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some Refinery fuel...

some Refinery fuel...

20110720

binary functions: #thasmyflava or #thasnotmyflava


human beings seem to be generally averse to change. IMHO this may have a lot to do w/the unwillingness of many of us to recognize our mortality.

WTF does this have to do w/the Refinery &/or music?

a whole lot...

on multiple occasions as a hip-hop head i've seen a great struggle between generations. it seems that each time there is a changing of the guard, there are a group of old heads who essentially make it their purpose to shit on any & all young bucks. this is more so the case if the younger generation doesn't do things exactly like the older generation feels they should be done. this pattern of human behavior doesn't just affect hip-hop music/culture, but this is my primary filter at the moment.


there are some very serious issues created by handling generational transitions w/the above mentality. likely the most prominent is the loss of history that occurs when the older generation creates a barrier between itself & the younger generation. the idea that younger creators have no valuable energy to contribute simply because they are young is relatively absurd. the same can be said of younger creators dismissing the older generation as having run their course in the mix. for some odd reason this has been perpetuated within hip-hop to the detriment of the culture.

take a look around at other cultures that involve creative energies. a creator generally does not stop creating until they are physically unable to do so. in many cases where 1 form of expression is made unavailable to a creator for whatever reason, the energy is channeled into some other form of expression. in fact, quite a few creators have multiple forms of expression anyway. why would hip-hop creatives be any different?


the idea that as you get older you somehow become less effective at being a creator is averse to the idea of improvement w/practice. perfection may be unattainable, but improvement will always be within the grasp of any of us who reach for it. in this light the younger & older generations are served better by finding ways to work w/& through each other. the potential held but such energy combination is worth some consideration by all of us.

as far as giving universal love to everything that's out here, i'm not advocating for that. we still need standards & quality control. the point here is that we are not served well by generalizing based on generational or any other demographic for the purpose of causing separation.

nothing is all good, & nothing is all bad. IMO we all have a lane within which to operate our vehicle(s). as i tend to say i dig watidig & put things in 2 categories.

support what YOU dig & get at me...


PEACE
...be calm...

20110714

the arbitrary nature of being...

WTF is genre?

i figured i'd start off w/this question because of something i just picked up on by looking up the same album on allmusic & discogs.


allmusic lists the album genre as R&B: makes sense...

discogs lists the album genre as Electronic: hmmmm?

lately i've been rolling w/the discogs genre classifications for the Mediafeast. after catching this interesting issue, i'm considering going w/the allmusic classifications. i'm hedging a bit because i don't know if i really want to spend that time right now to go through the various ears sections & reposition the albums. knowing me i'll likely end up doing it 1 of these early AM's when i'm not quite ready to rest the physical.

i've said previously i'm not big on genres. genres are kind of like boxes. everything doesn't fit neatly in these boxes. i feel it can be irritating to have something you've created forced into this box or the next by whoever else makes such decisions.

what if it can rock in more than 1 box?

what if fits in none of the boxes?

who decides when it's time to come up w/a new box?

it's not always easy to make a clean cut classification. clearly this doesn't just apply to sounds either. it can pretty much be spread around to any creative output. in many cases genre seems to be yet another example of over-complication that results in limitation.

i have essentially 2 boxes:
  • #DOPENESS (watidig)
  • #WACKNESS (watidontdig)
i'm well aware this system may not work well enough for others. that's why it's my system!

LOL!

i have to say it works quite well since i always know which box i can grab when it's time to K.I.M.!

#BLAM


PEACE
...be calm...

20110712

mission's transition...


today i finally got a relatively minor technical issue squared away w/some Refinery fuel files. i'm getting closer to where i want to be before i continue refining the fuel tanks.

w/1 minor exception due to strong vibes, i haven't crafted any new fuel since last November when the youngest sabotaged the system. it took about 3 months or so to get those issues settled. even though the system is back up & running relatively smooth, i have put off making anything new.

i'm still doing a lot of organizational work. it is highly necessary. in addition to organizing, taking this time off from working on new material has allowed me to ear the pre-existing tanks in very different ways. i think the time off has been more beneficial than not. i feel like there are certain things that need to be addressed in the arrangements/mixes.


1 absolute benefit is that it appears the issues w/vocal recording have been properly resolved during this time off. now it's just a matter of shaking off what i feel is the rustaciousness of not really spitting anything live on a regular basis for the last 5-10 years. i never stop writing, so that's not an issue. i will always write as long as i can formulate thought & physically handle writing utensils.

the issue as i see/feel it is spitting off the top w/fluidity. i've never made a habit of spitting writtens in the street. i just don't see the purpose in it. i dig spitting off the top when out. i reserve written material for use when recording &/or organized performances. off the top verbals are just more challenging & entertaining to me when in a street cypher. in addition to all this i write way too much to memorize everything that i write.


for various reasons, i haven't really been hanging out w/other MC's like i did in the early to mid 90's. for the most part it just got to where i was no longer motivated by cats talking about rims, whips, gats, & bling. i refuse to hate, but i actually have to feel what i'm doing to sound like i feel what i'm doing. call it a character flaw...

so, the work now is to continue organizing, solidify the mixes of the fuel that have already been crafted, begin recording/mixing vocals w/the appropriate tanks, & essentially K.I.M.!

the process of the Refinery is the foundation & basis for the realization of A.B.B....

ALWAYS BE BUILDING!

get at me...


PEACE
...be calm...

20110705

on creating reality of dreams...


in the many years that i have been pursuing my creative endeavors the most difficult obstacle of all to overcome has to have been personal frustration.

by nature i am an extremely giving & supportive human being. for various reasons beyond my control, i spent many years dealing w/blood relatives who either did not know how or did not choose to be at all supportive. couple this experience w/the dog-eat-dog mentality of the average human in our society & you have the makings of what has been a disturbing journey at times.

even w/all of the negativity i have been exposed to over the years, the reality is that my path will always ultimately be determined by the actions that i take. it took me many years to fully realize the power of this truth in seeking the realization of my goals.

regardless of what any other human does to me, the aftermath will be determined by my response to their actions. if i choose to respond w/ignorance, violence, hatred, etc., then i choose the path that the dark tread. it's a challenge, but i have made a conscious decision of late to stay lit. as a Star Wars head i guess it would be that i've decided to avoid the dark side of the force...

i see why so many people choose to embrace the darker ways of looking out for self so much so that all those who cross their path become victims of blind ambition. i refuse to become 1 of these ambition zombies.

frustration would seem to be the primary cause for an individual to just say fuck it to the world & recklessly go for self. as social animals, legitimate self preservation as a human does not require such a disregard for others. in my case, it's not in my nature to approach the journey in this fashion. if this is seen as not having a killer instinct then so be it. i'll reserve my instinctual observational skills for killing bullshit.

i find nothing more frustrating in life than flakiness, lies, & the general fuckery that is involved in social dealings on a regular basis. the difference for me nowadays is that i am no longer allowing said frustration to impede my efforts to create a more + reality for self & those who choose to support what it is that i represent.

it comes down to ABB = Always Be Building. sadly, many will not reciprocate this way of being. fortunately, this will no longer be stopping me from doing watitdo...

#BLAM


PEACE
...be calm...

20110704

2-wheel tunin' II...

as stated previously, whenever i ride w/sounds & the phonecam, i will catch images of some of the sights along the way. Illadelph is a beautiful, culturally dense city. on foot or 2-wheel, you never know what you might see...

this trip's LP:


this trip's images:




























sounds from this trip:









FYI: the album art & the date of this particular trip are purely coincidental. i was already listening to this LP from a few days back before the day of the trip... #deadserious

PEACE
...be calm...