Song of the day: Kumbala – Maldita Vecindad

Posted on 27 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

In the last stressful days I’ve been hearing a lot of mexican songs and remembering my youth and first steps into the national rock. Well, this time I wanna share something totally diferent… ??? It all began many years ago when “La maldita vecindad y los hijos del quinto patio”, best known as “Maldita Vecindad” came with their original and very rhythmical pieces mixing ska, mexican sounds, arab melodies and powerful rock. The result? Classics!!

I saw them once when I was a kid and even had the chance to be backstage with them, such a fucking great people!! Nowadays the guys from “la Maldita” are not very active and there are no concerts scheduled, but if they come to Europe I’ll be there for sure and no matter what!

Ok ok, the song. This time the song is an unusual sound from rock, but a very fucking classic from the band. Is a cuban “danzón” with a passionate rhythm that carries sadness because of the Love that has been lost. The lyrics just recreate the scene in the “Kumbala” bar, where the couples go to heal their broken hearts, describes the passionate slow motion of the bodies crying through their hands and feet, dancing with the sound of a melancholic trumpet. Questions the presence of the almighty Sun, trying to be the protagonist of the Passion in Kumbala, where the love will always belong to the night.

Slow but sexy, painful but delightful, close and warm… Welcome to Kumbala.

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FX guy of the day: Rick Baker

Posted on 26 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

Anyone in the film business can tell who this guy is. He’s just a living legend and a freaking mastermind of our times. He has already 40 years in the FX industry and his achievements are almost as impressive as his creations. He was first known for the low-budget film “Schlock”, where he was in charge of an amateur costume… which turned out to be very realistic and of high-quality. This gave him the opportunity to work in “The Exorcist”, and it started his fast rising.

He has been 7 times Awarded with the Oscar for “Best Make-up”, and gave his inspiration and work for productions such as “King Kong”, “Star Wars”, “An American Werewolf in London”, “Harry and the Hendersons”, “Men in Black”, “Planet of Apes”, “Hellboy” and even “Thriller” from Michael Jackson.

He is one of the few, who see the beauty of horror, the beauty in a scary face, the beauty in a disgusting creature from the worst Nightmares. He is an expert in arts, design, paint, sculpture and (my favorite) Animatronics. All that without CGI. His work along these years was one of the reasons I study Robotics. He is THE MAN.

Truly a living legend and the inspirations of millions around the world, including me. Do you remember those real life Heroes you wanna meet when you’re a kid? He’s one of mine.

Song of the day: Classical Gas

Posted on 16 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

This classical song was composed by Mason Williams a long time ago. I remember it was one of the first songs that impressed me, because of the clean sound in a classical guitar. I was really young, maybe 5 or 6 years and the song was one of my first in my personal collection. I even had it in the cassette, and the cover gas a standing classical guitar in a faded blue background with the big letters: “Classical Gas”.

I remember hearing it. I was once and again doing it because Williams hooked me into his sound from the first notes. The time was passing and I even forgot the name of the song but the sound was still in my head.

Years later I found it again with the name and since I like to hear it many times, maybe because I remember my innocent days, I don’t know, but I really like it.

This is the version of Tommy Emmanuel, the picking Master. I’m sorry but I couldn’t resist to share this version.

Awesome, right?

Rolando Hoffmann

Posted on 8 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

After my failed attempt of going to “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in the National Theater, I’m convinced now that I have to go and watch these two super amazing performers. Most of all because of the energy in Rolando Villazón. I could stay here saying how much I admire that man, but… you can see it in this video. It doesn’t matter if you can not speak German, Rolando is enough expressive.

A sincere smile

Posted on 8 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

Yes, today there was one of those moments that make my day in the end. Huuuuuh chulada! After being around 11 hours in the University and doing most of the time the god damned exercises of Machine Learning I decided to go downtown and walk a little.

After going to the bank and buying some train tickets I just was in the mood to walk. And thank God I did it! Right there in the exit of the U-Bahn station I started to hear some nice piano music. When I was already out, a guy was playing a big fucking piano in the streets. Yes, a grand piano! The guy was a long haired young man but he was playing really good and a bunch of people were around him. He was playing Chopin, I think.

I had to remove my earphones in order to enjoy it. The guy was really inspired and the people were there listening in this good moment right outside Galleria Kaufhaus in Marienplatz. After he finished a couple of songs I left in the direction of Stachus.

