writing camp with our publisher at Spinnin' Records. We got into a session with Pep & Resh. There was a really good connection even in a friend level. We had a really good connection, started the first track at that session and then went to their studio to finish the song. Their studio is about two hours away from Amsterdam and it was more of a friend kind of thing. That was when "Sugar" was made.

MT: In one interview you said, vocals should lift you up. What about the times when life is difficult and filled with hardships?

Dorothy: Yeah of course. I believe that every type of emotion that people have, if I take myself as an example, every type of emotion that I feel, you can put it into your music. If you feel sad, you probably listen to sad songs. If you want to make dance music, it should be songs that make you feel good. If we want to make a love ballad or a sad ballad then we will. If it needs to be something you want to dance to, then it is something that feels good.

Andy: I think the context that I said that was for the dance floor. It isn't like we don't want to make emotional songs, but they usually don't make the cut when you want to make dance music.

MT: What else do you have coming up?

Dorothy: We just made the music video for "Sweet Surrender" last week. We are waiting on it to be finished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeaftwFsRNU

Andy: Next week we have the video for "Sugar." We have to go back to London soon because the last session we did there with a guy MNEK. We did a couple of tracks with him and I hope two will make the next EP. There is this other girl called Rafaela that we did some sessions with as well. I think the second EP is going to have a lot of UK influences - a lot of bass lines. I used to live in London and there was this UK garage group called Artful Dodger where I was the front singer for two years. Now that I am doing this kind of music, it helps that I lived there for a little while. We are just reviving all of the old influences we had with the first EP.

MT: What is something people might not know about you?

Andy: Dorothy started in Merengue and salsa bands when she was 14 or 15. I used to work at Pizza Hut and she was making 10 times what I was making. But I wasn't mad.

Dorothy: I just decided when I was 13, if I had to have a summer job, even though I did some waitress work and hated it; I was just going to sing.

Andy: I still know how to make one hell of a pizza.

Dorothy: Andy was a Dutch martial arts champion of Pencak Silat.

MT: Can you still do it?

Dorothy: We both can. We both did it, but he did all of the bouts.

Andy: If I get myself in trouble I am the black Bruce Lee.

MT: Who would win in a fight, you or Laidback Luke?

Andy: Oh no, you don't want to fight Laidback Luke. The problem is that he is still doing everyday. So I would run really fast. You know who you have watch out for as well? Fedde le Grand. He is a black belt in Pencak Silat. He is not to mess with.

MT: That is how you deal with unruly people in the booth...

Andy: Once we had a streaker on stage. That was funny.

Dorothy: It was at Amnesia in Ibiza. They wanted to take him out, but I told them to let him dance. He wanted to be up here naked, so let him do his thing. It was funny.

GeneChing

11-03-2015, 12:26 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMT4SOgT1-4

GeneChing

11-05-2015, 10:15 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2NgsJrrAyM

Cool. Who is that girl?

GeneChing

11-10-2015, 12:01 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZlUgkTGeAQ

The girl in Sia's new music video 'Alive' is 9-year-old Mahiro Takano, 3X consecutive champ of All Japan Junior Karatedo Championships and Shotokan exponent.

GeneChing

11-20-2015, 10:26 AM

Meet Mahiro Takano, the Young Martial Arts Star of Sia's 'Alive' Video (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6770079/mahiro-takano-sia-alive)
By Associated Press | November 20, 2015 3:25 AM EST

http://www.billboard.com/files/styles/promo_650/public/media/sia-alive-vid-2015-billboard-650.jpg
Sia's video for "Alive."
Courtesy of VEVO

She has a soft spot for Duffy the Disney Bear and her favorite food is chocolate. She does her homework before dinner but really loves skateboarding, playing video games and bouncing on her trampoline.

If Mahiro Takano sounds like any 9-year-old, think again: The third grader from Niigata, a rice-growing region in Japan, stars in Sia's latest music video "Alive," the just-released single from the singer's upcoming album This is Acting (due Jan. 29).

In a backdrop of stark gray, the girl, wearing a white and black wig evocative of Sia's hairstyle, performs a dazzling routine with quick fists and kicks, and an adorably determined concentration of energy.

Watch Sia's Ass-Kicking New Video for 'Alive'

Mahiro, a three-time Japan karate champion in her age group, found making a music video was quite fun, and agreed she would do it again, especially if Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift offers.

The video shoot with Sia in a Tokyo suburb took about a week. She made a point to move to match the music, and "look cool," Mahiro said in an interview at her home, where she was gulping down her dinner of curry and boiled eggs before rushing to karate practice.

"She was nice," she said calmly of Sia. "She kept saying I was fantastic."

"Amazing" was the way her thoroughly impressed mother, Masayo Takano, remembers Sia repeatedly praising her daughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2NgsJrrAyM

"I was so excited," her mother said, letting out a squeal not quite as fierce as the long throaty screams her daughter makes during her karate routines.

Mahiro - whose name means "ten thousand kindness, as well as ten thousand talents" - has a quick sweet smile when she isn't screaming.

Her kicks, turns and punches in the air are part of "kata" forms that are like choreography in the Japanese defensive martial art of karate. Kata competition is separate from combat matches, which are also part of the sport.

When doing kata, you slip into a focused character, Mahiro says, by imagining "a far more powerful enemy."

She lost a contest just once, when she was in kindergarten. She wept, she recalls, so painful was it to lose. The trick is to practice as though you are in competition, and compete as though you are in practice, she said.

And she practices with a ferocious frenzy, working out every day after school with her older brother. She was 4 when she started karate, inspired by her brother, then 5, who began lessons with their father, a truck driver.

The moves must be powerful, precise and sharp, and getting better never ends, you can keep working at one detail after another, she added, sounding almost like a guru.

When asked about the appeal of karate, her reply is rather simple - being able to make friends.

"You get to play with them," such as tag, she said.

Her parents say they are grateful to karate because it teaches a child discipline, hard work, the resilience to perform under pressure and manners. Bowing and cheerful replies, as well as constant practice and respect to hierarchy, exemplified in the belt system signifying skill levels, are integral to karate.

Her teacher Takako Kikuchi acknowledged that some purists may disapprove of a young woman's participation in a music video.

"But this little girl did not compromise in the music video. She is doing her best, delivering, correctly and thoroughly, one by one, the moves that she knows, with utmost concentration. There is nothing false about it, nothing made up. She is truly telling the world the way of karate," Kikuchi said proudly.

Mahiro has already been chosen an official "ambassador" for karate for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The sport is vying to be chosen for the games. Never mind that, even if that happens, Mahiro may not be old enough to compete. The age cutoff is still undecided.

"I want to go to the Olympics," she says, "and win a gold medal."

Cool song, cool vid, and a very cool little girl.

GeneChing

01-15-2016, 11:25 AM

I'm not a fan of death metal or Taiwanese music, but put them together in ancient Chinese armor, and it gets my vote.

WATCH: This death metal superstar is gunning for a seat in the Taiwanese parliament (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/01/15/freddy_lim.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/freddy_lim4.jpg

As this weekend's elections in Taiwan draw near, death metal front man Freddy Lim is gearing up to run for a parliamentary seat.
Lim is apparently not content with just making himself heard over the aggressive guitar riffs of Chthonic. He's taking a hard line pro-democracy stand against the mainland, and is acting as a voice for Taiwanese youth who dread eventually being put in the same boat as Hong Kong.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/freddy_liim5.jpg

Lim belongs to one of the many smaller political parties hoping to break up the stranglehold that the KMT and DPP hold on Taiwanese politics. He's also fighting to reverse the current trend toward closer ties with the mainland.
"The government thinks that relying on China will result in economic prosperity, which the youth do not agree with," he told CNN.
Lim is being contested by an incumbent who is telling his constituents to not vote for someone "who has hair that is longer than a woman's and is mentally abnormal." It should be quite the race.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/freddylim8.jpg

Watch CNN's profile on this death metal superstar turned politician here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Yl9oVYxlk
[Video via CNN]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Jan 15, 2016 8:00 PM

GeneChing

02-25-2016, 11:02 AM

BABYMETAL’s new single “KARATE” is the **** + ‘Metal Resistance’ trailer (http://www.asianjunkie.com/2016/02/25/babymetals-new-single-karate-is-the-****-metal-resistance-trailer/)
IATFB 02/25/2016

http://www.asianjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/BABYMETALKARATE.png

BABYMETAL continue to build towards the release of their ‘Metal Resistance‘ album on Apr. 1, and their new single “KARATE” was played live at various outlets recently.

Here’s a recording:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3u8lzg_babymetal-karate_music

*In case that goes down, here’s a mirror.

“KARATE” reminds me of a heavy metal version of a Do As Infinity track, which is a definite positive as the latter’s songs are usually catchy. The instrumentals provided by the Kami Band are widely regarded to always be on point, and that doesn’t change here with an intro that engaged me instantly and somehow manages to merge perfectly with a catchy J-pop hook.

The fusion of constant energy from the talented band with SU-METAL‘s consistently developing talent as a front-woman makes this group shine and difficult to duplicate (though others try). The “screamo” by YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL is honestly still a bit jarring, but I’m growing used to it by now and they’ve gotten better as they’ve gotten older. SU-METAL’s still obviously the star of the track, though, and she dominates it with an on-point haunting pre-chorus that leads to an even better performance over the addictive hook. Her progression and evolution is probably shown to be most complete over the outro, where she really powers through the track and finishes it off on an extreme high that makes you want to hit repeat.

I dunno if I’m supposed to love this **** by whatever musical elitist standard, but sorry, this is amazing and I can (and have) listen to it over and over.
continued next post

GeneChing

02-25-2016, 11:03 AM

Here’s the album trailer for ‘Metal Resistance’, which also serves as what I think is a music video teaser for “KARATE”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7grclWcpp50

Give us the **** music video.

If you don't know Baby Metal, you don't know J-pop at all.

GeneChing

02-26-2016, 09:43 AM

Wide world of snort? :rolleyes:

Hear Baauer Team With Future, Pusha T for Hard-Hitting 'Kung Fu' (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-baauer-team-with-future-pusha-t-for-hard-hitting-kung-fu-20160224)
"'This is one of the missiles. This is one of the ones I guarantee is gonna make some kind of noise,'" "Harlem Shake" producer says of track

BY DANIEL KREPS February 24, 2016

http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/2016/article/hear-baauer-team-with-future-pusha-t-for-hard-hitting-kung-fu-20160224/229549/medium_rect/1456340895/720x405-future-pusha.jpg
Future and Pusha T guest on Baauer's hard-hitting "Kung Fu," a track off the producer's upcoming LP 'Aa.' Prince Williams/Getty, Jerritt Clark/Getty

Baauer teams with Future and Pusha T on "Kung Fu," a track off the "Harlem Shake" beatmaker's upcoming LP Aa. Future contributes the woozy chorus to the hard-hitting cut that finds Pusha rapping, "The dope game is my sport / Welcome to the wide world of snort / They quoting 36 a kilo / Nah, there wasn't 36 of me though."

Baauer
Kung Fu ft Pusha T & Future (https://soundcloud.com/baauer/kungfu)

Baauer debuted the track on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show, where he also discussed how the collaboration came together. "I was working with Pusha on his project, just giving him some beats and working on some songs," Baauer told Lowe. "This kind of came through it. This was one of the songs we were working on and I managed to get it for my album. I was like, 'This is one of the missiles. This is one of the ones I guarantee is gonna make some kind of noise.'"

Aa (pronounced "double A"), which also features guests like M.I.A., Rustie, Leikeli47 and more, is due out March 18th. Baauer recently spoke to Rolling Stone about the viral fame of "Harlem Shake" and how he hopes he never becomes that famous again. "I look at Kanye, who lives in that 24/7, and I can't imagine what kind of a person you must be to deal with that," Baauer said. "Just getting the smallest little touch of that experience was too much for me."

GeneChing

02-26-2016, 10:20 AM

New BABYMETAL song debuts on BBC, immediately shoots to the top of iTunes charts【Music】 (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/02/27/new-babymetal-song-debuts-on-bbc-immediately-shoots-to-the-top-of-itunes-charts/)
Preston Phro about an hour ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/cover.jpg?w=580&h=575

Put your kitsune up!

