One Netflix gem I would like to present to you guys is “the
Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. This show stars David Cross,Sharon Horgan,Blake Harrison,Will Arnett, andSpike
Jonze. Cross’s character is lousy employee for an American business with the
goal to market energy drinks to the UK. Arnett’s character is his boss and one
day he over hears cross talking on the phone insulting and asserting his
dominance over a client and decides he is the man for their new UK adventure. Cross
being a compulsive liar and is under qualified for the job lies his way into
many terrible situations that come around to bite him. On his arrival in the UK
he is way over his head and does not know how to handle anything without lying.
The show was produced by IFC (Independent Film Channel). Though the show only
has two seasons every episode is as entertaining as the next. They use many
twists as well that help keep the audience captivated. If you have Netflix this
is definitely something you are going to want to check out. The production value
is done well. It is the kind of comedy series that will not be able to stop
watching.
One of my favorite bay area local groups is Beats Antique.
Beats Antique has one of the most unique sounding styles of music I have ever
heard. The group has two main musicians David Satori and Tommy Cappel. Satori
plays the guitar, violin, banjo and othjer stringed instruments. He also does
looping and electronic sounds through his lap top. One aspect of Satori’s style
of playing is that he will play the banjo and other stringed instruments with a
violin bow. This offers a very wide range of sounds he is able to create.
Cappel is the drummer and as a drummer myself he is one of the best drummers I
have ever seen live. He uses mostly hip hop driven beats while also throwing in
his own style of soloing. While creating their albums the duo traveled to Bali,
West Africa, and Serbia. This has allowed them to explore different styles of
music which they incorporate into their electronic hip hop style songs. A third
member of the group is Zoe Jakes. Jakes is a world renowned belly dancer which
adds a third dimension top their shows. She is the face of the group and
performs with them live to help form the mood and feeling to the goal of their
music. She also will play a marching style bass drum on her chest while belly
dancing. It is quite a sight. I was blessed to catch their set at Coachella
Music Festival in 2012 and it was by far my favorite of the whole festival. The
drummer did not stop playing once. There performance showed that their goal is
more than just the music but to put on an actual show with their professional
dancers leaded by Jakes. The best way for me to describe it is that they got as
weird as possible on stage in a tasteful manor. If you ever get a chance to see
this group it will be your money well spent and you will leave the show flabbergasted
at the intense performance you have just witnessed. They are bringing a new
style to hip hop music with their worldly influences.
One of my favorite albums is titled “Distant Relatives,”
released in May 2010, which is a collaboration album released by Nas and Damien
Marley. This album was created to raise money for schools in Africa and to
present the message that all people are from Africa and are all distant
relatives of each other. This album has 13 tracks which use live bands and DJ’s
to produce these tracks. They also sample music from African musicians such as Mulatu
Astake and K’Naan. They do a great job of mixing hip hop and reggae into a very
unique sounding style. I personally was lucky enough to see them on their tour
together when they passed through my home town of Santa Cruz California. It was
easily one of the best shows I have ever seen. They managed to have a live band
with strings, drums, horns, and keys who were also accompanied by a DJ. The way
they set up the show was very smart as well. They would start with both of them
on stage playing songs they made together then one would drop out and the one
left on stage would play some of their iconic solo songs. They would use this
pattern throughout the whole show. During many of these transitions the band
would solo. This allowed their show to have more power and less downtime during
their set. They would take minor breaks throughout the set to tell the crowd about
their goal with the album to raise money for schools in Africa and to help provide
an understanding to the people of this world that we are all brothers no matter
what you look like or what religion you practice. The set was so well put
together it had you guessing what song they would play next. Nas and Damien Marley
to this day still will tour together so if you hear of them coming through your
town buy a ticket because it is a must see show. You will leave satisfied, open
minded, and touched. You will leave satisfied, open minded, and touched.
Oliver Tree Nickel has been a great friend of mine for many
years. We grew up down the street from each other and we even both attend San
Francisco State University. These days he is an aspiring musician with a bright
future. I am here to ask Tree a few questions so you all can have a better
understanding of what he is trying to achieve with his music project. He has a
debut EP coming out in January titled “Demons.”
Q: Tell me about the style of your music. What influences
you and what instruments do you use during to process of creating your music?
