Creativity & Sharing @HUBUD 20×20 Pecha Kucha

Peace to HUBUD for inviting me to share words at the Ubud 20×20 event this past Tuesday at Betelnut. It was a great night and experience for me. Here’s a few excerpts:

Ka Mau – Know Thy Self…….and the Power of the “Like” Button

Peace Family. It’s been a cool minute since I’ve posted here. Life is busily flowing along with much creative purpose and it’s most definitely taking me on the ride in the best if ways. I’m completing or nearly complete with a few projects that I feel very good about and I hope you will be as well. First is the maxi-single ‘Know Thy Self’. This is a project done in collaboration with dj/producer Jedimonk from Jakarta who felt so inspired by the lyrics that he knocked out 3 different versions of the song. Here it is for your downloading and meditative listening experience.

Ka Mau – Know Thy Self (The Jedimonk Mixes)

Now, I would like to touch a little bit on the workings of soundcloud and how the little heart button and comment section play into the success of songs and artists. While this post can also be applied to youtube, facebook, etc. I’m using soundcloud because it is a format many people are using to get their music out, myself included.

Okay, check out this song posted on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/maddecent/riff-raff-terror-wrist-prod-by  What’s the first thing you notice when you clicked the link? The number of comments right? Then, if that cover graphic didn’t catch your eye, you may have looked at the stats for the song. How many people played it, liked it, reposted it and commented on it. Now as you can hear, that song is complete trash and yet it has so many comments and likes. Of those comments, I’d say a majority of people probably gave the song a listen, “liked” and commented on the song because they saw others had also done that. Had that song not had a few initial comments and likes, people would’ve skipped right over it. Irregardless of the quality of his music, he has supporters and they have elevated him to the point of now being signed to the label of one of the biggest producers in the music industry right now.

How does that song relate to what I’m doing? Not in the slightest bit. I create songs to bring greater awareness and insight in to life. To inspire original thought and creative action, completely opposite from what Riff Raff is doing. It’s the stats on the song that is of interest to me. Event organizers, promoters, booking agents and media outlets, care more about the stats/popularity, even more than they do the actual quality of music. If bullshit “artist” has 1000 likes and comments on a bullshit song and a real artist has a wonderful song but only 20 likes and 3 comments, then the assumption made is that no one really likes the real artist and these industry individuals will overlook that artist and contact the bullshit artist. This is the importance and power of being that spark of support. A few small sparks can turn into a full blown wildfire. When people see the song has many comments and likes, they are far more likely to give the song a good listen and add on to its success.

So I’m asking you, lover of quality music, lover of style and substance, to assist me in the process of getting quality music out there. Go on to soundcloud and click that pretty little heart button and also to leave a comment. It helps to magnetize the song and draw other people in. Know Thy Self is a song meant to give insight into who we truly are in the grand scheme of life, from the macrocosm to microcosm….physical to metaphysical. It is a song that speaks to us as being much greater than just our human form. It is a song that sets the intention of inspiring a person to remember and tune in to the true Self…….and it is a song that should have just as many, if not much more likes and comments than that Riff Raff monstrosity. The ONLY way good music with substance gets out there, is if the people whom appreciate it, take the small 20 seconds of time to click a little button, leave a comment of love and share it. These small actions go a very long way when added up. Thank you very much for your support! https://soundcloud.com/pitchblackgold/ka-mau-know-thy-self-jedimonk 

Peace,

Kamau

Our Ancestors Will NOT “Roll in Their Graves” If We Don’t Vote…..They Will If We Do!

Maya Angelou just sent me an email. She really did. She wrote,

“My grandmother and my uncle experienced circumstances that would break your heart. when they went to vote, they were asked impossible questions like, “How many angles can dance on the head of a pin?” When they couldn’t answer, they couldn’t vote. I once debated with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. about whether an African-American would ever be elected president. He believed it would happen within the next 40 years at the time – I believed it would never happen in my lifetime. I have never been happier to have been proven wrong. And since President Obama’s historic election, we’ve moved forward in courageous and beautiful ways. More students can afford college, and more families have access to affordable health insurance. Women have greater opportunities to get equal pay for equal work. Yet as Rev. King wrote,”All progress is precarious.” So don’t sit there on the sidelines. Don’t hesitate. Don’t have any regrets. Vote.” -Maya Angelou

Thank you Mama Maya for all of your efforts to represent and see the best in Black people progress and elevate. As an honorable elder, I give you all the due respect your life has earned, but to say we have moved forward in “courageous and beautiful ways” since Obama has been elected is deeply irresponsible at best. While I know you have the purest of intentions and may honestly believe those words, you are just wrong with your assertion. I must ask the question, what world you are looking at? Is this truly the world that you see? If it is, it’s far different from the one I see, or the one people in Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Palestine, Iran see. Does my child getting more money for college negate the fact someone else’s child with never get the opportunity to a life, because a missile just ended it?

