Music We Love :: Sotu the Traveller, Left
[Left artwork cover] If you don’t know about Sotu the Traveller, you should. Sotu is a Dutch producer of Turkish descent living in Amsterdam who has been making some sick beats for years now. I got to know him through a mutual friend while I was looking for tracks to license for my Friends We Love CD for Toy’s Factory in Japan. Surely, I loved his collabo with singer Aischa, What’s Going On, which made it on the album.
This week Sotu is releasing Left, his second solo project of deeply moody, bassy and electro-ridden instrumentals that feel like an introspective soundtrack of the future now. We’re including the beautiful video for Hourglass by Judith Veenendaal below and samples of the whole album which you can also purchase. – Moni Pineda
Exhibits We Love :: Utagawa Kuniyoshi @ Japan Society
The Utagawa Kuniyoshi exhibit at Japan Society should not be missed. There are over 130 woodblock prints from this master of the Japanese style called ‘ukiyo-e’ which has influenced the current anime and manga art forms. What makes this exhibit so exquisite is not just the volume of prints but the fact that we’ll be able to see a beautiful interpretation and depiction of Japanese art and culture from the mid 1800s. (Check out more images here.)
Music Videos We Love :: Kanye West – Street Lights
Another fantastic collaboration between Kanye West + Spike Jonze. Since recently acquiring our own Canon 7D our appreciation for timelapse photography has jumped 10 fold. This video is a truly beautiful example of how wonderful + magical the power of the technique can be when put in the right hands. Side note the video was also co-directed by Jonathan Bensimon.
Videos We Love :: Japan – The Strange Country
I was really excited to see an info-graphic video on Japan as I am a HUGE fan of the country, its people and culture. I saw it on Stumbleupon & the first question that arose was, “Who produced this video?” I was happy to see that it is a thesis project by Kenichi, a 23 yr-old Japanese artist from Nagoya who created this video from a “foreigner’s point of view.” Then I thought of how critical I am of the US at times and completely understood. Regardless of how you feel about the information, you’ll learn something new & the graphics are stupendous!
PS – I DJ’d a great party at Le Jazz Modal in Nagoya during my tour last year & it was one of the best nights I’ve ever had. The people were passionate and danced to EVERY genre I threw at them. Absolutely inspiring & so much fun! Here’s a little video flyer from the night.
Docs We Love :: The Cove
This Oscar nominated documentary uncovers the secrets behind the live dolphin trade market and the subsequent annual slaughter of 23,000 unwanted dolphins in The Cove of Taiji, Japan. Not only does the film unfold like a suspenseful thriller but it also sheds light on a myriad of other issues associated with this violent and barbaric industry. Watch the trailer, rent the DVD and tell a friend.
trailers we love :: bicycle film festival
Here’s a look at the B.F.F’s new trailer for their traveling festival. Next stop Europe, Australia and Japan.
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