JEMAPUR’s MALEDICT CAR ON THE NY TIMES BLOG

Posted on May 13, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

A recent post on the NY Times Blog on W+K Tokyo Lab Artist Jemapur and the video for Maledict Car…

nytimes_blog_sm.jpg

May 11, 2009, 1:05 pm
Now Screening | ‘Maledict Car’
By Horacio Silva

Part music label, part multimedia incubator, the W+K Tokyo Lab is a hotbed of creative activity that brings together artists and musicians like Takagi Masakatsu, DJ Uppercut and Hifana, among others, to offer a unique take on Japanese audiovisual culture. (The lab works under the auspices of the W+K advertising agency but is under no pressure to produce results for clients.) The video, “Maledict Car,” was commissioned for a recent a DVD, book and blog compilation that chronicles W+K Tokyo Lab’s output since its inception five years ago. Directed by the emerging talent Kosai Sekine, “Maledict Car” is a geometric visual journey through Tokyo, set to music by the label’s latest find, Jemapur. Explains Eric Cruz, W+K’s creative director: “We took Tokyo’s daily visual patterns and transformed them into a surreal, infinite loop — a kaleidoscopic mandala, if you will. The video presents us with a floating view of Tokyo – its beauty, perversion, disorientation, confusion and systematic order – all in one, re-experiencing the city as we read between the lines, capturing Tokyo’s pulse, vitality and flow.” If only all adventures in advertising were so daring.

Pictoplasma In Photos

Posted on April 9, 2009
Filed Under International, Events | Leave a Comment

+cruz and Shane represented W+K Tokyo Lab at Pictoplasma in Berlin two weekends ago. We took an overnight flight Weds night, landing in Berlin with no sleep on Thurs. morning. The event was held at this building/convention center called the Haus Der Kulturen Der Welt.

haus

haus

haus

Inside the large open area when you walk in was an installation by Friends with You, including a giant smiling inflatable bouncy house.

friends with you

friends with you

friends with you

friends with you

In the basement was the gallery exhibition, with many excellent character based artworks by a wide range of international artists, some of which you can see in our photos, as well as here.

art entrance

art

art

art

art

art

On Thursday we went and caught the presentation by Saiman Chow, and it was really inspirational for me to see his talk. Saiman is a fellow Art Center alum, and he remarked something like it was the most expensive art school you could go to. :D

saiman

Later on, we went and visited gallery Neurotitan, which is now hosting the Tokyo.Ten exhibition. You walk through a small alley and staircase covered in amazing street art to enter the gallery. Neurotitan also has an excellent shop with design and art books, zines, records and T-shirts.

neutronian

ten flyer

neutronian ten

neutronian ten

neutronian ten

neutronian ten products

In the other half of the gallery was a rad show of pixel art made from Post-it notes.

neutronian pixel

neutronian pixel

Other shops in the vicinity we visited were O.K. and Pro qm, two of my favorites discovered on my last visit to Berlin. A guy called Digiki had apparently visited Pro qm just before us…

o.k.

proqm

digiki proqm

That night we met friends Aleksandra and Oliver for dinner in the same area. Most the restaurants had closed by this time, but we found one vietnamese place to eat at.

vietnamese

aleksoli

Between all these things we were taking time to prepare the showreel and presentation back at the hotel. We kept preparing in the backstage area up to about 10 minutes before the presentation actually started. Then +cruz started his talk. I joined in later. A lot of people were in the auditorium which was nice. We met a number of nice peeps after it was over.

cruz

cruz

cruz

picto audience

Now that that was over, we turned toward preparing our visual presentation for the live show that would happen that night. The venue was the Tape club, Heidestrasse.

tape club sign

tapes hall

We saw this really cool band called Motherland perform in the same room where we did our visual projection. We caught their rehearsal, and later their live show, which was a collaboration with a art/fashion label Andrea Crews and had some fresh Disney-fusion styling. Here’s a couple videos of our favorite song in both rehearsal and live performance. We thought they were singing “touch bunny” in the chorus but were dying to know the real lyrics. Please send us your music!!!

motherland

motherland

Our show started and we took over the three screen projection and a white sphere for over an hour. There was no DJ; we let the sound from the videos flow.

vj setup

vj setup

vj hifana

vj crowd

vj akero

The reaction was good and we got a number of compliments. Finally we left the club sometime between 3 and 4. The next day we got up around 8 to fly out.

plane

Luckily we somehow arrived at Narita before the tragic exploding FedEx jet shut air traffic down that same morning. We went straight to W+K after that for work. It was a hectic but fun trip and we got to meet a lot of cool people. Hopefully we can visit Berlin again soon.

