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bestreasonstowriterecordreviews · 4 years

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✰ BEST OF THE BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2019 ✰

It’s that time again: let’s feast from 2019′s Grapevine That Is Never Pruned with 21 (+ approximately 277 more) of the BEST OF THE BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2019! ✰ 7th ANNIVERSARY ✰

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ TOP 21 ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

✰ TAIWAN HOUSING PROJECT Sub-Language Trustees (ever/never) ✰

✰ SAMANTHA RIOTT Bloodletting download (self-released)

✰ PAULA GARCIA STONE Undercurrent cd (Linear Obsessional, UK)

✰ POSSIBLE HUMANS Everybody Split (Trouble In Mind)

✰ WILLIAM HENRY MEUNG cassette FMerror (chemical imbalance., Australia)

✰ LEILA BORDREUIL Headflush (Catch Wave Ltd)

✰ LEIGHTON CRAIG Diamond Eye (Bruit Direct Disques, France)

✰ KNITTED ABYSS Bad Lassies (Paradise Daily, Australia)

✰ WEAK SIGNAL LP1 (Mag Mag)

✰ TOM OF ENGLAND Sex Monk Blues (L.I.E.S.)

✰ DRY CLEANING Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks & Sweet Princess LP (It’s OK, UK)

✰ 75 DOLLAR BILL I Was Real double LP (Thin Wrist Recordings)

✰ DARK BLUE Victory Is Rated (12XU)

✰ KALI MALONE The Sacrificial Code 3 cd (iDEAL Recordings, Sweden)

✰ SHABAZZ MYSTIK Chant D’Lâme (Off, Belgium)

✰ LONG HOTS Give And Take 7” (Third Man)

✰ AMIRTHA KIDAMBI & LEA BERTUCCI Phase Eclipse cassette (Astral Spirits)

✰ CHRIS BROKAW End Of The Night (VDSQ)

✰ SPIRAL WAVE NOMADS Spiral Wave Nomads (Twin Lakes/Feeding Tube)

✰ HAMA Houmeissa (Sahel Sounds)

✰ YL HOOI Untitled cassette (Altered States Tapes, Australia)

JEANINES Jeanines (Slumberland)

ARTEFACTOS DE DOLOR La Niña double LP (Pain Artifacts)

U-BAHN U-Bahn (Future Folklore, France)

MDOU MOCTAR Ilana: The Creator (Sahel Sounds)

STEFAN CHRISTENSEN The Upcoming Flame (bruit direct disques, France)

TYSHAWN SOREY & MARILYN CRISPELL The Adornment Of Time cd (Pi Recordings)

ALE HOP Apophenia (Buh Records, Peru)

TIM PANARETOS Submergence cd-r (chemical imbalance., Australia) & Opposites End download (self-released, Australia)

KATE CARR City Of Bridges download (Longform Editions, Australia)

WRITHING SQUARES Out Of The Ether (Trouble In Mind)

MY NORTH EYE (My) North Eye (2011) cd-r (Reverb Worship, France)

PINOCCHIO Pinocchio ep (Toxic State)

BRIDGET HAYDEN Soil And Song cassette (Synchronise Witches, UK) [comes with Karen Dalton fanzine!]

The COWBOYS The Bottom Of A Rotten Flower (Feel It Records)

OLUMPUS Caucus & Surplus downloads (both stabbies, etc., New Zealand)

CHUCK CLEAVER Send Aid (Shake It!)

JOSÉ DIAS After Silence, Vol. 1. cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

KNIFE WIFE Family Party cassette (Sister Polygon)

TRAMPOLINE TEAM Trampoline Team (HoZac)

KATE CARR Heatwave cassette (self-released, UK)

SEBASTIEN STH BISET Islæd cd (Mnóad, Belgium)

PHAROAH CHROMIUM Eros + Massacre (Scum Yr Earth, France)

JOSEPH ALLRED Aspirant cassette (Garden Portal Tapes) & O, Meadowlark (Feeding Tube)

ANDREA BORGHI Tistre cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

MOPE GROOVES Desire (See My Friends Records)

JOSHUA ABRAMS & NATURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY Mandatory Reality (Eremite)

SOFIE BIRCH Island Alchemy cassette (Constellation Tatsu)

VOYAGE DATA Voyage Data cassette (Econore, Germany)

JONNY COUCH Mystery Man (Damages Sofa)

FISCHERLE Gmatwacz cassette (Czaszka, UK)

ROCKET 808 Rocket 808 (12XU)

LINDA TRIP Sad Bangers cassette (Superdreamer)

MATTHEW J. ROLIN Matthew J. Rolin (Feeding Tube Records)

STEKKERDOOS Kalendar cassette (No Rent)

IAN HAWGOOD 光 (Home Normal, Japan)

ÀLEX REVIRIEGO • DISCORDIAN STRING ENSEMBLE Incerto For Doublebass And Strings download (Discordian, Spain)

JULIA KENT Temporal cd (The Leaf Label, UK)

NAPS Better To Give cassette (Gertrude Tapes)

TERROR OF THE DEEP The A-Team cassette (Melted Ice Cream, New Zealand)

CLAIRE ROUSAY Friends cassette (Never Anything)

ANNA SUBIRIANA • POL PADRÓS • JOAN ANTONI PICH Brull’s Bet download (Discordian, Spain)

HAKOBUNE A Fan, Strings, and Two Guitars cassette (Patient Sounds)

LORI GOLDSTON Things Opening (Second Editions, Germany)

The RESONARS No Exit (Trouble In Mind)

MARCIA BASSETT • MANUEL MOTA • MARGARIDA GARCIA Here They Rest Immobile (Yew)

URANIUM CLUB The Cosmo Cleaners: The Higher Calling Of Business Provocateurs (Fashionable Idiots/Static Shock, UK)

THE COOL GREENHOUSE “Crap Cardboard Pet” 7” (Hidden Bay Records, France)

ROB NOYES “You Are Tired”/“Nightmare Study” 7” (Market Square Recordings, UK)

TOM LÖNNQVIST Häviävän Pieni Osa (Guggenhavn Archive, Sweden)

GOTOBEDS Debt Begins At 30 (Sub Pop)

GREG KELLEY/ROB NOYES Greg Kelley/Rob Noyes split cassette (self-released)

DEAD SEA APES The Free Territory double LP (Feeding Tube Records)

DRAGGS Draggs cassette (Slime Street, Australia)

SPRAY PAINT Into The Country (12XU)

SPF Paul’s McCartney

2 CHEVRONS No Rules In Outta Space cassette (Albert’s Basement, Australia)

DARK TEA Dark Tea (Fire Talk)

TERRINE Live At Home cassette (Econore, Germany)

The SNAKES The Snakes (Anti Fade, Australia)

LIVE SKULL Saturday Night Massacre (Bronson Recordings, Italy)

ELKHORN Sun Cycle/Elk Jam 2 LP (Feeding Tube)

MESSRS Messrs 12” (Heel Turn Records)

VIRGINIA PLAIN Strange Game (All Hands Electric)

JEN KUTLER Dismbodied (EyeVee)

MOR AIR Life Behind Glass cassette (Genot Centre, Czech Republic)

CIA DEBUTANTE The Landlord (Siltbreeze)

JOSÉ DIAS After Silence, Volume 1 cd (Celan Feed, Portugal)

LAURA LUNA CASTILLO Folksonomies cassette (Cudighi Records)

THE GIRL IN TIMES NEW VIKING The Girl In Times New Viking (The Fah-Q Catalog)

43 ODES 43 Odes cassette (Eiderdown)

OOF Vanity Plate cassette & EGO cassette (both Fuzzy Warbles cassettes)

ORGUE AGNÈS A Une Gorge (three:four, Switzerland; Standard In-Fi - 2018)

MICHAEL MORLEY Heavens Idleness Awaits 2 LP (Thin Wrist Recordings)

CHRISTINA KUBISCH Schall Und Klang cd (Fragment Factory, Germany)

