MyÜberLife

It is often said that there is a ‘voice’ filling the minds of human beings.  A ‘voice’ so gravitas in context but soft in tone like a stern whisper.  Stories have been told of this haunting & bothersome pest that captured the minds of many of humanity’s greatest artist, designers, musicians, entrepreneurs & industry titans of all time.  This ‘voice’ has been said to say something to the likes of this: “the goal of your life is to find yourself and manifest your findings through creative endeavor(s). The ‘voice’ continues to say that your reward will be personal & professional fulfillment, esteem and joy but your punishment if you neglect to adhere to me, ‘The voice,’ misery, disappointment and regret would be your ration.”  For many this ‘voice’ kicks them out of bed, pushes them to the shower, follows them to the train and sits them down at the computer.  This ‘voice’ is with them constantly always reminding them to chase after their due reward while at the same instance warning them of the consequences of refusing to chase. God forbid if you do not listen to this voice (scary voice)!

I sometimes wonder if this ‘voice’ occupied the heads of Di Vinci, Chanel, Saint Laurent Worth, Stravinsky, Mozart, Goya, Jobs, Winfrey and etc.  Many of us can attest to this calling ‘voice’ or what many have referred to as ‘a calling,’ nudging us to pursue personal and professional fulfillment.  I always ask myself where does this ‘voice’ come from?  Some say this ‘voice’ resides in the brain.  We know the brain has a function, but how does that function connect to this ‘voice’ and our creativity? 

This evening I discovered a beautiful illustration/lecture on Ted.com by Professor Iain McGilchris.  Dr. McGilchrist gives insight into the inner workings of our brain, our minds and brings clarity to the ‘voice.’  The video above portrays his talk in a graphical format which makes this complex matter easier to grasp.  I urge all my fellow creatives to watch this lecture. 

Please enjoy, feel free to share your thoughts, and happy creating. Posted by Jey Van-Sharp of MyUberLife

ANTICIPATED ALBUM: Audio, Video, Disco ( 10/25/11 )

In the name of good music, we the people require Jus†ice! 

Back in a far away place in the land of 2006, we came across the electronic duo-Justice during a trip to Europe.  At the very beginning, our ears perked up, our eyes focused and our taste expanded.  Justice’s ability to mix a very robust rock/punk sound with electro disco-new wave and electronic music along with bringing that swagger from all those genres visually was astonishing to us to say the least.

Part of my job here at MUL is to keep my eye on all emerging and established cultural movements within the arts.  Organically speaking, it’s always exciting to spot a seemingly obscure movement and watch them make their march towards the main stream.  Some of the first indicators of such is when Justice won the award for Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006 for Justice vs. Simian – “We Are Your Friends.  During the acceptance of this award, Mr. Kanye West stormed the stage (at the time a nominee in the category) venting his frustration to the audience of his categorical loss to the seemingly unknown group.  

Fast forward to March 2011, where Justice’s single, ‘Civilization,’ from the forth coming album is being featured during the international launch of a series of ‘Adidas Is All In’ commercials (over 1m youtube views).  Justice will continue to widen there sphere of influence with the launch of their new album Audio, Video, Disco given their recognition by brands like Adidas and their growing fan base of gen X & Y’ers.

Above is the medley of the album featuring track snippets from the album. Please enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts!

About The Artist:  

Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé (born 21 May 1979 in Besançon, Doubs) and Xavier de Rosnay (born 2 July 1982 in Ozoir-la-Ferrière, Seine et Marne). The duo is one of the most successful groups on Ed Banger Records and is managed by the label’s head, Pedro Winter also known as Busy P. Pedro Winter also was the former manager of fellow frenchman Daft Punk. 

Their style has been thought of as having some heavy metal influence and combines cut-up bass lines with a compressed and distorted synth sound. Their music often includes bass slapping.

Posted by Jey Van-Sharp of MyUberLife

I came across this song this morning looking for my daily dose of new inspirations and discovered The Field - Then It’s White.  It has a lovely ambient-filling-energy-deep-creative-vision- vibe to it.  This song would pair well with a fashion week presentation or an art opening, adding a heightened layer of musical aesthetic and mental focus. From my observation, music has the unique quality of enhancing a particular experience.  Said experience could range from shopping to driving to watching a model walk down a runway, donning a designers latest collection.  The right pairing of music works with our minds to ‘zone out and focus’ on a particular subject allowing us to to fully interpret what we are ‘sensing.’  In all forms of sellable art, the ability for the viewer/customer to ‘sense’ your point of view and be moved is related to the success of your  product.  Music definitely motivates us to do things. 

