Tag: hip-hop

Dance2Connect international urban festival Dublin 2018

What is Dance2Connect?

First of all, Dance2Connect is an International Urban Dance Festival, which ran over 3 days early February 2018.

All the more so, the festival showcased:

  • dance theatre
  • masterclasses
  • dance battles
  • social dance
  • live jams.

Dance2Connect programme

Furthermore, the festival was curated by dance artist Matt Szczerek as well as presented by himself and Matthew Williamson.

What is Dance2Connect’s mission?

Secondly, the festival’s mission is to preserve and strengthen urban dance in our communities through Hip-Hop culture and dance theatre’s elements.

Indeed, the festival creates opportunities for the dance community to learn the intricacies of the dance form.

As far as learning it, they can do so through:

  • workshops
  • performances
  • exchanges with high-quality Eu professional dancers.

What were the Dance2Connect’s partners?

Thirdly, the festival organisers partnered with Tallaght Community Arts. Additionally, they received support from Noise Dublin and South Dublin County Council.

As yet, in order to keep up-to-date with their next festival, like their Facebook fan page.

Dance2Connect shows and partners
So, now, let me start sharing with you the dance theatre shows running order:

Dance2Connect theatre shows running order

DANCE2CONNECT LIVE RECORDINGS

So, I filmed some of the dance theatre acts. Keep in mind that these YouTube and Instagram videos are in portrait mode. Consequently, I recommend you to watch them on your mobile phone.

In addition to these shows, there was also a Q&A between the dancers and the public.  You can see its overall picture below.

Dance2Connect Q&A session

To top it up, this first day ended with a live jam. You can enjoy the below audio-only track from it.

Last but not least, the second day of the festival focused on dance workshops by professional dancers from different hip-hop styles.

Dance2Connect workshops

Then, the festival was wrapped up with dance battles.

Finally, the following live streams come from Ibrahim Kennedy. He has filmed some of the judges’ showcases and dance battles.

And now, let’s get down to the battles between the different participants:

Black and white expatriate networking party (Paris, 2016)

expatriate networking IN PARIS

While I was spending a holiday trip in Paris (France) in April 2016, I thought I might go to an expatriate networking party. I wanted to meet international people living in the city and have some fun with them!

I had found a black and white expatriate networking party in Paris advertised on the meetup.com website (Expats Paris) taking place at ‘rue du Colisée’  close to Champs-Elysées and Franklin D. Roosevelt metro station. I was curious to see what it’d be like.

There were around 60 people from different nationalities attending the event, meeting either to build communities or to improve their language skills.

I was greeted by meetup members and organisers. Then I was introduced to Michael, who I had asked few questions online before coming to the event. He was friendly and introduced me to few guests.

expatriate networking

Then, we spent a bit of time chatting around on the ground floor before hitting the dancefloor. Music was an eclectic mix of Latin, Arabic, pop and hip-hop music.

I hope you will enjoy the below video and mixed tapes!

Do you also have other videos you want to share? Please don’t hesitate to do so in the comment section!

‘Wildstyle’ film clip and US/Irish DJ set of breakbeats makers

BREAKBEATS MAKERS

You may not have watched the ‘Wildstyle’ film nor attended the breakbeats makers event  at The Sugar Club, Dublin (2015) showcasing DJs:

  • Mek (Ireland),
  • DJ Peanut Butter Wolf (USA)
  • Breakbeat Lou (USA).

But, don’t worry, you can catch up with most of the event now!

PEANUT BUTTER WOLF

As a young kid growing up in San Jose, Chris Manak sought out an escape from suburban life in the Silicon Valley.

He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster” more than death itself.

After the release of Peanut Butter Breaks, PB Wolf found himself in demand as a producer. His track for the all-scratching compilation Return of the DJ was labelled “incredible” by The Source magazine.

In 1996, Peanut Butter Wolf founded Stones Throw Records. Lately, PB Wolf has moved away from producing (save the odd remix or compilation track) to build the Stones Throw label and to travel as a DJ to Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada, and across the US.

BREAKBEAT LOU

Louis Flores better known as BreakBeat Lou is a staple and legend in the music/entertainment industry. Starting as disc jockey 1974, he turned professional in 1981 when he also began his production career. Louis is one of the few that can make the statement that they had over 20 years successful in the industry.