Jemapur’s Exclusive Mix on W+K Radio

Posted on April 2, 2009
Filed Under Jemapur, News, W+K | Leave a Comment

W+K Radio
Jemapur

Jemapur did an exclusive mix for W+K Radio and it will be broadcasted tonight 1am and tomorrow morning as below.
This 60 minutes mix includes wide range s of good electronic music from experimental to techno, as well as 3 original works that he released from the Lab recently. 　
Now his latest album evacuation is available on iTunes US and Europe, in both music and video. One of the video, titled “Maledict Car” has been getting great reaction globally. Please check it out when you get a chance and let your friends know.

Tokyo Labの新しいアーティスト、JemapurによるW+K RadioのためのExclusive Mixが、今晩１時と明朝、下記の日程で放送されます。ExperimentalからTechnoまで、幅広いタイプの上質なエレクトロニックミュージックと、最近彼がLabからリリースしたオリジナル３曲がミックスされています。
彼の最新アルバム”Evacuation”は、iTunes US, Europeでも発売中。お友達にも知らせてあげてください。

Jemapur 60 minutes exclusive mix on W+K Radio :
http://radio.wk.com/

TOKYO TIME
4/2 (THU) 25:00 (1am on 4/4 Fri)
4/3 (FRI) 10:00 AM

PORTLAND
4/2 (THU) 9:00 AM, 6:00 PM

Video Music : W+K Tokyo Lab’s Lounge Party Report

Posted on April 1, 2009
Filed Under Jemapur, News, People, Events | Leave a Comment

3/28（土）マドラウンジにて、W+K Tokyo Labによるラウンジパーティー “VIDEO MUSIC”が行われた。プロモーション期間が短かったにもかかわらず、当初の予想を大幅に上回る400人以上が来場。いい音楽と、新鮮な映像によるハイブリッドな夜を楽しんだ。　　

W+K Tokyo Lab’s lounge party “Video Music” was held on 3/28 (Sat) at Mado Lounge. Despite the short promotion period, over 400 people showed up, which was much more than our original expectation. Everyone enjoyed the hybrid night of good music and fresh visuals.

Riow Arai

Riow Arai ソリッドなブレイクビーツで会場をわかせた。
Riow Arai crazed the audience with solid break beats.

Jemapur

素晴らしいセットを２回にわたり披露したJemapur。
Jemapur did two amazing performances.

SHANE LESTER

イベント用に設けられたVideo Music専用Myspaceにも数多くの作品募集があり、選ばれた作品はラップトップでオーディエンスに公開された。その中の一人は、急遽VJも担当。

A Myspace page for the event was set up before the event.
Quite a number of artists sent us their works. Selected works were showcased on some laptops at the venue. One of them joined in VJing with the Tokyo Lab team.


See more photos here!

VIDEOMUSIC AT MADO LOUNGE : 3/28 (SAT)

Posted on March 24, 2009
Filed Under Jemapur, News, People, Events, Press | Leave a Comment

videomusic invitation

今週３月２８日（土）六本木ヒルズ 52階 のマドラウンジにて、W+K Tokyo Labに
よる初のラウンジパーティー “VIDEO MUSIC”を行います。
W+K Tokyo Lab is holding a lounge party “Video Music” this Saturday at Mado lounge / Roppongi Hills 52F.
http://www.myspace.com/wktokyolounge

この日、六本木界隈では、街がアートと融合する「六本木アートナイト」というイベントが行われており、体長7.2メートルのロボット、「ジャイアント・トらやん」による火を噴くパフォーマンスなども行われます。

This event is a part of Roppongi Art Night fusing Roppongi city and art, organized by Midtown, Roppongi Hills, Suntory Museum, NACT and Tokyo city. More info here.

ハイブリッドをコンセプトに、数々のハイクオリティーな音楽＋映像作品を、世界に発信してきたレーベル W+K Tokyo Labによるラウンジパーティー”VIDEO MUSIC” 。東京を拠点に、新しい表現の世界を切り開くクリエーターたちと、柔軟かつ鋭い感性で、時代を読み解くヒントを探すオーディエンスを結びつけるコミュニケーションの場として、2009年3月、マドラウンジからスタートします。
“VIDEO MUSIC” is a lounge party hosted by W+K Tokyo Lab, a label that has been creating high quality music + video works embracing the concept of ‘hybrid’. The party will be held in March 2009 at Mado Lounge, with hopes and gathering and connecting Tokyo-based creators who are pushing the boundaries in creative expressions, while seeking hints to understand the current era.

