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Thread: Rza

  1. #31
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    New York

    RZA live-scoring Shaw Brothers kung fu classic ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’ at Town Hall (tix on sale)
    By BrooklynVegan Staff October 6, 2016 11:49 AM



    Wu-Tang Clan, who just played The Roots Picnic, have kung fu films in their blood, particularly those of famed producers The Shaw Brothers. So it will be a special treat to see Shaw Brothers classic The 36th Chamber of Shoalin — a film intrinsic to the Staten Island crew’s debut album and mythology — on the big screen at Town Hall on November 10 with RZA providing a live score. “The influence of Shaw Brothers films on my work has been profound,” says RZA. “From the first time I saw their movies as a kid in Times Square I knew that this was something I had to do. For decades I’ve been dreaming of stepping into the 36th Chamber.” He’ll intertwine Wu-Tang’s catalogue with the film’s original audio track for a unique audiovisual experience. A Q&A with RZA will follow the screening.
    Tickets for this The 36th Chamber of Shoalin live score screening, which is being presented by Alamo Drafthouse, are on sale now.
    You can also catch GZA performing his classic solo LP Liquid Swords at two City Winery Shows.
    RZA is currently wrapping up his tour with Banks and Steelz, his project with Interpol’s Paul Banks. There may be more of these live-score screening events to come in other cities. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the trailer for The 36th Chamber of Shoalin and listen to Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (at the same time if you want), below.

    Still hoping for that SF show.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #32
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    36 Chambers

    THE GOLDEN DRAGON RISES
    10.19.16
    ______________
    Rising from the ashes, the Golden Dragon is ready to take flight.
    This will be more interesting tomorrow.
    Gene Ching
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  3. #33
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    The The Town Hall show

    RZA Live-Scores Legendary Kung Fu Film ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’
    Nathaniel Ainley — Nov 10 2016


    RZA. Courtesy The Town Hall

    RZA, the legendary co-founder of Wu-Tang Clan, is coming from a beat-making workshop at Williamsburg’s new Apple Store. He sounds upbeat as he describes how far music production technology has evolved since he started out. But in a throwback to the late 70s, a halcyon era for kung fu cinema more than a decade before Wu-Tang was formed, RZA is traveling the country performing a live re-scoring of classic Shaw Brothers martial arts film, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

    During a live screening of the film, RZA constructs his own score from a collection of custom audio files. Growing up in Brooklyn, RZA became a sort of expert on martial arts films from the 70s and 80s. This infatuation eventually leaked into his work as a music producer where he would construct beats that incorporated movie music and dialogue. Now, armed with a Wu-Tang catalog over two decades in the making, RZA is reimagining the film’s score in real time, creating a composite audio-visual experience blending genres, cultures, and eras.

    The Creators Project talked to RZA about his relationship to the film, his production process, and how he got into scoring cinema:


    Screenshots via

    The Creators Project: What’s your live-scoring setup like? Are you playing Wu-Tang samples over the original score?

    RZA: Well, check it out [on tour]. I’ve been hooked up the Shaw Brothers. They gave me the film and let me strip it down.

    They let you strip down the audio?

    Yeah, instead of using the original score. I mean, there’s a few pieces that I liked and kept, but the majority of it is me. There's about 90 sound cues in the film, and I’ll be manipulating those cues in real time.

    Wow, that sounds like a lot to manage.

    It took a minute to get it to where we got it. I had some good buddies help me on the technical side when we were putting it all together. But you know, when I was in about ninth grade, we were all DJing, battling each other, and trying to be the best. There was this one kid who couldn’t really DJ. He had the turntables, he had a system, he could mix, but he couldn't scratch. He was cool—he ran with us—but what he used to do was plug into a VCR and then dub the VCR to another tape. So, for example, you’d see Wile E. Coyote chasing The Road Runner, and then they’d fall off a cliff, and he would pause it and rewind it, like a pause tape. He was the first kid I ever seen do that. But when DVDs came out, I was like, “Wow, now we can really do the **** that he was doing.” It could physically be done.

    So I started practicing that, and I was probably one of the first guys to do that. Of course, I’ll say I learned it from my man Tom Shannon when I was a kid. I saw him do it. But now technology has caught up to where they got it all inside the software. When the time came for me to do this, I called Tom and had him come help me. He helped me break it down, decide on certain things, and help me get to a point where I could sit there and just do it. It’s crazy how full circle it is: from seeing this movie as a kid, to becoming a young adult and using it as the title for my first album. You never know what part of your childhood, or of your life, will inspire something else.



    What aspect of martial arts films inspires you musically? The writing, cinematography, or the action?

