I know we're generally about music, parties & general bullshit we like, but we're still partial to a bit of arty stuff now & then...
I came across John Stezaker's work in mondays copy of that 20p indenpendent london paper (i something) & love the simple manipulation of bnw movie stills & portraits.
Catch his work on display at The Whitechapel Gallery until march 18th if its you're kinda steez!
Kevin Lanre & his team braved the snow and hit the student protests last week in the capital to get some very interesting views from the students themselves & onlookers.
Nike have dropped the 5 boroughs of New York Air Force one's in conjunction with their 1love Basketball tournament. They've got a host New Yorkers reppin' their set in a celebration of kicks, basketball, and NY culture.
First up is Hipster song writer, rapper and producer Theophilus London, who shows off his native Brooklyn and reveals why its the shit.
Check out the Brooklyn AF1's
More 1Love to come from Nike, with appearances from Coryguns, Miss Banks, Emilio Sparks , The Format and Nigel Sylvester
Wow weeee, it's been a whole heap of hot minutes since i last dropped a culture post.
I'm currently wrapping a masters, amongst various other projects and am busier than an Alpha-male stag on heat, during the breeding season (google it)....but rest assured I'm busy.
I was flicking through my picture library today, and stumbled across loads of beautiful, powerful images that i'd completely forgotten I owned.
My favourite documentary photographer, responsible for probably one of the most compelling photos of the 20th century is Steve McCurry.
I first saw the image of the 'Afghan Girl' in the school library, and I was completely stunned. The rawness of the image, the intensity, and beauty of the subjects eyes, and the expression of fear, or anger, all overawed me to the point where i fell in love.
I later worked for a photographic agency as an international researcher, and started to study the art, and science of photography. This included pouring over McCurry's beautiful images for hours, upon hours of lush landscapes, beautifully captured, vividly rendered faces, colours and exotic cultures.
McCurrys strengths are undoubtably colour, Composition, and his ability to spot, and capture interesting charters in his photography.
He also has a wonderful eye for spectacular landscapes, he captures lights, and the structure of the subjects within the frame wonderfully.
I can't help but wonder that all of these blog kids with a digital SLR actually put in the research, and try to gain a deep understanding of what photography is about, it's past, and it's masters.
Below is a brief documentary on the man himself, and his incredible talent, and unfailing work ethic.
Most kids a 3rd of his age in that game wouldn't be able to keep up!
Further images available at his site here:
http://www.stevemccurry.com/main.php
I'll hit you up soon with some more fuel for the mind soon.
Mani
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Palladium lace up their boots & get into this thing we do called 'Pirate Radio'
Reggie Watts is a ...well, he's a musician, I think, technically, but he's also a comedian, but I don't know if he makes funny music, or musical comedy.....
Hmm, fuck-shit all that anyway.
I just discovered this video whilst perusing the inter-web looking for *ahem* specialist adult entertainment, and put the words "fuck shit" into google.
He's baaad!
So I did a bit more browsing, and discovered this video, which shows his talents go beyond saying rude words, and scathing social commentaries of Hip Hop culture over a beat.....
He can also beat boxes tooo!!!!!
Surely the best skill ever!!!
Well, apart from being able to touch your nose, with your tongue, and to make balloon animals, obviously!
He has a serious singing voice also, which means despite being really hairy, and looking like he might smell a bit, he'll still draw all the Gash!!
Some brers really DO have it all!
Adidas are my favourite sports/steeetwear brand, they always come with some creative fire which strays far away from the well-trodden path that most other major sports wear brands stick too.
So it's with no small amount of pleasure that I present the new video look book to you guys.
It makes my heart sing with delight, when I see women looking beautiful on video, without being objectified, and made to look like pretty little brainless show ponies.
So it was with delight that i clocked Ciara, Agyness Deyn and a host of other independent, feisty intelligent women strutting out their personalities, and of course they fine arses too, around in what is, quite frankly, a wickedly sexy summer collection.
You GO GURRRLS!
*Snaps finger, and wags neck*
Anyway, I'm off to practice my own beat boxing, as it ensures my future Youtube notoriety, and societies acceptance of me not ever shaving my face, or washing my balls ever again!!
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Bring The Noise!
"Performances, events & workshops that respond to and resonate with Chris Ofili's Tate exhibition"
What more is there to add?
Oh yeah you can see the Ofili exhibition for £5 if youre under 26 & have id
Check the flyer for the line up & info, if you need more...
Mix a healthy dose of money lust, much enterprise, a little hope, some sex, and fashion, and pour out onto a base of grassroots working class existential crisis, place on the TV, and wait for it to grow massive.
This is shot beautifully, is well acted, and is pretty damn fun to watch, it inspires you to want to go out, and shot second hand clothes down Bricklane Market on a Sunday!!
The energy of New York city courses through this programs veins, and it all feels so real, and immediate to the viewer that we're pretty sure this is gonna be massive, and run for several seasons.
The HBO power house has a reputation for quality programs including innovative 'slice of life' stuff like the Sopranos, and OZ so we're expecting big things..
It's refreshing to watch a series from the US which doesn't involve Doctors, Forensic scientists or some old-well preserved rich women looking to get some dick.
It also stars a certain young lady called Shannon Sossamon, who has been a crush of mine for the past 7 years....*Sigh*, she's so lovely! Kid Cudi, and John Varcos (from Raising Victor Varges) also star.
Catch more details, and download the Kid Cudi Mixtape at the official site, which is in the nifty form of a blog, we like.
http://howtomakeitinamerica.com/
I guess you'll have to catch it online, cos it's not playing anywhere in the UK yet.
