Alex Barck, DJ + Producer / Jazzanova :: 120 Seconds
Alex Barck from Jazzanova concludes that the easiest and most efficient way to make a difference in our world is to teach our kids life lessons from an early age.
Alex Barck from Jazzanova concludes that the easiest and most efficient way to make a difference in our world is to teach our kids life lessons from an early age.
Alex Barck, DJ + Producer / Jazzanova :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About Alex & Jazzanova:
With Jazzanova, there are always demands for explanations: “We get asked all the time what exactly the point behind all of this is,” says Alexander Barck, one of Jazzanova’s DJs, with an ironic smirk. “Sometimes it's funny to us, because we really don't put that much thought into it. We love music, we listen to a lot of music -- old and new -- and we enjoy making music. That's all. We love to be playful, to toy around with it.”
It sounds plausible, yet it's quite the understatement. The six-member group belongs to the circle of innovators celebrated worldwide on dance floors, in NuJazz Broken Beat, in modern folk and soul. DJs and vinyl freaks around the globe worship Jazzanova. Their remixes of Masters At Work, Fat Freddys Drop, 4hero and Ursula Rucker are cherished by afficionados. However, even for such different artists as Lenny Kravitz, Common, Azymuth or Calexico, did the six men from Berlin display their artistry by being able to treat distingushed source material with respect, and yet lend all of them an unmistakable Jazzanova sound.
Their mentor, the English A&R person, radio personality and founder of the Talkin’ Loud label, Gilles Peterson, recognized their artistry immediately, and contacted the boys directly after their first release to get them to do a remix for United Future Organization. Shortly after that, Jazzanova was solidly booked for years and went on to conquer the dance floors of the world and the hearts of their listeners with their productions and remixes.
The ability to find a common thread between different styles of music is not only highly respected in the international world of music, but also motivates the group to continue to constantly move forward. Their music is authentic, and works equally well “at the Montreux Jazz Festival as well as at your girlfriend's cousin’s illegal underground club,” writes WaS cultural editor Cornelius Tittel. Where other producers have eight pseudonyms with which they try to hit the same stylistic spot over and over, the six DJs of Jazzanova are able to produce a respectful, otherworldly and unpredictable style mix.
“Calculations don't matter in this process,” emphazises Stefan Leisering. “Which genre the music we work with belongs in doesn’t interest us, and its hipness factor is irrelevant. The path and the development of the music is the goal. It is fun ‘to be in search of the perfect sound,’ to go through several different stages and to let the people be part of it”.
“Our music can take listeners on a journey,” says Alexander Barck, “ if we are able to fascinate them, if we are able to get someone who doesn’t think he likes Brazilian music dance to a Brazil track and have him say ‘I’ve never heard this before, but it’s incredible, and this is now my favorite music,’ those are the beautiful moments in a production or in a DJ set.”
This enthusiasm, this self- confident and carefree attitude is what you hear immediately on Jazzanova’s new, second studio album Of All The Things. For this album, Jazzanova worked once again with several different voices including Leon Ware, Dwele, Phonte (Little Brother), Paul Randolph from Detroit, Ben Westbeech from London, and Jose James from Minneapolis.
For more info on Alex: jazzanova.com
Mark de Clive-Lowe, Musician + Producer :: 120 Seconds
As a New Zealand native, Mark talks about being surrounded by beaches growing up and how his recent move to a beach town is helping him move forward.
As a New Zealand native, Mark talks about being surrounded by beaches growing up and how his recent move to a beach town is helping him move forward.
Mark de Clive-Lowe, Musician + Producer :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About Mark:
Mark de Clive-Lowe (MdCL) is a NZ-Japanese musician producer based in the UK for the last decade and at the forefront of the global beats, jazz and soul community. He's a devastating live performer creating studio production on stage from scratch using drum machines, keyboards and effects - live remixes created on stage for each and every gig. As well as performances at clubs, festivals and parties worldwide, he's on over 200 releases for Masters At Work Records, Verve Records, Impulse Records and collaborating with as diverse a range of artists as Jody Watley, Omar, Bugz in the Attic, Dego (4Hero), percussionist Sammy Figueroa (Miles Davis), bass player Pino Palladino (D'Angelo/John Mayer), DJ Spinna, Leon Ware, Dame Shirley Bassey and plenty more, MdCL is one of the most innovative producers and live performers you'll find anywhere.
Half Japanese half New Zealander musician/producer Mark de Clive-Lowe has been on the music journey since starting piano when he was four. Classical piano lessons, jazz for playing pleasure and hip hop and soul on the stereo gave Mark the diverse foundation that his eclectic style has developed from.