This post is a critique of Obama’s policies, thus far, in comparison to what our ancestors said and did. Like Maya Angelou, there are many people echoing the same sentiment of blind, turn-the-other-cheek support, despite the fact that Obama continued, on a much greater scale, everything Bush had done. Along with that, everywhere read of a Black man or woman whom has opened their eyes to see the puppet show circus that the 2012 presidential election for what it is, I read of these individuals being treated as if they are somehow traitors to their people and disrespecting their/our forefathers and mothers legacy, by choosing to opt out. Rap Artist Lupe Fiasco, who did not vote for Obama in 2008, has said that he does not believe in the presidential voting system at all (He supports voting locally, as I also do) and for his open anti-voting stance, he was openly criticized and criticized in discussions all over the place. I read in forums and in posts from friends on Facebook, how they refuse to vote in this election because Romney is obviously not getting their vote, and they cannot in good conscious vote for Obama, who is so clearly just a more charming and swagged out version of his opponent. They also get emotion-based assumptions and opinions tossed their way. “A Black man comes to power and Black people start hating.” No, not hating at all. This is actually love. This is a critique of what he has done in relation to the goal of true universal freedom, justice and equality.

Again, I support voting on local measures and local officials, specifically outside of the republicrat party, -you can actually hold them accountable and pie them easily if they mess up- but for the sake of this writing, we will deal with the national election for president. I’m not going to touch on the fact that there are four other candidates running or how blindly Americans except the Two-Party system as the ONLY option in a “democracy” where we have “freedom of choice”. I’m just going to deal with the Obama apologists and their two primary illogical reasons for choosing to continue their support for this farce.

Illogical Reason #1 – “Our ancestors would roll in their graves if we don’t vote” (for Obama of course)

Of all the reasons thrown out as to why we should vote in this presidential election, this is the most annoying. Don’t choose a candidate because you have studied the issues, the candidate’s positions on the issues and from an informed position, make a choice or choose neither….No, vote for one or the other (actually, vote for Obama) because our ancestors fought for our right to vote, even if you don’t agree with him at all. The ancestral guilt trip might actually be valid, if it weren’t for two simple facts. The first being that voting wasn’t the primary reason they were fighting. Freedom, justice and equality, of which voting was tool towards, was the reason. Two, if the leaders whom were alive at that time were alive today, NONE OF THEM would be going along with this rigged game show. Voting on a local level has a real impact, but none of them would be casting a vote for a democrat or a republican president because they would clearly see no difference between them. They would be in vocal and active protest, calling foul. Let us review a bit of history and read what our ancestors ACTUALLY SAID and based on that decide if they would be casting a vote for Obama, if they were alive today and standing in our current crossroad.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Now we all already know that Dr. King was the primary activist in getting the voting rights act passed in 1965, so the question we must ask is, would he be voting for Obama?

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” -Dr. MLK Jr. from “A Letter From Birmingham Jail“

….Concerning Guantanamo Prison, where hundreds were/are being detained and many tortured, without ever having received any kind of due process, Obama said he would immediately close the prison when he became president, but what he did was quite the opposite. Guantanamo is still active with no sign of closing, but it was the American people that allowed him to go back on his promise, and that neglect on the American people’s part has inevitably led to the boogeyman out there, becoming the boogeyman within and President Obama signed NDAA.

“As in so many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us. We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the national community. Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided to undertake a process of self-purification. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: “Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?” “Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?” We decided to schedule our direct-action program for the Easter season, realizing that except for Christmas, this is the main shopping period of the year. Knowing that a strong economic-withdrawal program would be the by-product of direct action, we felt that this would be the best time to bring pressure to bear on the merchants for the needed change.” Dr. MLK Jr.