But in the way, even with my earphones back and with DLD at full blast, I could notice another great sound: Jazz. Fuck yeah! A jazz band was playing outside C&A and it sounded really good. The jazz was not so quiet and relaxing, it was more like a Cecil Taylor style, with the pianist hitting the keyboard with energy and creating crazy sounds through the wide scale of octaves. Continue reading →

Song of the day: Rock ‘n’ Roll Queen

Posted on 6 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

Last night I went to a concert with Charlotte, after days without a good rock. I think that’s what I needed. It didn’t help at all to my throat but I was there shouting as it should be. I enjoyed it a lot, not only because of the company (a really good rocker girl), but because the music was really energizer.

I have to confess that I didn’t hear of them before (I think) but I’m sure I heard a couple of songs from them before. Whom? “The Subways”, a British band of alternative rock, well… I mean explosive. I wish I could know the songs before so I could shout them out loud, but I did it anyways.

It’s kinda weird to jump between germans and sing together in a common foreign language. But well… the song of the day is “Rock ‘n’ Roll Queen” from the Subways and it was included in the soundtrack of the movie “Rock n Rolla” from Guy Ritchie, a movie that I really enjoy.

If you dedicate this song to a woman and she accepts to be your Rock n Roll Queen, then you are a fucking lucky man.

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La otra familia

Posted on 2 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

Well, this is a mexican movie, that unfortunately I have not watched, but it seems really interesting. Perhaps in Mexico these kind of topics are not openly discussed, because the society is still a bit conservative. The same happened with “El Crimen del Padre Amaro“, a story about a catholic priest having an affair with a woman of his parish. It was scandalous because it was a topic that remained as a taboo, women cried, young Catholics tried to boycott the movie outside the cinemas, priests condemned the producers and cast, and even with some influence they couldn’t stop people trying to watch how Gael García nailed Ana Claudia Talancón.

This time the mexican cinema gives us another taboo-topic: Families of homosexual parents. But unfortunately this time the conservative societies (really influential and powerful people in Mexico) could diminish the impact in the country. I was not anymore in Mexico when it was premiered, but from all my contacts and friends there… no one noticed this movie in the cinemas. It seems, that the movie was not released in enough cinema theaters and it was really fast showed.

Why? The movie has a great cast like Jorge Salinas (“Amores Perros”, “Sexo, pudor y lágrimas”), Ana Serradilla (“Déficit”, “Los inadaptados”), Carmen Salinas (“Todo el Poder”, “Man on fire”) and even Silverio Palacios (“Sultanes del sur”, “El Infierno”). The story is really good and invites the audience to think about the concept of Family… Continue reading →

Song of the day: Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen

Posted on 1 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

This time the “song” of the day is the aria “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” from my favorite Opera Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”.

The literal translation of the “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” is “The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart” and it is sung by a soprano in the character of the Queen of the Night. I “discovered” the song while hearing years ago pieces from Mozart’s Opera and voice of the soprano impressed me so much that I felt in love of the aria, but it was after some years when I re-discovered it with my Lodge brothers and found out the true whole meaning of the Opera, being this aria one of the most crucial events in the masterpiece.

It is commonly abbreviated as “Der Hölle Rache” or some times as “The Aria of the Queen of the Night”, even when there are other arias of the Queen of the night in the magic flute. The colotura with the high C (which needs a high tessitura too) draws attention really fast and gives a lot of power to the piece. So in the end we can just really enjoy the aria with the magistral voice of the corresponding soprano.

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When I became an asshole.

Posted on 1 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

I don’t really remember, I don’t even know how it happened, but I’ve realized that I became an asshole. Maybe it was the change of the country, or maybe I was already like this when I came, I still don’t know and I can’t explain it.

Sometimes we can not say who we are, until others say it. Now I know, well… I have a better idea, and the most accurate is that, because it was told to me. I can’t find any explanation, but it is the only feedback I have: I’m an asshole.

When did it happen?
Well, I don’t know.
Am I?
I don’t know.
Will I be?
Fuck! I don’t even know now what an asshole is.

Song of the day: Tres heridas

Posted on 27 October, 2011 by Mayitzin

In these last days I’ve listening to many thing really different than my usual styles. And lately I re-discovered Kinky, a mexican band of electronic music. They became famous in Mexico around 5 years ago with hits like “¿A dónde van los muertos?” or “Sound tha mi primer amor”.

But nowadays, listening to their material I found a song that is always in my head: Tres heridas. It is not a heavy song but since the beginning with the counting I just feel the need to dance. Few songs do that to me. So… let’s dance!

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