MEDIA ROOTS — Watch Aphex Twin, aka Richard D. James, conduct a 48-piece orchestra and 24-piece choir by remote-control using midi controllers, headphones, and remote visual cues in Wroclaw, Poland.  This man is a living legend dedicated to the craft, truly one of our generation’s musical geniuses.  Richard D. James, ‘nuff said.

Messina

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Richard D. James

PITCHFORK — As previously reported, Richard James, a.k.a. Aphex Twin, was commissioned to compose a series of short pieces for the European Culture Congress in Poland. His commissioned works, available here, were produced in response to the composer Krzysztof Penderecki. But James also conceived a “remote orchestra” piece while in Poland, wherein he used midi controllers, headphones, and remote visual cues to conduct and control the sound of a 48-piece orchestra and 24-piece choir. Warp (via Self-titled) now points to video footage of the eery and highly cinematic performance, which took place on September 10 at the Centennial Hall in Wroclaw, Poland, and included members the AUKSO chamber orchestra and OCTAVA ensemble+. Watch it below, and check out more footage of Aphex Twin’s performances in Poland here.

© 2011 Pitchfork Media Inc.

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MEDIA ROOTS— Plaintive ripples of harp-like plucked string sounds of Björk’s invented gameleste set the aural stage for the Icelandic singer in Biophilia, her eigth studio album.  ‘Moon‘ is a gentle opener, and tesla coil rhythms reminiscent of slightly softened saw-wave synth sounds follow with ‘Thunderbolt‘ procession, ushering the listener into Björk’s latest opus.

The literal and metaphoric are then joined with sculptures of sight and sound in ‘Crystalline‘.

 ‘Crystalline’

In the post-Napster, post-Bit Torrent world, when record companies reel from the digitisation of music, Björk continues to engage listeners on multiple levels and keep them wanting the full package beyond the downloaded mp3.

With Biophilia, Björk delivers a musical experience which functions as a living multimedia art installation.  The ‘ultimate edition’ of the album comes replete with thematic imagery, stories to each song, and more.  Ever the forward-thinking artist, Björk embraces modern app tech and user-interactivity, such as the iPad suite, allowing listeners to easily remix and re-imagine her music.  Biophilia, Björk revealed, was “partly composed on an iPad.”

Björk once noted, in response to criticisms of electronic music being soulless, that if it didn’t have soul, it’s because one didn’t put it there.  Björk shows us just how much humanity electronic music can embody.

“Cosmogony,” like much of this album, is a truly ambitious exploration of human existence, a sensory exploration of the inner and outer universe. 

Biophilia deserves mindful listening, challenging the listener to empathise, as in “Hollow,” with its fugue-like vocal swirls and pedal-point organ-synth tones, before reaching its electronic climax propelling forward continuity of DNA.  “Now come forth, all species,” sings Björk biophilically.

Here, the journey of life means flourishing and affliction.  “Virus,” gently and rapturously reminds us of the reciprocity of living bonds.  “Like a virus, patient hunter / I’m waiting for you, I’m starving for you / My sweet adversary.” 

One may recognise signature phonologies, as in “Dark Matter.”  But sheer conviction intertwined with tonal musicality has always made Björk’s songs function despite unconventional phrasings, which accommodate unusually expressive lyricism.

Some listeners may complain Björk’s ‘artiness’ is too much or that she’s tried too hard to prioritise ‘abstraction’ over ‘songs’ or sing-along ‘pop songs.’  Yet, this offering requires time to grow on the psyche.  As an ever-evolving artist, Björk takes risks that pushes boundaries. 

“Sacrifice” is an example of pushing the tone poem form, inversely punctuated with familiar reassurances of rhythmic regularity, impelling listeners to reconsider the comforts of the familiar and our own self-imposed limits as listeners. 

From the high-energy whirlwinds of “Mutual Core” and “Náttúra” to the meditative counterpoint of “Solstice,” Biophilia glides across and through realms of living energy, form, and motion.

The fact that Björk has largely self-produced Biophilia points to the crystallisation of her artistry, whilst maintaining her unique integrity.  We bear witness to an adventurous and seasoned artist throwing down.  With Biophilia, Björk reaches, quite successfully, for new ground, new planes, and new dimensions.

Written by Felipe Messina for Media Roots

Photo by flickr user Alexandre Hamada Possi

MEDIA ROOTS- Kevin Martin is a songwriter based in San Diego, CA that identifies his music as ‘throwback pop’, combining his love of performance flair with vintage piano-pop stylings. His song ‘TV News’ was written as a result of his waking up to corporate media brainwashing.

Kevin Martin performs ‘TV News’ outside of the Civic Center at Occupy San Diego.

KM: Television had become a part of my conscience– it told me what to think and how to think it. When I was watching it the most, I felt completely divided within myself. The moment I connected this inner division to my mass media consumption, I wrote the song ‘TV news’.

The corporate media surpressed its coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement for weeks, and when it did cover the mass protests it either downplayed them or cast them in a negative light. I decided to perform ‘TV News’ at Occupy San Diego and hope this video will help inspire others to join the movement.

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Learn more about Kevin Martin at kevinmartinmusic.com

MEDIA ROOTS- Remo Conscious is a Bay Area based musician and artist who has been making politically motivated music for the past decade. His hip hop has been featured in multiple documentaries and he has gained worldwide notoriety for his profound lyricism and unabashed truthtelling.

Remo’s new song, ‘They Want War’, is a cutting analysis of America’s murderous war machine. The song is written, performed and produced by Remo Conscious, featuring scratching by Andy Minty. Listen and buy ‘They Want War’ to help support independent musicians who use their art to inspire, inform and politically motivate!

Check out the video to another inspiring Remo Conscious song called ‘Dying to Survive’. The video was filmed throughout the city of Oakland, CA, where Remo currently resides. Look out for my cameo in the video, I’m holding the ‘Will Hope for Change’ sign.

Check out more of Remo’s inspirational beats at http://www.remoconscious.com/

Abby

Music Video for Lupe Fiasco’s Words I Never Said

HUFFINGTON POST– In an interview on “What’s Trending,” a CBS News video segment, Lupe Fiasco – a rapper known for his socially conscious and politically charged lyrics – had some harsh words for the president.

“In my fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama, and the United States of America,” Lupe told host Shira Lazar. He went on to explain the comment:

“I’m trying to fight the terrorism that’s actually causing the other forms of terrorism. You know, the root cause of terrorism is the stuff that the U.S. government allows to happen, and the foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists. And it’s easy for us because it’s just some oil.”

The remarks echo the lyrics of Lupe’s song, “American Terrorist,” from his 2006 release Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor. In the song, he likens episodes from American history to terrorist attacks: “We came through the storm / nooses on our necks / and a smallpox blanket to keep us warm / On a 747 on the Pentagon lawn / Wake up, the alarm clock is connected to a bomb / Anthrax lab on a West Virginia farm / Shorty ain’t learned to walk already heavily armed…”

And he had criticized Obama in a recent single, “Words I Never Said,” for refusing to speak out against Israeli bombings of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

© 2011 Huffington Post

Photo by Flickr user Scott Sanders