At this point, BABYMETAL doesn’t need much in the way of introduction. If you read RocketNews24 regularly, you’ll probably be familiar with the group and their music. Needless to say, we’re big fans, and we have a feeling quite a few of our readers are as well! So, we know just how you’ve felt waiting for new music from our favorite kawaii metal group.

Well, your wait is over! “Karate” just debuted on BBC Radio 1 and was uploaded to YouTube as an audio-only track. You can listen to it below, and we’ll get out of the way and let you listen now, though you may find that the video is blocked in your location.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzZIbBMsSd0

The new song was also released on iTunes, and it shot straight to the top of the charts, as you can see below.

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfl1/v/t1.0-0/p320x320/12743750_975192025861397_8527364471156628862_n.png ?oh=13c5521cbae38f73fdc1aae9095006f4&oe=5754AB40

BABYMETAL
4 hours ago

The song is also available in Japan in iTunes (even if it’s not available on YouTube). It probably goes without saying, but the new single topped the charts here as well!

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/12744501_975107495869850_4377558645150116579_n.jpg ?oh=c23b54ba57fc2f8bdfcbbe7494f03cc5&oe=574FF9DC

BABYMETAL
8 hours ago
New song “KARATE" is available and No.1 on iTunes Top Song Chart in Japan! New Album "METAL RESISTANCE" iTunes pre-order begins! ‪#‎BABYMETAL‬ ‪#‎itunes‬

The full album, titled Metal Resistance, will be released April 1 along with the start of a worldwide tour. You can pre-order the full album now on iTunes (Japan) or Amazon (UK) or buy “Karate” on iTunes (Japan) or Amazon (US) or you localized iTunes store.

Sources: Facebook/BABYMETAL, YouTube/BABYMETALVEVO (h/t NoCleanSinging)
Featured image: Facebook/BABYMETAL

This is one of those rare situations where Karate beats Kung Fu for me. Baby Metal is really growing on me. Future and Pusha T, not so much.

GeneChing

03-11-2016, 10:44 AM

Baauer & Pusha T's Kung Fu track (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1291402#post1291402).

There's a lyric vid if you follow the post, but it might not help...:rolleyes:

Baauer Unveils Lyric Video For "Kung Fu" (http://www.thefader.com/2016/03/11/baauer-kung-fu-lyric-video)
He'll distribute free download codes for the song this weekend.
By ELIAS LEIGHT

Baauer's new clip comes courtesy of Apple Music. "Never really understood lyric videos so this one's in arabic, russian & simplified chinese," the producer explained. "The translator said, 'I'd like to warn you this song would be illegal to release in China.' The visuals are a lil glimpse from the Aa shows we've been working on."
Baauer also decided to hand out free download codes for "Kung Fu" inside fortune cookies. Those special cookies will be available this weekend for fans that live in New York City or London. The NYC supply can be found at Turntable Lab (120 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009), while the U.K. stash will be at Goodhood (151 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3QE).

GeneChing

03-18-2016, 09:05 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvD3CHA48pA

GeneChing

04-27-2016, 11:51 AM

This one is slightly OT, but it's got light sabers... :cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eJDTcDUQxQ

GeneChing

07-18-2016, 07:33 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgqjlL88nCs&sns=em

I luv Alborosie. I've seen him perform many times. Now I luv him even more. :D

GeneChing

09-02-2016, 02:32 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2IsQBCnVbw

Here's more on Laidback Luke here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1252795#post1252795), here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1263614#post1263614), here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1264155#post1264155), and here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1287096#post1287096)

GeneChing

10-12-2016, 01:56 PM

Funny - I just finished an article on Dim Mak.

Steve Aoki Celebrates 20 Years of Dim Mak Records (http://www.redbull.com/us/en/music/stories/1331814381099/steve-aoki-20-years-of-dim-mak-records)
The electronic music hero picks his favorite releases from the influential label he founded.

http://image2.redbull.com/rbcom/010/2015-03-26/1331713565733_2/0010/1/800/533/2/steve-aoki.jpg
Steve Aoki © Erik Voake

By Kat Bein on 30 August 2016
Can you believe Dim Mak is 20 years old? Label founder Steve Aoki hardly can.
"It's such a long journey, it feels like a lot of different journeys," he says. "It doesn't feel linear either. It feels almost like a metamorphosis."
Aoki celebrates two decades of mind-blowing resilience with a specially curated Dim Mak stage at Electric Zoo in New York City, Saturday, Sept. 3. It's a city that's been so important for him, the label and the whole music world. And he couldn't be happier to share this moment of pride and reflection with fans.
He's populating the Riverside Stage takeover with all of Dim Mak's biggest and brightest in fresh blood. It's a diverse lineup Aoki says "represents the future of Dim Mak," but one can't look toward the future at a moment like this without getting a bit misty-eyed for the past.

http://image3.redbull.com/rbcom/010/2014-01-14/1331627962311_2/0010/1/800/533/2/steve-aoki.jpg
Steve Aoki © Catie Laffoon/Red Bull

Dim Mak was founded when Aoki was just 19. He was throwing 20 shows a month in his living room, which he calls "The Pickle Patch." He witnessed so much amazing talent and he wanted to give these unsigned bands a voice. At the time, he existed in the sphere of hardcore, punk, emo and straight edge. He couldn't have known in 1996 that Dim Mak was the start of an incredible journey that would take him to the sonic corners of post-punk, hip-hop and, of course, hard electro beats.
"At different stages, we cocooned ourselves to turn into a completely different species," Aoki says. “As a business, that level of reset, destruction, change and evolution was really important as a whole to survival.”
Whatever the sound, whoever the artists, whenever the release occurred, the one thing that's stayed throughout Dim Mak's history has been the love of the music. "If you really genuinely put that first, your business will shine," Aoki says.
Choosing your favorite records from each year is akin to saying which kid you love best, but Aoki did the best he could to sum up the life and legacy of Dim Mak here. It's an oral history, if you will, of what it takes to bring outsider music to the masses. Here's to 20 more years.

I just heard about this show below. I may have to go and check it out. :cool:

STEVE AOKI (http://www.apeconcerts.com/events/steve-aoki/)
DVBBS
T-Mass :: GITCHII
plus secret guests!

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
San Francisco, CA
Friday, November 18, 2016
Show: 8:00pm
ON SALE 10/14steveaoki_1024
This event is 18 and over

$34.50 – General Admission
$39.50 – General Admission**
$44.50 – General Admission**

*plus applicable service fees
**available when lower price level sells out

The general on sale begins Friday, October 14th at 10am!

Tickets are also available service charge free at The Fox Theater’s Box Office (located on the 19th street side of the theater) on show dates and on Fridays from noon – 7:00pm.

http://www.apeconcerts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SteveAoki_1024.jpg
Steve Aoki

While Mulholland Drive high up in the Hollywood Hills may have the views and legacy, it’s Wonderland Avenue that has the street cred and infamy (ex-porn star John Holmes was involved in a 1981 quadruple homicide at an apartment on the narrow road). Now, Wonderland Avenue may soon gain notoriety for something new: the world’s most unlikely road where some of America’s most beloved recent electronic music has been made thanks to Steve Aoki who named his debut for New York-based Ultra Music and his own label Dim Mak Records, Wonderland.

Arguably no producer has done more to raise the international profile of Los Angeles in underground electronic music circles than Steve Aoki. He broke bands such as Bloc Party, The Bloody Beetroots, Klaxons and The Gossip though deftly marketed single and full-length releases on his Dim Mak label, which he began in 1996 and now has over 250 releases. Those releases often dovetailed into performances at his weekly Dim Mak nights including Dim Mak studios (still going strong every Tuesday night in the heart of Hollywood). As a label owner and shrewd curator of talent from around the world, those club nights have hosted the debut US performances of hundreds of acts over the last decade from Lady Gaga to Ed banger Records & Justice, Ke$ha, Skrillex, Kid Cudi, Kaiser Chiefs, No Age to Boys Noize. Aoki’s become a force of nature who has helped turn underground house, electro and harder-edged EDM with rap and rock leanings into the phenomena it is today: regularly pulling in 150,000 + fans at events such as Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival and the debut of the IDentity national electronic touring festival.

America, suddenly insatiable when it comes to dance music in all its splendor and variety, is now ready to take a proverbial drive down a street the DJ and producer knows well.

www.dimmak.com (http://www.dimmak.com/)

GeneChing

12-05-2016, 03:26 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4VoZ6afztc

Caught this on a retro video show. Can't resist adding it here.

GeneChing

02-01-2017, 10:23 AM

This reminds me of Sense8 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68638-Sense8).

'Van Damme' wins SABC's 'Song of the Year' (http://www.iol.co.za/tonight/music/news/van-damme-wins-sabcs-song-of-the-year-7327918)
MUSIC NEWS / 4 January 2017, 6:13pm
ANA Reporter

https://irs.iol.co.za/image/1/process/800x450?source=https://inm-baobab-prod-eu-west-1.s3.amazonaws.com/public/inm/media/image/91539855.JPG&operation=CROP&offset=0x0&resize=400x338
MROZA FAKUDE

Johannesburg – KwaZulu-Natal Maskandi artist, Mroza Fakude, on Wednesday walked away with a R150 000 cash prize and a brand new Kia Picanto after his hit song "Van Damme" was voted as SABC's Song of the year for 2016.

In the figures of "SABC Summer Song of the Year 2016" released by the SABC and which were audited by the firm Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo, the breakdown of votes for artists nominated for the campaign showed that Mroza won a tight race against his rivals by a mere five percent. Fakude's hit song "Sobulala uVan Damme", literally meaning "We are going to kill Van Damme", but figuratively meaning one can overcome any obstacles with determination, garnered 176 452 votes or 20 percent of the total eligible votes cast across a total of eight SABC radio stations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyLG_0NzJHw

This was while his nearest rival, King Monada's "Ska Bhora Moreki" received 132,616 votes or 15 percent, and the favourite Babes Wodumo's "Wololo" could only garner 125 863 votes, or 14.3 percent, both featuring across 15 radio stations.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the public broadcaster was very pleased with how the competition, now in its second year, rolled out.

"We want to encourage the public to vote for their favourite song or musician when the competition returns toward the end of this year, as it is only through their votes that an artist wins," Kganyago said.

"As a public service broadcaster we look forward to the competition growing in leaps and bounds in the years to come."

There would be an official handover of the prize money and car to Mroza on January 26 at Emperors Palace.

Other artists whose song also featured in the top 10 of the competition would also be awarded a monetary prize of R30 000.

Two lucky listeners also won a car each for voting for their favourite song of the year and for producing their paid up TV Licence number when voting for the SABC Summer Song of the Year 2016.

Van Damme is popular in SA again (http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/van-damme-is-popular-in-sa-again-20170109-2)

09 January 2017, 11:33
Jean-Claude Van Damme is a name compared to the likes of Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jet Li. Different people prefer different superheroes. It is however more believable when superheroes are portrayed in a more realistic manner. This time Jean-Claude Van Damme has been popular in song rather than film!
It is no secret that Chuck Norris has been portrayed as invincible. This is made even more evident by the millions of Check Norris jokes, my favorite being: “When Chuck Norris was born he drove his mom home from the hospital”. Jet Li’s impossible jumps and slow motion ducks and dives also potrays him as untouchable at times. Steven Seagal’s effortless defense and offense made people sick. The fact that he never got beat made things even worse for his character. The funniest and more realistic characters were Jean Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan. It comes as no surprise that the most popular song in South Africa for 2016 on Ukhozi FM was Mroza’s ‘Sobulal uVan Damme’ (We are going to kill Van Damme). Many listeners translated the song as meaning they would consume alcohol and not get drunk.
I (as most) was particularly confused about this song at first, but it grew on me as it did on the rest of the nation. It is an easy to sing along Maskandi track and came at the right time to showcase rural talent. There have been many interesting memes about the song on Social Media. I am sure that Jean-Claude Van Damme would be proud if he saw many of these. I wonder if he knows just how popular he has been over the course of South Africa’s festive season?
The song not only brought people from different walks of life together, but it also proved that rural music (so to state) is still well loved and appreciated. It gave hope to others that may have a different idea as to what music in our time should sound. The fact that it was the biggest on the Ukhozi FM charts shocked most as this spot has always to an upbeat Kwaito/House song. The same people with shock all agree that it is an awesome sing along and one to go into the history books.
Van Damme live on in South Africa!
Michael Mondli Hlophe
Michaelhlope75@gmail.com

BTW, I split Laidback Luke into this own indie thread off the Kung-Fu Music thread - see Laidback Luke - Kung Fu EDM DJ (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70050-Laidback-Luke-Kung-Fu-EDM-DJ).