W+K Tokyo Lab Presents “VIDEO MUSIC”
Date : 3-28-2009 (sat) 22:00 start
Place : Mado Lounge (Roppongi Hills 52F) 03-3470-0052 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo
Price : 3500 JPY / 3000 JPY members’ discount
Music : Riow Arai, Hiroshi Watanabe a.k.a. Kaito, Jemapur, Mr. Plamo, Woog, Drag+Drop
Visuals : W+K Tokyo Lab
Planning and Production : W+K Tokyo Lab, Stormworks, IMI, JASPEX

Pictoplasma In Photos: A Prelude

Posted on March 23, 2009
Filed Under People, International, Events | Leave a Comment

I can’t think straight to write something at the moment, so here is just a small collection of photos we took on our Pictoplasma adventure. More to come soon, with proper explanation.

the venue

tokyo ten berlin

pixel art

robot

presentation

artwork

audience

party sphere

costumes

balloon

picto sign

pictopia venue

W+K TOKYO LAB x PICTOPLASMA : PICTOPIA

Posted on March 12, 2009
Filed Under People, International, Events, W+K | Leave a Comment

pictopia_characterscope_blog.jpg

3rd Pictoplasma Conference and Festival
Berlin, Germany
19.03. - 21.03.2009
_
http://festival.pictoplasma.com/
http://pictoplasma.com/
http://pictopia.festival.pictoplasma.com/speakers/wktokyolab
_
PICTOPLASMA and The House of Culture Berlin invited W+K TOKYO LAB to lecture and do a video installation at this years festival - PICTOPIA - in Berlin from March 18-21. During this time of year, Pictoplasma transforms Berlin into a kind of Lollapalooza for character design and animation. Sounds promising.
_
W+K TOKYO LAB LECTURE
+CRUZ and Shane Lester
March 21 | SATURDAY | 12.00hr
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W+K TOKYO LAB VIDEO INSTALLATION
CHARACTERSCOPE SHOWDOWN PARTY
March 21 | SATURDAY | 23.00hr
we come on at midnight
_
TOKYO.TEN : BERLIN EXHIBITION
NEUROTITAN GALLERY
March 17th – April 11th

Opening : March 17th at 12hr
Hours : Mon-Sat 12-20h and Sun 14-19h

Neurotitan Im Haus Schwarzenberg
Rosenthaler Str. 39
10178 Berlin
www.neurotitan.de
+ 49 177 52 11117

Coinciding with the Pictoplasma Character Walk, we will have a small exhibition at Neurotitan Gallery, where our work and products will be on display. We cant make it for the opening night on March 17th at 12hr, but we hope to see some of you there in the coming days.

pictopia_banners_2.jpg
_
In spring 2009, Pictoplasma and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt will host the PICTOPIA festival, the world’s first ever large-scale presentation and celebration of reduced and abstract character design and art.

In March and April, Berlin will be transformed into a character biotope and a meeting point for an international scene of designers, artists, producers and an interested public. At the heart of the festival is an exhibition which explores the huge diversity of the character universe, where artists remix and sample, condense the surreal and uncanny, inflate all proportions and stage bizarre rituals to introduce their characters into contemporary culture.

The festival programme also features the long-awaited 3rd Pictoplasma Conference which, since its inception in 2004, has set the standard for a playful yet concentrated approach to the subject. For the first time, scientific light will be shed on the character phenomenon in a symposium, which brings together experts from the fields of art history, cultural studies, robotics and media theory.

The Pictoplasma Animation Festival will put the characters in motion, steering well clear of the mainstream. And the Character Walk will lead visitors through 20 galleries and project rooms throughout Berlin-Mitte and deeper into the visual worlds of individual artists.

_
3rd PICTOPLASMA CONFERENCE
MARCH 19 - 21 2009

The unique Pictoplasma Conference on contemporary character design and art returns for its 3rd edition to bring together makers from around the world. Presentations by 18 outstanding designers, artists and animation film makers, such as Klaus Haapaniemi (FIN), James Jarvis (UK), Boris Hoppek (DE/ES), Faiyaz Jafri (NL/USA) and W+KTokyoLab (JP). Animation screenings show focussed selections of motion graphics, short films and music videos and open workshops actively integrate the attendees and call for participation. A series of performances, VJ-parties, installations and interventions will further add to the programme.

_
1st PICTOPLASMA SYMPOSIUM
MARCH 19 - 21 2009

For the first time, a symposium discusses the cultural implications of the phenomenon from an academic perspective. With contributions by Christoph Bartneck (information design, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven/NL), Cindy Lisica (art theory, University of the Arts in London/UK), Geoffrey Long (media theory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge /USA), Ken Belson (New York Times / USA), Klaus-Peter Köpping (ethnology, Universität Heidelberg/DE), Ragnhild Tronstad (theory of performance, theatre and media, Universität Oslo/NOR) and Verena Kuni (art and media theory, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe Universität Frankfurt/DE).

