#new yorican

[myut0eve]

Puerto Rican Skyla because god gave me hands to draw with

[cinamun]

How do you write such interesting dialogue? Do you have any tips and tricks?

Hey friend!! First, thank you! Because a story or written series that is all dialogue is challenging! You have to consider language, age of characters, etc.

A few tips:

Listen to your characters! I'm not a New Yorker but have been around NYers forever (deadass son). So writing Darren's voice was based on what I was already hearing in my life. But if that weren't the case, I'd research by just watching videos of NYers.

Elise was written with a southern US dialect kinda. Again, I had that sound in my life already so not too hard.

Now I'm writing young adults and, yet again I can write how they typically talk because I hear it a lot lol. If I didn't, there's always tiktok.

Never try to convey an accent that is ethnic unless you're going to research it. Or are familiar in another way. Juan was written as Puerto Rican and Black kinda New Yorican lol I had to research conversational Spanish. Not everyone can pull that off and you don't want to come off inauthentic.

Lastly, don't let the dialogue take over the picture. Write it so it packs a punch in the least about of words. If there's more context add it under the cut. And keep your character's voice consistent. It will help you write them better!

Hope that helps and excuse any typos!

[luckybitch1]

its so crazy they cast cersei as clarys mom and that all of the shadowhunters are british to be honest i did not imagine it that way when i read the OG series i imagined like new yorkers like new yoricans and third generation italians

[c4llmec0pper]

Little sketch of New Yorican miku, blunt in one hand, coconut water in the other.

[randomvarious]

1995 London Playlist (YouTube)

Alright, so I now have London playlists for the years of 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, so it's only right that I complete this whole sequence and give you all something for 1995 too 😊. And just like the rest of these city-year playlists that I've been making, this one is also by no means a comprehensive or authoritative look at what this particular year was like for the most musically diverse metropolis in the world; but what it is instead is a totally unique and scattershot mix of a bunch of obscure and underground London-made gems from 1995 that I've come across over the years from collecting various artist comps and DJ mixes. And no city on this planet is more eclectic than London itself, thanks in large part to both its independent and mainstream open-arms embrace of electronic music writ large.

So that's what this playlist is mostly comprised of. We have a few breakbeat tunes from the likes of Tim 'Love' Lee—who founded the Tummy Touch label, which put out the terrific Groove Armada's first two albums in the late 90s—Asian underground group Loop Guru, whose "Diwana," aka "Olwana," is a fantastic piece of psychedelic Eastern spiritualism, and "The Man With Three Heads," by Fluid, aka Dominic Glynn, who is way more known for being a bigtime film and TV composer, and whose music from that realm you're guaranteed to have heard before. Then there's a couple awesome acid jazz cuts from D*Note and Incognito, with Incognito's offering, "Jacob's Ladder," being remixed by probably the greatest New York house duo of all time, Masters at Work; a nice and rare house remix by Dimitri From Paris of Bjork's "Isobel" (Bjork was living in London when she recorded that song); a piece of drum n bass by the prolific T Power and his frequent partner Shy FX; and a very difficult-to-categorize song by System 7 called "Civilization," which was mixed by Detroit techno legend Carl Craig and is probably best described as goa trance meeting electro-flavored Detroit techno 😮.

And speaking of things that can't be categorized—check out this segue, folks—to close things out, we also have a boom bap jazz-rap tune from fleeting South London duo 499, whose "Don't Categorise Me" sounds like something that could've been produced by the legendary Pete Rock himself 😌. Oh, and right before that is something light and goofy from two-tone ska lifer King Hammond, who's been in two of the genre's most famous bands, The Selecter and Bad Manners.

This playlist is ordered as chronologically as possible:

Tim 'Love' Lee - "One Word" D*Note - "The Garden Of Earthly Delights (Ballistic Barrio Boom)" Bjork - "Isobel (Dim's Enchanted Forest)" Loop Guru - "Olwana" Incognito - "Jacob's Ladder (Masters At Work Yorican Mix)" T Power - "Amber (Shy FX extended version)" System 7 - "Civilization (Carl Craig Mix)" Fluid - "The Man With Three Heads" King Hammond - "Skaville UK" 499 - "Don't Categorise Me"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So with the launch of this playlist, we start with ten songs that clock in at nearly an hour. A nice blend of a bunch of different genres and styles, and you're definitely not gonna find another look back at this city and specific year that's quite like this one!

Next week we'll be going back to a decade-genre playlist that I don't think I've updated in a *very* long time 👀.

