Getting a little bit nervous.

Joy Ang

2007-02-27T14:25:00.000+03:00

My passion has been art for as long as I can remember. With my art I strive for one main goal, and that is to stir the emotions from those who view it. I admire subtlety and believe that as much can be said through it as exaggeration. I love God, family, and friends, and they are, above all else, the most important things in my life.

though she is only 22, she is marvelous!
http://www.aoj.ca/

Optical 8 - Bug

2007-02-27T12:11:00.000+03:00

Artist: Optical 8
Album: Bug
Released: 1994

Optical*8
Hoppy Kamiyama: vocal (1, 5, 9, 10), synthesizers, samples, neuz violin, gram-pot
Reck: guitar (9), metal cavasa (3, 11), bass
Yoshihide Otomo: guitar, turntables, backing vocal
Masafumi Minato: metal cavasa (9), backing vocal, drums

Guests
Gerald Muirhead: bagpipe (7)
Emi Eleonola: talking (6)

All music by Optical*8
Words by Hoppy Kamiyama (1, 5, 9, 10) and Reck (3, 4, 6, 11)

Grrreat!

p.s. use pando it's fast, easy and free.

Melt Banana - 2003 - Cell Scape

2007-02-27T11:53:00.000+03:00

Artist: Melt Banana
Album: Cell Scape
Label: A-Zap Records
Catalogue#: 5
Released: 2003

Melt-Banana play the same way that Repulsion, Naked City, The Ruins or The Boredoms all make you want to scream and dance and kill your neighbors.

02 - Shield For Your Eyes, A Beast - pursuit music for the movie that i will never make

Muslim Magomaev

2006-12-07T14:39:00.000+03:00

Muslim Magomaev singing traditional russian song.

The best example of a true Singer who has become the brightest Superstar, is Muslim Magomaev. His brilliant and genuine talent stands out among the "tinsel show" of those who try to attract the public in concert halls and on TV screens.

There are no singers in the former USSR who can compete in popularity with Muslim Magomaev whose magnificent baritone, serious pursuit of excellence, and charismatic appeal have had a profound effect on three generations of admirers.

Jean Vigo. A propos de Nice.

2006-10-26T15:02:00.000+04:00

Of all cinema's illustrious martyr figures, none is more romantic than Jean Vigo, poet maudit of '30s French cinema, dead at 29 after a long struggle with tuberculosis, leaving a filmography that can be screened in just over three hours and which, during his lifetime, showed every sign of vanishing into oblivion. But the ethereal beauty and earthy anarchism that permeate his two masterpieces Zero de conduite (1933) and L'Atalante (1934) are still enveloping audiences in their hypnotic atmosphere today and leaving them sure in the knowledge that Vigo was more than a filmmaker - he was a moment in film history that will never be repeated.

Already entertaining cinematic ambitions, Vigo was briefly employed by the Franco Film studio as a camera assistant. A gift from his father-in-law allowed the destitute filmmaker to purchase a second-hand camera and begin work on what would become his first movie, the satirical film essay A propos de Nice (1930). It was around this time he met his close collaborator Boris Kaufman, a Russian cinematographer. The brother of both cameraman Mikhail Kaufman and director Dziga Vertov (real name Denis Kaufman), whose masterpiece Man with a Movie Camera (1928) influenced A propos de Nice, Boris Kaufman later enjoyed a distinguished career in Hollywood, shooting On the Waterfront (1954) for Kazan and several of Lumet's early films.

