Πέμπτη 29 Νοεμβρίου 2012

roy davis jr - gabrielle


America house musician Roy Davis jr grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and was turned on to house music at an early age by Lil' Louis. Davis began his own production company named Phuture in the late 1980s. In the 1990s, Davis teamed with Chicago vocalist Peven Everett and recorded the hit single, "Gabriel" (Large/XL). The track garnered airplay, and was played in nightclubs around the world. It peaked at #22 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1997. The single sold over 200,000 copies, and has appeared on thousands of compilation albums including Desert Island Mix from Gilles Peterson.

Πέμπτη 1 Νοεμβρίου 2012


Tesis – Amenabar’s first long film



    Being only 22 years old, Amenabar made his official debut as director in Spanish cinema with a brilliant and entertaining psychological thriller, called “Tesis” (Thesis, 1996). The film, that explores the power of image in contemporary societies, is about a student of Art&Cinema (named Ángela and played by Ana Torrent), writing her thesis about violence in films. Her professor wanting to help her find a movie that fulfils her request of “images as violent as possible”, unexpectedly dies while watching the movie he discovers in University’s film library. Ángela steals the mysterious tape and together with Chema (Fele Martínez), a classmate obsessed with horror and violent movies, discover that this snuff film presents the torture and death of one of their classmates that disappeared two years ago. How is this tape connected with Ángela’s new professor, Castro (Xabier Elorriaga) who insists on “giving the audience what it wants to see”, a suspicious but handsome classmate that attracts Ángela (Bosco, played by Eduardo Norriega)  and even Chema? And how is Ángela going to be involved in this deadly game?



    The film not only was a box-office success, but also gave Amenabar numerous prestigious international awards including the Audience Award at the Annecy Festival and seven awards in Goya Festival (1996, including Best Picture, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay), an absolute triumf. Amenabar wanted to address the issue of violence in cinema and television, dirrecting a movie that is not obviously violent, but that it does provoke terror that is “psychological, suggested through music and sound effects, but not seen”(as Amenabar said when asked about the purpose of the film).

Notes
Snuff film; a genre of movies depicting the actual murder of a person(s), without the aid of special effects
*Amenabar does not have a role in this movie, yet you can notice his name on a computer screen when Angela is searching for the possible buyers of the camera
*Castro, the name of the bad professor, is the actual name of the professor that made Amenabar stop his University studies 

Δευτέρα 29 Οκτωβρίου 2012


“Himenoptero” and “Luna”- The short films of Alejandro Amenabar



    On 1991 and at the age of 19, Amenabar wrote, directed and produced his first short film, “La cabeza”(The head), that only a few ever noticed and had access to. That was a 15-minute horror film where a woman, coming back from work finds a note from her husband saying that he was going to be late. Strangely enough, she notices a person in the house that turns out to be the husband who remains silent. The phone rings, police tells her that her husband died in an accident and immediately the figure disappears. That was the original story, but later Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil decided to extend it, keeping the figure in the house and disfiguring his face. The wife, seeing this horrifying change, cuts of the head of the figure, which turned to skull stars bouncing in the house. The cartoon-like ending made the audience burst into laughter and completely destroyed the atmosphere, making the film simply unknown.

    His second short film, “Himenoptero” (Hymenopterous,1992), is actually the one that made Amenabar noticeable to some critics and film-addicts of that time. Amenabar, who also did the scriptwriting, combines a provocative theme with a clever trick; snuff films and film within a film. The story takes place in the corridors of a college where a group of cinema students gather up in order to shoot a horror film. The lead actress (played by Nieves Herranz) is not motivated enough, so the director, a pretty hard and ambitious girl, decides to take advantage of the strange relationship between the actress and the psychopathic camera-man (played by himself, Amenabar). From there starts a pretty interesting and well-filmed “game”, where the audience together with the cast doubt whether what is happening is true or not, acting or life (but that is what a snuff film is, isn’t it?). As about the actors, it is true that they are all young, yet there is not a really distinguishing talent.

