| M A D V I L L A I N |

Let’s Talk a Little Bit About Hip-Hop. Most of the time, a Hip-Hop duo is composed of the MC and the DJ - The Beat and the Soul of Hip-Hop itself. Most MCs create a persona with which to attack other MCs while in the cipher. In the cipher, the persona helps establish a mythology and signature appearance/sound for the MC, this being no different than an artist’s personal life and their artistic caricatures of themselves. With commercialization of Hip-Hop, these personae have become less differential - mostly the thuggish persona that builds reputation like that of a Classical Greek hero set upon the Negroid streets and ghettos opposed to a spear-bedded field outside of Troy. But this commercialization has proven itself a true Greek hero, an Achilles dragging the ravaged soul of Hip-Hop around the radios, thrice, disrespecting its origins and spirituality. Now, Hip-Hop is seen as party music, club bangers, etc, and not the artistic onus of putting witty lyrics to hardhitting and throbbing beats.

With this status of Hip-Hop [and black music overall I’d say], Madvillain comes through resurrecting the lost Hip-Hop scriptures, with an unorthodox and perhaps even sacrilegious appeal. MF DOOM and DJ Mablib come together to birth one of the most exciting Hip-Hop albums of the decade. Madvillainy evokes images of Marvel Comics, although, as the title implies, without the heroes. MF DOOM dons a mask much like that of the Supervillain Viktor Vaughn (Dr. Doom) and with this evocative persona established, MF DOOM and his villainous accomplice spin tales of Hip-Hop heads ripping rhymes with a stoned face and getting that money like curls.

There are a lot of tracks on this album and this blog is somewhat slow with the uploads, so I won't even list the tracks. I'll just tell you this, the album has superior production thanks to Madlib, so the beats are blunted [as in short and probably Mary Jane-inspired] and sweet. MF Doom is smooth like butter on these tracks and it's pretty awesome. Not much more I can say in words. Check it.

Madvillian - All Caps
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| E X P E N S I V E S H I T |

This week, I'm going to focus on the Legendary Black President. No, not Obama. But Fela Anikulapo Kuti. And yes, you have no choice but to listen.

Let's go back to Africa - 1960's Nigeria was changing amidst the colonialism of the British and the imposition of Eurocentric values and cultures upon the African people. While this led to the introduction and fermentation of jazz and various forms reaching the continent during this period, this also lead to the dilution of the African culture and music especially.

Fela Kuti was a moving force in the Afrobeat genre - actually, scratch that. Fela Kuti IS the Afrobeat genre. For a while, he was playing the highlife genre that was popular in the 60's, giving him a light fusion of jazz and African rhythms to his repertoire. After studying in London for a period of time, he was further exposed to African American influences and even visited Los Angeles for about a year in 1969. It was then that Fela Kuti became enchanted with the Black Panthers and the influence of Malcolm X. From that point, Fela Kuti's political activism would begin - he incorporating elements of the Black Power and Pan-African Movement into his music and his livelihood. But it was the exposure to the music of James Brown that shaped Afrobeat into what it would become today - Jazz, Funk and Yoruba Music all in one.

Returning to Africa, Fela Kuti had a new mission. He had already been touring with his band, Koola Lobitos, yet the band was renamed Nigeria 70 and his music thrived in his newly erected club - The Afro-Shrine (often called the Shrine). His title of Black President however, came not through his music alone, but through his commune in Lagos, Nigeria. The commune, titled the Kalakuta (rascally in Swahili) Republic, had housed The Shrine, Kuti's band, family members, and even had a free health care center. Fela Kuti declared his commune separate from the Nigerian government and from his pulpit at the Shrine, he'd sing and incite the Nigerian people with his lyrics and rhythms, all while encouraging Pan-Africanism and national pride. But Fela Kuti never encouraged violence against the Nigerian regime, but the military nonetheless was against Fela Kuti and constantly harassed him.

Since most of Fela Kuti's records are only a few songs long, yet extend for long periods of times, I decided to simply review my favorite album of his: Expensive Shit.

"Water No Get Enemy."

