And we’ll probably never know.

Okayyyyyyyyyyy this is much bananas.  Brooklyn-based jazz guitarist Pat Metheny has programmed/summoned/enslaved dozens of robots to construct a full orchestra, all controlled literally at his fingertips.  By connecting his MIDI guitar to an intricate system of sonic remote control, he’s able to literally create his ideal sound.  And he’s taking it on tour with what he called The Ochestrion Project.  Must suck to wait for it all at the baggage claim though.

Via Wired

Yayyyyyyy!  More new DâM-FunK!  And what graduates him from my own personal musings to the iLL-blog is the fact that his is all about the Funk…that same Funk that is the jugular to our existence.  Feel this for a second:

DâM-FunK “Speak the Truth”

Above is Obama’s State of the Union address, which I haven’t had a chance to watch yet because I’ve been too busy being addicted to Loopable.  However, the homie Senbei posted a fascinating address to Obama via Cornell West who, above all things, asks the president how deep his love actually is for the underrepresented and the oppressed.

Yes, we’ve come quite far in the past year.  The fact that we have a president who might actually take heed to what Dr. West has to say…who has even spoken to him in the first place, is a great thing.  But in light of all that is going on in the world, I too must cosign Dr. West in asking how deep Barry’s love is for the people.  The question brings me back to a simpler time, before the Bush Jr. regime.  When people of different cultures got together to fight the evils of the world.  I of course am talking about the late 90’s, Rush Hour, and Dru Hill.  I DARE you to not smile while watching this:

And for the record, yes that’s 3 Sisqo videos in so far.  And it’s only January.

In celebration of the upcoming anthology that Nico’s co-editing – The Audacity of Post-Racism – I’d like to direct you to poor ol’ Chris Matthews…the MSNBC with all the right intentions…the kid who often scores one for the dodgeball team, but not without it accidentally ricocheting and hitting the cute girl in the face.  In this case, the cute girl is everyone who belongs to a race.

Yikes…forgot Obama was black???  What, were you sitting there like, “What an eloquent little Welsh boy that is speaking up there!” If someone told me that something I did made them forget I was Asian…FOR A FULL HOUR!!…I’d slap them and then I’d go home and write a circa-1999 slam poem about my identity.

Chris Maaaaaaaaaathews
Nuts like some caaaaaaaaaaaashews
I want to grab a Pocky and staaaaaab you
Chocolate pundit
Chocolate pundit
Choc. O. Late. Pun. Dit.

Fortunately, he’s a talented television personality who has the platform and skills to overwrite any gaffs he might make while the camera’s rolling:

Thanks for that, Chris.  For a moment there we forgot that you were a colorblind unicorn who squirted civil rights from your eyeballs.

“Alas, grayscale Malcolm and Yuri reunited in my retinas!” – Chris Matthews

Ugh a disgusting feeling rippled up my elbows when I typed the word “swagga.” I don’t think I’ve ever typed the word “swagga.” I’ve officially entered the category of humanoids who have ever typed the word “swagga.” Swagga swagga swagga.  Swagga dee doo da.  Yes, it’s still 2007.

By now you’ve probably heard the hoopla about Apple’s new product, the iPad.  And besides it sounding like a self-identifying tampon, it has other cool features that’ll make you wanna rest it in your nether regions.  Such as…IT’S FLAT! Oh poor Bostonians, no one will know what you’re talking about anymore (“I iPadded my iPod in iPad Yard”).

But what people have failed to notice is actually what has truly inspired me this evening…STEVE JOB SPITS GAME!!  How the hell did he get the whole world to buzz about a giant iPhone and/or a smaller iBook??  Because he made it sound like molé sauce on J.Lo’s toosh, that’s how.  Watching that video above made me really feel like my broke ass needed another robot in my life.  And maybe I do.  What do you think, Ms. Macbook?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

that’s what i like to hear, baby.

Oh how I wish that was my face but still Sade’s hands.  Yes, you could rest your palms on my cheeks any day.  I’ve been tired, folks.  Writing and working on our live show in the mornings, taking care of spring bookings during the day, and picking through droves of HTML coding (yay…side hustles…) deep into the 4am-ness of life.  An hour ago I accidentally saved a file wrong which overrode an entire night’s worth of design work.  I was so mad I was ready to run outside and start kicking kittens when lo and behold, some new Sade.  (TIMES TRES!!!!)

Here’s a downloadie for you:

Sade “Moon and the Sky”

And here’s a streamie for you:

Sade “In Another Time”

And here’s a Flash player that I tried to hack for the mp3 and couldn’t.  What a failed programmer I am today.

Sade “Skin” (thanks NQM!)

You’re welcomb!

Came home to some sad news today that Howard Zinn, one of the world’s most beloved historians and anti-war activists, has passed away at the age of 87.  He is most widely known for his book A People’s History of the United States, but also wrote and edited dozens of books and anthologies, as well as three theatrical productions including Marx in SoHo.  iLL-Literacy’s agency SpeakOut also did booking for Zinn, and they’ve posted the following quote from Noam Chomsky:

“His writings have changed the consciousness of a generation and helped open new paths to understanding and its crucial meaning for our lives.  When action has been called for, one could always be confident that he would be on the front lines, an example and trustworthy guide.”

Our hearts go out to his family and friends.  Rise in peace.

Dude, what the FUX.  Definitely the weirdest acceptance speech ever.  I posted a Fever Ray video about a year ago but haven’t really kept up with her since.  This is dope though…I call it understated-over-the-top, ya’digit?

Via UTR

We’re in the middle of a performance residency with our director Kamilah Forbes putting together our new live show.  And by “in the middle” I mean we’re literally taking our 5 minute break!  We’ve been developing our characters and storyline, and learning so much more about the world that we’re building around digit.iLL.Funk.  A lot of ideas have been tossed around and being that Kam is the Artistic Director of the Hip Hop Theater Festival, she has a world of experience turning hip-hop into a 3D experience.

One of the productions that caught our eye is Deez Nuts, an off-Broadway production put on by the world famous Beatnuts.  A play about the process, a venue lobby decorated like a bodega, and the concession stands only offering Colt45.  Tiiiiiiiiight.

Oops break’s over.  BRB.