A propos de Nice constructs around the central motif of the carnival a savage, frenetic vision of a superficial society in a state of putrefaction. As bold in its formal experimentation as it is in its gleefully morbid fascination with ugliness, the grotesque humour of its portraits of the holidaymakers that swarm over the Promenade des Anglais (sometimes suggestively intercut with shots of animals!) is brutally undercut by images of distressing poverty. The uneasy atmosphere of indolence and boredom boiling over into lustful frenzy while willfully ignoring the encroaching sense of death and decay that surround it makes this Vigo's darkest film. While Zero de conduite's satire is balanced with a lyrical celebration of the forces of revolution and renewal, A propos de Nice limits itself to the death dance of caricatures, caricatures all the more startling for being stolen from life with a hidden camera. As Vigo stated in an address to the Groupement des Spectateurs d'Avant-Garde, "In this film, by showing certain basic aspects of a city, a way of life is put on trial.the last gasps of a society so lost in its escapism that it sickens you and makes you sympathetic to a revolutionary solution."

What is already present in A propos de Nice is Vigo's ability to capture the natural beauty of a real, non-studio setting and spontaneously elaborate on the impression, transforming the commonplace into the magical. His eye for atmosphere and detail would grow from film to film, but from the outset it was rooted in a documentary practice that simultaneously transcended the documentary.

A whole movie in split-rar lies here in a "_Movies_" folder. (~250Mb).

Ben Kehoe

2006-10-26T14:08:00.000+04:00

Ben Kehoe is an illustrator with exellent aesthetic style. And i like him so much :D
Ben have a twin brother Andy. He is a very good artist too. )

Jan Svankmajer. The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia.

2006-10-20T13:13:00.000+04:00

An incredible short film by Jan Svankmajer

A bust of Stalin is cut open on an operating table, leading to an elaborate animated depiction of Czech history from 1948 (the Communist takeover) to 1989 (the Velvet Revolution). Some knowledge of the subject is essential in order to understand the film, which is entirely visual.

If you can get your hands on a copy of this film maker's collected works, you can see how people from David Lynch to the Brothers Quay are inspired by him and there is also a great documentary on the DVDs.

Junji Hirose & Otomo Yoshihide - Silanganan Ingay

2006-10-20T12:46:00.000+04:00

Artist: Junji Hirose & Otomo Yoshihide
Album: Silanganan Ingay
Label: Tanga-Tanga
Released: 1989
Country: Japan
Bit Rate: 212 kbps

Junji Hirose: self-made instrument, toy rhythm box, toy voice changer, auto harp, toys, tenor sax (B1)
Otomo Yoshihide: turntables with hand-made mixer, cassette tapes, hand-made guitar (B1), small instruments, toys.

MUST listen. Try to connect tracks with it's names. Its the most interesting part.

download from rapidshare (~62Mb [*.zip])

The art of Hans Fischerkoesen.

2006-10-16T16:06:00.000+04:00

Hans Fischerkoesen, was among the most distinguished animators remaining in Germany between 1933 and 1945, his work during the war years included a trio of remarkable films: Verwitterte Melodie (Weather-beaten Melody, 1942), Der Schneemann (The Snowman, 1943) and Das dumme Gänslein (The Silly Goose, 1944).
In 1921 Fischerkoesen made a successful advertising film, Bummel-Petrus (Strolling Peter), for the Leipzig shoe factory Nordheimer, which led to a two-year contract with Julius Pinschewer, who had pioneered the use of animated commercials in movie theaters back in 1911. Afterwards, he established his Fischerkoesen Studio in Leipzig to specialize in advertising films, something Fischerkoesen seemed perfectly suited to. After all, he had an irrepressible sense of humor, a good sense of rhythm, and a charming, flexible cartoon style--as well as the obsessive concentration necessary to make animated films perfect in every way. He also had the knack for seeing a pun or twist in some old saying, common situation or popular song which would fit right in with a product. He philosophized about advertising, proposing the "if-then" formula (If you use this product, then this will happen; if you have this problem, then this product will help) as the best format for a succinct, cogent ad.
Certainly, he received critical acclaim: by 1956, he had won major prizes at commercial film festivals in Rome, Milan (three times), Venice, Monte Carlo, and Cannes. He also appeared on the cover of the prestigious Der Spiegel, Germany's equivalent of the American Time magazine. Fischerkoesen continued to make advertising films until 1969, and died in 1973.

