Monthly Archives: January 2011
Natassja Brodie
Taj defines her artistic practice as ‘character design and illustration‘ although this omits the highly emotive nature of her artistic endeavours.
Using various mediums but mostly consisting of screenprinting and illustration that uses richly dark shades of bright colours (indeed) she delves into a psycho-analytical realm of cartoonish caricatures using airbrush and printing techniques. She has also spent the last 3 years as an illustrator in 2D and 3D artwork; specialising in video games.
These works invoke moody scenes, or characters and associated environments that are both adorable and slightly repulsive: however, the works shine in their slithery thick colourations.
Think a turqoise flourescent bulb in the corner of a pitch black room and your can perhaps imagine this colour palette.
Also, check the fresh website: http://www.natassjabrodie.com
Graffiti: SE Asia
Recently, your host travelled through a number of cities in South East Asia, documenting the impact of unprecedented economic growth and the impact of globalisation. During the days that I spent boozing up and shooting video, I also took the chance to document the local graffiti scene.
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) provided the best examples of graffiti, with lesser Vietnamese and Singaporean work on show. KOSIK (or KOS) was ruling it as spearhead of RTC Crew. BONK (or BONKERS) was up all over the city, with notable contribution from throwie stalwart DEMS.
Although the rumours of graffers having their hands chopped off in some SE Asian countries are untrue; on the contrary if you are caught writing in Singapore you face, literally, lashings with the cane before you serve a mandatory prison sentence. Not cool; especially so given Singapore is a global city, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with New York, Sydney and Hong Kong etc.
Enjoy this latest video that documents said graffiti in these parts of SE Asia, accompanied by some local music, fresh tunes, and breakdancing.
-TW
Public Enemy
Just over a week ago, some friends and I witnessed Public Enemy live (again). Although this concert was a long way from the grand expanse of The Forum in Kentish Town, North London, the gig was rabble-rousingly intimate at The Corner hotel in Richmond.
This time round the militia were pumping their tour of 1990‘s Fear Of A Black Planet. Although they gave the show a lot of effort and their skills were there to thrill -it was all too clear in my mind that these guys had long since fallen asleep at the wheel. Or, to be sympathetic: are now well past their prime.
However, they fronted up for over 2 hours and gave us all a thrilling set. Apart from catching Flava Flav lip-syncing every now and then; everything else was overwhelmingly enjoyable -the fresh set list complete with crowd participation, political spiels, guests (including members of 2 Live Crew) and a tight freestyle battle between Chuck D and Flav that pretty much clinched the value of the $90 ticket, or therebouts. All-in-all, it was a brilliant show for the die-hard fans and certainly no staggering disappointment for the rest of us. And then there were the ageing Aussie homeboys: but that’s another story entirely.
-TW
Music Nerdism Part 3
“EXPLICIT LYRICS VERSUS EXPLICIT REALITY“
Showing one‘s differences has never been so scrutinized as it has today. In a world of political correctness, it seems that people have lost sight of common sense versus the bureaucratic decrees of governments to tell us what it good for us, as the well known moral entrepreneurs known as the Parents Music Resource Center aka the PMRC advocated for parental advisories for “bad“ music: meet the “filthy 15“
| 1 | Prince | Darling Nikki | sex, masturbation |
| 2 | Sheena Easton | Sugar Walls | sex |
| 3 | Judas Priest | Eat Me Alive | sex |
| 4 | Vanity | Strap on Robbie Baby | sex |
| 5 | Mötley Crüe | Bastard | violence |
| 6 | AC/DC | Let Me Put My Love Into You | sex |
| 7 | Twisted Sister | We’re Not Gonna Take It | violence |
| 8 | Madonna | Dress You Up | sex |
| 9 | W.A.S.P. | Animal (Fuck Like A Beast) | sex |
| 10 | Def Leppard | High ‘n Dry | drug and alcohol use |
| 11 | Mercyful Fate | Into The Coven | occult |
| 12 | Black Sabbath | Trashed | drug and alcohol use |
| 13 | Mary Jane Girls | In My House | sex |
| 14 | Venom | Possessed | occult |
| 15 | Cyndi Lauper | She-Bop | sex, masturbation |
Ahhhh most of you kids don’t even know who these artists are anymore.
And yet… nothing exists to censor the media and their constant stream of coverage of fear-mongering government leaders.
The censorship of what artists (contemporary philosophers, if-you-will) fucks with my head when I consider George W. Bush telling people “You’re either with us or them.”
Why bother to use your brain when someone‘s done all the thinking for you; as my good friend Rene drawled to me in his drunken pop stupor one night:
“Kesha doesn’t say anything, and this is why people love her! I hate her, but I can‘t stop listening to her because she‘s everywhere!”
Yes. The world has gone crazy, and liking music that doesn‘t reflect a mainstream brand or lifestyle is “the workings of hipster faggots.“ Really, the wrong people are getting targeted here. The most popular music is the music that has nothing to say. We are steadily becoming a society of idiots that prefer some “hired geek“ to work out all the details of our lives. We want to look like Paris Hilton because she is commercially “sellable“ but things were never like that before…
(Just wanted to give the big girls some love.)
It’s a shame and it’s life. All I can say is that piracy is awesome, enjoy it while you can, because one day the internet will not be so free (unless you act now), and your lives will be touched by the winged-goat monstrosity of corporate culture and the police state. If you actually think that we will have the freedoms to have information at the tip of our fingers forever, think again.
-DJ Moshi Moshi