“As President of our country and Commander in Chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things everyday….and I will always defend their right to do so.” – Barack Obama to the UN

…..Then why the hell did you sign that anti-protesting legislation into law?!? Now seriously, would Dr. King be okay with that? Would he cast a vote for Obama, knowing that he signed into law a bill that made it a federal offense to protest anywhere near any elites whom have secret service agent protection. Would he vote for a man who signed a law that made it illegal to do the very actions that earned us to right to vote in the first place? Think about that. Would Dr. King and all the Freedom Marchers “roll over in their graves” if you did not vote for Obama or would they roll over if you did? I’m not going even get into Dr. King’s foreign policy versus Obamney’s. Dr King would NOT be supporting this election. Let’s move on to another famous ancestor…

Malcolm X

Okay now, c’mon….this is Malcolm X we’re talking about. How could anybody whom has read any of Brother Malcolm’s writing and/or listened to his speeches even think for one second that he would cast a vote for Obama? I mean for real, do I really need to pull quotes for this one? Just listen…….seriously though.

Fannie Lou Hamer

“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired!” -Fannie Lou Hamer

Meet Monsanto’s Number One Lobbyist!

Meet the Obama appointees:

*At the USDA, as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Roger Beachy, former director of the Monsanto Danforth Center.

*As deputy commissioner of the FDA, the new food-safety-issues czar, the infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.

*As commissioner of the USDA, Iowa governor, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack had set up a national group, the Governors’ Biotechnology Partnership, and had been given a Governor of the Year Award by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include Monsanto.

*As the new Agriculture Trade Representative, who would push GMOs for export, Islam Siddiqui, a former Monsanto lobbyist.

*As the new counsel for the USDA, Ramona Romero, who had been corporate counsel for another biotech giant, DuPont.

*As the new head of the USAID, Rajiv Shah, who had preciously worked in key positions for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major funder of GMO agriculture research. (Look deeper into Mr. and Mrs. Gates foundation motives here)

*We should also remember that Obama’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, once worked for the Rose law firm. That firm was counsel to Monsanto.

*Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court. Kagan, as federal solicitor general, had previously argued for Monsanto in the Monsanto v. Geertson seed case before the Supreme Court.

…..Fannie Lou would NOT vote Obama.

W.E.B Du Bois

“I have no advice for others in this election. Are you voting Democratic? Well and good; all I ask is why? Are you voting for Eisenhower and his smooth team of bright ghost writers? Again, why? Will your helpless vote either way support or restore democracy to America? Is the refusal to vote in this phony election a counsel of despair? No, it is dogged hope. It is hope that if twenty-five million voters refrain from voting in 1956 because of their own accord and not because of a sly wink from Khrushchev, this might make the American people ask how much longer this dumb farce can proceed without even a whimper of protest.“ – W.E.B Du Bois from “Why I Won’t Vote”

“The two parties have combined against us to nullify our power by a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ of non-recognition, no matter how we vote … May God write us down as asses if ever again we are found putting our trust in either the Republican or the Democratic Parties.” — W.E.B. DuBois (1922)   {I tried to find where this quote came from but couldn’t. It’s a dope quote anyways so I posted it}

I can continue with others, but it’s not necessary. You see, based on what they said and their actions, our iconic ancestors would not have voted for corporatist-militarist-Obama. Nor would they have let the situation get this far down the gutter to begin with, if they were faced with it. They wouldn’t have let up on the Bush administration. They would have been intelligent and critical enough and to pass the litmus test of 9/11. When Obama continued the Bush policy of bank bailouts, despite the huge public disagreement, they would’ve done as Iceland did, intelligently and non-violently remove their government and establish a new one. Where have we heard that “remove the government” type thought before?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” -Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are void documents that are now almost completely meaningless. Without making any amendments they’ve legislatively poked loopholes through every centimeter of the documents and filled them with good old fashioned American wealth hording, fear mongering and Bernaysian- apathy. This entire political system has been completely bought under Obama’s watch and to nothing but the sounds of crickets from the masses of Americans. When the Occupy movement jumped off in an attempt to address all of these issues, where were we as Black folk? For the most part sitting back saying, “Now you know how we feel?”

