Sunday, February 27, 2011

Dangerous Designs


Currently reading the tightest book ever, Dangerous Designs: Asian Women Fashion the Diaspora Economies. Parminder Bhachu talks about how resistance manifests itself in the form of fashion and through reclaiming your identity through the clothes you wear. In the 1980's and 90's, British-Asians fused western clothing styles with that of their homeland, creating a new representation of both cultures, while going against the mainstream. Bhachu goes on to discusses how with struggle comes creative improvisation. In the introduction she says,

"[British-Asian Fashion's] hybridizing aesthetics represent dynamics similar to many facets of black cultural production and have much in common with other forms produced by people on the margins who draw from a range of sources in highly politicized, hostile landscapes. Such cultural production constitutes a crucial form of resistance, often characterized by a negotiative aesthetic-which is all that you have when you are in the margins. When you do not have classificatory systems and vocabularies of command, your strength lies in your ability to improvise and to innovate. Music yields the most widely appreciated examples, perhaps, from jazz to hip-hop and, within the Asian diaspora with which I am concerned here, bhangra and its subsequent reworkings.

"Finally, my research would not have been possible without the help of my favorite people, my Punjabi women friends, the 'older and old' masis at the Sikh temples: these wonderful and brave 'honorary aunts' are the heroines of my tale..."




Monday, February 21, 2011

Gear for Sale



As seen in Mandeep Sethi's "Aisee Taisee" video, New Delhi State of Mind tee I designed now for sale at www.kalakari.bigcartel.com. Cop yours today!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkUARK9IAOY


New Delhi State of Mind







A while back, we organized a B-Boy jam at the African American Arts and Culture Complex called New Delhi State of Mind to help raise funds for TinyDrops India. Not only did we hand-print t-shirts to sell at the event, but New Delhi State of Mind hosted the first ever "Dhol over Breaks" where B-Boys battled over the sounds of the Dhol drum.

TinyDrops India



A while back, I designed the logo for TinyDrops India, an ill new youth center in India bringing hip-hop to slums of the motherland. Check it out:

"Tiny Drops is an up-and-coming hip hop community center with locations in Mumbai and Delhi offering an alternative creative, social and cultural outlet for underprivileged youth

through dance, music and film classes, along with tutoring and mentoring,

with a dream to engage young people … to help make their dreams come true!


Tiny Drops derives its name from the beginnings of rain in a monsoon nation –

drop by drop, the water accumulates, until it becomes a flood that can sweep up the whole community in its arms. In such a way, Tiny Drops aspires to encourage children

to manifest their individual potential – whether as a life-long source of personal

delight or in order to connect with a collective purpose and expression."


www.tinydrops.org


Blog Updates Coming Soon

(currently on slacker mode.)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Boom Bap::West Coast Zulu Adventures into the Motherland

P.E.A.C.E.
Positive Energy Activates Constant Elevation
Salaam/Namaste/Sat Sri Akal from the newest addition to the Kalakari Revolution. You are now in tune to the sounds of Mandeep Sethi, an emcee from Los Angeles now holding it down in San Francisco representing the Universal Zulu Nation, Xitanos Matematikos, and Gnawledge Records.



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In the summer of 2009, I was blessed with the opportunity to return my motherland of INDIA and drop some rhymes, build with bboys, DJs, MCs, and graff writers from New Delhi to Hyderabad to Mumbai. The video above is PART 1 of a testament to the cultural transformations occurring all around the bharat. Hip-Hop as a cultural movement is beginning through the bboys, who are researching the roots and coming to an understanding of the forces that brought this youth culture to life. Also, NRIs (Non-Resident Indians), such as myself, are also playing an interesting part of spreading the culture while walking a fine line between empowerment and ("firstworld/western") privilege....


More to come but check the video..

Fiyah pon the pagan oppressor.
This is for the people.

-AmazuluAhkiSet

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ghee!


Lately, I can't seem to resist graffiti zines and have spent pretty much all of next semester's tuition money on little pamphlets and booklets that are heavy on piece content. Upon my latest endeavor, I came across Stylefile's Curryfiles. When I laid eyes on it, I knew I HAD to buy it out of pure obligation. I couldn't wait to look at it so when I got home, I threw on the Pete Rock Blends cd (that came free with the mag) and started flippen through. All of a sudden I spotted a piece by someone who writes GHEE. Holy shit. I don't know if it was a coincidence that of all people, I was the one to notice this, or that out of any Stylefile issue, it was in the Curryfiles issue! Anyway, GHEE is from Germany and I doubt he even knows what GHEE means, but I appreciate it nonetheless. STAY UP and hit me for a collaboration.