kingston jamaica: the harder they come

“dat don soun rite”

the harder they come with jimmy cliff

filmed in jamaica and directed by perry henzell in 1972

the harder they come is possibly the most influential of jamaican films and one of the most important films from the caribbean. this film was followed by “rockers” in 1978 directed by theodoros bafaloukos which is, in my opinion, a much better version of the film simply because of what it has documented of jamaican street life in the 70’s and their super cool gitups which has influenced everything from hip hop, down to even this latest gucci campaign below. we did a post on “rockers” several years ago which you can see here. enjoy. by dd

Tribeca film festival: advice from the master

guillaume canet “rock n roll” with model camille rowe


marion cotillard

uh: “any suggestions on what to catch at the tribeca film festival or am i right to dread the unavoidable?”

pk: “i’m not that big a fan of ‘indie films’ so i stay away from them unless someone very reliable recommends something. the only ones i’ve seen are guillaume canet’s “rock n’ roll” and “hedy lamarr: bombshell”. both are available via the world of academy bootleg but wise to support the film makers. totally different films but both excellent takes on their subjects – aging and fame respectively. rock ‘n roll might be of interest to you as you are (like the real life people in the film) very much involved with keeping up with the youth culture… for survival’s sake if nothing else. the hedy lamarr film is a more straightforward doc. interesting feminist take on lamarr’s seriously brainy side that would be of possible interest.

uh: “damn… thanx alot!!! bloody hell…” by uh+pk

Director Daniel Askill

i remember seeing these videos when they came out and even though i never watched one all the way through at the time the visuals haunted me…

part taboo, part innocence, but all good. i’d take this over any beyonce video.

saw them again the other day and thought to say a word or two as they are still relevant… i am not a fan of the music in any way, i actually find the visuals to be a disconnect with the type of pop music sia has been putting out since 2014, but we live in an age where high meets low, and not always by choice, but rather by need and design. its an age where vanessa beecroft’s work ends up in kanye west’s videos, and where marina abramović battles with jay z in a gallery (every one needs to eat i suppose, and bread alone wont do no more, they all need caviar) in this time all bets are off, unless you can decipher for yourself. all that said and regardless of why and how, daniel askill did create some amazing and haunting imagery that questions the best of us on what it is in these that works on such a deep level. i prefer to watch these without the audio and just take in the amazing choreographer ryan heffington’s play with space and askills beautiful cinematography. much credit also to the little girl and “dance moms” (what a strange thing) talented maddie ziegler… part taboo, part innocence, but all good. i’d take this over any beyonce video. by xy

WWII and the rise of the SS in full color recently restored

a civilian political leader, adolf hitler, with only “good intentions” for the mother land…

young idyllic german youth with initially good intentions

the rise of the SS to power

 and the propaganda which followed that poisoned the minds of ordinary citizens.

remember that this already happened.

this is a great historic documentary in these very trying times. regardless of your current political views this is a good lesson in history and the events that lead to a disaster, not just for the nation itself, but for the world as a whole. worth a watch if you have any interest in the past or the future. enjoy and feel free to share it. by ar

Marbles and music : childhood memories made into catchy tunes

 

most of us played with marbles at least one afternoon growing up. maybe it’s just me but i never once thought of ways to create music or be more creative with my marbles than simply hitting other marbles. which makes you think, creative is a funny word… well, maybe not funny, but definitely something that has a different meaning to all of us. scavenging through the internet, you lose faith in innovative creativity more often than the contrary. however, last night this man blessed my mind with 4 minutes and some change of pure creative bliss.

“the good thing about sweden in winter is that the sun sets early – which gives you plenty of time to lock yourself in the garage and do whatever” – martin molin, marble machine creator

many questions inevitably pops in to mind watching this lone man’s musical journey driven by creativity and two thousand marbles… oh, and sun deprivation of course. by fk

gucci: common people take on the harder they come

 gucci 2017 pre fall campaign by photographer glen luchford

long version – directors cut of the clip

brilliant casting by shay nielsen (malick sidibe),

“i wanna live like common people (the ones who can afford gucci that is)”

love this retro fun shoot for gucci – knowing glen and his interests i can see references from perry henzell “the harder they come,” jarvis cocker’s pulp video choreography, rockers and glen luchford basic brilliance. well done glen, new direction for you, but  you can make anything look good son. by uh

for all you kanye lovers (and haters)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Kanye West performs live for fans at Qantas Credit Union Arena on September 12, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

after posting the previous “kenya” west post, one of our beloved collaborators and kanye believer, HK, sent me this clip above, and wrote a few words. so in our ongoing attempt to emulate “the pinnacle of pop culture journalism” (that would be fox news: fair and balanced of course!!) i’m posting this pro kanye vid and our correspondence below which you may find funny.