A: My music is a mixture of traditional instruments, organic
sound collage, all merged together and recorded into a computer. I write,
record, and produce the music myself with the help of an assortment of
musicians, from cello and string sections, to beat boxers and flute and saxophone
players. I merge those instruments with a blend of home recordings of unusual
instruments and textures out of strange things like toasters, eggs, Gameboys, dogs
barking ect.
Q: What does your live show set up look like?
Right now I don’t have the space or money to work with a full
band, but in the next 2 years I would like a full band a string section. At the
moment I am only playing live as a duet with my cello player. I am currently in
the middle of building a stage and getting together a visual show at the
moment. It should be ready by the end of summer.
Q: What are you excited about your new EP coming out in
June? What’s next?
My Debut EP comes out this June on Vinyl and itunes and I’m
very excited finally put out my first release with the support of a awesome
label and publisher. I have been working on these songs and music videos for
the last year and I'm stoked to finally share it with everyone. Also I'm stoked
that it’s finally finished because I am ready to start making my debut album
this summer. I am looking forward to taking the next few years off of school to
write, record, direct some videos and then tour off the material.
By Nik Quarnstrom
I first fell in love with hip-hop music when I was in high school. My friend gave me a mix tape of his favorite hip-hop tracks. Up to that point I was into what you might call 'Dad Rock'. You know, AC/DC, Boston, and ZZ top. I never really understood what hip-hop was all about because the only hip-hop I was exposed to was on MTV and that to me was garbage. But the cd he gave me forever changed the evolution of my musical tastes. The cd didn't sound like any hip-hop that I had heard before. It had something that mainstream rap was missing. It had soul.
From then on I have been an avid supporter of hip-hop culture. When I say culture, I mean the 4 elements of hip-hop. These 4 elements are Dj-ing, MC-ing, Breakdancing and Graffiti art. I love every aspect of the culture but, of the elements, the art of DJ-ing and more specifically record collecting are the focus of my passion.
From its inception Hip-Hop music was produced by sampling break beats and other elements of old vinyl records and rearranging the sampled sounds into a new musical track for MC's to rhyme over. The production process and technology have changed over the years but the principles of sampling remain. The art of looking for rare records to sample or "crate digging" as its called, has made way for a revitalized vinyl market once thought of as a dead media. These days if you were to step into any used record store or thrift shop you'd be guaranteed to find at least one person hunched over a milk crate full of dusty old records hoping to find that one rare record that no one else has. Sometimes that peson in the record store is me. There is something about finding music on vinyl that is oddly gratifying. In this digital world where our entire music library exists only in a digital space there is nothing better than physically having a piece of music that you can hold in your hands.
I have spent more time (and money) than I would like to admit scouring basement rooms of record stores for vinyl and from what I have learned over the years is that it takes a keen eye and ear to find decent records among the stacks. Having knowledge of all types of music other than hip-hop helps immensely. This need for a cultured ear has shifted my musical tastes even further from what it was as a fledgling hip-hop listener way back in high school. Nowadays I am into collecting and listening to records from specific labels such as Blue Note, Verve and Stax, but it goes beyond that. My current favorite record store find is a little gem by the name of "Switched on Bach". As you probably have guessed, it is the music of Bach but composed using entirely Moog Synthesizers. It's odd at first but a second listen will have you hooked.
If you are interested in buying a record player (they can be found for cheap on craigslist) and starting a record collection of your own I would strongly encourage you to do so. This hobby is only as expensive as you make it and you can find good records at Amoebas for sometimes less than a dollar. With vinyl prices as low as they are you can afford to take a risk with a record you wouldn't normally buy. So what if you bought a record you didn't like for buck. Now you know what not to buy and making mistakes will only sharpen your crate digging instincts.
Thats all for now. Catch me Thursdays at Noon on ksfsmedia.net/radio for 5th Element Radio.
In last's week show we chose to discuss Bad Boys 2 for our Netflix gem of the week. I know, I know, your thinking "Really? A Michael Bay movie?!?...Why?" Its true, this is a weird choice for us considering that we have mostly chosen to highlight indie movies. But Nick and I both love this movie and couldn't help but have a discussion about it on our show. The way I see it is like this: In terms of movies (and in music as well), they can be broken up in to separate categories like food groups. You have your wholesome and good raw fruits and veggies like "There Will Be Blood" or "Tree of Life" and then you have your fats and sugary sweets like "Bad Boys 2" and "Avatar". Enough with the poorly constructed metaphors though, lets talk about the movie.
