New Muslim Cool :: Official Documentary Film Site

New Muslim Cool :: Official Documentary Film Site

Documentary presents the life story of Hamza Perez, a Puerto Rican American Muslim hip hop artist.

What is the new Muslim cool?

Today's Media Log

Began by checking gmail, which connected me with the web in a dizzying spin of consciousness - from facebook, to non-profits pleading for funds, to idealist.org, to bank alerts, and messages on my youtube account. Maybe 10% of the emails in my inbox contained substance, and I'm still not done sorting through the past week. I need to remove myself from some mailing lists. With no less than 5 tabs open on Firefox at a time, ardly mindful media navigation!

Proceeded to Skype with Mom and Noelle.

Then headed out for the day with a book and some kanji flashcards to keep me busy on the bus/train.

After a conversation with the hair dresser while getting my hair cut (is conversation media), bummed around Machida, accepting some free promotional tissues, and checking grocery stores for frozen fruit. Does this all count as media consumption?

Met friends for dinner, then saw inception. Total sensory overload, especially since I'm coming down with a cold. It hurt my brain a little, but a thought provoking thriller for sure.

Back home, and after a stop at a convenience store for some more substantial dinner and my favorite hydrating beverage, NPR! Here's my favorite story from today's All Things Considered, part of a series on faith in China:


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128672542

Reflecting on a conversations with family and friends last week, this story leads me to think about the evolving nature of and relationship between the terms religion, spirituality, faith, superstition, culture, and politics, etc. These terms are alternately used to describe the same phenomena, but with different shades of meaning, and the ability to shift the balance of power from a tone of grave reverence for the sacred, to condemnation of the common. If any or all of these terms interest you, check out the story, and consider how these terms are used.

Autotune

The three videos above employ auto-tune for various purposes - comedic remix of an infomercial; humorous political commentary and product promotion; and a moving appeal on behalf of the wonder of science. What is it that makes autotune so amusing?

As Jimmy Kimmel says in the third video, auto-tune is a technology that can turn any voice into music. In other words, it takes prerecorded audio and matches it to a given musical pitch or scale. I often get autotune confused with vocoding, which mixes a vocal audio track and synthesizer to make a newly combined synthesizer, which can sound like it's talking. The difference is explained here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/audio-effects-vocoder-auto-tune.html

These days, autotune is all the rage in popular music, from Justin Beiber to Lil' Wayne. You can hear it in almost every hit hip-hop song in the past two or three years, and these videos demonstrate its wide appeal among viral video remixers. Why do people love autotune so much?

*JARGON ALERT*In Discources in Place, the authors define modality as "As Kress and van Leeuwen use the term...the truth value or cedibility of...statements about the world." (This definition is derived from linguistics. The term has a different use in semiotics.)The components of modality include color saturation, color differentiation, color modulation, contextualization, reprentation, depth, illumination, and brightness. *END JARGON ALERT*

In other words, like autotune, effects can be applied to photos or visual images. And these effects have a bearing on how "real" or "true" the image appears to us. These images were taken from someone's blogpost on the subject:







Each effect gives the image a different feeling, adding a layer of meaning to the original image. Similarly, autotune can add a layer of meaning, a sort of hue, to the human voice. The question is which is more "true," the original or the effected copy? And which is more powerful, effective, and meaningful? In the example of the photos, the original image would be said to be more representative of the "true" baseball player being represented. And in the case of autotune, the original speech or music would be the "natural" version heard in the real world. However, in both cases the effected image or sound is more interesting, captivating more attention than the original. Would I watch an infomercial or a compilation of news clips or popular science videos if they were presented in their original form? Maybe. But I would be willing to bet that the Slapchop sales went through the roof by the time DJ Steve Porter's remix video of the infomercial reached over a million hits on youtube.

This is a great example of remix culture. Is it infringement or artistic recreation? In any case, we can see here how the remixed copy adds value to the original and doesn't diminish it. Forging a new creation with various sources (i.e. infomercial, Breakin' (1984), and some synthesized guitar lines/beats/bass) makes something which may not convey the same information as the original, but generates a more emotional response. In fact, I would argue that as autotune becomes normalized through pop music and remix culture, it becomes more "real" in some respects than unadulterated audio, the orignal copy.

