Play It Again Sameer: At Festival de Casablanca
With festival officials estimating 65,000 cramming into Scène Corniche El Hank to witness hip-hop artist 50 Cent’s first Moroccan visit, I was not particularly shocked to later hear that that number was bumped to 100,000. 50 himself tweeted 200,000. I suppose from the vantage point of the stage, with the endless swarm of raised fists and ‘I Love 50 Cent’ posters, 65k could be two million without much thought. With a reported 70% of Casablancans being under the age of 30, American rappers easily usurp religious icons in a country that is commendably evolving socially, politically and musically. America has much to learn from the progressive kingship and open-minded populace of this nation. I was…
Wanderlust Flow Playlist
Here is the list with download links for each song from my most recent mixtape, ‘Wanderlust Flow.’ 1. Straight Upfront – Djosos Krost 2. Combination (Voltergeist Remix) – Jali Bakary Konteh 3. Divers (The Funky Lowlives’ Low Immersion Dub) – Boozoo Bajou 4. Focus on Sight – Thievery Corporation 5. La Boquilla (Julius Sylvest vs. Copia Doble “Bounce” Remix) – Bomba Estéreo 6. Cumbion Mountain (Cico Sonido & Toy Selecta) – Up, Bustle & Out 7. Cumbia Inferno (Toti & Andy Loop Fat Beat Remix) – La Troba Kung-Fú 8. La Inconformable (Original Mix) – The Binary Cumbia Orchestra 9. Cinammon Girl in the Sun – [dunkelbunt] (feat. Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar) 10. Gazal…
Global Beat Fusion: Thievery’s Rastas and Austin’s Latin Soul
Years ago a friend in DC passed along a four-song EP by two Rastas best known as the bouncing hype men of Thievery Corporation. They wore white pants and black jackets with puffy fedoras while wielding canes, throwing off accessories in pure lion-dreaded fury as the show’s energy rises. They were Flavor Flav’s ravings to Chuck D’s social polarizing. Oftentimes their rants would amount to little more than pan-biblical theologizing with affirmative grunts to Jah. The EP pretty much sounded like the two Thievery guys trying to break out, the way Phil Collins (though not Peter Gabriel) broke out of Genesis, the way Robert Plant broke clean from Led Zeppelin, the way Hi-Tek produced records…
Words
Soaking Up Argan Oil in Casablanca
The first time I was in Morocco three years ago, I was repeatedly told to hit up a hammam. More commonly known as “Turkish baths,” there are many different takes on what exactly constitutes a hammam. Friends suggested finding a “real” one in Fes’s medina. A few attempts ended poorly. Every time I showed up, I was told that it was the women’s hour, to come back in 15 minutes. No, an hour. Wait, try midnight. Better yet, tomorrow. My trio of confused and slightly irritated journalists ended up taking a two-hour drive through the desert to a new super hammam on a mountainside. For roughly $40, I sat in a “whirlpool” for 15 minutes…
The God of My Friends & I
His name is Ricky. He’s eighteen, has a two-year-old daughter and is homeless. That’s the story he tells on the 6 train. I’ve seen him a few times, which is why his story comes easy. The reality is that you don’t find too many teens begging in the underground. On streets, yes, often with scraggly dogs and flipping through torn paperback books. I’m no saint: sometimes I hand over a dollar, others I ignore it. Those of you who ride the subway daily know what I mean: the asking is overwhelming and continuous. Ricky stands out in my mind for a reason, though. Last time I saw Ricky I did hand over a dollar, and…
Postures
Occupy LA: Off the Mat, Into the World Photo Gallery
This photo gallery accompanies the article on YogaJournal.com, Occupy Yoga: Social Action for the 100%. Sean Corne opens the ceremony… … and gets down to the drums. Saul David Raye leads the prayer. Hala Khouri, co-founder of Off the Mat, Into the World. Suzanne Sterling fires things up. Mia Togo leading asana. Brock Cahill finds center. Ally Hamilton opening hearts. Kia Miller‘s radiant bhakti. Frank Angiuli of Natural High Lifestyle. Peace yoga. Even pirates get their yoga on. Pre-ceremony moment of silence. View from City Hall.
What Does ‘Yoga Music’ Even Mean?
I ask the question above as much out of wonder as bewilderment. My days literally revolve around these two art forms — the teaching of yoga and the playing, listening and writing about of music. Where the two meet, I have devoted my life. Still a persistent yet undefined image of ‘yoga music’ continues to wield its confusing head, saturating studios with a vague and uncertain amalgam of styles that do not necessarily coalesce. If the children of early ‘70s acoustic nature folk studied poorly pronounced Sanskrit and prose about flowers blooming and sunrays beaming, you have ‘yoga music.’ But we’re so much better than that. India may be a starting point for this indescribable…
Yoga at the Airport
Yoga in a studio is easy. You arrive and attempt to leave the ‘outside’ behind, unfurling your mat to deal with the anything-but-quiet of your mind. We inherently know that the ‘point’ is applying your yoga outside of that studio, yet like Sunday churchgoers who forget their religion’s principles during the week’s other 167 hours, the real test of the discipline is utilizing those principles in the most unlikely of places. Like the airport. While you may have thought this was going to be an article about stretches you can do while in that 11′ wide seat for two to twenty-two hours (at 6′ 4″ tall, I’ve thought about and tried many), I’d rather deal…
Community and Creativity
Many years ago a close friend mailed me — as in postage stamp and mailbox mailed — a quote from Aldous Huxley, who we both greatly admire. I do not have that sliver of paper handy, and Google is not helping me out, so I’ll paraphrase: Man’s greatness lies in his ability to set his goals in the realm of the unattainable. The value of such a sentiment resides not so much in the possibility of creating something altogether new as it does in serving as a reminder to not settle for mediocrity. Doing just what’s expected of you to get by is not going to result in a fruitful and fulfilling life. And every…
5 Keys to Great Sequencing
I’m a weekly sequencer. I know this does not befit every yoga instructor’s temperament, and in no way am I implying that it should. I was trained in a very specific style that never strayed from the 69 positions taught each 90-minute class. Ashtanga and Bikram yogis follow this code: no matter what instructor leads, you will always have the same class. This appeals to yogis seeking a regimented routine while allowing him or her to meditate through the sequence. This approach links the breathing, postures and meditation together. Totally understood. We teach what we practice, and ideally practice what we teach. Some days I enjoy the comfort of knowing what to expect, choosing a…
The Modern Mythology of Yoga
It was the stories that got me during those first months of college. I entered Rutgers in 1993 knowing nothing of who Jesus was, but could recite the batting averages of every player on the NY Mets bench from heart. A newfound friend handed me copies of the Bhagavad Gita and the Dhammapada, and my mind was blown open. Although my scriptural knowledge of Americanized religion was lacking, I fully lived through polarizing dualities these faiths conjured: ultimate good and/or evil, as if one could not live in the grey. The doctrines handed me celebrated that blended shade. I realized then that religion was a choice, not a game where there are a few winners…