    The action was the first attraction. That’s a rhythm within itself. I became aware of the cinematography later on. 36th Chamber is one of the films that opened my eyes to cinematography and the vastness of what it could be. Take Into The Dragon, for example: Bruce Lee was great, and all that. But it was set way in the past, and the director happened to be considered one of the best directors of Asian cinema—of any cinema. But then the music happened. The emotions of the music started resonating with me. And for me, with hip-hop, I have to take that music and pin it to a groove—my drum pulse.

    So that’s what I started doing, started plugging my VCR into my sampler. I could sample a strange part, with a vibe-heavy rhythm. Or I could just take an intro, like in the song “Da Mystery Of Chessboxin,” where he’s like, “Toad style is immensely strong and immune to nearly any weapon. When it's properly used it's almost invincible.” That felt dangerous, deadly, and that’s what Wu-Tang was bringing: rugged, raw, deadly hip hop. And thinking about martial arts movies and the ideas of swordsmen, there was no better way to make the analogy of how deadly we are than through martial arts films.

    continued next post
    Gene Ching
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  4. #34
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    Continued from previous post

    What was your relationship to 36th Chamber when you were growing up in New York?

    Well, I grew up in the 70s, you know. When this movie came out and I saw it, at the top ot the 80s, I was becoming conscious of oppression and the black man’s struggle in the world. It seemed similar; it felt like, “Why us?”

    In the film, these people are being oppressed and are struggling. They came and killed [the main character’s] father for nothing—just stabbing people. He had to run for his life, and he was just a student, a college student, who wanted to make a change, you know? It made me think about college students in the 60s who tried to march and change the world and got fire hosed down and attacked, you know what I mean? At the time, I thought that stuff only happened in America, in this time period. But the film was one of the things that opened my mind to the fact that this happens around the world. I related to that ****. I was like, “Wow, I feel him. I understand his struggle.” I also wished there was something I could learn to help my people.


    Still from '36th Chamber.' Courtesy the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

    How is producing a song in the studio different from producing a score for a film?

    Let’s say I'm doing something for Wu-Tang: I’ll pick the music because I know the talent. When I did my first score with Jim Jarmusch for Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, I didn't really know what I was doing. I studied Peter and the Wolf, and I understood that I could pick different instruments to represent different characters, but I didn't really understand the whole post-production process. Jim didn't force me to sit there and go through that. But on Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino did make me sit there. I had to sit in the editing room for probably 60 days. It was cool, it was a great experience; you couldn’t beat me and Quentin in the editing room together. But at the same time, the amount of stuff I learned was wild. Instead of being the producer and the leader, I had to be more subservient to the director’s wishes.

    But it still took time, you know, for me to understand that I have to deliver that vision. Now, as a person who has the capability—who has proven himself—I can approach the production of songs like I approached the score for my own film, The Man with the Iron Fist. Now, I strive to make sure the artists are embellished, and when I’m scoring a film, I also strive to make sure the emotions of my characters are being embellished.



    How does the process change when you’re doing it live, as opposed to spending, for example, 60 days in the editing room ensuring everything is perfect?

    Well, it’s live in the sense that I’m doing it live, but it’s rehearsed. We’ve combed through what we think will work. This will be my fifth time doing this performance, and I think it only gets better every time, because I’ve learned what doesn’t work.

    I learned that 110 cues was too much. I was overkilling it. I’ve got to let it breathe. At one moment I’m just doing me, and then I’m like, “Wait a minute, I forgot about the film.” That happened in Austin, and even though the crowd gave a standing ovation, I felt like I forgot about the film. By the time I got to LA, I kind of had a better format, I let it breathe, and I think it performed better. I think in New York, it’s going to be even better.



    RZA: Live From The 36th Chamber plays at The Town Hall Thursday, November 10 at 8pm. Visit the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema website for future performance dates.
    Still hoping for more shows. Someone here has got to see this.
    Gene Ching
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  5. #35
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    RZA directed episode 6 of Iron Fist

    Wu-Tang Clan's RZA Directed An Episode of Netflix's Iron Fist
    Jay Jayson- 01/28/2017



    K'un-Lun ain't nuttin ta f--k with!

    Most of the titles and directors for Marvel's Iron Fist series were revealed recently when the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) released their ratings for each of the episodes. The sixth episode, which is titled "Immortal Emerges From Cave," didn't have a director listed, but now, thanks to the show's star Finn Jones, we know that RZA helmed it.

