Sampling Culture http://samplingculture.posterous.com Most recent posts at Sampling Culture posterous.com Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:06:00 -0700 Sights of Paris http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/09/05/sights-of-paris http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/09/05/sights-of-paris

In Paris public spaces have Old World charm. While wandering down narrow streets or wide boulevards I constantly stopped to look around me. Perhaps if I was more attentive to what surrounds me in Toronto then I'd take more photos and have fun playing 'photographer.' Here are some shots I got with my handy point & shoot - Just one step up from an old iphone camera.

 

 

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Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:24:00 -0700 Globetrotting on a budget http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/08/05/globetrottingonbudget http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/08/05/globetrottingonbudget

Globetrotting on a budget Chances are you might be heading out this summer, or you'd like to be – if only you could afford it. Time and money are always an issue preventing us from travelling, but if money is stopping you, consider saving up and incorporating some money-saving habits into your future travel plans. Sometimes it can be difficult to get everything organized before a trip, or you might want to plan one and not know where to start. Here are some helpful resources to get you started.

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Selecting your destination When considering cities to visit and looking for things to do, check out the local weekly free paper in its online version before you arrive. If it's in another language, you can always use a free (but approximate) website translation service (such as freetranslation.com) to read the articles and listings in English. If you want a guided tour, many cities have websites set up where local volunteers offer to guide specific tours for visitors. It's kind of like Craigslist. Tourists write a description of the kind of tour they'd like before they travel, and the guides pair themselves up with the tourists. For an example of this kind of service check out http://www.parisiendunjour.fr For cultural excursions, The New York Times has a fantastic resources for budget travellers – with everything from restaurant recommendations to museum happenings found at http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com. Look into individual gallery websites to find out which days and times museums offer free or reduced entrance fees. There are often also pay-what-you-can events or special first-time trial sessions at yoga or athletics classes. Best of all, there are huge benefits to be gained from walking in a new city. One can explore the city from ground level, mingle with locals and discover unexpected places off the familiar tourist map. It's also healthy and beats taking buses or taxis everywhere. If you're wondering about the safety in a region you want to visit, check out the Canadian government's travel advisory website (http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/menu-eng.asp), where they post warnings and notices about the conditions in the country you're intending to visit. Find out which areas are dangerous and should be avoided, learn about the visas and medical vaccinations you might need. Learn about precautions you should take and find out where the Canadian Embassy is, in case you get into trouble. Find out what kinds of identification you are required to carry in the host country.

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Getting there Budget airlines are a good option if you need to fly to your city of choice. Try getting a price on your city from different airlines and ticket sellers online. Don't settle until you find a price you're happy with. One sure way to fly cheap is to select your destination based on the cheapest flight price. Frequent routes from Toronto are often less expensive, but just as far away as national flights – For example, flights to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or London can be a bargain. The season also matters for flight prices, as does the time of the sale. Try to book early to get a good price, or go for last-minute deals on a site like redflagdeals.com. Within Europe, check out the prices at ryanair.com and easyjet.com. Or if you're planning to get to Montreal or New York for cheap, try megabus.com or neonbus.com. Often new buses have free wifi on board and sometimes power outlets. If you're taking a long trip, you can use your laptop and watch dvds or work the whole way there if you want. Packing is an important part of any travel - but especially for air travel. Ultimately packing light whether by car, train, or plane makes your travel simpler. Comfortable shoes and clothes go a long way for a budget-conscious traveller. You'll want to get around on public transit after-all and you'll want to carry as little as possible up and down stairs. Packing a good book is great for any long waits that you'll have to endure. If you end up hanging out at a public space (that's free too!) you will always be entertained with a paperback. If travelling by air, avoid a checked bag fee, and remember to pack only travel-sized toiletries and essentials in your carry-on bag. Where to stay Consider calling up a friend in the city you intend to visit. See whether you can sleep on a friend's couch or whether you can offer a contribution toward rent or groceries. Let them know you'll return the favour in your own home. Always bring a host gift and be a gracious guest. Be prepared to entertain yourself if your host is busy. If staying with a friend is not an option, then consult a websites like airbnb.com, homeaway.com or craigslist vacation rentals pages which allow you to book a room or an entire apartment that belongs to a local resident. The service is available in cities all over the world. The finds on these vacation rentals are often much cheaper than even the most basic hotels, plus you'll often get more space and a kitchen to use – which really saves you money. You can buy groceries and cook! Pretend you are a local and enjoy exploring the markets in the city. Communication abroad The internet is the cheapest way to communicate when you travel. If you're looking for a way to communicate with family and friends, skip the expensive roaming charges on your cell phone calls and use your own laptop with a free wifi connection at a library or cafe. If you don't have a laptop with you, simply run to the nearest internet cafe. Then download skype and call home from skype. Or, simply send emails and update your blog for friends and family. Next time you travel, consider making a budget, stick to it and have fun.

