Author Archive
Beauty in Darkness
Beauty in Darkness is a film by Aileen Collo Amparo. It was filmed in the Philippines and documents the daily struggle of many of the people who live there. Yet ultimately it’s a message of hope, as it highlights the happiness in the hearts of those people, despite their struggle. With Beauty in Darkess, Aileen aims to create an awareness of the situation, so that it can be brought to the attention of people or organizations who might be able to help. We live in an abundant world with more than enough resources to go around, and it’s sad to see how many people are still going without. But where there is joy, there is hope. Here’s an interview with Aileen, discussing her motivation and vision for this project.
Tell me a little about yourself.
I was raised in Philippines and have been working as an architect abroad. It seemed that I have a very ordinary life by most standards: typical education, 9-5 job, going out on weekends with family or friends, etc. But since I was a child, I’ve always felt different. Let’s say that I fall into the category of “weird” people which can be a pain in the ass sometimes. I used to be a huge pessimist, because I didn’t understand what is happening to me internally, but just in the recent years, I searched for answers and I met wonderful people along that showed me the beauty of life and I asserted my childhood notion that there is much more going on out there than what we are consciously aware of. And this journey is just beginning.
What inspired you to create Beauty in Darkness?
My parents have a small coconut business that deals with people who are living in the mountains. They would come down to our office warehouse with their horses and carabaos carrying their sacks of coconut harvest. They are very happy people despite the stories of hunger, calamity, illness, poverty and such. Heartbreaking stories are the ones that I cannot bear. While I was busy at school, they have always been at the back of my mind. My family is not rich so I cannot do anything. Now grown up and earning, I have a some budget for a film. I thought that these people would be the best subjects of my documentary to give the socially invisible a voice. I was also given links by a friend about documentary movies, which encouraged me to make one.
How did the people you filmed respond to you making the documentary?
There are different reactions from people whom I filmed. Mainly, they are eager to be part of the movie because they want to be heard. They want the world to know about their situation which has become invisible to the society. Many are thrilled to be in front of the camera. They assume right away that I am a part of a mainstream media in Philippines and the thought of them being in the national television gives them excitement. I told them I am not in the media, but we can write to the local TV stations to put the movie on air, if they accept it. The children especially are amazed by the small camera that I use because they can see themselves in the small preview panel. It is very rare, or maybe it is the first time for many of them to see a camcorder. So they like to play with it. You can see them smiling in front of the camera in the behind the scenes section of the website. Other kids that I did interview are shy and couldn’t respond to the questions. Generally, they have been very cooperative during filming. How I met them, where and when I need to capture the important scenes seemed magical to me as if it was orchestrated beforehand by what I consider to be a greater force.
What did you learn while filming and editing the movie?
When I was young my mother used to tell me when I used to worry about the future “Look at them, they are happy even if they are not sure if they will have food for the next meal”. It was only during the filming when it completely sunk in to me. Until now I couldn’t copy the level of happiness that they naturally exhibit in dealing with their everyday struggle. This is when I realized that the beauty of the human spirit will always be there no matter what situation people are in. I do understand that many of them are acting irresponsibly and ignorantly but I personally cannot blame them because since the time we took our first breath here on earth, we have been programmed constantly by the society that limits our infinite potential as co-creators. Despite this, the beautiful human qualities stayed strong, and this blows my mind. The people in the movie demonstrated compassion, innocence, laughter, happiness, strength, hope and i could go on an on about the intangible qualities that are very hard to spot, especially in the most horrible conditions.
All of this became embedded in me deeply as I edited the film over and over until I came up with the final cuts, soundtrack and narration. I realized too that movie making is also like life. One could have the best soundtrack, scene, and theme, all by itself but if you blend them together without harmony or chemistry, one will end up with a bad movie. What I’m saying is that, everyone is wonderful on their own, whether they are artists, intellectual, simple, extravagant and so on. It is not necessary at all to fit into every single category that many of us are expected or pressured to be in. It’s just a matter of blending with the right people, places and elements. Perhaps if we determine the right combination and let go of the ones that does not serve our best interest, we will end up having our own lives as the best movie ever.
Your website for Beauty in Darkness works nicely as an extension of the documentary, with the interactive community-based elements. How would you like to see the project evolve from here?