Here you can see an advertisement for "Underberg", an herbal digestive aid. The best advertisement ever.

and here is one more, made for philips in 1937.
incredible

Laurie Lipton

2006-10-14T23:08:00.000+04:00

more drawings on Laurie Lipton's website

Bagman - Profession: Meurtrier

2006-10-12T00:01:00.001+04:00

"Bagman - Profession: Meurtrier" on Google Video
the hero of the future
10 minutes of trash & gore inside.

Mike Brodie

2006-09-07T16:17:00.000+04:00

mike brodie

the most amazing polaroids you've ever seen

Wesley Willis - The Greatest Hits

2006-08-30T14:48:00.000+04:00

Wesley Willis (May 31, 1963 – August 21, 2003) was an African-American musician and artist from Chicago, Illinois as well as a diagnosed schizophrenic.

He gained a sizeable cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of unique and simple music which became an internet phenomenon during the early days of P2P file sharing.

In 1989, Willis began hearing what he called "demon voices" and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He often mentioned that his demons were named "Heartbreaker," "Nervewrecker," and "Meansucker". He called his psychotic episodes "hell rides". Alternatively, he declared rock and roll to be "the joy ride music" and Willis often indicated that listening to and performing music helped him battle the voices.

In the early 1990s, Willis became creatively active, selling magic marker drawings of the Chicago cityscape on the street. Some of the drawings would later appear on the covers of his albums.
Some of his drawings you can find here.

As a solo artist, Willis created more than 50 albums, each with nearly 30 tracks, full of bizarre, excited, and often obscene rants about crime, fast food, cultural trends, bus routes, violent confrontations with superheroes, commands for his "demons" to engage in bestiality, and praise for his favorite actors, best friends, politicians, and hip-hop and rock artists.

Willis's songs have a very specific form and style which is virtually always followed, leading most listeners to complain that it all sounds the same. Wesley never actually played the notes on his keyboard; he simply used the one-note autochord feature, with preprogrammed rhythms and harmonies. Typically one chord is used for the verses, and a pattern for the choruses and "solo" sections.

On August 21, 2003, at the age of 40, Willis died due to complications from chronic myelogenous leukemia. At the time of his death, he had recorded over 1,000 songs but his total life savings were less than $300.

If you are still interesting in his music, even after reading this post, then you can download his Greatest Hits album.

download from RapidShare (~68,5 Mb [*.zip])

P.S. The Dust Brothers have up a small page devoted to their time spent with Wesley. They even include a scan of Wesley's lyrics. "Both of you are on my side at last."

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies

2006-08-28T01:38:00.000+04:00

Alternate Titles: Diabolical Dr. Voodoo, The Incredibly Mixed Up Zombie, The Teenage Psycho Meets

Directed by:
Ray Dennis Steckler

Writing credits:
E.M. Kevke
Gene Pollock
Robert Silliphant

I'm not going to bother referring to this film by either the name or the acronym in this review, but make sure to take a good look at the title so you know to avoid it like the plague. Brought to you by the mind of director Ray Dennis Steckler, who stars in his own films with stage names like Cash Flagg and Cindy Lou Sutters (really), this film is bad in whole new ways in the genre of bad zombie films.

It took me three tries to watch it. The first two times I tried, I fell asleep, probably in the middle of a dance number. Yes, there are dance numbers. And songs. And dream sequences about dance numbers and songs. Apparently it billed itself as the first monster movie musical. I've discovered that one thing perhaps more painful to watch than low-budget acting is low-budget dancing and singing. The film is set mostly in a carnival, so a large portion of it is of the various shows, which do nothing to further the plot except to establish that certain characters are, in fact, in a show. (To be fair, I guess this is true of most musicals.)

The zombies are the creations of a fortune teller at the carnival, who makes them that way by throwing some kind of acid in their face. Their existence is implied for most of the movie, but you don't actually see any until almost the very end. The fortune teller also has the power to hypnotize and control people with a big, spinning spiral, which I guess makes another kind of zombie, but they don't stop living. It's not clear that the other zombies ever stopped living either, but they at least look sort of like normal zombies.