GeneChing

02-06-2017, 09:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAeenwkd1Hc&sns=em

GeneChing

02-23-2017, 09:37 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTNZvNATOGA

GeneChing

02-24-2017, 10:29 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il-Pv__BjpI

The closest this comes to me is Fresno. I enjoy dubstep but that's too far for me for this. :(

http://datsik.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/tourtop1.jpg

Upcoming | Local Dates
Date Venue Location Tickets
Feb 24 Ninja Nation Tour @ The Complex Salt Lake City, UT
Feb 25 Ninja Nation Tour @ Cargo Reno, NV
Feb 26 Ninja Nation Tour @ McDonald Theatre Eugene, OR
Mar 01 Ninja Nation Tour @ The Graduate San Luis Obispo, CA
Mar 02 Ninja Nation Tour @ Rainbow Ballroom Fresno, CA
Mar 03 Ninja Nation Tour @ House of Blues San Diego, CA
Mar 04 Ninja Nation Tour @ Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, CA
Mar 08 Ninja Nation Tour @ Knitting Factory Boise, ID
Mar 09 Ninja Nation Tour @ Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
Mar 10 Ninja Nation Tour @ Knitting Factory Spokane, WA
Mar 11 LUCKY Seattle, WA
Mar 14 Ninja Nation Tour @ The Pub Station Billings, MT
Mar 16 Ninja Nation Tour @ Union Hall Edmonton, Canada
Mar 17 Ninja Nation Tour @ The Palace Theatre Calgary, Canada
Mar 18 Ninja Nation Tour @ Vogue Theatre Vancouver, Canada
Mar 24 Ultra Music Festival Miami, FL
May 05 Middlelands Todd Mission, TX
May 06 Middlelands Todd Mission, TX
May 07 Middlelands Todd Mission, TX
Jun 09 Spring Awakening Chicago, IL
Jun 10 Spring Awakening Chicago, IL
Jun 11 Spring Awakening Chicago, IL

GeneChing

02-28-2017, 09:53 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxfMdBJze7c

Wu Orleans. For Mardi Gras. FTW!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

GeneChing

04-12-2017, 08:44 AM

https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000212399991-kcqsy3-t500x500.jpg

Chief Keef - Jet Li (https://soundcloud.com/1337nigguh/chief-keef-ft-gucci-mane-jet-li) (ft. Gucci Mane)

GeneChing

04-17-2017, 08:41 AM

I guess Kendrick didn't get enough Bad Blood (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1286305#post1286305).

Kendrick Lamar Wraps Coachella on '****.' High Note As Alter Ego Kung Fu Kenny In Short Film (http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7760536/kendrick-lamar-coachella-****-kung-fu-kenny-movie-weekend-1)
4/17/2017 by Adelle Platon

http://www.billboard.com/files/styles/article_main_image/public/media/09-Kendrick-Lamar-day-3-coachella-2017-billboard-1548.jpg
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella
Kendrick Lamar performs on the Coachella Stage during day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival (Weekend 1) at the Empire Polo Club on April 16, 2017 in Indio, Calif.

Three days following the release of his latest studio album ****., headliner Kendrick Lamar returned to Twitter's trending topics list after his gripping set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Sunday (April 16). Perhaps it was no coincidence that the rapper's performance fell on Easter Sunday as the gig felt like the grand return of Lamar himself.

Lamar's label Top Dawg Entertainment opened the set with a special presentation of The **** Legend of Kung Fu Kenny, a three-part short film designed like an old-school kung fu flick (complete with subtitles) that featured the rapper as his alter-ego, Kung Fu Kenny a.k.a. Black Turtle, on a mission to "find The Glow." He takes on Snake, a cobra who morphs into a female martial artist, Mortal Kombat style. As she lay helpless on the ground following their battle, she tells Lamar, "You thought you could save the world. The Glow will shine bright in the dark."

There was no blocking Lamar's light during his set in the desert. The MC's stage transformed into several stunning displays, shifting from a fiery refuge for the live rendition of "ELEMENT." to a wavy paradise for "GOD." He mixed ****. entries like the opener "BLOOD.," "DNA." and the U2-less "XXX." with catalog staples from previous albums like To Pimp a Butterfly's "King Kunta" and "Alright" as well as Good Kid, m.A.A.d City's "Money Trees," "Backseat Freestyle," "***** Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Swimming Pools (Drank)." For "LUST.," Kendrick Lamar rapped from the inside of an illuminated cage in the middle of the crowd, even checking in on the crowd by eerily asking, "Is anybody out there?" For "PRIDE.," Lamar was suspended in the air in a trippy, martial arts-esque stance involving another dance.

Beyond defying gravity, the rap god also handed over the stage to special guests like his TDE cohort ScHoolboy Q, who performed "tHat Part" (he had hosted his own set on Night 2) and fellow Coachella performer Future, whose flute-heavy banger "Mask Off" made Lamar's lineup. Travis Scott, who also performed at the festival the night prior, re-emerged for a complete performance of the Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight standout "Goosebumps."

After the final vignette of his kung fu movie where the rapper "found the motha****in' glow," King Kendrick launched into the aggressive crowd-pleaser "HUMBLE." where the call-outs "Sit down. Be humble." flashed across the screen in both English and Chinese characters. Lamar seemed to end the set on a somewhat confusing note, telling Coachella-goers "We will be back" and prompting many to make a bee line for the parking lot before the mad rush home. However, the man of the night put on one last show with the melodic number "LOVE." off ****. "Thank y'all for comin' out tonight, I really appreciate, y'all," Lamar told the crowd before his final bow. "I had a good motherf--king time with y'all."

{split this off into its own indie thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70234-The-****-Legend-of-Kung-Fu-Kenny-by-Kendrick-Lamar) on 4/20}

GeneChing

04-27-2017, 10:49 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qgqFh46LDU

GeneChing

05-11-2017, 07:41 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw5nYUhAxNw

GeneChing

05-15-2017, 09:14 AM

Shaolin Jazz Cat Cab (http://thelinfieldreview.com/20383/archive/arts/shaolin-jazz-cat-cab/)
Angel Rosas, Staff Writer
May 12, 2017

What do old kung-fu movies and classic hip-hop have in common? If you ask the people at Shaolin Jazz, everything.
Black Student Union invited the experimental music group Shaolin Jazz to screen the classic kung-fu movie Master of the Flying Guillotine on May 8.
The film wasn’t the only thing on display that night. Shaolin Jazz’s Dj 2-Tone Jones accompanied the movie by playing a mixture of hip-hop, soul, funk, and jazz.
The use of classic tracks with the intense and over-the-top kung-fu fit so well together that it is a wonder why the two hadn’t been combined earlier.
“I thought it was really cool on how he could just anticipate what music would fit best with the mood of the scene that was playing,” said sop****re Kendra Ulrich.
During the showing every piece of dialogue is transformed into lyrics, exposition becomes rap, and every fight scene becomes an epic music video.
To know where the music is coming from makes it feel more like a performance and keeps the audience captivated.
“At first I was really confused because I had no clue what to expect. After he explained it, it was really cool. I love how he took his passion for music and a childhood memory to create something very unique,” said sop****re Kaley Dahl
On its own the movie would probably have been a hard watch but the Hip-hop and soul adds a self-aware tone to make it a fun, entertaining, and completely different from anything I had ever seen.
The event was part of the groups project called “Can I Kick It?” where the main goal, said Dj 2-Tone Jones, is to bring old kung-fu movies and classic hip-hop to the younger generation in a novel way.
“It was interesting hearing how their passion for old school hip hop and Kung fu gave them the idea to come up with Shaolin Jazz: Can I kick it,” said sop****re Esther Parker.

This sounds exceptional.

GeneChing

05-18-2017, 08:26 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPmkVyV-x2E

GeneChing

05-23-2017, 09:21 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4ozdiGys5g

I luv MUSE, Max Headroom, and Kung Fu Cyborg chicks. I luv this.

GeneChing

08-01-2017, 08:11 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-S3DNXHSao

GeneChing

09-14-2017, 08:52 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXvbz8cqafM
Just get to 0.40 sec. ;)

Is Taylor Swift into Kung Fu movies? (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1286305#post1286305) Because I'd watch My Young Auntie with her any time. Maybe it's Kendrick (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70234-The-****-Legend-of-Kung-Fu-Kenny-by-Kendrick-Lamar)'s influence, but I'd much rather hang with T Swizzle.

GeneChing

10-30-2017, 08:06 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=893WlOXbh68

GeneChing

11-08-2017, 08:58 AM

No pic but there's a vid behind the link.

Watch Maynard James Keenan Spar, Talk Love of Martial Arts (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-maynard-james-keenan-spar-talk-love-of-martial-arts-w510865)
Musician ties Brazilian jiu-jitsu training to artistic endeavors

Maynard James Keenan spars and discusses his love of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in "The Art of Work."
By Jon Blistein
6 days ago

Tool's Maynard James Keenan discusses the intricacies of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his lifelong attachment to martial arts in the final installment of Revolver's four-part video series with the musician, "The Art of Work."

While Keenan spent previous episodes discussing his vineyard, "The Fight" offers a look at his martial arts training regimen. Keenan credits Primus drummer Tim Alexander with introducing him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, though he also recalls the lessons he learned from his father, who doubled as his high school wrestling coach. "His take was always, 'You either win or you learn,'" Keenan said.

For Keenan, martial arts is as much about "personal growth and personal understanding and reflection" as it is about self-defense. "Maybe it'll never happen, but if you're in a situation where you have some drunken, blithering idiot, or somebody's crazy — I do it for that purpose," he said. Still, Keenan seemed most enamored with the mental and physical intricacies of top-level jiu-jitsu.

"The chess part of it, on the mat, in the gi, is very mentally stimulating," Keenan said. "If you watch some of the top-level black belt guys competing, it's half-inches. They're making adjustments that are half-inches and you're watching them try to out-chess each other, like six moves ahead to shut off where the guy's heading for the checkmate."

Towards the end of the clip, Keenan tied his jiu-jitsu training to the notion of becoming complacent and overly confident as an artist after reaching a certain level of success. He urged anyone pursuing a craft to do so with a combination of intuition, experience and constant hard work, but also cautioned: "Understand that you are on your ****ing own."

Keenan added, "Big fan of Chris Cornell – did you think about Chris Cornell this week? I didn't. I love the guy. Alan Rickman, David Bowie, there's a bunch of posts on Facebook and then you go about your way. That's what's gonna happen to you. People are gonna be upset that you're gone, and then they're gonna move the **** on with their lives. So be happy with what your decisions are. You are on your own, you don't owe anybody anything – but if you're doing your job and you're doing it accurately enough, and you're expressing from the heart, from the core, from your experiences and your intuition, other people are going to resonate with that."

Here's a celebrity (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?41233-Celebrities-studying-martial-arts) from the music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music) world.

GeneChing

12-05-2017, 05:38 PM

I used this article to launch a new got qi T-shirts thread, but I posting it here too because got qi? T-shirts (http://www.martialartsmart.com/95-036w.html) + music works = :cool:

Plus Tom was kind enough to forward this article to me personally. That's super :cool:

By JUDY LYON OCTOBER 10, 2017 12:38 PM
AN INTERVIEW WITH PHILLY’S STELLARSCOPE (https://torchedmagazine.com/2017/10/10/an-interview-with-phillys-stellarscope/)

https://torchedmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/86608188c877ae32fa1a27979db37c5f.jpg

Stellarscope’s latest release, ‘Standing In The Shadow Of Your Ghost’, is infused with what could easily be found in your early 80’s alternative scene with bands like The Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, Bauhaus and The Jesus and Mary Chain. They’ve masterfully taken bits and pieces from the Post Punk era and brought them forward into today’s realm. They are Tom Lugo (guitar/vocals), Robert Deflaviis (bass), and Robert Forman (drums).

