1 + 1 = 1 (how the sum of thought processes equals a single creative execution)

 

“I’m just in the works of getting some creatives done for the next series. I have a cover page up on the site but it’s changing. The next series is called MVP which stands for Measurement VS Perception. It means the conditioned mind is a mind that compares, measures and divides which is the cause of conflict inwardly and outwardly. Can that mind perceive and observe without conditioning? “

– RT, The Story

And with that my role in the development of a piece for this season’s collection began. We as you may have seen by my previous post, the shirt is now complete, and available for sale along with the rest of the collection here. So looking back, I must admit that it never ceases to amaze me how concepts are realized and developed, not just in relation to this project but in general). I thought I’d take a moment to reveal the process that lead to the production of the AE X The Story shirt, titled LaDiDaDi.

Well, as the quote above shows, the whole process began with the concept of Measurement versus perception and the conditioning of the mind. So with that I set out to develop my interpretations. After some brainstorming and sketching I developed the following three illustrations (1) breaking free from the conditioning cocoon (2) On the road of life, the conditioned mind can be a backseat driver (C3) Flow without the disruption of analysis.

 

 

From here we start looking everything over. Which message best represents the overall concept of the collection? Which is visually strongest? What are the next steps to push the idea forward? All very important questions, and in my opinion one of the best parts of collaboration..the bouncing of ideas back and forth and eventually the realization of a truly collaborative effort. So from here RT takes the wheel, and begins infusing the options with his take on the message. Considering how inspired the company as well as the participating artists are by hip hop (especially 80s and 90s hip hop) it this influence will inevitably shine through in the pieces…and that is exactly what happened in the next round…

“…added some old school reference to the message. I guess it’s a fusion of old school icon with a very deep message. The words are self explanatory and the comb came with the idea of good hair always needs a good conditioner?”

 

Inspired by the colors and the new take on the messaging, I started working on a few color explorations. Below is one of the variations I worked on…trying to give it more of a “black book” feel. In the end, I thought that the style digressed to much from the overall feel of the piece. I like how it feels like something that you would have seen in a school notebook, on a skateboard, on a tape cover or a t-shirt back in the day. 

 

We had one more iteration following this one that incorporated a circle which framed the face and brought all of the elements together…and from there th design was complete.

 

Thanks guys…pt.5: GZA

For me and many other fans, the best part of the GZA story for is that it hasn’t ended. Fast forward from 1991 to now, and we’re presented with the latest think differently/baby grande release, Pro Tools.

 

Firmly rooted somewhere between Liquid Swords and Grandmasters, the sound of this album reflects the greatness of earlier solo works while also making good use of styles and techniques from collaborations. As stated by the title the album definitely boasts solid production, but the welcome surprise (especially in a time when over-production for a steep fee equals big sales/commercial success) the content accompanying the beats has been treated with equal thought and development…which in the end has lead to another gem …not Liquid Swords…but definitely a gem which shines brighter than many release of today and yesterday.

Thanks guys…pt.4: Great minds think alike; GZA and DJ Muggs

 
After 95’s Liquid Swords, the GZA worked on a few solo releases (Beneath the Surface,and Legend of the Liquid Sword), as well as release with fellow members of the Wu-Tang Clan to release 3 Wu-Tang albums (Wu-Tang Forever, The W and Iron Flag). There was a lot of great material in these years, but there was also a lot of placeholder material. I’m not going to try and split hairs over which was which in this post, since the timeline is meant to segway into the most recent GZA happenings…collaborations with DJ Muggs.

To me this was a genius move (no pun intended) but as we have seen many times over in this industry not neccesarily a guarantee. Afterall remember Rakim and Dre or more recently DOOM and Ghostface…where are those albums? Well they’ve yet to surface and in the case of Dre and Rakim it’s a wrap…
 
It’s for this reason that I’ve got to give props and thanks to DJ Muggs and GZA. Not only did they have the understanding that they needed to build off of  the succesful pairings we saw in the 1997 Muggs release, Muggs Presents the Soul Assassins, Chapter1 (Third world featuring GZA and RZA) but they they also successfully completed and release the album, along with the remix follow-up.

Thanks guys…pt.3: Pure Genius/GZA

 

Life is a test many quest the Universe,
and through my research I felt the joy and the hurt,
The first shalt be last, and the last shalt be first,
Basic Instructions Before leaving Earth

          GZA, B.I.B.L.E. from the 1995 solo album, Liquid Swords

 

One could say that the GZA struck gold when he followed up his 1991 Cold Chillin’ Records release, Words from the Genius, with the 1993 commercially successful and groundbreaking group effort, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Musically the album is a classic. Ahead of it’s time with astounding lyricism, music and concept.  Even the business sense that these cats brought as a group and the way in which they handled their contracts to achieve maximum control, cash-flow and domination is legendary.

