The Ubud Renaissance continues this Saturday night. If you missed the last one, you don’t wanna miss this one. Expect the unexpected, Live Mysteries stylin’.
Here is footage of the last event: https://vimeo.com/39993092
See you Saturday!!!
After a 3 year hiatus, Live Mysteries returns with another night of unpredictable premeditated freestyles in music, song, movement and visuals. If you are unfamiliar with how Live Mysteries gets down, a few years ago the legendary Home Cafe in Seminyak was in full swing with the best of underground flava. Live Mysteries was a concept created by Ka Mau and was conducted monthly at Home Cafe (and one at Art Cafe) which brought together the slew of artistic expressions in Bali that tend to stay in their own respective worlds. Live Hiphop/Rock/Ragga/Improv band music with poetry and djing, dance performances, photo exhibitions, drumming, live painting and even story-telling by a slew of talented local and ex-pat artists.
The Live Mysteries flava has returned and first time, the expression will vibrate in Ubud with the potential monthly gathering entitled, ‘Uplift’. Taking down the walls that divide the arts into boxes is nothing new for Live Mysteries. Now coming together with Truecreativeactivity.com, the added intention is to bring down the walls that divide generations and communities. Uplift will present feature performances by artists young and old, ex-pat and Indonesian, in the spirit of progression in the creation of new traditions in community creativity and sharing. Uplift will be an early evening event to allow for those whom may not be inclined towards late nights (youth and pretty much most of Ubud folks) to enjoy the benefits of live music, dance, performance.
Betelnut is a restaurant, (or as they say, “Noodle and Satay Bar and Music Lounge”), with delicious food and very good feng shui. It is a ridiculously beautiful and perfect space for Live Mysteries to get loose with and explore creatively.
Take a look at the space here: Betelnut in Ubud
More Info Coming soon. You can also check the facebook page: UPLIFT
Represented last weekend at American cultural center in Jakarta, @America. http://magz.hiphopheroes.net/info/news/pitch-black-gold-menyebarkan-hip-hop-pada-para-pemuda-bali.html
Here is the entire performance and interview. It starts around the 5:30 mark. I perform an opening set, then is the interview and the 2nd set starts around the 46:30 mark.
Enjoy: Ka Mau at @America Jakarta
Big thanks and shout to everyone who came out to support the event last weekend. it was much fun despite being shutdown early by the banjar police. We are in the process of looking for a professional performance theater in which to present the full performance once completed. If you would like to help in the process, please contact: pitchblackgold@gmail.com Updates soon. Peace
What if you woke up one morning to the governments of the world announcing that a comet was going to smash into the Earth not long after sunset that day and humanity would go the way of the dinosaurs? There Is No 2morrow is a one act cinematic play that uses dance theater, poetry, visual media and music to show how a few individuals, couples and groups living in Bali personally and collectively live out their last day alive.
So this is the concept that came up with about 2 months ago during a night of insomnia. I was thinking about all speculation concerning Mayan prophecy, Dec 2012 or Oct 28th, 2011, Hopi prophecy, Comet Elenin and just the overall state of things at this period and i thought it would be dope to do a performance production that speaks to this time of transition. Anyone who has even the slightest concern for humanity and this planet can see that we are at a crucial crossroad, with some serious choices to be made, but still many of us are living our lives with careless concern as if we will last forever in this form. We take our lives and the lives of others for granted and continuously waste our days away repeating experiencing in pursuit of things that have no real meaning to who we are and what we were born to do. We often ride winds with no destination and “go with the flow” without considering fully the direction of the flow. We also often fail to go with the flows that count in our progress as spiritual and human beings, choosing not to walk through doors of opportunity and learning because the door wasn’t the right color, squeaked when others walked through or had a dirty key. Then there is “the 1%” who have been running the game thus far, satisfying all their pathological urges as the expense of the rest of the world and the actual planet itself. I think this clip is a good metaphor of the situation we are in and what needs to happen….the Spurs rep the current powers that be and Traci reps the rest of humanity;
Through dance, song, poetry and visual arts, There Is No 2morrow explores moments in life in the face of impending death. This Friday’s show will be excerpts from the show which is still a work in progress, as I have more visual shooting to do, pieces to choreograph, flakey dancer’s asses to kick and costumes to get, as well as finding a larger venue with a stage and lighting that can fulfill the vision i have. I hope to present the full production at the end of November, Inshallah.
