Designer and gallery curator, Tina Ziegler of HuntAndGatherArt.com, had a chance to catch up with artist Sarah Joncas in regards to her latest show at Thinkspace and also gives us some insight into a day in the life. Here’s an excerpt:
“Can you explain the relationship between the women and their environments in your paintings, for example in your piece, “Lingering”
The environments are just meant to compliment the emotions and atmosphere of the women in my paintings, as well as give more understanding to why she’s feeling that way. If they seem sad or lonely, the room encasing them might be bland or …..”
Check out the rest of the interview here and tell Tina that FreshNerd sent you….
The minute I curse Twitter for being useless, it ends up being useful. I shot out a random tweet asking my followers where is Citizen Cope. Minutes later, Cope’s fan profile shot me links to his latest music, website, and tour dates. Now that’s service (and technology). With that being said, if you were wondering like I was where in the heck Cope is…..here is a cool interview with Cinemax where he catches us up on some stories and tours he has coming up this fall.
I chatted with many fans and art world professionals that traveled from quite far distances to be at The Aldrich, even from across the country and overseas! There was a real sense that people were compelled to be there for the first look and to show their support. For you, what is it that makes KAWS so appealing?
There are several factors that come together in KAWS. His work is well done, perfect in technique, craft, and manufacture. People still appreciate something well done. Also, conceptually his work is intriguing because at first glance it is easy to understand, funny, and encourages an emotional response. On a second look, it turns out to be quite complex, not that funny, but rather bittersweet and extremely cerebral (criticizing consumer culture, while still a participant in it).
Also, KAWS makes a point of reaching out to diverse communities and being accessible; since his work spans many different disciplines, this creates a large base of followers. It is important to mention that he is extremely generous as a person, and incredibly kind. He maintains a childlike sense of humor which identifies with a lot of not-that-young adults. He has an impeccable work ethic—I would say he is a good role model for young people: work on what you like, don’t give up, and work hard. I guess the fans see that as well!
One of my favorite producers gets in front of a camera (which is rare) with Adult Swim to talk a bit about the numerous projects he puts out yearly and as well the current state of music.
Ever since I discoveredOnra’s, super producer from France, latest offering Long Distance…I’ve been knockin’ that album on repeat something serious. As one of my new favorite producers, I had to track him down for an interview and really see who the man is behind this madness. He’s a super cool down to earth dude that genuinely loves music. Here’s how it went…..
When did you first get into beats and how has the environment in Paris contributed to your tracks? I started making beats in 99/00, right before moving to Paris. It became more serious when I moved to the big city cause I had more time for me, I was living by myself, so I could manage my time schedule as I wanted. Also, I met a lot of different people who taught me about Hip-Hop and music in general.
What was the process behind your latest LP, Long Distance, and how long was the journey from start to finish? I started it in 2008 with the “My Comet” beat, it’s part of a series of beats I made in spring 2008, most of them ended on the album, and this is how I started. It took me a while to finish cause I was on tour quite often and I really wanted to dedicate some time and focus on this one, so I needed to be free from any distraction.
How did the collaboration between yourself and T3 come about for the first single? It’s not the first single, it’s the second one. We released a 12″ three months ago with “Long Distance” (ft. Olivier Daysoul) on one side and “High Hopes” (ft. Reggie B) on the other one. We just didn’t mak a video for those tracks. Olivier and Reggie are two artists that I love, and I met them before, we’ve been working together before those tracks. It wasn’t the case with T3, who is one of my idols, as being a member of the original Slum VIllage crew. It was really something I wanted to do, and All City gave me the opportunity. I haven’t met T3 in person, only at shows, the collaboration happenned on the Internet.
Is this your first album on All City Records? How is that relationship working out between the two of you? Yes it’s my first album on All City and that’s their first album ever as well. They only released 12″ and EP until “Long Distance”. The relationship is full of trust and respect. Olan does it for the love of music and I like people who think this way.
Name a beat that every time you hear it makes you say “Damn, I wish I would’ve made that.” There’s a lot… Here’s one of them: Slum Village “2U4U”(produced by Jay Dee)
What is the hip hop/beat scene like in Paris? There’s a lot of talent here, but there’s no scene yet, it’s coming together slowly, maybe it’ll happen in a year or so, but so far, Paris, and France in general, is a little bit on what’s happenning in this genre. Even though Hip-Hop is really big.