HUNTED CREATURES Sleep Weed cassette (White Reeves Productions)

UNITED WATERS Coma To Coma (Drawing Room Records)

JULIUS MENARD Hr cassette (Econore, Germany)

GEE TEE Chromo-Zone download (self/released, Australia)

AARON RUSSELL Coral Music cassette (Gertrude Tapes)

9TH HOUSE Planetary EP 12” (Hot Haus, UK)

SCAN Scan 7” ep (Drugfront)

The HECKS My Star (Trouble In Mind)

ALINA PETROVA & KIRA WEINSTEIN Sad Ko cassette (Never Anything)

HIEROPHANTS Spitting Out Moonlight (Anti Fade, Australia)

NOTS 3 (Goner)

P WITS The Desire and Pursuit of The Whole cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia)

GOLDEN PELICANS Grinding For Gruel (12XU)

TOPDOWN DIALECTIC Vol. 2 (Peak Oil)

M. SAGE Catch A Blessing (Geographic North)

ECHO OHS Wild Weeds 12” (1:12 Records, New Zealand)

CIVIC Selling, Sucking, Blackmail Bribes 7" (Total Punk)

WENDY EISENBERG & SHANE PARRISH Nervous Systems (Verses)

KNEELING IN PISS Tour De Force cassette (The Fah-Q Catalog)

s.soo Tyman download (New York Haunted, Netherlands)

WSCHÓD Wschód cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

PREENING Gang Laughter (Digital Regress)

CLARICE JENSEN Drone Studies cassette (Geographic North)

MARBLED EYE Beat Sessions, Vol. 8 cassette (Shout Recordings)

STEVE MOORE Steve Moore 12” (L.I.E.S)

The SELVA Canícula Rosa cd (Clean Feed, Australia)

PROGRAM Show Me 12” (Anti Fade, Australia)

SLUMB PARTY Spending Money (Drunken Sailor, UK)

EUN-JUNG KIM & CHARLIE COLLINS Shining Days cd (Linear Obsessional, UK)

NEON Neon 12” (Square One Again)

CUCINA POVERA Zoom (Night School, Scotland)

PAULA SHOCRON & PABLO DÍAZ with GUILLERMO GREGORIO Díalogos cd (Fundacja Słuchaj, Poland)

MY NORTH EYE / LE GOÛT ACIDE DES CONSERVATOURS MNE • L / G / A / D / C split cassette ([Equilibre Fragile], France)

The WOOLEN MEN Human To Human (Dog’s Table)

PIERCE WARNECKE & LOUIS LAURAIN

Phonotypic Plasticity cassette (Astral Spirits)

BIG QUIET Interesting Times (Unblinking Ear)

SEAN ALI • LEILA BORDREUIL • JOANNA MATTREY I Used to Sing So Lyrical cassette (Astral Spirits)

POWDER Powder In Space cd (Beats In Space)

MUKQS Jaki Crush cassette (No Rent)

DENNIS GONZALEZ & DEREK ROGERS Certain Aspects cd (Marginal Frequency)

PONT-À-MOUSSON Bye Bye Mirello! cassette (ABrecords, France)

AKI ONDA A Method To Its Messiness (Thalamos, Greece)

ALEXANDER Untitled cassette (Garden Portal)

BRANDY “Clown Pain”/“Rent Quest” 7” (Total Punk)

MAJOR STARS Roots Of Confusion, Seeds Of Joy (Drag City)

LORI GOLDSTON & JUDITH HAMANN Alloys cd (Marginal Frequency)

PAINT THINNER The Sea Of Pulp (ŌBLĒK)

JEANS BEAST Unearthly Gardens Of The New Gods cd-r (Econore, Germany) & Attrition cassette (self-releases, Germany)

SKULL PRACTITIONERS Skull Practitioners 12” (In The Red)

UROCHROMES Trope House (Wharf Cat)

LIVINGDOG & MIKE JOHNSON CRO$$ cassette (Constellation Tatsu)

HEADROOM New Heaven 12” (ever/never)

JEFF HENDERSON The Charming Clarinet download (III Records, NewZealand)

GRAHAM DUNNING & EDWARD LUCAS End Of A Cable cassette (tsss tapes, Italy)

VILDE CHAYE Demos cassette (Brainplan)

Heavy Space Records - Anthology Volumes I & II cassettes (Ikuisuus, Finland)

KYLE EYRE CLYD Eggshell cd (Yew)

NEUTRALS Kebab Disco (Emotional Response)

FREDDIE DOUGGIE Freddie Douggie: Live on Juneteenth cassette (International Anthem)

AGUSTÍ FERNÁNDEZ �� WILLIAM PARKER • SUSIE IBARRA One Night At The Joan Miró Foundation cd (Fundacja Słuchaj, Poland)

HUGO MASSIEN Dance Trax Vol. 21 (Unknown To The Unknown)

RRILL BELL Vagabond Laws cassette (Gertrude Tapes)

GAMARDAH FUNGUS Natural Storm cd (Hidden Vibes, Ukraine)

WAYNE ROGERS The Air Below (Twisted Village)

UNKNOWN SENDER Unknown Sender (Colonel Records)

BLUES LAWYER Something Different (Mt.St.Mtn)

DURA Reverberation Hymns cassette (Garden Portal)

JODIE LOWTHER The Cat Collects download (self-released)

WOLKOROTS Dan Manialogism cassette (Magma Tones, Finland)

CEREAL KILLER The Beginning And End Of Cereal Killer (Anti Fade, Australia)

COLIN WEBSTER/MARK HOLUB Nadir (Raw Tonk, UK)

The CAVEMEN Lowlife 7” EP (Slovenly)

FRANCISCA GRIFFIN The Spaces Between cd (CocoMuse, New Zealand)

ANDY HUMAN & THE REPTOIDS “Psychic Sidekick” 7” (Total Punk)

SEI A Mode Static 12” (Aus Music, U.K.)

JOHN SAINT PELVYN Improvisation 7.7.18 download (Southern Jukebox Music)

REBEL SCUM The Descent cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia - 2018)

S. ARAW TRIO XIII Activated Clown cassette (NNA Tapes)

FERRAN FAGES & VASCO TRILLA Gestell cd (Raw Tonk, UK)

HUA LUN Wanderlænd + 2 cassette (Katuktu Collective)

VIRVON VARVON Mind Cancer cassette (Girlsville)

PHILIPP OTTERBACH The Rest Is Bliss (Knekelhuis, Netherlands)

EDITRIX Talk To Me download (self-released)

PAVLOV’S PUSS Comfort Food (Melted Ice Cream, New Zealand)

NATHALIE STERN Nerves And Skin cassette (Cruel Nature, UK)

AKI TAKASE Hokusai cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

MOORDDROOM Deep VR Edits bandcamp DL (New York Haunted, Netherlands)

EXEK Some Beautiful Species Left (Digital Regress)

CLAIRE BIRCHALL “Dead Air” bandcamp DL (it, Australia)

JUDY & The JERKS Bone Spur cassette (Earth Girl) & Music For Donuts ep (Thrilling Living)

POWER STEERING Power Steering cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia)

RASMUS TIETCHENS HOBOTPAHC cd-r (New York Haunted, Netherlands)

UTINUTIN Black Cat, Anyeurism, And Simian Politics download (no label)

GUY BIRKIN Yemen Data Project cassette (New York Haunted, Netherlands)

LINUS VANDEWOLKEN Het Vlier Een Hommel Op Aarde 10”x 2 (Okraïna, Belgium)

JOHN CHANTLER Tomorrow Is Too Late (Room40, Australia)

JENNIFER VANILLA J.E.N.N.I.F.E.R. EP 12” (Beats In Space)

WOW Come La Notte (Maple Death, Italy)

KATE MOHANTY Disappear Here cassette (Friendship Tapes)

ASTRO SOCIAL CLUB & GRUMBLING FUR Plasma Splice Trifle (vhf)

SANR Kesif cd (Flaming Pines, UK)

ANDREW TASSELMYER & PATRICK SPATZ Interior Currents cassette (Constellation Tatsu)

AHMEDOU AHMED LOWLA Terrouzi cassette (Sahel Sounds)

SKRU Count Zero cassette (Bedouin, UAE)

PUGILIST Blue 06 12” (Whities, UK)

ULAAN KHOL Collapsing Hymns cassette (Worstward)

L.$.D. FUNDRAISER No Peace Without Tranquility (no label, New Zealand)

COCHONNE Cochonne (self released)

LE POUFS À CORDES Le Poufs À Cordes cd (Pagans, France)

FRET! A Vanity Spawned By Fear cassette (Cruel Nature, UK)

UNWAR Other People cd-r (Magma Tones, Finland)

WOJCIECH RUSIN The Funnel (Akashic, Scotland)

SLEEPER AND SNAKE Junction And High (Aarght, Australia)

The OILIES Psychic Dog (Fruits & Flowers)

ELI KESZLER Empire 12” (Shelter Press, France)

HAIDER 10961 12” (Aus Music, UK)

FOSTER CARE El Abuso (Total Punk)

TORN HAWK Time Is A Scam 2x 12” (L.I.E.S.)

