blog

Meet... Keswick

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:45:47 +0100

Most sample based hip-hop producers discover a vast array of Jazz, Soul and Funk records by digging through their parents' dusty old collections. Born and raised just minutes from Philly in the borough of Haddon Heights, New Jersey (part of Camden County); a son of avid Rock, Psychedelic and Blues fans had a different deck to draw from, resulting in a unique blend of genres rarely sampled within the art form. Using an SP-404 (most of the time), Keswick (let's just call him Kez) keeps that golden age '95 sound alive, orchestrating raw soundscapes that can tell the story of a song sans the help of an emcee. Add to that an admiration for and study of beat pioneers like Madlib, DJ Premier, Just Blaze, and the late, great J Dilla; and the result is a pretty incomparable new sound coming out of this 21-year-old's bedroom studio.

Having released a street demo, as a producer/rapper, entitled Hear 2 Stay back in high-school, Kez has experience in the field of vocal recording as well; his vox are also featured on the song "ChILLin" from our most recent collaborative effort, What's Mind is Yours. **

Currently residing in between the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East Williamsburg and Bushwick, Kez can be found DJ'ing at events (mostly hip-hop) around NYC. On top of that, as a soon-to-be graduate of the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (where we met through a friend of mine in the acting department) and an intern/audio engineer at Fat Beats Studio, you will probably be seeing the name Keswick (and most assuredly will be hearing his work) sometime soon.

**Keswick is working on a solo, mostly instrumental album with planned features from guests who are TBA. It should arrive at our ear drums sometime in 2012.

How to [more successfully] reduce drug offender recidivism

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:57:51 +0100

Before we get into HOW... let's view some of the interesting statistics, regarding WHAT/WHY, floating around the interweb:

According to NASBO, aggregate state spending reached US$52.3b in fiscal 2009. (Pg. 54 - http://nasbo.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=w7RqO74llEw%3D&tabid=79)

It costs an average of US$78.95 (based on 2009 statistics) per day to keep a prisoner locked up. (One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections).

In 2010, the prison population was tallied at 1,404,403. (http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/Prison_Count_2010.pdf)

Also as of 2010, 8% and 4.4% of the prison population was made up of "Sale of Hallucinogen" or "Narcotic and Possession of Narcotics" offenders respectively. (http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/rpt/2010-R-0084.htm)

And, apparently, it is has been estimated that approximately 27,900 people are currently serving a prison sentence for which a marijuana violation is the offense. (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/524483_12)

The following information, pertaining to HOW, was acquired from drugwarfacts.org:

6. (2009, 2004, 2001 - costs of substance abuse in prison) "Substance-involved people have come to compose a large portion of the prison population. Substance use may play a role in the commission of certain crimes: approximately 16 percent of people in state prison and 18 percent of people in federal prison reported committing their crimes to obtain money for drugs (21). Treatment delivered in the community is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent such crimes and costs approximately $20,000 less than incarceration per person per year (22). A study by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy found that every dollar spent on drug treatment in the community yields over $18 in cost savings related to crime (23). In comparison, prisons only yield $.37 in public safety benefit per dollar spent. Releasing people to supervision and making treatment accessible is an effective way of reducing problematic drug use, reducing crime associated with drug use and reducing the number of people in prison." (http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/node/63)

One more bit of info, the folks over at creditloan.com have a really neat graphical representation of the cost of criminality that you should check out when you get the chance.

My next question is, how do we reintegrate felons/criminals into our society once they are released from prison? It is well understood that offenders and felons will most likely return to a life of crime if they are given no other choice. It helps to have work release programs, but are they sufficient enough?

Instead of a cigarette...

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 02:32:51 +0100

Take a break from whatever it is you are doing (it will only take a moment), find a [secluded] spot for you to relax for a minute, and close your eyes... then inhale/exhale almost ferociously for about 1 minute... when it feels like you are approaching the final few seconds of your minute, exhale while opening your eyes to the world in which you were born.

It works...

See, most people whom smoke cigarettes claim to do so in efforts to better regulate their stress (or because they are addicted, due to the first reason)... in other words, to them, it is a temporary escape from the frustrating moments in their lives. I smoked [cigarettes] for roughly 3 years before taking command of my mind and understanding the potentially destructive powers of cortisol/cortisone. I have been clean for a year or so and can firmly say that my lungs (and whole body) definitely appreciate it.

Cheers to a healthy, prosperous life!

Love is... making a [meaningful] music video with limited resources

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:18:07 +0100

You want some neo-soul-funky-hip-hop-ish? Huey Neutron, the combination of Bobby Blunt's suave vox over DJ Vex's crisp chops, is at it again with their new EP- Almosthere- coming out sometime within the next month. Here's a video for "Love Is", one of the many great tracks from the impending EP, starring Jocelyn Coleman and Bobby... not too bad for a Nikon d5000, though we do plan on upgrading pretty soon.