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[smol-feralgremlin]

FebruarOC Day 3: Chanri

Chanri leaned against the inside of the doorway to the study, feeling the carved relief of twining vines pressing into his shoulder as he watched Ilia move around his study, wiggling his fingers as he looked over the towering bookshelves. Many of the books he appeared to be looking at were ones that he’d restored. Chanri remembered most of them as fragile and crumbling texts that Ilia had guarded fiercely after pulling them out of long forgotten places. Now they weren’t so fragile with new covers of dyed leathers and recopied pages.

“Are you certain of these plans of yours,” Chanri asked as Ilia muttered a few words and one of the books from a higher shelf floated down to him. 

“I’m certain of nothing,” Ilia replied as he carried the book, more of a thick tome than a normal sized book, to his desk. He waved his hand at the window while muttering another sentence to himself and the curtains opened to allow sunlight to flood in. “That way I can’t be surprised by anything that falls outside of certainty.”

“Don’t repeat my lessons back to me, whelp. I’ll toss you around a ring the same way I did when you were just a boy.”

“And I’ll just have to reintroduce you to dangling over my head again.”

Chanri snorted and Ilia looked up with a slight grin. All composure broke and Chanri had an answering grin of his own before he shook his head to regain it all back again. Damn was it hard to be stoic when he wanted to keep Ilia here in Yorica where he could keep an eye on him. The tall collar necklace of gold and mother of pearl Ilia wore rankled at Chanri. He hadn’t been there to protect Ilia from the wound he’d received that had caused him to start wearing such jewellery. Instead he’d been in here making sure any and all coup attempts were foiled before they got too much support from even the more passive of this pit of vipers Ilia called a court.

“I still don’t like you going off without me.”

“I’m long past my twentieth summer, Chanri.”

Right. He had been an adult according to Yorican customs for a few years now. But Chanri still saw the boy he had been when they’d met. All wide eyes, messy hair, and gangling limbs that only seemed to coordinate on accident instead of through any purposeful will. The boy was still there, locked behind numerous scars and shadowed eyes, only to come out on rare moments. This wasn’t one of those moments. As proud as Chanri was of Ilia, he still held bitterness for the world that had forced him into the serious young man he was now.

“Here.” Ilia spun the book so Chanri could read where he’d flipped the pages to. He tapped the left page. “This is the answer to a lot of my problems right now, I’m sure of it.”

Reading over the page quickly, Chanri frowned. This was the sort of thing Ilia was crawling through ruins for? Tales of the Fae Folk?

“I don’t think I understand.”

Ilia sighed as he sat back down in his chair. “Wildlings, Chanri. One human parent and one Fae parent. They’re supposed to be as connected to the land as their Fae parent, but not so bound by the rules that govern Fae behaviour.”

“You think there’s one of these Wildlings in Elsienfal,” Chanri asked, more than a little skeptical.

“I know there’s one there.” Ilia stood up abruptly and stalked to the window. “Everyone wants me to marry, then fine. I’ll marry.” He turned his head to Chanri. “King Hasryn oldest unmarried daughter happens to be illegitimate with an unknown mother. So I’ll be going to Elsienfal to end this war between our two countries and see if I can’t manage a betrothal while I’m over there.”

Chanri knew that spark in Ilia’s eyes. He wouldn’t be dissuaded from his plans now. 

“If she’s half as troublesome as you, I’m quitting.”

Ilia laughed for the first time in days.

[alyosiuscreightonward]

“I’m just having a bad day,” he said to the young boy who heard the crack of on the verge of tears in his voice.

“Okay, I’ll shut up,” replied the young boy who stepped back and watched the older man open the office door.

Maybe the young boy finally got it this time around. He saw the older man sit down and stare at the computer screen and growl at the inanimate object.

The older man was sitting in the high back chair, typing, counting, scribbling and clicking blindly as the young boy was sitting next to him and staring at his phone scrolling through some stupid app. The older man was also thinking, “Does this guy have a fucking clue? I’M HAVING A HORRIBLE DAY,” the old man was saying to himself as he was doing his best to ignore the boy who was still scrolling through his phone and said something about (not really sure) that he just wanted to have a conversation. Ugh.

The young boy probably had absolutely no idea what he was witnessing just a couple of feet away from him. Old man is in the middle of a manic phase. The constant spinning of the overthinking dodecahedron is nearly a blur, but the old man just kept working and making sure that the end of day was being completed.

“What had happened was a person,” said the disconnected voice of Brooklynite/New Yorican Rosie Perez who was recounting her experience of driving an Isuzu Trooper. The old man knew that what happened was a person came into his life. He told the person that he had feelings for him and he also told the other man that he was risking his friendship by telling him that he had feelings.

For more than twenty years the old man hid his own feelings. During these years, the old man had exiled himself after his last encounter with another man. The other man told him that he was having feelings for him.