The website is in its very early stage of development. It is envisioned to be beneficial for everybody. People all over the world may submit their stories of inspiration and motivation, to inspire others. They can also participate in the forum to seek advice, give advice and just be there for anyone who needs encouragement.The people in the movie are what I consider the bravest of the souls for having the balls to come down here and volunteer to take the difficult role which is the life that they live now. They set as an example for the rest of us that, yes, the beautiful qualities are present even in darkness. The inner light does not fade for those with eyes that can see it. These precious ones deserve a good life too just like everyone else. The movie is also a way to call the attention of the proper charitable organizations or institution in the Philippines that can help those in need.
The movie also encourages people to consider living a life of compassion and look around their own neighborhood. There are many people around the corner that we never knew to be living in the dark for so long.
As for me, it creates avenues to connect with like-minded people who want to recreate a beautiful world by action and by thoughts simply because we are all tired of the BS going on and it’s time to let go of the negativity that already served us its purpose.
We are constantly evolving beings, full of infinite potential.
What would you most like your viewers to take to heart from watching Beauty in Darkness?
People are unique and I am sure that they will have different takes on the message. There may be scenes that could trigger the memories from the past, it may back up the answers to their questions about life, it may be a new opening to some who are not exposed to this kind of environment, it may also irritate them, devastate them, it may lead them to blame the people, institution and so on. It can serve so many purposes for different people. And in that moment there will be an intimate conversation between their self and the subconscious. I hope they receive the message that they need in their journey. We are walking different paths, and come from different backgrounds. But wherever we are, I hope we don’t forget to ask the question, the same question that I ask myself whenever there is what we categorize as “bad” events that happen such as broken relationships, deprivation, loss, denial, and so on: “What beauty do I see in this horrible situation that I am in?” It is extremely difficult to battle this right now, but there must be a purpose for this. Perhaps a beautiful purpose. A purpose that we are yet to discover as we start to connect with the beautiful spirit that resides within us all.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I guess it is not me who needs more to add. Feel free to connect with me in any way so that people can add more beauty to the website. It is a place for everyone who’d like to feel beautiful, or who’d like to try to see the goodness even in “bad” situations. The whole planet is in such a mess right now, and we want to re-create a life that we all deserve. We will not blame anybody or any institution because if we do that, we go back being negative. We start from scratch, like a new born baby full of love, compassion, peace, happiness and so on. And what if we really come from this loving space, a loving space that can be found just within, wouldn’t it be likely that we also can create a loving world? Then there would be less, if no more at all, poverty, famine, war, discrimination, and so on. Problems solved! And the solution is just inside of us. Imagine a world of ecstasy (not the one that people take in a form of a tablet, LOL).
It is extremely challenging and may be unimaginable for a lot of people. But why not make the first step, and like a baby, we will fall down on our first attempts to walk, but for sure one day we will walk our beautiful selves on a beautiful earth in a beautiful life.
Check out the trailer for Beauty in Darkness below, and head over to the official site to watch the full movie: http://www.beautyindarkness.org
Top 20 albums of 2011
2011 was a good year for music. There were a lot of releases by many different artists. Here’s a reflective selection of the albums I found myself returning to the most. Enjoy!
Wishing you all a magickal 2012.
Peace.
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Radiohead returns with their shortest album to date, a collection of 8 songs clocking in at just under 38 minutes. It’s a beautiful collection of tracks, with great production, emphasis on texture, and Fela Kuti-inspired African rhythms underlying Thom Yorke’s haunting vocals. Radiohead also comissioned some of the world’s top producers to remix The King of Limbs, which were released throughout the year, culminating in a TKOL remix album a couple of months later.
Björk – Biophilia
Björk’s latest offering is an ambitous multimedia project inspired by the wonder of nature. Released initially as an iPod/iPhone/iPad app and debuting at Manchester International Festival as a full audio visual multimedia experience, the album itself consists of fresh production, magickal melodies and some of Björk’s deepest lyrics, with her singing about the creation of the universe, crystals, beings of light, the dance of the atom, the formation of the cosmos, and everything in between.
Modeselektor – Monkeytown
Berlin’s Modeselektor return with Monkeytown, an eclectic mix of tracks, ranging from hip-hop, to R&B, to Flying Lotus inspired melodic collages, to Kraftwerk-inspired electro, to straightforward 4/4 dance music, with distinct synth bass and beats to remind you that you’re listening to Modeselektor. Monkeytown is fresh and futuristic, and with contributions from Busdriver, Thom Yorke, Otto von Schirach, Miss Platinum, PVT and Anti-Pop Consortium, this is definitely an album worth sinking your teeth into.
