Theo Parrish: FOOTWORK (full video)

The only way I know how to dance House...along with Lofting (Loft legend and icon, Conrad). I went through an entire calisthenics workout with this deep track on loop, dancing between sets.

Though I grew up in the Jacking (Hip Hop dance meets House dance) era of House dancing, I gravitated towards the traditional styles of Footwork and Lofting. My love for both forms was largely due to how appealing and showy they appeared to me. Furthermore, both techniques bestowed dancers full command of the entire dance floor as opposed to Jacking’s more concentrated upper body movements and stationary manner. Also, Jacking was so common back in the late 80’s-early 90’s that it discouraged me from following the norm. 

You’ll find today that in the underground House community, to be specific, new generation dancers take a fancy to Jacking quite frequently. I consider both Footwork and Lofting to be rare and exceptional forms of House dance in today’s era of House dancing and when done...all eyes on you.

I'm unfamiliar with the young gentleman in the video, but the older chap is veteran dancer from Detroit, Gehrik Mohr also known as Poseidon (Cymatic Soles).

"Let me see, your footwork, baby. Drive me crazy, don't stop, baby."
You made my day, Theo. Thanks!

Having a restless mind is "How I Feel"

Music can only be construed by the creator and its listener(s), Two dissimilar perspectives create two disparate stories. The title doesn't define How I Feel. The restlessness in Theo's music defines How I Feel at the moment.

Osunlade - Human Beings (Atjazz Remix)

Being "Human" doesn't apply to all of us. To be blessed with a soul is to truly be a Human Being(s). Divinity lies within those initiated to experience life in the flesh. Ose (thank you in Yoruba), Osunlade for this transcendent house tack. By virtue of the original, Atjazz was able to take it the next level once again.

The title makes me think of Mark L. Prophet's "The Soulless One, Cloning a Counterfeit Creation".

The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs

seanmiura:

caamedia:

American Revolutionary: The Life of Grace Lee Boggs unfolds like a layered conversation. Director Grace Lee was working on The Grace Lee Project, seeking stories from Asian American women who share a common name with her. In a moment of serendipity, Grace Lee met Grace Lee Boggs; a social activist born in 1915, feminist, supporter of the black power movement, lover of good questions, and idol to many. What emerged from their initial meeting became a decade-long project of conversations and sharing stories. Lee captures candid and intimate sides of Boggs and the flux of activism, revolution, inner reflection, and structural change. As Boggs narrates histories of activism and community in Detroit, she also provides her refreshing and restorative wisdoms on spiritual and social transformation.

Can we talk about how CAAM gif-ed Grace Lee Boggs.

The director of this documentary also has another good documentary in which Grace Lee Boggs appears as well. It’s called “The Grace Lee Project” (trailer) and it’s about stereotypes, religion, and a host of other topics and it’s all centered around her search to meet other Asian women named Grace Lee. I really enjoyed it.
(via wrcsolace)

Source: knowledge equals black power 

Mark Hewko: Blurb Book 2014

A dummy copy of a new interior design photo book by Mark Hewko himself. Stay tuned.

Source: http://markhewko.blogspot.com/

Mark Hewko

Punjabi. Lower East Side, 2004.

Source: http://markhewko.com/home.html 

pronounced 'hĕv-'kó.

News and Photographs from a guy named Hevko.

I never forgot you Mark. Stay awesome!

Clara Hill Meets Atjazz

Years before purchasing my first Smartphone and utilizing the iPhone Notes app to jot down annotations, I wrote notes on nearly everything with a surface (it happens when you have an affinity for art). The other day while throwing out paperwork, I came across a torn piece of paper with songs that appealed to me at the time from a satellite channel formerly called “The Move” (now Zen). Famed underground House producer and DJ Lars Berenroth was the chief host on The Move by way of his show Deeper Shades of House.

The songs listed were: Wagon Cookin “Everyday Life”, Clara Hill “Nowhere (I Can Go) (Clara Hill Meets Atjazz)”, and Sterling Ensemble “Follow Me”. While working out, I began to ponder on moving out of my current residence and relocating outside of New York. I’ve considered even moving as far out as Cali. Perhaps a big move, but when is there ever a small move when you’re willing to renew your life and follow your heart. While thinking about the possible changes, I unintentionally began playing Clara Hill’s – “Nowhere (I Can Go) (Clara Hill Meets Atjazz - Remix)”.

I find it quite funny how this soulful track draws a parallel with my current mind-set (from a male’s perspective). So, it was only right that I uploaded this to dwell on later. This track along with other things may perhaps be a source of inspiration in my shift.