HK: “watch this. you can’t say this guy is not dope?”

DD: “dude i fail to find any substance here… for me at least… i have no doubt kanye wants to innovate and be a true artist in his own right, but sadly hes incapable of that… because hes naive and uninformed, he’s a simplistic child who’s concerns have not gone past chicks, sex, dick, rebellion and self fame, all of which he explores on the very surface… even after his fame and wealth he still remains a desperate and insecure child wanting to be accepted and praised. not only by the millions of fools he already has, but also by the cultural elite… i would give him an A for effort; vanessa beecroft i like, alejandro jodorowsky i like (even though i never took him seriously, with his fashionable multi culti film that became hot again 10 years ago, but sure nice aesthetic – but not a real players to me), david attenborough i like, he even had some sugimoto thrown in there at some point… all references i could appreciate, but it all comes down to “intent”. they are all accumulated and used on the surface (maybe kanye liked the colors? maybe he liked the naked hot babes? maybe he thought sharks are wicked and manly? maybe he heard this is “hot shit right now”?) he uses culture like a tag, a gucci encrusted shirt you wear to show off, never knowing why… all this is painfully transparent, and it quickly evaporates. as for the people involved, i’m sure they all need and appreciate kanyes fortunes. in a way i almost feel sad for him on some level… but then again i shouldn’t! because ignorance is indeed bliss and i’m sure kanye’s happy and on cloud nine at this very moment… he has his millions of fans, i think it’s ok for me not to be one of them. i mean lets be serious, this man looked around, and of all the passionate people involved in literature, arts, science, music, which he supposedly loves, he chose kim kardashian as his soulmate… as the one person to share his life and his “so advanced” thoughts?  let’s not drink the coolaid (i just saw the docu on jim jones by the way)?

HK: ha ha, can’t defend the kim move other then shaped by his up bringing. only bad thing you are not seeing is how he is breaking crazy new ground for the hiphop genre, but also setting a new standard for pop music performance in general. i think probably also you are hating on him bringing all of this into the mainstream realm, you want to have your little elitist heros “only you” know about, and he made it big time so he can pick and choose and brings it to the forefront of pop culture. compare him to any rapper or other pop cultural figure, and take into account his upbringing as a low income kid from south side of chicago, murder capital of the world, where 99% of the people you see are dead, in jail or just mad fucked up and see what he chooses to do, and then you will have to respect him!

DD: love you HK you are such a sweety pie. you know pop culture bores me to death when it doesn’t drive me insane, but sure, u know i sympathize with my brothers, i’ll give kanye credit for not being dead, in jail, or mad fucked up. see i’m reasonable and quite flexible. xx by dd+hk

tell me why, tell me why, tell me why, why can’t we live together…

timmy-thomas-why-cant-we-live-together-1973

timmy thomas 1973 single “why can’t we live together”.

not only a great track, one that sade also covered beautifully, it’s perhaps even more relevant today than ever. and the video is pretty awesome too, could have been done yesterday – lo-fi brooklyn style. also listen carefully and you’ll hear drake’s hotline bling source sample… maybe donald trump can hijack this song too for his next town hall debate? funky days at TS. by dd

very cute: i put a spell on you cause i’m 10!

angelina-jordan-i-put-a-spell-on-you-annie-lennox

just 10 years old – and ripping it!! angelina jordan.

our dear friend, per heimly, in oslo-norway just shot this beautiful little video of 10 year old angelina jordan doing a cover of screamin’ jay hawkins’ “i put a spell on you”. now that would be a tough one to take on if you are a 200 pound black brother, but for a skinny little white girl to attempt screaming jay? now that’s damn courageous girl. well done, we love it! by hk