Tell us a little bit about the equipment you use. Are you a gear junkie? I only use the Akai MPC 1000. I have Cubase as well, which I use for virtual synthesizers when I need some… and that’s it basically. A couple of synths, nothing too serious. I wish I could be a gear junkie, but money is short to invest in that for now, and I live in a tiny apartment, I don’t have space enough to stack those.
What is your wishlist of MC’s that you would like to work with? Again, there’s a lot… I would randomly say: Andre 3000, Bahamadia, Lord Finesse, Foreign Beggars, Ta’Raach, Phonte, etc… This list is endless…
Which do you prefer, being on stage or in the studio? And speaking of stages….when can we expect to see an Onra show here in London? I like both. Being on stage is still new to me, I’ve been touring for about two years now, but I’m enjoying it more and more. I love being at my crib though, this is the place I feel the best on earth.
I guess you can expect a show in London around September… If not, early 2011 maybe… I was suposed to play at Plastic People, but couldn’t make it happen cause of their situation. So I hope to be back again, it’s been two years since I played there, first time was at Nuts To Soup party.
The music industry has been turned upside down over the last few years due to technology. What are your thoughts on the current state of the industry? I don’t think Music should be free, that’s all I can say. There’s hundreds of people trying to find a solution to this problem, but they haven’t come up with any good idea so far. All I can say is that, we are underground artists, we don’t sell that much music, and in order to keep on doing what we do, we need people to buy the music to support, just like it has always been. We can’t be on the road, doing gigs all the time, and we don’t collect enough money from that either. People really have to understand that. I know a lot of listeners and so-called music lovers are true bootleggers, and they don’t give a damn about our situations.
Do you remember the first beat you ever played for someone? What was their reaction? I don’t remember no, that was too long ago…
How many beats do you make per week on average? How many do you throw away (if any at all)? That depends on the cycle I’m in, sometimes I barely make something for a month, and the next one I can make 60 beats or so…
Tell us one of your longterm goals. I’d like to know how to play the piano to compose more and sample less. That’s one of my goals in music. A goal in life would be, just owing a house, or an apartment.
Is it true you’re a vinyl junkie? How many records do you have in your collection? What’s the most you’ve ever spent on one record? I’m a junkie cause I buy vinyls every week, and when I’m outside of Paris, the only thing I want to do is going to the record store. But in terms of an amount, I don’t have that much, about 2000. This can’t even been called a collection, but how I am supposed to buy more records if I’m broke? Especially here in Paris, where records are crazy expensive. The most I spent on a record gotta be around 50€. I spent that several times.
Next up for an interview is Kentucky’s own Jalin Roze. If you haven’t checked out his mixtape as of yet, do yourself the favor and download it here. In the meantime, listen up as Jalin breaks down the meaning behind his name and as well tells us where to get good fried chicken in Kentucky (what?? I know you were wondering too).
Shoutouts: Tarik for making the interview happen and having an eye for dope shots Ultra Pop for the location
Jalin for being a cool ass dude
What up my nerds, had a chance to catch up to a young producer by the name of Nobody Famous. The reason I find him interesting is because of a program he has started called Project Generation D which is a creative technology program for youths. Most artists/producers who have “made it” and are well off aren’t giving back to our youth the way Nobody Famous is doing. It takes a village…..enjoy.
FreshNerd: Tell us a bit about your production background. What are some of the artists you’ve worked with?
NobodyFamous: I start producing about 10 years ago. My friends and I were into making video comedy sketches and we needed our own music for our videos so I purchased a $40 program from Best Buy that you could edit videos and created looped based music in. A few months later, someone introduced me to FL Studio and the rest is history.
I have worked with Kyle Lucas, Donnis, Bohagon, Chris Young, Wax, Justin Figueroa, and a lot more. I tend to luck out and work with a lot of artist right before they blow…maybe I just have a good ear, who knows?
– ‘Hustler Muzik’ ft. Bohagon and Tragedy
FN: How did Project Generation D start? Who else is involved with running the program besides yourself?
NF: When I moved to LA back in 2007, the idea for PGD came about but it just never happened. I even have a folder on my computer dating back to like April of 2007 with a business plan, budgets, and ideas, for the program. When I moved back to Georgia back in November I decided that getting the program off the ground was my 2010 goal. I was actually aiming to launch it this fall, but once word got out about what I was trying to it really took off, I landed a couple of contracts and things got to rolling.