_
CHARACTER WALK BERLIN
MARCH 17 - 22 2009

As the official opening event to the Pictoplasma Conference, the Character Walk is a guided tour through over twenty galleries and project spaces in Berlin, showcasing different positions of artists working in the genre of reduced figuration. The exhibitions will include the wooden figures of the Argentinean artist Juan Pablo Cambariere, a media installation by Swiss designer François Chalet and new paintings by Dutch multi-talent Fons Schiedon. Additionally, performances and installations in nightclubs and other venues in Berlin celebrate the “Characters in Rhythm.”

Chinza Dopeness + Hifana live report!

Posted on March 2, 2009
Filed Under Chinza, Hifana, Events | Leave a Comment

2/28(土）吉祥寺のS.P.C.にて、日本伝統的雅楽の家元で、様々なパーカッションを縦横無尽に操る仙波清彦と、Hifanaによる冬期太鼓オリンピックが開催された。

The “Winter Drums Olympics” show was held at Kochijyoji Star Pines Café on Saturday 2/28. It was organized by Hifana and Kiyohiko Senba, a master of Japanese classical music called “Gagaku” who is a master precussionist and plays all kinds of drums in any way you can imagine.

Chinza live

Chinza live

まずは、鎮座ドープネスとビートボクサー桜井響による鎮響。 7時からのトップのライブとは思えぬアゲアゲのパフォーマンスで、会場を完全にロック。桜井響が生み出すソリッドなビートに、鎮座のラップと、ボディムーブ、ユーモアあふれるMCが絡む素晴らしいライブを披露。

The show started off with Chin-Kyo, a unit of Chinza Dopeness and Kyo Sakurai, human beat boxer. Unlike your typical opening act starting at 7, their performance was explosive and completely hooked the audience from the very beginning. The mixture of Kyo Sakurai’s solid beat, Chinza’s rapping, body movement and hilarious MCing turned out to be a great set.

Chinza live

Chinza live

続いて、HIFANA。 鎮座、パーカッショニスト IZPONとのグルーブ感あふれるセッション、新曲HANABIにつづいて、仙波師匠とのセッションによる「WAMONO」。 仙波氏の迫力あるドラムが加わり、いつもよりドライブ感のある演奏で会場も大盛り上がり。

Next up was Hifana. Following a session with Chinza and Izpon (another great percussionist) and the new track Hanabi, “Wamono” was performed in session with the master himself, Mr. Senba. His incredible drumming made Wamono’s performance more driving than usual and once again heated up the crowd.

hifana session

hifana session

最後は仙波清彦とカルガモーズ。　和太鼓、タブラ、ドラム２台、ボンゴ、トランペットなど、打楽器を中心とした20種類以上の生楽器による混成オーケストラ。 約30名近いミュージシャン達が生み出すサウンドは、まさに人力ハイブリッド・ブレイクビーツ。「生」ならではの「うねり」のあるダンスミュージックが、圧倒的な音量で、フロアを直撃する。HIFANAとカルガモーズのセッションもこれまた最高。カルガモのサウンドに、HifanaによるMPCや、ハンドソニックによる少し高質な生打ち電子音が加わり、よりパワフルでモダンなサウンドになっていた。　　

Last up was Senba+Kargamos, which is a hybrid drumming orchestra consisting of more than 20 different musical instruments such as Japanese drum (taiko), tabla, trumpet, bass, etc. The sound made by around 30 musicians was like a crazy and hybrid manual breakbeat. This amazing dance music with grooves that can only be created “live” attacked the floor at an overwhelming volume. Hifana and Kargamo’s session was great as well. Hifana added hard electronic sounds via MPC and handsonic to Kargamo’s performance, bringing a modern and powerful edge.

Chinza live

Hifana’s full Live set on 2/28 (sat)

Posted on February 16, 2009
Filed Under News, Hifana, Events | Leave a Comment

ハイファナ待望の国内フルライブセット。
祥寺拍子 vol.2

Hifana’s long awaited full live set in Domestic.

Jyoji Byoshi vol.2
2/28 (sat) at STAR PINES CAFE.
HIFANA+IZUPON 19:20~
Cinza Dopeness+Kyo Sakurai 19:00~
Senba+karugamos 21:20~

>>>map

Chinza Dopeness’s Live at Venos Tokyo

Posted on February 13, 2009
Filed Under Chinza, Events | Leave a Comment

Wednesday 2/11/09
Chinza Dopeness and Haguretic Emcee’s live at Venos Tokyo.
Chinza’s next performance will be on 2/15 (sun) at Tsuki Miru KimiOmou.
次回、鎮座は2/15(日)、月見ル君想フにて。
AOYAMA 月見ル君想フ

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