Thrill of It All: A Visual History 1972-1982

ROXY MUSIC: Thrill of It All: A Visual History 1972-1982
Excellent collection of music videos and live performances by glam pioneers ROXY MUSIC.

Happy Birthday Gene Kelly!

This is just a simple dedication to the late, great Gene Kelly, who was born this day in 1912. These are a couple of pieces I did about 7 years ago or more for wall hangings at a Paris themed ballroom dancing event I took part in. I figured what would make a more appropriate decoration than an image from the classic musical, "An American in Paris", starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, especially since it ranks up high on my list of favourite films. These figures stand about two and a half feet tall, brush inked on poster board and painted with transparent concentrated watercolours. They currently are just tacked to my wall here in my den at home, along with all sorts of movie-related collectibles.

In retrospect, I think I drew Gene's hands a little bit big, but other than that I still kind of like it. The caricature of Leslie Caron I still like a lot, and I would really like to try making a little sculpture based on this art. Anyway, I just thought it would be fun to post this today. Happy Birthday Gene - we miss you!

Between Two Points

A very cool music video for The Glitch Mob ft. Swan - Between Two Points
It's a tale about the weight of dependency.

Direction & Production:
motiphe

Between Two Points
[VIA]

"All the Noise, Noise, Noise, NOISE!!"

Yes, sad to say, but I tend to get a little Grinchy this time of year. Mostly it's due to the drudgery of Christmas shopping. It's not that I don't want to buy gifts for family and friends, mind you, it's just that I end up having a tough time trying to find stuff that I think they will like. In fact, it always seems that I see all sorts of books, CD's and DVD's that I'D like instead! So it does feel like I'm trekking through many a store over and over before I settle on the right gifts to buy for others.

But my main complaint about Christmas shopping is making my way through the overcrowded malls and having my ears assaulted by all of the crappy contemporary Christmas songs! I'm afraid that my tastes in music have always been a lot closer to my parents' generation than that of my own, and in fact as a teen I always preferred the records my Dad played around the house far more than what my peers were listening to at the time. As such, I never did develop a taste for the rock music of the day, although a lot of the pop/rock on the radio back then certainly was a lot more tuneful than what's on nowadays. Which brings me to my complaint.

Why do all of the untalented, similar sounding, young pop/rockers of today feel that they need to release their crap versions of Christmas songs? They all seem to sound the same, as their trilling crap voices meander around the notes without ever really hitting their target, adding in a lot of inane "Yeaaahhh"s to fill in any pauses between the lyrics. And then there are the mindless rappers who have cut melody out of the equation altogether, trying to force in ten times as many words (most of them unintelligible) than the original composers had written in the first place. And all of this tuneless, appalling crap is being blasted at high volume out of every clothing and electronics store that I am forced to pass by.

Now to be fair, there are a few stores and restaurants where I can hear old chestnuts from glorious Christmases past sung by the likes of Bing, Frank, Dino, Sammy, Ella, Peggy, and Nat, but even then there still seems to be a few contemporary crap songs thrown into the mix just to rankle my nerves. Incidentally, why is it only at Christmas that the great singers of the past are allowed to be heard in public at all before being placed in the box of mothballs again for another year? If one didn't know better, one might assume that Bing Crosby had recorded "White Christmas" and nothing else during his entire career!

So there you have it - the reasons for my annual Grinchy demeanor. Please let it be Sinatra singing as I sit down to a plate of roast beast...(sigh)

And speaking of Frank and Dino, here's some fun Christmas music by the all time kings of cool - a surefire remedy for curing Grinchiness:

Brazilian Taxi Driver Beatboxes Michael Jackson

This is a very good rendition of Michael Jackson by some random Brazilian taxi driver!! Impressive!!
Thanks to Jorge Nieto for the find...

Treat Me Like Your Mother by Jonathan Glazer

Treat Me Like Your Mother by Jonathan Glazer

A really cool music video for a pretty good rock tune. Once again director, Jonathan Glazer smashes it.

16bit - Kissy Klassroom Mix

Serious mix by UK based 16bit. Leading the global dubstep scene in my opinion.

 16bit - Kissy Klassroom Mix by 16bit

Download it here.

Pieces Of A Puzzle - Dialectrix

One of the best Aussie rappers I've heard. Love this tune!

