Tecktonic is a dance movement and scene started in the suburbs of France and has since spread around Europe and Mexico. It combines elements of breakdance, urban hip hip moves and other styles. To me it is very reminiscent of the kind of dancing done at Los Angeles backyard parties in the 80s. I was told by an authority on the subject that this kind of dancing was called pointing.
This group which I think is called Milky Way or perhaps that’s just the style not only dances well but makes some pretty graphically interesting videos. They have many more up but this is my favorite. Just like in any style of dance some folks have a better style than others. My favorites are the second dancer and the last one. Enjoy!
Buraka Som Sistema – Sound of Kuduro
I’m quite sad that I only came across this song and video recently although it was released about a year ago. It means I could have enjoyed it that much sooner. To be honest, despite my scouring of Youtube for various kinds of global dance there is really nothing I’ve seen recently (okay, maybe the Kurdish Halay dancers) that has blown me away like this clip of Angolan breakdancers. Add MIA into the mix and whoa, I’m out of words!
I’m kinda tired of putting things on Facebook so you’ll be seeing lots more video clips here. Let’s start with Guerilla dancers in Japan.
(h/t Neatorama)
If I had a top one hundred song list, this would definitely be on it. Zapp and Roger’s music represents a lot of things to me, some of it related to nostalgia but also a certain positivity that existed in Los Angeles and specifically South Central during the 70s and 80s. Once in awhile I meet folks who were part of this scene and they exude a certain hopefulness, a kind of positive energy that is increasingly rare nowadays. I remember reading about some old school Los Angeles pop lockers who talked about the same thing. KDAY and Bobby Jimmy and the Critters are two examples.
Zapp and Roger were (and still are) so popular among Chicanos (and cholos) that the cancellation of one of their shows caused a riot. During one of the earlier Cinco de Mayo/Fiesta Broadway events the cops shut down a live Zapp and Roger performance when they were surprised by the size of the crowd (LA cops get nervous around large crowds). This sparked off a small disturbance which turned into a riot downtown with people running through the streets going crazy.
A funny related story, during this Fiesta Broadway/Zapp riot a friend of mine and his buddies jumped on girl’s car (their version of flirting), the cops saw and charged them with car jacking. Unbeknownst to him, this was all captured for an episode of COPS as he was later to find out when the people in the neighborhood told him “Hey, I saw you on Cops the other day!”
The recorded version of this song is preferable to the this live one but it’s pretty amazing to see Roger sing with the plastic tube stuck in his mouth. He really seems to be enjoying the performance. As many know, the times turned dark for these brothers and a tragic argument ended both of their lives.
This is the music of my daily life. What I listen to when I have a choice and I’m not at the mercy of the car radio or the bad shuffling IPOD. These are songs that enchant me upon first listening and that I’ve only recently became acquainted with. Perhaps they’ll be forgotten in a few months or worn out after repeated plays but for now, this music is just right.
Parallel Lines by Junior Boys
A song that satisfies an itch I didn’t know I had. I have a weakness for wimpy boy singers. The group is from Canada and gained notoriety for remixing a Manitoba (Caribou) track.
Tonight’s Today by Jack Peñate
Some are referring to this sound as “Indie Tropicana.” Call it what you will, this is an excellent song! Jack Peñate is a London based performer and seems to be selling out all over England according to his myspace page. I don’t think he’s too well known over here. He just needs to wait for KCRW to start playing him. Who knows, maybe they already are? I don’t listen to that station. Nic Hartcourt killed it for me (killed it in the bad way) years ago. I know he’s gone now but it’s still hard to switch back.
London Scene by Twisted Charm
Safe to say, my new favorite indie pop band, previously mentioned here. Lyrics reminiscent of early punk, they are not afraid to criticize or protest accepted habits like TV viewing or scenster-ism.
My Brazilian friend excitedly instant messaged me the link to this song, it’s pretty darn awesome! What does it say? Something about going on tour and not speaking English and lewd references to sexual acts. Love the premise of the video: being smuggled into another country in a shipping container? No problem for Brazilians, they’d make a party of it!
Black Eyes (Le Castle Vania Remix) by Snowden
Do something else besides watch the video while this song is playing. How about dance? This is just one of those songs I can listen to over and over again. There’s not much to it, it just works. I’m not too fond of the original, it’s this mix that makes it special.
So Fine by Telepathe
Yeah, can you get any more hipster than this? I guess I have a thing for girls with wimpy voices too (Mahogany) but I like how the beat in this song breaks in midway. My favorite song by this Brooklyn based band (from where else could they be?) is Chrome’s On It. You can listen to it on their myspace page.
Serio by The Lost Valentinos
There’s something interesting about this song but I’m not sure quite what yet. Los Valentinos are an indie nouveau psych band (what did I used to call this genre?) from Sydney, Australia. I think some of the guys in the video are Latino. I wonder what Latino Australians are like? This video has ‘heaps’ of symbolism.
