B-boy culture resonates around the world

Bouncing Cats is a powerful documentary that tells the inspiring story of Abraham "Abramz" Tekya, an AIDS orphan and b-boy who started Breakdance Project Uganda in order to create opportunities for artistic expression and friendship for children in Uganda. He helps them to use hip hop breakdancing as a means to regain their own sense of identity. Having suffered greatly in the North of the country under the Lord's Resistance Army (L.R.A.), many children suffer from being separated from their families and being displaced or mutilated as a result of brutal abductions. The film is a powerful testament to the spirit of resilience that many of the b-boys and b-girls have. Narration for the film was done by Common and there are interviews with Will.I.Am, K'Naan and Mos Def.

BOUNCING CATS film trailer from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Further information about the film and details about how to get involved on youth issues in Uganda can be found at bouncingcats.com.
 

Kensington Market comes alive

Citizens filled the streets to the sounds of electronic belly-dancing music. A crowd huddled in a circle around a group of performers who wore belly-dancing costumes and jingled their bells in time to the music. People took photos and clapped after each dancer went into the middle of the circle. Walking down Augusta Avenue, the smell of hot corn tomales and empanadas, samosas and thai spring rolls emanated from each food stand and wafted into the nostrils of passers by. Local artists and vendors sold their jewelry and paintings to visitors and residents who make their homes in Kensington Market.

Read the rest of this post »

 

Montreal: The place to be for 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.

Read the rest of this post »

 

Plastikman Live transforms Detroit

Media_httpwwwmusingso_itgol

For one weekend at the end of May Detroit is transformed into the place to be for all techno music fans and globe-trotting industry workers who come from as far as Europe to party, celebrate the global techno subculture and make business connections. This year marked the 10th anniversary of Movement Festival, Detroit's annual electronic music festival and to celebrate, they hosted a special live headliner - a Canadian – the techno icon Plastikman, a.k.a. Windsor born Richie Hawtin.

Read the rest of this post »