Please enjoy the music and feel free to share your thoughts. Posted by Jey Van-Sharp of MyUberLife

On the Artist:

Axel Willner, better known by the stage name The Field, is a techno artist based in Stockholm, Sweden. Willner uses the software Jeskola Buzz and live instrumentation, mixing and recording tracks live for each album, although he uses a live band for live performances. “The Field” is not Axel Willner’s only moniker. He also writes music under stage names Lars Blek, porte, Cordouan and James Larsson. He was also a member of Speedwax.
On August 2011 Axel announced a new forthcoming album to be called “Looping State Of Mind”, to be released October 25th 2011. It will have seven brand new tracks.

                                      Something Magical                

Hans Hofmann once famously said “Art is magic… But how is it magic? In its metaphysical development? Or does some final transformation culminate in a magic reality?  In truth, the latter is impossible without the former. If creation is not magic, the outcome cannot be magic.

The magic of Generation X & Generation Y has been the ability to innovate and invent in one of the harshest economic environments in the last 100 years of industry.  Lucius Annaeus Seneca once said, “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” It seems that these obstacles have forced many creatives to become resourceful and use every available tool to circumnavigate around economic hurdles, inadvertently inventing new ways of doing ‘things’ and creating new industry standards.

One such creative, Abel Tesfaye, also known by his stage name The Weeknd, has co-opted one of the new music business models which is the independent disruption of music using social media platforms.  The Weeknd has cultivated an online following through his ‘mixtape’ approach, bypassing the music labels.  These ‘mixtapes’ have created critical mass exposure by leveraging attention using social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Blogs. The Weeknd’s steady buzz-creation technique of releasing songs freely and democratically through as many of these platforms as possible has been effective and serves as a case study for successfully using unconventional business practices. The Weeknd has continued to show that the approach of making music passionately first, then giving your music away for free is an effective marketing tool as much as using the established institutionalized method of selling your music first. This ‘chicken or the egg’ approach has been inspiring to say the least.

On August 18, 2011, The Weeknd released his ‘mixtape’ Thursday. The ‘mixtape’ has 9 tracks, & features Drake in one of the tracks. Thursday has had over 180,000+ downloaded in the first day according to wikipedia.

Please listen to this track by The Weeknd Feat. Drake - The Zone, I like (Screwed & Chopped by Slim K) and feel free to share your thoughts.

This Quote helps reinforce my assertions:

“A strategic, real-world, down-in-the-street approach to selling music in today’s music marketplace, that takes advantage of the most effective contemporary tools, while remaining well grounded in the traditional marketing techniques that remain relevant. If you want your music to see the light of day, follow this indispensable step-by-step advice, clearly put forth from the industry trenches by an unusually effective and creative marketing professional.” 

-Chris Stone, Founder, Record Plant Studios; co-founder and former executive director of the Music Producers Guild of the Americas (MPGA)

                            Posted by Jey Van-Sharp of MyUberLife

Pure musical inspiration from Yukimi’s voice…. ‘Inch by Inch’ Little Dragon has been gaining market attention by using good ole’ musical composition and solid collaborations from the likes of the Gorillaz on “Empire Ants” off of Plastic Beach.  It’s Fascinating to catch wind of a band at their beginnings.  Little Dragon’s new album Ritual Union, may put this band on the mass market main stage, allowing them to gain attention from an even wider audience.  This title track is the first glimpse of the texture of this forthcoming album.  In the meanwhile we enthusiastically await for the release.

Please enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts, posted by Jey Van-Sharp of MyUberLife

Little Dragon is an electronic music band, based in Gothenburg, Sweden. It consists of Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion) and her close high-school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Källgren Wallin (bass), and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). The first Little Dragon’s release was a double A-side 7” single “Twice”/”Test”, released on Off The Wall label in 2006. The following year, the band signed with the larger British indie Peacefrog Records and released their debut self-titled album Little Dragon on September 3, 2007.  Their second album, Machine Dreams, was released in 2009. The band’s new album, Ritual Union, will be released on July 26, 2011.