He has worked in every facet from The Ultimate Breaks and Beats Compilation to the late Leonard “BreakBeat Lenny” Roberts. This legendary series has been sampled by many of hip-hop’s elite producers.

Contemporary producers such as the late J Dilla, Salaam Remi and Just Blaze to name a few, continue to heavily sample the compilation.

MEK

Pete Mescalero, professionally known by his stage name DJ Mek, is an Irish award-winning hip-hop DJ/turntablist and producer. He has won 5 Irish national Disco Mix Club championships and remixed/produced artists like Ian Brown.

In 1989, DJ Mek became the first DJ from the Republic of Ireland to enter the U.K. DMC Championships and went on to win 5 Irish national titles.

His group ScaryEire were the first Irish rap act to be signed to a major label. He retired from competitive mixing competitions in 2000 and contributed a monthly Megamix to RTÉ 2fm from 2000 to 2012.

WILDSTYLE FILM AND GRANDMASTER FLASH

If you want more information about the Grandmaster Flash, the DJ behind the ‘Wildstyle‘ film, please check the following articles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandmaster_Flash

http://www.grandmasterflash.com/about/

WILDSTYLE CLIPS AND DJ SETS VIDEO RECORDINGS

Although I will not be able to share with you the full ‘Wildstyle’ film nor breakdancer videos, you can still enjoy this film clip and DJs’ recorded videos:

‘Digga Is a dancer’ hip-hop freestyle singing battles (Hamburg, Germany)

HIP-HOP SINGING BATTLES

I attended on 31st July 2015 hip-hop singing battles at Molotow bar, Reeperbahn, Hamburg.

I didn’t really know what to expect at the beginning. The ‘digga is a dancer’ event name was rather confusing. I initially thought it would have something to do with dancing. 😂 I ended up watching these German freestyle singing battles. 🎤

ABOUT MOLOTOW VENUE

Molotow is a club and concert venue based in Saint Pauli’s quarter of Hamburg. It welcomes diverse styles of music such as:

  • jazz,
  • blues,
  • latino,
  • disco,
  • hip-hop,
  • punk-rock…

If you want to have your concert/dj set/singing battle booked at this place, email them (‘Kontakt’ tab) through their website.

It also has a shop where to buy online or offline branded clothing and accessories:

https://molotow.bigcartel.com/

HIp-HOP FREESTYLE SINGING BATTLES

I have filmed two of them (one solo and a duet). I felt they were the most interesting ones and had the best singing flows. Both are on different beats and styles. So you may like one more than the other, depending on your taste!

You can find this ‘Digga is a dancer’ event organisation on Facebook.

Pictures AND VIDEO RECORDINGS 

You will find in this slideshow pictures of:

  • the event line-up of singers/DJs
  • the singing duet ‘Akne and Juskah’  I filmed later. The music arrangement is made by DJs Matsimum and Deevoe.They are part of the Royalfam band and sing different music genres such as hip-hop, soul and Rn’B. You can also find Akne on his own. He seems to be the lead singer or/and has done solo projects.

Now, time for you to enjoy watching the videos!

  • The second singing duet is composed of well-known German rapper 4tune  (English information below the German one) accompanied by Mc Twist:

OTHER GERMAN HIP-HOP ARTISTS

Finally, if you are interested in German hip-hop music, you may want to check some of these artists. To know more about a specific artist, click on his/her name. Then, all you have to do is scroll down to find the English translation of the German biography of each artist.

https://wikivisually.com/lang-de/wiki/Liste_von_Hip-Hop-Musikern_Deutschlands

Black party meets MS KOI hip-hop and dancehall boat party (Germany)

HAMBURG HARBOUR ACTIVITIES

First of all, if you have never been to Hamburg (Germany), I would like to tell you briefly a few facts about this beautiful town.

Hamburg is a city located at the river Elbe. It has a very dynamic harbour. Its harbour is named Germany’s “Gateway to the World”. It is also the largest port in Germany.

Secondly, the port of Hamburg is the second-busiest port in Europe (after the port of Rotterdam) and the 15th-largest worldwide. In 2014, 9.73 million TEUs (20-foot standard container equivalents) were handled in Hamburg.

