This is the studio recording of the ‘Mother India – 21st Century Remix’ performance piece.
Written and produced by Alvin Seechurn (DJ Tigerstyle), Matt Constantine and David Shaw.
Available for the first time as a download and on CD in a limited release. Get it now while stocks last!
Download prices: £1 per track or £8.50 for the album.
CD price: £10 + p&p (£1.50 UK/£3.00 international)
An advert for Tippex has captured the imagination of Twitter fans and Youtube users alike, as it allows fans to interactively decide what a ‘hunter’ does to a bear.
Following in the footsteps of Burger King’s Subservient Chicken comes a clever advert from the team at Tippex. Just as you could control the willing-to-please chicken, you can control a hunter and a gormless grizzly in the latest campaign for the correction fluid company.
Viewers of the 30-second long YouTube clip titled ‘NSFW. A Hunter shoots a bear!’ are given a choice at the end of the video – they can either make the hunter shoot the bear or let him go.
After making your choice, you are then commanded to type in anything you want, and the servile duo will follow your every command.
You can make them hug, dance, or make the hunter ride the bear, as well as other, more crass options which we at Metro Towers wouldn’t dream of suggesting.
Twitter fans have, of course, already taken to the video, with one saying ‘wow’ and another exclaiming ‘that is pretty epic!’
Some are less taken by the promotion, suggesting that the product is outdated and asking ‘who the f**k still uses Tippex anyway?’
Rather than taking a break after playing at just about every festival going this Summer, riotous 15 piece gypsy punk rabble The Destroyers will be celebrating the unveiling of their new video ‘Where Has The Money Gone?’ at Wilton’s Music Hall.
Originally a b-side to their debut single, ‘Out Of Babel’, ‘Where Has The Money Gone?’ is a rousing live favourite and deserved of its own exposure. The song was originally inspired by the story of Hedge fund manager Rene Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet who committed suicide after losing nearly $1.4 billion in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.
Now somehow appropriately anthemic, the song takes on new meaning in a world gripped by the gnarly teeth of the economic recession.
Check out The Destroyers WEBSITE for more information. Special guests Leo Altarelli and Abie’s Ragtime Miracle Tonic will also be performing.
Join in the fun at:
WILTONS MUSIC HALL, 1 GRACES ALLEY, LONDON, E1 8JB.
Nearest tube: DLR TOWER GATEWAY.
Time: DOORS 19:30, MAIN EVENT 20:00.
Entry Fee: £12.00 from TICKETSELLERS.
Web: http://www.wiltons.org.uk/
For upcoming events The Destroyers are also performing at:
05.09.10
Moseley Folk Festival, Moseley, Birmingham
11.09.10
Wiltons Music Hall, London
22.10.10
Studio 24, Edinburgh
23.10.10
Stereo, Glasgow
30.10.10
Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham
Completed photos of the billboards will be available on www.ec-arts.com from SEP 3 2010 when the installation is complete.
A fingertip search is under way for 10 tiny figures missing from an exhibition in Northumberland.
The little people, measuring just over an inch, were placed in the grounds of Belsay Castle a year ago.
They have since been replaced with large photos but the exhibitors would like to find out where they ended up.
London street artist Slinkachu, who created the figures, said he hoped they had all gone to good homes.
Curator Judith King said some of the figures could have been knocked over, blown away, or even eaten by rabbits.
She said: “The important thing is that Slinkachu creates them, customises them, and puts them in place.
“Then he turns his back on them to leave them to fend for themselves. He gives them their own life, as it were.”
The exhibits are part of a larger exhibition featuring new works by contemporary artists such as Australian sculptor Ron Mueck *.
It is already breaking records at Belsay Castle, with more than 55,000 people visiting it since it opened on 1 May. It closes on 24 September.
* This particular Ron Mueck show in Melbourne was one Indy Hunjan of Kala Phool had the privilege of being shown around by the curator. Having such an in depth tour was exceptional and the work was simply breathtaking.