Whether this trend has positive or negative consequences is a subject of fervent debate. People rail against autotune in digital discourse, bemoaning the destruction of "real" talent in the music industry. For my part, I really like autotune and vocoder effects. I find them really amusing and naturally interesting, for reasons outlined above. What I find more troubling is our collective inability to concentrate on simple or natural phenomena that don't have a layer of digitized meaning. Despite this concern, I try to welcome the thriving new digital culture based on the saying "it's turtles all the way down." It's all part of evolution. Before viral videos we had music videos. And before music videos, we had radio. And before radio we had newspapers. And before newspapers, we had the printing press. And before the printing press, we had quills and paper. And before the advent of writing, we had spoken language. The list goes on and on to infinity until we reach the dawn of life. And if we think about it, life is another form of cosmic technology.

Forgive the philosohpical rambling, but if you've read this far, you must be interested, so send me your favorite example of autotune. :)

Omikoshi Festival

Just got back from a summer "mikoshi" festival in Suge on the outskirts of Tokyo. Invited by Yuji, an Obirin student who is also a DJ and studies English through hip-hop, I went without really knowing entirely what I was getting myself into, but I had a blast. I'll try to convey why this event was special for me and the community where it was held.

This wasn't the first time I've heard of an "omikoshi" (translated as portable shrine) (日本語で「御神輿」). As preparation for a speaking assignment in our English Language Program (ELP) courses, the ELP director prepared a video in which he was interviewed about his favorite festival, which happened to be the omikoshi festival. He talked about how the shrine was carried from place to place and people drink sake/nihonshuu and are generally merry and sometimes the shrine is thrown into the air. So at that point I had some idea of what an omikoshi (the "o" makes it an honorific) is.

When I got the invitation from Yuji last week, he asked me to wear comfortable white clothes, and bring tabi, or traditional Japanese shoes used for exercise or martial arts, etc. So I realized we would be participating in the festival, not just watching. I asked him if I could bring a video camera and he said fine, so I got the impression it would be OK to both observe and participate.

***This brings me to today's media news, which is that I just purchased my first camcorder! JVC Everio GZ-HM1. This also contributed to the significance of the event for me.***

As it turned out, I participated almost the whole time. When I got there, Yuji gave me a happi coat with his neighborhood group logo. Each neighborhood has their own mikoshi group with four localities represented at this festival. Yuji's neighborhood group is called the "seven god group (七神会)." Two of the guys in the group tried to explain it to me, and apparently the shrine represents 7 kinds of gods from land, sea, sky, wind, happiness, etc. I noticed while I was carrying the mikoshi that there were 7 seals, which I imagined represent the 7 gods, but I don't know. Clearly, the ornaments on the shrine all have some symbolic value, but I have no idea and I'm not sure most of the group members do, either.

The main event was carrying the mikoshi from place to place, and let me tell you, it is heavy! The miniature shrine itself is mounted on four hardwood beams, and about 20 or so guys carry it on their shoulders. The women's mikoshi followed, slightly smaller. But I think that was left behind at the first resting point and some of the women joined us in carrying the bigger mikoshi.

After hoisting the massive (hardly portable!) contraption up onto our shoulders, two guys with whistles help direct the mikoshi. A procession forms led by a truck with a wadaiko group, lantern bearers, the whistle blowing "traffic guides," group leaders, and supporting members who rotate in and out of carrying the shrine and a group of "cheerleaders" on the side, who sing, dance, chant, and wave their arms to pump up the shrine bearers. The whistles provide a steady rhythm, and then a call and response chant begins among the shrine bearers, providing a kind of marching rhythm and unifying the group. The enthusiasm of the shouting keeps you genki while working like crazy to keep the thing aloft. My shoulders hurt now, but actually my throat hurts more from cheering at the top of my lungs!

As the procession developed, people came out to watch with their kids and family. Several of the foreign exchange students I was with remarked on how nice it was that this event brings together the young and elderly in the community. Twenty-somethings and college students were toiling with fifty-plus retirees in carrying the shrine, and we were able to meet and converse with people of all ages.