Lyrically and sonically this album shines a flashlight on humanities dark shadows that roam the horizon at dusk and puts you face to face with all of it’s ill’s, such as fear, pain and loss. “We use music to express our disappointment, our fears, our anger, and sometimes the feeling of love. It’s our way to channel our aggression, our confusion; get through depression, and be at peace with the things that we cannot control.”

https://torchedmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/sttm.jpg

They have consistently played the East Coast of the USA & Canada for many years as well as coordinating festivals like the Popnoise Festival and the Walls of SoundFest. Their discography includes several albums, EPs, and participations in various worldwide compilations and tribute albums including Jesusland (a tribute to The Jesus and Mary Chain), Blue Skied, and Clear (a tribute to Slowdive), and many more. Their music has also been featured on MTV, Sci Fi Channel, A&E, and Discovery Channel. (stellarscopeband.com)

Torched Magazine is pleased to have had the opportunity to talk with Tom Lugo and the members of Stellarscope about their latest release ‘Standing In The Shadow Of Your Ghost’, their own record label ‘Patetico Recordings’ that, as of recently, has been releasing humanitarian efforts, and where they find inspiration plus more…

TM – Who or what are some of your creative influences?

Tom Lugo – First, thank you for interviewing us. It really means a lot to us. Our creative influences are drawn primarily from life experiences; the issues that plague us both on an individual level as well as a collective. We use music to express our disappointment, our fears, our anger, and sometimes the feeling of love. It’s our way to channel our aggression, our confusion; get through depression, and be at peace with the things that we cannot control.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate your creativity?

Tom Lugo – Bob Forman plays tennis and hits the gym often to keep in shape and to keep him focused. Our bass player, Bob DeFlaviis, is into canoeing for its meditative properties. I have practiced Martial Arts all my life and it helps maintain me balanced, mentally and physically, and clear headed.

https://torchedmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/stellarscope1tm.jpg

TM – Are your lyrics generic or based on real experiences? Could you expand on your answer?

Tom Lugo – The lyrics I write are based on particular events or situations. When I was young I had a lot of trouble focusing due to suffering from severe ADHD and a behavioral therapist gave some guidelines on how to cope with the illness which included keeping a journal. I tried to keep a journal with no avail however I found myself writing down my thoughts in a poetic way so I started using them as lyrics. In a way, every album I have written is my diary, a window into the inner depths of my mind and my feelings. When I hear any particular song we have recorded I can feel the emotions that brought me to write the lyrics in the first place.

TM – What kind of advice would you give to a newer musician who is just starting out?

Tom Lugo – Learn as much about the business side as you can; being educated in these matters will help you avoid issues later in your career. Don’t focus on money, celebrity, or immediate success. If you do, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Music is what is there for you when everything else fails, when things go right, it’s the spark to life. There’s a quote by Bernard Shaw that summarizes it all: “Music is its own reward.”

TM – What was your inspiration behind your latest release ‘Standing In The Shadow Of Your Ghost’? Could you briefly describe the music-making process?

Tom Lugo – The album is about dealing with the aftermath of long term relationship coming to an end, dealing with the sense of loss, the despair of an uncertain future, and the sense of hope. For this album I wrote the primary ideas on bass and then jammed them with Bob Forman on drums. Once we had a general idea of how we wanted the songs to sound like I took the song skeletons to my home studio. I then I laid the guitars and recorded the vocals. The mix down and mastering was the process that took me the longest.

https://torchedmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/st2tm.jpg

TM – How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together? When and where did it all start for you?

Tom Lugo – We are more structured now than we were when we started almost 20 years ago. In the initial stages we developed most of our songs from jams we had done not necessarily focused on the song structure per se. Now we are more mindful of the song structure and the melodies. Our sounds continues to evolve with every new album, sometimes it work and sometimes it doesn’t, but we continue to push ourselves to do better than we have done before.

TM – I understand you also have your own record label ‘Patetico Recordings’ where you’ve released your own work amongst many other artists from all over the world. Can you briefly go into this venture?

Tom Lugo – Patetico Recordings started as a vanity label to release my own music. As the years went on I decided to help out other artists in different parts of the world and serve platform for them to get more visibility. I used a similar model to what I had done with the Popnoise Festivals, which primary focus was the exposure of the participating bands to a varied audience. Lately the label’s focus has been releasing disaster relief compilations to benefit victims of natural disasters around the world which include “Rock Back for Japan”, “Rock Back Animal Rescue”, “Rock Back for Ecuador”, “Rock Back for Nepal”, and we are about to release “Rock Back: Stronger than the storm” that will benefit those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, and the earthquakes in Mexico.

TM – Is there anything else that you would like to share that I may have missed?

Tom Lugo – I will have another Panophonic (my solo project) full length album released in October and it will be titled “Endlessly”. I have released two singles and the reception has been positive thus far.

Again, I would like to thank you for kindness and the interview. I wish you and your readers success, happiness, and inner peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxlquC3QM28

All photos and album art by Tom Lugo

GeneChing

12-07-2017, 10:09 AM

Lupe Fiasco's Martial Arts TV Series Scores Asian Distribution Deal (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lupe-fiascos-martial-arts-tv-series-scores-asian-distribution-deal-1065323)
7:18 AM PST 12/7/2017 by Patrick Brzeski

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2017/10/lupe_fiasco.gif
Studio SV
Lupe Fiasco

The Grammy winner's debut docuseries 'Beat n Path' follows him as he explores his twin passions of kung fu and hip hop on a cross-country tour of China.

Hip-hop star Lupe Fiasco's music and martial arts docuseries Beat n Path has been picked up for primetime broadcast in Asia by Celestial Tiger Entertainment.

CTE will air the show on its entertainment channel, KIX, which covers Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, beginning in March 2018. KIX caters to action fans with a programming mix including combat sports, blockbuster action movies, action TV series and edgy reality shows.

Beat n Path should be right at home on the channel. The show follows Fiasco as he drops everything to embark on a cross-cultural journey across China, pursuing his passion for martial arts by practicing with kung fu masters throughout the Middle Kingdom, while also taking the opportunity to dig into China’s emerging hip-hop scene.

"Beat n Path is a unique Asia-centric journey and story that we feel can strongly connect with a wide audience," Fiasco said in a statement. "The CTE and KIX team have outlined a masterful marketing and distribution plan that will allow the series to perform very well throughout Asia."

Beat n Path is the first show from Studio SV, a new Los Angeles- and Hong Kong-based content studio co-founded by Fiasco and Hong Kong entrepreneur Bonnie Chan Woo in October. The partners say the venture will seek to produce other high-end TV programming, digital content and films for an international audience, with an emphasis on projects that are edgy, disruptive and consistent with Fiasco's hip-hop persona.

“The Celestial Tiger team have a keen understanding of the audience that will love this series and are astute at reaching them in unique ways, resulting in great connectivity with viewers and a mutually beneficial relationship for our companies," Woo said of the CTE deal. "They have been down this road before, and hit home runs with many programs so we’re excited that ‘Beat n Path’ is in their fold.”

Forgive my naivete about hip hop (sad, I know, because I moonlight working in the music world), but I don't know Lupe Fiasco. Anyone into him?

thread: Beat n Path (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70593-Beat-n-Path)
thread: Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

01-17-2018, 09:36 AM

Music or martial art? READ KUNG FU – The Band, Not the Martial Art (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1397) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/7811_KF3.jpg

GeneChing

01-31-2018, 09:59 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI-mXMr8glQ

GeneChing

02-23-2018, 08:45 AM

Drunken Kung Fu blends rock, hip-hop, reggae into unique sound (https://statehornet.com/2018/02/drunken-kung-fu-blends-rock-hip-hop-reggae-into-unique-sound/)
Corina Gutierrez • February 19, 2018 • Leave a Comment

https://statehornet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/DKF1-900x600.jpg
Photo courtesy of Holly E. Renfro - H.E.R. Photography

From left, Sam Phelps, Jacob Gleason, and Matt Klee make up Drunken Kung Fu. The trio will return to Sac State Feb. 21.

Drunken Kung Fu, an “Afro-beat funk” trio, will be playing a free show at noon on Feb. 21 in the Redwood Room of The University Union.

The Sacramento-based band consists of three members: Jacob Gleason on guitar and saxophone, Sam Phelps on vocals and keys and Matt Klee, the drummer. It has played gigs as far as San Francisco, Las Vegas and Portland.

“We’ve always appreciated the support of Sac State,” Gleason said.

Having played on campus a handful of times before, he said the band is looking forward to coming back.

https://vimeo.com/187305587

“There was a time I applied to Sac State but I didn’t have the foreign language requirement so they didn’t take me,” Gleason laughed.

The three met around 2009 while playing for other bands and have tried to develop a unique sound. While Drunken Kung Fu was nominated this year for a reggae Sammie (Sacramento Area Music Award), Gleason said that he doesn’t necessarily see the band as reggae.

“We keep things funky and danceable; we weave in and out of different genres: hip-hop, reggae, jam, classic rock, ’90s music — there’s a lot of different influences at play,” Gleason said. “We’re all jazz musicians so there’s a jazz overtone plus a rock ‘n’ roll rawness to how we play. We make big sound with three people.”

Because of their eclectic style, the dynamics between the three band members are often in flux and they are forced to improvise and make alterations on the fly.

As the lead singer, Phelps said he writes a lot of the music.

“I’ll bring a song to the table as a Sam Phelps song,” he said. “We’ll hash it out and turn it into a Drunken Kung Fu song.”

Phelps said everyone in the band has an equal say and the chemistry between the three is unique.

“There’s moments in our sets that are structured and moments of just jamming and looking at each other like, ‘This is awesome,’ ” Gleason said. “It’s a lot of fun to play with these guys; they’re not just always lost in their instruments like some bands can be.”

Leaving space for improvisation during their performances allows for the creativity to flow, Phelps said.

“We want to take people to a higher place with the energy; you can feel it in the room and just like, ravage and lift off,” Phelps said. “It’s always a risk, doesn’t always take off, but that’s our goal — that’s what it’s all about.”

Will Moon (https://twitter.com/MoonMan0305/status/905500031624478720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatehornet.com%2F2018%2F02% 2Fdrunken-kung-fu-blends-rock-hip-hop-reggae-into-unique-sound%2F)
@MoonMan0305
Sacramento-based funk band Drunken Kung Fu grooves in the University Union.

10:36 AM - Sep 6, 2017
See Will Moon's other Tweets
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Even though Drunken Kung Fu typically identifies as an “Afro-beat” band, the trio incorporates many other styles and genres into their music.

“I think the music defies racial boundaries,” Gleason said in response to an inquiry about negative responses from crowds considering the group is an Afro-beat band with no people of color. “I don’t think any person should limit what they listen to or play based on the color of their skin.”

Gleason said the band talks about serious topics in some of their songs, such as politics and war.

“There is a heavy, revolutionary commentary on the political stuff going on,” Gleason said. “Overall, we take opposition on war; I consider myself a conscientious objector of war.”

Looking toward the future, Drunken Kung Fu has some new songs it plans to release soon as well as shows lined up for later in the year.

“We’re currently working on a new record, we have a bunch of festivals lined up this summer,” Gleason said. “We test things out and see how the audience reacts — what it comes down to is how to make the audience dance. Hopefully people feel inspired to dance it out and feel free.”

A Cali reggae jam band named Drunken Kung Fu? How is it that I don't know these guys?

