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March 5, 2013
On March 1, 2013 Nelson George hosted a screening and discussion of the 1985 hip-hop movie Krush Groove, the panelists were Bill Stephney and Bill Adler. Held at NJPAC in Newark, NJ. Read more of this post
October 18, 2012
We are pleased to lend a hand in gathering support for our neighbor and music/cultural maven, Nelson George, who, along with legendary music producer Arthur Baker, are producing a documentary on funk music called Finding the Funk. Mr. George has been on a tear of late, having produced the critically acclaimed Brooklyn Boheme. Being HUGE funk fans, we are super excited about this movie, which promises to deliver the in-depth background and insight for which George is known. Since his early books like Death of Rhythm and Blues, Nelson George has continued to contribute to the cultural fabric of this Nation and beyond and we are confident this film will shed more light on musicians that have created the backbone for some of today’s most popular music. Kudos to Nelson and his partner, Arthur Baker, for caring enough to devote their time, energy and talents to this projects.
Please support the funding of this movie with a donation. At the time of this posting, they have 99 backers who have contributed over $5,000 for the campaign, which ends in 22 days.
Here are more details about the film and campaign:
Inspired by an idea from legendary record producer Arthur Baker, Finding the Funk is a road trip in search of the past, present and future of Funk music. We start in Dayton the birthplace of so many of Funk’s originators, then onto Detroit where from the ashes of Motown, P-Funk‘s Mothership arose and then to LA where a new crop of musicians, like Dam Funk, are creating their own Funk history. Among those featured in the film are Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, Mike D of the Beastie Boys, D’Angelo, Marcus Miller, Mtume, Nona Hendryx, Vernon Reid, Maceo Parker, Bernie Worrell, Steve Arrington, Reggie Hudlin, Sheila E, Shock G, Sade’s Stuart Matthewman and Diplo. Hosted by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of the Roots. Vh1 is hoping to air Finding the Funk next spring.
After a whirlwind summer of filming concerts, outdoor festivals and intimate backstage jam sessions with some of the Funk’s most notable performers, Finding the Funk is headed into post-production. $20,000 is what we need to take our film to the next level.
We’ll be posting two other trailers for the film, right here, on our Kickstarter page during the pledge period, giving you all a deeper look into what we’ve shot and why this film will be worth your time!
May 2, 2012
Credits:
Nelson George: Director, Camera, Writer, Narration
Robert O’Bryant: Editing, Camera, Animation, Music, Voice Over
Nicole Nelch: Producer
We were so happy to hear that music writer and filmaker Nelson George has created this short documentary on the legendary Roland TR-808 drum machine, which was a staple sound in such classic hits like Soulsonic Force‘s Planet Rock, Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing” and many others. This sound defined an era of music. Enjoy.
More from Vimeo:
The sounds of the Roland TR-808 drum machine inspire musicians around the world, even though the device hasn’t been made since 1984 and most of its avid users have never actually seen one. Join the conversation and tweet #THEBEAT to have your tweet featured on the Focus Forward website. Go tofocusforwardfilms.com/films/32/all-hail-the-beat to see the discussion. Check out more films in the Focus Forward series at vimeo.com/focusforwardfilms.
More about the Roland TR-808 from Wikipedia:
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines (“TR” serving as an initialism for Transistor Rhythm). Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real drum kit. Indeed, because the TR-808 came out a few months after the Linn LM-1 (the first drum machine to use digital samples), professionals generally considered its sound inferior to sampling drum machines; a 1982 Keyboard Magazine review of the LinnDrum indirectly referred to the TR-808 as sounding like marching anteaters. However, the TR-808 cost US$1,195 upon its release, which was considerably more affordable than the US$5,000 LM-1.
Drum machines in general became an integral part of hip hop music as a cheap and simple way of producing a drum sound. The Roland TR-808 held specific appeal because of the ability of its bass drum sound to produce extremely low-frequency sounds. It also featured various unique artificial percussion sounds that characterized the TR-808: a deep bass kick drum, “tinny handclap sounds,” “the ticky snare, the tishy hi-hats (open and closed) and the spacey cowbell.” The Roland TR-808 would eventually be used on more hit records than any other drum machine, and has thus attained an iconic status within the music industry.
September 13, 2011
We are thrilled to be attending the opening event of this years UrbanWorld film festival, which showcases some of the best urban creative film works in the world. Our hats off to Executive Producer Gabrielle Glore who has helped to expose some of the most important and unsung works that need to be seen.
This year’s festival is opening with Brooklyn Boheme, a film directed by Diane Paragas and Nelson George. According to urbanworld.com, the flick is a historical documentary about the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY (and home to Soulhead.com) and features the likes of Spike Lee, Rosie Perez, Saul Williams, Chris Rock and many more of the creative forces that have made Brooklyn and Fort Greene, in particular, a leading destination for tourists and culture enthusiasts worldwide! Please support this film and the entire festival. Brooklyn Boheme will be shown on Thursday, September 15 at 8:00 PM at the AMC Loews 34th Theatre.
The first five minutes of our feature documentary Brooklyn Boheme gives a first hand account of this vibrant African American artistic community that included the great Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Branford Marsalis, Rosie Perez, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Carl Hancock-Rux just to name a few. Narrated and written by Fort Greene resident Nelson George, this documentary celebrates “Brooklyn’s equivalent of the Harlem Renaissance” and follows the rise of a new kind of African American artist, the Brooklyn Boheme.
Purchase tickets here.
Film Credits:
Directed by Diane Paragas and Nelson George
Written by Nelson George
Cinematography by Diane Paragas, Francisco Aliwalas
Edited by Diane Paragas, Emir Lewis, Trevz Bayack
Graphics by Trevz Bayack
Aerials by Perspective Aerials
Music ion furjanic