Our ancestors had far more courage to get out in the streets, continuously, and face the psychopaths in police uniforms and the psychopaths in suit and ties until they reached their goal. For our ancestors, voting was an act of rebellion, as was the fight to have that right. Today, to vote for Obama is anything but an act of rebellion, it is an act of acquiescence. It’s a co-sign for continuing the agenda of war around the world and the war on the non-elite citizens at home.  It is a denial of personal power and collective ability to DO as our ancestors did in addressing the injustices, broken promises and outright lies, exposing those committing the injustices and making new decisions, no matter how difficulty they may appear to be. It is a full acceptance of defeat.

Illogical Reason #2 – “I Just Like Seeing a Black Man as President.”

My eyes did water up slightly when the newly elected family walked out onto that stage back in 2008. How could they not have, it WAS a beautiful sight with so much legacy behind it. Even knowing what I knew about who he was truly working for, at that moment I had to put that aside. My only thought though was for him to do what he promised during his campaign, and DID have the power to do. I went from being 100% skeptical, to allowing my cultural pride and emotional optimism to drop that number down to being 90% skeptical. I sipped some hope/change juice and was a lil tipsy….that is until the moment I knew, with 100% certainty, that he wouldn’t prosecute anyone in the Bush admin. While I can acknowledge the cultural pride that comes with having a Black man and family in the White House, I can also acknowledge that the position of POTUS is essentially a puppet position. It represents the interests of elites, the “haves and have mores” whom live in gated communities far removed from any of the “99%”.  George W. Bush showed and proved this fact. I’m pretty sure you can agree that “because he is Black” is a lame ass reason to vote for the person who is supposedly going to represent for 300 million people and save the Titanic that is America. I don’t need to go too deep on this. I’m just going to give you a quote from a REAL BLACK LEADER.

“The policy of killing that is being carried out by President Obama has wiped out all of the moral credit that Black America accrued over their years of resistance to slavery, Jim Crow, racism, poverty, and militarism. The world understood that Black Americans had a different set of values. That they were against wars, against interference in the affairs of other countries, against imperialism, against colonialism, and against White Supremacy. Now, too many Black Americans cheer a President who defends targeted assassination, drone wars in Africa and elsewhere around the world, boots on the ground globally for the military-industrial-complex, and even torture. Sadly, now much of Black America has chosen to abdicate its moral responsibility and spend whatever moral credit they have earned globally in support of an African descendant President who has ripped to shreds the Bill of Rights, damaged life for tens of thousands of innocent individuals here and abroad hurt by the policies of this Administration, not to mention those who have been killed and will be deformed due to the massive depleted uranium being used.” -Cynthia McKinney  (Full interview HERE)

Solutions?

Of course one would then say, “if not Obama, then who?” To that I say, YOU and YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY! Dead the savior complex and the insanity of continuing to year after year decide between the “lesser of two evils”. I can see how the country and world got hoodwinked in 2008. The PTB were extremely slick in presenting Obama to the public, they knew he would gain Christhood from the public and that would pacify the pervasive revolutionary spirit that had built up under the Bush years. People have been long conditioned to give their power to authority figures, our school systems are set up for that. We must break that conditioning. They are put their by the people to serve the people, not themselves. Most of those high position politicians care more about winning the control and power game, than they do about you or me, so whether Obama is a willing, properly groomed puppet or an honest politician who got turned to the darkside of the force, or he is sincerely trying to change and just can’t do it, the fact is, thus far, he IS following the agenda of psychopathic globalists. I know the powers that be will keep the Obama train rolling, Romney would be far too messy. They much prefer the population to be willful participants in the enslavement process, receiving just enough token measures to keep them from rebelling in any threatening way.

Now is a time to increase one’s self-knowledge and community bonds, through the sharing of information and resources. Our ancestors were not only successful in the civil rights movement because of their determination, they were successful because of their unity and collective will. There are so many laws (that Obama has signed) that has put a huge wall in front of the efforts of community organizing. These laws are all mentioned in links above. These laws MUST be repealed  and until they are, communities MUST insist that local governments refuse to recognize these unconstitutional laws. This is most important to have on full strength as the game winds down.

In the strengthening of community bonds, the police MUST be dealt with.  Nationwide, police forces have been fully ponerized. “When something or someone has become “ponerized” in its strictest sense, it means that the person or group can no longer make the distinction between healthy and pathological thought processes and logic. One is no longer able to draw a line between correct thinking and deviate thinking.” These police officers are in full service to the state and not the people. They now have military toys, uniforms and they will soon to be getting drones, all under the guise of fighting “terror”. They already see us as enemies whom need to be kept in line and they take delight in their power to do so. I won’t pretend to know how to deal with that, I just know it must be dealt with.

