who killed the liner notes?

Black Sheep - From The Black Pool Of Genius

i don't consider self a purist. however, i do dig certain things a certain way. for example, i value album art & liner notes.

i like what digital media has done to favor the artist's ability to get themselves an audience w/o being encumbered by the various leechy intermediate entities that have historically made this relationship difficult to establish/maintain. this seems most beneficial to new &/or independent artists, but in terms of earning for your work IMO it benefits all artists.

w/digital audio i have had a fear that album art & liner notes would take an L (loss) as digital media became more acceptable. i like physical media. my preference is still vinyl when it exists & CD's for physical portability. what now often happens is artists are completely skipping physical releases. this is extremely cost effective. i can't complain about that, because cost is a constant issue for me as an independent creator. what is kind of salty is when there is the option to cop a physical copy of a digital release. it would appear there are no liner notes created for such releases.

i can't say this happens for all physical versions of digital releases. thus far, this is the only 1 that i have in the collection. if this is to be standard procedure, i'm going to miss reading the liner notes. at least there is still Discogs...

R.I.P. liner notes...

PEACE
...be calm...

did you see that?

as a self-proclaimed hip-hop head, the primary elements of the culture will forever be interesting. i say primary to distinguish the idea of 5 elements. i've heard other presentations qualifying more elements, but i maintain w/the 5. these cultural elements have consistently drawn on my attention over the years.

clearly i dig audio, so the DJ isn't really hard to tell. the MC as the communicator is also not much of a stretch. b-boying i enjoy for the energy of the movement & beatboxing is just an amazing form of creating rhythmic audio. graffiti is something that appeals to me through my appreciation of visual expression, abstract imagery, & the fact that i try to read damn near anything i see. i am not an active creator in all elemental aspects, but that fact does nothing to negate my appreciation.

when i got my 1st dcam (digital camera) 10+ years ago, i decided it would be a great idea to capture images of the various work i see around the Illadelph. while i have yet to do this as extensively as i would like, i have been able to get what i feel is a small sample of what this urban gallery has to offer the eye of someone who appreciates the art.

this activity is more important to me now because of the abatement department that goes around buffing. they buff any & everything. there used to be some thorough pieces all around 30th St Station as well as Girard Ave near the zoo. some of those pieces had been there since before i even moved to the Illadelph. now they're all gone. this is why i try to catch what i can when i'm out in the street. if i can't catch it when i 1st see it, i make an effort to come back for it. you never know if the dudes in the vans are going to come around 1 day & ruin the show...

click to see more images...

PEACE

...be calm...

watitmean...

a while back i began closing certain communications w/be calm. this might seem a bit redundant after using PEACE.

why do this?

it serves primarily as a reminder to self. it is something that i feel i need to see often. i can get quite hype about certain things. those who know my different faces might know this. there are those that would consider me relatively quiet. they probably don't know me all that well. i can be extremely quiet, but i can also be quite boisterous. it usually depends on company, circumstance, & setting. generally i'm very contemplative though i can be quite passionate about the things i dig.

be calm represents a realization i had a few years ago while considering the human condition in relation to our infinite reality. being calm is a useful state of mind. this is especially true in conflict situations. this does not mean be docile or submissive. it means it's best to maintain & keep the mind clear to make choices that do not create new obstacles.

easier said/thought than done, but extremely necessary for forward progress...

being calm is a desired state of cognition. perhaps it is redundant to use w/PEACE, but i will continue. it is a message to self & hopefully other humans as well.

it's like A.B.B. = Always Be Building

PEACE
...be calm...

house music in my life...

i was introduced to house music around '88. i went to a party the night i 1st dropped out of college. the DJ(s) played nothing but house in the mix. changed my ears for life...

living in the Illadelph for over 20 years now i've had the experience of not really ever hearing the types of house mixes i dig at local clubs. most of the spots i have been to played old, uninteresting, or styles that i don't dig. i've made do by either copping mixed tapes/CD's from NYC (the Village), or listening to commercially released CD's from labels like Global Underground.

i was going to the wrong spots! never settle...

i checked out the Shakedown event this past Friday at The Barbary. i was expecting to hear something decent because i had heard Carl Michaels mix a while back when i used to work in the Owl Cove at TU. oddly, i didn't know all these years that Rob Paine mixed/produced house. i've always associated him w/reggae &/or dub. my bad. everything sounded mega solid & my expectations were easily slaughtered.

i haven't heard new vibes sound this good at any club/event i can recall during my years here. i will be going to the next event in March. Shakedown is official on the list for house in my ear.

thaswatsgood!

PEACE

...be calm...

what? no pics...SMDH!

