Scoop Studios Presents “UP” with Scott Debus

Author: Spaced Invaders  //  Category: Just Blogging, Upcoming Events

Hailing from New York, Scott Debus moved to Charleston, SC three years ago and opened a gallery that showed his art as well as others on Bogard St. Debus is the Co-curator and co-organizer of Kulture Klash, the bi-annual multi-disciplinary contemporary art event in North Charleston that incorporates his New York persona.

Various paintings that Debus creates start as pure color and they morph into characters that become faces and figures. The artist describes his process of the new original painting, “UPtake” in the simplest form: “it’s like staring at clouds and pulling pictures out of them.” The superhero and ancient religious idol influenced painting, “I Don’t Believe in UP”, actually has the faces of local artists that Debus has collaborated with recently. They are all  flying over the slums and dump while a McMansion is perched up above on a pile of dirt.

Artwork on view from Sept. 4th - 29th
Scoop Studios
57 1/2 Broad St.
Charleston, SC 29401
843.577.3292

R.I.P - DJ AM (March 30, 1973 - August 28, 2009)

Author: Sonar  //  Category: Just Blogging

Adam Michael Goldstein (a.k.a. DJ AM)
(March 30, 1973 - August 28, 2009)

Kind of ironic how he passed away don’t you think?

I found this at Dailymail.uk

DJ AM, the sought-after disc jockey and former fiance of Nicole Richie, was found dead in his apartment yesterday.

According to police sources, a crack pipe and prescription pills were found in the artist’s apartment in Manhattan.

DJ AM, real name Adam Goldstein, survived a plane crash last year that killed four people and seriously injured Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.

Adam Goldstein

DJ AM, real name Adam Goldsteinm with his former fiancee Nicole Richie in April 2005. The musician died aged 36 in his apartment after what police sources suspect was a drug overdose

He had spoken openly about his past drug addiction to ecstasy and crack cocaine in recent months, and sources also told TMZ.com, the website which broke the news of Michael Jackson’s death, that Goldstein had been devastated over a break-up with girlfriend Hayley Wood.

Sources told the website she had called off their relationship within the last week.

A police source told Radaronline.com and AP that paramedics had to break down the 36-year-old front door before they found him, shirtless and wearing sweatpants, in his bed around 5:20 p.m.

A friend had called police to say he was unable to get into the home in the SoHo neighborhood of New York.

The details surrounding the death are still unclear, but sources say investigators are looking into the possibility of a drug overdose.

Adam Goldstein

Adam Goldstein’s body was taken out of his New York apartment last night

Adam Goldstein

DJ AM was best known for performing at some of Hollywood’s most exclusive parties and was previously engaged to Nicole Richie and also dated singer Mandy Moore.

He was known for his DJing style with beats that kept the dance floor packed and clubgoers hypnotized. He was known for his deft mashups, a blend of at least two songs.

He was last seen in public last weekend when he threw the first pitch at a New York Mets game at Citi Field in New York City but, according to reports, friends had not seen him for days.

Hayley Wood

A visibly devastated Hayley Wood, his ex-girlfriend leaves his apartment supported by friends

DJ AM enjoys a holiday in France with his reported ex-girlfriend only weeks before his sudden death.

Goldstein on holiday in France with Hayley Wood several weeks ago. They reportedly split this week, with the DJ left devastated

The DJ had recently finished filming a reality show for MTV, called Gone Too Far, in which he and concerned families staged interventions for drug abusers.

In a recent interview he talked about holding a crack pipe for the first time in years for the show and said he felt as though he had an angel on his shoulder for surviving so much turmoil.

He said that his past addiction had been so bad that he once tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head - but the gun jammed.

However, he claimed he had been drug-free for 11 years, even swearing off cigarettes.

Enlarge  DJ AM

DJ AM’s last message on Twitter on August 25, after wrapping his MTV show

Celebrities paid tribute to him on Twitter, with Paris Hilton, who had known him since the age of 15, writing: ‘R.I.P. AM, I love you and you are already missed so much. My heart and prayers go out to his family and close friends. God bless. :(’

She had written just minutes earlier: ‘It’s so hard to accept that I’m not going to be able to see him or talk to him again. There are no right words for this, I feel so sad. :(’

Lindsay Lohan wrote: ‘i can’t believe this.. i’m in shock. why? why? r.i.p. adam.’

Singer John Mayer also paid tribute: ‘We’re supposed to lose our friends to time, at an age when we’re ready to agree to the terms of having lived a long life. Not now.’

Demi Moore said Goldstein had a ‘joyous spirit’, while Beyonce’s sister Solange, said he was a ‘walking miracle’.

Enlarge Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton and Demi Moore leave messages in tribute to the star on Twitter

Sean Combs (P Diddy), Peter Andre, Katy Perry, Demi’s husband Ashton Kutcher, singer Alyssa Miliano and Samantha Ronson also paid tribute.

The DJ was himself  on Twitter just three days ago. He said he had just wrapped filming of the MTV series in Connecticut and was on his way to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to DJ. He also posted a lyric from the hip-hop legends Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five: ‘New York, New York. Big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain’t always what it seems.’

Last September Goldstein was critically injured when a Learjet crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. The plane was transporting him and Travis Barker after a performance.

When the plane crashed the pair were burned, though Barker was injured more severely. Goldstein had to get skin graft surgery, but about a month later he was performing again, joining Jay-Z on stage.

At the time, he told People magazine he was grateful to survive.

‘I can’t believe I made it,’ he said. ‘I’ve prayed every night for the past 10 years. There’s a lot more to thank God for now. … I was saved for a reason. Maybe I’m going to help someone else. I don’t question it. All I know is I’m thankful to be here.’