Tracklisting

o1. expesnsiveshit

o2. waternogetenemy



A little history on this album. As I mentioned earlier, Fela Kuti was a political force that spoke against the corruption of the African government. With the government actively trying to subdue him, cops had planted a blunt on his person. Well, being the quick thinker that he was, Fela Kuti consumed the joint and the police then held him until the drugs could pass through his system. So, as the story goes, Fela Kuti exchanged his own excrement for that of another inmate and voila. There was no THC found in his droppings and therefore, Fela Kuti was set free to make fun of the event with Expensive Shit.

There isn't much I can really say about the tracks. They're African Funk Jams that last for 25 minutes all together. Being an import, the CD is usually 17 dollars and this is probably making people go like, "Dude, wtf, this is some Expensive Shit". But as you listen to Fela Kuti weave in and out of the groove with his commandeering saxophone while the African Polyrhythms ride a funk, not unlike Parliament's Horny Horns (look forward for a review on that later).

There's not much more I really have to say. I mean, heck, Fela Kuti stays in pocket with his band from beginning to end. In the title track, he and his band improvise for about six minutes before he lets out a howl and begins his political rants. Mind you, he speaks in pidgin for almost all of his songs, a sort of minimalist English as to reach a larger Pan-African audience (even though most Africans speak French and Dutch if I'm not mistaken).


I'm shutting up. Just, just listen. Next week, I'm thinking Prince or maybe even some Early Hip-Hop.
//end.

Hana Yori Dango - A true Cinderella Story

Hana Yori Dango's story may not be unique, or original, but it is great and unique in its own way. It follows a lower class girl Tsukushi Makino as she attends the wealthiest school in Japan called Eitoku Academy. Because of her attitude, it doesn't take her long to become the most hated person in the school and the target of the F4, the sons of the most powerful families in all of Japan. Then however it doesn't take long for the main leader of the F4, Tsukasa Domyoji, to take a interest in Makino because she is the only girl in the school who doesn't show an interest in him. However because of his attitude Makino pays no interest in him- instead she has her eyes set on another guy.

As stated above the story may be simple, but it's compelling none the less. Even though it starts out as a love triangle, it is quickly solved who the main character will end up with and thus we get to see a relationship in an manga (Which is quite rare outside a couple of titles). Even though the love triangle is solved early on that does not stop the Drama in any way. To see these two characters grow as their relationship grows is truly a wonderful joy and is one of the strong points of the manga.

The strongest point of this manga lies with the characters. Makino Tsukushi may be one of the best and most likeable character's. She is contently faced with adversity, whether it be extreme bullying by the school, or having to work and balance school to help support her poor family. She never puts her head down, but instead keeps pushing forward. She also has the unique ability to tame the most pig headed people in the world, a very rare ability indeed. We mustn't forget Tsukasa Domyoji- while he is portrayed early on as a foul, mean, stubborn rich kid, he is much more than that. He is caring and brave, and most of all innocent. His character, thanks to Makino, goes through some of the best development I have seen in a Shoujo Romance manga.

The art work is unique in its own way. As the series ran for over a decade the art does improve tremendously as it comes closer to its end. It starts off very dated, with not much detail in the environment around the characters, simply character designs and sometimes very awkward facial expressions. But by the end it is vastly improved, with a lot of detail added to the environment, and while the character design didn't change their facial expressions did and you can literally feel the emotion coming off the characters.

If you are a fan of Shoujo Romance anime or manga and you have not read this yet then go read it. The story and characters will suck you into this tangling story of Cinderella as she tries to deal with her own feelings and the problem of being in the lower class.

Haibane Renmei - Cute Children with Wings?

Cute Children with Wings is the first thought that popped into my mind when I picked up ‘Haibane Renmei’. But that’s quite a harsh statement if that’s all it was. After all, it has got Yoshitoshi ABe at the mantle, who has contributed his artistic skills to the excellent and plot-provocative ‘Serial Experiments Lain’. This time, the plot isn’t as provocative as his first work, but it’s no less reason to get yourself attached to it.

The plot is special. It’s slow-moving and is in no rush, especially with such a small episode count of thirteen. The characters are developed up to a satisfying point and the back-story is revealed in a pleasing dosage. The only issue that might mar ‘Haibane Renmei’ is its negligence to explain the remaining questions. But once you get attached to the story and the well-liked, diverse group of characters, then there’s no point quarreling about the carelessness of those neglected answers.

