LONDON POLICE :: ART SHOW :: NYC

The London Police WHO CARES WINS promo from bob gibson on Vimeo.

Pure Comedy... Watch!

STYLE WARS 2 :: COMING SOON

Directed by Tony Silver and produced by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant, Style Wars is regarded as the indispensable document of New York Street culture of the early '80s, the filmic record of a golden age of youthful creativity that exploded into the world from a city in crisis. The film captured the look and feel of New York's ramshackle subway system as graffiti writers' public playground, battleground and spectacular artistic canvas. Opposing them by every means possible were Mayor Edward Koch, the police, and the New York Transit Authority. Meanwhile MCs, DJs and B-boys rocked the city with new sounds and new moves and street corner breakdance battles evolved into performance art. Now, we enter a world with Style Wars 2.



Of this new "semi-sequel" effort, the backers note:
It is a completely original film that makes intelligent and extremely funny references to our nearly thirty-year-old film, but in contemporary situations. They use clever dialog and audio quotes from Style Wars to establish the context. In ironic, and often hilarious scenes, they engage various elements of the film’s narrative, such as the conflict with the authorities, the cross-out wars, and the emergence of graffiti in the art world, in surprising ways. The film that Amos Angeles and Veli Silver are engaged in making is a refreshing departure [from hackneyed ideas on the subject].

FUNK N WAFFLES

Funk 'n Waffles is Syracuse New York's newest music venue!

We feature a wide variety of savory and sweet Belgian Waffles as well as artisan roasted coffee and espresso, grilled panini sandwiches, fresh free-range egg sanwiches, Purity Ice Cream from Ithaca, fresh fruit smoothies, and much more.

You can catch live music at Funk 'n Waffes 3-7 days a week, and all the shows are always all ages, we do not serve alcohol here.

Enjoy our laid-back atmosphere while you devour our delicious waffles, and groove out to some music.

NEW 2009 Summer Hours:

* Monday: 9am-4pm
* Tuesday: 9am-4pm
* Wednesday: 9am-12am
* Thursday: 9am-(if show, 12am; if not, 4pm)
* Friday: 9am-(if show, 12am; if not, 4pm)
* Saturday: 9am-(if show, 12am; if not, 4pm)
* Sunday: 9am-4pm

Address
727 S. Crouse Ave, Suite 8
Syracuse, NY 13210
(315)477-9700

TALKING JAZZ WITH MARCUS MILLER

Great interview with Marcus Miller as he talks with Montreux Jazz TV. Sit back, relax and let Marcus Miller break some knowledge on Jazz music.

What, you don't know who Marcus Miller is?

EARSNOT

Leader of the immortal Irak crew, openly gay downtown enfant terrible, scene stealing star of the cult film "Infamy", Mr Earsnot is a latter day icon to the arbiters of NY cool. How can you not like this guy! Lets smoke a blunt, drink a tall boys and wreck shop!

earsnot from Austin Peters on Vimeo.

WATCH AT 4:10

PRESERVING THE VINYL :: PRESSING

New York Times

In an industrial and uninviting stretch of Brooklyn, near several strip clubs and a factory that makes electrical tubing, Thomas Bernich’s small plant recycles vinyl and preserves a fading piece of history.


In fact, Mr. Bernich’s workplace in Sunset Park is one of the few of its kind in New York City and in the country.

Inside the one-story, red-brick factory on 42nd Street, boxes of discarded albums from used-record stores are piled high on wooden pallets, awaiting their end and a new beginning.

The records are tossed into a large shredder to start the process of putting music on them again. The used vinyl is eventually fed into a press that creates new albums. “Taking rotten milk and breathing new life into it is not an easy thing,” Mr. Bernich said.




Mr. Bernich and the five employees at his company, Brooklynphono, have preserved the craft of applying music to vinyl.

Mr. Bernich stumbled into the record business after he realized that his talent for sculpture, which he studied at the Pratt Institute, could probably not support a career. But while at Pratt, Mr. Bernich, 40, started collecting records, inspired by a friend’s passion for vinyl.

“You have these moments when you are playing a record when you get caught in a location and time,” said Mr. Bernich, who lives in Brooklyn Heights. “There is a magic with vinyl and the memories that are connected to it.”



When he finally had the chance to buy two used vinyl-pressing machines from a plant that was closing, Mr. Bernich pounced, turning his hobby into a job and opening a small business. While vinyl records are clearly a relic, Mr. Bernich has found a niche. When it first opened in 2003, Brooklynphono was making about 2,000 records a month. Now, Brooklynphono has five pressing machines, making more than 10,000 records a month. It caters mostly to indie-rock record labels based in Brooklyn, but also to several European dance record labels.

One skill that has proved useful is the comfort with tools and machines Mr. Bernich gained while studying sculpture.