Performers will include the 2011 Indonesian B-Boy (Breakdance) Champions, Aerial Crew. Hiphop dance crews G.O.G., Beautiful Game and Peaz Makerz Bali along with vocal presentations by Sausan, Soloman and i may do something as well. There are some other performance surprises in store, but you may need to wait until the full show.
Myself, along with Soloman will be keeping the party flowing musically on the DJ tip. So come thru, have some drinks, mingle, dance and enjoy the birth of another level of performance production for Bali.
Peace,
Ka Mau (PitchBlackGold)
If you want any more info, shoot me an email: pitchblackgold@gmail.com or twitter: http://twitter.com/PitchBlackGold
Aerial Crew performing Circus Routine
Friday, August 19th 2011 6:00pm
10 children will be selected and offered the opportunity to join the Aerial Crew/Jeet Kun Dope training program and receive instruction in the arts of:
Hip-Hop Dance (Breaking, Popping, Freestyle, Etc.)
House Dance
Rap, Rhythm & Poetry Performance
Character Development
Children accepted will also perform in the performance production “There Is No 2morrow” written, directed & choreographed by Ka Mau, showing on September 30th, Oct 1st, Oct 2nd at Word of Mouth in Seminyak
Requirements:
–Auditions are for Boys and Girls Age 9 – 13 yrs. old
–Please prepare a 45 second to 1 minute solo dance routine to show the selection judges. Dancers may perform as a duo or trio but will be selected based on their individual performance. From the solo round, judges will select dancers to learn a short choreographed routine. After the choreography round, a maximum of 10 dancers will be selected and offered the opportunity to join the foundation program*.
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Each One Teach One
Peace and Love. We are pleased to announce that TKC will be beginning Afterschool Programs starting in April!!! Courses in hiphop dance, house dance, b-boying/girling (breakdance), rapping, poetry writing & performance, facilitated by Kamau Abayomi & Aerial Crew will be available to youth in select schools and sites in the Seminyak/Kerobokan/Denpasar area and the Ubud area. If you are interested in bringing TKC to your child’s school, please contact Kamau at: pitchblackgold@gmail.com
MORE INFO COMING SOON!!!!!
Beginning April 11th at SLK:
Hiphop/House/Pop Dance – Monday 3:00 – 4:30 (Grade 4 – 9): Children will learn dance in the styles seen in music videos by Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and in movies like Step Up. Students will also learn how to create their own unique conceptualchoreography, which will be performed at the end of the school year. This class is perfect for children who want to improve their versatility in dance, their dance performance and find their unique dance character.
Breaking, Rapping, Performance & Hip-Hop Culture – Wednesdays 3:00 – 5:00 (Grade 4– 9): Students will learn the history of Hip-Hop culture, dance and rap music. The b-boy/b-girl (breakdancing) focus will be on the foundation moves of b-boying/b-girling which are top-rocking, down-rocking, footwork and freezes. Students who complete the course will have a basic knowledge of the history of Hip-Hop culture and Hip-hop dance, the fundamentals of b-boying/b-girling and the ability to dance in any breaking circle.
Using the 30+ years of rap history, students will learn the fundamentals of how to write and perform raps in a variety of rhythmic styles and cadences. Students will also learn about rap song writing structures measured in “bars” and the art of giving a dynamic vocal performance. Students who complete this course will have a basic knowledge of Hip-Hop history and rap music and will know how to write and recite raps to music and perform. This class is perfect for those who want to build their performance confidence and charisma vocally and through movement.
*At the end of the school year there will be a performance showcase!
**Special Consideration can be made for students below 4th grade who show are greatly interested and already have basic dance ability ***
For Sign-ups and further details please contact Kamau at: pitchblackgold@gmail.com
ON MUTHA*$%#IN’ POINT!!!!
…….nothing further.
First I must say Selamat Galungan & Kuningan to all the Bali Community, meaning everyone who lives in Bali and experiences this beautiful island as their home. The victory of virtue over evil is such a beautiful holiday to celebrate and here in Bali it is done twice a year. Six months ago, i set up the True Creative Activity site good week or so before this same very holiday, with the intention of bringing to light creative people, ideas and expression, and to serve as a space for people to get info on the Tru Karya Cipta urban arts program here in Bali. You can read above about all of our goals and objectives, one of which is opening a center dedicated to using performance and media arts as a tool for personal and community empowerment.
This coming Saturday Dec 11th, is our first official fundraising event. We are blessed to be partnering with Serambi Arts Antida (Thanks Anom & Wayan!) & Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (Thanks auntie Janet!) in presenting I MANIFEST a showcase of the Bali Hiphop Community in the spirit of Peace, Love, Unity & Community Building.
