Chitown Footworkin’: First the Southside, then Samsung, then the world!

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been preachin’ the relevance of regional dance music for years. From D.C. Go Go to Baltimore Club, Detroit Techno to Miami Bass each form had it’s genesis in the city’s urban core and gradually spread to a wider audience. These styles have at least some core elements of hip hop and it’s always interesting to see the ways various geographic flavors gets thrown in and effect the corresponding dance styles.

In our constant search for the next hot “it”, us media and marketing folks have given these styles some shine over the years, not always to the best ends-sometimes making the underground mainstream is a really bad idea-but it’s good to see folks getting some recognition and (ideally) eating off their craft.

Footworkin’ has been a Chicago staple since at least the late 90’s and grew out of the city’s fierce house and club scenes. The music is like House on meth:fast, neckbreaking stuff-and the footwork, well just check it:

Recently Samsung, in a move that kicked them up about 1 zillion notches on my “Marketers who are on their shit” list, rolled out the ad campaign for their new “Juke” phone, featuring real live jukin from Chicago’s FootworKINGz:

With the commercial nod, a recent article in Rolling Stone, a theater debut at this years “Hip Hop Dance Fest” and yes folks, a movie deal in consideration, looks like Footworkin’, or at least the FootworKINGz, are set to be repping the Windy city lovely for a minute. I really hope creators of these dances and musical styles have their business hats on, are smart about how much control they give away and make it a point to establish some form of ownership over their creations. I’m down for everybody groovin, but just make sure that green goes into the right hands at the end of the day.

I mean, I’m way too young for this, but I hear cats used to listen to Rock n Roll and do the Charleston in the hood. Now ain’t that some other ish…

Filed under: Art, Dance, Marketing, Media , Chicago, Dance, Jit, Juke, Krump, Samsung, Street Dance, Turf Dance

Photos: Clarion Alley Block Party

 

San Francisco’s Clarion Alley holds a legendary space among muralists. The block long alley between Mission and Valencia has been provided a home to the cities painters since the 60’s. Every year the Clarion Alley Mural Project hosts a two day mural celebration with selected artists updating the alley on Saturday and an all out party Sunday. These were taken at this years party a few weeks ago. Dig it.

-kwan

Filed under: Art, Music, Photos, San Francisco , , Art, Clarion Alley, Graffiti, Mural, San Francisco, Street Art

Eulipia Performance Salon 1st Anniversary Finale Gala

Eulipia Performance Salon 1st Anniversary Finale Gala

October 2^nd, 8PM (sharp)

 

Walter Kitundu

Please join us for this night of celebration and reflection.

Since October 2006, Eulipa/Knot Frum Hear has featured some of the Bay’s innovators in the worlds of word and music and continues to explore alternative spaces through performance, sound, and vision.

Filed under: Art, Books, Media, Promotions, San Francisco , Art, Jazz, Music, Performance, Poetry, Puppets

Ron Dellums Endorses Clinton

Clinton: Act Like Americans

 People  |   Kwan Booth  |  October 1, 2007 at 6: 53 PM

From Novometro.com

Mayor Dellums officially endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton’s bid for president Monday afternoon and she returned the favor by naming Mr. Dellums Chair of her campaign’s National Urban Policy Committee.

The announcement was made at Laney College Student Center shortly after the two toured the campus together. Mr. Dellums said the decision to endorse Ms. Clinton was made “after an exhaustive review of everyone’s global agenda,” and that he was impressed by Ms. Clinton’s understanding of the problems facing the nation’s cities.

“Oakland is sitting on top of a 100-year-old collapsing infrastructure,” he told the crowd of hundreds of supporters and students, predicting that the public-private partnership he envisioned under Clinton’s presidency would be one of the “greatest public works projects in modern history.” 

Click to read more.

Filed under: News, Oakland, Politics , Democrats, Hillary Clinton, Oakland, President, Ron Dellums

San Francisco Love Fest-the pics

There were good feelings oozing all over the streets of downtown SF Saturday. The 3rd annual San Francisco LoveFest was a feast of techy beats from local sound systems and the Bay’s most colorful, musical and naked party people. Check the pics and soak up some of that lovin’. -kwan

Filed under: Art, Music, Novoscene, Photos , Love Fest, Love Parade, Pictures, San Francisco

Folsom Street Fair Pics-from Novoscene

Aaah Folsom Street. The annual celebration of all things freaky and sexy. The air was full of bass and the wacks of countless paddles on countless asses as leathermen, twinks, doms, subs and all manner of kinky kinksters came out to celebrate and strut their naked stuff. -kwan

Filed under: Art, Kink, Music, Novoscene, Photos, San Francisco , BDSM, Festivals, Folsom Street Fair, Kink, Photos