This will be the most insane assault on your senses this year, the
visuals take 'disturbing' to another level, the lyrics sound completely
obscene, without mention of the ‘N’ word, or ‘bitches’ once, and the
inclusion of a school girl, with a fanny skimming skirt and knee high
socks only compounding matters; should you be aroused, or repulsed!?
Press play now!
Now take a minute and breathe.
Ok, you feeling a little better?! Good. Die Antwoord (or The Answer) is a South African rap collective, from the scummy white trash part of town.
The first thing... yes, this is completely serious. When I first saw this, I thought that some South Africans had gone out of their way to take the piss out of my life.
This video looks like they could have been shot for some spoof comedy
program on the Afrikaaans TV network.
However, I was so curious that after asking around amongst some South African ‘trendies’ that jam around the oh-so-cool Kingsland rd, it turns out this is a bonafide track and video. I also did some research “all over the inter-web”, and discovered that Yo Landi, the cute blonde, and the tall skinny one Nija Are actually a married couple, and have been making hip hop music in their native South Africa under various guises, and within different collectives for years.
Once you get past how funny looking this dude looks, his skills are actually
quite sick. Skinny Man is also a funny looking, scrawny white dude with jug ears and bad teeth...but nobody would ever deny he's a sick MC.
You have to admire how they've subverted the tired genre of Hip Hop videos, using the weirdest cast of 'video-honeys' you've seen in a while...
A skinny crack head looking bean pole with dental issues and a tiny nymphette, who looks albino, and is obviously as mad, and talented as Bjork, throw in a ratty looking midget, and you’ve made a seriously visually arresting video. This is true 'high concept' music video-making and the use of stark black and white is sick!
The music is hybrid Hip Hop and Techno, which in itself, is a huge
fucking achievement, and if this dropped in a club, I'd probably
start moshing in the corner with the man-dem!
I find it very telling of the transformative powers of Hip Hop, a deeply racist society like the pre-Mandela (apartheid?) South Africa, can flip a whole 180 degrees in a few short years, to the point where white Afrikaans are producing some of the most innovative “black” music in the world right now.
Ok, so I guess before we go any further, thanks for all the love the column received last week, reading all those emails and comments made me feel all warm and tingly inside...
OR maybe that’s just the Irritable Bowel Syndrome playing up again.
Press play:
So walking through the underground station the other day, dodging mice, escalators that want to eat my jeans, and über fat brers, who want to suffocate me with there dhutty-sweaty armpits, I spotted a poster for the new Gorillaz single.
The Gorilaz dropping a new single, is exciting enough for us as it is, but when we see that it features Rare Groove legend Bobby Womack, and the illest MC in the game (well definitely in my top 5 anyway) in the shape of Mos Def, then we walk funny, cos our jeans have suddenly got
a little too snug in the y-fronts region!!
This tune's too BOXFRESH for a video as yet, but nonetheless, that filthy deep bassline, and soulful warblings of Lord Womack make us want to don our red leather fingerless gloves, and start rocking some serious body popping moves on a street corner somewhere.
Talking of emotionally draining, severally intense films about race, abuse and violence….(we weren’t talking about it, but we are now!), last Friday saw the cinema release of the hotly anticipated film Precious.
It follows an Obese African American girl, Precious (played excellently by Gabourey Sidibe), who is pregnant with her second child, as she struggles to find her way in life as a woman, and as a mother, and out of an abusive household.
The cameos by the excellent Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz feel a little out of place at first, but they are both give wicked performances, as is Mo'nique's, who switches from being a complete
tyrannical monster bitch, to blubbering, pitiful victim within a couple of frames of film. Deep stuff.
As emotionally manipulative as it may feel at times, it’s completely worth the experience, as you’ll walk out of the film feeling as spiritually clean as a new born baby.
Definitely an eye opener it really made me think about those less fortunate than ourselves and especially those suffering in Haiti right now. Please find a reputable charity, and donate all that you can afford to the relief effort, suddenly those new box fresh Reebok Pumps don’t feel as important after watching the news do they?
For more cultural forward thinking, it us again around the same time next week, and remember kids, always wear a condom!
Press play before on this video before you read any further…..
Done? Fantastic, then let me begin
Here at PNB we’re all about exploring new territories and experiencing the new...
So the all powerful Wizards of Oz, Motive & Merrick have decided to bestow upon you, a new regular culture section for the blog...
In which we depart from the standard formula for blogs of posting a picture of something shiny and then telling everyone a whole two words of aimless opinion on it & instead deliver some actual useful stuff, that you’ll want to read/watch/research into a little further.
The track you hear playing in the background right now is Theophilus London’s new ridim ‘Humdrum Town”. It’s good init?! Early 90’s fashion styling, 80’s pop, slick Hip Hop bars, and a bit of eeeeeemotional singing on the top makes for an Indie Hip Hop sound that we can all fuck with!
Anyway, apparently good old Theophilus is creating quite a following in his native New York, and US, and is scheduled to hit the UK pretty soon for some live dates after he touched down @ YoYo last year. Youtube his ‘Always Love You’ video with Whitney, he looks like he knows how to smash a live show.!
All of us here @ PNB know a cult classic movie when we see one, especially if it includes a few troublesome sub-titles (La Haine, City of God and Battle Royale for example) So we’re all very excited at the arrival of the new French film ‘The Prophet’, which has a limited cinema release across the UK. Before I say anything else, just watch the trailer:
I don’t think I need to say much more, if this was an English language film, you would have all already gone and seen it, so excited, that you needed your pop corn boxes to cover your cinematic-violence induced boners!!
But it’s French so most plebs won’t bother, so you dudes get to see it, love it, make it a cult classic before these lames get to know Wha Gwan! And in two years time, when it comes on BBC2 at 1am in the morning, and everyone see’s and loves it, you can tell em how late they are!
.jpg)