“Dude. I’m not here for this. I’m here for the sex as I’ve just gotten out of a bad relationship,” the old man told him. The other man just sat there mouth agape and a moment later the old man bent over to kiss him goodbye. He placed both hands on either side of his face, kissed him full on and said, “I’d invite you but I’m afraid you’d have accepted.” He straightened up and walked out.

The world kept spinning on its axis as for the old man it stopped with a jerk and he got out.

The young boy knew nothing of the old man’s mental health issues.

The plethora of failed attempts to find a connection between himself and another person was jousting in the middle of a perfect storm.

From having his dream snatched away and then summarily squashed like a bug as the thirteen year old boy was trying to parse the fact that he had been raped only a month earlier as he was thrown into the cesspool of 1974’s Times Square. Porn theaters everywhere.

The old man is a survivor. He was on track to be a great ballet dancer and then became a homeless junkie prostitute who was a thief and a shitkicker who wanted to be infamous and get to the point in his life where he understood fully that he had everything you wanted or needed but he didn’t have an iota of talent. Hack.

The old man had been writing for years and still couldn’t figure out if was a dangling participle or just a dangling obscene pickle.

Years of addiction have taken their toll on the old man who just kept marching along. Yesterday, the manic state is in full swing. Yet he still goes to work and gets it done meanwhile holding back tears. Today is a different story. Yet the feeble foolish old man continues to scribble.

The young boy is oblivious. He like the old man’s husband, a Gemini, who is charming and delightful and comes across as an irritant with, “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about me?”

The old man is a secretive person who knows how to control himself and as a Scorpion, he can only go thermonuclear and will never stop loving you as he decides to leave you bleeding or nurse you back to health.

Then the Sagittarius enters the picture. This is where it all begins to happen and he’s in a different universe now. The Scorpion are compatible with the Gemini and the Sagittarius. The old man knows that they are not the ones. He’s an empath and he can feel their energy. With his hands he knows that has to keep his distance from them. Yet he lets his guard down and makes a judgment in error.

The old man tugs on the hem of his untucked shirt, taking a deep breath and puts on his blinders as did Sisyphus.

On two separate blogs elsewhere on the interwebs, we are going to see how mental health issues are right there in black and white. It’s a roller coaster of emotions. We can see that the old man knows and understands how to cope. He that he has to go home, go to sleep and wake up, get out of bed unassisted and start a new day.

The chalkboard has been wiped clean. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the perfect day for a light wrap. Something like a shrug, a chubby or a well-worn schmatta that’s ready for rag pile.

Twenty minutes later, the end of day is done. The two men exit the building. By this time, whatever happened was squashed and they were gathering up their belongings and going their separate ways.

Out in the parking lot, in corner was the old man’s sedan and the boy had his mom’s minivan. As they stood there for a moment, they bantered about for a few minutes before getting in the car and going home.

“Look here, Seven,” the old man says with smirk, “I can insult you without you knowing it.”

“Like what would you say,” the boy asks.

“Seven,” he starts with an arched eyebrow, “As a Squalmulous Laggard, one step above a guttersnipe, you deign to present yourself wearing your tatterdemalion haute couture that were tossed out of the bin lorry that was engulfed in flames, you’ll never meet the man who’s name is on the label because you haven’t heard of style though the Emperor’s new clothes would look better on you and still I’d vomit.”

“K.I.S.S.M.E., you twat,” said the disconnected voice of an L.A. based photographer. “You’re not Norman Mailer. For Christ’s sake, old man. No one is going to read this and get it even if you wrote ‘Kilroy was here’ on the subway walls.”

Translation: “Seven. You’re still a child. Even though your clothes have New York, London and Paris stitched on them, they look like you got them out of a donation box at an abandoned gas station.”

Seven laughed and shrugged his shoulders as he didn’t know what the old man had said.

The feeble old man who is in his mid sixties knows that the young man, who is possibly seventeen or eighteen, is smarter than he is and would never use such flowery language since he uses Snapchat and the feeble old man barely knows how to use TikTok other than to scroll through it.

“Seven, understand this: I’m in the middle of a manic phase right now,” he said with a clenched jaw. “I’m not going to try to make you feel my pain or anything else. When I say that I’m having a bad day, say something like, ‘I’m sorry and I hope you feel better soon,’ and then you get the fuck away from me so I can wallow.”

The feeble old man flicked his wrist leaving the young man standing there in the parking lot and staring at him. The old man walked away from him. Got in his car, turned the engine over, then drove off.

An hour later, the old man was home. He had to micturate like a 20 handed equine. As he was letting go, for the umpteenth time he read the little sign next to the toilet that says, “You are worth more than you know, capable of more than you think and loved more than you can imagine.”