Crème Brûlée

Jazz Meet performing their rendition of Pepe Bradock's underground house classic "Deep Burnt" into Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower". You know Pepe Bradock is the man when his music inspires a jazz band to improv "Deep Burnt". If you've never heard "Deep Burnt", it's not only a classic house track, it's one of the illest deep house tracks ever produced, in my opinion.

The Jazz Meet Band live at Floripa 1/13/13.
A Special Edition House Band to open The 2013 Sessions featuring :
Dave Orchart--Trumpet / Jessica Lauren-- Keys / Jason Simpson-- Double Bass / Sophie Alloway--Drums / Mark Townson--Percussion.

Due to technical issues, the Jazz Meet Band video does not upload properly on the blog, so here's a link to the their performance.
"Jazz Meet" Freestyling on Pepe Bradock's Deep Burnt into Freddie Hubbard's Little Sunflower.

On that note, check out the original track by Pepe Bradock.

Thelonious Monk - Caravan - Berliner Jazztage 1969

To end off Black History Month and the dawning of the Chinese New Year (Year of the Horse and my astrological sign) with style (Mandarin hat) and grace, I'd like to share this classic performance by one of the most prolific and abstract thinking jazz pianist/composers in history, the legendary Thelonious Monk. Performing Duke Ellington's "Caravan", co-written by Juan Tizol, Monk showcases his unique improvisational style.

Some say it's "Improvised Dissonance", but I say he was too advanced for the average listener. "The first humans who invented music were improvisers, the first cries of a new born child is improvised music. So, improvisation is the main source of new inventions in music." (anonymous)

This' the way we dance, dance, dance...

The dance sequence of the Maestro documentary. Several dancers from the Wreckin' Shop (Live From Brooklyn) film who paved the way and united the Hip Hop and House dance culture, can be seen in this clip, like Ejoe Wilson and Caleaf Sellers (older, wiser, and more experienced). Ejoe and Caleaf were more dedicated to the House community back then than Hip Hop and are now iconic figures on the scene today, traveling the world, dancing, and teaching.

To name a few; Shannon, TeNofQuad (California), and a few others I can't remember are in this clip as well.

To be honest, the environment was much more pleasant, the people were (and still are) incredibly humble, and the experiences memorable. My first house club deterred me from going to Hip Hop clubs infrequently. Nowadays, it's a once or twice a year old school or underground Hip Hop event, at venues like Santos Party House and The Paper Box among others, to reminisce with friends.

This statement was well said by Pluggedin2u, giving a brief history on the origins of the House music culture in NY: "Before it was popularly called "House" we referred to it simply as "free style". The term "House" came about 79 or 80 because a good amount of the music we listened to in the underground clubs could only be heard "in house" meaning only at the at the club. Sometimes we referred to it as "acid house" because most of the dancers were on acid. It was truly underground at the time and relatively unknown until House music and dancing became mainstream later in the mid 80's and 90's."

Founding fathers of the NYC underground dance club culture

 

Maestro is a powerful documentary chronicling the early years of the NYC underground DJ and dance club culture. For those unfamiliar with the scene, it was pioneered largely by gay, Black and Hispanic men and women. This clip is a tribute to Larry Levan, David Mancuso, Frankie Knuckles, Nicky Siano, Tony Humphries. The clubs featured are The Loft and Paradise Garage. Thanks to Caligulalia for the clip.

The JBeez, The JBeez, The JBeez!

One of the greatest loops and Hip Hop tracks of the early 90's. DJ Red Alert made this a New York City and Hip Hop dance scene classic. I miss those cyphers! The New York club scene was absolutely ridiculous in the 80's and 90's. There was practically a club on every corner of Manhattan. House clubs (my personal favorite) didn't shut down until noon. Raves...well, raves just went on. Those were great times.

Thousand Finger Man

I know I've been on a video trip lately (being lazy), but I absolutely had to drop this classic house gem by famed Cuban percussionist Candido Camero. It's still hard to believe this track was released in '79. Candido was truly a magnificent musician. Louie Vega's "Thousand Fingered Man" doesn't compare (I still got love for Little Louie).

Do you really deserve them?

Once again, Mr. Parrish keeps me uplifted with his music. Alongside Pepe Braddock and Osunlade, Theo Parrish is one of my all time favorite house producers.

Until The Quiet Comes

In this short film, Kahlil Joseph takes you on a cruise with Captain Murphy (Flying Lotus). "Underground will live forever baby. We're just like roaches, never dying, always living." (DJ Premier)

Wreckin' Shop (Live from Brooklyn)

This rare dance documentary played a big part in my life and is one of the main reasons why so many of my friends and I became fashion aficionados (Polo Ralph Lauren collectors and Brooklyn fashion trendsetters), and lovers of all forms of dance and music. Actually, I was already into dancing before this documentary was released. I always wanted to dance like the Soul Brothers dance crew from California...they were sick! They mastered the Charleston dance and made it one of the dopest dance styles in the underground Hip Hop dance scene.