If you believe Obama to be one who is truly trying to work within the system, then you should be pulling him back to the will of the people every single time is looks to sway to corporate interests and check the shit out of him when he does. He did say in his speech after being elected, that it would take the people, as a whole, to make the change happen. True, it has ALWAYS been on the people, to check these career politicians (in every branch of government) and remove any of them, through a precise manner that begins grassroots and extends out. When they do not follow the will of the people whom elected them, when they consistently cater to money and corporate lobbyist, they must be exposed and withdrawn from office. Corporations must also be exposed for what they are. Since they are legally a “person”, and are treated as such under law, they must be shown to be the parasitic psychopathic “people” that they are and put in check.

The criteria for serving the public in an elected or appointed position must also change. Anyone serving public office, from the police to the president, must pass psychological testing from multiple independent psychologists. We have a serious problem with psychopaths in power at every level of society. So much so that the system honors and respects psychopathic traits and the laws the manifest from them. Just like athletes must do consistent testing to ensure they are not using enhancement drugs, politicians should be consistently tested to ensure that they are still psychological fit to serve. Another note, no one in government should have a lifetime position, NO ONE. The Supreme Court is a horrible joke….and the Two Party system is an illusion that must end.

All of the above are general things that should be done (along with a lot more) and will only be initiated and supported by the people whom decide to wake up to the fact that there IS an agenda at play to completely enslave and control every aspect of the life of the population and the polarity games only serve to distract. No real change can happen if people cannot wake up to this basic fact. It’s no longer a behind closed doors thing, it’s in plain sight, but so many of us are still taking things at face value. Before we can properly walk the road to solutions, real solutions, must bring to light the real problems.

Truth to you.

PitchBlackGold’s Final Project – A Sense of Urgency EP

A Sense of Urgency is a project that represents the feeling that has been steadily increasing in me over the last couple of years. A feeling that we must pick up the pace as we move toward the goals that we seek to accomplish on every level. It is prime time for our personal and collective evolution and there are forces at work

whom do not want that to happen. These forces are doing all possible to create the exact opposite in fact. These are 5 songs address the global politricks at play and the necessity of tapping in to our higher knowledge to make it through these times.You can download this project for free or if you are feeling giving you can purchase at whatever price you wish. I would hope you choose the latter, as funds goes to support upcoming projects in which I will be using my name Ka Mau. Peace and Thank you. http://pitchblackgold.bandcamp.com/album/a-sense-of-urgency-ep

http://pitchblackgold.bandcamp.com/

Ka Mau

Silent Disco – The Good, The Bad and The WTF?!?!

 

Silent Disco – The Good, Bad and the WTF?!?!

 

   A couple months ago was the first time I ever the term “silent disco” (I live in Bali, i’ll accept my late pass). There was an event put on at GWK featuring the Gorillaz Sound System with Kelis and a good number of local dj’s playing. I was asked to play for that event, but got the message when I was on a technology fast with a fine lady up in Amed. When I finally returned the message, the line up was set. I asked people about the event and the only thing people spoke about was this “silent disco”.  Here’s what it is;

Party goers are given a set of headphones at the entrance to the venue. On the headphones are an on & off switch, a volume control and a switch to move between three different channels. Each channel is connected to an individual dj and associated with a color which lights up on the headphone to signify which dj you are listening to. The djs are all playing different music at the same time. For example, Dj Green is playing techno, Dj Red is playing hip-hop music, Dj Blue is playing drum and bass. Depending on your taste you can choose any DJ at any time you wish. No sound is being projected out in to the venue via speakers, only through the headphones. Very interest concept, like radio station clubbing.