As of right now, PGD is just myself. My wife has also helped out with a lot of PR. I have some folks that I work with that I am looking to bring on board this fall when I secure some more contracts, trying to get those Obama tax credits for hiring new employees
FN: The U.S. has been cutting education costs (esp. in music programs). How does this affect your program (if at all)?
NF: Surprisingly, thus far it has actually helped me. Since districts are cutting back on music and art programs in school, they can actually have a PGD program in their school for a fraction of the cost it takes to pay a teacher’s yearly salary plus benefits. Music is every important to across the nation in education, there are actually education standards in most states that call for children to create and write their own music, so I am just trying to fill that empty void.
FN: What are some obstacles you have experienced while getting your program off the ground? Is there more work involved than you imagined?
NF: I am actually really big on visualization and law of attraction, so I have actually been writing down goals, ideas and thinking on what I wanted the program to be. So when I starting putting action behind these ideas (getting incorporated, making the website/blog, etc.) things just flowed very naturally.
It is definitely a lot of work involved, but I have worked with kids for 7 years and been making music for nearly 10, so this is what I love to do so the work I put into it really doesn’t seem all that bad.
FN: Tell me a bit about your students and the process in enrolling in PGD.
NF: So far, the program is a sites where kids already are, such as high schools, Boys and Girls Clubs and other similar sites, so if the kids are interested, they just come on the days I am at their site.
FN: Which do you prefer more….working with your students or producing tracks for artists? (yes, I’m putting you on the spot…LOL)
NF: I like working with the students better. It is far more rewarding helping someone else learn and making strides towards their dreams of creating music. Don’t get me wrong, I love producing but seeing a kid’s face light up when they grasp a concept that it took me maybe years to learn is awesome. Plus, a lot of these kids don’t have the best family situation, so this is like their daily escape and you can see it in their faces. A lot of them even told me they never thought they would ever have the chance to do what they are doing, so that alone makes it all worth it.
FN: How do you feel about the current state of the recorded music industry?
NF: The music industry is forever evolving and that is cool, I am just not too big on it. The deeper I got into it, the more I was turned off by it. I even tell the kids that there are more jobs in the industry than rapper or singer, and that being behind the scenes isn’t a bad thing, and they will have longevity as entertainment attorney’s, managers, booking agents, etc. and they will make better money.
FN: I saw you perform in L.A. before I moving to London and you had passion for what you were doing. What are your plans as an artist?
NF: That is a tricky question. I am working on my first and solo album, and sometimes I am really into it and sometimes I am not really into it any more. Music took me a lot of places I never really dreamed about 5 years ago. I have been in magazines, on national TV, toured Brazil, did major shows in major venues in L.A., etc., but I am also smart about things, I wasn’t making a lot of money and it got to the point to where starting PGD was really weighing heavy on my heart because I knew that everything I did musically was just a foundation for what I am doing now and will do. PGD is my calling.
FN: How do you balance being a father/husband along with producing music and running a creative technology program? In my head, it seems impossible….
NF: I guess when you do what you are meant to do, it is effortless. By starting my music program, it frees up a lot more time in my day then I wouldn’t otherwise have if I settled for a 9-5. Since I have control of my days, it allows me to spend a lot of time with the family, work on music and teach. It is really the perfect situation for me.
FN: Where do you see PGD in five years? Where do you see yourself in five years?
NF: I see it being on a national level like the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, etc. and even on an international level. We are actually planning on doing a month long workshop down in Rio De Janerio this November, which will hopefully be the start of workshops and seminars around the world in cities with large hip-hop communities.
FN: Last but not least….your World Cup 2010 prediction.
NF: Brazil! I have been a Brazil football fan since 1998 when I saw Ronaldo work his magic, ever since then I was hooked. Plus I love the country and I even have been mistaken for a Brazilian a few times, so I have to roll with them. I wouldn’t sleep on Argentina this year either though!
This is history nerds….the first ever FreshNerd 20 questions interview on video. If you follow FreshNerd, then you know we support the dopeness that this Cincinnati representer has been coming with. Buggs took some time out of his busy schedule to answer my twisted off beat questions. Check it out as I get inside the mind of Buggs….. Mutant Level 5 Coming Soon
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