    "So before I started the role, I actually made a playlist on my iPod of songs that Danny Rand would listen to," Jones explained during an Extra live Q&A (via MCU Exchange). "It’s a lot of kind of '90s hip-hop like De La Soul, Jurassic 5, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang Clan. Like that kind of music is really what Danny’s jamming to. And we actually feature that in the series. And actually, one of our episodes was directed by the RZA himself. Episode 6. So, yeah, there’s very close ties to hip-hop music and the Iron Fist series."

    What was it like working with RZA? "Oh, he's a dude," Jones said. "He's a complete dude. Actually really sweet but chill. He has a really good vision of what he wants. He understands that martial arts genre."

    The former hip-hop producer and the frontman for the Wu-Tang Clan entered the film community in 1999, making his acting debut in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai. He went on to land small roles in some high-profile films like American Gangster, Funny People, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Inspired by his love for kung-fu movies, RZA made his directorial debut with The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)—which he also starred in and co-wrote.



    Danny Rand returns to New York City after being missing for years, trying to reconnect with his past and his family legacy. He fights against the criminal element corrupting his world around him with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.

    The cast features Finn Jones (Game of Thrones) as Daniel Rand/Iron Fist, Jessica Henwick (Game of Thrones) as Colleen Wing, David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) as Harold Meachum, Jessica Stroup (The Following) as Joy Meachum, Tom Pelphrey (Banshee) as Ward Meachum, and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) will be reprising her role as Jeri Hogarth for a guest appearance.

    Uncover the secrets of the mystical K'un-Lun when Season 1 of Marvel's Iron Fist premieres with 13 one-hour episodes on March 17, 2017 at 12:01 am PT globally on Netflix.
    Well this will be a little confusing given Man with the Iron Fists.
    Gene Ching
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  6. #36
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    Coming to Montreal

    POP Montreal books the Dears, RZA, the Besnard Lakes
    BY MONTREAL GAZETTE, MONTREAL GAZETTE MAY 3, 2017 10:15 AM



    Montreal's the Besnard Lakes will perform their album The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse as part of the POP Montreal festival's 16th edition.
    Photograph by: John Kenney , Montreal Gazette
    POP Montreal has revealed the first wave of acts scheduled to perform at the festival’s 16th edition, taking place from Sept. 13 to 17.

    They include:

    Tickets for the above shows are on sale now.

    POP Montreal has also announced that the festival will feature performances by Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, who will present a live score of the kung-fu film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and reactivated Montreal dance-pop band Think About Life.

    More than 350 other acts are expected to be confirmed for POP Montreal. For more information, visit popmontreal.com.
    I couldn't find the direct link on the popmontreal site - that site was too artsy to be navigable and the search function wasn't working for me.

    Time to split this into an indie thread - been posting it on the RZA thread and the The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (a.k.a. Master Killer) thread but now will only post on the The 36th Chamber of Shaolin RZA live score thread.
    Gene Ching
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  7. #37
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    Super Off-Topic

    Gene, which issue was it that RZA went (with yall?) to Wudan Mountain? I know I have it, but muh stacks are mostly boxed for a move.
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    "Who dies first," he mumbled through smashed and bloody lips.

  8. #38
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    Why do you ask?

    Quote Originally Posted by Vash View Post
    Gene, which issue was it that RZA went (with yall?) to Wudan Mountain?
    The print report was inn our 2000 Shaolin Special, which is sold out.

    My blog-style account is online free access: Wu-Tang Enters Wudang

    My cover story was SEP 99: Hip Hop Fist: Wu-Tang Chan's RZA and his Sifu, Shaolin Monk Shi Yan Ming
    Gene Ching
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  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    The print report was inn our 2000 Shaolin Special, which is sold out.

    My blog-style account is online free access: Wu-Tang Enters Wudang

    My cover story was SEP 99: Hip Hop Fist: Wu-Tang Chan's RZA and his Sifu, Shaolin Monk Shi Yan Ming
    Awesome, thanks.

    Because I had a vivid memory of reading of RZA free-flowing to the delight of a monk on Wudang, and I was really hoping that wasn't my Beautiful Mind moment.
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  10. #40
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    Beautiful moment

    RZA was free rapping, spitting his observations and feelings out in rapid-fire improvised rhythm and rhyme. His lyrical skill is truly astounding. How he can free-associate those lighting-fast rhymes on the spot, assembled in a spontaneous driving beat, is nearly incomprehensible.

    WU-TANG ENTERS WUDANG (6 OF 7)
    THE LEGACY
    That was one of my greatest 'missed recording it' moments. It was '99. I didn't have a smart phone or my trusty cassette tape recorder. I just had my ears, my attention and the moment. And I'm grateful to having been a witness to that.
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  11. #41
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    You're a gentleman and actual scholar.