Furthermore, Hamburg port isn’t only a shipping trading centre. It also offers:

  • many boat trips,
  • museums tracing the history of the harbour in the ‘Speicherstadt’ (recognised as a World Heritage by UNESCO),
  • visits of old boats,
  • lots of organised boat parties.

Black boat party

I have been to one black boat party. It lasted 4 hours between the boat leaving the harbour and coming back to it.

WHERE DOES THE ‘Black boat party’ NAME COME FROM?

Simply because the event took place on a boat, which had DJs playing black music such as hip-hop and dancehall.

WHAT iS ‘MS KOI’?

MS KOI is a ship for maritime events and parties since 2011.

MS KOI is a very modern boat composed of 3 different decks. On each deck, you have a bar and quality sound and light systems. Each deck has its own atmosphere with distinct music style.

The upper-deck is open-air and obviously most enjoyable during summertime when the weather is good. The lowest deck contains a cloakroom and seating space.

BLACK BOAT PARTY PICTURES AND VIDEOS

Let me share with you pictures, audio and videos from the event on 18th July 2015. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as I did!

If you have issues playing some of the videos due to potential country restrictions, use this link: https://www.proxfree.com/.

Then type next to the lock picture the direct link to the YouTube video. Next, change country (to Amsterdam, Netherlands) in the ‘server location’ field, and hit ‘prox free’ button!

You can find more pictures on the following facebook fan page (21st July’s post):

https://www.facebook.com/mskoi.eventschiff/

Street School Dance Battles organised by Vigozone in Hamburg (2015)

STREET SCHOOL DANCE

While planning a holiday trip in Hamburg (Germany), I researched any interesting hip-hop dance events in the city.

I came across the street school dance battles event. I received a free ticket for the dance live performances.

The street school dancers were teenagers of different ages with one common goal: giving the best performance they could to the audience.

And what a show! I felt the dance level was pretty high! I watched incredible crew choreography and battles from all styles, such as:

  • new style hip-hop,
  • locking,
  • popping,
  • b-boying
  • k-pop,
  • dancehall,
  • afrobeat
  • salsa.

STREET SCHOOL DANCE EVENT STAKEHOLDERS

The host himself was pretty good at dancing. He was also very entertaining. 🎉

One of the judges and his dance partner performed their duet choreography.

If you’d like to know more about the stakeholders at this event, check their Facebook event page.

Now, impatient to see what it looked like? Please find below a small slide show.

I filmed:

  • 4 battles,
  • 5 crew/duet choreography
  • 2 dance demonstrations from the presenter.

To watch them, I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

If you encounter country restriction issues (blocked videos), I recommend you to download ‘youtube unblocker’ for Firefox and Google Chrome.

Want to catch up with 2pac Shakur’s band ‘The Outlawz’ concert (2015)?

Outlawz BAND

Do you like old-school hip-hop? Do you miss listening to 2Pac sounds? Well, even though Shakur died a while ago, his ‘The Outlawz band‘ is still pretty much alive and touring!

ABOUT THE BAND

The “Outlawz” band set up by “Tupac” in 1995 is a perfect blend of :

  • seasoned lyricists,
  • musical innovators 
  • responsible storytellers.

The band members are:

“E.D.I. Mean”
His aggressive, no-frills style is perhaps the more Diplomatic, yet his delivery reveals a mastery of conveying complex messages, in an unmistakable straight to the point manner.

“Young Noble” 
The aptly named-rebellious perfectionist exudes integrity in life and throughout his lyrics. In both cases, he chooses his battles wisely, with an evident persona that silently confirms that he does not play!

“Hussein Fatal” 
The one who says what others won’t. A distinctive witty voice whose experimental mature, position him as the group’s mad scientist combining all elements, creating the perfect chemistry.

OPENING ACTS

They gave us a great concert on Saturday 11th April 2015 at the Tivoli Theatre, Dublin 8 (Ireland). They were preceded by equally good live opening acts with DJ Spaqz and ‘Trigger’ Irish hip-hop singer amongst others.

DJ SPAQZ

DJ Spaqz is a DJ, producer and artist based in Dublin, Ireland. He plays an eclectic mix of African pieces of music and Hip-Hop.

TRIGGER 

Trigger is a 23-year-old Cork city rapper. Although he is new to the scene, he is already stirring up some reaction on the underground circuit. He has appeared on such radio stations as RTE radio 1, 96FM, Red FM among various other pirate radio stations.