If you are yet to see Bad Boys 2 then stop everything you are doing, get your friends, Milk Duds and popcorn ready, sit down and prepare yourself for a 'popcorn' movie at its finest. The original Bad Boys is pretty good but for me this is one of the best films Michael Bay has ever made.It has everything you want out of a blockbuster movie with plenty of shootouts, car chases, sex and comedy. Plus you have the duo of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence who are a perfect pair for this type of movie. I mentioned this on the show, but I have to say it again... Why haven't these two been any other movies together? Their back and forth banter throughout the movie is comedic gold. Someone should talk to Jerry Bruckheimer (the producer of Bad Boys 2, amongst many others) and get another movie for them in the works.
But anyways, my favorite scene in the movie-- which I also use as proof that Michael Bay is a filmmaking genius-- is when Martin and Will's characters get into a shootout with a group of Haitians in a house. As someone who is an aspiring cinematographer, this scene is awe inspiring to watch. the camera movement and not to mention editing is flawless. It doesn't really get any better when the camera is seamlessly rotating around the house as the action goes down. Every action director should take a page out of Michael Bay's book when it comes to constructing scenes like this.
Thats all for Netflix Gems this week. Make sure to tune in as always on Thursdays at noon to ksfsmedia.net/radio to catch next week's gem on 5th Element Radio.
A couple of weeks ago we dedicated our show to the imperious DJ Premier. It goes without saying that he is one of the best hip-hop producers of all time. Nick and I played all the classics and some of our favorites that Premier has produced along with songs that he has sampled to create his unique production style. Because our station complies with FFC regulations, we were not able to play everything we wanted. I'll use this blogpost as an uncensored extension of our show and to give you a broader understanding of Premo's prolific body of work.
Jeru the Damaja - Wrath of Math
I have to rant about Jeru the Damaja because he was one of the my favorite MC's growing up. Many, including myself, would say that Jeru is easily one of the most underrated 90's era rappers and 'Wrath of Math' definitely proves this notion. The project was produced entirely by DJ Premier which gives the album a continuity in terms of sound. Jeru's scientifical flow rides the production style of Premier's beats with impetus and voracity and his subject matter is conscious without being corny. But enough with the superlatives.
You can listen to this whole album without skipping a song but I'll pick out some gems that stand out above the rest.
"Wrath of Math" (intro)
This is the first song and it definitely sets the tone for the rest of the album. The beat is dark and ominous and Jeru's flow is more that of a meditation or spoken word poetry. Premier sampled the Miles Davis song "Will O' the Wisp" to create the beat. "Will O' the Wisp" happens to be from one of my favorite Miles Davis albums 'Sketches of Spain'.
"One Day"
One of my favorite aspects of Jeru, and many other MC's of the 90's, is that he is a great story teller. "One Day" exemplifies everything good about 90's hip-hop lyricism with allegory and metaphors. Jeru takes you on a lyrical mission to take back hip-hop from the commercial interests that hold it for ransom.
Premier sampled "Don't Misunderstand" by Ahmad Jamal for the beat. The sample break can be found at 1:23.
"Revenge of the Prophet"
This is another song that demonstrates Jeru's great narrative flow. The song's story centers around 'The Prophet' (an alter ego of Jeru) and his mission to stop a villan named Ignorance and his henchmen Tricknology, and Greedy Lou. This song's subtext about ignorance and greed influencing the world is as poignant today as it was back in 96'.
Premier used samples from Q65's song "Get Out of My life, Woman". Its been a while since I have heard this song and on second listen I have noticed that several other producers have also have sampled this. Maybe its time I start digging for Q65 records.
I could go on all day about DJ Premier and MC's he's produced for but I'll spare you. Make sure to tune into our show every Thursday at Noon. We have some great shows lined up for you. In the meantime you should follow 5th Element Radio on Twitter @5thelementksfs. Interact with us. Let us know what you think of the show.