Two-thirds of people ‘agree with arts funding change’.
Two-thirds of people agree with the government’s stance on cutting arts funding and increasing reliance on private cash, a survey has suggested.
And a fifth of the 2,022 British adults questioned said visual arts should not be given any government funding.
The poll was commissioned by organisers of The Threadneedle visual arts prize.
Meanwhile, England’s regional museums warn collections will be mothballed after expected arts cuts of at least 25% in October’s spending review.
In July, the government asked all major arts funding bodies to show how they would manage cuts of 25% or 30%.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has already pulled the plug on the UK Film Council, which costs £15m a year and employs 75 people, along with 15 other bodies, including the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
It hopes private money will help plug the gap, but some of the country’s leading philanthropists have written to Prime Minister David Cameron warning the ambition is overly optimistic.
Chancellor George Osborne will announce results of the government’s spending review on 20 October.
‘Pitiful return’
The Threadneedle Prize-commissioned survey found that 66% of respondents agreed that the majority of visual arts funding should come from corporate sponsorship and private donations.
It also found that just 16% thought public funding should provide the majority of support.
The winner of the £25,000 prize – open exclusively to UK-based artists – will be announced on 15 September from a shortlist of Boyd and Evans, Patricia Cain, Paul Cummings, Thomas Doran, James Jessop, Stuart McCaffer and Caroline Walker.
News of the Threadneedle survey results come as the Museums Association – representing English regional museums – warns of “a return to the pitiful days of collections stuck unused and neglected in basement stores”.
A survey, carried out by the association, of 42 museum services found that a third thought cuts would force them to close sites or parts of sites.
And more then 40% said they would consider introducing or increasing charges, which the association warned would restrict public access.
Museums Association director Mark Taylor said cuts would undo the good work of the “Renaissance” funding programme – introduced in 2002 – which he said had “transformed England’s great regional museums” with an increase in visitor numbers of 40%.
“Regional museums will lend and borrow fewer things, making it far harder for people to see nationally-important treasures near to where they live,” he warned.
What do you think about funding in the arts being cut?
Article from the BBC.
Supersonic needs YOU!
Capsule’s internationally renowned festival runs 22nd to 24th October 2010 and there’s plenty of opportunities to get involved as a volunteer. The festival is small enough for everyone involved to gain not just an overview of how the festival works, but to give real value and be part of a dynamic team.
We need a team of volunteers to help deliver the festival over the weekend of the event itself – we are looking for people to work over the festival weekend 22nd -24th October and in the run up to Supersonic from early October onwards. We expect a minimum of 12 hrs over the festival period in exchange for a weekend wristband.
In addition we are looking for professional quality photographers to help us document the festival
How to apply:
To apply send an email to volunteer[at]capsule.org.uk
Mark in the SUBJECT of the email VOLUNTEER or PHOTOGRAPHER
We will send you an application form, which you need to fill out and email back to us before the deadline which is the 21st September. There will then be a meeting on the evening of the 22nd of September to find out more about the festival and to meet the team.
Please note, unfortunately we can only receive applications from people over 18 years of age.
For further info about the festival check the WEBSITE.
Please feel free to spread the word.
K.A.R.A.T.E. is a volunteer-based organisation committed to helping artists defend themselves in court for art-related crimes conceived in public space.
Kids Are Rallying Against The Empire (K.A.R.A.T.E.) is a grass roots effort we hope to eventually turn into a non-profit organization. Sadly, when dealing with the legal system most artists don’t know, understand, or are intimidated into forgoing their rights. Artists are often poorly represented in court and do not have financial access to proper counsel. K.A.R.A.T.E. is committed to helping artists defend themselves in court for art-related crimes conceived in public space.
Even at its infancy K.A.R.A.T.E. has managed to get Henry Matyjewicz, a Poster Boy participant, out of prison on appeal only two weeks after being sentenced to 11months by a superior court in New York. Mr. Matyjewicz is now being represented by world class civil rights lawyer, Ron Kuby. Because of K.A.R.A.T.E. Mr. Matyjewicz now stands a fighting chance in court.
