auto-tune, for better or worse

My boss was telling me today that there is no good hip hop music out there any more. He was downloading a bunch of really old stuff like Ryz and Gang Starr. He's not really into conscious (political) hip hop because he says most of it has no edge. And he respects some Atmospheric (trip hop) type stuff but it's not really his thing.

Which brings me to Jay Z's latest single, "D.O.A - Death of Auto-Tune". Let me say that no matter what his motives, I fucking love this song and Jay Z (and the video, for that matter). I think he is totally doing it for the publicity of being on the "anti" side of a movement. Especially since Kanye produced his whole album and they made a joint decision to take all the Auto-Tune samples off the tracks. And yes, he is 39 and fighting to stay as popular as he has been the last 10 years, as well as dealing with the economic slump that has hit the music industry hard. I don't think it really matters though. Auto-Tune really is out of control and he is right that it has turned from innovative technology into a "gimmick". The reality is, so many musicians from all genres rely on it now that it is not going anywhere. I think it is a fresh idea to take a step backwards and I'm really surprised at all the criticism Jay Z has gotten for it. These people don't care about T-Pain's feelings; they're just pissed they didn't think of it first.

Moving Past Mao...

A short video from the NYT about contemporary art in China, namely an underground art exhibit of intense, emotional pieces that have been forbidden to be shown within China's borders.

When I was in China in 2001, young people were just starting to talk about the Cultural Revolution. Not necessarily speak openly, and certainly not on record, but they were willing to have a dialogue. These artists' work show how far people have come towards accepting and working through the past, and towards public education and liberation, even in just the past few years. Although having said that, this art is still illegal in China.

Don't French Kiss or you might get SWINE FLU...

Bummer. This was one of my favorite things about the French culture. I seriously doubt that H1N1 is going to end this tradition, but you never know...

Bisous!

Martine Fougeron

A cool photography project that explores adolescence, intimacy and personal narrative.

Olympic National Park

So I went hiking in the Rainforest last weekend. Yes, hiking! in the RAINFOREST!! It was so beautiful and really great to get away from the city for a few days. I don't think I thought about work once. We were too worried about water and bees and trying not to poop for 3 days. We hiked over 30 miles and I have to admit, there were points when I didn't think I was going to make it, but I did...and it made me feel so great, physically and mentally. I don't think I have really challenged myself like that in a long time.

Anyway, it was a perfect weekend and I just wanted to post some pictures to show everyone how beautiful Olympic National Park is.

let's just call these...experimental

some photos taken with my lomography camera (sunflowers in my apartment, julie and aline in vancouver, CA, missy laughing, julie coming up the stairs). they are scanned, so the quality is not so great, but what are you gonna do?

ok...i went back and played with these pics in photoshop and re-uploaded. i might just continue to do that because it's fun and i come up with different stuff every time.

New Beginnings

I have been thinking recently about where I would like to live if I decide to go teach in China next fall and, although I love Shanghai, the city of Shenzhen is looking pretty likely right now.
It is a big city, with a booming economy and a population of somewhere around 10 million people. The crazy part is how the city has exploded from a small fishing village in only the past 30 years. It started out as one of China's "special economic zones," an experimental province with more liberal business/trade regulations, meant to increase foreign investment. Now it is the economic center for southern China, has several universities, and is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. The population is split between intellectuals (the most PhD's of any city in China) and migrant workers from rural China. Also, the average age is 28, which is pretty cool.
I found a relevant article that discusses how different Chinese people view the city: the migrant workers, the business people, the young students... The article brings up an interesting point about the "culture" of Shenzhen. Relative to the rest of China, this city is still an infant that is growing at an unbelievable rate. Thus it is much less rooted in Chinese tradition and history. While some take a critical stance on this divergence, calling it a lack of culture, many young Chinese people find it liberating.
I have a friend who is living there now and she highly recommends this program. Something to think about...