As he stood there, he rolled his eyes out loud and to his surprise America’s favorite appeared and said, as he always does, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an AMEN up in here?!”

The old man scoffed. He had finished and zipped up his pants and proceeded to walk to his recliner muttering to himself, “I’ve been in therapy since I was eight years old and I’m going to sixty five, and only now have I learned to take care of myself yet extricating myself from the Karpman Triangle is a journey. A series of tollbooths and no exits, but God Dammit to HELL, I’m gonna make my own fucking exit and be happy!!”

[pocketsizedkmo]

[house-a-day]

Nu Yorican Soul - The Nervous Track (Ballsy Mix)

[unprettypeony]

just the fact that I can speak to Damian in my dialect of Spanish AND new yorican just makes me feel validated and seen.

Also makes me miss Zelina.

[kneelbeforeclefairy]

Me vs my father in the enjolras is javert's son Les Mis AU that is my life

So. Me. 28. THIS close to her master's degree. Liberal. Socialist. Mixed kid. New Yorker. Just got home from living on her own in Greece. Been living away from parents for seven years. Queer. ADHD . Rsd. Imposter syndrome. Bad at rejection. Torn between two parents who are STILL fighting for me.

Living with Father because who picked the year of the coronavirus to give up her life .62. Barely completed high school. Said Regan was the best president he lived through. Trump voter. New Yorican who doesn't understand the world doesn't see him as white. Conservative who moved south and got worse. Blue lives matter dude. Not Batman.

Will not STOP. Provoking me.

It started with him mentioning you can't get aunt Jemima syrup any more because....you know . Me saying yes you can. The brand firs of all hasn't rebranded itself yet. It currently is still aunt Jemima and the packaging hasn't changed, still widely available. It's just going to rename itself. Get told no it's not "you can't do that any more." interrupted. Get to squeak out the bit about its gonna be the same recipe just called something else. Auntie J maybe. I think that's a good syrup name. He laughs and says it's gonna be BLM syrup.

(and you know what I find that trivializing but if that's what they wanted to name it who cares.)

(more context. His grandfather was black. He told me about being told as a kid by his father that little brown boys just say yes sir to the police. He got The Talk)

And then it goes to Porgy and Bess. Porgy and Bess is on so we watch it. All of us enjoy it thoroughly. He says "isn't this racist? What's the difference between this and aunt Jemima?"

Me.....

I have to get this information put as fast as possible . He's not really listening. He doesn't care. He's not asking . He doesn't find them both genuinely racist. He just....seems to want to catch me out. I try to explain. Porgy and Bess DOES Have some problems. But it was written in 1935 and was one of those Fair For It's Day things. Launched the careers of a lot of black classical singers. Still does. Some charecters might be a little sterotypical (Sportin Life did not age well) but in the hands of a good production and a good actor depth can be found. Rewrites have been made.

But I don't get to SAY any of these things. I try. I, well spoken, bordering on eloquent, stumble through a few poorly thought out points about interpretation and employment and he didn't see the difference between a classical singers playing Bess at the met and being well payed singing beautiful music and even if the roll is somewhat sterotypical and a product of it's times, through a good actress can become a wonderful three dimensional role, or at least no less than any other opera heroine and a poor black woman playing a completely one dimensional mammy sterotypes to sell syrup to enrich white people while playing off their own created nostalgia for oppression of the black race cause I WASNT PREPARED FOR FUCKING WAR OVER PORGY AND BESS. He just asked the questions. I'm on the defense. I've never even SEEN it before. I'm not ready to defend it. I didn't know I was going to have to. Hell, I'm not sure if it IS racist or problematic yet, we're 15 minutes it. He seems to know why I'm watching it at all if I'm so sensitive that a syrup name must trigger me.

He's not concerned it IS racist. Just seems to want to catch me in inconsistancies. Why do you watch this but you want the syrup renamed

(I didn't bring up the syrup. We were talking about the difference between brands in the north and south. He just brought up the fucking syrup and said it wasn't there any more. By the way. It is. I saw it in the fucking Kroger. And I literally do not care about the name of syrup. it's largely symbolic sure but if they want to rename themselves because yeah totally cringe history that's their business. Fine. It literally does not affect me. The recipe is there I'm just gonna call it aunt j or whatever)

And then this morning when I showed him a picture of the Alexander the Great statue o took on Thessaloniki

(masters degree in macedonian history/archeology, me)

He says

He SAYS

"I'm surprised they haven't taken that down."

In this stupid sing song way.

(like obviously this statue thing is an American thing with some England thrown in. I don't know much about Greek politics but I'm PRETTY FUCKING SURE they weren't invovled in the American transatlantic slave trade or the age of exploration my dude)

But he says "it's imperialism isn't it?'