Along the way, there were stations set up with tents and refreshments, a really hospitable and friendly environment. While we ate pickles and onigiri and drank beer and tea, we met some of the other participants and made small talk. It was really nice to reach out to people you wouldn't be able to meet on the subway or at random in a cafe. I think that's one of the special things about this festival. Since it's out of the ordinary, everyday routine, people have a chance to break out of their normal roles and try something a little different. Even though were were gaijin, people were really nice to us and made us feel included and welcomed.

Finally, at the end of the festival, we brought the shrine back to its original location, where some group members had prepared a feast of nigirizushi, yakisoba, tsukemono, tempura, onigiri, stir fry, etc. We were able to talk a bit more with some of the group members during the meal, and they were all curious about us. Where we are from and why we were in Japan and why we could speak Japanese and if they could speak English. I find these are pretty common conversation starters that I get asked a lot as a foreigner.

Though I was a little uneasy about participating as a foreigner, I eventually threw myself into it and had a great time.

I've had this experience a few times when participating in cultural events as an outsider. For example, the Shiva Rathri festival in Varanasi, or playing wadaiko at Oberlin, or candombe in Washington, D.C. These are all festive events, which I find really interesting and enjoyable. So I'm happy to participate and throw myself into such events without fully comprehending what I'm doing, or why I'm doing it. Some might take issue with this approach, and I'm sensitive myself to accusations of cultural appropriation.

Yuji and I talked about it before the festival and he was saying that some old men in his neighborhoods group didn't like foreigners participating. Though I didn't encounter any overt hostility, I can understand why it would be weird for foreigners to participate in a "traditional" ceremony. Nevertheless, Yuji said, "it's natural." I think it's natural when we encounter another culture that we want to try out their customs and imagine what it would be like to be a member of that culture. Having been working for cultural exchange for the past two years, I'm glad this festival gave me a chance to revisit these issues. Perhaps through this participation, the culture itself changes and evolves, as it would naturally, but with a foreign influence. Of course, there is always something lost and something gained, but I hope tonight respect and understanding was gained for the people in Suge as much as it was for me.

Today's Media Consumption

After Skyping, started with NPR's All Things Considered. Then to Dawson's creek. Then to documentaries on nuclear fusion, and the potential of sharing economies or crowd sourcing on the internet to be used as a form of governance. And finally back to NPR with On the Media. This last story about the Dalai Lama turning 75 featured many of the scholars I studied in a seminar on Buddhism and Orientalism at Oberlin College.



Probably on to a little more Dawson's to round out the day.

Alternative Politics: Youth, Media, Performance and Activism in Urban Japan

Yesterday, I attended a conference at Sophia University entitled Alternative Politics: Youth, Media, Performance and Activism in Urban Japan The panels focused on themes such as the history of protest movements; experiments in alternative lifestyles organized around art, culture and activism; the meaning of "political"; the contestation of public spaces.

I learned a lot about the recent history of counter culture in Tokyo. For example, through Sharon Hayashi's presentation on "Mapping Protest Tokyo: New Media and the Politics of Representation," I learned about the 2004 "sound demonstrations" in Shibuya against the Iraq war.



Apparently inspired by the "reclaim the streets" movement in Europe, it seems that the sound demos united various groups from Tokyo's counterculture. In contrast to the violent protests of the 1968 era, the protests were peaceful, upbeat, and humorous events, despite an inordinate number of armed riot police. The tradition of sound demos has continued and evolved, themed around such issues as the G8 Summit, anti-poverty campaigns, or May Day celebtrations of "Freedom and Survival."


G8


anti-poverty


May Day

Cool Japan - Symbol - Clip 1

Cool. Symbols. Japan. Can you imagine my delight when I stumble upon a TV show that has all three of these words in its title?!?!? Bridging semiotics, media, and the culture of cool, "Cool Japan" investigates Japanese pop culture through the eyes of foreigners. I'm only 10 minutes in and enthralled.



The concept of "cool Japan" has some roots. Recently stumbling upon the phrase "Japan's 'Gross National Cool'" at the 2010 Cultural Typhoon, a Tokyo media conference at Komazawa University, I googled it. This led me to Douglas McGray's 2002 article of the same name ('Gross National Cool') in Foreign Poicy. Another recent find was the "Cool Japan Project" established in 2006 as a partnership between MIT and Harvard by MIT professor of comparative media studies, Ian Condry. Tipped off tonight to the NHK TV series, "Cool Japan," I couldn't help but notice a pattern cropping up.

