With its focus on graffiti and a lackluster storyline, Bomb the System (Palm Pictures) can be described fairly accurately as an update of the 80s graffiti classic Wild Style, which also rode a thin plot through the streets and walls of New York City. Its real value is in the visuals. From the nighttime shots… Continue reading Bomb the System Directed by Adam Bhala Lough
“Big wheel, big spin, big money, no whammies Don’t save me a seat when you get to the Grammys” — nomadboy So, against my better judgment, I watched the Grammys the other night. This viewing experiment reminded me both of how much I love music and how far away my tastes are from “Grammy material.”… Continue reading Underground Sounds
Having grown up watching shows like Sanford & Son, Good Times, What’s Happening!!, Diff’rent Strokes, etc., I didn’t start to think hard about the typical representations of race on television until I heard Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero” (and their follow-up response aimed at movies, “Burn Hollywoood, Burn”). Roy ChristopherI marshal the middle between… Continue reading Watching Race and Revolution Televised
For the past three years, Thirsty Ear’s Blue Series has been quietly building an arsenal of some of the most interesting collaborations available on wax. They’ve teamed up their Blue Series Continuum jazz band with innovative rappers, producers, and musicians including Antipop Consortium, El-P, DJ Wally, Saul Williams, Meat Beat Manifesto, and DJ Spooky, among… Continue reading The Blue Series from Thirsty Ear
If you believe that your thoughts originate inside your brain — do you also believe that television shows are made inside your television set? — Warren Ellis We’re all connected. Our saturated selves are each a part of a collective, socially constructed mix of language games and habits without names. “All minds quote,” once quoth… Continue reading Rhythm Science by Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky
