PHOTO BY NICOLAS DERNE LOCATION : MARTINIQUE
WWW. BASSCULTURE ISLANDS .COM
BASSCULTURE ISLANDS 02 PLATFORM FOR CREATIVE MELTDOWNS * EDITOR IN CHIEF * ANIA ORLOWSKA * CREATIVE DIRECTOR * KERRON RILEY * MANAGING EDITOR * LINA KOMIN * ART DIRECTION & GRAPHIC DESIGN * JORGE CUMBRE - WWW.PISSANDLAUGHTV.COM * ADVERTISING * JOSSINTHA WIELZEN * CREATIVE COLLABORATION * MARKO DEPENDER * COVER * GRAPHICS BY TYNELL MARCELLINE PHOTOGRAPHY BY KERRON RILEY
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TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
THE NETHERLANDS
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
TYNELLE MARCELLINE
UMEME AFRORAVE
KRISTON BANFIELD
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MARTINIQUE
INTERVIEW
MARTINIQUE
NICOLAS DERNE
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BARBARA JARDINE M.A. RCA
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
MACHEL MONTANO
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CHRISTOPHE MERT
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PISS&LAUGHTV DEXTER THE NETHERLANDS BROWNE
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
PHOTO BY NICOLAS DERNE LOCATION : MARTINIQUE
WWW. BASSCULTURE ISLANDS .COM
‘The Abecadarium Collection’ ‘The Abecadarium Collection’ is an incomplete collection of works based upon high end fashion photography and abstract art. An Abecedarium is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order” (A- Z). The collection started after I created the letter “B” composition for a fashion magazine. I was aiming to create something that was unique but reflected the same euphoric quality that the model displayed on her own, which was subtly bold yet elegant. The final composition fit so well into the magazine that I was compelled to sort of change the direction of fashion advertisements, which all have lost their “edge”. When I’m matching images to letters I really just go with my feelings, If a letter complements an image well then I’ll use it. I started off wanting to change what is perceived as fashion; fashion is like an abstract art form and I wanted to convey that feeling through my work along with a subtle feeling of ascension. I don’t work on the compositions in any particular order if I see an image I like I’ll start working on it. So far I have 12 “finished” compositions so I’m about halfway finished with the collection. When most people look at an image they just see a person but I see much more. If you could see a person’s aura, feelings or thoughts emanating from them, what do you think that would look like? For example the “Elder God” (Letter D) When I first saw the raw image the model had a calm, powerful, confident, solid vibe. It felt like he was above everything earthly in that moment, I wanted to capture that feeling of being above everything. I hope my art helps people to see past the materialistic world and look deeper into themselves, others and the world as a whole. The world is a beautiful place if you can “see” it. – TYNELL MARCELLINE
HOW I CREATED AFRORAVE MUSIC BAND
UMEME AFRORAVE IS A NEW BORN MUSIC PROJECT CREATED IN AMSTERDAM BY A FEW MUSICIANS. IT IS BEEN KEPT UNDER THE WINGS OF BASSCULTURE FOUNDATION AND RELEASED ITS’ FIRST EP IN APRIL 2014. DANIELE LABBATE GIVES US AN INSIGHT ON HOW THIS PROJECT CAME TO LIFE.