    That's the one. Thanks!
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  12. #42
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    I'm a fan boy and a mediocre Kung Fu practitioner...

    ...but I take good notes. Maybe just not so good with the recordings.

    Glad you liked that piece. If RZA wants to go back to Wudang, I'd love to tag along again. And this time, I promise to bring my recording devices.
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  13. #43
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    The Opening Ceremony Fall 2017 Show

    RZA Scores a Martial Arts Showdown at the The Opening Ceremony Fall 2017 Show
    BY ERIN HANSEN
    JUN 11, 2017


    Image via Opening Ceremony

    For their Fall 2017 collection, Opening Ceremony designers and founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim returned to their native Los Angeles roots. The comeback was in part a love letter to their L.A. store, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary in the location of Charlie Chaplin’s former dance studio.

    Their new collection, “A Modern Western,” shares an affection for the “west” in many ways too: The fashion show, which took place during Made L.A. on Friday night, was set in a theatrical indoor desert of cartoonish cacti.

    Models paraded along the perimeter of the cacti in studded western wear, ruched skirts and pants, asymmetrical knits, velour tracksuits, and thigh-high pink velvet boots that could flag legs at a city block’s distance. The styles were infused with western elements, yes, but punk, goth, and sportswear styles could not go unnoticed.


    Image via Opening Ceremony

    Lim told Complex the collection was heavily influenced by artists of the Southwest–the bulbous New Mexican sculptures of Ken Price and bold paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. She cites the presentation of O’Keeffe’s style at the Brooklyn Museum’s Georgia O’Keeffe: Modern Living exhibit as having a particular influence.

    Lim echoed the nomadic nature of the collection with the production of their first show in L.A. “It was a journey westward to be able to do the show here on the tenth anniversary of our store,” she said after the show.

    The designs are something of an ode to their native L.A. upbringing. Leon and Lim give credence to this in a statement about their collection: “The city’s bricolage aesthetic, its natural landscape, and its wholly modern attitude continue to shape not only our design but our outlook.” When asked about the city’s influence on her, Lim spoke about, well, the weather. “I think it is just the versatility of needing a lot of transitional things,” she said. L.A. is commonly warm in the day and chilly at night. Layering, knits, and outerwear took center stage on the runway.


    Image via Opening Ceremony

    But the true spotlight is given to cinema. The collection statement prefaces “A Modern Western” as an imagining of what “silver-screen outlaws would look like today, as real women who bring adventure wherever they go, from desert canyon to city street.”

    Like their previous shows, Opening Ceremony didn’t just parade models down a runway, they also put on an explosive western showdown of the martial arts variety.

    The brand collaborated with the legendary rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member RZA—whose love for martial arts brought him to the project—and New Zealander choreographer, actress, and stuntwoman, Zoë Bell. Post-runway, the tale of two sisters began. One was born with “the glow,” one was not. And so they fought. A standoff ensued between models clothed in the Fall 2017 collection. The tension was palpable. RZA, who played the piano, narrated and orchestrated. Bell performed and choreographed the dramatic movements. Arms swung, legs kicked, and bodies rolled.

    "He scored everything," Lim said about RZA, who also performed after the show. "[RZA and Bell] worked very closely together on the fight sequences, what the movements were, so he knew what kind of music to make for it." This was RZA's first foray into scoring, composing, and performing for a fashion designer.


    Image via Opening Ceremony

    Movies like Kill Bill and House of Flying Daggers helped ignite the collaboration with RZA and Bell. “The nod to martial arts and just watching that kind of film and cinema is something that we have always been fans of and watched growing up,” said Lim. And it’s true for the collection. The clothing gives the modern woman room to breath, easing the journey as she makes her way through the acrobatic movements of daily life. There are elements of nature—a western kimono jacket in a scorpion print—and practicality.

    Opening Ceremony continues to impress. “We always like to celebrate the strength of women,” Lim said. “There was kind of this narrative of sisters having this argument and in the end they came together. And it showcases this amazing movement.”


    Image via Opening Ceremony
    I read where RZA is doing something similar with the S.F. Asian Art Museum. I'm a member there and will follow up on it when it gets closer.

    TAKEOVER: RZA AND 36 CHAMBERS
    Part of TAKEOVER, Thursday Nights
    SEP 21
    6—9 PM
    Museum wide
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  14. #44
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    Wutang @ Wudang

    Yo what up!

    I made it on RZA's gram today.

    rza
    RZA visiting Shaolin temple. #wutang

    READ all about it in Wu-Tang Enters Wudang.
    Gene Ching
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  15. #45
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    Camp TAZO is Back in Session with The RZA

    Gene Ching
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