Gimme 5 For Curling

#CurlingDay is 2/14/11
Get Aligned....

EXPLORATION AT ITS GREATEST...

"We artists are indestructable, even in a prison cell or a concentration camp I would be almighty in my own world of art. Even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell..."- Pablo Picasso

So, it's been pretty quiet around di Yaahd as of late, eh...? Well, big tings a gwan, people. Getting the music done, making the myths. One of my favorite forgotten elements of hip hop is DJing/beatsmithing. Whether making a track, or just spicing it up, the DJ/producer is an unsung hero of a lot of our favorite tunes. Sampling, as well, can be seen as an artform in and of itself. Not everyone can do it effectively, and some continue anyway. Speaking of, wanna hear the possibly most sampled 6 second drum break in the world?

(Just watch the first 2 minutes, see if you guessed right)
Now, I was gonna give y'all the movie 'Scratch' to watch, documentation of the art of turntablism. However, I thought this might've illustrated "Beat Digging" a li'l better...

Sometimes, I don't even do the beat for my stuff. I think it gives me better vision of where the song should go. Proving my point, here's a li'l single I put together. Nothing major, just a few songs of "Mixed Media On Silicone", my upcoming free release...

"Pennies" produced by Midas Wells™
"LSD" produced by Midas Wells™
"Best Believe" produced by Midas Wells™

AND hot off the presses: My NEW instrumental joint, Lunar Sunrise

BANKSY (BIG ASS ART POST #2)

Near Bethlehem - 2005

He is perhaps the most famous, or infamous, artist alive. To some a genius, to others a vandal. Always controversial, he inspires admiration and provokes outrage in equal measure...
Kissing Coppers, Brighton - 2005

Since Banksy made his name with his trademark stencil-style 'guerrilla' art in public spaces - on walls in London, Brighton, Bristol and even on the West Bank barrier separating Israelis and Palestinians -- his works have sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. He has dozens of celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera. He is also known for his headline-making stunts, such as leaving an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo prisoner in Disneyland, California, and hanging a version of the Mona Lisa - but with a smiley face - in the Louvre, Paris.


BANKSY in Paris
Oops, WRONG Paris!!!(these had remixed tracks by DangerMouse? WISH I could've gotten one. But, I'd have to have been buying a Paris Hilton CD...)
But perhaps his most provocative statement, and the one that generates the most publicity, is the fact that Banksy's true identity has always been a jealously guarded secret, known to only a handful of trusted friends. A network of myths has grown up around him. That his real name is Robin Banks. That he used to be a butcher. That his parents don't know what he does, believing him to be an unusually successful painter and decorator. Then there's the suggestion that Banksy is actually a collective of artists and doesn't exist at all...

BANKSY works the 9th Ward, New Orleans - August 2008
Such is the curiosity about Banksy that when the great man threw a pizza box into a bin in Los Angeles, the box resurfaced on auction site eBay, with the seller suggesting that the few anchovies left inside might yield traces of his DNA.
Not THIS one...

He is the Scarlet Pimpernel of modern art, so adept at leaving false trails that even his own agent has claimed that he is not certain of his identity. Indeed, trying to establish just who the elusive Banksy is has proved as difficult as predicting the location of his next work. His first official exhibition in New York, the "Village Pet Store And Charcoal Grill," opened October 5, 2008. The animatronic pets in the store window include a mother hen watching over her baby Chicken McNuggets as they peck at a barbecue sauce packet, and a rabbit putting makeup on in a mirror....


Go on, play it. You know you're curious...


(wanted you all to see the detail, that's why the pics are so big...)

...IS IN DEEP CONCENTRATION

So, if you DON't know who DJ Premier is, click HERE
No, seriously, click it again. Now for the rest of us who haven't been in a cave since 85 or so, Preemo is one of the most sought after beatsmiths in the world, (or, he was). Hell, the man was so dope, he made us buy "Group Home" albums! (Those cats were NOT raw lyricists, for the record) He gave Gangstarr their signature sound, as well as working throughout the 90s as producer for KRS One, M.O.P., Das Efx, and too many others to name. Known for fiercely protecting his sample sources, Preemo is a heavy hitting pick for those tracking down originals on vinyl. Here, for you, I've got a 3 part mix of just that: DJ Premier originals. Gifted to me by DJ Shazam, here's 47 minutes (almost!) of some of the skeletal framework to a few favorites....


PART ONE


PART TWO


PART THREE




AND as a bonus, I've received permission from DJ Shazam to bless y'all with a li'l something hot off his presses:

CHI-TOWN

20 minutes of hip hop, and we only asking that you pay... ATTENTION!!!

Follow DJ Shazam on Twitter if you aren't already, or check his blog....

STRANGE BREAKS AND MR. THING VOL. II

Wasn't even gonna post til this evening, but a friend slid this preview mix across my radar...

"After many succesful 'Strange' series (remember those classic Strange Games and Things compilations?) it is about time BBE released a sequal to "Strange Breaks". The successor is called "Strange Breaks & Mr. Thing Vol. 2" and is set to release tomorrow as a digital release. For those who don't know...Mr. Thing scratches shit up like an angry hooker in a catfight. Eighteen of the best kept breaks are mixed together for your listening pleasure just to give you a taste. If you want to own each and every single one of these rarities, be sure to buy this sick ass compilation."

(via mixcloud.com's review)

Here's the artwork:

And HERE's the tracklisting...
Frank Pleyer Big Band-Sally
Dick Walter-Spooky Doo
Jake Wade & The Soul Searchers- Searching For Soul
Art & Ron- Can't Stop Talkin'
Kalyanji Anandji- Back Ground Music
Johnny Griffith Inc- Love Is Just A Word
Roy Head- She’S About A Mover
Ruby Andrews- You Made A Believer Out Of Me
Jerzy Milian Orkiestra- Gacek
Hot Butter & Soul- Abc
The Generation Gap- Family Affair
Oscar Harris & The Twinkle Stars- Twinkle Stars Boogaloo Moon River (Live)
The Rias Orchestra (Conducted By Helmuth Brandenburg)- Pru Urebu
Val Merrall's Orchestra- The Horse
Hot City Bump Band- It's Just Begun
The Alan Tew Orchestra- Pink Panther
Tinga Stewart- The Message
Eddie Simpson- Big Black Funky Slave

You can check out Moovment, the DJ behind this madness that made my morning at:moovmnt.com, or check bbe.com for more info on some great music you might have missed. For all you music headz, we've ALL got my mans @iamdvsj to thank for this one, so hit him up if you're on Twitter.


(thought I'd leave ya hanging?)

The JUMPOFF

Week's almost done...

BIG ASS ART POST #1

("Reach" by EL KITCH TASSO, Germany 2001)
So, all day y'all probably thought I was done posting for a while, eh...? NOT SO!!! Went through a li'l visual art with my bro KREM,
...who got me reminiscing on graffiti as an art form in general. In the 90's, we were both pretty well known for massacring trains, buses, walls, etc. Nacrobats crew (A in a Square) RAN the South Side of Chicago, beginning in 94 or so.

(see the Nacro symbol on the cover?)
We chilled:, laughed:, worked on logo designs:, and decided to give the first of many art shows...

("Temple" by CORAIL, Japan)
As usual around here, gonna share what I appreciate as well as original works. Here's just a li'l taste of why this can be called "ART":


("Style Wars" by Kasino)


("ECH" by ECH and MEDIC, 1993)


("4 Cans" by CRAYOLA)



(Various Train Cars by KWEST)

All these were taken the book "Graffiti World" except the ECH and MEDIC piece. Feedback? Submissions for the next exhibit?