STEP 1. BECOME A PRO Daniele is a talented guy, musically talented to be precise. He started playing music at the age of 6. First played the piano for few years until he discovered Jimi Hendrix. He fell in love with his music when he was 9 and picked up electric bass guitar to later be inspired by Joe Zawinul and Jaco Pastorius of Weather Report, Bernie Worrel and Bootsy Collins of Parliamnet Funkadelic. Fast forward to today, he is a professional musician playing electric bass and a synthesizer freak. STEP 2. GET AN IDEA AND THE RIGHT PEOPLE One day he spoke to Bas Bouma (the drummer) ‘hey Bas, wouldn’t it be nice to mix Afrobeat and Rave sounds? Like all live performed! It is something I haven’t heard yet!’ Daniele loves electronic music, synths and music machines and feels a deep love for Afrobeat. As a bass player he knows the needed approach towards the variety of beats in the Afrobeat universe. Bouma and Jos de Haas (New cool collective) on the other hand, know all the names and grooves of this afro-universe. The combination was just there and easy to put together. STEP 3. THINK LONG ABOUT THE CONCEPT The Music: It is about mixing the two different worlds Afro and Electro, finding the balance between the two of them and making the beat go together with the synths or the other way around but never just put things on each other hoping something will come out. Some songs sound pretty overwhelming because of the variety of percussive instruments and rhythms in combination with the wobbly basses, arpeggiators and drum machines and it was meant to be that way. Their album is mixed by Arno Goldstein Aka The Dub Creator, Daniele likes to say “the all mighty” Dub Creator. A dub legend that took this project as personal challenge with the professionalism and utility that only true, big musicians have. The name of the band is “ Umeme Afrorave” where Umeme means electricity or lightning in Swahili. The Vocalists: The vocalists are nice and various! They come from Togo (Koko Lawson), Ethiopia (Minyeshu) & Ghana (King Ayisoba). The lyrics are all in different languages and they sound totally different from each other which suggests a different atmosphere of each song. Even though sometimes the music might get a little heavy, the message of the songs stays the same. It’s about positivity and embracement, for instance Koko is really good in writing lyrics that speak about embracing and respecting the nature and about working together and never against each other for no reason. The Image: The masks they use on stage are designed and hand made by Ronja Andersen. They use the masks because it has a certain impact on the crowd - a crossover of African tradition and electro mystical-nastyness. The masks represent animals from Africa: hyena, baboon, flamingo and hare. Downfall: they sweat a lot in these masks! Denisa Kollarova is the designer of the band’s logo, album cover, merchandise and download codes, which fans can buy online. He says it is a pleasure to work with such a talented designer and a friend, a person you learn a lot from.
STEP 4. KNOW THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Daniele doesn’t have one! But when he thinks deeper about it he advises: try to embrace each other just like in normal life situations even though it’s not always easy to do. Discuss things whenever it’s the time in order to spot the problem from the root, try to find a balance between the complex and sensitive souls of all the musicians in the band, hang out, party and have some drinks.
‘My artwork is all based in what feels like a parallel space where I choose to speak through symbolism, drawing on the way in which I see and experience the world around me, the way in which troubles and issues simply appear and how we, the navigators of the world, overcome them or in some cases fall to them. The characters that appear throughout my pieces are really mediums of sorts, acting as mirrors upon which viewers projects themselves. They are both metaphor and personification, they are the narrators of my thoughts, speaking of injustice, disparities, troubles, strength and love. It is from here I find my inspiration, sometimes from two simple words or general interactions I have with people to the visuals I get from nature. Others sources come from my own experiences, allowing me to take my frame of mind or opinions and give it a physical form. My pieces are birthed using a mixture of different mediums, from pen and ink to acrylic and water colour paints.’ - Kriston Banfield
PHOTO BY NICOLAS DERNE LOCATION : MARTINIQUE
WWW. BASSCULTURE ISLANDS .COM
CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE THE WORLD BY SHARONA BADLOE
This is a plea for everyone to stop overthinking the things in front of them, and to start experiencing not only art, but the whole world as the visual wonder it really is. For ages now people have been trying to find the deeper meaning behind the artworks they encounter. Art has the ability to reflect the moral and political values of our society as well as represent personal and intimate emotions. And with everything that is happening in the world right now, it is a beautiful thing that art has the power to raise both awareness and compassion to situations that need it. But art is not only a platform for emotional and political issues, it is also a world full of colors, materials and forms. Whenever you see a series of beautiful abstract paintings exposed in an exhibition or an art book, what can you find next to it? Paragraph after paragraph explaining some kind of emotional, historical or political standpoint that the author surely must have intended with his work because of his or her background. And you will go home only remembering all those stories about the author’s life and his beliefs or values. When did you even get the chance to stop searching for information and to really see the striking way in which the colors and shapes work together? Very often you get so overthrown by all the additional information that you don’t even notice. There is nothing wrong with looking for background information about the author and interpreting the works of art you love, but sometimes this comes at the expense of the visual appreciation that art can provide. And often, especially in abstract art, people desperately search for some deeper meaning while it simply does not exist.
John Clark and Sula Chance are two artist who have let the soft white sand, endless blue waves and the vibrant flowers of Caribbean landscapes inspire many of their stunning paintings. All they wanted to do was capture the beauty of the Caribbean in colors and shapes, nothing more. Of course, with flamboyant islands as your inspiration and blank canvas and bright paint as your resources, who needs an in depth analysis of the meaning behind the shapes and colors? Chance’s and Clarks stunning pieces simply represent Caribbean landscapes, but analyze hard enough and you could even find a connection between these paintings and the first world war. That is just the thing with abstract art, you can see just about anything in it. Of course, interpreting art is one of the many joys in life and you should not completely stop searching for meaning entirely. But don’t do it because you think that every piece of art has to possess some hidden purpose before you can enjoy it as art. Let the object speak for itself sometimes, and if it doesn’t immediately convey a hidden meaning, simply enjoy it for its other qualities. Make your brain stop overthinking everything for just a minute and let your senses do the talking. Are you entirely sure your first world war theory is correct? By all means, tell all your friends, write an essay about it. Let your creativity go wild and find even more important life events this painting might represent. But even then, in the midst of all that theorizing, stop to experience the delicate ways in which the colors seem to counteract and cooperate at the same time. See, feel, and smell what’s in front of you. Let every one of your senses join in on the party. This way we can learn to really appreciate these amazing paintings and the gorgeous Caribbean they represent. But we don’t have to limit this way of looking to art. In the same way we can learn to look around, and truly experience the visual glory of the world we see every day.
NICOLAS DERNE “PRAINTING” - A MIX OF PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY
My kind of art My kind of art found me over the years. I’ve not been an artist forever. Once I had a life a little bit more organized and I guess my longing for freedom pushed me to redefine what a boundary was. One day I just quit my comfortable job and left Paris to go travel the world… I wanted to get out of the manual of what should and should not be… I started mixing painting and photography because I wanted to retrieve the aura that the photography once had. Nowadays, people hardly print the photos that they take.. It has become so easy to take pictures and share them over the internet, so that the souvenir that was once a picture is slowly disappearing. I started working on what I call “praintings” ( a mix of print and painting) as a shared experience with a designer named Seraphin in 2009, then I moved on to my personal experiments in 2011.
Inspiration Everything is a source of inspiration, from a stain on a wall to the smile of an elder in the bush. I started making photos while I was traveling in South East Asia. I guess the harmony within the people that I’ve met there and along my journey always stayed on my mind. So from a portrait of someone in his space, I get into a sort of personal journey where the painting itself being made is the source of inspiration.
The creative process A friend of mine always says ‘I was a born artist…’, I’d like to think that you can’t really define a starting point, especially in regard to my creative process. I’m always trying to get myself out of a box in order to find the truth of the moment. The images usually come to me. I’m trying to make a picture of the present moment. So I regularly do prints that lay around the studio and they kind of get organized as a part of a giant puzzle. Some works fits together and I associate with them while others are just waiting for the right spot to fit in. I’m working on following the “pace of life”, inhale and exhale. It’s an ever going process. Harmony catches my eye, then becomes a picture, the picture becomes a painting, that I take a photo of while painting when harmony catches my eye again. And it starts over… As in the myth of the Ourobouros, my creative process is a quest of eternal renewal and reemergence of life… Any visual production I make is the seed of the next piece…
The message of art I’m searching to recreate the harmony of the chaos that I have seen in the world. A mix between the toughness of life and the beautiful strength I’ve seen in people. I mostly express the idea of a moment, that’s why it’s always evolving and yet not moving, and borders between media vanished through the work. I’m working on videos now that use my plastic production as raw material to create my universe… And I start traveling again…
Q&A WITH
MACHEL MONTANO
BY GLENN OSEI LOCATION: “SOCA VS DANCEHALL” @ THE SAND, AMSTERDAM PHOTOS BY DARREN FOTOGRAFIE
BASSCULTURE ISLANDS: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME MR. MONTANO. I’M FROM BASSCULTURE ISLANDS, A MAGAZINE THAT IS BEING MADE FOR THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, TO PROMOTE CARIBBEAN CULTURE AND THE TALENT THAT IS OUT THERE. I KNOW WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME SO I WOULD LIKE ASK YOU JUST A FEW QUESTIONS. WHEN IT COMES TO THE TALENT OF THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? MACHEL MONTANO: I mean… the talent in the Caribbean islands is rich, in terms of its diversity… a lot of the superstars … you ask this questions in a very good timing. If you look at the world as a global market, you have people like Rihanna up there, you have Pitbull up there, a lot of Caribbean artists, Nicki Minaj, on top of the game right now and I think it is important because when you listen to people like Neyo and Pitbull in some of the songs, you hear soca/ Caribbean influence in music. I think it is because the world needs a part of paradise… I think when you come to the Caribbean it is like you are walking into Wallstreet of talent…from the Jamaicans to the Bajans to the Haitians and the Trinis with soca and all the other islands. We now have a mish mash, a mosh mish, mixed up…a mixture of dancehall with soca with cumba with zouk with reggaeton with dance music…so I think the talent in the Caribbean is ready and ripe. SO IT IS READY TO ACTUALLY EXPAND FOR THE WORLD AND THE WORLD IS READY TO ACCEPT IT? It’s ready to deliver its purpose which is to make people happy. You know a lot of people have been leaving the Americas and moving to the Caribbean, leaving Europe and moving… nobody wants to live in the winter no more, they want to live in paradise. But really and truly, when they come to the islands, they understand a different way of life. We play carnival and jump in the streets when we have mortgage and bills and problems. We have no stress and it is a state of mind, it is a way of life. So I think the world needs that cause the world needs more happiness right now.
‘… BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS A PART OF PARADISE…’
WE ACTUALLY ARE WRITING TO INSPIRE THESE YOUNG TALENTS. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR INSPIRATION TO THEM. WHAT WOULD U TELL THEM? HOW WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO EXPAND THEMSELVES? Embrace the purpose, when you embrace the purpose you embrace humanity. It is like you know the hate can’t make people happy. The first thing is, you are from the Caribbean, you have to do your best, you want to have the highest standards. Start thinking about the Jacksons, the Madonnas, the Bob Marleys and the Frank Sinatras… feed from the right example. And then come with your genuine purpose to make everybody happy because this is what I want to tell these youths that what u put in is what you gonna get out. So for us, we are from the small islands, we are from what they call ‘the third world’ which means we have three times the work to do so be prepared to work hard but also know that your job is destined to do something for humanity. You have to know that you got to have integrity, discipline and dedication. When I was small I realized that soca music wasn’t famous amongst my peers and amongst young people cause they liked hip hop, they liked r’n’b, dancehall but they did not like soca. So I looked at it and it wasn’t young enough, exciting enough and I started to mix it and doing songs with Bennie Man, Shaggy and bring some reggae there, work with Doggy Fresh, and Pitbull and Lil Jon and now we have soca music merging and working with people like Diplo, Major Lazer, worldwide. It is a good look. If the young generation, young musicians and artists see the work that was put it and see the opportunity that is right now. The timing is right once you do the work.
WE KNOW THAT THE LAST CARNIVAL SEASON YOU GOT A NEW TEAM OF DANCERS FROM THE US. WAS IT BECAUSE IT WAS HARD TO FIND DANCERS FROM THE CARIBBEAN? OR WAS IT BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL THAT THEY HAD? We didn’t set out to look for dancers. We had our dancers and in Trinidad I was the first person to bring dancers to a soca stage like that, in a modern, fresh, hip hop almost looking dancers and we created the HD team. After 5 -6 years they all started to go to school to learn dance and start to drift off. It was strange, just a coincidence. I found myself in California, trying to shoot a video before I went to Trinidad. I said ‘this is the time, let’s make the best of it and see how we can make it look good and Caribbean.’ I suggested getting some dancers and see if they can dance Caribbean… and they came and danced, not only they danced Caribbean they also gave it a professional look, in heels and we looked at it and said ‘this is probably the look we want to end up in the stadium with’ or we mix those girls with the West Indian girls. So we had Trini girls mixed with foreign girls, they taught them what was the soca and the wining, and how we did it so it had to bring our girls higher. Dance is a big thing in Trinidad but there is no real market for dancers who dance for artist. I was another pioneer to that and it became popular eventually, people like Kes have dancers, Destra is having dancers, other artists had to follow but I mean, I am always pioneering the next step, we want to have our stage and our shows like ramming performances, we want to teach our young people, we want them to incorporate dancers who dance for people like Ricky Martin and around the world. I am proud that one of my dancers is going to school in New York, just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in that and she had to take time off to do that but this is what we encourage young people to do, maybe it wasn’t the dream before?
THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE FOR U IS: SINCE U HAVE TOURED MANY COUNTRIES IN EUROPE. WHAT WOULD U SAY IS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CARIBBEAN AND EUROPEAN AUDIENCE? … I think European audience is easier, they are more open, more accepting maybe because they don’t get as much soca as they deserve or they really should and need (smiles). In the Caribbean there are so many shows and the Caribbean crowd wants to make sure you entertain them. I just took a peek outside and I am excited because when you come to Europe these people are expecting some summer, some heat so they are actually a lot easier to send them to the frenzies (giggles). I always enjoy performing out here. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME MR. MONTANO. WISH YOU ALL THE BEST. Good luck with your magazine. Thank you very much.
PHOTOGRAPHY KERRON RILEY MODEL VALENE CRAIG STYLIST CRYSTAL IVY LONDON
To Be a Visual Artist is to work and express yourself using a whole range of different materials and techniques. My identity quest made me discover all the components of my people and led me to conclude that I belong to a multicultural society. Once I acknowledged that fact it was a real awakening to realize that this multi identity was a real strength and it had to appear in my creation. From that point forward, I looked for every possible way to let it shine in my work. In order to achieve it, I use multiple: surfaces (canvas, wood, etc...), the matter (wood, metal, earth, paper, paint, pastels, and polyester resin) and techniques (paint, sculpture, modeling, assembly). Martinique, with all its diversity, is my first source of inspiration. I want to communicate through painting while putting my origin (Martinique) first, because this country by its complex journey offers me very extended cultural richness. Since several years, there has been a character that appears in my work that I call the “Marcaraïmon’” = Martinique, Caribbean, World. My multiple identities affirm in my compositions as: Martinique for roots, Caribbean for trunk and the world for branches.
ATOUT MOTS Tous les mots sont porteurs d’une lecture Et en lieu ici dit en nous de nos discours Nos maux faits sans leurres faisant sens à notre heure De dire libre Qu’à tous mots, les verbes sont nos gestes De dire libre Ce qui nous guérit Malik Duranty
.“STOP”. This sign in our daily lives ensures security by asking us to mark a pause. Here it is playing the same role, inviting us to stop and observe. Then we can go through the pieces by opening the doors and discovering the respectful dialog between a woman and her identity. She carries proudly engraved in her flesh the strength of the words that heal the pain. “Bobo yè, sé grafyen jôdi injuries of yesterday are today scars.