   So, this past Friday I dj’d at the Silent Disco event at the Sandpit on Double Six beach. From 3pm to 3am, 32 dj’s would spin an hour set each. I played from 9:15 – 10:15pm, just as the party was getting hot. Apparently there were 1000 headphones available and all of them were given out, so you know it was a thick night. What I am about to give is an opinion.  I give it as someone who arrived early to hear and peep the sunset vibe before playing a primetime set, danced in the crowd for a bit after and then took off my headphones and just observed the social game at play. So with no further ado, here’s the good, the bad and the wtf?!?!…

THE GOOD

The concept itself is great. In many clubs around the world, people have the option of going to different rooms and hearing different dj’s. I like the idea of bringing different musical vibes in to one space and at any point in time being able to switch it up if that’s what you feel like doing. If you love soulful house and someone you are with, or want to be with is feeling progressive house, you both can still hangout and dance together, somewhat. You can maintain your individual tastes and still be with the collective. No one needs to be left out of the fun…that is unless someone is not feeling any of the 3 dj’s music. The fact that no sound is being projected out is a BIG plus for a place like Bali, where there are many areas (Ubud) that will not allow loud music, even in private houses, late night. It’s also great that if you want to take a break or to say something to someone, you can just take off your headphones. No more screaming to be heard.

THE BAD

Unfortunately, while it may look cool to have the crowd lit up like Sims characters and the social groups clearly seen, it can feed a herd mentality in the crowd and even worse, it forces djs to compete for listeners. When colors shifted overwhelming to one color, I watched a few of the djs take off their headphones and put on the general headphones to hear what the other dj was playing. I have no doubt that they altered their song selection based on what they heard. It’s an unnecessary burden put on the dj. While I never heard what the other djs were playing, to watch an entire crowd shift to one channel, zaps the fun right out of the experience. I found myself pulling out songs I didn’t intend on playing, but I know anyone who switched to my channel would stay there if they heard that song. It’s wack when you are dropping songs you know are hot for your genre of play and you are trying some dope new songs and you look out and see no one listening to it, because….

THE WTF?!?!

 A center stage crowd hyping mc?!?! At a silent disco?!?! For real???

I’m Dj Red in the center. In front of me is a runway stage for the upcoming dancers and cute breezies to pour liquor down throats. So I’m just starting my set, maybe about 2 or 3 songs in. The headphone lightshow had a blue majority where it had been for the last 15 minutes with good doses of green and red out there. All of a sudden, coming out of the green corner straight to the front of the stage with a damn mic is a jumping, shouting mc. I didn’t even need to hear him, I just seen his hand go up, then the green headphones hands go up and right after that the entire crowd switch to green. It was pretty damn disrespectful and I don’t mean just the fact that there was a mc. Before this moment, a previous dj had an mc in that same green booth, but he stood right next to the dj the entire time, not running out to grab attention. Dj Stan is a dope dj already, it’s not like he NEEDS a hype man, but especially not in a setting like this. No other dj had a microphone to communicate with the crowd. In order to compensate, one dj was repeatedly leaving from behind the decks to walk out and try and get the crowd to tune in to her. After my set, I went and did a little mcing with Stan because I wanted to see for myself the effect, and it was the same. When I went out the colors, which by this time had moved around, switched over to green to hear my voice. There should be NO DESIGNATED MCs at a silent disco, it’s unfair and not respectful of the other dj’s. If dj’s wanna talk, they should all be given mics and they can do it on their own.

Adding to that wackness, was watching people go around trying to convince others to listen to what they were listening to. I even found myself doing that with friends when I first went out in the crowd…it’s not cool at all. The whole point is that I can vibe on what I want and so can you. As soon as I caught myself playing that dumb game I ceased, but the conditions are set up where it forces competition and color cheerleading. “Look how much fun I’m having, switch to blue. Oh, I’m on red now, so switch to red with me. Look, everyone else is on green, you should switch to green”

IMPROVEMENTS

I honestly believe this type of event is going to become more popular and very common, but there should be some adjustments to ensure that it stays fun for everyone. Here are few things I think the event organizers should consider.

1. Get rid of the color codes. Use a number system linking the channels with the dj and make the headphone lights random colors. It would remove the competitive nature that the color system imposes and the dj’s can play more true to themselves if they do not know who is listening to them or not. The only way people in the crowd can tell who is listening to which dj is by the way they are dancing. That would add an entire new level of social fun in the crowd.
2. NO MCs!!! This event should be about the music purely, not extra hype antics.
3. NO MCs!!!
4. Djs have the option of having a mic which they alone can use, from behind the decks.
5. A more diverse selection of djs. The music selection was overwhelming electronic. For the entire first half of the event, it was nothing but electronic music, with very little distinction between the djs. The middle section diversified a bit, but the late session was totally electronic again coming from all 3 djs.
6. NO MCs!!!
7. Get the cdjs that can use USB sticks. Sometimes djs do not want to bring all of their gear to do a short set. USBs are a good thing in these cases.
8. Make use of the video monitors and properly introduce when a new dj begins. Some people may not even know that a new dj has started and new genres of music have been introduced.
9. NO MCs!!!