To me, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was simply the stepping stone on our path to realizing the GZAs true greatness as a musician. 4 years after a not-so-well received commercial effort the world was hit with the 1995 Geffen release, Liquid Swords. While the album did utilize the talents of all of his fellow Wu-Tang members, this album still uniquely GZA. Dubbed by many sources as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all times, I have to agree. From the cover by Denys Cowan to the Shogun Assassin samples to the concepting and planning equal to that of a grand master chess player, the album is fulfilling in a way that places it head and shoulders above most things that you will ever hear…yep it’s eternal.

And with that there is really nothing more that I can say other than cop the album here if you’ve never heard it. For those that do own it, go dig it up and give it a listen again.

Thanks guys…pt. 2: Stones Throw Records and Madvillain

 

I remember the first time I heard M.F. DOOM…I was listening to this track titled “Dead Bent” off of the Farewell Fondle ‘Em compilation (Released by Bobbito through Definitive Jux Records, October 30, 2001).

 

I was just riding chilling and enjoying another ridiculously tight definitive jux compilation (prior to this they had dropped the Definitive Jux presents volume 1 compilation which served as my introduction to a host of acts like Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, Copywrite, Ill Bill, RJD2, MHZ, Copywrite, etc. etc…they just don’t make rosters like they used to…then again Duck Down is doing a damn fine job of bringing focus back to the music with their roster…but as usual I digress)

M.F. DOOM…so I’m riding around town with my boy Joe, just listening to our latest CD purchase (yep, your broke when 2 people go in on a CD), and then all of a sudden…

I hold the mic, like niggas hold they girls tight/but I ain’t after her prolly your acura pearl white

Next up, it was 1998 and I just got a new vhs…yeah man M.F’n VHS…Shorty’s Fulfill the dream In addition to showing team members like Chad Muska, Steve Olson, Sammy Baptista, Toan Nguyen, Jesse Silvey, Aaron Snyder, Brandon Turner, Peter Smolik and an ill ass soundtrack. Enter  Quasimoto…now don’t ask me what track was playing…but I know it was off of the unseen, which until then I had yet to discover.

Nope nope that was Brandon skating to Company Flow…damn…does anyone know which late 90’s skate video featured Quasimoto?!? Moving along.

It’s amazing how great things, great sounds, great people are naturally drawn together. I never would have thought that years down the line these two musical forces that I’d stumbled across would get together to form one of the most ridiculous hip hop albums of this decade

With all of the “build up”  in this post you can imagine how happy I was to see Madvillain come to fruition (unlike the unlikely swift and changeable…damn). Well at least I can relive the magic again with a superior box set put together by Stones Throw Records to accompany Madlib’s remix of the Madvillainy masterpiece.

 

 

 

The pre-orders for the Madvillainy 2 set have ended but the album is available everywhere. Don’t lose hope just yet though, after the september 15th stones throw will be departing with a small reserve of the set…enjoy

Inspiration; Hans Ruedi Giger’s Li II

Every now and then you may find yourself coming across a person that contributes more than most. Whether it’s through charity, or creating, leading or listening, they somehow manage to give a bit more. And wherever you find  people like this, you’ll most likely find a plethora of people singing praises. 

What more can I say about a person like this that hasn’t already been said? Maybe there isn’t anything more to say about, but rather something to say to, and so with that I say, “thanks.”

H. R. Giger

 

I’ll preface this post by saying that when I was a child I was scared to death of ventriloquist dummies, the zombies in Michael Jackson’s Thriller and critters (the movie not critters in general). As frightening as they should have been, the creations of H. R. Giger have always had a polar effect on me. There is something hidden deep within the airbrushed layers of his biomechanical wastelands, and while at first I was far to young and inexperienced to really understand everything that I was looking at, I still felt his work speaking to me; opening doors in my subconcious that lead to beautiful dark places. While it is in no way related to H.R. Giger or his works, the title for a movie directed by Stephen Frears sums things up the best; Dirty Pretty Things.

 

It is in fact these dirty pretty things, these seemingly ungodly and wretched landscapes and characters that have made Giger my favorite artist;  a position that is reaffirmed everyday as I stare at my desktop wallpaper. I’m not really sure how to explain what it is about his work that has captivated me so much. Of course there is the obvious; award winning costume and set design for feature films, mastery of painting, sculpting and the design of architectural elements; extensive visual explorations of biomechanism, fetishes and terror. But beyond all of that there is something more, that is so much greater. It’s something that appears in all of his works. I can only describe it as a gateway, which, no matter what medium or subject matter is being employed, will always take me to the same place…a place where the simplest beginning and the most complicated end converge. It’s a moment in a place that is unnatural and even impossible. 

