Asita Recordings

We like Pam Grier, Red Stripe, the sound and the smell of records, mixtapes,the SF Giants, analog synths, McCovey Cove, Lanikai at night, and San Francisco's indian summer.

Friday, December 18, 2009

INDEPENDENT LENS | Copyright Criminals [documentary]

I'm looking forward to this documentary about sample based music and all of it's implications.

It's interesting to reflect on the current state of sample based music, which has been fractured in to two camps: one the mainstream artists who can afford to clear samples (Kanye, Jay-Z, etc) and secondly, underground artists who are selling just enough to fly under the radar. Years of these unspoken limitations have landed us in a very precarious spot, causing a trickle down effect on the end product, the music. The grimy sample or soulful loop is somewhat a thing of the past, giving way to music that is either re interpolated or completely played from scratch. These changes can neither be classified as "good" or "bad" but they have definitely restricted the creativity that artists from 25 years ago reveled in, pushing them to constantly grow in new directions. As someone who respects the power in both completely sample based music and this new hybrid of music making, I think it really comes down to thoughtfully utilizing what you have at your finger tips. Hip-hop was built upon innovation, creating something out of nothing.
On a grander scale, I feel uncomfortable with the notion that only those who can afford to clear samples should be able to use them. Of course there is the issue of fair compensation that I also think needs to be addressed, but I'll leave that one for another day.

The three trailers look promising with interviews with Clyde Stubblefield, Chuck D, El-P, Eyedea and Abilities (woopee), and many others. Premieres in January 2010 on your local PBS station. I'll post again when it gets closer to airing.

Trailer 1
Trailer 2
Trailer 3

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Mission Street Food [video]

Mission Gourmet from The Quotidian on Vimeo.

This is worth watching.

It's incredibly inspiring to see someone of our generation successfully mixing passion with charity. The basic premise of Mission Street Food is that every month a guest chef will create a delicious multi-course menu that will be enjoyed by people that line up around the block. The twist is that a portion of the proceeds goes to help various food charities around the city of San Francisco.

What I also love about this story is how the owners createsolutions where many would only see obstacles. Some of these include hosting Mission Street Food out of a space which is a Chinese Restaurant during the day, thus eliminating costly overhead. The commitment/vision of creating delicious food with "great technique" vs. expensive ingredients is also a choice I completely admire and perhaps what made this work where other things have failed.

They serve meat but are also cook many vegan friendly dishes which do not seem like after thoughts.

Owner Anthony Myint has also opened Mission Burger (out of a Vietnamese grocery) which he says provides a more scalable example of the intersection between charity and money making.

While the idea of donating sales proceeds to charitable causes isn’t necessarily new, what’s impressive about Mission Street Food is that it’s taken place in the dining world, where profit margins are notoriously hard to come by even with the most established restaurants and competition is cutthroat. Mission Street Food has succeeded as a foodie destination and business in spite of (or perhaps because of) its charitable roots, proving that it’s possible to be a successful small local business with a great product while giving back directly to the community in a real, meaningful way.

http://blog.missionstreetfood.com/
http://thequotidian.org/2009/12/11/foodies-on-a-mission/

Saturday, December 12, 2009

BAYVI + Asita: The Hawaii Chronicles




all photos courtesy of Leila Peterson

I can think of nothing better than spending a day with good friends. Whether it's building sand stadiums @ Lanikai, filming black ice sculptures, or just relaxing, there are few things in life more rewarding. Visiting with our good friends from BAYVI was a much needed distraction from this holiday rush reality.

Leila (a.k..a Topic) was able to capture a lot of it in photos. She's amazing. Check it out over at the BAYVI blog and just wait for some of the new collaborations we have in store!

bayvi.com

Monday, December 07, 2009

Brain Storming Weather - Pacific RX [video]

Posse cut Ft. Sideroad records (Joe dub, Def3, Kirby Dominant, Forgetful Jones & Kay the Aquanaut) Prod: Riff Raff Recorded in 2008. This was recorded during the Sideroad Hawaii Tour, Hilo leg.



Thanks Riff Raff!

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Review of Easy Rider 7"



Ripped Open By Metal Explosions blog recently posted a really great review of the ancient DJ Marz / Joe Dub - So Much Drama In The Industry / 95 seven inch which was released in 2002 and promptly sold out. You can read the review here.

From the official press release:

After almost a year of set-backs that included the evils of Drugs, fast women, health problems, Broken down cars, false promises, cocaine abuse, unemployment, thousands of Red Bull and Vodkas and Hypnotic cocktails, doing doughnuts and almost wrapping into a KFC and all the other influences that we have to inspire us to make music (that will be documented in the Easyrider DVD: Behind the Music)....at long last it is here.

"....already a classic.." - Vapors magazine

"....This shit is cool though..." - Londa B.

For the record, the pressing of this release was indeed minuscule, limited to 300 copies worldwide and most of that given away to friends. In fact, the only copy we have is half eaten by our dogs, so if anyone wants to sell us a copy, hit us up.

For those who don't know the ROBME blog is run by Luke Sick of Sacred Hoop and his partner Eons One. It provides an incredible wealth of information about hip-hop, specifically Bay Area rap, though like the Asita blog, keeps it eclectic with whatever they find to be interesting. They also demonstrate what a blog should be about....original content, original thoughts, and lots of crazy back stories.

READ THE REVIEW