Thread: Kung Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Thread: Shaolin Rasta - the 37th Chamber (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58144-Shaolin-Rasta-the-37th-Chamber)

GeneChing

04-06-2018, 09:35 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J75enyWdbBM

GeneChing

04-17-2018, 01:45 PM

Rob-Nasty Rocker
ENTER THE DRAGON 2: Revenge of the B-Boy Break (https://soundcloud.com/rob-nasty-rocker/enter-the-dragon-b-boy-break)

https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000335575350-fz3gp8-t500x500.jpg

"Theme For Enter The Dragon" written by Lalo Schifrin
Recorded on Bandhub.com
Mixed by Robert Creer

Rob Nasty Rocker (Bass Guitar)
Tony Hearn (Guitar/Keyboards)
Darryl Oriold (Trumpet)
Robert Rothbard (Percussion)
Bobby Breaks (Drums/Percussion)

Great fodder for my talk at RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom - Oakland Museum, on June 30 2018 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1410)

GeneChing

04-19-2018, 08:21 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X61HEC4zFk4

GeneChing

05-07-2018, 08:17 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg165-mZ7x8

THREADS
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
The **** Legend of Kung Fu Kenny by Kendrick Lamar (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70234-The-****-Legend-of-Kung-Fu-Kenny-by-Kendrick-Lamar)

I'm scheduled to work Kendrick Lamar's show this week.

GeneChing

05-16-2018, 08:48 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHLUGtJweas

GeneChing

06-01-2018, 03:17 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJUcecTVyGs

THREADS:
Kung Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Street Fighter (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52623-Street-Fighter)

GeneChing

06-01-2018, 03:19 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpm07-BGJnE

THREADS:
Kung Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Street Fighter (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52623-Street-Fighter)

GeneChing

06-26-2018, 07:46 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=OEb7Rh-yknQ

GeneChing

07-03-2018, 08:29 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=OWz3rQQaf_Q

GeneChing

07-12-2018, 08:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=d8ayYlhkarU

GeneChing

07-17-2018, 08:00 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=TwcutMI4a5c

GeneChing

08-03-2018, 02:53 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=052G6nMA2WA

GeneChing

09-07-2018, 08:00 AM

I posted about Tiesto & Dzeko's 'Jackie Chan' (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1309186#post1309186) back in July.

Tiesto & Dzeko's 'Jackie Chan' Kicks Way to No. 1 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart (https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8473829/tiesto-dzekos-jackie-chan-post-malone-dance-charts)
9/6/2018 by Gordon Murray

https://www.billboard.com/files/styles/article_main_image/public/media/Tiesto-Dzeko-Jackie-Chan-2018-billboard-1548.jpg
Courtesy Photo
Tiësto and Dzeko, "Jackie Chan"

Plus, Metro & Nelly Furtado top Dance Club Songs, Bassnectar debuts & more.

Tiesto and Dzeko's "Jackie Chan," featuring Preme and Post Malone, charges 5-1 on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart (dated Sept. 8). The track is the third topper for Tiesto and the first for each other act.

Tiesto last led with "Red Lights" for 11 weeks in March-May 2014. The DJ first ruled in November 2009, when he spent two weeks on top with "I Will Be Here" (with Sneaky Sound System). Starting with "Traffic" (No. 21, May 2004), Tiesto has totaled 20 chart entries, including 11 top 10s.

"Jackie Chan," an ode to the famed martial arts master and actor, holds at its No. 3 peak on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, having collected 16.5 million audience impressions (up 18 percent), 8.4 million U.S. streams (up 3 percent) and 5,000 downloads sold (up 1 percent) in the tracking week, according to Nielsen Music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWz3rQQaf_Q

Also on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Elephante elevates 15-8 with "The In Between," featuring Anjulie; the track is the first top 10 for both the DJ and the singer. Plus, Jonas Blue bolts 11-9 with "Rise," featuring Jack and Jack. It's the DJ's third top 10 and the vocal duo's first.

GeneChing

09-13-2018, 01:32 PM

Anyone ask Jackie how he feels about this song yet? That's what I want to hear. Heck, he should cover it (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40748-Jackie-Chan-s-new-music).

Dzeko Tells The Story Behind 'Jackie Chan,' His Smash Post Malone, Preme & Tiësto Collab (https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/8474919/dzeko-jackie-chan-tiesto-hot-100-interview)
9/13/2018 by Tatiana Cirisano

https://www.billboard.com/files/styles/article_main_image/public/media/Julian-Dzeko-press-photo-by-Andrew-Ciggs-2018-billboard-1548.jpg
Andrew Ciggs
Dzeko

Released in May, Tiësto and Canadian DJ powerhouse Dzeko's "Jackie Chan" -- a reworking of Post Malone's original Light of Day track featuring Preme -- is a splashy, trap-fueled slice of summer. And for 26-year-old Dzeko, a longtime Tiësto collaborator and former half of duo Dzeko & Torres, it's a milestone: the addictive mega-collab marks his first-ever entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where the song recently peaked at No. 57.

As the track continues to prolong summer vibes all the way into September, Dzeko (whose full name is Julian Dzeko) tells Billboard how it all came together through a spontaneous studio session, the greatest lesson he's learned from working with "godfather of dance music" Tiësto and more tidbits.

How did "Jackie Chan" come about?

I've known Tiësto for a long time. We've been good friends. I'm also from Toronto, same as Preme, so I met Preme three years ago at a Drake concert in Toronto. We were always going back and forth. One night, I went to [Preme's] studio in Calabasas, and we made a lit song for Roy Woods called "Something New."

Going back to "Jackie Chan," I've just been friends with Preme for a long time, same with Tiësto, and I know Post, and Preme was working on his album. Preme played us "Jackie Chan," his version, and we talked about how we could give it an upbeat, summery vibe. It was very spontaneous.

What stood out to you about the original, and made you want to rework it?

When me and Tiësto heard it, we were like "****, this is really cool. We could definitely somehow flip it." Not too EDM, but still dance-y. A summery vibe. The second I heard the hook, little things like "Uber out to Calabasas," I knew. I instantly knew, "this is insane."

You started DJing at age 14 after seeing Tiësto perform live. What was it like to work with him?

He was the first DJ that I looked up to when I got into DJing. He was the first person that I saw DJ -- that's what made me want to become a DJ, was Tiësto. So being able to work with him on a song together and with Preme and Post on it as well was a dream come true. It's always such a good experience working with Tiësto. He has such a good ear with melodies and sounds. When you work with a guy like him, he's been doing it, literally, for 25 years. He's the godfather of dance music.

Is there one lesson in particular that you've taken away from working together?

To really make the kind of music that you enjoy. I'm gonna explore a couple of other styles, and his advice to me was to make music you believe in and to stick to your sound. I've learned a million things from him, but I would say that's one of the top fives. I have a whole list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWz3rQQaf_Q

Do you remember the first time that you heard "Jackie Chan" on the radio?

In Toronto, the day it came out. I got into an Uber from the airport, and it was already playing. It was like "Oh ****!" [Laughs.] I've had songs on the radio, but nowhere like this, you know? This is worldwide.

"Jackie Chan" marks your first-ever Hot 100 entry. How does that feel?

That's also another dream, and a big accomplishment. As an artist or a DJ, being able to say that you have something on the Hot 100, it's a whole different league for songs -- what's really influencing. The most legendary artists of all time, they all had something on Billboard Hot 100, you know? It's something that I've always wanted.

What do you think hip-hop brings to a dance track?

Hip-hop beefs [dance music] up, makes it super energetic. As a DJ, some of the most reactive edits or mashups that you play in your sets are hip-hop. It's cool seeing how hip-hop artists are actually collaborating on EDM tracks, too. I think it's really good. It's definitely something that is going to continue or keep growing -- hip-hop artists working with DJs. Tiësto actually did a song with Three 6 Mafia years ago ["Feel It," 2009]. I'm trying to work with more hip-hop artists, too.

You left Dzeko & Torres to pursue a solo career in 2016. What's been the biggest change for you since going solo?

It's been a lot differently, obviously, DJing solo versus being with a partner. But nowadays, what I'm learning being a solo act is that you have to keep releasing a lot of content. Two years ago, as a duo, you could release a song once in a while, but now you have to keep churning out tracks. It's a change. I'm adjusting to it, but I still enjoy everything. I love DJing, I love music, and the industry we work in.

A version of this article originally appeared in the Sept. 15 issue of Billboard.

GeneChing

09-27-2018, 02:12 PM

See David Guetta & Sia - Flames (Official Video) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music&p=1308182#post1308182) for the vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT26bFuze5M

My cast mate Danny Trejo (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70140-Man-at-Arms-Art-of-War-New-Original-Series-from-EL-REY-Network). :cool:

GeneChing

10-04-2018, 08:07 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UflLeJs5yjg

GeneChing

10-10-2018, 08:40 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU-xU3uZH78

GeneChing

10-22-2018, 11:50 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUZvTgSWNxk

THREADS
ゆるめるモ！（You'll Melt More!)『ネバギバ酔拳』(Official Music Video) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71141-%E3%82%86%E3%82%8B%E3%82%81%E3%82%8B%E3%83%A2%EF%B C%81%EF%BC%88You-ll-Melt-More!)%E3%80%8E%E3%83%8D%E3%83%90%E3%82%AE%E3%83%9 0%E9%85%94%E6%8B%B3%E3%80%8F(Official-Music-Video))
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

11-28-2018, 09:36 AM

Platinum? srsly? Well, I guess Jackie Chan by Tiësto, Dzeko, Post Malone, and Preme (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music) deserves its own thread now, independent from the Kung Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music) thread.

https://www.youredm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DZUIGyWWkAAn7Yl.jpg-large.jpeg
Tiesto at Ultra - Rukes

TIËSTO’S HIT COLLAB “JACKIE CHAN” WITH POST MALONE GOES PLATINUM (https://www.youredm.com/2018/11/23/tiesto-jackie-chan-post-malone-platinum/)
KARLIE POWELL NOVEMBER 23, 2018
EDM NEWS
Tiësto‘s mega-collab with Dzeko, Post Malone, and Preme just hit a huge milestone. “Jackie Chan” has officially gone platinum — which means it has been purchased or streamed equivalent of 1 million times over.

Previously, Tiësto achieved platinum success with his singles “Red Lights” and “Feel It in My Bones” featuring Tegan & Sara. Then came “Jackie Chan,” which made waves early this year and is still making its mark. The commercial success of the hit single doesn’t only boast huge sales, but Spotify records, Billboard charts, and beyond.

The worldwide DJ/producer kept it simple with an upload on social media, “Jackie Chan is now @RIAA Certified PLATINUM in the US! Thank you.”

What more is there to say?! Tiësto has still got it! This is arguably his biggest track of all time.

GeneChing

03-06-2019, 11:03 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR1RW_9LV1Q

slink

03-10-2019, 12:07 PM

Try this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73_ivjiVQEw
This Hang drum (https://handpanguru.com) music is one of the best I have heard in recent time to be honest!

donnyir

03-18-2019, 12:59 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=47Vz-ptyKbQ

GeneChing

03-26-2019, 11:56 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FH-q0I1fJY

GeneChing

04-19-2019, 09:09 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csSqgqzv1Zw

THREADS
Taiji Practice Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56352-Taiji-Practice-Music)
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

06-11-2019, 08:22 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mUqoP4aUsM

GeneChing

08-05-2019, 12:16 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYRdN_19DtE

This Kung Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music) is the theme song for Wu Assassins (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70838-Wu-Assassins).

I suspect there will be a music video soon. ;)

GeneChing

09-27-2019, 08:27 AM

Kung Fu Groove (https://www.theage.com.au/culture/music/kung-fu-groove-20190920-p52te2.html)
By Michael Dwyer
September 27, 2019 — 12.00pm

You can see the moment Bruce Lee cracks in Fist of Fury. When the Japanese imperialist bullyboys interrupt his kung fu master’s memorial, he holds it together for his brothers’ sake. But when the evil boss guy sidles up and slaps his cheek, goading him to respond, the inner struggle between discipline and honour is written on his trembling face.

https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.284%2C$multiply_2.08%2C$ratio_0.666667%2C$ width_378%2C$x_0%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/w_788/q_62%2Cf_auto/a0d72509c3fe4a38c5844d8ecfcee3425c09e943
Kamasi Washington: redefining popular perceptions of jazz.

“That movie was always very powerful for me,” says Kamasi Washington. His latest album, Heaven and Earth, opens with a funked-up version of the theme song with his own spoken-word refrain: “Our time as victims is over. We will no longer ask for justice. Instead we will take our retribution.”