I MANIFEST is a declaration of personal power in bringing something into existence. I-statements are always power statements that charge and energize whatever words that follow the word “I”. When an I-statement has the full intention, focus, clarity and emotional energy fueling it, the I-statement will be experienced as reality for the person making the statement. When individuals who own their personal power of manifesting come together, a collective power of manifestation gets charged. As the collective power of manifestation gets focused and clear, I MANIFEST becomes synonymous with WE MANIFEST. Hope to see you Saturday…(Starts at 7pm)
Peace and Love,
PBG
Nova Ruth is a deeply beautiful soul. She one in a couple hundred million…..literally. Rapper, singer, musician, and activist all embodied in her 5’3 frame from Malang, Java in Indonesia. We e-met back in April after I found her myspace page. I was really feeling her music and sent her a message on facebook complimenting her on it. From there, we stayed in touch. I told her I would love to bring her to Bali to perform at a monthly event that I was doing, that focused on substance based artists. Though I have yet to do that event since returning to Bali, I was blessed to be able to work with the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival this year to create and organize the Hiphop IS Harmony Concert in Bali and…*cough*… tour in Surabaya, Jogja and Jakarta. When I was okay’d to bring an Indonesian artist from Java to participate, Nova Ruth was my first choice. We would meet a month prior, at the Ilmu Hiphop Festival in Jogja, which she performed and did workshops and we had a great time hanging out discussing life, hiphop and food. She is an intelligent and caring being who just happens to be a dope rapper. In a time of much conformity and in a place where status quo dominates, Nova is woman who is unafraid to speak her mind and use her talents in the service of positive change, in Indonesia and the world. Meet Nova Ruth…
TKC: Tell us how you began rapping and performing?
Nova: In the year of 2000, November, i began to seriously write lyrics and chose hiphop music. I’ve been learning how to sing since i was 5, since I was living Christian culture with my priest grandpa. He’s really punctual in notes. I was born Christian and converted to Islam when I was in elementary school. I forget precisely when, but around 8 or 9 years old.
TKC: Being from Malang, how did you choose Hiphop music? What drew you to it? Is there are big scene there?
Nova: Starting from an introduction with Malang Hiphop Community, my bestfriend Indri, half of TwinSista made me hang out with them and I get to know Lauryn Hill (music) better, he he. We did cover songs first, but then me and Indri decided to go to a competition in Jakarta in November 2000, that’s how TwinSista begin. We’re from a small city, but we have a will to grow bigger. Now, the scene are not as big as when I started hiphop music, but there are still a few people i know here doing hiphop music.
TKC: What is the content of the music that you create? What is your intention when you are creating? To whom are you speaking to?
Nova: I am open to any kind of music genre that is why hiphop is good for me. Because it’s always possible to combine hiphop to any kind of genre. From the ethnic to the most modern one. I think hiphop is more friendly with genres. So it depends, sometimes a music producer will show me some good music, then i will know immediately what I will write over that and sometimes it’s the opposite. My intention is simply to tell people about how I feel and how I see the world. I speak to myself first then to public, because I believe every human has the same feeling about the truth, it’s just that some people choose to deny it. So if I know my words will hurt me, then it’ll hurt other people too. If I know my words is my tool to reflect to myself, then it’s relevant to speak it to people.
TKC: What is the focus of your activism? Who are you working with?
Nova: My activism is simple, it’s about honesty. I support any activism that honest. On a larger scale, I’m working with EngageMedia for speaking the truth through video about environmental and social justice issues across Asia-Pacific. Though I will stop working directly with them this December, i’ll be supporting their activism. I like technology as activism tool, it’s powerful. Music is also activism. Right now i’m working a lot with Grey Filastine because he’s also both musician and activist. I’ve been doing critiques to war and environment over his anti-capitalism music critique, that also feels honest to me. I’m also open to work on music with many artists, as long as I fit with their personality and attitude, it’ll be easy for me to work with. I’ve been having good time working with Sven Simulacrum, Unkle Ho and Pataphysic from Australia. They are all activists in their own way. On a smaller scale but a most important one, my activism of honesty also happens in the family. I’m living in an open-minded family that i consider as a luck. From very small thing such within family, that people often forget, being honest can reflect what you’ll do for the mother earth in general.
Nova explaining about video distribution
TKC: Is there a strong arts and activism scene in Indonesia? What about Indonesian Hiphop and activism?