                 


    On his third and last short film, “Luna” (Moon,1995), Amenabar has once again (as at the previous two) the role of writer, director (together with Mateo Gil this time), producer, actor and soundtrack-composer. The story refers to how dangerous hitchhiking can be.  Alberto (Eduardo Noriega, excellent, though at the beginning of his career) is hitchhiking at the highway when a girl decides to take him along. Nothing could tell that this girl (Nieves Herranz) is a lunatic, desperately asking for attention and ready to reach till the edge to get it. This short horror-film is not that interesting as the first one, and as critics refer it suffers from bad script, moderate direction and photography. Moreover, it seems that the lead actress is exaggerating in a character that is already extreme, yet quite indifferent.

 
    As you can see, these two films are just showing a spark of what Amenabar showed some years after, yet it was enough to award “Himenoptero” with the prize of “Best short film” at Elche and Carabanchel Film Festival (1992), and “Luna” with “Luis Garcia Berlanga Award for best director”(1994) and “Best Music Award” of AICA (1994). But, even more importantly, these two films drew the attention of Jose Luis Cuerda (famous Spanish director), who fascinated by Amenabar’s work at his first steps (the tapes were actually sent to Cuerda to get familiar with the job of Nieves Herranz) decided to invest his money to Amenabar’s first long film “Tesis” (Thesis, 1996).

Κυριακή 28 Οκτωβρίου 2012

Alejandro Amenabar

My movies are not movies of answers but of questions

    
    Counting 7 titles and starting his career at the age of 19, Amenabar is considered as a promising new-age director. Being also the writer, soundtrack composer and enjoying small roles from time to time, he truly seems multi-talented, yet now raises the question whether or not he keeps his personal style after his premier in Hollywood.
    Amenabar made his first steps in film-directing with two short horror films, “Himenoptero”(1992) and “Luna”(1995). His first short film, “Himenoptero” was a 33-minute surprising thriller with the basic idea of snuff films and Amenabar as director, writer, music-composer and actor (he played a silent role, a camera-man). His second short film “Luna” had a mediocre script, with a pretentious, yet indifferent woman-character (played by Nieves Herranz in one of her first and last films), moderate direction and photography. Nevertheless, it did introduce a great Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega (Tesis, Abre los ojos, Plata quemada, Che Guevara).   
    Just one year after his second short film, Amenabar did not hasitate making his debut in Spanish cinema with his first movie, “Tesis”(Thesis,1996) and was immediately thought to be a promising new director, often compared to Alfred Hitchcock for the pure cruelty of his horror films. The main idea of the film (the concept of enjoying an otherwise horrible spectacle of a snuff film) was also, as mentioned above, the idea of his first short film “Himenoptero”.  “Tesis” won several Spanish Academy awards and even reached Berlin Film Festival, preparing the audience for his Spanish blockbuster “Abre los ojos” (Open your eyes, 1997). “Abre los Ojos” did not catch Hollywood’s attention, though clearly impressed Tom Cruise, who starred in the Hollywood remake of the film “Vanilla Sky”, which, missing Amenabar’s direction and having Hollywood’s aesthetics, partially loses the novelty and atmosphere of the original.
    Yet, “Vanilla Sky” opened Hollywood doors for Amenabar who literally scored with his English-debut horror film “The others” (2001), receiving only good critiques worldwide. The spine-tingling chills, produced by the dark, foggy atmosphere created by Amenabar’s direction, the mysterious soundtrack, also composed by him, the outstanding performance of N.Kidman as a 1940’s semi-lunatic mother  of two light-allergic kids, and most-of-all the unexpected end were more than enough to characterize the film as remarkable.