Daedelus – Bespoke
Los Angeles producer Daedelus’ latest album is his debut release on British label Ninja Tune, and is quite possibly his best release to date. More cohesive than his previous offerings, Bespoke is playful, eccentric and accessible. Highlights include the melodic yet menacing Penny Loafers, featuring Inara George singing about getting her buttons pushed, the funky What Can You Do? featuring soulful vocals by rapper Busdriver, and the ominous post-dubstep of Overwhelmed, featuring haunting vocal textures courtesy of Bilal.
Rustie – Glass Swords
Rustie’s debut album Glass Swords is almost uncategorizable as far as genre goes. Rustie is one of those producers who seems to do whatever he feels like doing, and does it well. Glass Swords opens with melodic synths which quickly morph into rock guitar, and before you know it, you are in the midst of an eclectic collage of electronic sounds, vocal snippets, textures and melodies that could be described as Flying Lotus meets Joy Orbison on the dancefloor, with the occasional hint of dubstep. An impressive debut, it’ll be interesting to see where Rustie evolves to from here.
Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
Lykke Li returns with her second album, which is deeper and darker than her 2008 debut, Youth Novels. From the Stooges-inspired post-punk of Get Some, to the 60′s shoo wop of Unrequited Love, to the stripped down ballad I Know Places, Wounded Rhymes displays Lykke Li’s musical diversity. Although less playful than her previous album, it seems like Lykke Li has come of age.
Roots Manuva – 4everevolution
British rapper and producer Roots Manuva returns from the studio with an album that is his most eclectic release to date. With 17 tracks consisting of beats varying from hip-hop to electro to trip-hop to dub to dancehall to disco and vocals that are just as varied, Roots Manuva proves that he is still a powerful musical force to be reckoned with. This may just be his best album yet.
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Seattle duo Shabazz Palaces follow up their Shabazz Palaces and Of Light EPs with their debut full-length album, Black Up. Black Up is one of the most original sounding hip-hop albums to emerge in a long time, with forward thinking production and mind bending flows and lyrics. A departure from the boom clap that signifies most modern hip-hop, these beats are almost downtempo IDM with subtle synth and jazzy licks that create a perfect sonic platform for the MC known as Palaceer Lazaro aka Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler (the former Digable Planets frontman), to glide along to with his original flows.
Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse
The Golden Age of Apocalypse is Los Angeles bassist Thundercat’s debut album, and he propels electronic jazz into the 21st century with this progressive release. Along with his prolific experimental bass style, Thundercat displays his musical versatility by performing vocals on this album, which gives it a soulful edge. Produced by fellow Los Angeles based beatmaker Flying lotus, who incidentally is the nephew of jazz legend John Coltrane, this album forges new ground with its rich sonic landscape.
Welder – Florescence
Better known by his alter ego Eskmo, Welder dons his mask and brings us Florescence, a beautiful and melodic musical journey with a vast tapestry of ambient textures. Where Eskmo’s music is more beat and bass heavy, Welder’s focus is more on melody and harmony. This album is playful, ambient and introspective with many different sounds and instruments, and subtleties that will reward the listener with each repeated listen.
SBTRKT – SBTRKT
SBTRKT follows up a string of great remixes and singles with his self-titled debut full length album. This album displays diversity as it covers the full spectrum of bass music, from the post-dubstep of Wildfire featuring Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano to the house grooves of Pharaohs, and includes everything in between. Soulful and funky, this is a good album to dance to or to chill to, and is a solid debut album from a prolific producer.
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
St. Vincent returns with her third album, Stange Mercy, which features crunchy guitars juxtaposed with her melodic vocals. This stripped down rock influenced album has catchy grooves and melodic soundscapes that form a sublime texture to compliment St. Vincents introspective lyrics and strong vocal delivery.
Little Dragon – Ritual Union
Little Dragon’s third studio album brings us more of their distinct and unique style, with catchy melodies, chunky synths and fresh beats which form a bouncy lanching pad for vocalist Yukimi Nagano’s soulful R&B styled vocals. Ritual Union is sexy, futuristic, stylish and moody, and showcases some of the best music that Little Dragon has released so far.
James Blake – James Blake
Prolific producer James Blake’s self-titled debut album is a departure from his more dubstep styled previous releases. This album is stripped down to its bare essentials, and showcases James Blake’s talent as a singer and songwriter. Highlights of the album include the minimal yet progressive Wilhelm’s Scream and a haunting cover of Feist’s Limit to Your Love.