Me "well yes but..."

"he conquered the world didn't he? Did he or did he not conquer the world. You think he did that by being nice to people?"

"well you'd be surprised how much alliance building and diplomacy was used but yes but--"

"so how's it different? Did he conquer the world? Did he own slaves?"

"actually probably not as macedonia wasn't really a slave society and the Persians DEFINITELY didn't have slaves"

"well I just think it's the same"

(frustrated. Can't show emotion or he wins. Already cracked a few days ago when he was talking about a cop iniured by "the mob" and COULDN'T because how many of my people were injured by them? And had to tell him to stop. Told he wouldn't talk politics. Does the above count)

Me. Lightly. "You're unable to grasp nuance. And you're just trying to provoke me"

Something happens. Subject changed. Did I win? Did I lose? We're always battling.

Thing is.

Yes.

There is an INCREDIBLY subtle and nuanced discussion to be had about imperialism in general and its effects and how even ancient imperialism effects us to this day. And how we view warfare and conquest in general and the stories we tell. I would argue Alexander was great because of his kindness, the cultural exchange he sparked, his clever tactics , his mastery of grand strategy, his diplomacy, his ability to use image, and only last his undefeatedness in battle. But I wasnt the one who called him Great, to whoever that was it was about the war. There is A LOT about Alexander and his affect on Persia,which, while we shouldn't layer modern politics over it (especially race based one. Yes Alexander was Caucasian but WHITENESS didn't exist then and Persia was the sophisticated empire , Greece was tiny and insignificant. It's just that Greece wrote the story and got to paint them as barbaians but it has nothing to do with race and they REALLY REALLY WEREN'T and even the Greeks knew that) did destroy an empire and affects the region to this day. Persian perceptions of Alexander are obviously not as kind, and equally important.

So yes there is a discussion to be had about that. And why we venerate a man who did kill thousands and why, I would argue, he still is a very good person who, despite his faults, does deserve that statue.

But we weren't having that

We were playing gotcha.

Cause even if he Couldn't grasp the difference between Alexander the Great, who yeah, totally did sell thebans into slavery in a system that attributed slavery to bad luck and if he had lost would have expected the same treatment to anyone who was not killed,and Confederate generals who thought and entire race was inferior due to their birth, fought for their continued enslavement, committed treason to the country he loves SO much, and LOST, and were memorialized in stupid statues by a bunch of sore loser white supremacists in an attempt to rewrite history to turn what could have been and should have been an Embarrassing chapter in a regions history that should have been healed from into the DEFINING THING about that area despite lasting onl five years and still the symbol of pain and murder to a large percentage of our population within VERY CLOSE TO LIVING MEMORY that has affects that are still here in a very real way because *gestures vaguely at everything* and have caused riots TWICE in your lifetime because it hasn't changed has it and also YOU'RE NOT SOUTHERN and why do you care?

Then I'm not sure what to say.

I don't know what he wants. He wants me catch me out? Debate the liberal cause they're so stupid ? Vent frustration at the liberal because fox news tells you to hate them? His way of processing Something he doesn't understand? Men can't ask for directions? He wants me to argue him, some nerd version of beating the old man at basketball? He feels inferior to his kid so he's gotta put me in my place? A nerd version of not letting the kid beat you at basketball? Test me? Make me prove myself? Make me represent all liberals so he can win?

I don't know what he wants. But I'm SICK OF IT.

And I'm sick of being torn between the mother who is frightened and overbearing and the father who seems to want to always make me keep up.

And I cant

Deal

With

Conservatives

Any more!

[michelecristianoaulicino]

New Yorican poet bar

La bruma monta dalla valle come Beewolf

(Il poema dell'apelupo)

Pare puntare verso il mio ghigno dicembrino

Da ovest le nuvole alte

Spazzano l'orizzonte

Verso est. Con forza

Come un pensiero

Di un appuntamento agognato

Dove cazzo corrono?

Verso Bari? Che c'è a Bari?

La cioccolata alla salsiccia (ghiotterie)?

Un'orgia di crepuscoli a chiocciola?

Lendibacchi di slazzuli alati?

Uno scritto di Pedro Pietri

Mi risuona nel cervello

Come una canzone

Dice in sostanza che a Long Island

Ci sono troppi cimiteri

E a causa di ciò

Si perde financo l'erezione!

Dentro, c'è la morte, una risata,

un lembo di vita rassegnata alla caduta.

Tracce di amore e sacchetti di carta da pane.

Viene lo scoramento direbbe Pier Vittorio

A guardare il cielo farsi bianco

E piovere senza ritegno

A scazzo del mio umore.