The Wudos Band

"The Budos Band is an amazing 10-piece funk band from Staten Island. The Wu-Tang Clan is the best hip-hop group ever. Put em together and you get The Wudos Band, produced by Tekst of The Higher Concept, producer/engingeer for artists such as RZA, Inspectah Deck, Kool G Rap, GZA, Sean Price, Remedy, Trife Diesel, and plenty of other notable artists; brought to you by Shaolin’s own Cloud Kicker Original and Emilio Sparks. This is a mash-up of classic Wu-Tang verses over beats sampling the gritty funk sound of The Budos Band."
Words & Info [VIA]

Check out some of the tracks:
Wudos Band – Kobra Klutch
Wudos Band – Scorpion Style
Wudos Band – Won’t Last Long

Unkle Runaway Video

John Nolan, animatronics designer and director at Streetlight Films UK, whose credits include Where the Wild Things Are, Harry Potter, Clash Of The Titans, Hellboy 2, Warhorse, Brothers Grimm, Dr Who and Being Human, created an incredible UNKLE robot based on Futura’s Pointmen from the Psyence Ficton and Never Never Land albums.


Its splintered synths and a shuddering bass-line create an aggression and energy which Nolan harnessed within the robot’s marching stomp towards the camera.

Enter the 37th Chamber by El Michels Affair

Why has no-one shown me this band: El Michels Affair before? A whole album doing instrumental covers of Wu-Tang?


Led by saxophonist/organist Leon Michels and producer/engineer Jeff Silverman, El Michels Affair began as a loose collaboration of session musicians (including members of top-selling acts the Dap Kings & Antibalas) that looked to blend some of the vibrant quality of soundtrack records with the recording aesthetic of early reggae, and the rawness of 60’s rock–they called it ‘Cinematic Soul.’


The buzz generated from the album led to an invitation by Toyota’s Scion division for El Michels Affair to accompany the rapper Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan for a promotional concert. As avid Wu-Tang fans, not only were the band leaders thrilled with the opportunity, but Michels found that the ‘Cinematic Soul’ sound was consistent with the moods of RZA’s gritty soundscapes on the classic Wu-Tang releases. The concert was such as success, El Michels Affair went on to play several more concerts nationwide backing Raekwon and other members of the Clan, and the shows led to the recording of two smash 7” singles featuring instrumental reinterpretations of the Wu-Tang classic songs “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Bring Da Ruckus.” The singles combined to sell an extraordinary amount of over 7,000 units worldwide, and their success led to a contract in 2007 with indie hip-hop powerhouse Fat Beats Records to record an entire album of Wu-Tang Clan interpolations entitled Enter the 37th Chamber.

Ninja Tune XX Figure

Spied this and have sadly added it to that famous "I Want!" list...I'ts just too damn cool!

Oh and have a look at CHU's commissioned piece he did for the Ninja Tune XX warehouse party a couple weeks ago.

Dub Pistols Competition Reminder

You only have ONE MORE DAY to submit your answers!!

ESPVisuals have teamed up with Dub Pistols for a competition to give away 2 FREE TICKETS to go see them on their Rehash Tour on 28th October @ Plan B in London.

All you have to do is email us with an answer to the simple question;

"Where is this event happening?"

Please mail your answer to selphespcrew [at] g mail . com
The deadline is 10am October 27th so have a long hard think about the achingly obvious answer!....

The Rehash tour will coincide with the release of a new same-name mix album from the Dubs, in which a number of high-profile remixers tackle classic Dub Pistols tracks from their last three albums.
Ex-Leftfield man Paul Daley has re-made the second album’s title track, lilting stone cold classic ‘Six Million Ways To Live’, into a new wave electroid roller.
Other remixers on the project include Matthew ‘Bushwacka’ B, one half of the acclaimed Layo & Bushwacka duo, and Wrong Tom, who has just released an album of dubwise reworkings of Roots Manuva’s back catalogue, as well as underground DJ/producer hotshots such as Ben & Lex and Kouncil House.

The ‘ReHash’ album will precede the release of the next full Dub Pistols album – their fifth – on Rob Da Bank’s Sunday Best label in May 2011.

RIP Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Isaacs, the 'Cool Ruler', has died at the age of 59 after a year long battle with lung cancer.
One of the most popular reggae artists of the late Seventies, he released an estimated 500 albums in Jamaica, the US, the UK and was best known for his 1982 hit 'Night Nurse'.

Massive Attack Videos by Edouard Salier

2 very cool CG videos done by upcoming director, Edouard Salier for Massive Attack's newest album....Salier has so far worked for Coke & Nike so look out for his name/work in the near future.