“It felt like that was the sentiment of the movie,” says the saxophonist and composer who has, for the last five years or so, been busy redefining popular perceptions of jazz with albums of epic length and scope, taking film cues, soul, Afrobeat and hip-hop in stride.

“I look at [that opening track] as a call to action,” he says. “I think the time of us kind of waiting for someone, whoever that someone is, to come and fix the world for us, I don’t think we can wait any longer for that. We have to become that someone. Now.”

He’s not really talking along the racial lines that underpin Fist of Fury, or recent political rhetoric in the US. For a guy who grew up in Inglewood, South Central Los Angeles, that division is “the only reality I’ve ever known. It may seem new but it’s not. It’s being pushed out more to the public but as long as I’ve been here, it’s always been like this.”

Washington was still in short pants when gangsta rap erupted out of his neighbourhood in the mid to late 1980s. He soaked it up, naturally, but at a very specific point in his mid-teens, he had a moment of clarity that rose above the sound of the streets and called him onto a more disciplined path.

“I was in ninth grade, in this band called the Multi-School Jazz Band and we played the Playboy Jazz Festival … I’d been playing music all my life, but I hadn’t really taken on the discipline, really digging in and practising, studying music the way that you have to to be a jazz musician.”

He knew there were far more virtuosic players in the horn section so when it came time for a solo, he was gobsmacked to see the band leader pointing at him. “It was in front of, I don’t know, 20,000 people and … I didn’t sound the way I wanted to sound. It felt bad. And that was the first time I had that feeling in music.

“That was the moment I was like, ‘I’m gonna practise, every day, all day, from now on’. My mum thought something was wrong with me. I stopped going outside, hanging out. All I did was practise. So that summer really changed my trajectory, as far as music.”

He did retain his passion for martial arts, of course. His latest video, for Street Fighter Mas, is a priceless kung fu movie pastiche with west-coast hip-hop style and cameos. And a What’s In My Bag? video on YouTube reveals that come shopping time, he’s equally passionate about Fela Kuti, Curtis Mayfield, Samurai and Manga.

https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.309%2C$multiply_2.08%2C$ratio_0.666667%2C$ width_378%2C$x_63%2C$y_45/t_crop_custom/w_788/q_62%2Cf_auto/4de2f6edc74f186208f4064b6473d30f3ffdedad
Washington retains a passion for martial arts.

“Yeah, I’m definitely a huge fan,” he says. “The idea of balance and devotion [in martial arts] always intrigued me; just the way it kind of reflects music.

“Musicians are a similar breed. We have this solitary life and we’re really trying to get in touch with our internal side and it produces this external thing that you can see, in one way, but the people that do it see it a different way. Like, most people see martial arts as violent but martial artists don’t see it as violent. They’re not destroying something, they’re creating something.”

The parallel with hip-hop was made clear by the adopted mythology of east-coast rap ensemble the Wu Tang Clan back in the 1990s. Not unlike Bruce Lee under imperial pressure, “hip-hop was people who felt like they didn’t have a voice [finding] a voice within the music to express their experience,” Washington says. “Sometimes that expression wasn’t necessarily the most peaceful, but neither was their experience.”

As a graduate of the University of California’s Ethnomusicology Department, Washington’s life experience has been more expansive than plenty of his peers. He played with Kenny Burrell, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Lauryn Hill, Chaka Khan, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar en route to his massively acclaimed solo arrival with The Epic in 2015.

Its double-CD format gave notice of grand conceptual intentions that only intensify with Heaven and Earth. "The Earth side of this album represents the world as I see it outwardly, the world that I am a part of,” he said on a visit to the Sydney Opera House last year. “The Heaven side … represents the world as I see it inwardly, the world that is a part of me.

“Who I am and the choices I make lie somewhere in between,” he added. To drive that point home, the CD package includes a third disc, The Choice, which entails a degree of cardboard surgery to unpack. The music itself, as suggested by another round of near-universal acclaim, manages to find a miraculous middle ground of accessibility that neither jazz nor hip-hop can take for granted. “I always look at it as a compliment,” he says of the critical perception that he represents some kind of new benchmark in jazz evolution, “but to me, as a musician, you can only really represent yourself. I hear people say I represent all this, or that … It’s just their way of saying they appreciate what I’m doing.”

Kamasi Washington, Hamer Hall, Melbourne International Arts Festival, October 8 and a Sydney Opera House, October 9.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdyabrdFMC8

THREADS
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Fist of Fury (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?24108-Bruce-Lee-in-Fist-of-Fury)

GeneChing

11-12-2019, 03:31 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leopt__ATR0

THREADS
Charlie's Angels (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68930-Charlie-s-Angels)
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

12-10-2019, 09:17 AM

‘Mary Magdalene’: How FKA twigs Made Her ‘Most Complex Song Ever’ (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/arts/music/fka-twigs-mary-magdalene.html)
It took months for the singer, songwriter and dancer FKA twigs to perfect the title track for her critically acclaimed new album. See how she got it right in the latest episode of Diary of a Song.

Video TRANSCRIPT
0:11/6:57
The Unexpected Inspiration Behind FKA twigs’ Most Complex Song
It took months for the singer, songwriter and dancer FKA twigs to perfect “Mary Magdalene,” the title track and centerpiece to her critically acclaimed new album. This is how she got it right.
Singing: “A woman’s touch.” “Hi, twigs.” “Hi.” Singing: “A sacred geometry.” “‘Mary Magdalene’ was a bit of a pain in the ass to make.” Singing: “I know where you start, where you end, how to please, how to curse.” “I think it’s like the most complex song I’ve ever made.” “She’s the perfect person who could out me for not doing anything, because she does everything. She’s like tap dancing, on a pole, swinging swords. It’s crazy.” “What was it like the first day you guys actually sat down to work?” “She’s unlike any other artist you work with. She’ll bring a little potions and, like, readings. And she was like, do you know about Mary Magdalene?” “The original story is that she was a prostitute, and she was filled with sin. But then it came out that she had a really amazing and extensive knowledge on oils, and she was a healer, and she was in many ways what we call a doctor now. I think that that duality really excited me. That is my archetype.” “She was talking about using the story about Mary Magdalene for her music. She was very determined to go down this path.” “I’d just had some surgery. I had fibroids in my uterus. I was in a period of deep healing and rediscovering my sexuality. Mary Magdalene helped me ground myself in who I am.” “Before I knew it, we were drinking the Kool-Aid. I was believing whatever she said.” “And I think she just started singing with no beat or anything.” Singing: “A woman’s work. A woman’s prerogative.” “Cashmere, I think he laid a harmonizer behind it.” “She wanted it to sound very Gothic, but also very futuristic at the same time.” “I just thought of this melody. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I was like, ‘That’s crazy.’ Like ‘Mary Magdalene’ actually fits into that.” Singing: “Mary Magdalene, creature of desire. Come just a little bit closer to me.” “With her, a lot of the things we used are, like, little clicks in her voice.” “Harmonies.” “Drawn-out notes that are tuned down.” “She’ll be like, it should be like, ‘Wah, wah, brrr-rum-pum-pah.’ You know, she’ll do [expletive], and you’ll just be like, whoa, and you’re just trying to program it quick enough.” Singing: “I fever for the fire. True as Mary Magdalene, creature of desire.” “I just remember really loving this song, being at Benny’s house, realizing in that session that the name of my album was ‘Magdalene.’ And then I was working in this other house in L.A. that was haunted and quite stressful, actually.” “We just spent, like, two weeks ripping the song apart, and rebuilding it, and it not really working, and then ripping it apart again, rebuilding it again and again.” “I think I broke a lot of songs in that haunted house.” “There’s so many versions, man.” “Do you have any of those early versions you could show us?” Singing: “Yes, I heard.” “Where Benny’s version was very clear and very focused, we really cluttered it.” “Was she frustrated throughout this process or was she exhilarated by it?” “Oh, no, she’s just excited. She’s like a kid — ‘I want to try that, can we do that, can we do this?’” “I love practicing stuff. How many different ways can you do a cartwheel? You know, like can you do a slow one? Can you do it on your elbows? Can you do it fast? Can you do it with no hands?” “We sat down once and she was like, I want the sound of witches burning at a pyre. And I was like, right, O.K.“ “Do you think because it was the title track and the centerpiece of the album, you were overthinking it?” “I wasn’t overthinking it, I just don’t think I was treating it with enough sensitivity in the beginning.” “Did that end up on the record anywhere?” “No.” “Then there was another stage with Nico.” “So what did Nico do to fix this song?” “A lot.” “He did a lot.” “Is it a strange thing, like you’re coming into someone else’s house and rearranging the furniture?” “It is strange. But you know, I come from dance music. And I did so many remixes. And it’s just the same thing.” “We were in Electric Lady. It was like 3 o’clock in the morning. And we went down into the big studio, and it was where Prince had recorded all this stuff. And it had a purple board. So it felt really special.” “There’s just definitely some spirits in there, speaking through.” “With ‘Mary Magdalene,’ every other session had always been, like, a full-day session of ‘O.K., no. Mute that, O.K., no. Take it out, O.K. Put that in, O.K. Let’s try a guitar,’ you know, all this stuff. Whereas the end of ‘Mary Magdalene’ was the opposite. It was complete calm, and there was just this magic kind of like 30 minutes to an hour when Nico just, like — his energy just grew in the space.” “I remember redoing the chords. Then I started feeling a bit more like that there was a direction or something.” “As soon as it had a darker feeling, that’s when it actually came to life. He just went on his computer, and he just made all these incredible stretchy sounds.” “I had coffee, and I don’t drink caffeine. So maybe I was a little crazy.” “I just had this idea that I wanted it to bounce. It’s just like the wrath of Mary.” “He found a hardness in air. And that felt truly like evoking her spirit.” “Do you dance, do you jump around when something finally hits?” “No, I don’t think I did on that, because I didn’t want to — you know when something’s happening in front of you, and you’re just like, just nobody move, everyone stay really still, no one change anything, no one even put the air con on. Everything has to stay exactly the same. It was kind of one of those moments.” Singing: “Creature of desire. Come just a little bit closer till we collide.” “Can we kill the cat?” “Nope.” “For a little while, please?” “I just don’t know if there’s a way for me to do this and be comfortable without the cat.” “Really?” “Yeah. Yeah, I’m a little shy.” “You look so good, though.”

It took months for the singer, songwriter and dancer FKA twigs to perfect “Mary Magdalene,” the title track and centerpiece to her critically acclaimed new album. This is how she got it right.CreditCredit...Maria Jose Govea/Red Bull Content Pool

By Joe Coscarelli
Dec. 10, 2019, 5:00 a.m. ET

The singer, songwriter and producer FKA twigs, born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, is a polymath who keeps adding to her arsenal.

At 31, she has complicated her reputation as a whispery singer of sparse, deconstructed R&B songs by blowing out not only her sound but her broader creative practice: She has trained as a dancer in various underground styles (vogueing, krumping, pole work), while also working as an actor, director and even a student of wushu, a form of Chinese martial arts that can resemble sword fighting. Crucially, FKA twigs, known to collaborators for her dedication to practice and discipline, then brings all she’s learned back to her music and live performances.

The result, most recently, is “Magdalene,” her second full-length album, which was released last month and became one of the most critically acclaimed releases of the year. “In the voluptuously disorienting music she has been releasing since 2012, love has been pleasure and pain, sacrifice and self-realization, strife and comfort, public performance and private revelation,” wrote Jon Pareles in The New York Times. “Sounds materialize to destabilize the pulse, upend the harmony or just add disruptive noise; gaping silences open up, suddenly isolating her voice in midair.”

The album was named for the biblical figure Mary Magdalene, in whom FKA twigs found inspiration after undergoing surgery to remove six fibroid tumors from her uterus in late 2017. In the latest Diary of a Song episode, the singer and her fellow producers break down the intricate processes that led to writing and recording “Mary Magdalene,” the title track and centerpiece of the album. The song came together over many months in three phases, from initial bedroom sessions with the pop producers Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat, to work in a haunted house with the British electronic producer Koreless, and finally, at the storied Electric Lady Studios in New York with the experimental composer Nicolas Jaar (and possibly with Prince’s purple spirit).