Erano giorni che non scrivevo due righe

Mi accorgo che

Ho sempre i soliti pudori

I soliti pensieri di amore e morte

Di vicinanza cosmica

e isolazionismo non interventista

Che mondo di merda!

Se lo dicessi mentirei

E mento sapendo di mentine

Di Aftereight e cioccolato fondente

Qui il crepitío allegro del fuoco

Fa grattare le palle come il mentolo e

Stringere il mio-cardio

E il tuo? Keffàh? Sfrizza?

Vorrei un bar, adesso

Di quelli con un palchetto alto soli 20 cm

E su quel palco un pianoforte

E dietro al piano Nina Simone

Che si incazza con il pubblico

E che taglia la tensione con lo sguardo

Prima di intonare: Feeeeleeeengsss

Oohh ohhh ohhhh Feeeleeengs!

E poi qualcuno che facesse una battuta

Di quelle buone. Demenziali. Certo.

Ma valide. Da far storcere il naso

Ai puristi. E un buon bicchiere di roba forte

E i suoi capelli vicino alla mia barba raspa

E un odore di mandorla e gelsomino

Uscire dai tasti fino a prendersi i pensieri

E poi la kamchatka

E poi smettere di esistere per sempre

Come un'idea e diventare carne perdavvero

Senza metafisica ed esplodere

come una nota In accordo con il tempo sempre dispari

Per fare parte di questa meraviglia

Non sapendolo.

[wayvessel]

CNCO IS IN NEW YORK

and i cant do anything about it :,)

so i’ll just sit my little new yorican self on my little new yorican COUCH sadly

[keepingupwithlinmanuel]

A room full of Nina Rosarios

Miranda, who is also the force behind “In the Heights,” kicked off the second “America Adelante” conference, hosted by the Center for Public Leadership. The conference drew together Latino students from across the University, as well as more than 40 Latino leaders in business, arts, and government. Through a series of panel discussions and networking events, the conference tried to foster connection and collaboration between the students and guests.

“I feel really underqualified to be here,” Miranda joked as he took the stage with Amanda Matos, M.P.P. ’19, an HKS student and co-founder of the WomanHOOD Project, a Bronx-based mentorship program for girls of color.

Since both Matos and Miranda are proud Nuyoricans — New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent — Matos fired off a few home-based warm-up questions: Yankees or Mets? The A train or the 1? Once they’d covered the basics (Yankees and the A train), Miranda settled in for a more serious discussion on code-switching, activism, and staying true to one’s roots.

“I’m in a roomful of would-be Nina Rosarios right now,” Miranda said, referring to a character from “In the Heights” who leaves her neighborhood to attend Stanford University, becoming the first person from her block to attend college. Miranda shared some of his experiences of attending Hunter College and Wesleyan University, and gradually coming to see his dual cultural identity as “a superpower.”

...

Matos asked Miranda how Latinos can create solidarity and stay connected to their heritage while building bridges with non-Latino allies and supporters. “Give us some best practices,” she urged.

Miranda’s response was simple. “I think continuing to support ourselves and our humanness is so important,” he said. “That’s what ‘Hamilton’ does: It represents the other strand of the American story that we export. It celebrates the one founder who wasn’t from here — who grew up in the Caribbean. We’re a nation of immigrants, and we ought to be proud of that story.”

“Latinos in the U.S. — both immigrant and native-born — are a group that has been growing in size and influence and will continue to grow,” said Erika Carlsen, the assistant director of fellowship programs and Latino initiatives at the Center for Public Leadership, who organized “America Adelante.” “How do future public leaders understand this community, and the challenges and incredible potential benefits related to it?” She cited the great economic power of Latinos, and the need to build networks among young and seasoned Latino leaders to address key policy issues.

Matos agreed. “As Latinx students and students who care deeply about communities of color, it’s important that we have an infrastructure to build power, solidarity, and strategy on the most pressing issues impacting our communities,” she said. “I hope students will see that they are all leaders now, and that we already have the power and skills to continue creating good in the world.”

Carlsen and Miranda paid tribute to Lisa Garcia Quiroz ’83, M.B.A. ’90, a longtime executive at Time Warner who was also a champion of diversity both at her alma mater and in her workplace. Garcia Quiroz, who was instrumental in organizing the first “America Adelante” conference in 2016, worked tirelessly to mentor and encourage young Latino leaders until her death in March from pancreatic cancer. HKS has established a graduate fellowship in her honor.