Amon Tobin – ISAM
Amon Tobin’s ISAM is ambitious, melodic, atmospheric and abstract. This album is a collage of melodies with a distinct emphasis on texture that is a departure from Amon Tobin’s previous beat based releases. It has its moments of heavy beats and bass, and these moments serve more as punctuation than backbone, to showcase the ethereal sonic landscape that is ISAM. Amon Tobin has performed ISAM live as part of a full multimedia art installation, to create a full audio visual experience of his latest expression.
Atlas Sound – Parallax
Parallax is the third studio album from Atlas Sound (who is also known as Bradford Cox, the singer and guitarist from Deerhunter). Parallax is a well produced, restrained, singer songwriter album that is haunting, beautiful and melodic, with introspective lyrics. There are many subtleties on this album that make it one of those albums that appear minimal at first, but becomes richer with each listen.
Dangermouse & Daniele Luppi – Rome
Dangermouse and Daniele Luppi collaborate with Jack White and Norah Jones for an ambitious concept album that comes across like a soundtrack to a film that was never made. Dark, cinematic and moody, Dangermouse and Luppi’s compositions compliment White and Jones’ vocals exquisitely to tell a story that captures the essence of what you might imagine the movie Rome to be about.
Jamie Woon – Mirrorwriting
Jamie Woon presents us with a soulful, loungey house-influenced singer songwriter album, with influences of dubstep, funk and R&B. With Mirrorwriting, Jamie Woon forges his own direction and gives us a fresh take on UK bass music and infuses it with a slick, soulful edge.
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Mogwai’s latest release brings us more of the textured, ambient, layered post-punk that they are best known for. This album is progressive and atmospheric, with a couple of vocal tracks, some anthemic sounding themes, and mysterious soundscapes that give it enough diversity to listen to repeatedly.
Zomby – Dedication
Zomby continues his mission to bring jungle back with his latest full length album, Dedication. This album is eclectic and diverse, and combines 8-bit video game melodies with dubstep, garage and dancehall, with an undercurrent of early 90′s jungle, which continues the theme of his 2009 release, Where Were You In ’92. These tracks are simultaneously cute and ominous, bouncy and spooky. Zomby’s knack for melody, his eclecticism, and his forward thinking production make his releases unique in that they can take clichéd musical styles and make them fresh again to give them a new lease on life.
music unites
music is something that vanessa and i are both really passionate about. our mutual love of music is something that brought us together in the first place. music also has the potential to unite humanity in general. we’d like to share a bit about some of the music projects we’re involved in.
i go by the artist name matek, which is a character i created as an avatar to express my creations. last year i released my debut solo album, entitled “internal fire”. it had been a long time coming. it followed the release of my debut EP, which i released in september 2008. the EP consisted of 5 tracks that i’d been working on throughout the year, and was called the “lightflow EP”.
my EP received a really positive response, which inspired me to shift gears and finish off my album. so from september-november 2008 i spent most of my time in the studio, recording and mixing what would become “internal fire”. it was comprised of a few songs that i’d already been working on, combined with songs that seemed to appear out of nowhere while i was mixing the existing tracks. i love it when that happens!
most of the recording and mixing was done during that period, and by november i had an album that was an eclectic combination of post-hiphop, electronica, 8bit video game sounds, new wave dub, combined with elements of dubstep and dance. the sound of my album has since been described as both galactic and tribal at the same time, which i think is pretty cool, as galactic tribal culture is a key aspect to shamballah.
once the album was mixed, i spent a week designing and programming an interactive interface, which contained the lyrics and some of my art. completely DIY and totally self-published, i had my first album, which was also an interactive multimedia release.
i travelled to ireland in late november for some metaphysical training, and while i was there i started hustling my album, and got an incredibly positive response. while in ireland, i had the opportunity to perform some of my music on an acoustic guitar at a shamballah gathering, and managed to get my album into a record store in dublin.
i had my album launch in cape town in december, performed a new year set at an outdoor festival just outside cape town, started hosting monthly shamballah gatherings in the city, and got my album into the middle east and japan. a few weeks ago i signed up for a digital distribution deal with reverbnation, and my album will be available to purchase from amazon, emusic, itunes, napster and rhapsody by late august / early september 2009.
in april 2009 i was off to toronto, canada, for more training. toronto was exciting. i met vanessa there, and we got to perform together at another shamballah gathering. which leads us to our next post…
here’s a downloadable track from my album:
you can listen to the entire album, plus additional tracks, here.
click here to become a fan of matek on facebook.
love, craig