Glass by Bat For Lashes
Nice!
Fantomes by Joakim
Joakim is a French DJ/musician and has numerous band names attached to the end of his like Joakim and his Ectoplasmic Band or Joakim and the Disco. In this clip he is walking among paper fantomes in Paris. That’s all we are, ghosts. Another great video here, could not decide between the two.
I picked this blog theme from a free WordPress sharing site. I had no idea that Twitter was using the bird on a branch graphic for it’s website too or perhaps they started it using it recently? According to the designer of this blog, the graphic comes from a freeshare site. Well, it’s all fine that we’re sharing but I don’t want to be associated with Twitter so you’ll be seeing some graphic changes around here soon. Perhaps my joke nickname of “aesthetic tyrant” is more appropriate than I care to admit?
Fixed it, tried to keep with the bird on the tree theme but not sure why? Maybe I’ll change it all again soon.
When I was in elementary school (Hillcrest Elementary in Monterey Park) I was often asked the question: “What are you?” Sometimes I would act coy and answer “What do you mean?” but I knew what they meant. Then they’d ask “What’s your nationality?” and I’d say “American” but I knew that wasn’t the answer they wanted. Then they said “No, your parents.” And I’d say “They’re American too.” After being surprised by that answer they would finally ask “Aren’t you Mexican?” And I’d answer “Yes” but thinking to myself : Of course, I’m Mexican. The whole school is filled with Mexican and Chicano kids with the odd Cuban or Central American kid thrown in. The rest of the students were Asian and I’m sure they weren’t asked such questions.
Then I would get asked the question that I’d been really trying to avoid in the first place “What state of Mexico is your family from?” There is no Mexican that has not been asked this question, I even ask it to other Mexicans myself. I’ve always felt awkward answering though because my family has been here for a few generations and I have no real ties to any state in Mexico. I have no grandparents to visit, no Mexican cousins, no houses to visit during the holidays and yet I had to give an answer. I would reply “My mother’s family from Sonora and my father’s family from Michoacan.” Then there’d be this “Oh” as if my response said everything they could possibly want to know about me. In Mexican culture the state you are from is a big deal and there are enough cultural variations in each state for this assessment to be real.
For instance, I’ve always had a slight prejudice against people from Guadalajara, Mexico. Perhaps it’s been because most of the folks I’ve met from Guadalajara here in Los Angeles tend to have more money and also more European heritage which I think makes them slightly snobby. Lately too, as I’ve been doing research on my family genealogy and history, I’ve really come to identify with the states of my maternal great grandparents: Sonora, Durango and Chihuahua. So perhaps, that’s influenced my preference for the northern states.
My paternal grandfather’s family has always been a bit of a black hole. The story passed down to me was my paternal grandfather was deported soon after my father was born and not allowed back into the US. My grandmother told me she was in love with my grandfather but her parents objected to their relationship and kept them apart. They weren’t married when my father was born. She told me my paternal grandfather would send letters but my grandmother’s father threw them away and eventually the tenuous lines of communication faded away.
After asking my dad a million times for info about his father, I finally got it out of him that he had some of these letters. I was thrilled! What secrets would I uncover? Would the mysteries and the countless fictional narratives I’ve created around this man finally be resolved? I’m still working my way through the letters and there’s quite a bit to analyze and decipher. I’ve been impressed by my grandfather’s writing skills, for a laborer/farm worker (perhaps he’d been more) he’s very articulate. It’s also interesting to notice the language variation between when he writes to my grandmother in a flowery and romantic way and the letter to his “carnal” (above) which is infused with border lingo.
The most shocking discovery about my grandfather’s past and one I would never have dreamed of, is that he and his family are from Guadalajara! My prejudices come back to haunt me. I knew he was from Jalisco but because he has always been so mysterious to me, I just assumed it might not be totally true. Guadalajara is where he finally returned after his unsuccessful attempts to make it to the US. There are few letters from a prison in Texas where he was kept after being caught trying to cross. Many sore spots surrounding his non-existence in my family’s life still persist, things better left unsaid on a public blog. My mother and father did try and look for him once in Guadalajara but their attempts were as unsuccessful as my grandfather’s border crossing skills.
According to the letters my grandfather and great-grandmother lived at this address:
Familia Ybarra-Ramos
Calle Independencia 110
Guadalajara, JAL, 44100, Mexico
Perhaps one day I will make a pilgrimage to Guadalajara and search the city for familiar faces.
excerpt from letter:
Pues yo cria que te avain castigado duro la migracion. Pero veo que eres invunerable y no hay frontera que se te cierre.