    Considered to be at the top of his career Amenabar went back to Spanish films with “Mar adentro” (Sea within,2004), staring Javier Bardem as the true-life character of Ramon Sapedro,  a quadriplegic who fought for 30 years to win his right to end his life the way he wanted. The film shocked, and divided the critics, who either thought it was extremely true and sentimental, or just extravagant, with the sole intention of provoking the audience. The truth is J.Bardem was great in his role, Amenabar did a good job in the atmospheric scenes, especially the one with Ramon “flying” over the sea, and the soundtrack was well-chosen.
    After all that success, Amenabar decided to try for second time an English-language film, directing “Agora” (2009), which with its Spanish director, British actors, Hollywood-standard production, set in Roman Alexandria of 391AD, criticizing the crimes and destructions in the name of Christianity was promising to be really provocative and extra-ordinary, but, surprisingly enough, can be immediately forgotten after each screening and does raise the question ‘where is Amenabar?’. Rumor has it, he faces the results of his last-film’s failure, yet, he is just 30 years old. Maybe we have to be more optimistic when criticizing a promising talent and expect a stunning come-back from him in the future.

Τρίτη 2 Οκτωβρίου 2012

Abre Los Ojos




From a prison cell in Madrid, Cesar, a 25-year-old in a prosthetic mask, tells his story to his psychiatrist in the form of flash-backs.Everything starts when a spoiled playboy meets an interesting girl at one of his private parties, but that doesn't go unnoticed by his obsessed stalker. After that point the plot loses its linearity and we get a succession of  dreams and "reality" shuffling through a dark, dream-like atmosphere until the "apocalyptic" ending, when all questions  are answered (or aren't they?). Amenabar's steady style with his surreal artistic references, excellent soundtrack (including Massive Attack's Risingson), and fresh acting from a bunch of talented cast make up for a puzzling yet really appealing film, which was remade in hollywood standards in 2001.


Δευτέρα 24 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Τετάρτη 12 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Being John Malkovich


 A puppeteer on the verge of a personality crisis takes a job as a filing clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor, and digs out an entry point into the mind of the actor John Malkovich. The discovery will soon be economically exploited, offering more and more people the rejuvenating experience of "brain contact" and a strong dose of mental liberation at the same time. However, things get out of hand in no time and instead of just a psychedelic, surrealistic comedy we get an in-depth commentary on the insticts, needs and borders of the human mind, the constant will to be different or even someone else and the human predisposition to behave despotically or even play God when such a chance is given. Talented director Spike Jonze embraces perfectly the eccentric script of the enigmatic writer Charlie Kaufman and is fully supported by his well timed and balanced cast (John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich) in this bizarre, mind-bending film. 

Σάββατο 8 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Bullit


When a Mob witness is murdered on Lt Frank Bullitt's watch, he defiantly hides the facts and the body to give himself time to find the killers, which brings him into direct conflict with an ambitious and corrupt politician. Rubber-burning set piece director Robert Yates was hired by Steve Mcqueen for this atmospheric film, giving us one of the most famous and elaborate car-chasing scenes of the 60s. The unusual plot form and unexpected ending which leaves the viewer to connect some dots of the storyline himself, differentiate this movie from the typical "who's the killer" cop drama, while McQueen's fabled laconic cool somehow seeps into the fibres of the film itself. That means that the film has a still and silent flow which makes the action and violence occurances jarring and shocking just like they should. 


Παρασκευή 1 Ιουνίου 2012

Δευτέρα 28 Μαΐου 2012

Πέμπτη 17 Μαΐου 2012

Πέμπτη 3 Μαΐου 2012

She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart



She Wants Revenge is an American musical duo, based in San Fernando Valley, California. The group's debut album She Wants Revenge was released in early 2006, with three singles to follow ("These Things," a video featuring Shirley Manson from Garbage, "Out of Control," and "Tear You Apart" for which the video was directed by Joaquin Phoenix). This Is Forever, was released on October 9, 2007. The group's third album, entitled Valleyheart, was released on May 23, 2011.