That’s how I see it. Overall, the event dope and has a lot of potential. I hope this gets taken into consideration. Peace

 

I

 

  

PitchBlackGold – No More Lies (Video)……….and the power of the little “Like” button.

I like the way this turned out. Please view and if you do, please click the “like button” ( even if you don’t like it, you can also click it just to show support). That small little button is funny. It has A LOT of influence on taking an artist to another level in terms of booking shows and paying rent. If wack thug-drug-hip-pop artist makes bad song and dumb video, but has 100,000 views and 1000 “likes”, wack thug-drug-hip-pop artist will get booked for shows and eat good. If dope talented-soulful-honest-socially-aware artist makes good song and cool video, but only 300 views and 11 “likes”, dope talented-soulful-honest-socially-aware artist must sometimes borrow money to pay rent because he had to pay for a tooth extraction or something, and artists are not insured. When recording artists are doing their promo thing and are in communication to book performances, the promoters and event organizers always do Youtube searches. They look at the number of views and the “likes” and can greatly influence their decision to book an artist or not.

I’m doing my part to bring awareness to the state of our world and it’s direction and how to recognize and own our true power.  To hopefully inspire and offer a person the opportunity to shift their perception and grow into greater states of awareness of what’s happening around us, and who we choose to be in relation to it. It’s a difficult path on it’s own, triply difficult to do it through the lane of rap music in 2012.

I create music to be of benefit to people and I would love to dedicate 100% of my time to creating music with that purpose. To do this on a grand level, I need your assistance….WE need your assistance. I’m not asking you to buy anything. I’m only asking you to support by viewing, clicking that little “like” button, and sharing with your friends. By doing this you are assisting in balancing out the bullshit music that feeds our descent into corporate sanctioned madness. You are also supporting the progress of music that cares about the future of the planet life and the life that resides on it.

This has been a public service announcement provided to you by your PitchBlackGold.  Thank you. Peace

Free Download:  PitchBlackGold – No More Lies

PitchBlackGold – No More Lies (LYRICS)

Verse 1:

Lets get
Liberation from the hands of the masons
The plans that we facin’
Will make the earth into a planet plantation
I stand in amazement
Wondering
Will humanity wake up?
Get its shit together before the land starts to shake up
Earthquake what?
Brake up
Politicians corrupt
Trying to cling to a system that was bound to self destruct
Many holla “revolution” but who down to back it up?
The government officials call it a bluff
Now what we gon’ do?
They on you and me
Claiming “All Eye See”
Turning citizens to cattle under Homeland Security
I hear the tails rattled with the sounds of impurity
Now echoes of an Adolf can be heard in this century

Chorus x2:

No more lies from pulpits
We See through your bullshit.

Verse 2:

Will history repeat itself?
Health deleted by missles?
Or will the whole planet blow the whistle?
Cuz the people united will never be defeated
The people united will never be defeated
The people united will never be defeated
It sounds good to say but will we ever achieve it?
The point of no return is no here
Best believe it
Who’s plottin’ on the right course of action when they weeded?
Indeed it takes the holistic moves to be completed
The truest revolution has the soul deeply seeded
And we need it in ever sequence
Frequently come anew
Be it and see the reaches
Far from plain view
We came through the gates with the traits to create schools
Anybody try to stop us we must break them lame dudes
The same dudes making new rules to enslave crews
And use network news to spread their fascist views

Chorus x2

Verse 3:

Pitch Black
He refuse to accept it
Never walk the blocks all confused and dejected
See the propaganda fuel the fear
Bring the ruckus
Strings on the dummy
{criminal}
The big puppet
Oppression since day one
Ain’t it time we said “fuck it”
Stop giving ‘em our taxes
Look how they use our duckets
The bald eagle is hungry
It’s feathers better pluck it
If it soars full speed
Ain’t no future for the seeds
The prophecies of chiefs
Steady muted by thieves
Please
Open up your ears
And these words just take heed
Meditation
Plus observation
Equals intuitive movements
Know exactly what you doing
Exactly what you saying
Who you praying to in toil?
This is spiritual warfare
It’s much much bigger than oil
It’s much bigger than oil
It’s much much bigger than oil

Chorus x2

I think I’m going to dip my mind into a new approach.