Massive Attack-Splitting the Atom-directed by Edouard Salier

Massive Attack-Atlas Air-directed by Edouard Salier

Nobody Beats The Drum Stop Motion Video

Great stop motion video for Dutch Electro group Nobody Beats The Drum's tune Grindin'.

This sequence of 4085 photo's was patiently created by Nobody Beats The Drum's VJ / visual artist Rogier van der Zwaag.
Check out the 'Making of' video below.
Oh, and the guys are taking the piss by the way. You'll see.....

Dub Pistols Competition!!

ESPVisuals have teamed up with Dub Pistols for a competition to give away 2 FREE TICKETS to go see them on their Rehash Tour on 28th October @ Plan B in London.

All you have to do is email us with an answer to the simple question;

"Where is this event happening?"

Please mail your answer to selphespcrew [at] g mail . com
The deadline is 10am October 27th so have a long hard think about the achingly obvious answer!....

The Rehash tour will coincide with the release of a new same-name mix album from the Dubs, in which a number of high-profile remixers tackle classic Dub Pistols tracks from their last three albums.
Ex-Leftfield man Paul Daley has re-made the second album’s title track, lilting stone cold classic ‘Six Million Ways To Live’, into a new wave electroid roller.
Other remixers on the project include Matthew ‘Bushwacka’ B, one half of the acclaimed Layo & Bushwacka duo, and Wrong Tom, who has just released an album of dubwise reworkings of Roots Manuva’s back catalogue, as well as underground DJ/producer hotshots such as Ben & Lex and Kouncil House.

The ‘ReHash’ album will precede the release of the next full Dub Pistols album – their fifth – on Rob Da Bank’s Sunday Best label in May 2011.

Lego Guitar

This creation includes all of the functioning parts, such as pick-ups and bridge.
The only thing missing is a set of strings, and you’ll be ready to start jamming.

[VIA]

030 Video By The Good The Bad

Now this is SEXY!

Full length UNCUT version of '030' by The Good The Bad.
Directed by Jeppe Kolstrup. (jeppekolstrup.com)
Thanks to Jorge Nieto for distracting me at work this!! Oh and BTW, maybe NSFW for some....

DJ Krush & Prefuse 73 Competition Reminder

ESPVisuals have teamed up with Soundcrash once again, for a competition to give away 2 FREE TICKETS to go see DJ KRUSH & PREFUSE73 & Many More Artists on the 16th October @ Koko's. All you have to do is email us with an answer to the simple question;

"What is the date this event is happening?"

Please mail your answer to selphespcrew [at] g mail . com The deadline is Thursday October 14th so have a long hard think about the achingly obvious answer!....

Dj Krush is the Sensei of Hip Hop. DJ Krush is arguably the most gifted producer & DJ in the world with a superb sense in mixing and composing who’s been lauded for years by both his domestic and the international audience and is probably the most revered and renowned Japanese musician alive. A former yakuza, his life is almost as incredible as his music, an unclassifiable blend of styles that can only be appropriately described as the Krush sound.

Prefuse 73 is the alias of Guillermo Scott Herren, an experimental hip-hop producer whose material often features MCs buried in the mix to become more a part of the sonic texture than a focal point. A very elusive performer, this is a rare chance to catch Prefuse 73 in the flesh.Tonight he will be playing an exclusive Laptop set on the Soundcrash stage.

Stuart McCallum’s use of loops and effects combined with his extensive harmonic knowledge make him on of the most in demand guitarists in the scene today. Best known as the guitarist of The Cinematic Orchestra, Stuart has also an extensive solo career, and tonight he brings to the plate his latest musical project, simply called “Stuart McCallum”. Joined by very special guests, Stuart McCallum takes the Cinematic Orceshtra sound into electronic territory on the hallowed stage of Camden’s Koko.

Masaaki Yoshida, better known as Anchorsong to you and I, is a proponent of some of the lovliest electronic soundscapes you can find, anywhere. Sometimes alone with his drum-machine and keyboard, at others accompanied by a glamorous string-quartet, always a phonic treat - here’s yet one more rising star brought by Soundcrash to you for your discerning delectation.

P45 is a Soundcrash resident dj for a reason: he’s good. With a vast knowledge of leftfield electronic music his sets are tailored for every occasion with the artistry and savvy of a true disc jockey. With P45 we always know we are in safe hands.

DJ Krush
Prefuse 73 (Laptop Set)
Stuart McCallum (The Cinematic Orchestra) ft. Heidi Vogel
Anchorsong
P45

£15 adv from SOUNDCRASH

Koko
1a Camden High Street, Camden
London NW1 7JE
United Kingdom