Dear London, My name is Mushfique and you were a part of my life for about two years when I left home from Dhaka, Bangladesh to pursue my Masters. I must say my experiences with you were bittersweet but memories still leave me wanting for more. For me, you were always my home away from home. Growing up, I've always idolised and dreamt of being a Londoner someday and when that day came my joy knew no bounds. I was a faux- Londoner: trying to fit in with the locals, trying hard to take up the culture and ending every sentence with 'cheers'. From day one, I loved everything that you had to offer to me: the tube, the buses, the pubs, the busy passers-by and of course, Her Majesty the Queen. God bless her soul! I voraciously took in all the culture, the fashion, the food, the knowledge and music of all things.
As time went by, I quickly grew busy with lectures and studies and forgot about you. As I moved out of my halls, I realised that the shiny city that never sleeps has an ugly side as well. I was working late at nights, waiting tables and and serving drinks to patrons. It was from that time that I had the real struggle. Working 12 hour shifts taught me some important lessons of life, something that I will remember for years to come. I am thankful to you, dear London! As I went on from one house to the other in search of a cheaper place to live, I had the opportunity to come across some amazing people. Everyone had a story to tell and I sat down to listen to their experiences. Experience has been a great teacher and there's something to learn from everyone only if you listen to them. When it was time for me to end my hectic but amazing student life to return home, there I was alone in my room with two suitcases ready to be loaded in a cab. As I was getting ready to say my goodbyes to my flatmates, two years of London literally flashed by in a moment. I still remember that morning clearly: it was snowing heavily and I was massively drunk. Tears were running down my face and I was blank for a good few minutes. As I was getting late for the airport, I knew I had to get on to that cab. Thank you, dear London, for giving me some of the best times of my life. I've been incredibly fortunate for all the experiences, both good and bad. I'll see you soon, my love. Cheers!
Imagine a room full of people, a room that's silent and devoid of emotions. All you can hear are the clickety clack of the QWERTY keyboard that the people are clicking away mindlessly on their smart phones or phablets. Some of the people are breaking out in sheepish smiles in an attempt to feel normal from all the loneliness surrounding the big room full of people only to discover that someone has 'liked' their photos or made a comment about a status. The constant gratification of 'likes' on different social media platforms have consumed us in a way that's absolutely revolutionary! This makes me like the notion of liking. Some of them are swiping left, right, up and down in order to tirelessly spend their time and not make eye contact with anyone else in the room. It's like a halo effect, spreading from one person to another. Welcome to the 21st century, ladies and gents...the era of technology and alienation of the human soul. An era that has bastardised technology into some sort of a tool that makes us humans stupid and more ignorant even though we have the proverbial world in our fingertips. As I crack open my beer and sit down to write aimlessly about what's wrong with everything, I can't seem to figure out where to begin. That reminds me of a time when I was traveling once on public transportation and I made a remark about why the country is so fucked up. Upon hearing this, the driver said, "the country is fine, it's the people who are corrupting it." That struck me and hit me like a ton of bricks! When I see memes about my generation being the last generation who were photographed at birth with conventional cameras, it makes me feel ancient. But there's an unsaid underlying message that they are trying to give out through these memes: brace yourselves! Back in the day when there were no smart phones or internet or XBox, I believe I was happier. I was content with reading comic books after coming back home from school or saving that lunch money to buy that new cassette at the music store. I used to be ecstatic about making teams with my mates to play cricket and get into silly arguments about not being on the same team. I miss being excited about going birthday parties where it involved having cakes, playing hide and seek and just messing about. The 21st century has eliminated that human connection and made it comfortable where you can listen to music on the go or read an ebook on your Kindle or meet the love of your life on Tinder. Are we forgetting how to engage on a human level? It's tragic that kids nowadays are born into technology, starting from the moment they are born. Selfies are kind of defining the way we celebrate moments now and we tend to come up with horrendous names that end with -fie. I'm not moaning about technology, it has done great things for me personally. But it's just that we've lost the human connection in the humdrum and the confusion of all the technology that surrounds us. It seems that we all rely too much on facebook, whatsapp and skype for our basic human interactions. To many, it would be crippling if some of these social networks vanished all of a sudden. Technology has created a false reality where we are all too busy for each other and our life updates come through facebook statuses. As I am nearing the end of this 'digital' piece of writing that's aptly called a blog, I can't help but think that I am part of the non human connection as well. My favourite fictional character Hank Moody would have preferred a pen, paper and a bottle of whisky to bust out thoughts when inspiration struck and so would I. But as I said, we are slowly losing that sense of engagement in the humdrum of technology. So, let me end this piece with one of my favourite lines by Hank Moody from the show Californication that brilliantly captures my thoughts about technology.
