Echoes of Concrete

Sorry for being away for that long…

27.04: Kon & Amir Off Track Vol. 3: Brooklyn (BBE records)

My friend Amir and his pal Kon just dropped their latest release. Be sure to check it out. Good music for cheap money here.

Also, Amir is sharing his little stories in the music industry here, a blog he just started to fill in.

21.04: Blundetto’s teaser

If you never heard of Blundetto before, try to get his « No ID No Entry » mixtapes, then give a coin for his rework of Bob James Nautilus here or here, if you feel a little bit more generous. In the meantime, have a look at this and then wait patiently for the album to be released on June (Heavenly Sweetness/Lucien Entertainment) feat. The Budos Band, Hindi Zahra, Tommy Guerrero, Chico Mann, General Electriks.

Smells good right?

If you’re in Paris on May 29th, Party time with Blundetto and Emile Omar Domino@Pt Ephémère

21.04: Lionel Rogosin On The Bowery/Come Back Africa/Wonderful times DVD’s out

Pioneer of the American independent cinema in the fifties, Lionel Rogosin is responsible for the first anti-apartheid movie « Come Back Africa » starring young Miriam Makeba.

A must see.

20.04: RIP Keith Elam best known as GURU

Another sad mourning for Hip Hop music.

20.04: Mos Def gig in Paris was a joke!

Why do US Hip Hop heads are making a fool of us when they come to  play in Paris? I love  def love Mos’ work and I’ve seen him many times in NY. Always GREAT. But I have to be honest with myself, he  just played us on this April 20th.

First, there was that « misunderstanding » about the never set-venue of Jay Electronica as tour support for Mos. Then we had to wait 40 minutes until he showed up (door opening 20PM – Mos Def on stage 22.40PM). When you’re polite you cheer up your audience a little bit more to apologize. This was the weirdest, flatest, annoying-est gig of 2010. No kudos for this one Mos.

19.04: DJ Nuts, Arthur Verocai Mix (Sounds of VTech/Mochilla)

Brasilian DJ Nuts compiled a selection of the man in the dark, Mister Arthur Verocai. What else to say except for « download it, it’s free and it’s beautiful »

13.04: 100 jours en Haïti by Saran Koly

I met Saran Koly virtually when mypace was starting to pollute our lives. I met Saran Koly for real and by chance at Marcello D2′s show in Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro in 2009. I found her again on the internet while reading the news on liberation.fr in 2010. She’s in Haïti for 100 days, reporting with simple words the lives of haitian people after the sky felt on their heads. Definitely better than what you can read on the news.

It take guts to challenge such a project so I SUPPORT Saran Koly’s blog!

HBO continue d’arpenter les rues de New York en mettant en scène le quotidien de skaters pro dans le but de faire la promo de leur dernière série « How To Make It In America ». Quelques semaines plus tôt, ils sortaient « Legend of Wilfredo Gomez » ou le who’s who des plus brilliants skaters.

Cette semaine est marquée par la sortie de « The Get By: Making it on the Streets of NYC. » Ce nouveau documentaire  dépeint la vie des skaters new yorkais dans leur lutte quotidienne pour accéder au plus haut niveau. Coup de projecteur donc sur Jake Johnson, Gino Iannucci, Black Rob, Anthony Pappalardo et Jahmal Williams. Rarement exposés, ces skaters sont pourtant très demandés parce que considérés comme étant la crème de la crème. HBO délivre là, un autre bijou en images avec ces poids lourds de l’underground du skate.

(source howtomakeitinamerica.com)

HBO continues to hit the streets of New York documenting the lives of pro skateboarders in order to help promote their new series « How to Make It in America. » A few weeks back they released the « Legend of Wilfredo Gomez » video, which featured a who’s who of the most talented skaters around. This week marks the release of « The Get By: Making it on the Streets of NYC. » The new documentary that chronicles the lives of New York City skaters, and their struggle to hustle their way through the Big Apple and make it to the top of the skateboarding world. The highlights feature Jake Johnson, Gino Iannucci, Black Rob, Anthony Pappalardo, and Jahmal Williams. All these skaters are considered the best of the best and are in high demand and rarely seen on film. HBO has delivered another gem with this group of underground heavyweights.

(source howtomakeitinamerica.com)

Featured Skaters:

•Fred Gall, Habitat Skateboards
•Quim Cardona, Organika Skateboards
•Luis Tolentino, SHUT Skateboards
•Eli Reed, Zoo York Skateboards
•Jack Sabback, Traffic Skateboards
•Bill Strobeck, Skateboard Filmer
•Black Rob, Substance Skateboards
•Jake Johnson, Alien Workshop Skateboards
•Gino Iannucci, Chocolate Skateboards
•J. Strickland, Skateboard Filmer
•German Nieves, 10 DEEP
•Joey Pepper, Expedition
•Anthony Pappalardo, Chocolate Skateboards
•Steve Rodriguez, 5Boro Skateboards
•Nevett Steele III, KCDC Skateshop
•Jahmal Williams, HOPPS Skateboards
•Zered Bassett, Zoo York Skateboards
•Todd Jordan, SHUT Skateboards

2 days left!

Coup de projecteur sur Toxicomano et Medio Libre, 2 des streets artists les plus prolifiques de Colombie.

Highlights on Toxicómano and Medio Libre, two of the most prominent street artists in Colombia

ABSOLUT Vodka presents NY-Z a 15-minute documentary featuring hip-hop mogul, Jay-Z. Directed by Danny Clinch, NY-Z paints a rare portrait of the global music icon. Clinch provides an intimate glimpse into Jay-Z: his childhood, his motivation as an artist, his passion for music, and his muse, New York… (source Format Mag)

Parce que rien ne vaut les dimanches d’été à Fort Greene Park.

Les amateurs de house music et tous ceux qui ont vécu l’expérience once savent!

A feature-length documentary about the black arts movement that exploded in Fort Greene from the mid 1980s through the 90s.The film features Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Rosie Perez, Vernon Reid, Carl Hancock Rux, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Alva Rogers, Kevin Powell, Toure, Bill Stephany to name a few.

Directors: Nelson George & Diane Paragas
Writer: Nelson George
Editor: Diane Paragas
Cinematography: Diane Paragas, Francisco Aliwalis
Music: Dreaming in Fort Greene by Poogie Bell
Producer: Nicole Nelch

The film is currently in production.