Nova: I don’t see that much appearing on the surface, aside from Homicide (Bandung). It should be here, but it’s always underground. There are few people I know that knows about what are they talking about in their lyrics, but more than few of hiphop artists are entertainment only. But to me is not a wrong thing, everyone has role in their life. Entertain people are also important, people just have to make a choice of what role they would take. I never thought so hard about who is doing what. At least I know what I’m doing and from that, these 10 years, I slowly found who are they and doing what and start to make connection. I think that’s how it should work. Natural and organic activism and networking is more important than being always provocative and trying to gather people who has the same perspective with me in a pushy way.
TKC: Do you think there is a way for mainstream entertainment and underground or grassroots activism to merge?
Nova: I think creating good music is always important. Having a nice frequency and not get people annoyed by what you’ve shouted out. Getting yourself to a nice frequency is both entertaining and communicating and a poetic message plus good music IS entertaining. Why being all the time in the underground if your message not getting up on the surface? But then we again realize that it’s not us (underground people) that never try to get our message out there, it is the BIG industry that always getting in our way of making it happen. I guess all underground people understand why ‘they’ called us underground. I’ve played in grassroots festivals and I’ve played in BIG festivals too, I spread the same messages. Because I always do it with my heart, at the end i know, that my activism and music has been merged since the first time I started it. There is a way, just be more conceptual to the performance that you going to bring.
TKC: What goals are you working towards right now?
Nova: I just do what’s the best today. I don’t have specific goals at the moment, but I’m hoping to finish 3rd Filastine’s album next and starting to think of my own project. Nothing really set yet for me, but I keep on searching for some inspiration. Once my job with EngageMedia has done, I would think clearer for my music. That’s what i hope.
TKC: Tell us something about you that nobody knows.
Nova: If I tell you, then everyone will know, ha ha….but, really….I have nothing to hide. Why should I?
TKC: You don’t need to tell us a secret, just something that most people don’t know about you. Maybe you like to do 10 pushups before you leave the house everyday or you cry easily in movies or your a sucker for a guy who reads you poetry…..It’s up to you.
Nova: Ahahaha.. ok.. I’m whispering a prayer in Arabic words every time I get out of house or start a day wherever I stay, because it makes me remember little things i always forget to bring. here: http://orido.wordpress.com/2007/04/23/doa-keluar-rumah/
TKC: What are you listening to right now?
Nova: Erykah Badu, Gonja Sufi, Hermitude, Filastine, old dangdut, old indonesian Jazz, Lauryn Hill and many many folk songs from Music of the Intifada from Palestine, gamelan, old acapella American gospel songs. but exactly right now, is the old dangdut.
TKC: Name 3 of your favorite albums?
Nova: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Pantun Berjudi by A. Rafiq, Dirty Bomb by Filastine
TKC: What are you reading?
Nova: Whatever has letters….and sometimes pictures make it better. I like learning how to read non roman letters too, like Arabic and Javanese letters. The more beautiful the shape, the more interesting.
TKC: Recommend 3 books.
Nova: The Stranger by Albert Camus. The entire series of Asterix. Serat Centhini is a book that tells about a Javanese maid who can speak three languages. Her story was censored by the government and was considered taboo for Javanese history because it was really blunt and honest. So they threw it away and French people saved it. I don’t know if it’s already translated in English yet, but this must be inspiring for any story teller in the world.
TKC: Name 3 people whom inspire you?
Nova: Sutinah, my grandma (from my mom). She was a Bugis moslem but could understand the Javanese philosophy and spoke the high Javanese better than any Javanese i know. She was a radio announcer and a master of ceremonies for Javanese weddings, a leader of her kind. Moestopo, my grandpa (from dad). He was a Javanese Christian priest. He built a church but then moslem extremist burned it down. He was the person with patience and his kindness was unbeatable. Lastly, the one and only Lauryn Hill. She’s important in music aspect. Let’s say, she successfully educated me with her extraordinary album of her miseducation.
TKC:What’s your favorite relaxation activity?
Nova: Satire jokes from my best friends over good cafe latte and sweet tiramizu… and going there (to the cafe) by bike in nice weather. I’ll have a really good sleep after that.
TKC: Anything else you would like to say?
Nova: Yes. So many thanks to whomever will read this. Keep on doing positive things and spread good vibes. I’ll see you on stage, that’s the place i can say many things. That’s why I love hiphop.
For more info on Nova Ruth: http://www.novaruth.com/
Nova @ Ilmu Hiphop Festival
PitchBlackGold and Nova Ruth stylin'
(I’ll upload more videos when I’m on a faster connection)
Peace
-PBG
