Dionis Ortiz...Encore Status

Recently featured in the New York Times 'City Room' section, Harlem resident Dionis Ortiz is a New York Artist on the rise. His "Self Portrait" piece is a part of the 'Evolution: The Changing Face of Harlem' exhibit at Columbia University. The exhibit features the art of 25 artists in the artHarlem community and will be open from September 22nd to November 6th.
Check out Dionis Ortiz's bio below and his website:

Harlem native Dionis Ortiz explores his dual identity as a New Yorker and as a person of Dominican descent, born to immigrant parents. His paintings visually narrate interpretations of his experiences and surroundings through the use of landscape, symbols, text, as well as various mediums and painting techniques. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from the State University of New York at Purchase College and his certification in Art Handling from The Bronx Council on the Arts.

Dionis cultivated his interest and background in the arts to establish Inspiration Fine Art, a fine art gallery located in Harlem. Since its inception in 2005, he has organized and curated various group exhibitions and showcased the works of emerging and established artists from New York City.

Tabi Bonney...

Particularity. Swagger. Beat. Rhyme. Often we fall victim to parsing apart hip-hop artistry as such. Aside from the occasional comment about how an emcee rides a beat, there is fairly little convo in the way of what amounts to cohesion, to the whole picture. Tabi Bonney is a scuff on the kicks of such linear thinking. That is to say, there is something musically compelling about him, that can’t be identified in any one aspect. Self proclaimed genre blender, he pulls from everything he can get his hands on, producing a sound that occupies a precarious space between alternative, rock, and hip-hop. His shit is gumbo, and I feel that excessively. His lyrics on paper, or beat-free, would leave something to be desired, namely quotables. What you do see on tracks like Superhero is a let-me-clear-my-throat oeuvre, and a well developed union of music and flow that augment one another (think okra in a bangin ass rue). What I hear in Tabi Bonney is possibility, and a sound finding itself. His laid back somewhat sparse cadence can be mistaken for laziness, the same way the blues unexamined, can be mistaken for simple. It will be interesting to see where he takes this sound in future projects. His style is undeniably the changing face of an industry starving for new blood, and artists wiling to take risks, and experiment (i.e. mainstream artists like Kanye West). Hip Hop is turning a corner and seems to be going in one of two directions. Atavism, as artists strive for the Bronx born beat sound of minimalist concrete tracks punctuated with gutter verses and brick hard lyrics (which I f%!@k with), or music that is increasingly “hyphenated” with limited writers (such as myself) trying to cram round peg sounds into so many square categories that are becoming insufficient. Tabi Bonney is a round peg, and if he can continue to push and defy being defined, even by his own patterns and limits, he’s on to something.
Check out one of his videos: Syce it/Escalator


Picture from Tabi Bonney's Myspace

No Chicken Noodle soup..We ordering Chicken Wings...!

While digging for diamondz (again) on Youtube, one of the Encore Status staff found another 'uncatergorizable' gem. Before we had our usual all out FIGHT about it, one of us was smart enough to suggest we put it up for you guys to vote. So here is is 'Chickenwing' by Smiley Jonez. We dont want to ruin it for you...but we'll leave you with a snippet of the lyrics...

Booty goes Pitty Pat Pitty Pat bakers man
Look at that big booty man
Pop that thang like a chicken wang (MOVE YOUR BIG BUTT)
Pop that thang like a chicken wang (MOVE YOUR BIG BUTT)
Pop that thang like a chicken wang (MOVE YOUR BIG BUTT)

...you get the point. Enjoy
-CB

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Brooklyn meets Japan - Aiko exhibit

Ladies and Gentlemen...(especially those in BK), please go to the Brooklynite Gallery to see the beautiful Aiko exhibit "Shut Up & Look". The exibit opened last Saturday but will continue through October 11th.

Heres a little more info about Aiko:
Being given the honor of moderating Brooklyn Museum's
"Visual Release: Gender, Art, Representation and Exchange," as part of the museum's Love and Pop symposium, and guest speaking at "Envisioning Japan: Creative Dialogues with the Wider World" during the Murakami symposium were only a hint of Lady Aiko's academic side.
She has lectured StreetArt/Grafitti at Kyoto Art and Design University, and taught with street arts famed historians, Martha Cooper and Charlie Ahern, at the School of Visual Art, NY.

Recent shows have included a steady stream of group show presence such as Heart Throb, Independent Residents, BEHIND THE SEEN, and Pop Subversion, capped off with PINK| AIKO: Brick Ladies of NYC, with fellow maven of the pavement, Lady Pink. Kid Robot has even given her the greatest defense against the buffer: her famed spraycan bunnies have come to life in full vinyl glory - BrooklyniteGallery.com

For More info, visit the gallery's website.
Brooklynite Gallery
334 Malcolm X Boulevard (between Decatur & Bainbridge)
Brooklyn, NY 11233
Train: A/C to Utica Avenue

Heads Up: Internet TV for indie Producers...

Hey,
For all you independent film producers out there, there's a cool alternative to Youtube to getting your content out there. Babelgum is the name of the company. They have events, online film festivals, and much more... according to the site:
Babelgum is:

The free, interactive Internet TV service which offers independent and brand new content, provides an alternative to traditional broadcasters, and personalizes the user experience through tag searches and collaborative filtering.

...like sites such as Revver, they give producers the opportunity to make money from their content. Check it out!

Tired Black Man?

So, a member of the Encore Status team and I got into a BIG argument just over this preview. It's a clip of a film called, "Tired Black Man." I dont want to ruin it for you guys but all I can say is its a rebuttle to Tyler Perry's 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman.' As a female I have a few comments about this promo clip but I'll leave it to you all to start the commentary. Watch the clip, take the poll, let's hear your opinion.
-Mizz Trish

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Michael Jackson...Mister Lonely

Ok, here's something that we CANT miss once it hits the U.S. Mister Lonely. Its directed by Harmony Korine. Here is the synopsis as quoted by IMDB.

"In Paris, a young American who works as a Michael Jackson lookalike meets Marilyn Monroe, who invites him to her commune in Scotland, where she lives with Charlie Chaplin and her daughter, Shirley Temple."...
...yeah...sounds like a hit to me...check out the trailer. Its awesome.
Luv,
Pure Madness

Mister_Lonely
by moviestrailer

Scion's Hype Man Contest...

Scion is looking for this year's best Hypeman...question is...is that person you?
Check out this link ASAP. The winner gets $2,000 and a home-studio prize package provided by M-Audio that includes a Fast Track Ultra - High-speed USB 2.0 Interface, ProTools M-Powered software, Q40 Studio Reference Headphones, Nova Studio Microphone, and Studio backpack... stop frontin like you don't need it.
Scion Hypeman contest info

Here's a video from last year's event.

Happy Birthday to a Freak-a-holic

It was the Egyptian Lover's birthday this weekend. This legend has been touring since 1983...which in our eyes, makes him a tour-a-holic. In this video, he lets us know...he's a Freak-a-holic.

Happy Birthday E.L.
Luv,
Pure Madness


P.S. Those of you who need your memories jogged Egyptian Lover did the following tracks:
"I'm so Freaky" (Back from the Tom)
"Keep it Hot" (Platinum Pyramids)
"Kinky Nation (Kingdom Kum)" (On the Nile)
and many many more...
photo from Egyptian Lover's myspace