Yoshitoshi ABe’s input on the series has been both within the art and the production. It’s the first time that he has had more of an input that doesn’t require just his artistic talent. However, if you’ve been following ABe’s work, you’ll instantly recognize his art style. That said, you’ll see that he is the main man behind the concept of ‘Haibane Renmei’, as the anime itself started off as a Dojinshi. ‘Rakka’, a young girl and the main star of the series, is friends with six or more who all live in Old Home. What sets them apart and makes them different from the people of the city is that they all have wings of an angel.

It’s interesting to see Rakka being born in the world at the start of the series and getting a grip with reality, from being given a name and seeing herself as a Haibane [People with Wings] to being bombarded with rules that are specific to the Haibane. And it’s truly heart-jerking to see Rakka dealing with loss. However, Reki is the true star of the show, as her mother-figure, back-story and personality make an extreme likability out of her. And others such as Kuu, Nemu, Kana and Hikari don’t grate on others and aren’t merely filler.

It’s all accompanied by an all-rounded soundtrack, although some are flat and not that appealing. But others are very memorable. The ending could’ve done with a bit more effort, as it ended without giving much needed answers to many of the story's questions. But its ending is fitting for ‘Haibane Renmei’, as life goes on for the Haibane.

Should you watch it: Haibane Renmei is an excellent and solid anime, with Yoshitoshi ABe at the mantle to give you a well-written and heart-jerking anime. You’ll be crazy to NOT pick this up.

What You Should Be Reading: The Sword

Hello, this is Servando Gomez and current leader of the blog your reading.   I'm not all that great at introductions but since you're spending the time to read this I feel I should explain what i'm all about.  I'm the guy that loves reading with preference for sequential art.   You know, comic books and manga.  My taste in these things range from different things works such as zombies as in "The Walking Dead" to spy Thrillers ala "Queen and Country" to mainstream stuff like "Astonishing X-Men".  As for what i'm doing here, I'm the comic book columnist for the blog and it leads me to make this first post about one of my favorite out now.

  The Sword by the Luna Brothers is a cult favorite published by Image comics and it's about a girl named Dara whose family is slain by gods.  In her narrow escape from them, she comes across a mystical sword her father owned and it then grants her powers that makes her more or less superhuman. It is then from there becomes a quest for vengeance like no other that involves settings from the world over in Dara attempt to avenge her family.

As for the art, The Luna's style for the comic is far removed from most forms of mainstream comics or manga you can get.  In the their unique, original style; they bring a level of life to their characters that most comics/manga fail to bring.  It lends well to developing their characters and getting the reader care for them.  From small, tender moments to the  Full Throttle action sequences the series is known for; The Luna's Style holds it on against masters like Bryan Hitch (current artist for Captain America Reborn and of The Ultimates Fame) and Takeshi Obata of Death Note.  It helps that the two of them have great chemistry making the story together.

Example of Ahem, Not fighting

But enough about story and art; the reason why it gets the praise it does is for the level of action and utter awesome moments surpasses anything out there on the market.  Titles such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and Bleach with all their fighting scenes in comparison fail to elicit the action movie feel "The Sword" brings. Maybe it's due to the fact that "The Sword" Paneling is a deep black that gives it a widescreen Hi-Definition feel to it. But overall, no other comic book (or manga for that matter) had me saying "Oh MY God" as much as The Sword.

 Action Sequence For The Matrix?

Yet, i must caution that it's truly a gruesome comic with explicit art showing of killing and dismembering of people but it is nothing worst you see in a slasher flick.  Still, for all it's violence and graphic depiction of killing, it never glorifies it in the way Quentin Tarentino does in his films such as Inglorius Bastards or Kill Bill.  Something that i give credit for "The Sword" that it takes into account that killing is serious and it's a constant delima Dara faces through the series.

A death of a Sister

Now despite the violence, the story that LUNA brothers are crafting within "The Sword" is second to almost none with maybe the works of Alan Moore's Watchmen and the like barely being above it.  Still, it's much better than anything else on the market and with the three trade collections collecting issues 1-18 out now; it's a great time to come into reading it as the final arc (issues 19-24) began last month with the lanuch of issue 19 in September.