I'm trying to judge how this movie would have been without the music. I think not quite as bad. The acting was bad, but not horrible. I think the plot would still have dragged in spots, which is saying a lot for the 40 minutes or so that would have been left. Still, with the music, the only way to watch this movie is with a finger on the fast-forward button.

A review by Zombierama

p.s. you can watch a trailer on the imdb.com

John John Jesse

2006-08-27T21:28:00.000+04:00

Jesse is my favourite.
His amount of energy, precision, idol worship and ceremony, alongside sub conscience delight and fear, gives us an imagery with all it's beauty and defiance. What innocence should be, and what it tragically often becomes, with conviction that can visually speak to generations. He does this with such obsessive detail and flair for originality. To show us that the only hope beyond the tragedy of life, is the fact that he has survived it with his art.
Visit his official website.
p.s. the picture above is caleed "The All Nighter". Looks familiar. Agha.

Robyn Archer - "Dicks Don't Grow on Trees"

2006-08-27T21:00:00.000+04:00

Robyn Archer has been a cabaret and pop artist for over thirty years, performing in an eclectic variety of genres, and in more recent years distinguishing herself as an artistic director or board member of various Australian arts festivals.

The Ladies Choice is an album famous for two things, it was the first Australian record album produced by women ( Robyn Archer and Diana Manson) and it contained outrageous lyrics for the time. Released in 1977 and featuring the feminist and fighting classics Dicks Don't Grow on Trees, The Old Soft Screw and Menstruation Blues (sic!), (the last one can be listened and downloaded on Robyn Archer's official site) the band features Adelaide session musicians led by piano man Peter Head.

but my favourite is "Dicks Don't Grow on Trees" [2,12 Mb *.mp3]

Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Ensemble - Dreams

2006-08-27T20:05:00.000+04:00

Artist: Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Ensemble
Album: Dreams
Label: Tzadik
Catalogue#: 7238
Released: Mar 2002
Bit Rate: 128 kbps

One of my favourite recordings.

The first release outside of Japan featuring two of Japan's quirkiest underground pop stars. From the high fragile sonorities of Togawa Jun to the velvet, sultry tones of Phew, Dreams runs the gamut from moody
love songs, driving groove to screaming noise. Otomo's exciting New Jazz Ensemble and creative arrangements perfectly set up the diverse vocal stylings of these two legendary divas out of the Tokyo indies
scene.

download from rapidshare (~47Mb [*.zip])

P.S. Sachiko M is also there ;)

Un Chien Andalou (1928)

2006-08-25T23:53:00.000+04:00

Youtube continues surprising me.

Un Chien Andalou (1928) - Directed by Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel

American film critic Roger Ebert called Un chien andalou "the most famous short film ever made, and anyone halfway interested in the cinema sees it sooner or later, usually several times."

Describing Un chien andalou is difficult because the film has no "plot" in the strict sense of the word. In terms of its structure, it is at least as nonlinear as any film ever made. It uses dream logic that can be described in terms of Freudian free association. The film is a series of apparently unrelated, and at times potentially offensive, scenes that attempt to shock the viewer. It also features surprising camera angles and other film tricks.

Some scholars argue that Un chien andalou might be the genesis of the filmmaking style present in the modern music video. Others say it is among the first low budget independent films.

Maleonn Ma

2006-08-25T22:53:00.000+04:00

Maleonn Ma is a photographer and a director of short films. He graduated from Fine Art College of Shanghai University in 1995 and is living and working in China at present.