“I’m really not very musical, and the best thing I can play is the stereo,” Mr. Bernich said. “This fits because I have mechanical experience.”

He has tinkered with all his pressing machines, attaching them to a customized network of vacuum tubes and other pieces which automate the loading of vinyl plastic and the recycling of excess material and also maximize the power of the presses.

“Essentially, I’ve taken a regular machine and hot-rodded it,” Mr. Bernich said.

When the machines start up, the smell of warm plastic fills the factory. The vacuum tubes suck granules of vinyl from the industrial plastic shredder. The small plastic bits are then pumped into a hot extruder, which melts the plastic. Black vinyl flows out like toothpaste and is then formed into a misshapen puck. At that point, a label is glued on each side of the puck.

The pressing machine hisses as it opens and heats, the puck is slid onto the press, and 120 tons of pressure stamp sound waves into grooves on the vinyl. Once it cools, the flattened plastic is pushed out onto a trimmer, where any excess vinyl is cut, and the black disc is dropped onto a spindle. A record is born.

“I love how you can play a record, look at the cover art, and read the liner notes,” said Heath Bodine, 40, who does quality control at Brooklynphono. “You don’t get that with an MP3 file.”

While new vinyl plastic is still available, the material is expensive and hard to find. Mr. Bernich prefers recycled vinyl because it is suited to his retrofitted machines. “It’s like being a short-order cook,” Mr. Bernich said. “The music is only as good as the ingredients you get.”

A major responsibility for Mr. Bernich and his workers is tending to the pressing machines, which demand constant adjustment. During production, the movement of the machines causes parts to shift, and the slightest misalignment can cause a malfunction and stop production for an entire day. A disc can become jammed inside one of the machines, or the brace that holds the part that stamps grooves onto the vinyl can come loose.

Another worker, Sarah Himmelfarb, 26, wears latex gloves to test the machines and examine records. Every so often, she will stop the machines and use a small mallet to reposition the metal plates that keep the vinyl stamper in place.

Ms. Himmelfarb, who has applied to several medical schools and is waiting to hear back, compares the process of maintaining the presses to diagnosing problems in the human body. “There are symptoms, and they can be caused by a variety of things,” she said.

Zach Cale, a 32-year-old musician and a founder of All Hands Electric, an indie rock and folk music record label in Brooklyn, is one of Brooklynphono’s clients. Aside from the convenience of having records made by a local plant — his label saves on shipping costs by picking up orders — Mr. Cale prefers having his music on vinyl because, he said, fans like the tangibility of a 12-inch album. “We’ve always been really into the physicality of vinyl,” said Mr. Cale, who paid $1,300 for 500 records. “People really respond to it because it’s visual and it feels like you have a piece of the band.”

While vinyl records have largely been consigned to the dustbin of the music industry, Mr. Bernich said he still found magic in turning musicians’ ideas into physical objects to share with the world.

“Once a musician makes a record it lasts a very long time,” he said.

PHONY PPL

These Teenagers are doing it for me right now. Fusing Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop, etc. Dont sleep on these Brooklyn kids. Big tings popping in the next few months. These Kids get it!!! Support good music.

KATSU :: NEW YORK

Looks like Katsu is back to his old tricks. Some new photo's circulating around the internet. Always loving this kids stunts.

TRUTH AND SOUL PRESENT

I wish I was in NY for this event! For all the Soul Lovers out there your in for a treat!

SAVE THE CULT CLASSIC - STYLE WARS

Twenty five years after its initial release there is still a strong, global demand for the film. In an effort to keep up with this demand we must be able to offer the film in the the most up-to-date formats. We are embarking on a project to restore STYLE WARS and bring it up to the highest technical standards available today in order to create a High Definition edition of the film. We will be transferring the original 16 mm negative into full HD 1080p while cleaning and restoring the film during the process. The HD master will be better, sharper and more brilliant than the original. From it we can strike new prints, author new DVDs and participate in the digital economy.

We have looked at the original negative and discovered that it was damaged during the many years it has been in storage. Fortunately, it will be possible to repair it, using digital technology, painstakingly working on each damaged frame. The restored film will have unprecedented sharpness and clarity and the vibrant colors of the painted trains will be revealed in their original intensity.

MORE INFO

LO LIFES

The 'Lo Lifes' were a group of 50/60 young men mainly from New York who had a large obsession with the Ralph Lauren label in the late 80's and early 90's. Status was based around who had the largest, rarest Polo collection. They didn't always pay for it though.

Names You Can Trust: Remixes - PROMO VIDEO

Names You Can Trust: Remixes - PROMO VIDEO from Names You Can Trust on Vimeo.

