THE CULTURAL JACKDAW

Indian Winter

There's been a lot of justified talk recently about China's growing cultural influence on the West. But hot on its heels is India. This amazing and colourful country (I should admit that's it's my favourite place I've travelled to) is inspiring new films, music, fashion and architecture.

In the UK recently we've had the release of two new films, including Michael Winterbottom's latest, that shine the spotlight on Indian culture and M.I.A's new video for her track Bad Girls was filmed in the country that feeds the soul like no other place on earth.

Michael Winterbottom's Trishna played by Freida Pinto

 

Robot Opera

Tod Machover has been dubbed "America's most wired composer."

A renowned musician and forward-thinking inventor of music technology, he is Head of the Hyperinstruments/Opera of the Future group at MIT Media Lab and has collaborated on projects with Peter Gabriel and Prince. He also invented the interactive Brain Opera which set the technological template for Guitar Hero and twenty three years ago he created an opera called VALIS based on the Philip K Dick novel of the same name.

He's currently working on a robotic opera (that's been ten years in the making) called Death And The Powers.

Machover is naturally restless and experimental. He's always finding new ways to mix technology and music together.

In the same vein, and at the same time, Daft Punk are combining Classical music with Electronic sounds to create an Orchestral score for the year's biggest Sci-fi spectacular Tron: Legacy.

Not long until that drops. Can't wait.

Sex-Factor

Rave Generator

Takes me back.

Hip Hop: Past, Present & Future

A couple of weeks ago I went to see KRS-One at the Jazz Cafe in London. He was supported by MC Supernatural.

It was hip hop with a message; KRS-One was like a preacher on stage, full of conviction and a vision of what hip hop should be. He's doing some important things for the culture of hip hop including this:

 

Whilst KRS-One is spreading his message, Kanye West is experimenting with a dizzying array of influences on his new album - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - which is being hailed as a masterpiece.

 

And, lastly, introducing Odd Future; a teenage skate rat crew who are shaking up the rap underground and being compared to Wu-Tang Clan.

 

Also known as Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA).

These guys are going to blow up.

Pulp & Gorillaz

Lovely comic that accompanied the Pulp single Common People, sold in France and Australia.

Designed by Jamie Hewlett.

And a beautifully simple video from Gorillaz that uses the lights of New York as inspiration.

 

Avatar Pop Star

Hatsune Miku is a phenomenon in Japan.

She has...

- No.1 selling single.

- Sell out tour.

- Created over 67,000 songs & 100,000 You Tube videos.

 

But what's so fascinating about Hatsune Mika is that she's part of a game called Vocaloid and her songs and videos have been created by the players of the game.

Users go online and record their own songs via a singing synthesiser application.

On her tour she plays with a live band as she appears in 3D.

All of the songs she performs have been written by the fans in the audience.

Awesome.

 

 

Pie Chart Reviews

Infographics used to review films and music.

I spotted these in the new (and badly named) mens magazine Gaz7etta - which is the male version of the UK's Grazia.

Gorillaz

"Pop has changed so markedly from what I remember, or from the way I think you make records. I believe records should have a theme. There aren't any other albums out there like that at the moment. We believe it's an antidote to the more commercial aspects of the pop world - and that's why I try to keep it in the pop realm. I want it to be an example of what you can do in the pop world."

Damon Albarn talking about Plastic Beach

So Solid's Legacy

It's been a decade since this song whacked me around the head:

 

Fast-forward to 2010 and the UK's biggest pop stars have all come from the underground urban scene.

Household names like Dizzee Rascal, N-Dubz, Chipmunk, Tinchy Stryder and Tinie Tempah (who has the biggest selling single of the year so far). It proves that the British urban scene has become strong and deep enough to support underground artists and mainstream pop stars.

Respect.