What is it that makes Japan so remarkably cool?

The concept of Gross National Cool reminds me of Bhutan's commitment to "Gross National Happiness." For those reeling against globalization, the concept of quantifying cool and happiness into marketable soundbites may be a bit unsettling. But what can social scientists learn from the latent concepts of applying an economic framework to these abstract and elusive phenomena? With the advent of information economics, we are learning that there are many goods with intangible value that are commodified, bought, and sold in the media marketplace of the information age.

My interest in "the cool" goes back at least two years, when it occurred to me that the term and concept of cool has been used in marketing for well over half a century. I was compelled to do a comparative analysis of Miles Davis's "Birth of the Cool" and the early-90's trip-hop release "Rebirth of the Cool," and more recently Lupe Fiasco's 2009 release, "The cool." Though the analysis remains incomplete, cool is undoubtedly ripe for further academic and popular consideration. Are the same forces at play in Japan's foreign image as those that made Miles Davis cool in the 1960's (and still today)? How has music and marketing changed between the bop era and today? Are orientalism and racism at play in the cool? Who benefits from the cool, and who loses out?

Analyzing cool, like analyzing a joke, may decrease it's potency, it's potential to have a real effect. This phenomena, while dangerous to marketers and popular culture at large, can have an empowering effect on those who would be victim to the cool's derision, or who would profit from exploiting it. Through media literacy that considers the cool, perhaps there is the potential for redefinition through awareness.

Hip Hop, Buddhism and Orientalism

"Concentrate" by Xzibit is hardly original. American hip hop artists have been playing on "Eastern" themes for decades, from the Wu-Tang Clan to Lupe Fiasco. But xzibit's track and video point to the need for analysis of the portrayal of "the East" in hip hop.



For example, the "Namu myoho renge kyo" sample references Soka Gakkai Buddhism, a school which has recently gained prevalence among black Americans, and which has developed into an international movement with roots in Japan during the second half of the 20th century. Though remaining somewhat marginalized in Japanese society, Soka Gakkai International has come to represent the face of Buddhism in American pop culture, with devotees such as Tina Turner, Herbie Hancock, and Orlando Bloom boosting its popular image.

Regarding Japanese language, the Chinese character in the background of the video "注" (Chinese reading "chuu") can have such meanings as "annotation; notes comments; flow into; pour" 注意 ("chuui") is frequently used as a warning to mean "caution; attention; observation; notice; care." In Chinese, a quick search reveals that this character may also mean concentrate. But the Japanese word for concentrate is typically "集中" ("shuuchuu"). Thus, we can see a mixing of Japanese and Chinese language and culture from the religious and written symbols in the two examples above.

Though I'm no expert on martial arts, I would be willing to guess that aikido is one of the arts being performed in the video, although perhaps there is some Kung Fua and Karate? The taiko is also emblematic of traditional Japanese culture, although its rise to prominence in North America has, like SGI, been a post-war phenomenon. And it has been fused in recent decades with jazz and other popular music genres.

Such a preliminary analysis demonstrates that the images encoded in this video are rife with meaning, but they are taken out of context and essentialized in the video. It would not be difficult to articulate how orientalism is at play here, playing the exotified traditional "East" (although represented with less than traditional icons) against the modern "Western"/"urban" lifestyle expounded by gangsta rap, represented by money and objectified women.

In short, such pop culture images in hip hop are not uncommon, and they require further examination. Themes of Buddhism, orientalism and occidentalism are also reflected in Japanese hip hop from foundational artists like Buddha Brand and Zeebra to underground artists like 仏子(Bushi).





Finally, the mimetic/"ping pong" effect of cultural flows has resulted in hip hop infiltrating Buddhist the Buddhist world. A recent report of "Japan's Rapping Monk" from Reuters has caught the attention of world news outlets. It remains to be seen whether this is an isolated phenomenon or something that will grow beyond the periphery into the mainstream.



At the very least, these examples demonstrate the complex cultural flows between Asia and America. Many more can be found in Japanese and American hip hop, and I hope to take on such projects for future study.