Syzygys - Complete Studio Recordings

2006-08-25T13:54:00.000+04:00

Artist: Syzygys
Album: Complete Studio Recordings
Label: Tzadik
Catalogue#: 7240
Released: Jan 2003
Bit Rate: 256 kbps

A right review by Jason Ferguson:
The idea of a Japanese "female duo who plays microtonal pop music" should justly send shivers of terror down your Pizzicato Five-battered spine. But when you notice that Syzygys' complete recorded works are released on the label that brought you post-apocalyptic Japanese treats like the Ruins and Otomo Yoshihide, you in turn steel yourself for a paint-peeling screech-fest of epic proportions. Yet the music of Hitomi Shimizu and Hiromi Nishida fits into neither of those categories. In fact, these 19 songs must be some of the most delicately uplifiting "progressive" music to emerge from Japan in quite some time. Limited neither by cuteness nor by rage, Syzygys creates music on an organ modified to avant-classical vagabond Harry Partch's 43-tone model. Shimizu plays said organ (which, apparently, is a bitch to tune), while Nishida accompanies on violin. Both ladies handle vocal duties, while other musicians are occasionally called in to flesh out the sound with percussion or other instruments. The merging of the microtonal organ's intrinsic oddness with the lush familiarity of the violin builds a base upon which the two harmonize like choir girls. The result is music that -- not unlike Partch's -- is somehow possessed of an intrinsically Arabic feel, accentuated by some lovely vocal flourishes. Definitely unique, but not in the way you expect it to be.

download from rapidshare (~124Mb [*.zip])

And don't forget to visit their website!

"Salome in Low Land" by Christian Zagler

2006-08-24T16:25:00.000+04:00

'Salome in Low Land', is a delightful concoction that joins the classic world of opera by Richard Strauss, and a play by Oscar Wilde with the contemporary world of retro 8-bit video games. I was surprised when heard about it's success at the 2006 Rotterdam Film Festival. Salome was a biblical princess with a bit of a mean streak. With her magical dance of the seven veils she had men eating out of her palm. Even great men, like King Herod, succumbed to her charms.

“It is a story about a man-eating woman, a femme fatale”, Christian explains, “Salome's innocent, passionate, self conscious and dangerous at the same time.” Tragedy strikes and blood flows red when the King unwillingly grants Salome one dark and deadly wish. It’s a classic tale of lust, power and revenge (opera buffs love that stuff). “My focus lies not just on the story itself, which comes from Oscar Wilde and the bible, but on aesthetics” says Christian, “I did it all on my private computer, spending more nights than days arranging pixel by pixel, influenced by a lot of computer games.”

You can watch "Salome in Low Land" here.

Trevor Brown

2006-08-24T00:33:00.000+04:00

TREVOR BROWN is a sick fuck. There's no doubt about that. A sick fuck with an Asian fetish, if we want to be precise. And yet we haven't even begun to scratch the surface. The toilet bowl inside this artist's brain is overflowing with blood culled from a massive fetish orgy starring a horde of underage Japanese goth sluts for whom the more freakish, unimaginable terrain of human behaviour is the norm, Bondage is a big theme here, as are wounds, lacerations, and bruises - very adult themes depicted in a childlike world of sardonic innocence lost and found. But is it art?
article by travis jeppesen for a prague city magazine / what's-on guide, 2005

He designed the cover of John Zorn's album "The Gift" and he is just awesome!

Nakazawa Hideki

2006-08-23T16:03:00.000+04:00

Hideki Nakazawa b.1963, Japanese artist.

He started his activities as an artist producing acrylic paintings while attending the Medical School of Chiba University, and began to win prizes and held solo shows. After graduation, he continued his artistic activities while working as an ophthalmologist, but in 1990, he switched to working with computer graphics and became Japan's first Heta-Uma (Bad-Good) style computer graphics illustrator. His cheap but pop style which was produced by using a 2D bitmap painting software became popular and was called "Silly CG." He won the MMA Artist Prize in the Multimedia Grand Prix '95, and his work has appeared in high-school textbooks on art.

What is in his head?

Doom Comics Book

2006-08-23T03:58:00.001+04:00

clickable

Doom Comic! peak of imbecility.