Dawn of a New Age

Hello there. I am another one of the (hopefully) interesting bloggers whose work you are going to be reading here. My interests revolve more around the wonders of the digital revolution and the technology that drives it, but I'll also tap into other subjects. Really, over the course of my 'career' here at Chrome Wire I will likely touch upon a little of everything, as everything on this Big Blue Marble is connected in one way or another. So let's get this ride started, shall we?

We are at the dawn of a new age. At least, that's what a few would like for us to believe. This age is a first in the history of humanity, which is usually cyclic and full of repetition. This is an age of instant gratification, all dependent on the speeds you're able to access the Information Superhighway. Welcome, friends, the world of digital distribution.

Everything is going in that direction, and I've heard various ideas of how fast we're going to get there. Some think we will say goodbye to physical media entirely by 2020, while more conservative optimists believe it will take at least another decade or two for that to become a reality. Time is relative, and by that I mean it's entirely dependent on how soon you want to dive into such a future, as it's already here. Between Amazon's Kindle, services like iTunes and the Netflix's download service for the Xbox (which will ultimately expand to other devices – eventually creating a replacement device for the DVD and Blu-Ray player, I'm sure), and Sony's recently released PSP Go, every form of diversion we have will soon be bought, sold, traded, and shared completely as a series of 1's and 0's. Except maybe board games: really, physically taking out an enemy's queen in chess is just too satisfying.

You may find it strange, though, that someone like me isn't looking forward to such a future. Why wouldn't I? I've heard all the promises, from “You'll be able to have access to all your stuff forever!” to “No more having to organize all those DVD and game cases! Imagine all the extra room you'll have!”

Right. Aside from the fact that I love holding the case of a brand new movie or game (really, it helps me accept that what I now have was worth parting with certain green pieces of paper), the above isn't quite accurate. How isn't it? Read on.

Questions of Ownership:
Over the last few years, many people have become aware of the questionable nature of their ownership regarding what they have legally downloaded. Reading the EULA of several services (such as iTunes or the Kindle Store) suggests that you are not buying that song or book, but a 'license of use' for that particular device, with DRM triumphantly making sure you don't illegally play that song on another man's iPod, which is one of the seven deadly sins of the digital world.

Thanks to this lovely fact that you don't actually own what you download, it stands to reason that the party you've bought the license to use from could take it back under any circumstances. Can you imagine a company deleting something you've payed for?

Well, it's already happened. Earlier this year (in July, if I remember correctly), there was something of an occurence. It seems that there was a question regarding the legalities of a few copies of 1984 by George Orwell that had been digitally transmitted to various Kindles around the US. It seems the supplier, MobileReference, didn't have rights to distribute the text here in the States. So Amazon, being the responsible company that it is, promptly reached into people's Kindles and deleted thousands of copies of 1984. The money was refunded, of course, but there was no warning. No notification beforehand. It was like someone from Barnes & Noble breaking into your house and taking back a book you had bought recently. Only it wasn't, because Amazon had the legal rights to do so, thanks to the EULA. You agreed to this when you downloaded it. Welcome to the future!

A similar thing is also applicable to the iPhone App store, though in this case it's there for our protection. Steve Jobs says so, which means we can all rest easy. That man would never lie to us.

Forever?:
With this issue also comes the fact that, in the case of specialized hardware, your items are tied to the device. Using video games as an example here, any SNES on the entire planet can play the SNES games I own. If my SNES dies, I can try my luck at getting it repaired or getting a replacement, and all my SNES games would still work for me. It's like magic. As long as those cartridges work, I'm good to go.

If that classic console only played downloadable games (like the PSP Go), my system breaking would also likely mean I had just lost my entire library. Sure, you can jump through hoops for the company to get your digital rights transferred to your shiny new SNES (or PSP Go), but that SNES can't be a used SNES, because that would be a sin. While DRM security on standard PCs is much easier to get around (allowing your to backup your precious licensed data), doing so makes you a criminal. You're not a criminal, are you?

...what was my second complaint, again? Oh yeah, clutter...