“There’s no shortage of ways to do good,” Miranda told his audience, citing the examples of Garcia Quiroz and activists such as the high school students from Parkland, Fla., who have spearheaded the #NeverAgain movement. “I can get as overwhelmed as the next person,” he admitted. “What I try to tell myself is: Don’t think of it as this tidal wave. Think of it as: There’s no shortage of lanes you can go into and do good.” Miranda’s own efforts have included several recent collaborations with other musicians and composers in support of hurricane relief for Puerto Rico and for the movement against gun violence.

“That came out of being inspired by these kids,” Miranda said of “Found Tonight,” his duet with “Dear Evan Hansen” star Ben Platt in support of March for Our Lives on March 24. “We sort of made the Marvel/DC crossover. I asked myself: What’s the thing I can make for them that will put wind in their sails?”

If “Hamilton” is the origin story of American democracy — “It’s how Spider-Man got bit by the bug,” Miranda said with a laugh — his activism on current issues, including voter registration, hurricane relief, and speaking out against gun violence, are part of a chapter in that book.

“What we’re seeing is a huge accumulation of everyday voices,” Miranda said, praising the wave of activism and political engagement from many corners of American society. “The success of ‘Hamilton’ has given me a huge megaphone, and it helps me to think of it as a literal megaphone. I try to use it sparingly, so that what I say will be helpful.”

He closed by urging his audience to support each other and make their voices heard. “Our stories,” he said, “are more necessary than ever.”

“I’m starstruck, but not for the typical reason,” said Amanda R. Matos, a Kennedy School student and fellow at the Center for Public Leadership, who moderated the conversation with Miranda.

“It’s not because of ‘Hamilton’ or ‘In the Heights’ or anything like that. I’m honestly just starstruck because it is rare for me to be in spaces with other uptown New Yoricans.”

...

“Art is the thing that allows us to engage with the other side on not an ideal level, on a human level. I think our stories are more necessary than ever when, when, people are painting us with the same brush,” Miranda said.

“I think ‘In the Heights’ began with the death of ‘The Capeman.’ It was a punch in the stomach because my heroes had created something that didn’t work,” Miranda said. “It was like that cool water in the face like, ‘Hey! No one’s making your dream musical. You go make your dream musical!’”

Miranda also spoke on his activism following Hurricane Maria and called on students to take on a cause that matters to them.

“The one that bugs you in the shower, the one that keeps you from sleeping at night—that's the one you have to get to work on the next day, because it will feel meaningful to you and we need it. We need it on all fronts,” Miranda said.

“Whether that is immigration reform, whether that is hurricane relief, whether that is police brutality, whether that is, insert whatever hurts your heart the most, and get to work.”

[paskvilnet]

rec.desky

Roger Sanchez - First Contact

Klip ke skladbě Another Chance

Svůj první krok na své cestě ke statutu "světový top DJ" udělal Roger Sanchez před 20 lety, pod jménem Underground Solution vydal svůj první singl Luv Dancing před 11 lety, přesto je letošní album First Contact jeho debutem. Desku otevírá robotické elektro Computabank, které vystřídá srdce lámající house o tom, co všechno by zmohla ještě jedna šance. Skladba The Partee v baleárském stylu připomíná Sanchezovy kolegy z housové síně slávy Nu Yorican Soul alias Masters At Work, celkem netradiční atmosféra vznikla spoluprací se zpěvačkou z Texas Sharleen Spiteri ve skladbě Nothing 2 Prove a za přispění Armanda Van Heldena natočil Roger Sanchez záležitost pro taneční parket You Can´t Change Me s vokály N´Dey Davenport, která při psaní textu evidentně nezapomněla na svůj celoživotní boj za rovnoprávnost žen. Roger Sanchez, který v rodném Queensu začínal s breakdance, opustil studia architektury, podílel se na budování newyorské housové scény a během procesu se stal jedním z nejznámějších DJ na této planetě, svůj DJ trénink z hip hopových časů využil později: housové sety prokládá scratchingem nebo vylepšuje připojením třetího gramofonu. V dnešní době se jeho jméno objevuje na letácích prestižních klubových nocí, je velice selektivní, co se remixů týká, a tak není divu, že se vydání alba First Contact kontakt stalo událostí na housové scéně. Jakby ne, když o dobré, výhradně housové desky bývá nouze.