I cherish this impossibility, and look forward to revisiting it every time I look at a work of art by Giger

Visvim FBT Elk, Black

 

Somewhere in the depths of my riddled mind I remember reading something about the things you focus on being the things that come to or happen to you…and so with that I will say that I am and have been in search of a pair of Visvim FBT Elks, Black, Size 11.

 

I guess there isn’t much more to say on that one, other than the fact that one day I’m sure I’ll find someone looking to sale a pair at which point I’ll play the role of the person looking to buy a pair.

The Story Apparel presents Measurement Versus Perception (MVP)

Again, it is with the greatest pleasure that I announce the latest batch of releases from Toronto based, creative gro-ops/apparel label, The Story. In this third season of collaborative efforts, we find a series of observations inspired by hip hop and the philosopher, author, and public speaker, Jiddu Krishnamurti’s Measurement Versus Perception (MVP). 

In short by exploring the concept of measurement versus perception the artists and designers behind the shirts are visually reflecting the belief that the conditioned mind is a mind that compares, measures and divides which is the cause of conflict inwardly and outwardly. It is from her that the question can be posed…Can that mind perceive and observe without conditioning?

 

To find out more about this creative gro-ops/apparel label, or to purchase any of this season’s releases, please visit their website and online store. As stated in their most recent press release feel free to contact them with any questions or comments you may have. To find out more about the works of Jiddu Krishnamurti, visit here.

How I wish, how I wish you were here,
We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground,
What have you found? The same old fears,
Wish you were here

Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd

 

Aiyyo Bo knows this (what?) and Bo knows that (what?) / But Bo don’t know jack, cause Bo can’t rap

What’s the Scenario?, A Tribe Called Quest

Ahh, but maybe Bo did know Krishnamurti, Afrika Bambaataa, and Stetsasonic.

 

La-Di-Da-Di, we likes to party / We don’t cause trouble, we don’t bother nobody…

The Show 12″, Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D (Slick Rick)

Shed the conditioning and the combed flow of your thought patterns. Watch and be part of the flow without the disruption of analysis

 

The city of hand puppets shaping the city scapes of our beloved hog town

 

Now, why is the mind always demanding pleasure? Why is it that we do noble and ignoble things with the undercurrent of pleasure? Why is it we sacrifice and suffer on the thin thread of pleasure? What is pleasure and how does it come into being? I wonder if any of you have asked yourself these questions and followed the answers to the very end?

“Freedom from the Known” by Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

 

 

 

Thanks guys…pt. 1: Janelle Monáe

What can I say, the music inspires me. Over the past few weeks I’ve had the privilege of hearing some really great music. Some is very recent, while others have been around for a while…but all of given a sense of musical fulfillment that had definitely become more vacant in recent years.

Let’s start with Janelle Monáe, female r&b/electronic infused/rock innovator extraordinaire. I was able to cop the re-release of her 2007 album this week (originally titled Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase, and now titled Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition)). I have always had a soft spot for unusual or alternative female vocalists. Some musicians that come to mind are Lauryn Hill,  Esthero, Tekitha, Björk, Martina Topley Bird, Patty Griffin (thank you so much for “Living with Ghosts”, Ani Di Franco, Beth Gibbons, Sade , Gwen Stefani (Don’t even front like No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom wasn’t the shit, Ol’ Girl from Soulstice, Skye Edwards, Sister Bliss, Liesje Sadonius, Kelli Dayton…etc., etc. I think you see where I’m going with this. If the vocals are powerful, soulful and different count me in, especially if it is trip hop from the mid to late 90’s.

I digress…The reason I started off with Monáe’s album is because it falls in line with many great albums that are near and dear to my heart. To anyone that says it’s too short…well, she did warn us by incorporating “suite” into the title. The raw vocal power of Monáe combined with her ability to switch tempos and tones sets are far apart from you run of the mill singers out there. No matter what the beat does or how straining a note should be, she manages it…seemingly without any stress or strange.

The more I think about it, the less inclined I am to write about the actual album, or her earlier works on the Idlewild soundtrack, Got Purp Volume 2, or “The Audition”. Quite honestly with a voice like this, anything she signs is a joy to hear…the fact that the content and subject matter of her songs is masterfully concepted and executed helps, but in the end the raw power and beauty of her voice made it a real pleasure for me to finally hear the Chase Suite this week.

And so I must say…thank you Ms. Monáe for bringing back that which inspires me…powerful and passionate music. Oh and by the way…Fritz lang…but for some reason this makes me think of Blade Runner too…

…and then your gone

To quote a lyric from one of my favorite songs…

For one day your here baby, and then your gone…the next day your gone

Rest in Peace Andrae S. My prayers go out to you and your family. I didn’t know you nearly enough, and I regret that.