The Magic of Digital Clutter:
Ok, so this isn't really a false promise, as digital clutter is much easier to handle than physical disks piling up to crush your soul with the drudgery of organization. Just create a folder, right click and choose any number of organization methods. Alphabetically? No problem. Try doing that with the hundreds of DVDs you've got lying around.

Even if you're someone who refuses to organize (like me), there's also the search function. Find all your songs, put 'em in a playlist, and save that playlist on your desktop. You will never have to hunt for your music again. Unless, of course, you lose the right to play your DRM'd music for whatever reason. Then you're screwed.

In Conclusion:
The wild world of digital distribution is an enevitable future for humanity. These issues will definitely have to be resolved for it to really succeed in overtaking the entrenched physical world that's been around for thousands of years (in the case of books anyway). Whether it is done by these companies giving us more rights to our downloaded goods or the next generation just accepting that they won't own squat, the solution - and the future - is inevitable. Assuming we're not wiped out by an asteroid soon.

While I didn't cover streaming services much, one thing I'd like to point out that's relatively new is the "cloud computing" model of gaming that's on the horizion. Services like OnLive and Gaikai (I'll write about them another time) are upfront about your lack of ownership, because the entire idea is for you to subscribe to their servers so you can access these games. Nothing is permanently downloaded - the video of the game is streamed to either you computer or a little box, with your response using a controller or keyboard streamed back to the remote server for processing. It's really cool - and defnitely the future, but this kind of service has several issues, most of which go way beyond just ownership and potential loss of access to your games. Perhaps I'll cover this another time.

| S E X M A C H I N E |

Let me introduce myself before I do anything else. I am Chris, born early during the latter half of 1990, I had the opportunity to experience the late 90's with pretty good understanding of what was going on around me. But as far as music goes, my interests were prenatal: Stevie Wonder, Switch, Antonio Jobim, David Bowie, Fela Kuti, and Sugarfoot to name a few. With that said, I'll probably work all of my blog posts to highlight various artists within the spectrums of Jazz, Blues, Soul, Funk, New Jack Swing, Afrobeat, African Music, Hip-Hop, and the stuff that falls in-between, alternating between the contemporary and the classics. Mind you, this will probably be a big focus of the blogs I'll do, but I'm still open to exposing some music in the vein of House, Trip-Hop, Tango, Classical, etc.

This week, I'm going to focus on Mr. Dynamite, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, Sex Machine, Mr. Please Please Please Her, The Godfather of Soul- Brotha James Brown.

This man is one of the early founders of funk - the other two being Sly Stone and George Clinton. James Brown came out on the scene in the late 50's, born 'n raised in the South and thusly influenced by the popular gospel-tinged R&B of Ray Charles and Little Richard. But it wasn't until the mid-sixties when James Brown really began to blow up around America, at first being limited mostly to Black venues and Black patronage. With hits such as "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Out of Sight", James Brown began to attract the White audiences of America, earning him the leverage he needed for his future hits.

James Brown however galvanized music forever more with his smash hit, "Cold Sweat", oftentimes credited with being the first ever, true Funk Song. His surge in popularity was boosted even more by his appearances on the Soul Train (being interviewed by a young Al Sharpton himself), and his Civil Rights Movement-themed piece of "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)". Ironically, the chorus of "Say It Loud" led James Brown to recruit a few youths for the refrain and a majority of them were white or Asian with only a few Black children to sing in it. [I lol'd].

After James Brown had become a driving musical force in the late 60's, hit after hit was issued. "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got the Feelin'", "Mother Popcorn", "Super Bad", and least of all, "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine)" followed James Brown from the 60's into the duration of the 70's, his popularity waning into the 80's. But the 80's were far from devoid of James Brown's influence - Prince and Michael Jackson both being the most popular artists of the 80's, drawing upon James Brown vocal inflections and funk sensibilities.

So, to follow that quick run, I'mma review Brotha JB's album: Sex Machine.

"Shake your arms, then use your form/ stay on the scene like a sex machine./ You got to have the feeling - sure as you're born./ Get it together, right on, right on."