I’ve always been a fan of public art especially stencils and wheat pasted posters. There’s been a long tradition of using these methods of public propaganda to promote subversive political ideas and critiques of culture. Often the graphics and posters are clever and thoughtful and the critiques they make witty and sharp. (See this video for how it’s done.) How could one not want to squat, take to the streets or run to the barricades after being inspired by such expressions of creativity?
It is within this context that I view the current crop of stencil/graff/flyposting artists here in Los Angeles and sad to say, these attempts at public art are hardly worth the mention. (Shepard Fairey? Pffft.) Most of the wheat pasted pieces I’ve seen, especially on the west side of the Los Angeles River are all about self-promotion and lack original and creative qualities.
Take this poster for instance. Einstein holding a sign that says “Love is the answer?” In this day and age of La Crisis and the numerous dire situations this city finds itself in, and the only thing this artist can come up with is this pseudo-hippie slogan? Oh how edgy! And Einstein…really? And when has ‘Love’ solely been the answer to anything? Some people’s ideas of love can be pretty screwed up, so no thank you. Social change comes not from wishful thinking and sappy slogans but from real engagement with the world we live in. Perhaps it’s this engagement that’s lacking from the current crop of west of the River public art.
“ People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of constraints, such people have a corpse in their mouth. “– Raoul Vaneigem, 1967
See LA Taco for an amazing gallery of public art from Argentina.
A song scene from the 1983 Greek movie “Rembetiko” by Costas Ferris. More on Rembetika later.
English translation:
When a man is born, a sorrow is born
and when the war gets fierce, blood cannot be counted
(Chorus)
Burn, I burn, spill more oil on the fire…
Drown, I drown, throw me into a deep sea…
Burn, I burn, spill more oil on the fire…
Drown, I drown, throw me into a deep sea…
(Chorus)
I swore to your eyes, which were the Gospel to me
to turn the stab you gave me into laughter
Deep down in hell together, the chain break
and if you pull me by your side, blessed be you
I’m in between novels, hence more frequent posting. I’ve also been spending more time on Youtube researching various musical threads – so much so, that at this point I can probably do a favorite video of the day (I post videos daily on facebook). So what to do? Well, I suppose share them with you all, right?
Back when I was putting together the Music From Everywhere CD, I knew I wanted to include a song from Lata Mangeshker. She is after all, the voice of Bollywood and my first introduction to this music style. Dilbar Dil Se Pyare was the song I chose. The rhythm made me think of camel caravan stretching across the desert. The composers did a good job in conveying the atmosphere of the song because just recently I discovered the song really is about a caravan. And not just any caravan, a Gypsy caravan.
Lata Mangeshkar – Dilbar Dil Se Pyare – Caravan, 1971
While the music is strictly late 60s Bollywood, the dancing seems to be based on traditional Gypsy/nomad dancing from Rajasthan. I particularly like the use of the wheel in the choreography.
Oh Kesario Hazari Gul Ro Phool
The real Banjara-Gypsy dancing is beautifully performed in the much referenced (on this blog, anyways) Romani movie, Latcho Drom.
According to a translation on Youtube, the young Banjara boy is singing about a girl he loved who was so beautiful she was dangerous. “Beware the evil eye” was included in this translation.
It is believed Romani/Gypsy people left northern India about one thousand years ago in successive waves of immigration into Central Asia and Europe performing music and dance during their travels and sometimes were made slaves to perform as royal court musicians.
Another aside, of all the music of the Romani diaspora, it is Flamenco with the twelve beat compas and the rhythm of “Gypsy” Indians that is most closely related. In Flamenco there is a type of song called martinetes, derived from the hammering of metal smiths similar to what is shown at the beginning of the clip.
San Francisco trash can. Caution, items may escape.
This weekend in San Francisco I was asked a couple of questions that sort of surprised me and for one reason or another have lingered in my thoughts.
Someone asked me if I was Native American but they meant north of the US border native. It’s a common enough question but still interesting that the border still somehow defines a “regular” Native American person from an indigenous person in Mexico. I recognize no borders when it comes to my pre-European heritage.
Another person after hearing me speak for a few minutes asked me if I was from New Mexico. To this person’s ears my heavy vowel and soft consonant accent reminded them of their family from the region. Do Chicanos in the Bay Area not have accents? Anyways, I explained the accents are similar because they are derived from border languages of Spanish and indigenous dialects that moved west with folks from New Mexico, Arizona, Sonora and Chihuahua. But the accent here in Los Angeles is changing. It’s only the old-timers that speak like George Lopez nowadays. Glad to hear it’s alive and well in the ranchos of New Mexico.
Interesting that both of these simple questions brought up many more issues of identity than I was prepared to deal with at the time. Don’t ask me these kinds of things while I’m enjoying a beer, unless you’re prepared for a brutally honest response or a long, rambling answer.
