Beats & Brass: The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I first heard about Hypnotic Brass Ensemble when someone posted a youtube clip of a New York Times feature (see bottom) a few years ago, and it was the first time in a long time that I remember being truly blown away by music. Comprised of 8 members, 7 of them blood brothers of the trumpeter and former member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra Phil Cohran, the group started out as a street ensemble, hypnotizing audiences on the streets and subway stations of Chicago before moving to New York. Picking up influences from their father, and combining that with their own interests in hip hop and soul, HBE’s music is an infectious cocktail of brass and rhythm that reminds me a little of Kashmere Stage Band’s material.

Over the past couple of years their career has really taken off, having recorded with Eryka Badu and Mos Def, as well as releasing a number of 7″ and 12″ singles, and their first official full-length album on the Honest Jon label in 2009. If any story deserves to be told it’s of these guys, and filmmaker Reuben Atlas is making it happen with his documentary Hypnotic, scheduled to be released later this year. Check out the trailer below.

I began filming in the fall of 2006, during my last year of law school. (I snuck in shoots between classes and visits to the library.) Hypnotic’s music is what sparked my initial interest—it also helped me pass the bar exam—but it was their nomadic, Utopian existence and deep commitment to uphold their family’s values that inspired the documentary. About six months into filming, the band’s career started to take off and I was fortunate enough to capture their evolution. The feature-length documentary is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2010.

Read more about this project here.

Mercury (WAR) from moriza on Vimeo.


Deep In The Groove

Friday, March 5, 2010

At first glance this looks like a dried up canyon on Mars or something, but in actuality it’s the groove of a vinyl record magnified 1000 times. Those clumpy parts are dust. Kind of makes me want to do a better job cleaning my records.


Raps, Caps & Alien Slaps

Friday, February 19, 2010

Some nice Bay Area rap videos from up and coming filmmaker Aris Jerome. You can find more of his work here.

Young L (of The Pack) – Young L-E-N from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.

Nht Boyz – 6 In The Morning from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.

E-Gunna – Gangsta On Grove feat. Ya Boy, Dip and Big Rich from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.


Thunder Soul: The Story of the Kashmere Stage Band

Thursday, February 4, 2010

My step dad is a jazz drummer and music instructor, and as I was really getting into jazz a few years ago I decided to flip through his record collection to see what kind of records he had. His involvement with different school bands in the 60’s and 70’s yielded a bunch of interesting looking records that he either played on, conducted, or was affiliated with in some way or another. Eventually I came across a copy of Kashmere Stage Band’s Out of Gas But Still Burnin’ LP that he had acquired from the band’s director, Conrad Johnson. My eyes lit up. I knew that Kashmere records were rare and highly sought after by jazz and funk enthusiasts, and until then I had never come across an original KSB record.

In general, my experience with stage band records has been poor; they are typically tepid and cheesy, but the Kashmere kids are another story. Johnson apparently saw the potential in some of his best and brightest students from Kashmere High School in Houston, Texas, forming the KSB in the late 60’s. Between 1968 and 1978 they cut eight studio albums, toured the nation, and won several national championships in the process, becoming a national phenomenon of sorts. The group eventually disbanded in 1978, as several of the players went on to become professional musicians.

I just caught the trailer for an upcoming documentary, Thunder Soul, that traces the band’s history, catches up with some of the players and reunites them for a concert, honoring the man that pushed them to become the greatest high school band ever made. If you want to hear more, check out the compilation Texas, Thunder Soul 1968-1974.


Digging to the Next Level

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Frank just got back from another trip to Africa and shared these pics of his digging adventures. It’s safe to say that nobody is iller than him when it comes to vinyl excavation.

New mix of the best 45s Frank found on his trip!


Beautiful Losers

Monday, February 1, 2010

Beautiful Losers, an exhibit, book and most recently a documentary, follows the work of several artists, rooted in subcultures like skateboarding, hip hop, punk, and graffiti, who helped power a movement and generation of culturally significant art. Some of my favorite artists like Shepard Fairey, Geoff McFetridge, and Barry McGee are prominently featured. A highly recommended rental – watch the trailer below.

Beautiful Losers film trailer from beautifullosersfilm on Vimeo.


Designing Obama

Thursday, January 28, 2010

I remember during Obama’s run for presidency documenting and collecting all of the art inspired by and supporting his campaign. It was fascinating to watch; from Shepard Fairey and Scott Hansen to Chuck Anderson and Cody Hudson, the list of artists that fought for change through their craft is long and deep. Realizing the significance of this grassroots movement, the Obama camp is putting together a book called Designing Obama which documents how art helped fuel his campaign.

Designing Obama from mas / menos on Vimeo.


African Disco

Monday, January 25, 2010

Teaser from the forthcoming Nigerian Disco comp by Academy Records and Voodoo Funk. Killin’ it as always.


Pads of Fire

Monday, January 11, 2010

After college I tried my hand at production, messing around and recording backpacker rap tracks with friends. I started off with stuff like Acid Pro, Fruity Loops and all that stuff until I eventually splurged for an MPC XL2000. Nowadays it seems you can make just about anything on a computer, but I don’t think any program has been able to emulate the natural feeling of the MPC’s pads. I’ve always thought that Jel from Anticon was one of the best MPC performers I’d ever seen, but I saw this video of new Dipset producer AraabMuzik and damn; kids have been steeping their game up. Impressive stuff.

araabMUZIK Live MPC Set Part 1 from Death by Electric Shock on Vimeo.


Novos Baianos – Misterio Do Planeta

Friday, January 8, 2010

Here’s a beautiful live version of Novos Baianos’ “Mysterio Do Planeta” taken from their album Acabou Chorare. I used this track for my Braziliance mix, but this version sounds even better to my ears.

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