You’re officially invited to The War of Art book release party.
Email us HERE if you’d like to know more about the fund.
Signed copies of the book along with special edition prints are available HERE. A portion of the sales will go to the K.A.R.A.T.E. fund.
Article courtesy of POSTER BOY.
We’re LOVIN the latest Nike/Footlocker ad.
It features our friend DJ Kayper (14secs into the ad) looking fly 
The guy at the start and end of the ad is called Kish and has over 2000 pairs of Nike!!! Craaaaaaaaazy.
Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe’s biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls, over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill carnival revellers.
Starting its life as a local festival set up by the West Indian community of the Notting Hill area, it has now become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of visitors from all over the globe. With many astonishing floats and the sounds of the traditional steel drum bands, scores of massive sound systems plus not forgetting the hundreds of stalls that line the streets of Notting Hill. The Notting Hill Carnival is arguably London’s most exciting annual event.
The Notting Hill Carnival usually gets under way on the Saturday with the steel band competition. Sunday is Kids’ Day, when the costume prizes are awarded. On Bank Holiday Monday, the main parade takes place. It generally begins on Great Western Road, then winds its way along Chepstow Road, on to Westbourne Grove, and then Ladbroke Grove. In the evening, the floats leave the streets in procession, and people carry continue partying at the many Notting Hill Carnival after parties.
The Notting Hill Carnival dates for 2010 are August 29th and 30th.
If you’re going, have a safe and fun filled time. Remember to wear sensible footwear and always rehydrate
Also check out the WEBSITE for info on the best route to the Carnival.
BLADE & PORTIA by Martha Cooper, Aug 2010
Since 1994, the Eric Firestone Gallery has mounted comprehensive exhibitions of fine art and design dating from the late nineteenth century to the present. Recent notable shows include: Enrique Montenegro: American Modernist (2008), Michael Cajero (2009) and Warhol: Dylan to Duchamp (2010). The main Tucson gallery, set within a historic Josias Joesler designed adobe, offers visitors a unique sense of the 1930s-era southwest, while providing an intimate environment for the display of art. The east coast space, located in the heart of the village of East Hampton, NY, reflects the energy and vibrant culture of nearby New York City. Both locations offer consultations on collections, estates, restoration, and framing, as well as art appraisals.
Their most recent show, Down By Law – New York’s Underground Art Explosion 1970’s-1980’s is causing quite a stir.
With some of the most incredibly exciting leading names from the movement, both living and passed, Down By Law has marked quite incredibly the movement that is Graffiti. Artists include:
Charlie Ahern, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Blade, Henry Chalfont, Joe Conzo, Martha Cooper, Daze, Dr. Revolt, Futura, Ghost, Michael Halsband, Keith Haring, Eric Haze, Keo, Eric Kroll, Lady Pink, Greg Lamarche, Chris Pape, Rammellzee, Carlos “Mare 139″ Rodriguez, Anita Rosenburg, Sharp, Jamel Shabazz, T-Kid 170, Dondi White and Zephyr.
We are proud to note Blade and Mare 139 have been headline artists in our Hip Hop Festival, Rising Styles.
The show is on: AUG 14 – sep 26 2010.
At: 4 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, New York, 11937.
The show is curated by: Eric Firestone and Miss Rosen.
A night of Hip Hop and Reggae from Africa to the UK, featuring Hashim straight from Tanzania for an exceptional one off show in the UK.
HASHIM (Tanzania / Native Arrangements)
The finest rapper ever to come from Dar es Salaam, Hashim has been rapping since the early 90s.