Pepe Deluxé - Super Sound

Klip ke skladbě Before You Leave

Pokud v případě této trojice z Helsinek čekáte jména se zdvojenými a přehlasovanými samohláskami, budete zklamáni běžnými anglickými přezdívkami jako James Spectrum, Super Jock Slow a JA-Jazz. Navzájem se doplňují, jeden z nich se vyzná v matematice a informatice, další je přes aranže a třetí je odborník na jazz a soul se starším ročníkem vydání. Společně založili Pepe Deluxé v roce 1995, toto album vyšlo poprvé už v roce 1999, předcházelo mu vydání úspěšného EP se sedmi skladbami a následovalo turné po USA v pozici předkapely formace Reprazent a koncert při zahájení filmového festivalu Sundance. Další výhrou v ruletě slávy byla pro Pepe Deluxé volba společnosti Levi´s použít singl Before You Leave, který právě posloucháte, ve svém reklamním spotu. Ve této směsi žánrů, která k nám přišla z Finska, uslyš��te scratche, hammondky hrající v rytmu konce 60. let, slide kytaru, pískání do rytmu kontrabasu za zvuků jazzového piána i monotónní elektro beat ve stylu Flat Beat, harmoniku vypůjčenou z filmu Tenkrát na západě i sample z diskotékového hitu Love Hangover. Super Sound je samplovacím šílenstvím, experimentováním s aranžemi a kombinováním převzatých prvků.

New Order - Get Ready

Klip ke skladbě Crystal

Po sebevraždě leadera kultovní skupiny Joy Division Iana Curtise v roce 1980 se tři zbývající členové skupiny Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook a Stephen Morris rozhodli pokračovat pod jménem New Order. Přibrali klávesistku Gillian Gilbert a frontmanem se ač nerad stal kytarista Bernard Sumner. V průběhu 80. let vydali New Order 6 úspěšných alb, v roce 1990 natočili oficiální skladbu pro anglické fotbalové mužstvo s názvem World In Motion a poprvé (nikoli naposledy) ohlásili rozchod. Každý z nich se začal věnovat vedlejším projektům: Bernard Sumner vytvořil s kytaristou bývalých The Smiths Johnny Marrem dvojici Electronic, Petr Hook založil kapelu Revenge a ti zbývající dva projekt se skromným jménem The Other Two. V roce 1993 se dali opět dohromady a vydali další studiové album Republic. Přes jeho úspěch se však jejich cesty opět rozdělily, v následujícím roce potěšili své příznivce alby Best Of a Rest Of a opět se vrátili ke svým projektům. Sumner natočil například s Chemical Brothers singl Out Of Control a Hook se věnoval skupině Monaco. Desce Republic předcházela čtyřletá přestávka, na Get Ready si musel svět počkat dokonce 8 let. Hudba New Order v roce 2001 není příliš odlišná od New Order let osmdesátých: jsou tu nápadité melodie, rytmus zlehka taneční, dominantní a melodická basová kytara a texty Bernarda Sumnera pořád naivně upřímné. Oproti předcházejícím rokům je nálada naléhavější a rockovější (na počátky taneční scény v Británii, kdy se stali spolumajiteli legendárního klubu Hacienda už trochu pozapomněli), a texty možná o něco v��c punkové. Jako hosté se na albu Get Ready objevili Billy Corgan, zpěvák bývalých Smashing Pumpkins a Bobby Gillespie a Andy Innes z Primal Scream. V klipu Touched By The Hand Of God z roku 1987 se New Order v dokonalých převlecích a parukách vyřádili coby heavy metalová skupina, v klipu Crystal za sebe pro změnu nechávají vystupovat úplně jiné lidi.

Groove armada - Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)

Klip ke skladbě Superstylin'

Oba členové GA Andy Cato a Tom Findlay mají společnou lásku k hudbě v širokému spektru a zkušenosti z dětství, kdy navštěvovali kurzy hry na klasické nástroje. V Groove Armadě pak oba skvěle využili svých znalostí z hudební výchovy, neboť Andyho srdcervoucí sólo na trombón ve skladbě At The River (1997) svým způsobem přispělo ke vzestupu Groove Armady. Ve stejném roce pobláznilo kdekomu hlavu jejich vynikající debutové album Northern Star, které způsobilo příjemný rozruch a zařadilo Groove Armadu na seznam hudebních "most wanted". Druhou desku Vertigo z roku 1999 proslavil svým způsobem frivolní singl I See You Baby a v roce 2000 vyšlo v limitované edici album Groove Armada - The Remixes a kompilace jejich nejoblíbenějších skladeb Back To Mine. Nové album Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) je stejně eklektické jako obě předcházející řadové desky, chvilky zklidnění střídají hybnější tracky a instrumentální skladby střídají vokální. Jako hosté se tu objeví raper Jeru Tha Damaja (hned v úvodní skladbě Suntoucher) a zpěváci Tim Hutton (v psychedelické Drifted) a Richie Havens (dodávající člověčinu elektronické Healing). Kouzlo Groove Armady je v rozmanitosti, v jejich hudbě najdeme funk i soul 70. let, jazz, dub, house i drum'n'bass. Využívají akustické nástroje i zvuk současné elektroniky a výsledkem je album s univerzálním použitím.