Wednesday night was a great night out at Kraftwork. had a chance to sample a new brew & met w/some fellow SoundClouders from the Illadelph area. the venue is real comfortable & the staff was very accomodating to our group. i have to emphasize this as the location originally suggested did not seem to be interested in hosting our group. [SHRUG]

the meetup was quite solid. it looks like we'll be making this a monthly thing. i'm excited about the prospects of building w/other creatives. my whole purpose of creating a presence on the web was to create awareness & promote building w/other creatives. building will always be a part of the Refinery's mission.

somehow i did not capture any digital media from the meetup. i brought the P&S dcam & a tripod, but shot not 1 pic. i have to say i was too interested in interacting w/the other peeps in the group. next time i'll have to be a bit more photographically diligent!

the next meeting is being planned at Meetup Everywhere...

PEACE
...be calm...

if a creative falls out of a tree...

i'm generally not big on cliches. i frequently mangle them. lately i've been thinking about that cliched riddle about the tree in the forest. the line of thinking being if a creative expresses & no one ever experiences it, did creation occur? are you only an artist if you &/or your works are recognized/credited?

i would argue no, but i suppose i'm biased.

these thoughts lead me to thinking about the idea of selling out or crossing over. i remember toward what turned out to be the closing years of the golden era of hip-hop that selling out was a major issue. many respected artists spoke out against it & dissed anyone who appeared to be doing it. how many songs come to mind about the artists who were considered to be blatantly selling out?

getting back to how this relates to being an unrecognized creative, what is considered acceptable when there are bills to be paid? family to be fed? health to be maintained? how does all this relate to signing away creative freedom & knowingly or not walking into the belly of the beast? idealism doesn't pay for expenses like studio time or anything else that relates to pursuing artistic crafts. it definitely doesn't pay for any life expenses.

it's really easy to talk about artistic integrity when you don't consider such issues. the lines between mainstream/underground are not always as clear as they used to be when it comes to hip-hop. the reality is these same ideas apply to just about any creative expression that has lent itself to commodification.

there are those who are willing to do certain things that others will not. find enough people who don't give a damn & you're likely to find the person who does chillin' in a tree in some desolate forest...

PEACE
...be calm...

working to create a way...

i'm working on making some of the images that appear in the expressions gallery (facebook) available for purchase. there is some question as to how large some of the images can be reproduced at a high quality. poster size & larger is the goal.

here are 3 of the images i'm working to make available...

movement aquatic

 

piercing the depths

 

that cat see

these are all original Refinery crafted designs. as always, if you dig it, spread the word. help keep the Refinery alive & flowing...

PEACE

...be calm...

the 2011 framework...

greetings fellow humans!

the journey continues...

the Refinery moves forward...

the plan for Pipeline has changed a bit. some logistics still have to be taken care of before i detail the plan. briefly, the goal is to make Pipeline available to those who support the independent nature of this operation. the fuel will be physical or digital depending on the preference of those interested.

i'm also working on making some Refinery crafted designs available as posters/prints. tees & other merch may be made available as well. this will again be dependent on the interest of those who support the Refinery.

to be clear, this blog exists to promote the Refinery's creative projects. if the blog can help financially support the Refinery, that's lovely as well. that's what the ads & product links are for. there are Google & Amazon ads. do click on the things that you find relevant to self.

in an effort to further promote the progress of the Refinery's creative effort a PayPal link is being added to the blog. if you feel strongly enough to do so, contribute to this operation. no pressure, the blog will always be free to view.

ultimately, this is intended to be an interactive experience to promote artistic energies. as always, feedback is welcome & appreciated.

spread the word & help support this independent creative effort!

much thanks in advance to you...

PEACE

...be calm...

Illadelph we have a problem...

the Refinery system is officially down.

ouch!

the prognosis is leaning toward the - side of things. this year has definitely served to test the drive to pursue my creative goals. if the vibes were not like breathing, i might have a problem finding inspiration...

i would say the Refinery is on shoestring, but it's more like that frayed end of an old shoestring after that casing comes off. no sob story, this comes w/the territory of being an independent creative.

for various reasons, primarily financial, this may take some time to address.

on a more + note, the Refinery is not shutting down. things are just going to be even slower than what they have been over the last few months.

i am working things out. stay tuned...

PEACE

...be calm...

Raw Fuel: Reserve II...

wow, it's been several weeks since a Refinery update. i won't go into the details as to why. life happens essentially sums it up.

i suppose i can be forgotten, but i won't be gone as long as i can help it. i still have a long way to go. traveling w/o certain supports can be quite challenging, but the journey is ultimately worth the trials. much thanks to all those who have been supportive thus far & along the way. as long as i am not in doubt, the rest is not that relevant...

on w/the program...

it took far longer than i expected or intended, but i got through the '09 tanks to isolate the tanks of the 2nd rendition of Raw Fuel. i had to work down from 66 tanks to 22. the goal is 21 tanks, 1 less tank & i'll be good w/the collection.

get at me...
PEACE

...be calm...