ActiveCultures
@activecultures
Imposing his taste on friends & strangers since 19xx. Agitador Cultural. Globalizer. Arts Monger from Long Island & Brooklyn now in Abu Dhabi UAE IG @activecultures Also me (w/ others): @NYUADArtsCenter @globalFEST_NYC Representing no one but me
I mostly feel expatriated and don’t miss the US very much. But David Byrne’s NYC footage in his Athens show tonight broke me a little.
A whole fish, fava and quarter liter of house white for about the same as a burger in NYC.
And the many friends who there on every side of curation, production, and crowd-hosing. Thanks to the artists who expanded my mind & open my heart on show after show. And the audiences who came with curiosity and enthusiasm. Thanks also to Ben Sisario of @nytimes.com for capturing some highlights.
And then when I eventually started working there, and finally, leading it, where my ideas were tested and honed. Thanks to Joe Killian for creating it, Erica Ruben for bringing me in, Erika Elliot for stewarding and growing it for so many years until today.
If Gameboy is there then Mattel Electronic Quarterback is def needed. 1977 or so.
Turns out the chicken machboos at the Budweiser branded Dubai Airport restaurant across from the gate for US-bound flights … isn’t very good.
Shaun Cassidy was one of my first albums and is responsible for so much. But along with Grease and Saturday Night Fever, this came soon after.
Sadly things don’t change much. John Berger, 2003, in “Let Us Think About Fear” as he talks about how the fear post 9-11 was used to manipulate the public "Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich,” Peter Ustinov the playwright recently observed with succinct clarity.
The night opened with Kevin Peter He’s live AV collaboration with Greek electronic musician Savvas Metaxas: Passages. “Live cinema performance navigating a speculative ecosystem where nature and machine intertwine” www.kevinpeterhe.com
Also on the bill, Detroit tech now wizard Jeff Mills, who was incredible but not much to watch. The way he constantly shifts polyrhythms was brilliant. Nyege Nyege’s Japan via Berlin and Indonesia via Vilnius duo Takkak Takkak mixed electro taiko and homemade instruments - entertaining but a lot.
Last night I saw The Sabres of Paradise at the Borderline Festival in Athens. Didn’t know them before. Old fashionable Brits my age with so many common references. First response was Liquid Liquid + Stone Roses + Big Audio Dynamite. Turns out it was Andrew Weatherall’s old band. It all made sense. 👍
I take that back. My favorites were probably Poor J'Darr and b2b pink.wav. The set was musically pretty samey, but they mixed together in between sharing a vape, danced to every break, and just seemed to have such a good time.
The artist I didn’t mention ended up being my fave, aya with MFO
Turns out that Onassis Stegi and Onnasis Ready are two different venues. Even though the ticket says Onnasis Stegi in big text.
That second night Seder in not one, not two, but THREE languages you don’t speak. (But Ladino looks enough like Spanish I could tell more or less figure out what was what. And I know the Greek word for Four, which comes in handy at a Seder) Thanks to the Jewish Community of Athens.
If I’m gonna doomscroll it might as well be drinking a Paloma in the steps listening to a DJ play Queen Latifah’ UNITY
This being Athens #nokings Day gets mixed with lots of other protest issues. But most of all, peace.
Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about Sarama: Muay Thai music which accompanies the bouts. rajadamnern.com/blog/muay-th....
Taking off. Thanks to the Gulf carriers - OmanAir, Etihad and Emirates, for functioning so well, all things considered.
It’s hard to explain to folks watching the news - I felt quite well protected in Abu Dhabi; no sense of panic. But with work online for the foreseeable future, a good passport and options, it seems prudent to exercise them. On the road to the Oman border via Al Ain and then flying out inshallah
I’ve sunk down a reaction videos rabbit hole that has gone more micro than just rappers or classical musicians listening to some other genre to a very specific micro genre of rap fans listening specifically to the Beastie Boys “Paul Revere”