Tracklisting

o1. getup(ifeellikebeinga)sexmachine

o2. brotherrapp(pts1-2)

o3. bewildered

o4. igotthefeelin

o5. giveituporturnitloose

o6. idontwantnobodytogivemenothing(openupthedoorillgetitmyself)

o7. lickingstick--lickingstick

o8. lowdownpopcorn

o9. spinningwheel

1o. ifiruledtheworld

11. therewasatime

12. itsamansmansworld

13. pleasepleaseplease

14. icantstandmyself(whenyoutouchme)

15. motherpopcorn

This is one of the many compilations of James Brown's live tours throughout the decades - usually connecting a good two or three shows that he had performed a few days from one another. James Brown begins by asking if he can do his thing, really get into it, do his thing, get into it - then he counts it off. He tells you to "Get Up, Stay on the Scene, Like a Sex Machine" and you do as he says. When this album came out, James Brown had already formed his all-star band of the JB's. He already had the legendary Saxophonist and right-hand man, Maceo Parker, as well as the future legend of the P-Funk Collective, Bootsy Collins on bass. From the get go, as you can expect from a James Brown album, James Brown gets down with his bad self, staying on the one and keeping it funky from start to finish. He opens up with the legendary, "Get Up ( I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and the track grooves on for a good eleven minutes. Without giving you time to catch a breath, he gets back into a groove with his "Brother Rapp" which lasts Five minutes. A quick montage previous hits follows with "Bewildered" as he references past hits. "I Got the Feelin'" was also a popular song, it being lip-synched in a particular episode of the Cosby Show with Theo mimicking James Brown (Awesome Episode btw).

What follows, however, lacks the in pocket groove of the earlier parts of the album. Not to say that the rest of the album is bad however. "Spinning Wheel" and "Lowdown Popcorn" are mostly instrumental grooves which show off the precision of James Brown's tight band. The following five tracks, "If I Ruled the World" through "I Can't Stand Myself ( When You Touch Me)" serve as the standard fare in a James Brown show - a medley of his most popular hits at the time. The Medley is composed of short snippets of his more soulful hits, reminding the audience that James Brown has vocal merit beyond his spine-chilling ululations and soul growls. But the reason I bought the album (other than for Sex Machine and rumors that it just is funking amazing) is for the track "Mother Popcorn" at the very end. This funk jam reminded me of the glory of "Cold Sweat".

James Brown's influence on music is evident as you listen to Sex Machine - the soulful screams of Prince, funky basslines of Bootsy Collins, Horny Horns of Parliament. James Brown epitomized Black Music and, for the most part, continues to do so. As time goes on, I might end up doing a review of another one of his records. But as it stands, next in line is probably going to be Fela Kuti - a legend that had come out of Nigeria and was to Africa, what James Brown was to America, Fela Kuti himself actually meeting James Brown and being directly influenced by the Godfather of Soul.


Well, that's all for this week's Funk. In the mean while, Get up offa that thing, shake it, you'll feel better!

Get up offa that thing - James Brown
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 { James Brown picture @ Consequence of Sound }

//end.

Spectacles for Humans

Hello there! I will also be one of the contributors to this blog. My main areas of expertise and interest lie in mainly art and music but is rising in fashion. I go to an art school and am majoring in digital illustration. Well let's get started. I'm sure I'm not the only one with terrible luck finding good prescription glasses that aren't your typical run of the mill designer frames around here. If you live in California, or better yet in L.A., there's a pretty awesome store called Spectacles for Humans. You may have heard of it if you live around there. They carry the kind of stuff you probably never even heard of. The above is a part of Cutler and Gross's Monte Carlo Collection. Pretty slick. The guys at Spectacle for Humans are even willing to make trips to Japan to pick up frames; and sometimes on a waiting list! Some notable Japanese brands in particular are spec espace and Kaneko Optical's SPIVVY. Both of which have been carried by Spectacles for Humans. Cool stuff. But do take note that Japanese frames might not cater completely to non-Asian faces, but it's not something a few adjustments here and there can't fix, as Spectacle for Humans does. The scrupulous detail on the frames are unparalleled. This is a place where frames aren't merely designed, but sculpted, to even as far as being hand made. They offer stand-out design in a way that is nothing short but sophisticated and ingenious. I will definitely be keeping a watchful eye out and major consideration to Spectacle for Humans in the future.

▲▲▲

spec espace

Kaneko Optical