todo mundo

Some of you might have seen this on the Todo Mundo video stream already, but here it is for the RSS heads, Crank Dat ROFLCon!

You can also check the materials used in my presentation: Work it, Move it, Bang it, Bump it.

Powerpoint is dead, long live HTML Slidy!

Ana, mi profesotica, creó un colección de palabras que significan “awesome” en español. Mira…

YAY!!! K GUAY!!!!

chévere

chiva

tuanis

padre

bakan

Chido

La raja

De a cachimba

Cojonudo

del one!

un siete

el descueve

legal

Disfrutalas, amigos!

DJ Nephets in Paris, 18 May 2007

My prof, Henry Jenkins, just posted the most recent draft of an essay I am writing about the liberating potential of booty bass lyrics to his blog. Here’s a preview:

By reading the lyrics literally, I was ignoring their role inside the logic of dance music. If the dancefloor is a place where it is safe to move one’s body in unusual ways, perhaps it is also a space where the embodiment of the sex act can be exposed, toyed with, and manipulated.

This is just the beginning of a broader investigation of dancefloor mores and social structures. Truthfully, I hesitated when Henry asked if he could post the essay to his blog. I’m not particularly comfortable with the personal narrative and this is my first attempt at writing about the topic. I expected ridicule from some (EDIT: check!) and anger from others. I ultimately agreed, however, with the hope that exposing this project early on will highlight its weaknesses, help direct my research, and hopefully put me in touch with folks working in a similar space.

I’ve re-upped Follow The Sound with the DJ’s permission so you can actually HEAR the music I’m writing about. For the record, it is still my all-time favorite mixtape.

A new friend from ROFLCon emailed me this morning about high school kids being suspended for making videos of spontaneous ‘lite feet’ dancing in school. Rather than re-write this as a blog post (end of semester squeeze and all), I’m going to quote my email (nessonblog style) and paste the videos inline. Enjoy!

Hi [so-and-so],

You’ve lead me on a massive digital dig this morning! I haven’t heard that term before but the dances are really familiar. I associate it with Harlem, specifically, because of Chicken Noodle Soup. (Webstar uses “lite feet” in some songs… )

Webstar, Chicken Noodle Soup, 2006

Have you seen Jason Fox’s Aunt Jackie? Also Harlem, similar dances and vibes:

This “lite feet” video is fantastic:

A related article you might find useful: “Is the Chicken Noodle Soup dance racist?”

Rather than minstrelry, I think the reference is probably closer to the Carlton Dance:

That vid has 1.8 million views.

I can’t comment on kids being suspended for dancing in the hallways in school without knowing the details of their situations. I love dancing and wish people danced more but there are also some times and places when getting your lite feet on is probably disrupting class.

On the flip, sports, PE, and the arts are being terribly squeezed amid efforts to focus on “core” academics. I’m afraid these well-meaning cuts might actually undermine their educational intent. Students need time during the day to move their bodies, be social, laugh, sing, and sweat. Without time to focus on their creative, physical, and social growth, I suspect that students become frustrated, restless and unfocused. Not an optimal classroom situation.

I heard a relevant report this morning from Fred Thys on WBUR about public schools seeking private funding to keep football programs alive. Here’s a comment from a Groton resident:

“LIPMAN: I think because of the situation that the school system’s in where they didn’t have any hirings last year for teachers, I think you always have to put the education first.

THYS: If voters don’t approve a tax increase this Spring, Groton and Dunstable could lose fine arts, PE, and special ed teachers. On the other hand, if donors come up with the money by July 1st, this fall, there will be football.”

Kids don’t always articulate their needs to adults but their behavior says a lot. Making videos and dancing in the halls look like a pretty clear message. They are asking for respect and space for that positive energy and joy in their schedule.

Can’t help thinking of this movie, too. :)

Kevin

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Occasionally, I will have several consecutive nights of extraordinarily crazy dreams that usually involve working really hard and waking up rather tired. My memory is fading on them already but here are just a few of the strange things that happened in this recent bout:

• I was the main character in a very fast platformer video game like Sonic the Hedgehog.
• I accidentally ate a whole bunch of fried chicken because I forgot to be vegetarian.
• Dan Rather installed stained glass windows into his house. They came from a Catholic Church.
• I purchased a new turntable that can only play 7″s at 45 or 78rpm and then stressed about finding a way to put it to use.

So many more that I’ve already forgotten. Here is a sick Mark Gonzales video to make up for it:

Just got an N95 to work on new sms projects. More to come once I get stuff up and running!

Okay. It’s just wishful thinking for now but what would I need to do to facilitate this collaboration? Maybe it can happen at ROFLcon?

‘disorganized fun’ on a REALLY REALLY fun beat!!

The nets have already determined that Jenkees is a character but it doesn’t bother me. In fact, it is a sign of the superproducer stepping fully out from behind the boards to be a star in her own right. Big post about Polow coming soon.

A fun beat from outer space (an experimental improv jam)

I’d like to see Timbo and Jenkees hanging out, eating bananas, and drinking Teenies. Remember this classic scenario?

PS. Don’t try to google search pictures of teenies.

From her interview with DJ Enuff of Heavy Hitters:

Kid Sister: I will never, ever get a website.
Enuff: Never?
Kid Sister: No! If you get a website, you are loco in the head. It is free to do MySpace!

Errrr. Yo soy loco.

I’ve been watching this video of DJ Ramsey scratching tapes daily since someone blogged it a couple weeks back. (Can anyone link the original post? I can’t find it.) He works the pause button and volume knobs with his fingers while manipulating the spindles with his thumbs.

Working with cassette tapes appeals to my affection for the durable little medium that wouldn’t die but this video of DJ Antonio scratching reel-to-reel tape is pretty wild, too.

Perhaps it is time to revive the BEIGE Cassette Jockey World Championship?

Is Beaker still battling?