I have a habit of sharing music on my social networks specially on facebook and twitter. I feel that good music should be shared, even if people don't really follow my posts religiously or don't really care. I share new music every other hour, I feel the need to get acquainted with the music that captivates my mind and distracts me from what I am doing. This is what music means to me: I would leave whatever I am doing and soak up the sounds.
Here's a duo who deserves a lot of credit and they are called Kryptic Minds. Definitely the underdogs of dubstep music in its truest form, they have been in the scene going back to dubstep's early days. Kryptic Minds take on the genre is very clinical: their sound can be characterised by dark, deep, industrial soundscapes while still being absolutely bass heavy. Their trademark basslines are unmistakable to anyone who has been following them for years or even for a few months.
This is Kryptic Minds at the legendary Boiler Room takeover. Make no mistake, their sounds are very infectious and will keep you engaged! It's a sonic subliminal assault to the senses. Sit back, skank and enjoy! Big up Kryptic Minds!
All in a
day's work: what does that mean, really? What does that really mean in the
context of Dhaka? People in developed countries complain about traffic, not enough public
transports, standing in the queue, commuting for hours, lack of parks and open
spaces. Well, please come and live in Dhaka for a while and you'll know that
it's more difficult than you think.
Being
a twenty- something working professional who's in his prime and ready to
conquer the world, I feel like I am doing a lot better than before. I want to
say that my mid- twenties crisis is over but one can never be too sure of
something like that. It is tough for me to get up from my cozy bed every
morning as I literally drag myself to get ready. The morning dose of music does
help to get my spirits high since I am not a morning person at all. I actually
thought of plastering my walls with a couple of motivational posters about
waking up early; then I thought to myself that I already have at
least three different kinds of alarms on (one on my phone, one on my laptop and
the ever efficient and timely wake up calls from my parents) so I let that
thought be. So, that was hurdle number one and on most mornings I make it
through and wake up.
#Rusko says to Wake The Fuck Up!
Hurdle
number two: traffic! I don't brace myself to face the traffic; what can I do to
the problem that is hard to describe in words. I am not going to go
over this again, I've written about the abysmal traffic problem in a previous post. So far in my professional career, I've been really blessed with workplaces that were quite close to home. I'd have hated it if I reached all
sweaty every morning before I even reached the floor of my office building. So,
I get in the car with my father who drops me close by to my workplace, put my
headphones on and drown out everything else around me. Occasionally, I can
hear my father freaking out and cursing at idiotic people and cars who
blatantly keep cutting us off in the roads. I could care less: what's the
worst that can happen? At least I'm always buckled up in the front seat!
That's the traffic, no big deal.
So, I’ve
made myself to work without sweating or ingesting too much dust…great success!
Now, the workplace is another circus, the only difference is the circus is
confined between walls and cubicles and the employees are the circus animals. It’s
just a treat to the eyes as well as the ears to watch and see them all full
glory. I am nothing but a silent observer, I don’t enjoy the show obviously; however, I
am just a cruel prisoner who has to go through this everyday. I think we are in
general a nation of people who talk loudly, no matter what the circumstance;
we just can’t talk in a lower register. I think it’s probably because talking loudly
makes us feel important and that we exercise more authority than we think we
have. I just sit at my desk, smile at everyone passing by my cubicle or have a
disinterested look on my face and keep rocking to my playlist with my
headphones on.
Homer says #shutup!
Educating the masses: don't put your feet up on the toilet seat.
Ok, so it’s
almost the end of the work day and I am getting ready to go home or maybe chill
out somewhere. But, where you ask? I’m honestly tired of seeing new cafés and
restaurants popping up everywhere, offering the same kind of uninteresting food.
I’d rather have a drink and by drink I don’t mean having coffee at pretentious
coffee shops with pretentious people crowding those places who can’t wait to
check- in or foursquare their virtual presence. I want to sit outside with my
chilled drink in hand and enjoy live music in the evening. But that’s just
wishful thinking and that’s not going to happen, at least not in my lifetime! Dare
you think of opening a pub and people will be awestruck and stone you with all sorts of
judgment; the same people who’ll probably go home and open up a bottle of
scotch at the comfort of their own homes. So, I get into my running shoes and take
a walk from work instead, occasionally stopping for chips to keep me company
while I eat and observe people.
Take a #walk and do yourself some good.
