All posts by newsandnoise

Gangnam Style and politics

archive, , , , , , , ,

The K-pop song “Gangnam Style” rocketed straight to the top of the charts in more than 30 countries.  The video on YouTube has been viewed almost 600 million times. Korean rapper, dancer, and producer Psy (Park Jae-sang) shows us a caricature of the life of Gangnam district, the Beverly Hills of Seoul.  The catchy phrases “oppa Gangnam style” and “hey sexy lady”, the electronic dance beat, and the silly galloping moves are the main ingredients for this huge success.  There is a vast amount of parodies of the video, and of Gangnam Style in particular. Not only the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei uses this song to make political comments, but also persons like Ban Ki-moon, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and Noam Chomsky are involved in one way or another.

Continue reading Gangnam Style and politics →

The Mine Kafon, a minesweeper

archive, ,

Usually News & Noise relates music to current affairs, but this time it is a piece of art that is worthwhile mentioning. It is the Mine Kafon of the Afghan designer Massoud Hassani, recently purchased by MOMA in New York (Washington Post). The big round dandelion-like-object  is made of bamboo and plastic. It is Hassani’s final work for the Dutch Design Academy in Eindhoven. In an interview last week with the NRC Next,  he stated that he feels very honored that the MOMA is interested in his work, but he would rather see it move on a minefield. In Afghanistan “Kafon” stands for “disarming”, and yes, the Mine Kafon is meant to be a minesweeper.

Continue reading The Mine Kafon, a minesweeper →

“We should support each other” – an interview with Lena Chamamyan

interview, , , ,

The Syrian singer-songwriter Lena Chamamyan (born to an Armenian family in Damascus, living currently in Paris) is one of the friends guitarist Jan Akkerman invited to play at his anniversary concert at Carré in Amsterdam on September 17. Her participation was one of the highlights of the show, especially the magical dialogue with trumpeter Eric Vloeimans. For News and Noise it was a good opportunity to speak with Lena about her work and the situation in Syria. We met her and Maher Sabra, her manager, in a busy Amsterdam terrace cafe a few days before the concert.

Continue reading “We should support each other” – an interview with Lena Chamamyan →

Pussy Riot never stops!

archive, , ,

Dimitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, is certainly not a fan of Pussy Riot but he wants the punk band to be freed, saying further time in prison would be “unproductive.” He believes that suspended sentences would have been sufficient for the women and added that the “hysteria” that had accompanied the coverage of their case – which has made headlines around the world – had left him sickened (BBC News).

Continue reading Pussy Riot never stops! →

Youssra El-Hawary, a strong yet cheerful political voice

archive, ,

The winners of the Fair Play global music video competition were announced more than a week ago. Young bands from all over the world sent in their songs about anti-corruption, this year’s theme. The 29 year old Egyptian Youssra El-Hawary won the global music award with her debut video El Soor, or The Wall (Fair Play).

Continue reading Youssra El-Hawary, a strong yet cheerful political voice →