Solomun - After Rain Comes Sun

Mladens Solomun or just Solomun musical passion concentrates in his own label Diynamic Music since one year. The first five EP Releases presented a very successfull start and cought the attention of many artists and DJs like: Laurent Garnier, Tiger Stripes, Gabriel Ananda, DJ T., Tobi Neumann, Martin Landsky, Jennifer Cardini, Anja Schneider, Prins Thomas, Fabrice Lig, who layed and charted the tracks in their playlists.

Τετάρτη 2 Μαΐου 2012

Τετάρτη 11 Απριλίου 2012

Τρίτη 10 Απριλίου 2012

Παρασκευή 6 Απριλίου 2012

Παρασκευή 16 Μαρτίου 2012

Κυριακή 4 Μαρτίου 2012

Παρασκευή 24 Φεβρουαρίου 2012

Τρίτη 21 Φεβρουαρίου 2012

Σάββατο 18 Φεβρουαρίου 2012

Tim Hecker - Borderlands

Tim Hecker is an electronic musician and sound artist based in Montreal, Canada. Hecker previously recorded under the moniker Jetone, but has become better known internationally for his ambient recordings released through Kranky, Mille Plateaux,Alien8, Force Inc, Staalplaat, and Fat Cat under his own name.

Σάββατο 11 Φεβρουαρίου 2012

Ifan Dafydd - Treehouse (Official Video)

steffi - yours ft virginia


Embracing to music, art and counter-culture, Dutch born DJ and producer and label owner Steffi has become an important figure in the realms of contemporary club music. With the experience that comes with promoting underground parties for over a decade, and running two successful labels - Klakson, and her new Dolly imprint - Steffi has also developed a natural and professional balance between DJing and producing.

Πέμπτη 9 Φεβρουαρίου 2012

Rhythm & Sound - Poor People Must Work (Carl Craig Remix).avi


Rhythm & Sound is a contemporary dub project initiated and produced by Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, originated in 1996 in Berlin, Germany. Amongst other Oswald and Ernestus aliases is Basic Channel and they run a label under the same name, which upon closure in 1995 was followed by the infamous Chain Reaction.

Δευτέρα 6 Φεβρουαρίου 2012

Τρίτη 31 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Σάββατο 28 Ιανουαρίου 2012

μ-ziq



Mike Paradinas is µ-Ziq, pronounced, simply, “music”. He has released music under various appellations, among them “Jake Slazenger” “Kid Spatula” “Gary Moscheles” and “Tusken Raiders”, and under his primary moniker as µ-Ziq has collaborated with one of the most visible leaders of the modern electronic movement, Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) on the album Mike & Rich - Expert Knob Twiddlers.




Πέμπτη 26 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Keith Jarrett -- The Köln Concert: Part I


The Köln Concert is a recording by the pianist Keith Jarrett of solo piano improvisations performed at the Cologne Opera House in Cologne (German: Köln) on January 24, 1975 before a live audience. It was released in the autumn of 1975 by the ECM Records label to critical acclaim and went on to become the best-selling solo album in jazz history, and the all-time best-selling piano album with sales of more than 3.5 million.

Τετάρτη 25 Ιανουαρίου 2012

KID KOALA THIRD WORLD LOVER


Eric San (born 1974), who records under the name Kid Koala, is a Canadian DJ, turntablist, musician and an author of graphic novels. He is signed to the British record label Ninja Tune, is a member of alternative hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030, and The Slew with Dynamite D. He has released 4 albums : 1996: Scratchcratchratchatch - mixtape demo album, limited to 500 copies and initially released on cassette only (CS001), 2000: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Ninja Tune ZENCD34) ,2003: Some of my Best Friends are DJs (Ninja Tune ZENCD82) 2006: Your Mom's Favorite DJ (Ninja Tune ZENCD127).