Preview of upcoming release NYCT-LP01
Out on VINYL LP and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD March 2010

Names You Can Trust Remixed by:
TM JUKE & JACK BAKER TRIO
TAHIRA & TRZ
COLMAN BROS.
LOS FULANOS
DUSTY
SPINNERTY & REPLIFE

Cover Art by Freddy Anzures for PROPS
Video Directed by Navarro Stark

UNLIMITED TOUCH

Unlimited Touch was a New York based post disco group who had some regional fame in the early eighties. The group consisted of Audrey Wheeler, Phil Hamilton, Tony Cintron, Sandy Anderson, Stephanie James and Lenny Underwood. Raymond Reid and William Anderson from New York-based band Crown Heights Affair instigated Unlimited Touch in the early '80s, but they were not part of the band. The group was signed to Prelude Records (via Epic Records in the U.K.).

UNLIMITED TOUCH - NO ONE CAN LOVE YOU (QUITE THE WAY I DO) INST

NEVER NOT WORKING

ON THE AIR AS WE SPEAK

DROPPING ALL FEMALE VOCAL JOINTS = FOR THE SOUL LOVERS

KON & AMIR TALK - DISCO / BOOGIE /MODERN SOUL

Kon & Amir are legendary crate diggers and DJs from New York. See what they found at Amoeba Hollywood.

NEVER NOT WORKING

HAD A CHANCE TO CHILL WITH THE NEW YORK FAM THIS WEEKEND. BIG UPS TO KRIS AND KEVIN. YOU WILL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT THEM REAL SOON.

ALSO CHECK OUT EAST VILLAGE RADIO . MY FRIEND KRIS RIOS IS APART OF A FRESH SHOW EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY CALLED "NEVER NOT WORKING" MORNINGS 12- 2AM. ME AND FELLOW MEMBER RENMIN ARE ALREADY PLANNING A TRIP TO NY IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS... HEAR THE SOUNDS HITS THE BIG APPLE, STAY TUNNED...

NEVER NOT WORKING:

With a deep respect for the past and a keen ear to the future, Rios and Oskar deliver the best in deep soul, funk, disco, breaks and hip-hop. The best New York and the world has to offer.

SNEAKER CON = NYC

The biggest swap-meet of sneaker heat and gear is back January 9th, 2010. After a successful 2009 showing, Sneaker Con is hosting another convention for NYC and Tri-State shoeheads to trade with their fellow man or to show off their latest digs. Also in attendance will be thirty vendors with serious kicks for you to get your hands on. This year’s crowd rolled over a thousand deep, and this upcoming show is poised to surpass that number and pack the house. Come prepared and dressed to impress, because this convention is not for the meek.

Event Date:
January 9th, 2010
Event Location:
268 Mulberry St
New York, NY 10012

CNN CHANNEL 10 - FOR MY 94 NEW YORK CLASS

CAPONE N NOREAGA- TONY
Uploaded by jayvunbitch. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

NYC CMJ October

This post is a little late but better than never. I was in New York for CMJ during the third week of October and ran into all sorts of folks. The Honor Roll Crew was out there reppin' the bay hard...Mike Baker The Bike Maker, Josie Stingray, Tap10, Trackademics....I was also able to catch Sake1's monthly party EST at Sutra, where he had Wajeed as a guest.


Did you know there is another Vinyl Richie in this world? Very charming man.


The next night me and my homegirls headed over to East Village Radio to see Chino and Capital P's show live...a nice surprise to see our bay area brother Shortkut tearing it up (see video below), beatjunkies were in the building as well



Mamabear & Capital P



The rain was not a good look for the hair.


Stumbled upon Jon Oliver's party "I love viNYL" which had some major dance floor action...the DJs took turns taking quick pictures of the record cover (of the track that was playing) and then posting it on the flatscreens throughout the club. Brilliant! Check out Jon's blog about some of his Dj requests...its a good laugh


I packed an empty record bag in my suitcase with hopes of coming back with some goodies...and I did. A gang of prelude/SOLAR records I was looking for (e.g. Vicky D-The Beat Is Mine) Thanks A1 & TTL- Shoutout to Matt aka Cmish for the fun afternoon geeking out over some records he thought I would like.


Matt told us about his party with Snack at APT on Sundays...it was almost like a Eastcoast Sweaterfunk (Snack on the left, Cmish on the right)

Vna$ty and Michi enjoying Maryjane Girls



On my last night I played with Stimulus and Eli Escobar at 105 Riv (A party Moma and Stim created called The Good Spot) in the Lower East Side. Moma and I switched places that night because he was in San Diego/Vegas with our HTS brother Beatnick. The place was sexi as hell. I mean every single person in the joint was good looking. Weird.



DJ Chela and I were rolling together that night, such an inspiring woman. We met in at Carbon in LA when I played at Funkmosphere. It was a nice way to end my trip.

As soon as we shut things down at The Good Spot, I was picked up and taken to the airport, and hopped on a plane back to San Francisco. Until next time...