But TMZ.com sources said he had been battling post-traumatic stress after the crash, and suffering from ’survivors guilt’.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1209834/Nicole-Richies-ex-fiance-DJ-dies-surrounded-crack-pipes-pill-bottles.html#ixzz0PZHUaSMo

Soul Sunday: The Dutch Rhythm Steel & Show Band - Soul & Steel Show (1975)

Author: Sonar  //  Category: Just Blogging, Music

I don’t have too much time to write a super long post about this, but it’s definitely one of the most sought after albums by beat diggers. Oddly, you really don’t hear any steel drums on the opening track entitled “Down By The River” until close to the end. Most of the songs on this album are straight covers, but the cover for Kool & The Gang’s “Funky Stuff” the steel drums can be heard prominently and give that cover a great, very danceable vibe.

This Steel band is a twelve-piece seventies party band, consisting of Surinames and Trinidadian musicians.
Since Surinam was still part of The Netherlands in those days, the name of the band abroad was The Original Trinidad Steel Band and released two albums as such (Beautiful Caribbean and Caribbean Steel & Show on Hansa, with Frank Farian as their producer), apart from their three Dutch albums. Their most interesting Dutch album is Funky Limbo (EMI, 1978), which was produced by Ernie Anches. Anches was also involved with various other funky Surinam acts, such as Oscar Harris, The Twinkle Stars and Thunderstorm. The preceding album Dance Dance Dance (EMI, 1976) made DRSSB a lot more rare, because it contained their international hit single ‘January February’. This brought them a very busy touring schedule. Today the band is still active and consists of quite a few sons of the original members like Sticko who is the son of Dolf (Mr Satisfied) the founder of this Band.

Read (if you speak Dutch) the story and discography of the band here.

The Dutch Rhythm Steel & Show Band on My Space

Tracks
A1 Down By The River 5.09 (Vocals - Armand Colla)
A2 Theme From Shaft 2.41
A3 Snowfire 3.47  (Vocals - Gustaaf Milzink)
A4 Stoned Out Of My Mind 2.39
A5 Softly 2.57
A6 Hey Joe 3.19
B1 Feelin’ Alright 7.31
B2 Serenta 2.03
B3 Funky Stuff 3.22  (Vocals - Armand Colla , Bernito E. Riley)
B4 Where Is The Love 2.39 (Vocals - Gustaaf Milzink)

Spaced Invaders Lamp Shade Covers

Author: Spaced Invaders  //  Category: Just Blogging

Just in case you are a total Space Invaders freak. (As any gamer should be) For $60 bucks you can get this Space Invaders lampshade from Meninos Each side features a different Invader. Check the product site for more info.

Space Invaders: Infinity Gene for iPhone

Author: Sonar  //  Category: Just Blogging

This game is awesome! Buy it now! Just like the original, if the original decided to take some PCP and be more like Rez.

iTunes Store Link

Funk Friday - Black Rio - Brazil Soul Power 1971-1980 (2002)

Author: Sonar  //  Category: Just Blogging, Music


I did not have the opportunity to finish this last night, due to spending an extended period of time at a local Japanese steak house. But if it were still Friday, then this gem is what I would publish. Usually, I just like to review one song, but this album is a must for any crate digger, funk head, or any person just starting to dive into vinyl. This compilation features funk and soul during the 70’s from the sun-drenched ghettos of  Rio de Janeiro. This music shares some of the same qualities and struggles as their soul brothers in Harlem. You can hear the distinct sounds that influenced the Black Rio movement from labels such as Motown, Stax, and even the Godfather himself, James Brown helped shaped this blend of “soul brasileiro.” The drum rhythms have that distinct Brazilian flavor and Manito’s “Na Baixa do Sapateiro” the opening break left goosebumps and the hairs on my arms standing. I had to actually rewind the track to make sure I actually heard what I heard. Take a listen to the opening break:

Pretty damn nice wasn’t it? Anyway here is the complete tracklisting of the album. And yes there is a version of Rapper’s Delight on this album.

Tracklisting:
1 Gang Do Tagarela - Melo da Tagarela (Rapper´s Delight) (4:10)
2 Copa 7 - Copa 7 No Samba (2:53)
3 Grupo Arembepe - Iaia (3:04)
4 Uniao Black - Black Rio (2:46)
5 Miguel de Deus - Cinco Anos (4:56)
6 Jorge Ben - Comanche (2:58)
7 Trio Mocotó - Nago (3:40)
8 Banda Black Rio - Gafiera Universal (3:06)
9 Toni Tornado - Podes Crer, Amizade (2:30)
10 Eklipse Soul - Psicose (2:11)
11 Manito - Na Baixa Da Sapateiro (3:28)
12 Orlandivo - Onde Anda O Meu Amor (3:46)
13 Dom Salvador e Aboliçao - Som, Sangue E Raca (2:46)
14 Antonio Carlos E Jocafi - Kabaluere (2:22)
15 Orquestra E Coro - Kriola (2:27)
16 Gerson King Combo - Uma Chance (5:25)

Funk Friday - The Diplomats - I Can Give You Love (1968)

Author: Sonar  //  Category: Just Blogging, Music

This is a super funk, hype track that gets the crowd moving every time. Tried and true. You also heard this in the recent Busta Rhymes club banger, Don’t Touch Me. Listen and compare. Enjoy your Friday people

The Diplomats - I Can Give You Love

Busta Rhymes - Don’t Touch Me

I’m glad that there are still artists out there that are sampling the classics!