So you already know that I’m a fan of iLL-Literacy’s work and their approach to it. This fall, they dropped iB41 for free. Now they’ve emerged post- winter hibernation, all psychedelic and spirals and shit, to ask ya freeloaders to contribute to their latest track. At least the musically-inclined ones.
I’m pretty sure that this thing called collaborative music is gonna swallow up the fatty record industry (or at least force it to take a fatty diet) and re-position music as we know it. I know this cos I often predict the future. Anyway, I’ve already ranted and raved about open source and sharing and the like in a previous post, so I’ll stop right there w/ the nerdery… and let the guys who made it do the talking!
So I’ve gotten lazy with my bloggy lately cos I’ve been clicking, cropping, and Indesign-ing my evenings and weekends away. Never mind my social life.
This is my baby of 3 weeks… it’s a booklet I designed for a film and webisode series called Open Minds Open Mouths. The project documents the impact of Berkeley Unified School District’s Food Policy, which ensures that all BUSD students have daily access to organic, locally grown breakfasts and lunches.
In typical Berkeley fashion, the policy’s got its share of fans and haters. Which mostly makes me wonder what the people being most affected by the policy– kids of color and their families– have to say about all of this. Anyway… as someone who doesn’t know much about food policy, I ought to get schooled a bit, check out the doc when it becomes available, before adding yet another 2 cents to the chorus…
My life is a bit more complete now that I’ve experienced the creative monstrosity that is Santigold. I come late in the game– the album dropped in October and they’ve been around for a few years besides– but it’s never too late to recognize greatness. And in this case, greatness comes in a collage of 80’s pop and a lil’ punk with a dash of dub all mashed together by hot genius Santi White and producer John Hill.
From the website:
This is better than good; this is gold— SANTIGOLD!
Santigold is a survivor of a half century worth of living along musical evolution’s most cutting edges. Already receiving weighty club rotation and airplay in urban Afghanistan and downtown Beirut, Santigold is the first act of the century to boast a post-war following on the International Space Station Mir. Following a live performance broadcast from three thousand miles off the Cape of Good Hope last June, inmates at Leavenworth Penitentiary received Santigold with a celebratory confetti parade. Just another first for the modern super group that knows no bound.
Composed of absolutely no members, Santigold is also the first musical outfit capable of claiming the planet’s broiling collective consciousness as their front woman. Longtime collaborator, singer and songwriter Santi White says of her work with Santigold, “We began trying to write pop songs to sell, which made us depressed, so we started writing songs for ourselves instead.” The results of that self centered conceit is the songwriting work heard for the first time on the full length self-titled Santigold album.
I don’t even know what this shit means but I know I like it. Now I’ll quit blabbing for a second and politely suggest that you LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN.
If you’re liking… check out the video! Santigold, Pharrell, and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes join forces for Converse to deliver some sweet music via sweeter animation. Please disregard the fact that it’s an ad.
It’s a new year in a little over 24 hours. I’ve spent the past 2 weeks chillin’ with a 9 year old… so in honor of the kiddies, their freakin’ endless imaginations, and the future they’re plotting for all of us oldies…
This year was a really “baby boom” in my little circle of friends… I got really touched more than one time when I had this nice surprise hearing that a big friend was becoming a father/mother… That really inspired me in a production of a serie of graffiti attacks called “my little playground”, that is all about kids playing arround.
For a slight change of pace, check out The Forest by David Scharf– about childhood, school, drugs, the sort. The animation is beautiful, the reality is not. It’s kinda-sorta a downer, but hey, so is growing up. Just kidding but not really! Happy happy 2010!!