The LICE Nancy Spungen download (self-released)

DJ XNX ATX (Get Busy!, Russia)

SHITTY LIFE Vinyls Discography (Lo-Fo Lo-Life, Germany)

GONG GONG GONG 幽靈節奏 = Phantom Rhythm (Wharf Cat)

SARAH LOUISE Nighttime Birds And. Opening Stars (Thrill Jockey)

MYRIAM BLEAU Lumens & Profits (Where To Now?, UK)

TV DUST Forget (MyOwnPrivateRecords / Occult Gang, Italy)

PRIMORJE Reference Path cassette (Thalamos, Greece)

JUNE CHIKUMA Ler Archives LP + 7” (Freedom To Spend)

dMyanche Ergonomie cassette (Indian Redhead, France)

EQUIPMENT POINTED ANKH Live (Sophomore Lounge)

VIV CORRINGHAM Until I Learn The Language Of Mineral Vegetable cassette (Linear Obsessional, UK)

JACOB WICK feel (Thin Wrist)

AMATEUR HOUR Framtiden Tillhör Inte Oss (Happiest Place, Sweden)

The FICTIVE FIVE Anything Is Possible cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

DANKETSU 9 Towards A Walk In The Sun cd (Patient Sounds (intl))

IVAN THE TOLERABLE Rations 2LP (Stolen Body, UK)

DANA Glowing Auras And Black Money (Heel Turn)

NATE YOUNG Volume 3: Dance Of The Weeping Babe 12” (Lower Floor)

SHOLTO DOBIE & MARK HARWOOD The Blue Horse cd (Penultimate Press, UK)

HEAVY METAL 4 (Statik Age Music, Germany)

WET TUNA Water Weird (Three Lobed Recordings)

CARRAGEENAN Invisible Design cassette (Czaszka, UK)

PRIVATE ANARCHY Central Planning (Round Bale Recordings)

HIDEO NAKASAKO Texture Of Days cassette (Muzan Editions, Japan)

PRANA CRAFTER Bodhi Cheetah’s Choice (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

PATRICK SHIROISHI & NOEL MEEK Break Your Eyes cassette (Sploosh)

ANDY HUMAN & The REPTOIDS Psychic Sidekick (Total Punk)

SLAG QUEENS You Can’t Go Out Like That (Rough Skies Records, Australia)

ALIAS G Natural Love 12” (Unknown To The Unknown, UK)

NIVHEK After Its Own Death / Walking In A Spiral Towards The House cd (W.25th)

GARCIA PEOPLES Natural Facts (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

MARCO SERRATO/FRANCESCO COVARINO Bestemmia cd (Raw Tonk, UK)

HOUSEWIVES Twilight Splendour (Blank Editions, UK)

CLOUDWATCHERS Cloudwatchers cd (Unexplained Sounds Group, Italy)

CATHERINE LAMB Shade/Gradient (Black Pollen Press -2018)

UNITED BIBLE STUDIES Porti Sepolti cassette (Sloow Tapes, Belgium)

ÚJ BÁLA Diacritical Marks And Angels cassette (Baba Vanga, Czech Republic)

STRENGTH N.I.A. Do Televisions, Frankie Moore ritual cassette (Stength N.I.A., UK)

DAVID LIPTAK David Lipton: Dove Songs [Tony Arnold, soprano/Allison D’Amato, piano] cd

ANNĒE ZĒRO La Coolitude (Indian Redhead, France)

MELENAS “Ya Me No Importa Si Tú Quieres”/“Si Tú Me Quieres” 7” (El Nebula Recordings, Spain)

WHIRLING HALL OF KNIVES Knukke cassette (Cruel Nature, UK)

PROTRUDERS Poison Future (Feel It)

MOTHER JUNO Commit cassette (popnihil)

LEFT HAND CUTS OFF THE RIGHT Purge cassette (Fractal Meat Cuts, UK)

CLAIRE ROUSAY t4t cassette (No Rent)

IQ+1 Conversaphone Plus (mappa, Slovenia)

BENOÎT PIOULARD & SEAN CURTIS PATRICK Avocationals (Bacon Sound)

DELPHINE DORA Dunkles Zu Sagen (self-released)

SOOT Pockmarked With...Soot! cassette (Eternal Soundcheck, Australia)

DAN MELCHIOR BAND Negative Freedom (In The Red)

TÔLE FROIDE Tôle Froide (Le Turc Mecanique, France - 2018)

AHMED AG KAEDY Alkaline Kidal (Sahel Sounds)

DUNNING & UNDERWOOD The Blow Vol. 5 cassette (Front & Follow, UK)

TAKAHIRO MUKAI Super Annoying cassette (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

ANTONIO High Voltage! cassette (Altered States Tapes, Australia)

CUBE Decoy (W.25th)

The PLAINS The Plains cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia)

KA BAIRD Respires (Rvng Intl.)

GINO & The GOONS Do The Get Around (Drunken Sailor, UK)

VIVIEN LE FAY Ecolalia (Boring Machines, Italy)

DUKE Uingizaji Hewa (Nyege Nyege Tapes, Uganda)

ARIAN SHAFIEE Arabic Voice cassette (unifactor)

MOUNT TROUT Shelter Belt cassette (Rough Skies, Australia)

OCEAN FLOOR Vernalis cassette (Eiderdown)

CURRENT AFFAIRS “Buckle Up”/“World In Crisis” 7” (dotx3, Germany)

AARON SNOW Instrumentals ‘15-‘19 cassette (Surf Shop)

MELKINGS Movement Music cassette (Regional Bears, UK)

DECIMUS DECIMUS 6 (self-released)

SYLVIE COURVOISIER and MARK FELDMAN Time Gone Out cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

DANIEL HOLT Daniel Holt 12” (L.I.E.S.)

BEAT DETECTIVES NYPD Records Volume 3: Nefertiti Abstract Movie cassette (NYPD Records)

STEFAN CHRISTENSEN & FRIENDS Unknown Fortune (C/Site)

DIRE WOLVES Grow Towards The Light (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

FAMOUS LOGS IN HISTORY Memories Of the Space Age cassette (Fuzzy Warbles Cassettes)

HAND & LEG Lust In Peace (Black Gladiator)

DEE DEE & The FUZZ COFFINS Three Golden Hits cassette (Earth Girl Tapes)

RAZORLEGS Skip Skool cassette (Fadensonnen)

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2018

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Neil Morris, speaking to Alan Lomax in 1959:

“Well, when I was just a small boy, Old Uncle Milt Oldfield…Billy Oldfield, the Congressman from Arkansas for so long, it is his father. He and my father are awfully close friends. And they were discussing music. They were music teachers both of them.