PRAN POU’W BA Atoumo d’Êtres en partage À tout mot d’Êtres en partage ah tous maux d’être en partage À tous mots d’être en partage Atoumo pour être en partag Malik Duranty
The world is a field of sharing and interdependency where each of us live in relation to the other. This piece is inviting us to share and forbids us to reject the other who is actually defining us. The light that shines when you open the window flaps, is a call to awareness of the concept of giving and receiving, the strength of exchange.
TOI X TOI = MOI «Dialgue intérieur En dialogue avec Dialogue intéreiur La présence de l’absence Qui donne de le consistance Au présent de la présence Malik Duranty
This piece invites us to start a dialog with oneself, introspection, a journey where meeting are important. The first journey through the first door with 4 flaps (symbolizing the 4 cardinal points). The mask is the one of the marcaraimon, this path allows us to discover our inner richness. Therefore the piece lets a mask appear in the face of the woman to mask her true face. They live in harmony, one feeding the soul of the other… interdependent.
ARTIST-JEWELLER SEA URCHIN COLLECTION 2014
Barbara is best known for her collectable jewels and precious objects, her tropical surroundings and life-story define her visual narrative and choice of materials. This collection of jewels are made with real sea urchins found on Caribbean beaches. They are protected by hard enamel-like resins which makes them hardwearing and durable and are embellished with precious metals, foils and stones.
PHOTO BY NICOLAS DERNE LOCATION : MARTINIQUE
WWW.BASSCULTUREISLANDS.COM
PISSANDLAUGHTV VJ-ING. THE ART OF VISUALS WWW.PISSANDLAUGHTV.COM
‘I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF AN ARTIST’
VJ is basically someone who cares about what is visually happening
in space using the video as the main resource. Depending on few elements, the role of a VJ can be impressive or just ignored. I have a big library of the videos I use on set divided by type (animations, abstracts...) or music style (reggae, dub, dubstep, dnb, techno...). The synchronization with the music is really important but sometimes just creating an atmosphere works as nice. I always like to prepare something before the event but I also really enjoy the improvisation.
ASICS SS15 / DUBROVNIK, CROATIA • APRIL 2014
ASICS SS15 / DUBROVNIK, CROATIA • APRIL 2014
INI MOVEMENT FEAT ROMARE / ODEON AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS • APRIL 2014
ASICS SUPER J33 / MILAN, ITALY • NOV 2013
BASSCULTURE, CLUB WORM, ROTTERDAM • JAN 2014
SINAS PETITE / PARADISO, AMSTERDAM • APRIL 2014
SINAS PETITE / PARADISO, AMSTERDAM • APRIL 2014
BASSCULTURE / OT301, AMSTERDAM • JAN 2014
I check many websites where I find interesting videos. I normally like to spend long nights just watching videos, sometimes I find really treasures to keep. I love my profession as graphic and multimedia designer but after many years of working in the same field I really wanted to be involved with videos. I started playing videos for some DJ friends in small bars and houses bringing my own beamer until I started to play in more prepared venues. VJ-ing is getting quite popular little by little. I do not consider myself an artist but I know many VJ’s who say that about themselves. I have to say that having a computer and a video mixer software does not make you an artist… - JORGE CUMBRE
“My work is a function of a dual contribution from both sides of my brain, left and right. My technical training and experience governs the left and it is beautifully complimented by my compositional and abstract right. When both sides of the brain find their place in an image the result is often magical!� Today Dexter is working on a reality series in his birthplace of Trinidad & Tobago where he teamed up with his sister Stacy and landed a reality TV deal with CCN TV6 called Chick Mansion which is currently playing on a weekly basis. The entire show is shot on the iPhone 5s format!
GO AFRICA
KD’S EYE
UNIVERSAL SPIRITUALITY
OBAMA 2007
PROTECT THE MOTHERS
BOY ON THE BEACH