Alright,
so I’ve reached home after walking for an hour. I thought I’d find it tiring to
walk back home after a long day at work but frankly it’s better than sitting
through hours of traffic for no reason. Reaching home feels like I’ve made it
to sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of city life. City life is not as hyped
up and glamourous as a lot think it to be; city dwellers never have enough time
for anything. The weekend flashes by even before I realise that all I did
was just sleep. I’d like to listen to more music, drink more whisky and cook fabulous
meals for myself. I want to travel and meet my friends (how many I have left)
as often as I can. I do like the city life, just not a fan of the life
that Dhaka force feeds me. I am a nonconformist and a renegade, at least that’s
what I like to think of myself. So, I’m going to do all of those things that I
want to do and console myself by saying, “It’s all in a day’s work, mate!” because
tomorrow is another day. Cheers!
The month of November is upon us and being a guy, I felt it was customary for me to write a few things about being a man, growing a 'stache and becoming aware of our health. The month of November is significant for us men because it is a time when some of us voluntarily decide to become manly all of sudden by sporting moustaches of different shapes and sizes. The mo might look ugly on your face, alternatively it might even make you more desirable in the eyes of the opposite sex but the thought behind it is bigger than that. So, since it's week 1, I decided to write a few words about 'Movember' and what it really is.
Movember started as an idea between friends in 2003 in Australia to raise awareness about men's health especially about testicular and prostate cancer by growing moustaches during the entire month of November. What started as 30-men volunteering to grow mos on their faces turned into a global phenomenon of more than 3 million people registering till date to be Mo Bros and Mo Sistas, as they are called. That's right, women have equally taken part in raising awareness about men's health.
Get creative!
It's quite surprising to see that when there were no Facebook and Twitter hashtags in the early 2000s, all it took men was to grow 'staches on their faces to stir up a conversation about sensitive issues like testicular and prostate cancer. Now that's what I call manly and primal! That's the beauty of this month; you take on a fun challenge of growing a 'stache and it immediately acts as a conversation starter in different places. You go to a party and someone compliments that handle bar 'stache you are rocking and you can kick off the conversation by saying how you're doing it for a good cause and spread your wisdom about men's health to other men who don't know.
Being a Mo Bro in 2011.
Being a Mo Bro in 2013.
Both these types of cancer are very common among men and as alarming and life threatening as it might sound, both these cancers are preventable if detected in the early stages. Here are a couple of websites you can visit to get some background information:
I'm sure all of you can Google about Movember, however, I have only tried to do my part to aware people of their health and what awareness can do to stay healthy. So, the only advice would be is to gather knowledge on men's health and have a medical check up if anything worries you.
Movember believes that the face of changing men's health is up to you. You can even register and sign up in the Movember website and have people from all around the world donate money for the cause. If anyone's interested, you can check out my Mo profile at mobro.co/mushfique.m So, get involved, get creative, grow a mo and share your knowledge. And as always, here's a heavy a mix by Inspector Dubplate called the Moustache Mixtape to get you all in the mood to grow one this month.
Everyone wants a piece of the truth. People can even handle the truth and get to terms with it. But how many of us tell the truth? We all lie; it's a common human trait, a reflex when we know we can't tell the truth. But then again, we are humans and we are bound to make mistakes. For years and years, the world has been going on based on many universal truths. I don't think anyone has been able to skip these truths and get on with their lives. Sooner or later, the truth tends to catch up with you. A classic example being the ever so familiar phrase of 'Time and tide waits for none'. Another one off the top of my head is from Murphy's Law which says, 'Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong'. True again, bang on! But, do we really know truth itself? To me, truth is relative to what you believe apart from generally accepted truths. What I believe to be true might not apply to someone else, given their backgrounds, cultures and upbringing. I don't want to sound philosophical really, because frankly I have never read up on great worldly philosophies. However, there are things that are in- built in everyone, a belief system that guides and triggers us about things we know and believe to be true. We all bend different belief systems from time to time to accommodate our thoughts so that it registers as a truth to us.
Artist: Shepard Fairey
On a different note, I was thinking of the internet, the network where many rely on as the Holy Grail of truth. The amount of half baked truths and whole lies that exist on the internet is just enormous. But then again, we are creatures of habit and a product of our environment. We are just too much used to taking things at their face value and pass it off as the truth. So, what's the moral and the truth that I am trying to get at? I've been wrestling with that thought for a while now and the only truth that I could come up with was just do what feels right for yourself. This might be nothing new but I am rediscovering this feeling in a different way, an old wine in a new bottle if you will. On that note, let me end this with a heavy tune about perspectives that is aptly named 'Set You Free' by Distance. Enjoy!