“And uh, and they said, dad did and Uncle Milt sanctioned what he said, that MUSIC HAD NO END. That you could learn all the other guy [or girl] learned, and after you got that done they would then, something else would crop up. That uh, that you, that was the reason why that uh, music advanced. That’s why that you would get a better music in one generation maybe that is, uh, IT WOULD FIT THE TIMES IN WHICH THEY LIVED.”

[Lomax: “What about music on the grapevine?”]

“Welllll, they said that MUSIC GREW LIKE THE GRAPEVINE THAT IS NEVER PRUNED. That each year it’d…it’d put on a little bit more. That was what they said, now, about it. Any further questions?”’

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blackkudos · 4 years

Text

Raphael Saadiq

Raphael Saadiq (born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group career, he has also produced songs for such artists as Joss Stone, D'Angelo, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend.

He and D'Angelo were occasional members of The Ummah, a music production collective, composed of members Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, and J Dilla of the Detroit-based group Slum Village. He is a co-founder of independent video game developer IllFonic, which developed Friday the 13th: The Game.

Saadiq's critically acclaimed album The Way I See It, released on September 16, 2008, featuring artists Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, and Jay-Z, received three Grammy Award nominations. His fourth studio album, Stone Rollin', was released on March 25, 2011. For the album, Saadiq worked with steel guitarist Robert Randolph; former Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn; Swedish-Japanese indie rock singer Yukimi Nagano (of Little Dragon fame); funk artist Larry Graham (on the bonus song "Perfect Storm") and Taura 'Aura Jackson' Stinson.

Music critic Robert Christgau has called Saadiq the "preeminent R&B artist of the '90s".

Early life

Saadiq was born in Oakland, California, the second-youngest of 14 siblings. His early life was marked by tragedy; he experienced the deaths of several of his siblings as a young child. When Saadiq was seven years old, one brother was murdered. One of his brothers overdosed on heroin and another committed suicide because he was unable to deal with his addiction to the drug. His sister died as a result of a car crash during a police chase in a residential neighborhood. Saadiq states that he does not want his music to be reflective of the tragedies he experienced, saying that "And through all of that I was makin' records, but it wasn't comin' out in the music. I did it to kinda show people you can have some real tough things happen in your life, but you don't have to wear it on your sleeve."

He has been playing the bass guitar since the age of six, and first began singing at age nine in a local gospel group. At the age of 12, he joined a group called "The Gospel Humminbirds". In 1984, shortly before his 18th birthday, Saadiq heard about tryouts in San Francisco for Sheila E.'s backing band on Prince's Parade Tour. At the audition, he chose the name "Raphael", and had difficulty remembering to respond to the name when he heard that he got the part to play bass in the band. He says of the experience, "Next thing I was in Tokyo, in a stadium, singin' Erotic City. We were in huge venues with the biggest sound systems in the world; all these roadies throwin' me basses, and a bunch of models hangin' round Prince to party. For almost two years. That was my university."

Career

1987–1999: Tony! Toni! Toné! and The Ummah

After returning to Oakland from touring with Prince, Saadiq began his professional career as the lead vocalist and bassist in the rhythm and blues and dance trio Tony! Toni! Toné! He used the name Raphael Wiggins while in Tony! Toni! Toné!, along with his brother Dwayne Wiggins, and his cousin Timothy Christian. In the mid-1990s, he adopted the last name Saadiq, which means "man of his word" in Arabic. His change of surname led many to speculate that he had converted to Islam at that point; in reality, Saadiq is not a Muslim, but rather just liked the way "Saadiq" sounded and changed his last name simply to distinguish himself from and avoid potential confusion with his brother, Dwayne Wiggins. As he confirmed by telling noted R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' in May 2009, "I just wanted to have my own identity!"

In 1995, Saadiq had his biggest solo hit to date, when "Ask of You", featured on the Higher Learning Soundtrack peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B chart. In 1995, Saadiq produced and performed on Otis & Shug's debut album, We Can Do Whatever.

Tony! Toni! Toné! would become major R&B superstars throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. However, after the 1996 album entitled House of Music failed to duplicate the group's previous success, Tony! Toni! Toné! went their separate ways in 1997.

1999–2004: Lucy Pearl and first string of solo albums

In 1999, Saadiq's next big project became the R&B supergroup Lucy Pearl. He recorded the self-titled album with Dawn Robinson (En Vogue) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest). The group only lasted for one album.

Also in 1999, he collaborated with rapper Q-Tip on the single "Get Involved", from the animated television series The PJs. It samples The Intruders' 1973 song "I'll Always Love My Mama" and charted at number 21 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.

His 2000 song collaboration "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" won D'Angelo a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance; it was also nominated for Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. The song was ranked #4 on Rolling Stone's "End of Year Critics & Readers Poll" of the top singles of 2000. D'Angelo's album Voodoo won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards.

In 2002, Saadiq founded his own record label, Pookie Entertainment. Among the artists on the label are Joi and Truth Hurts. In 2002, he released his first solo album Instant Vintage, which earned him three Grammy Award nominations in addition to another two Grammy nominations for his writing work on “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)” the following year. He released a two-disc live album All the Hits at the House of Blues in 2003, and his second studio album Ray Ray in 2004, both on Pookie Entertainment.

2004–2010: Expanded output and second string of albums

In 2004, Saadiq produced a remix of the song "Crooked Nigga Too" by Tupac Shakur which is featured on the album Loyal to the Game. Other artists he has collaborated with include Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, The Isley Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Teedra Moses, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Macy Gray, Angie Stone, Snoop Dogg, Mac Dre, Devin the Dude, DJ Quik, Kelis, Q-Tip, Lil' Skeeter, Ludacris, The Bee Gees, Musiq Soulchild, Jaguar Wright, Chanté Moore, Lionel Richie, Marcus Miller, Noel Gourdin, Nappy Roots, Calvin Richardson, T-Boz from TLC, Jody Watley, Floetry, Leela James, Amp Fiddler, John Legend, Joss Stone, Young Bellz, Anthony Hamilton, Babyface, Ledisi, Goapele, Ghostface Killah, —Ginuwine, The Grouch Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bilal, Chali 2na, Larry Graham, Luniz as well as many others. In 2007, Saadiq produced Introducing Joss Stone, the third album of British soul singer Joss Stone. According to J. Gabriel Boylan of The New York Observer, "he's produced artists including Macy Gray, the Roots, D'Angelo, John Legend, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, and more. With all of them he's pushed a classic aesthetic, heavy on organic sounds and light on studio magic, deeply indebted to the past and distrustful of easy formulas."

Saadiq's third solo album, The Way I See It, released on Columbia Records on September 16, 2008, available in a collector's edition box set of 7" 45 rpm singles as well as on traditional CD, was critically well-received, made several critics' 2008 best albums lists, and garnered three Grammy nominations including Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocals (for "Never Give You Up", featuring Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton); Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (for "Love That Girl") and Best R&B Album for The Way I See It. Music from The Way I See It was featured in the following motion pictures: Madea Goes To Jail, Bride Wars, Cadillac Records, Secret Life of Bees, In Fighting (Rogue), and It's Complicated.

Touring with a nine piece band, Saadiq hit the 2009 summer music festival circuit with performances at Bonnaroo, Hollywood Bowl, Outside Lands, Pori Jazz, Stockholm Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz, Essence Music Festival, Summer Spirit Festival, and Nice Jazz Festival, Bumbershoot Music Festival and Austin City Limits. Saadiq has been touring Europe extensively, and held a five-night residency at the House of Blues in Tokyo, Japan, in June 2009. In 2008, Saadiq formed a new label called Velma Records, a place where he promises "people can express themselves like I did with The Way I See It... where they can dream something up and just go with it".

He produced songs for LeToya Luckett's forthcoming second album Lady Love, released August 2009. In 2009, Saadiq produced "Please Stay" and "Love Never Changes" for Ledisi's August 2009 release "Turn Me Loose". Saadiq also was the executive producer for an emerging group called Tha Boogie. Tha Boogie's first EP was released on iTunes and is titled Love Tha Boogie, Vol. 1 (Steal This Sh*t).

