Tag Archives: criticism

Kyoto/Japanese/Cold Slow Drip Coffee and Internet Fail

The Internet has failed me. And I’m increasingly cynical about the state of journalism and, more importantly, people’s ability to follow-through on curiosity. But then I remember Mos Def and the state of hip hop:

Listen.. people be askin me all the time,
“Yo Mos, what’s gettin ready to happen with Hip-Hop?”
(Where do you think Hip-Hop is goin?)
I tell em, “You know what’s gonna happen with Hip-Hop?
Whatever’s happening with us”
If we smoked out, Hip-Hop is gonna be smoked out
If we doin alright, Hip-Hop is gonna be doin alright
People talk about Hip-Hop like it’s some giant livin in the hillside
comin down to visit the townspeople
We (are) Hip-Hop
Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop
So Hip-Hop is goin where we goin
So the next time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin
ask yourself.. where am I goin? How am I doin?
Til you get a clear idea
So.. if Hip-Hop is about the people
and the.. Hip-Hop won’t get better until the people get better
then how do people get better? (Hmmmm…)

Therefore, in my hunt for some real information about Kyoto Slow-Drip Coffee Makers (aka Japanese Slow-Drip Coffee Makers, aka Cold Slow-Drip Coffee Makers), I have to stop criticizing everyone else’s sloppy reporting that focuses on where these devices are and not how these devices are constructed. Instead, I need to work on researching blueprints to build one.

The first step, though, is that if I want the coffee reporting to get better, and the coffee reporting won’t get better until the people get better, then how do we get the people better? Well, I’m going to jumpstart things by asking if any of you have experience with these devices and insight into how they work and how I can build one. That’s step one.

Step two is that I’m going to harass coffeeshops.

Stay tuned…and post a comment if you know something!

p.s. Thanks to ZS for exposing me to this awesomeness.

The Beeb on DnB

I listened to the most recent episode (20080504) of Radio 1’s Drum & Bass Show with Fabio and was struck by the heft of the self-reflective conversation and the sharpness of Fabio‘s and Pendulum‘s attacks on the dnb community.

Much of the conversation centered around the dnb’s reaction to Pendulum’s upcoming release In Silico, concentrating on fans’ criticisms (for the album being too rock ‘n’ roll). At first, the conversation came off as a little egocentric, but it quickly became apparent Fabio was fitting the discussion within the framework of what is probably the largest debate within electronic music: the state of dnb.

For the most part, I thought it was admirable for Fabio to so seriously question the state of dnb and whether it was “inspiring” or had “energy” anymore. Furthermore, he criticized the dnb community for being too narrow minded and not keen on pushing things forward. While these accusations are commonplace, especially from the dubsteppas, they are not usually heard within the dnb scene. Equally admirable was the semi-conclusion Fabio (and with which Pendulum tagged along) reached, which was that dnb’s health doesn’t really matter so long as there are still tracks that kill it.

Just as surprising, albeit in a negative way, were the sharp barbs Fabio and Pendulum had for dnb fans. The snide remarks included comments about fans inability or unwillingness to pay attention to the sound (and instead just ‘aving it up, thinking all drums/patterns are the same) and fans’ closed mindedness. Yes, I applauded the criticism of narrow mindedness , but narrow mindedness is the conscious rejection of alternatives, perhaps in the context of keeping dnb ‘pure’. Declaring that fans are close minded is not only entirely too simple, especially for someone who has been around as long as Fabio, but condescending. Does Fabio really think fans are unable to differentiate and appreciate the various types of dnb? Surely the exodus from dnb to dubstep demonstrates they care!

The entire conversation was even more condescending by drawing a distinction between DJs and fans. Fabio even claimed fans are unable to tell when there’s been a bad mix. Was he serious? Sure, DJs are more knowledgeable about (and invested in) dnb, but to create an us-versus-them divide is counterproductive and misses a major point: If dnb is not evolving, then it means producers and DJs aren’t pushing the sound in new directions. Blaming the fans is not just an easy way out of the debate, but also demonstrates how out of touch one is from the scene.

My opinion is that dnb has lost the majority of the energy it had “back in the day”. But that–as Pendulum hinted to at one point–it might be me changing and not an issue with the scene. For example, there is plenty of incredible dnb action out there (e.g., the ish on Hospital Records and Vampire Records), although there is an enormous amount of rubbish and pop-icized dnb, too. And when I do tune in, my mind is still blown when I hear tracks like Hazzard‘s Machette or Killers.

Me At My Music Snobbiest

This week, I saw two incredible shows: Preservation Hall Jazz Band at The Barns at Wolftrap and Gil Scott-Heron at 930 Club. The weird part of these shows is that I did not see any of you there (Note: HD was at PHJB and out of town for the second show). I think everything is possible, but it is as close to impossible as possible for me to respect someone’s thoughts on music if they did not attend these shows. So consider yourself dismissed.

So who was there? Aging baby boomers. It’s a sad state of affairs when the sell outs, people too busy driving their kids back and forth from college, and those who have been scared into regular blood-pressure checks have better music taste then your peers.