*Note: All photographs are property of the respective photographers. No infringement of copyright intended and has been used to showcase examples. Cheers!
It's been a while since my last blog post and the reason for that is that I take my time to write a piece. I contemplate on the topic for days to let it brew ideas in my head, finally coming up with something that's hopefully not trash. For this one, I've been meaning to write for a while now so I finally thought I'd give it a go. So, without wasting any more blog space, let's get straight to it, shall we?
If my title didn't give it away, this post is about skanking and the numerous things related to it. What is skanking you say? Skank or skanking is a form of dance which has its roots in ska and reggae music originally, dating back to the 1960s. It is closely associated to the Jamaican culture and the music but due to musical renaissance, the dance has been adopted and modified by listeners of different kinds of music. Skanking has been around for quite a while and it has evolved with ska, punk, reggae, jungle, two step and in recent times, dubstep and drum and bass music. My post will be specifically about skanking to dubstep and drum and bass music and how I've seen them in different raves in London. Skanking to bass music can mean a number of things: it can mean just feeling the beat and dancing to it, getting into moshpits or simply jumping around with your arms swinging around. Before writing this post, I've Googled quite a bit to find stuff on skanking to bass music but didn't find much except for the roots of the dance so I thought I'd have a go at it from what I've experienced. Since I've discovered bass music in London in 2012, I have been really fascinated about the underground music culture, the artists, the clubs and the scene. So this post is for people who wonder how to respond to bass music and what to do when a tune nears its drop.
I've heard people say that bass music sounds like robots having sex and that it's difficult to dance to. All I have to say to them is that you should go experience this music in a club where it gets really sweaty and heady. Just feel the beat and the moves will come to you naturally. If it still doesn't, here's my take on skanking.
Elements of skanking
Bass face: As stand up comedian Russell Peters once said, what is a cum face? It's the face that you make when you cum. Similarly, a bass face is a face that you make when you know a tune is going to drop hard and heavy. I know it sounds silly but it'll come to you eventually.
Martin from Noisia making his bass face.
Fingers pointing like a gun: This gesture is an absolute essential in dubstep and DNB music! You can't move around to these genres of music without having two of your fingers swinging in the air.
Mates skanking hard at cable.
Hand gestures when a drop comes: Another hand gesture to do when you are anticipating a heavy drop in a tune. It's like when you are holding something heavy, carrying all that weight and then when the drop comes, you drop it. It's that simple.
That's right, hold it till the drop comes.
Badman Funtcase trademark!
Moving your body from side to side: This shouldn't be so difficult to do, just listen to the beat and go with the flow.
Skanking out.
Moving your feet: Movement of the feet is similar to that of breakbeat. It might sound difficult but it's not: just move your weight from one foot to the other with each skank, making sure your arms and legs coordinate.
How to breakbeat.
Alright, so those were all the things you need to do to skank to dubstep and drum and bass. Skanking to dubstep will be a little slower than drum and bass since DNB is a much more faster music than dubstep. However, the moves and the gestures remain the same.
Next on the list is how to look like you mean business when you are skanking. The following is a pictorial guide on how to look the part of a serious skanker/ raver in underground raves.
Flat bottomed caps and glasses: The flat bottomed caps will give you a bit of a street cred and the shades will give your eyes a rest from all the strobes flashing around, so keep them handy.
Bandanna on the face: This is not an essential part of the look and I've only seen hardcore ravers sporting this but then again, it will give you a bit of a street cred at raves.
Clothing of indie brands: It might sound hipster but then again you might as well look the part when you go to a rave. I'd say that you go to a few raves and understand the scene before sporting indie brands. Clothing of dubstep or drum and bass labels or indie brands like Obey, Mishka, Rebel8 etc. is the way to go.
Guy wearing a Renegade Hardware t shirt.
Mishka snapback cap.
And finally, the optional get up, the onesies. I don't know how people dance while wearing onesies. It should be pretty self explanatory so get creative and crazy.
While doing a search on Youtube to see as what constitutes as proper skanking, I came across a video of these two crazy guys. Have a look, it's hilarious!
*Edit: This just in!
At the time of writing this blog, I couldn't find a video that showed exactly how to skank. What I've done in this post is that I've tried to break down the elements of skanking with visual references. That being said, MC Shot has released a brilliant video featuring neuro badman Maztek's tune showing how to skank and look the part of a proper skanker! Check it out!
Now that you know all there is to about skanking, all you need to do is listen to some banging tunes and get skanking in your room or wherever. I've made a small list of some of my favourite heavy dubstep and drum and bass tunes, so I hope you like them. So, to end with what I started: SHUT UP AND SKANK!
