https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuDKqaqdhH8
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An update on Asian Kung-Fu Generation
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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)
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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.
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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 website.
Source: Tokyo Hive
Paul Chapman is the host of the Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.
Luv that title. ;)
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Hiatus Kaiyote share new track 'Shaolin Monk Motherfunk'
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
I was tempted to go tonight as I've always wanted to check them out, but I'm kinda busy right now. :o
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KUNG FU VAMPIRE
Wednesday, 13 May 2015 11:16 AARON CARNES Music - Love Your Local Band
http://www.gtweekly.com/images/stori...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.
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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
One of my favorite music artists right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAYPacrJnyQ
Not nearly as good as the one I posted above. :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeqPztekQiU
M.I.A. had me GENER8ION + M.I.A. - The New International Sound Pt. II (Official music video) above. Now she's just toying with me.
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MIA's New Video Elevates Badass South Asian Warrior Women
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
7/15/15 9:05am
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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,” 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.
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“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.
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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:
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!!!!”)Quote:
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.
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:
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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.
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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.
https://vimeo.com/35597580
Enter The Dragon Remix (EM)
from Eclectic Method
Way to go T Swizzle! All you Swiftees can get your ninja gear here. :cool:
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'Bad Blood' wins Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs
by Mary Sollosi • @missollosi
http://www.ew.com/sites/default/file...?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.
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
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, here, and here. I've tuned into Laidback Luke and I do like his stuff. I hope we can meet someday.
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Laidback Luke wins four medals at 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.”
Soundcloud tracks are available if you follow the link.
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Shermanology On Their 'Philosophy,' Second EP, Martial Arts, More [Interview]
by Ryan Middleton Oct 13, 2015 12:38 PM EDT
http://images.musictimes.com/data/im...logy.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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2NgsJrrAyM
Cool. Who is that girl?
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.
Cool song, cool vid, and a very cool little girl.Quote:
Meet Mahiro Takano, the Young Martial Arts Star of Sia's 'Alive' Video
By Associated Press | November 20, 2015 3:25 AM EST
http://www.billboard.com/files/style...lboard-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."
I'm not a fan of death metal or Taiwanese music, but put them together in ancient Chinese armor, and it gets my vote.
Quote:
WATCH: This death metal superstar is gunning for a seat in the Taiwanese parliament
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/a...reddy_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/a...eddy_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/a...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
continued next postQuote:
BABYMETAL’s new single “KARATE” is the **** + ‘Metal Resistance’ trailer
IATFB 02/25/2016
http://www.asianjunkie.com/wp-conten...ETALKARATE.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/x3...l-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.
If you don't know Baby Metal, you don't know J-pop at all.Quote:
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.
Wide world of snort? :rolleyes:
Quote:
Hear Baauer Team With Future, Pusha T for Hard-Hitting 'Kung Fu'
"'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/asset...ture-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
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."
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.Quote:
New BABYMETAL song debuts on BBC, immediately shoots to the top of iTunes charts【Music】
Preston Phro about an hour ago
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.word...pg?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.
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!Quote:
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.Quote:
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...c5&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
Sources: Facebook/BABYMETAL, YouTube/BABYMETALVEVO (h/t NoCleanSinging)
Featured image: Facebook/BABYMETAL
Baauer & Pusha T's Kung Fu track.
There's a lyric vid if you follow the post, but it might not help...:rolleyes:
Quote:
Baauer Unveils Lyric Video For "Kung Fu"
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).
This one is slightly OT, but it's got light sabers... :cool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eJDTcDUQxQ
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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2IsQBCnVbw
Here's more on Laidback Luke here, here, here, and here
Funny - I just finished an article on Dim Mak.
I just heard about this show below. I may have to go and check it out. :cool:Quote:
Steve Aoki Celebrates 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/...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/...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.
www.dimmak.comQuote:
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**
$44.50 – General Admission**
*plus applicable service fees
**available when lower price level sells out
The general on sale begins Friday, October 14th at 10am!
Tickets are also available service charge free at The Fox Theater’s Box Office (located on the 19th street side of the theater) on show dates and on Fridays from noon – 7:00pm.
http://www.apeconcerts.com/wp-conten...eAoki_1024.jpg
Steve Aoki
While Mulholland Drive high up in the Hollywood Hills may have the views and legacy, it’s Wonderland Avenue that has the street cred and infamy (ex-porn star John Holmes was involved in a 1981 quadruple homicide at an apartment on the narrow road). Now, Wonderland Avenue may soon gain notoriety for something new: the world’s most unlikely road where some of America’s most beloved recent electronic music has been made thanks to Steve Aoki who named his debut for New York-based Ultra Music and his own label Dim Mak Records, Wonderland.
Arguably no producer has done more to raise the international profile of Los Angeles in underground electronic music circles than Steve Aoki. He broke bands such as Bloc Party, The Bloody Beetroots, Klaxons and The Gossip though deftly marketed single and full-length releases on his Dim Mak label, which he began in 1996 and now has over 250 releases. Those releases often dovetailed into performances at his weekly Dim Mak nights including Dim Mak studios (still going strong every Tuesday night in the heart of Hollywood). As a label owner and shrewd curator of talent from around the world, those club nights have hosted the debut US performances of hundreds of acts over the last decade from Lady Gaga to Ed banger Records & Justice, Ke$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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4VoZ6afztc
Caught this on a retro video show. Can't resist adding it here.
This reminds me of Sense8.
Quote:
'Van Damme' wins SABC's 'Song of the Year'
MUSIC NEWS / 4 January 2017, 6:13pm
ANA Reporter
https://irs.iol.co.za/image/1/proces...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.
BTW, I split Laidback Luke into this own indie thread off the Kung-Fu Music thread - see Laidback Luke - Kung Fu EDM DJ.Quote:
Van Damme is popular in SA again
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
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. :(
Quote:
http://datsik.com/wp-content/uploads...2/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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxfMdBJze7c
Wu Orleans. For Mardi Gras. FTW!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-00021...3-t500x500.jpg
Chief Keef - Jet Li (ft. Gucci Mane)
I guess Kendrick didn't get enough Bad Blood.
{split this off into its own indie thread on 4/20}Quote:
Kendrick Lamar Wraps Coachella on '****.' High Note As Alter Ego Kung Fu Kenny In Short Film
4/17/2017 by Adelle Platon
http://www.billboard.com/files/style...board-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."
This sounds exceptional.Quote:
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.