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Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:02:00 -0700 Montreal: The place to be for Mutek http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/08/05/mutek http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/08/05/mutek

Each year in early June throngs of electronic music fans descend upon Montreal for the Mutek festival - a unique program of experimental music and visual art installations. This year the festival delivered a high quality program that techno aficionados have come to expect. Many excellent genre-crossing acts performed and, despite relentless rain, attendees revelled in danceable music and learned about exciting new musical groups from North America and Europe.

Half-way into the week long festival, Mutek's Friday night showcase offered up two acts that remain relatively under the radar but are worthy of more attention. Christina Sealey and Richard Oddie make up the dark electro-pop duo Orphx. In their mid-thirties, they live in the Hamilton area and play in Toronto, Montreal and Europe whenever they get the chance. Sealey is a talented painter and Oddie is a university teacher, specializing in social science, geography and politics. The duo got to know each other well while producing many of their 20-plus record catalogue from which they perform songs at their live gigs. The Orphx show at Mutek included material from the group's latest EPs (Blacklight and Division) that came out on the hard techno label Sonic Groove of New York. Oddie said that their intention at Mutek was “to give people a sense of our different styles and influences.” Their set revealed their flare for combining of techno and house, electro and dub. I interviewed Oddie about their creative process. “We make music with a lot of tension. It's music with darker feelings. We explore [those feelings] and work through them,” says Oddie. Their music is dark and industrial and on one of their records Orphx explored places they liked in their city. “We used sounds from the city [of Hamilton]. I suppose [the city] does shape our music a lot,” says Oddie. “[Hamilton] is a city that has struggled with poverty and the decline of the steel industry,” he explains. “There are feelings that come with that – [both] negative [ones] with social problems and positive [ones] as people try to... recreate themselves,” says Oddie. Oddie figures that their music may be paralleled by living in the post-industrial environment, but he reflectively adds, “Perhaps we mirror [our environment] self-consciously.” “We like Detroit techno – [which was borne out of] similar conditions. [It's] futuristic but relatively dark music. They [Detroit techno artists] were shaped by what was going on in their city.” With song titles like Burning Flags and Simulacrum one wonders what inspires Orphx thematically. “A lot of it is in response to things I'm reading, or things I hear about in the news,” says Oddie. “Other times [a song title] is in reference to something I am reading, or a psychological concept,” Oddie says. He is most excited about artists making music on the fringes of techno. “They have a concept, and psychological and emotional weight to their music. It's not just party music. There's something else going on and for me that is going back to the origins of techno. The [early] material from Detroit had a lot of emotional weight and depth to it. I like the idea of taking techno seriously,” explains Oddie. Orphx started out making music in the early 1990's and they were heavily influenced by Japanese ‘noise’ and industrial music. Since then they've connected with a small but global audience of music fans, record labels and galleries who enjoy their sound. “More recently we've been doing techno music more overtly... and foregrounding that structure and we seem to be reaching a new audience which is exciting,” says Oddie. “It's hard to get shows [in Hamilton] unless you put a lot of effort in. In Toronto there is a techno scene – and we'd like to play some of those gigs,” says Oddie. For now, Mutek was a real treat for them. “Mutek is one of the rare exciting places to play,” says Oddie. Following Orphx, Actress was next on the Mutek bill performing an Ableton Live set that included sound effects and samples. Darren Cunningham (a.k.a. Actress) says he writes all of his tracks visually – “I want to create a visual experience in the sound and generate a mood so I can immerse people in the texture of the sound.” When I interviewed Cunningham at Mutek about the origins of his creative process, he told me he was once a footballer for West Bromwich Albion in London, but had to stop playing at the age of 19 because of an injury. When he lost his dream to be a footballer, he says he was heartbroken. “It was a devastating time.” However he says, “The upside of that is that I've always had music – Even when I was playing football I was dabbling in music.” “What you're hearing in my music is losing a dream that I worked hard to achieve,” explains Actress. “I put all of that into my music. My music is now an expression of that,” he says. Actress finds some similarities between his former career and his new one. “To be a sports person and musician you have to be a hundred per cent devoted to your art. The skills I put into my tracks are similar to the level of devotion I would put into playing football in the past,” he says. Today he is a music producer and the owner of the Brixton based record label Werk Discs. Asked why he chose the name Actress, he explains, “An actress performs a role... and creates a persona for that part. So I re-contextualize that idea within my music.” Judging by his stage presence at his Mutek performance, which was very low-key and authentic, acting may be something that Cunningham jokes about, but never entertains seriously. Most Mutek attendees would probably be inclined to agree with Actress when he said after his show, “It's a great program they have in Montreal...Mutek was brilliant and well-organized.” If you've never attended Mutek festival, you're advised to book it into your calendar early for next year. See you on the dance floor!

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