FKA twigs, who is credited along with Noah Goldstein as the executive producer of the “Magdalene” album, called the title track “the most complex song I’ve ever made.” Watch the video above to see how she did it.

The NT video interview is embedded but here's Magdalene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUvJOZfdGQg

GeneChing

01-21-2020, 09:47 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W5ikwJj4gc

THREADS
Picard (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71686-Picard)
kung fu star trek people (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?33187-kung-fu-star-trek-people)
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

02-06-2020, 08:51 AM

Antibalas Shares ‘Lai Lai’ Single (https://www.jambase.com/article/antibalas-lai-lai-single)
Feb 5, 20201:25 pm PSTNate Todd
Antibalas November 2019 Press

https://res.cloudinary.com/dhh19fozh/q_auto:good,f_auto,dpr_1.0/w_auto:breakpoints_85_850_10_10:850/jb7production-uploads/2019/11/antibalas-november-2019-press-1200x635.jpg
Photo by Celine Pinget

Antibalas shared the single “Lai Lai” from their forthcoming album, Fu Chronicles. The new LP arrives this Friday, February 7 via Daptone Records.

The release of Fu Chronicles sees Antibalas celebrating their 20th anniversary. The album traces the interesting intersection of kung fu and afrobeat music. Antibalas frontman Duke Amayo is a senior master of the Jow Ga Kung Fu School and Antibalas formed around his Brooklyn dojo. “Lai Lai” is the third single from Fu Chronicles and means “never” or “forever.” Check it out below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI-5rQWO8N0

Shoot. I wish I knew about this early because I might have reached out, but I'm already booked for the SF dates. This wasn't on my radar before.

GeneChing

02-24-2020, 09:52 AM

And to think...I put the RZA on the cover over 20 years ago...

http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/images/mzine/1999-4cover.jpg
SEP 1999 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1195)

Hip-hop’s obsession with combat imagery is about more than violence (https://theconversation.com/hip-hops-obsession-with-combat-imagery-is-about-more-than-violence-131851)
February 24, 2020 10.53am EST

Warrick Moses
Postdoctoral Fellow in Hip-Hop Studies, University College Cork

Disclosure statement
Warrick Moses receives funding from the European Research Council as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the CIPHER Hip Hop Interpellation project, hosted by University College Cork, Ireland.
Partners
University College Cork
University College Cork provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

https://images.theconversation.com/files/316834/original/file-20200224-24655-buzp1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C18%2C2032%2C1342&q=45&auto=format&w=926&fit=clip
Members of Wu-Tang Clan at Glastonbury 2019. The group took their name from the 1983 Kung Fu film Shaolin and Wu Tang. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

On Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em, legendary New York MC Rakim proclaims: “I’m the arsenal, I got artillery, lyrics are ammo….”

Senegalese-born French rapper MC Solaar compares his mic to body armour and warns listeners about his cache of lyrical bullets halfway through La Concubine de l’Hémoglobine (The Haemoglobin Concubine): “…le mic est devenu ma tenue combat … le Solaarsenal est équipé de balles vocales …”.

Kendrick Lamar refers to himself as Kung Fu Kenny throughout the album ****, a reference to Don Cheadle’s character in the 2001 buddy cop and martial arts film Rush Hour 2 starring Jackie Chan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glaG64Ao7sM&feature=emb_logo

As all these examples confirm, it’s a common practice for rappers to equate verbal prowess with martial skill. MCs “spit” incendiary lines. Breakdancers “battle” for supremacy on the dance floor. DJs “cut” samples to their own liking. Graffiti artists “bomb” public spaces with tags.

Critics of hip-hop music and culture denounce such imagery as encouraging actual violence. They often cite graphic examples from commercial American “gangsta rap” to make their case. Yet from the research in which I have been involved, there’s a whole other way of looking at this imagery that casts hip-hop in a very different light.

continued next post

GeneChing

02-24-2020, 09:53 AM

Planet rap

Musicologist Griff Rollefson offers a different view of this tendency for hip-hop MCs to use their “words as weapons”. For members of marginalised communities, he argues, hip-hop potentially offers “a discursive and performative field in which to vent frustrations, enact fantasies, build confidence and formulate plots”. It’s a cathartic space free from threat of physical harm or retaliation from authorities.

I would argue that the metaphors of combat in global hip-hop are often concerned with messages of empowerment and social action. The seeming violence of such expressions serves as a means for practitioners to channel their dissatisfaction with adverse social conditions through creative artistry. On her 2019 track Land of Gray, for instance, South African MC Yugen Blakrok “dismembers a fascist” with her incisive “verbal blades”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qceP35fafc&feature=emb_logo

In another instance, Japanese rapper Zeebra fires off a lyrical “bullet of truth”, changing listeners’ thought patterns and “slowly directing brain cells” toward more enlightened ways of being (Saishu Heiki, 2005).

continued next post

GeneChing

02-24-2020, 09:55 AM

Musical art to martial art

At a time when issues of migration, secession and isolationism dominate, an in-depth study of the impact of global forms of hip-hop marks an important change in political and cultural perspectives. As part of the CIPHER initiative, Rollfeson, the researcher Jason Ng and I are investigating hip-hop’s social importance and re-evaluating its stigmas. The aim is to shift the focus from a strictly US context to look at models from around the world.

Rollefson’s idea that hip-hop is a “martial art” is a part of this approach. Not only does it position rap within its contemporary context but it also considers the culture’s deep indebtedness to Kung Fu cinematic lore and East Asian philosophy.

Take the Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The title references the classic martial arts movies Enter the Dragon (1973) starring Bruce Lee, and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).

Busta Rhymes’ video for the 1997 track Dangerous, directed by Hype Williams (who made some of the period’s most well-known hip-hop videos), takes its inspiration from the 1985 classic The Last Dragon.

Ask any old-skool hip-hop head “Who is the master?” and they’ll answer, “Sho’nuff!”. This scene is played out in the music video with Rhymes taking the role of martial arts master Sho’nuff. For brown and black kids growing up in the socioeconomically repressed Bronx of the 1980s, what’s a more aspirational narrative, what’s more hip-hop, than the tale of a lone warrior acting decisively, but only when provoked?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b6P12eiLpo&feature=emb_logo

This influence also manifests globally, but in very different ways. Irish MC Jun Tzu (his nom de guerre a nod to Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu), often highlights the continued need for unity in his hometown of Belfast after the Troubles. In the single Klik Klak – the title imitating the sound of a pistol being racked and readied to fire – the South African rapper Cream declares: “I’m Jackie Chan with a pen… I defend rappers in my clan…”

Just as martial arts principles are handed down from teacher to disciple, hip-hop MCs spread ideological “truths” through their music. Global practitioners of hip-hop in particular prioritise a resistive aesthetic – an awareness of cultural identity, personal expression and a fundamental “knowledge of self” in their work.

The notion of hip-hop as a martial art also helps to illustrate the community-oriented ethos of the culture. In the cipher, which is the name given to hip-hop performance gatherings, MCs hone their skills and “sharpen their blades” in lyrical combat. This rite of passage, where performers are called on to demonstrate their talents and be evaluated by peers, exemplifies the “each one teach one” approach that characterises much of global hip-hop.

THREADS
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Wu Forever! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49338-Wu-Forever)

GeneChing

03-06-2020, 08:42 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImvzQCb0o8

THREADS
Demi Lovato (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69775-Demi-Lovato)
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

03-06-2020, 09:16 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo8gX1Evay8

THREADS
Mulan (2020) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68640-Mulan-(2020))
Kung-Fu Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

06-10-2020, 10:38 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNqO61CsbeU

GeneChing

10-13-2020, 11:17 AM

On Martial Arts & Music. READ Shao Dow on Shaolin and Rap (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1566) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/2383_Shao-Dow_Lead.jpg

Threads
Kung-Fu-Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Shao Dow (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71893-Shao-Dow)

GeneChing

01-19-2021, 10:31 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDSmXRHUBfc&feature=emb_logo

GeneChing

01-21-2021, 11:51 AM

Real-Life Martial Arts Champ Anne-Marie Isn’t Playing in Video for KSI & Digital Farm Animals Collab (https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/real-life-martial-arts-champ-anne-marie-isnt-playing-in-video-for-ksi-and-digital-farm-animals-collab/ar-BB1cNjSc)
Katie Bain 5 days ago

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1cNmdA.img?h=826&w=1248&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=499&y=288
KSI et al. sitting posing for the camera: KSI, Anne-Marie and Digital Farm AnimalsKSI, Anne-Marie and Digital Farm Animals

Anne-Marie is indeed a powerhouse pop star. And as the holder of three Shotokan karate championship titles, she’s also a powerhouse fighter.

The pink-haired singer — famous for her solo work along with collabs with Marshmello, Clean Bandit, Doja Cat and Rudimental — flexes both her vocal and physical prowess in a new video for “Don’t Play,” the new collab with KSI and Digital Farm Animals.

In the clip, Anne-Marie goes from a defeated bullying victim to a take-no-prisoners fighter. She performs from inside the boxing ring with fellow British vocalist (and fellow boxer!) KSI, along with the song’s producer Digital Farm Animals, who tosses tennis balls to the duo to get fit to fight.

Anne-Marie’s slinky vocals are layered over a UK garage production containing shades of Jamie xx’s 2014 masterpiece In Colour.

Does Anne-Marie beat those bullies in the end? Naturally. Watch the clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjQjxpnwVZw&feature=youtu.be

threads
Celebrities studying martial arts? (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?41233-Celebrities-studying-martial-arts)
Kung-Fu-Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

01-28-2021, 11:06 AM

Rap Is A Martial Art Is Breaking All Barriers in the Industry
Jan 28, 2021, 08:46 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rap Is A Martial Art (https://www.rapisamartialart.com/), born as Philippe Prosper, is the definition of a true artist who's on a journey to build a legacy that will be remembered forever. The biggest challenge posed to artists is thinking out of the box and paving their own way. Rap Is A Martial Art is finding success doing that through music and martial arts. Prosper characterizes these two forms of art as "tools of expression," both defining him as a person and personality in the entertainment industry. While each artist has their own aspirations and goals to accomplish, Prosper's intentions are clear -- he wants to make art to spiritually connect with people.

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1428836/Rap_Is_A_Martial_Art.jpg?p=publish&w=650
Rap Is A Martial Art
Being raised in Haiti with a family of military generals, words and war is instilled in his DNA. Although, the artist Rap Is A Martial Art seen today is the result of years of training and preparation. During most of his formative years, he spent 5 to 7 hours a day training in Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu, winning an International Kung Fu Grand championship, and becoming one of a handful of disciples of famous Shaolin Kung Grandmaster Yim and mastering his crafts.

In martial arts, all parts of your body are trained to be used as weapons. In a similar manner, to Prosper, the tongue can be the ultimate weapon. When asked about the parallels between martial arts and rap, Prosper said, "My words are my sword and words can start revolutions. Rap and martial arts are similar in so many ways - but to me, they are one."

Rap Is A Martial Art has gone further than just martial arts and hip hop. He has taken another step creating a luxury clothing brand called Martial Luxury. Martial Luxury is fashion for fighters built around the slogan "Dressed to Kill."

In his latest release, Rap Is A Martial Art shows off his lyrical arsenal in a high-action visual titled "Ugly Duckling." The video is clear proof that artists aren't limited to one stylistic approach and Philippe is breaking every barrier ahead of him. Literally and figuratively.

Media Contact:
John Konisiewicz
+12166508131

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh-b8y9B2u8&feature=emb_logo

GeneChing

02-03-2021, 10:41 AM

https://www.weareresonate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Kung-Fu-Vagina-759x500.png
‘KUNG FU VAGINA’: TWO WHITE WOMEN CREATE RACIST MUSIC VIDEO TO PROMOTE SEX TOYS (https://www.weareresonate.com/2021/02/kim-anami-lee-raven-kung-fu-vagina-two-white-women-create-racist-music-video-to-promote-sex-toys/)
RESONATE TEAM 3 FEBRUARY 2021

"Everybody wants a Kung-Fu gina / It starts with a jade egg from China!"