In 2009, Saadiq announced his video game development company called IllFonic. The first video game in development by IllFonic is titled Ghetto Golf, with an expected release late in 2010. In 2009, Saadiq teamed up Bentley Kyle Evans, Jeff Franklin, Martin Lawrence, and Trenten Gumbs to create a new sitcom called Love That Girl! starring Tatyana Ali. Raphael is an executive producer and composer for Love That Girl!. The show airs on TV One and debuted on January 19, 2010. That same year, Saadiq performed The Spinners hit "It's A Shame" in a legendary Levi's commercial and sang as part of the chorus in the 2010 remake of "We Are the World" for Haiti.

2011–present: Stone Rollin'

In 2011, Saadiq was the guitarist/bandleader for the group backing Mick Jagger for Jagger's tribute performance of the Solomon Burke R&B classic, "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" at the 53rd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles and on CBS. The band that accompanied the performance was Saadiq's touring band called Stone Rollin. In 2011 he and his band performed as the ESPY's house band for the night, where he performed his latest compositions.

Saadiq's 2011 album Stone Rollin' was released to great critical acclaim. "He's always had a boyish enthusiasm for performing, and a flexible, naturally joyous voice that suggests a young Stevie Wonder," wrote Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune, "but with his latest album, Saadiq finds a new gear. The album and his current tour demonstrate that there's a big difference between retro and classic, and the artist consistently finds himself on the right side of that divide." Kot ranked the album number seven in his year-end list, in which he dubbed it Saadiq's "finest achievement" and stated, "He's always written songs steeped in soul and R&B, but now he gives them a progressive edge with roaming bass lines and haunted keyboard textures. He's no longer a retro stylist – he's writing new classics." Critic Jim Derogatis called it "a stone cold gas of a party disc."

In fall 2011, he performed on the fourth results show of Dancing with the Stars season 13. In December 2011, he performed a cover compilation of several Neil Diamond songs at the Kennedy Center Honors award ceremony.

In 2012 he signed a deal with Toyota to do a TV commercial for the Toyota Prius. In 2013 Raphael partnered with Bay Area/ Atlanta Production company EL Seven Entertainment/ Republic Records and new R&B Superstar Adrian Marcel and released his 1st promotional mixtape "Raphael Saadiq Presents Adrian Marcel 7 Days of Weak".

Saadiq is a featured bass guitar player on Elton John's 2013 album, The Diving Board.

In 2016 he executive produced Solange Knowles album, A Seat At The Table which debuted at #1 on music charts in the United States. He also guest starred in Luke Cage, where he performs his songs "Good Man" and "Angel" at Harlem's Paradise.

In 2017 he appeared in the award-winning documentary film The American Epic Sessions, directed by Bernard MacMahon, where he recorded the Memphis Jug Band’s 1928 song “Stealin’ Stealin’” live on the restored first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. Of recording on the system he said, “it’s amazing to just look at how it’s built, you know just look at the machine itself. It just has this like magical sound the way that it’s built. It’s true. It’s just the truest sound you could ever get.”

In 2017, Saadiq collaborated with Mary J. Blige as a songwriter for the movie Mudbound (2017), for which they both received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song.

In 2018, he produced the John Legend holiday themed album, A Legendary Christmas.

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic he released a song on his website called Rony! Roni! Roné!”

Discography

Studio albums

Instant Vintage (2002)

Ray Ray (2004)

The Way I See It (2008)

Stone Rollin' (2011)

Jimmy Lee (2019)

with Tony! Toni! Toné!

Who? (1988)

The Revival (1990)

Sons of Soul (1993)

House of Music (1996)

with Lucy Pearl

Lucy Pearl (2000)

#05/14

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daggerzine · 6 years

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Swearin’ –FALL INTO THE SUN (MERGE RECORDS)

I wanted to call Philly’s Swearin’ a meat and potatoes indie rock band but geez, that sounds like an insult and the last thing I want to do is insult this trio of fine musicians. The band had formed in the early 2010’s in Philly by Allison Crutchfield (Waxahatchee’s Katie’s sister) and Kyle Gilbride (drummer Jeff Bolt rounds out the trio). The band broke up a few years back but decided to give it another try a year or so ago and let’s all thank them for that. Fall Into the Sun is a mostly mid-tempo indie rock record that has searing/soaring guitars that cut deep without shedding any blood and no matter who’s singing, it totally works. Crutchfield has a sweet but strong chirp while Gilbride has a raspier howl. I love them both and the songs seem to just hit that sweet spot that former labelmates Butterglory used to do way back when (I hear a little Monkey 101 in there, too). The Crutchfield-sung opener, “Big Changes” rumbles confidently across the tracks while Gilbride’s “Dogpile” has a hook that can’t be denied and is one of my favorite songs of the year as is Crutchfield’s fuzzier “Untitled (LA)” (where she moved to recently). While you’re at it don’t miss the thicker “Treading” and the more nimble, lighter “Oil & Water.” Swearin’ weren’t going into this with the thought of creating a throwback record to the golden days of indie rock, even thought it may sound like that. No, this is more of a celebration and a love of music by folks who have a definite connection and the means to get what they want through music. They nailed it here and I have a feeling they can do it again and again. www.mergerecords.com

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immedtech · 4 years

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'Death Stranding' and 'Control' lead Game Awards nominees

The Game Awards takes place in less than a month and voting is now open after Geoff Keighley announced the nominees. Hideo Kojima's sprawling epic Death Stranding leads the pack with nine nominations, including game of the year, game direction, score/music, narrative and performance for both Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen.

Remedy Entertainment's Control wasn't too far behind with eight nods. It picked up nominations such as game of the year, game direction, art direction and two performance nods. The Outer Worlds, meanwhile, snagged four nominations, including game of the year and RPG.

Joining that trio in the game of the year category are Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Resident Evil 2 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. SSBU also picked up best family game and fighting game nominations. Resident Evil 2 claimed three other nods for design, acton/adventure and game direction. Sekiro's four additional nominations are in the game direction, art direction, audio design and action/adventure categories.

youtube

Fortnite snagged three nominations, including for best esports game, ongoing game and community support. Fortnite World Cup winner Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf was nominated for best esports player as was that tournament for esports event. Other popular ongoing and esports games to pick up nominations include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, Apex Legends, Overwatch, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege.

Several other games have nominations, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (three), Gears 5 (three), Sayonara Wild Hearts (three), Borderlands 3 (two) and the game seemingly everyone was talking about not too long ago, Untitled Goose Game (two).

One particularly notable name misses out on the content creator of the year category: last year's winner, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. The nominees this time around are Jack "Courage" Dunlop, Benjamin "DrLupo" Lupo, Soleil "Ewok" Wheeler, David "Grefg" Martínez and Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek.

You'll find out which titles and personalities will take home prizes when The Game Awards takes place December 12th. As ever, you can expect plenty of game announcements and world premieres on that night too.

Source: The Game Awards (YouTube)

- Repost from: engadget Post

#ITlive #engadget #'Death Stranding' and 'Control' lead Game Awards nominees

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carmodance · 7 years

Text

Updated 2017 Faves - carmodance

So i have a ton of asks sitting in my inbox asking me to do an updated list of fave solos or groups etc. so i’m just doing one big post here.

This post includes my fave solos, duo/trios, groups, and then costumes.

I tried to take out all my “maybes” for the solo list since it was already really big, but the other categories have some maybes thrown in, so not everything may make it to my faves video I post on my channel at the end of the season.

Enjoy!

*disclaimer - I’m sure there are great dances I haven’t seen yet! This are just ones I personally enjoyed the most.

Solos - bolded solos are ones i really like!