However, this video helped boost my interest and build my confidence in dancing a lot more, especially in public. Many of the people in this video either lived in my neighborhood, went to school with me or had siblings that I hung out with from time to time.

Props to all the dancers in this video and those that I missed: Kito, Marquest, Prancer, Buddha Stretch, Link, Loose Joint, E-Joe, Tony, Caleaf, Ramier (Caleaf’s Brother), Rubber Band, Peek A Boo, Peter Paul and the list goes on... Thanks for the inspiration!

Deep Brazilian House Music Mix by JaBig

Tracklisting:
Luizao Antonio Adolfo, Brazil & Brazuka
Bobeira Sabrina Malheiros
Zeep Dreams Zeep, Spiritual South
Maracatueira Incognito
Nos Vida Little Louie Vega ft Anane
Melancolia Shun Tyger Feat. Yasmine Seydi
Yambou (Restless Soul Mix) Jazzinho
August Day Song (ADRS Remix) Bebel Gilberto
Deconstructed House Jerome Sydenham & Dennis Ferrer
Estacao Verao (Kenny Dope Remix) Sabrina Malherios
Cueira (Brazilian Soul Crew Mix) Danny Perez & Clara Mendes

Knotty Dogs

(This is actually a post I forgot to publish a long time ago) For a while I’ve pondered about the looks of my footwear, in particular my sneakers. See, for some time now, I’ve been big on wearing shoes. It all started back in my high school days when friends and I used to get denied at the doors of some major clubs even if we had valid (fake) ID and were dressed to impress (from head to ankle). The reason for us getting dissed was the use of improper footwear (sneakers) and the lack of proper footwear (shoes).

Don't get me wrong, many clubs did allow sneakers, especially those catered towards hip hop goers and dancers alike, but that wasn't enough for us. We wanted to get into all the clubs! However, turning into shoe connoisseurs, that problem came to an end quickly.From Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Coach, Ferragamo, Prada, Dr. Martens and even Durango boots (my first pair of club shoes/boots), we did it up in the clubs with our new love and appreciation for a nice pair of shoes and murdered the dance floors when we had the opportunity (I can't believe I was doing spin moves and dancing for hours in Durango's).

Most of us were heavy into the NYC 80's-90's dance scene (House music and Hip Hop) and started dance ciphers whenever and wherever possible to show off (our courtship rituals to the girls). As I got older my love for sneakers practically became…meh.

Anyway, I’ve been slowly getting back into rocking kicks again, mainly retro fit and vintage kicks from Polo (I’m still a Lo head), Asics and the ones that started it all for me revamping my kicks again…good ol’ Chuck's. Ah yes, you can’t go wrong with a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor's. That’s an essential and impeccable branding tool for those who don’t conform to the social norm and represent indie culture. As for the bitters and wannabes, you need to step off! You try to negate indie culture, but have the audacity to dress and fraudulently act the part. You know who you are!

Nevertheless, I stumbled across this book by the Shoelace professor himself Ian Fieggan who published a book in October 2007 called Laces: 100’s of Ways To Pimp Your Kicks. This book is practically the quintessential version of the bible for footwear fanatics. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, because I though the book was solely marketed towards sneaker fanatics, but it actually focuses on tying knots and artistically lacing up footwear. If you want my humble opinion, this book is a must for kids, athletes, workers, and sneaker enthusiasts looking to step their shoe game up.

About the Author

Ian Fieggen first became interested in shoelaces in 1982 when, at the age of 20, a broken-shoelace incident prompted him to analyze the humble shoelace knot. This led to the development of a better way to tie shoes, the Ian Knot, and set in motion Ian’s lifelong fascination with shoelaces.

Ian’s quarter-century of shoelace research culminated in Ian’s Shoelace Site (www.fieggen.com/shoelace), in which he used his graphic design skills to make dozens of intricate lacing and tying diagrams. His site, called “the best shoelace website in the universe” by Sneaker Freaker magazine, has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal online, and other magazines, newspapers, and websites from around the world.

Ian lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he’s often referred to as “Professor Shoelace.”

Buy | $11.96

Mr. RRL

Alongside the Polo Ralph Lauren brand, I have been a big fan of the RRL line since '93-'94 (my high school years). So, it's only right that I give props to the vintage guru himself, head of design for RRL, Doug Bihlmaier for running the show and keeping RRL both refined and rustic. The clothes don't make the man, it's the man that makes the clothes and Mr. Bihlmaier is the man.