Ok, so I just watched this TedTalk…:

….then I went back and watched my TedTalk (which I’m posting for the first time anywhere right now, because even though I freestyled the whole talk and it was okay considering i was hella nervous, I thought I could’ve done a much better job representing my ideas)…:

 

…then I watched my performance and interview from the other week (starts at 5:30 mark): PitchBlackGold at @America Jakarta

…and I’ve decided to take some new approaches in the manner in which I present certain info. I’m not gonna detail it all here, but I’ve been connecting with some highly creative like minds out here and we cooking up something fresh. I’ll keep you posted. Peace

In Twomp Tweezy, Fully Show Your Creative Azz

Peace and Blessed 2012 to you. We are finally here in the year that has held so many in anticipation and speculation, and it’s crazy how quickly it arrived. It looks like it’s going to be a very interesting year, in just about every aspect of life, as humanity stands directly in front of it’s greatest challenge. Some are foreseeing nothing but doom and gloom and I’m honestly not one to argue with that, as so many signs point to that direction, but i do also see a path that can lead out of the dark forest and into a new clear…..for some at least.

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you” – Jesus ( The Gospel of Thomas)

One of my intentions for twomp tweezy is to release as many creative works as i can that can possibly serve to assist someone in their journey towards greater awareness and being.  It is also my intent to connect with others who are advocates of fresh ass expression via style AND substance based creative works. Socially aware and responsible artists play a HUGE roll in the moving of society towards higher degrees of awareness and understanding. If you hold this view, please holler at me here or through email (pitchblackgold@gmail.com) and let’s see how we can possibly assist each other in the process of setting off audio-visual-conceptual-multidimensional alarm clocks.

Much is in the works, but for now, here is the first entry into the process. Peace and Truth 2 U.

In You…Through You…As You.

“If you cannot look at your brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, wife, husband, lover, friend, foe, neighbor, stranger or yourself and see God, then your religion isn’t working” - Kamau Bakari Abayomi

“Society once suffered from ignorant superstition; today it suffers

from ignorant skepticism. When people are confronted with

a challenging view, most see only that it differs from their own,

and so they dismiss higher truths beyond their recognition as

quickly as they would those obvious delusions beneath their

threshold of gullibility. Higher knowledge is therefore fringe

knowledge because those who pursue it have been alienated to

the fringes of society. These fringe truth seekers follow their

hearts and open their minds, having placed more importance on

the liberation of their souls than the conventions of society”

- Tom Montalk  from the book Fringe Knowledge

Papua Province, Indonesia

Beneraf Market. Papua province, Indonesia

On July 8th, 20,000 Papuans peacefully rally demanding a referendum on West Papuan independence

From westpapua.net:

Facing an epic struggle they see as similar to those of indigenous minorities in Timor, Aceh, Burma, Laos, South Sudan, South Africa, Iroquois America, and so many other nations, people identifying as Papuans are shifting significant energy into a peaceful information campaign meant to help them achieve solidarity as a people along with either greater autonomy or full independence for the Papuans from Indonesia.

The latest chapter of this media campaign is Unheard Voices of West Papua, a wildly colorful online and print history book for kids aimed at underlining the indigenous point of view at the cost of the colonists and Indonesian government.

The book looks great, sounds great, and the people make good points, but many Indonesians of other ethnic groups are going to be either threatened or scared by the otherwise friendly book.

That’s because at the heart of this peaceful media with cool pictures and fascinating people is the core argument that the Dutch, and then Indonesian government, colonized the region and brutalized the people, and that Indonesia continues to exploit natural resources for the profit of the central government and Western corporations at the cost of the native people.

While much of this is well evidenced — the Indonesian government itself has admitted there’s a serious problem simply by shifting significant military resources to the region, brokering political talks, and prohibiting foreign journalists, if not by acknowledging the many, many allegations that they have tortured or even murdered indigenous activists — the moral problem for the international community comes down to the same issue as in other rebel regions of the world.

For the rest of the article click here

Read Unheard Voices of West Papua: unheardvoices.westpapua.ca

Other articles:

http://www.fpcn-global.org/content/Thousands-Papuans-Rally-Again-Referendum

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/a-mediating-hand-to-pull-papua-back-from-the-edge/387234

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/19/fossilfuels.indonesia