Logan Hernandez -untitled

Lauren Busyn improv at nuvo Omaha

Kayla Lavine make it rain or running with the wolves

Addison Middleton bang bang choo choo

Ella samellas the tragedy

Alaina bader -You

Brady Farrar hold on

Eva igo improv all coming back to me or river

Maya palmer I dreamed a dream

Christina Gregory mama knows best

Sky mottet freedom

Icesiis magala me too

Bella klassen I'm falling and I can't turn back

Lauryn Ewing prey

Julia dipretoro sangre y Mateo

Kami couch who you are

Madison bunce all I want

Gavin morales pulse

Kalea hidalgo back at my cliff

Sabine Nehls - light of the seven

Kimberly Tobias crazy

MORGAN landrigan fergalicious

Jadyn Saigusa over the rainbow

Audrey Caldwell new world coming

Bostyn brown Would be killer

Quinn starner fire

Peyton Evans warrior

Madison Barnes - not the one

Alex Andrada beautiful world

Phoebe Campbell love me or gimme gimme

AvaRose Campbell diamonds

Nathan Lopez hot gates

Hannah Webb fighter

Haley beck I saw in the moonlight

Cassidy naber - breathe

Savannah kristich - Siva

Brooke cheek do what I love

Zack sommer conviction

Sydney centeno insert text

Paige Glenn dance with somebody

Ashlyn Meldon pyt

Michelle cheng can't do it alone

Simrin player tigers bride

Jamieson model behavior

Bailey holt part 2

Berlynn gonzalez remedy

Gage Davis genie

Kylee Brady material girl

DUO/TRIOS

Never let me go- nick Daniels and Logan Hernandez

Signature dance academy - Beat

The rock- hopak

Bfdc - rhythm of love

The rock center - four sections

WDP- Immortal - Lucy and Megan

Stars r us - dangerous

MVP dance elite - hold your hand

MDP - Paige and Artyon - time of your life

Club Dance – PB&J - Addison and Brooklynn

Avi’s Dance Project – Used to be mine - Berlin Gonzalez and maddie stone

Expressenz - beyond the sea

Quinn and brady - pas de duex

GROUPS

Danceology yeezy

Evolve dance complex- landslide

The rock center- odonata

Project 21 - unbroken

The rage - bang bang

The rage -young and beautiful

P21- dance like yo daddy

Signature dance academy - river

The rock center- 7 nation army

Southern strutt - konnichi pop

Kim Massey dance productions- resolutions

Rhythm dance center- glorious, pink windmills, this is Halloween

Prestige dance company - unsteady

MDP - slipping under

Mdp - maniac

Yycdp -star struck

Yycdp -unmasked

Yycdp - the end

Club Dance - vibeology

Club Dance - did I mention

Club Dance - we run this

Club Dance - isn't she lovely

Club dance - concentrate

Club dance - strings

Club dance - do you love me maybe

Dance connection 2 - it's all coming back

P21 - kind of cruelty

P21 - dangerous

Club dance - pick up the pace

Ocpaa - trendsetter

Larkin dance - happy birthday

Larkin dance - partition

Expressenz - walk like an Egyptian

Expressenz - wind beneath my wings

Shooting stars - eat sleep rave repeat

Diverse elements - sad party

Costumes

Everlasting- Quinn and Brady

Brooke judge the hunt

Summer Montenegro young mariner

Lola inglesias field

Mackenzie wandel hanging tree

Alaina Bader -You

Southern strutt out my hair

Camryn mandelbaum the first time

Carys Ashby - tornadoes - evoke dance

Carly allyn – secret garden

Icesiis magana me too

Julissa Ortiz - venom

Dyllan Blackburn exit strategy and rummage

Hannah Chloe - the other side

Alexis Adair - moonlight

Kylie Humphreys - kill of the night

Athena Andrade confident

Rylee young steam heat

Avis dance project - candy man

Laci Stoico – Queen Bea

Ocpaa trendsetter

Taeya bella - strongest suit

Piper perusse -surfs up

Beverly lapointe -pure

Cassidy naber breathe

Addy anleitner - diamonds

Cami voorhees - dlyd

Chloe Lois pickrell - angel descending from the Stars

Yycdp- the end

Club sing like the birdies

Morgan landrigan - fergalicious

Lola Jolie – wind beneath my wings

Ava Campbell - why don't u love me

Joleane jewell - requiem of a dream

Expressenz - take off

#carmodance favorites #carrie's faves

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tensegritywiki · 7 years

Video

Cloud Pavilion from Jason Dembski on Vimeo.

Cloud Pavilion

25 May–3 June 2016

Plaza Sai Van Lake

Macau SAR China

A collaboration between architecture students from the University of Saint Joseph and media students

from City University of Hong Kong, the Cloud Pavilion was a temporary structure located at the edge of

Sai Van Lake, Macau. It used a tensegrity structure constructed from bamboo rods, steel cables, and fabric

panels, which acted as dispersed screen for a video mapping installation. The structure comprised 174 one-

meter-long bamboo rods, 250 meters of galvanized steel cable, 1000 steel-wire cable clips, 100 stainless

steel turnbuckles, and 18 meters of white stretch fabric. The opening night featured live performances by a

number of Macau-based dancers. By applying advanced digital techniques to vernacular construction

methods, the pavilion is intended to be small-scale reinterpretation of Macau’s historical building culture

while simultaneously responding to the iconic architectural forms and dynamic lighting effects that define

the city’s contemporary visual identity.

CREDITS

Bamboo Structure (Department of Architecture and Design, University of Saint Joseph)

Professors

Jason Dembski

Diogo Teixeira

Students

Bryan Qingrong Zeng

Delia Fong Ian Wong

Cynthia Iao Hio Sin

Sam Sou Hou Wan

Gloria Ao Ieong

Kyle Cheong Hoi Kei

Michael Stanly Loyola Zapanta

Wong Pui I Anna

Gui Jesus Carvalho Freitas Da Silva

Rosita Ka In Pang

Eugenio Fiumi

Andrea Bonizzato

Video Mapping Installation (School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong)

Professor

Tobias Klein

Students

Ahamed Junaid Ibrahim

Vanetta Law Chung Yan

Kelvin Ma Chun Yu

Kwan Kin Wai

Chan Sui Ling

Chan Chun Kit

Chung Hiu Lam

Tsang Ka Wai

Angus Wing-chung Chan

Ronald Ng Pak Kei

Pauline Cheng Pui Lam

Venus Ng

Carol Tse Oi Ping

Chow Wing Nam

Lau Nga Fong

Tsui Ka Wai

Ho Ka Yee

Camellia Wong

Kai Cheuk Hei

Ko Yee Ki Kelly

Agnes Tang Hio Tong

Kwan Siu Yin Marvin

Wong Wai Yin

Henry Kwok

Iki Leung

Timothy Lam

Jesse Ma

Bill Yau

Kelvin Lee

Kelvin Li

Wun Hei Dominique Leung

Shin Jaekyung

Chow Yun Fu

To Tsz Sum Janice

WanYu Chun

Chan Ling Chi

Chan Wai Sze

Yuen Wing Tung

Ho Ngan Ping

Tina Yam Tin Yan

Opening Night Performances

Shape Shifter (Performer: Neil Sweeney)

Untitled Duet (Performers: Halfan Saddi & Stanley Martin)

Fabric of Desires (Performer: Heather Spilka)

Capoeira Trio (Performers: Neil Sweeny, Isaac Braga, Janusz Ciechowski)

Support

University of Saint Joseph

City University of Hong Kong

Macau Foundation

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2700fstreet · 8 years

Photo

DANCE / 2017-2018

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

MINI PERFORMANCE

Robert Battle, Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director

So, What’s Going On?

You may have heard of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AADT). No surprise—they’ve been on the main dance stage since 1958. Based in New York City, the company has toured all over the world, but who exactly was Alvin Ailey?

Portrait of Alvin Ailey by Jack Mitchell

Born in a small Texas town in 1931, Alvin Ailey began his dance training at age 11 by being exposed to classical, social, and folk dances, as well as the emerging style of modern dance. But at the start of his career, he encountered few opportunities for African American dancers like himself.

Ailey wanted to create a company that allowed African American dancers to display their talents and to express their experiences and heritage. When he formed AAADT, it was one of the first professional companies where dancers of all races and backgrounds were welcome. According to the New York Times, “You didn’t need to have known Alvin personally to be touched by his humanity, enthusiasm, and exuberance and his courageous stand for multicultural brotherhood.”