Raised in Cork city’s northside. He partly lived with his grandmother growing up in Gurranabraher. He talks about matters that have affected him and those around him. Poverty, neighbourhoods surrounded by drug abuse and rapid unemployment are key subjects in his songs, although some are humorous, upbeat and political.

Check out pictures (slideshow) from the event and listen to audio and video tracks below! Enjoy!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Outlaws BAND live concert videos and soundtrack:

Jafaris and Hare Squead – bands’ live concerts (February 2015)

JAFARIS AND HARE SQUEAD

First of all, with a bit of luck on my side, I won a pair of tickets to go and listen to new Irish bands called Jafaris and Hare Squead at The Sugar Club, Dublin 2 (Ireland) on Wednesday 11th February 2015.

However, I had absolutely no expectations whatsoever as I didn’t know these bands. I only thought their music styles would probably be either hip-hop or soul.

But I truly enjoyed their live performances and wanted to share them with you! They also play/sing a good variety of music styles!

ABOUT JAFARIS

Jafaris and Hare Squead

Based in Dublin the singer/rapper/songwriter/actor has only been doing music for about 3 years now with a healthy list of achievements to show. He now works with Diffusion Lab he is currently recording new music.

To follow him, check his Facebook fan page.

ABOUT HARE SQUEAD

Jafaris and Hare Squead

Jessy Rose, Tony Konstone and Lilo Blues, members of the Hare Squead band, are a local group from Dublin (Ireland) about to go global.

Furthermore, Hare Squead are pioneers of a creative contemporary fusion of:

  • trap
  • rap
  • R&B
  • pop
  • jazz
  • and electronics;

Their song Zoo of the New is inspired by a Sylvia Plath poem, while Christian music is a big influence on their chords and harmonies.

In 2014, they supported Nas and Joey Bada$$ with their six-piece band.

Appearing at a lot of indie festivals ensured they weren’t restricted to rap events and got them signed to Columbia.

Since then, their fanbase has changed from mostly men to “85%” women, perhaps due to 2016’s breakout hit Herside Story, a sugary, soulful love song that turned them into teen heartthrobs.

To know more about Hare Square, like their Facebook fan page and visit their website.

LIVE CONCERT RECORDING AND SOUNDTRACK

Finally, it’s time to enjoy their live performances!

Nico and Vinz, Norwegian singing duo with african roots in video

Nico and Vinz

First of all, I hope you will find the Nico and Vinz singing duet as interesting as I do.

I particularly enjoy their music styles fusion. Hence why I wanted to share their information with you.

Nico and Vinz singing duo

ABOUT THE SINGER-SONGWRITER DUET

Secondly, I will not bother you with too long explanations.

However, if you would like to know more about this duet, please read these 2 articles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico_%26_Vinz

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/05/25/on-the-verge-with-nico-and-vinz-am-i-wrong/9298633/

You can also check their Facebook fan page:

https://www.facebook.com/nicoandvinz

Alternatively, you can opt to watch their YouTube interview:

THEIR SONG LYRICS

Furthermore, you can also discover their song lyrics here:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/nico-vinz-lyrics.html

RELEASED ALBUM 

Finally, enjoy listening to their album!

Enjoy their music?

Then why not attend their next concert?

Or even better, purchasing their album available on Amazon?

Funky Merry Christmas wishes to you all in music and dance!

FUNKY MERRY CHRISTMAS

First of all, I would like to send you all my warmest season greetings. 🎅

I wish you a Funky Merry Christmas holiday..in music and dance, of course! 🎶👯

CHEERFUL CHRISTMAS MUSIC

 Secondly, here a few lovely tunes to get you into a happy mood:

  • soul,
  • funk
  • and old-school hip-hop Christmas soundtracks:

If you want to listen to full songs of old and modern funk songs, check this YouTube playlist:

UPLIFTING CHRISTMAS DANCE MOVES

Finally, if you have put on weight after all this seasonal food stuffing,  here are some street dance choreographies to get you back in shape! The dance styles are new style hip-hop and locking. But, let’s start dancing the boogie, breaking, locking or whatever dance you like.

Who knows? You might get inspired to create your own one!