For over the past ten years, MdCL's musical journeying has taken him to the US, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Cuba. Performing and recording in different settings collaborating with DJ/producers, turntablists, acoustic jazz artists, Japanese Kagura, and the world of latin rhythms, Mark has become a major figure in the nu-jazz movement, blending jazz, ethnic music and urban grooves into a fresh 21st Century flavour.
West London based from 1998-2008, MdCL is a key collaborator, artist and producer in the scene spear-headed by Bugz in the Attic, 4Hero, Restless Soul and IG Culture [NSM]. His debut LP Six Degrees [Universal Jazz/emarcy] was released worldwide in 2000 - signatured with an amalgamation of jazz sensibilities and urban influences, the album found a niche with DJs, critics and audiences worldwide:
'Firmly at the front of the nu-skool jazz and beats movement' - The Times [UK]
'Call it nu-jazz, call it nu-house, call it future-jazz, in fact call it what you want, I'm sticking with the words awesome and genius' - Wax Magazine [UK]
Two world tours later MdCL had taken the Six Degrees live show global including featured slots at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival - having been personally invited to perform by techno legend Carl Craig, Amsterdam Drum Rhythm Festival, London Jazz Festival and throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia. Live Events
2001 saw MdCL contributing a stand out remix production of Shirley Horn on the Verve//Remixed LP alongside tracks from MAW, Joe Clausell and Thievery Corporation and in 2002, his carnival soul-beats anthem 'Relax...Unwind' featuring Abdul Shyllon became one of the year's underground hits worldwide for the likes of Gilles Peterson, Jazzy Jeff, MAW and Jazzanova. 2003/4 releases also include collaborations with Kenny Dope [Masters at Work], DJ Spinna [BBE/rapster], Rima [JCR], IG Culture, Bugz in the Attic and Restless Soul. Over the past 6 years, Mark has stamped his sound on over 150 releases collaborating with some of the most cutting edge producers and artists around the world - include tracks for soul legend Leon Ware, productions for Philadelphia's Lady Alma and remixes for the likes of Jody Watley, Omar, Incognito and Brazilian superstar Ed Motta.
MdCL's album TIDE'S ARISING was released worldwide March 22, 2005 on ABB Soul/Antipodean featuring a who's who of guest artists including Bembé Segué, Abdul Shyllon, Pino Palladino [D'Angelo's Soultronics/The Who], Capitol A [The Roots/Jazzanova] and more. Immediately a new millennium classic, Tide's Arising was one of the standout albums of 2005 topping critics lists worldwide. Tide's Arising Live shows have been performed in the UK, Europe, Japan, NZ, Australia and USA. 2007 saw MdCL release the Japan-only album JOURNEY 2 THE LIGHT also launching the Freedom School record label. Featuring Bembé Segué, Sammy Figueroa [Miles Davis], Jason Yarde [Jack DeJohnette] and Richard Spaven [Guru/Jose James] the album brought the 70s Black Jazz and Strata East sound into the 21st Century with MdCL's most jazz-oriented album yet.
Projects currently on the go include MdCL's Freesoul Sessions clubnite and releases - a fully improvised show with Mark constructing beats and full productions live on stage with a rotating cast of beat, soul and jazz musicians and vocalists and The Politik - a collaboration with Bembé Segué. He's also produced the debut single for UK soul singer Rasiyah and the soundtracks for multi-media dance production Legends of the Underground . Check the releases page for full info.
MdCL performs all around the planet regularly, every time redefining audiences' concept of club culture and electronics brought to the live stage. New dates are regularly announced on the Events page - also, keep up to date via the myspace.com page.
Links:
Flaco Navaja, Actor + Singer :: 120 Seconds
Fresh off the big screen of Rogue Pictures "Fighting", co-star Flaco Navaja gives us an inside look at his family and the origin of his name.
Flaco Navaja, Actor + Singer :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
Fresh off the big screen of Rogue Pictures "Fighting", co-star Flaco Navaja gives us an inside look at his family and the origin of his name. video/4358776?title=0&byline=0&color=c00000" width="590" height="445" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen>
Flaco Navaja, Actor + Singer :: 120 Seconds from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
About Flaco:
Navaja’s original style of poetry combines singing, beat-boxing, and spoken word. He was the host of the legendary open mic showcase; “All That! Hip Hop Poetry & Jazz” at the famous Nuyorican Poets' Cafe. He has performed at national and international venues and events. In 2003, he toured internationally with the Tony Award winning Russell Simmons' DEF POETRY JAM and he has appeared on four episodes of the HBO series. He is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect and a comedian with the Nuyorican Rule troupe.
For more info on Flaco Navaja: myspace.com/flaconavaja