Watch (and learn) what makes Ailey “Ailey.”

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Ailey died in 1989, but his legacy lives on with his company and school. Today, AAADT is under the artistic direction of Robert Battle who not only choreographs new works, but who also invites others to create dances for the company.

What is the Big Deal about Revelations?

Revelations is Alvin Ailey’s signature work and has been performed by the company since its creation in 1960. This masterwork has been seen by more people than any other modern dance. More than 25 million audience members in 71 countries have been to a performance. Now it’s your turn.

First, watch this short film that celebrates the work by telling the history and significance of this modern dance classic.

vimeo

It’s hard to watch Revelations and not be caught up in the emotions and atmosphere of the work. The dance is based on Ailey’s early years worshipping at his southern Baptist church. Drawing on his childhood recollections of people and places, and using traditional African American blues, work songs, and spirituals as his musical inspiration, Ailey tells the story of African American faith and persistence in the face of adversity.

Revelations is divided into three sections; each includes several dances representing different aspects or experiences in Baptist worship. The main sections include:

“Pilgrim of Sorrow” speaks of people yearning for salvation but burdened by the troubles of this life. Look for arms reaching out in all directions, and bodies pulled back to earth. PHOTO by Pierre Wachholder | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ghari DeVore and Yannick Lebrun in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations

“Take Me to the Water” is an enactment of Ailey’s own baptism that took place in a pond behind his church. Watch for the devotional leader in white holding a large white umbrella. She leads a young couple to the baptismal river of billowing blue silk. Look for the way the dancers undulate through their arms and torsos and stretch long pieces of fabric to emulate rippling water. PHOTO by Paul Kolnik | AAADT’s C. Heyward, V. Gilmore, R. McLaren, F. Tesfagiorgis in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations

“Move, Members, Move” begins with a trio for three men to the song “Sinner Man.” The next section shows a congregation, decked out in yellow, participating in a joyous church service. Watch how Ailey brings humor to the work by showing churchgoers who gossip and others who fan themselves in the heat. PHOTO by Pierre Wachholder | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations

Ailey described the memories that inspired Revelations as “blood memories” because they were so strong he felt they were part of him as much as the blood that ran through his veins.

Another dance the company will perform is Stack-Up. Read on to learn more.

Step Back in Time for Stack-Up

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Talley Beatty's Stack-Up. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Stack-Up Original Choreography by Talley Beatty (1982) Restaging by Masazumi Chaya Music by Earth, Wind & Fire; David Gates; Grover Washington, Jr.; Fearless Four; and Alphonse Mouzon

Look and listen as the music and costumes for Stack-Up transport us back to another time…the ‘80s to be exact, when Talley Beatty first choreographed this dance. And yet here we are, more than 35 years later, with so many of its themes still relevant today.

Stack-Up was inspired by the jammed freeways and gridlocked traffic of Los Angeles, where Beatty’s tense, chaotic dance dramas play out against a gritty cityscape. But this is about a different kind of traffic—about the pileups and backups between people living “stacked on top each other” in a tight, urban space.

In this three-part dance suite, we meet all kinds of city dwellers—from a young couple in love, to some community gang members, to others just out to have a good time. Each group is interested in “going about their business,” but are threatened by the menacing presence of the drug dealer as he looks for ways to take advantage of those around him.

AAADT's Sean Carmon, Jaquelin Harris, and Michael McBride in Talley Beatty's Stack-Up. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Watch for:

the lightning symbol worn by one group symbolizing their membership in a gang.

the moment when a young man, despite attempts by his girlfriend to stop him, decides to take some drugs from the dealer.

the way the movement and behavior of the young man changes under the influence of drugs.

break dancing, cartwheels, and back flips.

See Alvin Ailey’s dancers in Stack-Up:

youtube

Who was Talley Beatty?

Talley Beatty was an African American choreographer who lived from 1918-1995. Like Alvin Ailey, Beatty encountered challenges as a black man who wanted to study dance. In fact, he was forced to take ballet classes either very early in the morning or very late at night, and in dressing rooms instead of studios where white dancers studied.

Despite these difficulties, Beatty made a name for himself as a performer and choreographer. He danced with African American choreographer Katherine Dunham who was interested in movement from the Caribbean and Africa. Beatty also danced with Martha Graham, a choreographer who advanced modern dance in the United States.

Beatty’s style is a mixture of ballet and jazz; his work has been described as “fast and explosive,” and focused on the everyday life and struggles of African Americans.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presents Stack-Up to celebrate 100 years since Beatty’s birth.

AAADT's Daniel Harder and Rachael McLaren in Talley Beatty's Stack-Up. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

To sample some of Talley Beatty’s other work, check out:

Mourner’s Bench (1947, Beatty’s signature solo work)

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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Hope Boykin and choreographer and dancer Duane Cyrus discuss working with Talley Beatty at:

youtube

Check this out: Ailey’s Signature Style

Ailey accepted dancers into his company who were trained in different styles including ballet, modern, jazz, and hip hop. He encouraged their individual strengths and differences in style, bringing them together in performance like a conductor of jazz music. Despite these differences, there are common elements in his choreography. Watch for:

straight lines in the lower body, with quick and sharp leg and foot movements, like in ballet

an expressive upper body with fluid arms and torso movements, like in modern dance

energetic dancing that emphasizes strength

expressive hands

a fusion of African-influenced movements with ballet and modern dance

There is also good reason why Alvin Ailey called his company “a dance theater.” Ailey was interested in how elements of theater—costumes, props, lighting, and music—could be combined with dance to communicate with an audience. Watch…

how colors have meanings in costumes. Notice how the color scheme for the costumes is different in each section, first earth-toned, then white, and finally yellow. Why do you think he chose these colors?

PHOTO by Pierre Wachholder | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations

how props tell a story. In Revelations, the dancers use props to help bring Ailey’s childhood memories to life. For example, long sheets of blue and white fabric stretched across the stage to suggest water; white parasols, wide-brimmed hats, and fans to imply the heat of Texas summers; and stools used by the dancers to represent a seated church congregation.

how lighting creates mood. Revelations begins with a group of dancers standing under a single spotlight on a darkened stage. Later, the dancers move across a fully illuminated stage. Why do you think the lighting changes?

Think About This: Different Ways of Working

Ever wonder how long it takes to choreograph a dance? Kyle Abraham, who created the work Untitled America for the Ailey company, spent two years on his three-part dance. But his process was in and out of the studio over months. Abraham held focused sessions with the dancers of two or three weeks at a time with long breaks in between. During those breaks, he thought about how he wanted to put the piece together before trying the movement with the dancers.

Choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti created Deep in a different way. Bigonzetti never plans out the movements before entering the studio. Instead, he studies how each individual dancer moves, and what their personality is like. His choreography depends on the strengths and style of the individual dancers.

Two different choreographers. Two different styles. If you were a dancer, would you want the choreographer to include you in the creative process, or tell you exactly what steps you needed to do?

Take Action: Art for All…

Alvin Ailey made Revelations based on his own personal experience, yet it speaks to people of all ages, all over the world, regardless of their racial and religious backgrounds. After you see the work, brainstorm why you think it inspires so many people every time it is performed.

Share your thoughts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat, or any platform of your choice. Use #artforall as your hashtag.

Explore More

Go even deeper with the Ailey Performance Extras.

–

PHOTO (top) AAADT's Jamar Roberts in Talley Beatty's Stack-Up. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

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Additional support for Events for Students is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

#dance #aileyat2700F

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starkid256 · 9 months

Text

Lies and Emotion (Part 1) - An Untitled Trio Fic.