Myke Forte (Louis Den)
Sounds of Myke Forte with live mpc performance, giving you that raw sound.
http://www.myspace.com/mykeforte
DJ Cro (Crate Escape Records)
DJ / Producer / Label owner / and Hip Hop encyclopedia.
http://www.crateescaperecords.com/
Jam Jah Sound ft Pablo Rider (Friendly Fire)
South Brums number one Reggae Collective, fronted by the fastest mouth in the West Midlands.
www.jamjahsound.com
Hosted by KOSYNE (Louis Den/ Eat Good)
Beatmaker/ Emcee / Producer-Engineer / Host / Vinyl Head run the Louis Den beat making website/nights.
http://www.louisden.com/
Streamed live on Rhubarb Radio.
9pm – 2am – Extremely Limited £3 advance tickets from The Ticket Sellers.
£5 on the door.
@ The Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath High Street, Birmingham B14 7JZ.
You can also join the FACEBOOK event page HERE.
The next KING OF THE BEATS event is fast approaching: 28 August from 8pm-1am.
This will be Launch of KING OF THE BEATS RECORDS. Limited Edition Double A-Side 7′ Inch Single. Only 300 Pressed. Once they’re Gone they’re gone.
A Night featuring the very best in Hip Hop Music Provided by Dee Jay Random, DJ Devastate and Key Figures Hosted by THA 4ORCE.
The Sparkii Ski Session: For all you MC to get on stage and spit 16 Bars with the Legendary Producer.
KING OF THE BEATS CHALLENGE : 4 Producers step to the stage, WHO’S GONNA TAKE THE CRATE ?.
Hosted by Sparkii Ski.
Also we will be raffling off a one off exclusive graffiti painting of the man Dilla. Normally sold at £350 this is your chance to win it for £2.
Remember we are upstairs.
The Event is being filmed
Vibe Bar, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL.
£4 entry fee.
Join the event via FACEBOOK and please pass it on and link direct to Vibe Bar HERE.
Bangla Stories is based on a three year research project exploring the history and experience of migration from the Bengal delta region in the period after Indian Independence in 1947.
It is estimated that since this time over 20 million people, Muslims and Hindus, have left their homes and moved across national borders to live in a new country, with a small number moving long distance to Europe and the Middle East. Many moved because of war or communal conflict, or because of natural disasters, through marriage or for work – all were in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
We were interested in exploring when, how and why people moved and their experiences of migration and settlement in new places. We collected over 180 life history interviews with first generation migrants living in India, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. The project focused on Bengali Muslims, who were the largest group to settle in the UK. These Bangla stories paint a very intimate portrait of what it means to migrate, to start a new life and create a new home.
Our stories of migration came out of a three- year London School of Economics/University of Cambridge project. They’re told by people who left Bengal after Independence in 1947 when the state was divided into West Bengal and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh). These are stories of people who left behind home and family, people who crossed new borders and travelled overseas, people who made new lives.
Bangla Stories have chosen eight main interviewees to help you understand the history – and life histories – of migration. They will help explain how and why very ordinary people moved from country to country. They tell some extraordinary stories – real life stories that paint a vivid picture of the changing experiences of migration among Bengali Muslim communities in India, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.
For full info on the project and how you can interact with it please visit the dedicated website HERE.
Free taster day for Hip Hop Foundation on 24 August 2010 @ Brighton Youth Centre.
If you’re 14-20 and want to be involved in this year’s Hip Hop Foundation, we’ve got a taster day for you to come and check out and get a head start.
Who’s this for? Rappers, producers, actors, street artists, singers – or anyone who thinks they’ve got some flavour to give.
The taster day’s this Tuesday 24 August at Brighton Youth Centre 12-4pm.
Then there will be regular workshops from September to December when you’ll be working with Dizraeli and other exciting artists to produce a hip hop production that will be performed in early 2011 at the esteemed Brighton Dome’s Pavillion Theatre.
Book your free place by sending us a message on our Facebook group or writing on the event wall, calling 01273 234808 or emailing susan@audioactive.org.uk
Supported by Rising Styles Hip Hop Festival and Kala Phool.
