Experimental Video 2:30 2003 The Netherlands

A bit of relaxation now and then is far from superfluous when it comes to a healthy development of these young Japanese schoolgirls.

CRUTCHMASTER Nicolas Jenkins

Documentary Video 9:00 2004

Performance artist Bill Shannon AKA Crutch Master integrates the crutches that he uses to get around into his art developing a hybrid of skateboarding and hip-hop. A mix that stems from philosophy as well as physical necessity.

MY BROTHER IS JAMES CHANCE Jamie Levinson

Documentary Video 25:00 2004

Milwaukee native, David Siegfried, is the brother of late 70s No-Wave music pioneer James Chance. While James went on to an influential career in New York, David stayed behind in the Midwest opting for a degree in microbiology. Nearly 20 years later Chance, experiencing resurgence in popularity, was invited back to perform in the Midwest. He enlisted Chicago-based Watchers to be his backing band for a brief tour. Given the geographic divide, Chance enlisted his brother to rehearse in his place. Intercut with footage from the tour and rehearsal process David reminisces about his days in music to his current occupation as a vending machine salesman. As David says, “Everyone wants to be like their brother.”

SOUND CLASS Adam Glickman

Documentary Video 40:00 2003

Sound Class traces the history of the Jamaican ‘soundsystem’ and its often overlooked, highly influential impact on hip-hop, DJ culture and modern music generally. Filmed in Kingston, London and New York, the ‘soundsystem’ story is told here for the first time through interviews with musicians such as Coxsone Dodd, U Roy, Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, Paul Simonon of The Clash, Jerry Dammers of The Specials, Sean Paul, Wyclef Jean (who also features in a ball-tearing encounter with Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler) and many more. From their humble beginnings outside liquor stores where they attracted customers, the ‘soundsystems’ soon moved into dance halls, with DJs/selectors doubling as MCs, replacing bands, assembling massive rigs in a funky battle to take over the thriving Jamaican music scene. The development of the ‘soundsystem’ also had a dramatic impact on the music itself, spawning DJ culture and a new style of cutting and mixing tracks; dance-hall reggae, dub, ska and even hip-hop were inextricably linked to the rise of the soundsystem as its influence spread through the UK and into the US, via Kool Herc’s New York block parties. Get ready to feel the bass.

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