Two white women have created a racist music video to promote vagina eggs according to World of Buzz.

Sex and relationship coach Kim Anami and director Shae-Lee Raven created the music parody titled ‘Kung Fu Vaginas’ based on Carl Douglas’ 1974 hit ‘Kung Fu Fighting’.

Featuring an array of Asian clichés including chopsticks, kimonos and lanterns, the tone-deaf video is stereotypical at best and downright racist at worst.

Lyrics include:

“Everybody wants a Kung-Fu gina! / It starts with a jade egg from China! / No need for lube or saliva / To become a vag messiah!”

“We don’t need a funky Thai Vag, to shoot ping pongs with pizzazz / We just build the muscle up to chop a board down!”

“It’s an ancient Taoist art, of lifting weight with your parts! / Come on girls let’s flip and regain the power between your hips!”

“You’ll become your own **** messiah / When your ejaculate puts out fires!”

In other news, an Oregan bar has drawn criticism for using racist signs and for mocking a customer with a racist accent.

Last year, Steven Crowder released a similar parody of ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ about Coronavirus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDbLWhAEPJw

threads
Kung-Fu-Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Jade-Egg (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67255-Jade-Egg)
Everybody-was-Kung-Fu-Fighting-by-Carl-Douglas (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60335-Everybody-was-Kung-Fu-Fighting-by-Carl-Douglas)
Jade-Egg-Master-Kim-Anami (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70502-Jade-Egg-Master-Kim-Anami)

GeneChing

03-14-2021, 11:41 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfsotujmYZ8

GeneChing

06-28-2021, 09:31 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhQf5IRfZC8

threads
Rza (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48850-Rza)
Kung-Fu-Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

07-03-2021, 11:26 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV7fxa_mbyA

GeneChing

08-09-2021, 09:10 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB-sJldnGTg

GeneChing

10-21-2021, 01:29 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87VRaM5_bAE

GeneChing

11-08-2021, 09:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1ErYDeSKQc

GeneChing

11-30-2021, 09:22 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diJ-ARiKKEw

threads
The-King%92s-Man (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71218-The-King%92s-Man)
Kung-Fu-Music (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

12-03-2021, 12:52 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWd7GRuXch0

threads
Kung-Fu-Music (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Winter-2019 (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71074-Winter-2019)
The Shadow Ghost by Sifu Kurtis Fujita (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72204-The-Shadow-Ghost-by-Sifu-Kurtis-Fujita)

GeneChing

02-09-2022, 09:47 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJtXXYA3t3M

GeneChing

02-09-2022, 09:51 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCKFyGVMkX8

threads
Kung-Fu-Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Rza (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48850-Rza)

GeneChing

02-25-2022, 09:35 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cKvJUka_VM

threads
Kung-Fu-Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Rza (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48850-Rza)

GeneChing

02-25-2022, 09:39 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-com9M91-4

threads
Zatoichi (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?13431-Zatoichi)
Kung-Fu-Music (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

04-11-2022, 10:21 AM

Saka Unveils New Single, ‘Shaolin’ (https://themusicessentials.com/music/saka-shaolin/)
By Akshay Bhanawat - April 11, 2022
Facebook Twitter Pinterest

https://themusicessentials.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/SAKA-SHAOLIN-e1649481538516-696x506.jpg.webp
Saka comes flying in with his new single “Shaolin,” the second cut pulled from his forthcoming EP on NGHTMRE and SLANDER’s Gud Vibrations imprint.

A little over a month ago, the Hong Kong-raised leftfield producer announced the next chapter of his page-turning saga with the lead single from an EP he revealed would take the name of ‘Anti-Hero.’ The title alone was enough to spark up uncontrollable excitement, given his track record for creating mind-altering audiovisual journeys through his conceptual multi-track releases.
“Masamune” played its part in helping set the stage, taking its namesake from the Japanese term for a Medieval swordsmith. Forged in the flames of Saka’s entrancing freeform style, the razor-sharp single was as engulfing an introduction as anyone could have ever imagined.

The subsequent piece is now following into place, as his next offering emerges from the hidden temple in preparation for the road ahead. “Shaolin” is a masterfully crafted chunk of experimental bass, with lethal moves that make kung fu seem like child’s play. Opening with glorious gong samples and a heated exchange of words leading to a white-knuckling fight scene, the cinematic intro quickly gives way to a head-spinning arrangement of cavernous atmospherics, robust bass plucks, piercing synth squabbles, sword-clashing tones and what feels like an ancient martial arts groove handed down from a long lineage of battle-hardened monks

With two obscenely immersive singles currently shaping our perception of Saka’s next EP, the final product is, without question, going to roundhouse kick listeners into a whole new dimension.

Saka’s new single ‘Shaolin” is available everywhere via Gud Vibrations. Follow the link to hear a sample.

GeneChing

04-13-2022, 09:00 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u62w2jZixAw

threads
Kung-Fu-Music (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Muay-Thai (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26700-Muay-Thai)

GeneChing

08-03-2022, 03:44 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXi-SI2X1p8

GeneChing

10-10-2022, 08:39 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cpn92v9on8

GeneChing

10-10-2022, 08:50 AM

Cool cats. READ Shaolin Jazz on ENTER THE DRAGON (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1657) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/3955_Shaolin-Jazz_Lead.jpg

Enter-the-Dragon (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26150-Enter-the-Dragon)
Kung-Fu-Music (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)

GeneChing

12-06-2022, 03:51 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJCvwslfIYI

GeneChing

12-12-2022, 10:08 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=lXvzDvekrE0

GeneChing

03-10-2023, 10:01 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSm9P591jk

GeneChing

04-11-2023, 10:38 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPuYHNLcrQM

wuxiaman

04-13-2023, 11:37 PM

https://youtu.be/r_SI6s9XhPA

GeneChing

04-14-2023, 08:49 AM

https://youtu.be/r_SI6s9XhPA

To embed videos, click the film cell icon in the tool bar above the reply box (middle row, 5th from the right). Drop the URL in there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_SI6s9XhPA

Note that it says 'Supported videos include:
Hulu YouTube (Long) YouTube (Short) Vimeo Dailymotion Metacafe Google facebook' but only YouTube works. :o

wuxiaman

04-18-2023, 11:56 AM

To embed videos, click the film cell icon in the tool bar above the reply box (middle row, 5th from the right). Drop the URL in there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_SI6s9XhPA

Note that it says 'Supported videos include:
Hulu YouTube (Long) YouTube (Short) Vimeo Dailymotion Metacafe Google facebook' but only YouTube works. :o

Thank you for the kind guidance! I'll note that for the next time. :)

GeneChing

08-16-2023, 04:40 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=338D3HTto6M

This is old, but it's new to me. And it needs to be here.

Kung-Fu-Music (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Seagal-is-at-it-again (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?37259-Seagal-is-at-it-again)
Shaolin-Rasta-the-37th-Chamber (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58144-Shaolin-Rasta-the-37th-Chamber)

GeneChing

08-21-2023, 09:33 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM8KVOJvdjo

GeneChing

08-21-2023, 09:34 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0TbhYjHwcA

GeneChing

11-21-2023, 10:04 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jsi2Tgvx6A

GeneChing

12-05-2023, 12:33 PM

YOUR KUNG FU SUCKS!
Ninja Academy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgE6VdRcHYw

Kung-Fu-Music (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
International-Ninja-Day-is-December-5th (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69923-International-Ninja-Day-is-December-5th)

GeneChing

01-03-2024, 09:15 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWVNji4yYsw

GeneChing

01-15-2024, 09:22 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl4D7PNrTTE

I met Akini Jing in passing at The NA Shaolin Kung Fu Games (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72581-Abbot-Shi-Yongxin-s-2023-West-Coast-visit-amp-Shaolin-Kung-Fu-Games&p=1325733#post1325733)

GeneChing

01-27-2024, 02:44 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H94-LA-G1U

GeneChing

02-05-2024, 10:50 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1gGC0WV0dg

GeneChing

03-17-2024, 10:17 AM

APRIL 2024 ISSUE
The Martial Arts Pro Who Taught FKA Twigs How To Wield A Sword (https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/fka-twigs-wushu-martial-arts)
BY HANNAH COATES
14 March 2024
https://media.vogue.co.uk/photos/65f1cd1ad56940b745e58506/2:3/w_1600,c_limit/GettyImages-1487149513.jpg
Jeff Kravitz

You can see FKA twigs pulling all manner of shapes for British Vogue’s April issue cover shoot, but what you don’t see are the sword-wielding martial arts skills (alongside pole practice, choreography and other types of dance) that keep her body in peak physical condition. Her music videos are yet another reminder of the incredible body work the artist does in her spare tcime – when she’s not busy producing acclaimed albums.

One of the most intriguing elements in her workout routine (if you can call it that – this requires much more skill than simply taking to the treadmill), is her penchant for Wushu, the Chinese term for “martial arts”. “Its roots are in Chinese martial arts, but it encompasses different types of styles, including kung fu, Tai Chi and other traditional forms,” explains Samuel Mak, twigs’s instructor and a World Junior Wushu Champion. While the sport is recognised by the Olympics’ governing body, it’s not yet an Olympic sport, although it will feature in the junior Olympics in a couple of years time – “a big step for the sport”.

There are different forms of Wushu – Taolu and Sanda – and Mak specialises in the former. “You do a routine and get marked on your performance, based on the skills you display and mistakes you make,” he says. “Sanda, meanwhile, is about combat and is a mixture of kickboxing and wrestling.” Taolu is choreographed and made up of certain movements, such as tornado kicks, twists, punches, aerial cartwheels, jumping and – here’s where it gets spicy – sword and spear work. You might have seen twigs spinning swords about on Instagram – Mak had something to do with that.

The pair have worked together since 2019, when she was gearing up to film her music video for “Sad Day”. “The concept was to have a Wushu element to it, but it was set in a grimy east London location. She’d already trained in Wushu before, but that’s when I came on board and choreographed that whole music video with her and the director,” he explains. “Since then, she’s wielded Wushu swords in her performances, so we just carried on training together.” The pair have worked on three music videos – including “Don’t Judge Me” with Headie One and “Measure Of A Man” – incorporating different styles of martial arts, including flowy Tai Chi movements and, of course, some “sword stuff”.

It doesn’t look easy – in fact I think I speak for us all when I say it looks dangerous. “The sword stuff is tough,” Mak agrees – and he’s someone who started practising from the age of three, and was holding a sword by the age of six. “I didn’t pick up a sword for two or three years, having done all the basics – you need coordination, movement and body control. There’s a whole process you go through before you even think about picking up a sword.”

That was not the case for twigs, though, whose extensive training as a dancer meant she already had “amazing control over her body and her extension, and understands choreography so can pick things up really quickly”. She took an accelerated path to sword-dom, doing complicated moves during a solid six months of extensive training for that first music video. “She put a lot of time, effort and commitment into it, which is why she achieves the things she does on film – you’d be hard pushed to find any other artists with her diverse skill set,” says Mak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxGDNRE-2c0

I ask Mak what benefits Wushu can offer in terms of mental wellbeing. (It strikes me that martial arts have long been connected with resilience, strength and fortitude, as well as balancing a calm, rational mind with an energetic one.) He calls it his “happy space”, a sport that he can get lost in, achieving a “flow state”, as they call it. Linked to good mental health, flow state can be achieved when we’re completely focused on something, so much so that nothing else matters. It’s moving mindfulness. “The hardest part is getting into flow state for competition, but the last World Championships I went to in November, I was able to be in flow state for the competition, and performed the best I ever have – everything just disappears,” he says.

As twigs continues to grow her own skill set, the pair are now beyond practising the basics and exploring combinations of moves. “She’s at a point where she understands all the basics, so it’s about exploring her style and expression and how that manifests into Wushu,” he says. “How does she want to move? And what style? Then we put that into a sequence.” Sword or no sword, it’s impressive stuff.

Kung-Fu-Music (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36569-Kung-Fu-Music)
Celebrities-studying-martial-arts (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?41233-Celebrities-studying-martial-arts)