If you didnt already know, one of our flagship projects is Rising Styles. This is the UK’s longest running Hip Hop festival that is for everyone whether you know anything, or nothing about Hip Hop.
Last year’s festy has been encapsulated by overcreative.com through this short film. Check it out, talk about it, share it and we hope it inspires you to come to one of our events* later this year in Brighton.
* Funding dependent.
New York-based design consultancy The Way We See The World has developed a new version of disposable cups called Jelloware. These edible cups are made of agar agar, a gelatin derived from algae and used as an ingredient in desserts, which are cast in different flavors like rosemary-beet and lemon-basil to complement the beverage inside. Once used, the Jelloware can be simply tossed onto the grass where agar agar would nurture the plants to grow, making these cups an ideal substitute for disposable plastic and paper cups. Via:[PSFK]
Check out the magical website HERE.
Article from Despoke.
Oscar-winning actor and director writes to George Osborne in protest at planned closure of UK Film Council.
A new combatant in the fight against the proposed closure of the UK Film Council raised his head above the parapet this weekend. Oscar-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood was so concerned by the move, announced by the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, a fortnight ago as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures, that he wrote a letter of protest to the chancellor, George Osborne.
The man who was Dirty Harry wrote: “I cannot stress how important the UK Film Council is to me … The prospect of losing such a valuable resource is of great concern as we contemplate future projects.”
Eastwood praised the efforts of the council during the London-based shoot of his most recent film, The Hereafter, and cautioned that after its abolition, such a production would be less likely to choose the UK as a location and that money being pumped into the economy might dry up.
“Locales with active, knowledgable film commissions are far more appealing to us as producers … I respectfully request careful consideration of these concerns in deciding the fate of the UK Film Council.”
Eastwood’s statement comes in the wake of a wave of condemnation from industry workers, including actors Liam Neeson, James McAvoy and Emily Blunt. An online petition to save the council has also accumulated thousands of signatures.
We hope George Osborne sees sense for once!
Article from the Guardian.
Chico Outlaws’s 18-year-old ‘Knuckleball Princess’ is hailed as a pioneer for equality in sport, despite struggling on the field.
An obscure baseball stadium in northern California is becoming a real-life field of dreams for Eri Yoshida. In just three months, the 18-year-old has pitched herself into sporting history and the affections of some of the most fickle baseball fans in the world.
Earlier this year Yoshida became only the third woman in history – and the first from Japan – to play in the US male professional baseball leagues. Despite struggling to adapt to the rigours of the game at that level, Yoshida is being hailed as a pioneer for equality in sport while earning the respect of hard-nosed pundits for her performances on the mound for the Chico Outlaws in the minor Golden Baseball League.
Yoshida was already the first woman to play professional baseball in Japan when, as a 16-year-old schoolgirl, she was chosen to play for Kobe Cruise 9 in the minor Kansai Independent League. Her face, partly hidden by her ever-present baseball cap, was splashed on the pages of Japan’s sports tabloids, while the Asahi Shimbun, a serious broadsheet, ran an analysis of her pitching style.
In her first few weeks in the US, Yoshida was again a familiar face in the domestic sports press and the subject of a TV documentary. Despite playing poorly in her debut in late May, Japanese reporters focused on her spirit rather than what Yoshida described on her blog as “extremely regrettable” pitching.
Yoshida is known in both countries as the Knuckleball Princess in honour of her trademark pitch, a fiendish delivery in which the ball suddenly changes trajectory. The first woman to pitch in men’s professional baseball since Ila Borders left the sport in the late 1990s, she has brought international attention to her new home in rural California, where she lives with a host family.
Last week, she was honoured with a public proclamation by the mayor of Chico, Ann Schwab. “She has brought a positive image to Chico; of dreams that are possible, goals that can be achieved and that Chico is a family-friendly community,” Schwab said. “She has put Chico on the map all over the world.”
