If you, like me, had never heard of Conrad before you may think him a bit strange upon first watching the movie. Indeed I definitely thought and still find myself to wondering whether or not Tony Conrad is insane. As a minimalist film maker, musician, and artist, Conrad’s works are about as minimal as it gets. His musical works involve holding long, half-step dissonant notes for periods of time that are meant to make listeners somewhat uncomfortable. One of his most famous movies, The Flicker, is just a black and white flickering screen for feature length.

If you find these things to be real art that takes actual skill, that is fine. Many people, as evidenced by the film and the good sized crowd that turned out, would agree with you. I just couldn’t help but laugh at the crazy qualities of Conrad. While this may seem like a bad thing, it actually helped to get over some of the less inspired film making choices. The movie goes into standard documentary fair, consisting primarily of talking heads interspersed with shots of Conrad’s music, films, and art.

And while I found myself chuckling at nearly every endeavor of Conrad’s, there were sections of the movie that were undoubtedly meant to be humorous. As Conrad walked around Lincoln Center bemoaning the composed dominance of the New York Philharmonic, he sighed and said “I hate it here…it’s so depressing.”

Conrad’s hatred of so-called high culture is shown in every single one of his projects. Just as a way to one-up Andy Warhol’s 24 hour movie, Conrad wanted to make a film that would last 50 years. The problem he ran into though, was that no film could be able to perpetually run and remain intact for 50 years. Conrad gets around this issue by creating Yellow Movie. To me, Yellow Movie is just a large painting made up of the color yellow. To Conrad and his fans though, the fact the the painting fades throughout its 50 year “run time” makes it a slow changing, minimalist-inspired film.

The minimalist sensibilities hit a peak at the end of the film, when Conrad is standing in the middle of traffic, directing the passing vehicles. One woman walks by him, sees him talking to himself and asks “Are you ok?” Yes, I think Conrad is fine. He just has a different way of looking at the world. Some of us just think he is a little bit strange.

The post Witching Hour: Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present @ FilmScene 11/5/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Sunday November 2, Atmosphere brought their “North of Hell Tour” to Blue Moose Tap House.

Emcee Slug’s highflying rhymes more than pleased the eager Iowa City crowd—one that felt like home for the Minneapolis bred tandem. DJ Plain Ole Bill joined the group on stage, trading off tweaks & scratches with DJ/producer Ant.

The Rhymesayers extravaganza bill included Dem Atlas and Prof, both Minneapolis born, as openers for the legendary hip hop act.

Dem Atlas was the first to hit the stage. Positivity, screaming, and flailing dread locks created an electric energy on stage. The 22 year old emcee’s material consisted mostly of his Charlie Brown EP, culminating in a passionate performance of “All We Got”—a call to arms to today’s youth to stand up and fight for all that’s good and just in the world.

Rhymesayers Entertainment’s second act of the night was Prof who made sure to bring the party. Dressed in a honey badger t-shirt, his tenacious demeanor reflected that of the vicious mammal. Playing his energetic tracks “Farout” and “Me Boi,” his passionate storytelling meshed with DJ Fundo’s mixing were nothing short of hype. 

Wasting no time at all, Ant and Plain Ole Bill spun the crowd right onto Lake Street, literally. The house lights went black and a piano-driven beat dropped. Slug emerged from the corner of the eerie lit stage–stepping into Hell possibly? Or maybe a little North of it? You be the judge:

Atmosphere didn’t pause to chat it up with the crowd as Slug jumped quickly into their lyrical history. Covering everything from their days before Rhymesayers Entertainment with “God’s Bathroom Floor,” to their latest single “Kanye West,” Slug’s poetic lyricism meshed with the cohesion of Ants classic mixes created an exciting evening. 

Rooted in northwest hip hop culture, Atmopshere’s music consists of heavy lyrical content over alternatively influenced beats. No better example would be the track “Flicker,” from their eighth studio album Southsiders. Written in memory of label mate, fellow rapper, and close friend Eyedea, Slug’s emotional performance was met with a see of flickering lighters and cell phone screens. While the rest of the show Slug is backed by Ant and Plain Ole Bill on the 1s and 2s, Slug is left alone for this one with just the background track playing. This choreographed move makes for a meaningful tribute to their lost Minneapolis brother.

Closing the night, Dem Atlas joined Slug center stage to trade off freestyles–A signature move that is the mark of this true hip hop legend.

Checkout some photos from the show below.

The post Show Review: Atmosphere @ Blue Moose 11/2/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.