... and so we say, What's Mind Is Yours

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:18:58 +0100

The long awaited day as arrived, Keswick and I have finally released the 7 track EP that went to hell and back just to see the light of a final mixdown... we have released it through the medium, Bandcamp, and hope that the price of FREE will be good enough for the casual and avid listener. We hope you enjoy what you hear, and if you do/don't, do let us know by dropping a line [or hash tagging #WMIY] on Twitter (/ilooklikehim /KesWerd) or FB (/ilooklikehim)... we appreciate you taking time out of your day to listen to a compilation that took us a couple... cheers, to life!

<a href="http://whatsmindisyours.bandcamp.com/album/whats-mind-is-yours">What's Mind Is Yours by Blasé and Keswick</a>

Immortal Beeloved

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:25:49 +0100

I watched this phenomenal film, Immortal Beloved, the other day. It's a loose adaptation of Ludwig van Beethoven's 57 year existence, though it's main focus is set on the female components of his life. See, before he died, he left a very revealing letter for an unspecified woman; this, among several other aspects of Ludwig's life, peaked the interest of his secretary enough for him to search for answers. Wait, the film does not just limit itself to the journeys for truth that took place after his death, director Bernard Rose made sure to include certain integral yet questionable biographical segments of his prolific life in it as well. Questions regarding Beethoven's mental health, relationships, decisions, and even who the letter was intended for will circulate in the minds of Beethoven aficionados... but for the most part, I think it is quite an accurate portrayal of what I know to be the man's character.

What I thought really set the tone for the film was the soundtrack, which showcased 13 of his more notable songs in a very fluent and fitting manner... and Gary Oldman. In certain parts of the film you will most assuredly feel strong emotions from a great performance on Oldman's part (it was actually one of the more riveting performances I've ever seen on film), these emotions can then be amplified by the perfect selection of song to accompany the scenes in which raw emotion is to be elicited.

Without giving too much away, it is a film that will instill a respect for artistry that you may not have known you possessed. Overall, I rank it a 9.5/10... it isn't a film about Beethoven in particular, so I can't complain about not hearing his whole life story... but, along with some minor biographical discrepancies, I thought that the backstories between Beethoven and the other characters could have been more intricate.

Here is one of my favorite scenes of the film:

... and here are a couple of reasons to look into the works of Gary Oldman:

Rick Perry... the new, slightly watered down, George W.

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:17:00 +0100

Though I partially agree with the need for a tighter moral fiber, be it by means of ethical responsibility or religion, creationism cannot be a widespread belief in the times of the Information/Big Data Age. I say this because the Bible does not evolve (unless modern man edits it... but then it is no longer credible, right?), it can only be interpreted in more current contexts; where as in science is accustom to constantly evolving, meaning that the more we know... the more we will eventually know. Anyhow, we will continue to hear pleas/challenges from both sides until we can [all] reach common ground (ground that supports that all life shares the same root - we are in a monadic microcosm)... so, 'til then, let's keep creationism limited to the doctrines of religious institutions. After all, creationism has been rendered unconstitutional in many U.S. states.

Pablo, is that you?

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:58:23 +0100

Like father, like son? I like to fancy that one of Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso's lost seminal discharges may have found it's way into Pilar Bardem's birthing orifice... except this is almost entirely impossible because it is said that Carlos Encinas is the paternal side of Javier Bardem's creator team. Regardless, the apparent physical similarities are quite shocking... and the fact that they are both artists from Spain doesn't support the idea that they couldn't be related.

Resemblance, however, has little to do with direct family ties and maybe a little more to do with culture, environment, and race (ancient genealogy). As for the whole reincarnate theory, that can also be discounted because Picasso died (1973, relaja en paz) 4 years after Javier was born. Anyhow, cool doppelganger feature, right?

... and I guess Philippe Mora noticed the similarities as well because Javier is supposedly being scouted to play Picasso in the upcoming film titled, Dali 3D.

Mad refreshing... like an Altoid with a dash of cocaine in it

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:15:22 +0100

I've only recently been turned on to this David Choe guy... and man, am I turned on. If you've ever stopped to think that you were a freebird- someone liberated from the systematic functions of society- you will most likely redefine yourself after watching this, or this, or this. Choe takes this free form life that, roughly, 106 billion people have experienced and truly made it his own. How he has stayed alive for this long, only God knows... I say that because, for some odd ass reason, Choe loves the Bible. Regardless of any of the jargon you have just read, if you desire to explore your maniacal/rebellious/anarchist/artistic side but are too pussy to do it (or have a job and/or family) then definitely look into anything involving this man's antics. Also, if you claim to have enough of an open mind, do watch this documentary (stream hosted by Upper Playground) which was released on the 18th for the stouthearted and explorative... and the rest of you futhamuckaz.

A(-)Town of the James Brown Sound

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:50:50 +0100

This guy! One of the most integral forerunners of modern day "hip-hop" and "rap", James Brown stylized a movement that would embrace the passion infused, free flowing expression that we all seek to release (on quite a regular basis). His attraction to the vigorous loops and melodies produced by small bands (usually consisting of brass, percussion, piano, and strings) was one that was nationally/globally admired by many enthusiasts, soul or not. I believe that Brown polished the art of soul and funk, making it more palpable than almost any genre of music at the time (and sometimes even today!)... so, it is to this visionary of a man that I owe my respect and appreciation. His sound will be a staple one for generations to come, and I am just helping to keep it alive. OWW!


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