Yoshida has already found her way into the sport’s Hall of Fame, where her Outlaws jersey appears alongside memorabilia from Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and other baseball legends.
She is proving a marketing dream for the previously unheralded Outlaws. Young female sports fans, thrilled to see a woman take the field in a male league, are snapping up T-shirt versions of her No 3 jersey, while her presence has boosted attendances at the club’s 4,200-capacity Nettleton Stadium.
Back home, one travel agency is courting her loyal fans with a three-night, two-game package tour to Chico later this month. The cost: 270,000 yen (£2,000).
Three months and 22 innings into her American adventure, the Yokohama-born pitcher is still winless, although according to her coaches and teammates, it is not for want of trying.
“Eri has performed quite well under the circumstances. She is 18 years old and halfway around the world from her home,” said the Chico manager, Garry Templeton. “Eighteen-year-old males don’t play at this level. Like any 18-year-old in any business, you’re still a kid and still learning. But this means a lot for girls in general.
“There are probably ladies who think they might be able to compete at a high level, but maybe don’t have the confidence. This will give them the confidence. This will open doors.”
The Outlaws catcher Robby Alcombrack described her performances and attitude as incredible. “She’s getting better, she just needs to throw harder and realise when she floats [the ball], it’s not effective.”
Throwing harder is easier said than done for the 5ft 1in teenager, who weighs about nine stone. Most observers believe what she needs to do is simply pitch more knuckleballs, which, if thrown correctly, fool batters by fluttering around in mid-air after they leaves her hand.
So far Yoshida isn’t fooling many. Only four of the 121 batters she has faced have struck out. “She’s not doing great right now, but what she needs to do is practise more and more,” her interpreter told reporters recently.
If there is continued frustration on the field, there has been nothing but success away from it. When she pitched in Calgary last month, becoming the first woman to pitch professionally in three countries, she was described as a feminist icon.
Baseball in America has long been a defiantly macho world and the Golden Baseball League, which features players who have starred at the highest level of the game, is no different. But aside from the use of an interpreter – she is still working on her English – and a separate locker room, Yoshida receives no special treatment.
Alcombrack said: “She’s just as much a part of this team as anybody else. If something’s wrong with her or somebody’s hassling her, we’ll be protective that’s for sure.”
Yoshida has said she hopes to inspire more women in the US and Japan to test their skills in male leagues. “I’m excited to see how many join me,” she told the club’s matchday programme.
The Japanese media, meanwhile, have begun the buildup to another exciting prospect for baseball fans and historians: a Japanese woman competing against a male compatriot – the pitcher Mac Suzuki, newly of the Calgary Vipers – in the US professional leagues for the first time.
Article from the Guardian.
LYRIX ORGANIX
Old Queens Head
44 Essex Road, Islington, N1 8LN
Doors open 8pm,
Entry £5 (all profits donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres)
“The breadth and depth of the spoken breath”
LYRIX ORGANIX is a ground-breaking music show that takes Hip Hop back to its lyrical, musical and conscious roots. Hand-picking the very finest MC’s, performance poets, singers, beatboxers, comedians and acoustic musicians from across the globe. August 10th is a special MSF fundraiser for the ‘Starved for Attention’ campaign, with all profits donated to emergency medical aid for Chad’s malnutrition crisis. Please support this very important cause, and be duly rewarded with the very finest acoustic Hip Hop, Spoken Word and Soul from…
“Fantastically diverse, vibrant and intelligent” ***** (Fringe Guru)
“Blown away” (Spoonfed)
KAYA (BBC Introducing, Graffik)
AYAH MARAR (Calvin Harris/Jack Penate)
J LEEN & FLOETIC LARA (Beardyman’s Freestyle Project, NLT)
NATIVE SUN (Sublime Wizardy) // DJ ANON providing a soundtrack of classic & lyrical Hip Hop, Soul and Funk
Lyrix Organix MYSPACE and EMAIL.
Supported by Kala Phool and our RISING STYLES Hip Hop Festival.