Mood: Angst

Robin woke up with a jolt. They hadn't gotten much sleep. They had a nightmare where needles were poking them everywhere. They rose their head with their hand on it. They glanced around their room. Nothing had changed, which was good. They felt like they had a disconnect from reality ever since Grace had died, so a quick reality check stabilized their emotions. They got out of bed and put their foot down on the floor. They stumbled onto their legs because it felt for just a moment like there was no floor. Their stability was a mess today, but like any other weekend, their mom had to pressure them to go outside. They exited their room with nothing but a binder and pants on. They waddled their way over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Their sight was blurry, so they rubbed their eyes and found nothing of interest to eat. They closed the fridge and their mom called out to them.

"Robin? Are you awake? If so, could you please take the trash out?"

They sighed and said in a deep morning voice, "Okay."

They went back to their room to put a tank top on, trying to procrastinate on the chore for as long as possible. But they just sucked it up and went to do the task already. They went to the kitchen and pulled the trash bag out of the container. It took a lot of struggling, but it finally budged, not before spraying trash juice all over their hands.

"ACK!" They rushed to the sink to wash it off, but water was too hot.

"Jesus!" They stumbled back and went back up to the sink to cool the water down. They washed their hands with soap. looking extremely annoyed. They turned the water off and grabbed the trash. They opened the door and put it in the bin. They turned to go back inside but Kyle stopped them in their tracks.

"Robin!"

They were silent and didn't move a muscle, but glared behind themself.

"Robin, we need to talk."

They sighed and turned towards him.

"Kyle, now is not a good time-"

"Robin, we need to talk about this sooner or later."

They stood there, squinting at Kyle.

"Talk? TALK? TALK ABOUT WHAT?"

Kyle took a step back, appaled.

"TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR LIFE IS SO MISERABLE? SERIOUSLY? 'BOO HOO, MY NAME IS KYLE! MY FRIEND DIED AND NOW MY OTHER FRIEND IS A RECLUSE!' DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW HARD MY LIFE IS? MY PARTNER FUCKING KILLED HERSELF AND NOW NOBODY FUCKING LOVES ME! AT LEAST YOU HAVE YOUR GOD DAMN MONSTER CHUGGING FRIENDS TO DICK AROUND WITH. I CAN'T EVEN GO TO SCHOOL WITHOUT HAVING A BREAKDOWN YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

Kyle teared up, still in shock.

"No! Robin, I wasn't gonna talk about that! I just wanted to know how you're doing!" Kyle lied.

"YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW THIN YOUR LIES ARE, KYLE. I'M NOT FUCKING FALLING FOR THAT BULLSHIT AGAIN."

"Robin! If you could just listen-"

"LISTEN? TO YOU? YOU HAVEN'T BEEN LISTENING TO ME! YOU CAN'T JUST BE IGNORANT TO OTHERS' EMOTIONS AND EXPECT THEM TO LISTEN TO YOU! JESUS CHRIST, YOU'RE AN IGNORANT ASSHOLE! GET OUT OF MY FUCKING SIGHT BEFORE I SNAP YOUR GOD DAMN NECK!"

Kyle stood like a statue.

"NOW!"

Kyle ran off.

Robin was furious. The whole ordeal had left them incredibly angry. They turned to the wall and kicked it with all their force, leaving a noticeable dent. They stared at it for a good few seconds, and started sobbing.

#untitled trio #untitled trio robin #untitled trio kyle #fic #untitled trio fic #fanfic #writing

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gunboatbaylodge · 7 years

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Filming in Vancouver: Miranda Sings, Riverdale, Janelle Monáe, Steve Carrell, and more

Gasp! Singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe is scheduled to come to Vancouver to star in an untitled movie directed by Robert Zemeckis.

This week, a stoner-gamer movie and TV show about a talentless geek wrap up their shows. But there’s more on the horizon, with two new TV series coming, along with a feature film.

(That includes some news about changes for the cast of Riverdale for Season 2.)

Curious? Well, let’s take a peek at what’s happening in Hollywood North this week and in the weeks to come.

For starters, it’s game over for Game Over, Man! The action-comedy Netflix flick wraps up production tomorrow (June 6), after starting back on April 12.

Workaholics

The Workaholics trio—Adam Devine, Anders Holm, and Blake Anderson—star as three friends who are about to sign a huge financial deal for the funding of their video game when their investor is kidnapped by terrorists.

The cast also includes Jere Burns (Justified) and Mac Brandt (Kingdom).

It’s directed by Kyle Newacheck (also of Workaholics fame) and produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and more.

It won’t be released until April 20, 2018 but in the meantime, there’s this to whet your appetite.

youtube

Better Things is in town for one week shooting one episode for its second season. The TV series, created by Pamela Adlon and comedian Louis C.K., started filming on June 1 and wraps up on Wednesday (June 7).

Better Things

The comedy-drama TV series follows the challenges a single mother (played by Adlon) faces as a working actress in Hollywood who is also raising three girls on her own. (Unfortunately, she hasn’t found her Mr. Brady—yet.)

Colleen Ballinger plays Miranda Sings

Meanwhile, Miranda Sings is at the end of her song—for Season 2.

Haters Back Off completes production today (June 5), having started back on April 13.

The series is based on the YouTube character Miranda Sings (created by and played by Colleen Ballinger), and explores the family life of the undertalented, hyperconfident, socially inept gal as she fumbles her way toward stardom.

The much less lipstick challenged Colleen Ballinger.

The cast also includes Steve Little, Angela Kinsey, Erik Stocklin, and Francesca Reale.

Luckily for fans in town, Ballinger recently performed on stage in Vancouver as Miranda Sings on May 6.

Six

Although those two production are leaving town, as for other upcoming projects coming to this city, there’s a lot to look forward.

The TV series Six will commence shooting its second season on June 17 and continue until November 23.

The action-drama series follows U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six on a secret mission to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan but face complications when their team leader is captured by a terrorist group. They put aside their differences to locate their troop leader, but along the way, they discover an American citizen working with terrorists.

Six

The cast includes Barry Sloane, Kyle Schmid, Juan Pablo Raba, Edwin Hodge, Brianne Davis, Nadine Velazquez, Dominic Adams, and Walton Goggins.

The series filmed in North Carolina and California for Season 1 but, luckily for us, it’s relocating to Vancouver for Season 2.

Riverdale

Another TV series gearing up to shoot its second season will be Riverdale.

The teen drama will start production on June 22 and run all the way until March 21, 2018.

As a reality-based adaptation of the traditionally wholesome classic comicbook, Riverdale takes the characters of Archie and recasts them in a much, much darker (and more mature) light.

The series stars KJ Apa as Archie, Lili Reinhart as Betty, and Camila Mendes as Veronica.

Ashleigh Murray

The cast also includes Marisol Nichols, Madelaine Petsch, Ashleigh Murray, and Mädchen Amick.

But there’s some casting news and switch-a-roos to take note of for this upcoming season.

Casey Cott

Two recurring characters have been promoted to series regulars for the second season: Skeet Ulrich (Law & Order: LA), who plays the mysterious father of Jughead (Cole Sprouse), and Casey Cott, who plays the openly gay Kevin Keller.

(Ulrich has also been in Vancouver shooting the TV movie I Am Elizabeth Smart.)

Skeet Ulrich

Mark Consuelos will join the cast and debut as Veronica’s father.

Meanwhile, Charles Melton will take over the character of Reggie from Ross Butler (who is working on the TV series 13 Reasons Why).

Charles Melton

The series has also included some familiar faces from former teen shows from the 1980s, including Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210), Robin Givens (Head of the Class), and Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink).

Luke Perry

In other news, an Untitled Robert Zemeckis Project will shoot in town from August 14 to September 28.

It’s based on the 2010 documentary Marwencol, in which a man builds a miniature Second World War village as a therapeutic means to help him recover from a brutal assault.

Janelle Monáe

The productions will bring along some notable names to star in it, including Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures), Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher), Leslie Mann (The Bling Ring), Eiza González (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series).

Steve Carrell

While we wait for those productions to arrive, there’l be plenty of other ones coming and going form the streets of Hollywood North so be sure to check back in with us again for more updates.

Inside Vancouver Blog

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