Seu Jorge - Amiga Da Minha Mulher


Seu Jorge (born June 8, 1970) is a Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter and actor. Born Jorge Mário da Silva, he was raised in a favela in the city of Belford Roxo in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro state. He is considered by his fans a renewer of Brazilian pop samba. Seu Jorge cites samba school, and American soul singer Stevie Wonder as major musical influences. He has released the following six Lp's: Samba Esporte Fino ((2001), Cru (2004), The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions (2005), América Brasil O Disco (2007), Seu Jorge & Almaz (2010), Músicas para Churrasco, Vol. 1 (2011).

Τρίτη 24 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Cayetano-Oye muchacho


Giannis Bratanis released as Cayetano 2 vinyls at the german label "Kinky Lounge" but the international recognition came in 2006, when he released the album "FOCUSED" getting airplay on radio stations and great reviews from the Press all over the World. The next step was even bigger, as his collaboration with Loopa Scava gave the "UP & DOWN" album, released by Etage Noir. On Summer of 2009, the "THE BIG FALL" album comes out from the Etage Noir. On October of 2010, Cayetano signed with KLIK Records and on November he released the "BACK HOME" album.

Cold War Kids- Coffee Spoon



Cold War Kids are an indie rock band from Fullerton, California, USA. Band members are Nathan Willett (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Jonnie Russell (guitar, vocals, percussion), Matt Maust (bass guitar) and Matt Aveiro(drums). They ve released 3 albums Robbers & Cowards, Loyalty to Loyalty and Mine Is Yours. The followed track can be found in 2011 EP Behave Yourself.

Δευτέρα 23 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Control Machete - Si Señor




Control Machete is a Mexican hip hop group from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Its members are Fermin IV (listed as Fermin IV Caballero Elizondo in credits), Patricio "Pato" Chapa Elizalde, and Toy Kenobi (Antonio "Toy" Hernández).

Σάββατο 21 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Moloko - Cannot Contain This


“Moloko” were an Anglo-Irish trip-hop / electro-pop duo consisting of Róisín Murphy from Arklow, Republic of Ireland and Mark Brydon, from Sunderland, England. The band’s name originates from the Nadsat slang in the novel “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess, in which it means “milk” (from the Russian word for milk, молоко), actually the name of a milk drink that Alex and his “droogs” consume mixed with “drencrom”. They have released 4 lp's Do you like my Tight Sweater?(1995), I am not A doctor(1998), Things to make and do(2000), and Statues(2000).

Πέμπτη 19 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Aphex twin


Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British electronic musician and composer. He founded the record label Rephlex Records in 1991 with Grant Wilson-Claridge. He was described by The Guardian as the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music. Aphex Twin has also recorded music under the aliases AFX, Blue Calx, Bradley Strider, Caustic Window, DJ Smojphace, GAK, Martin Tressider, Polygon Window, Power-Pill, Prichard D. Jams, Q-Chastic, Tahnaiya Russell, The Dice Man, Soit-P.P., and speculatively The Tuss.
\

Τετάρτη 18 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Κυριακή 15 Ιανουαρίου 2012

Kraftwerk - The man machine


Kraftwerk ( meaning power plant or power station) is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008. The signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, mainly following a Western Classical style of harmony, with a minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group's simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk's distinctive sound was revolutionary, and 
has had a lasting effect across many genres of modern music.

MAN MACHINE from THE FORCE UNIVERSAL on Vimeo.

Τρίτη 10 Ιανουαρίου 2012

The Walkmen The Rat


The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire Eater—Paul Maroon (guitar, piano), Walter Martin (organ/bass), and Matt Barrick (drums)—and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer (bass/organ) and Hamilton Leithauser (vocals, guitar). They released six albums from which Bows+rows was the most successful.

Κυριακή 8 Ιανουαρίου 2012

[mindset008] SYNKRO - Look At Yourself


Synkro (also spelled S.Y.N.K.R.O) is a dubstep/2-step producer and DJ based in Manchester, UK. He has releases on EXIT, Med School, Z-Audio, Smokin Sessions, On The Edge, Mindset. He describes his music as being deep and bass-driven.