There’s a difference between understanding something, and feeling it. A lot of times the definitive line between the two is blurred, but here I find a case where the line is drawn unmistakably in bold; not by sight, but sound. I say this because after listening, watching, and reading; I can honestly say I do not understand The Kill Krinkle Club (KKC); but damn I feel this music, and quite frankly that’s all that matters. The duo is a Dublin based Swedish and Irish electronic experiment gone melodically-mad! Check out their latest video single called 59, directed by notable Dublin filmmaker Greg Corcoran.

As much of an honor as it was for KKC, it also presented a new opportunity for the respected filmmaker as well. In the duo’s latest press release Greg had this to say:

Thus far my career has taken two distinct yet separate paths. One of Producer/ Director of film, mainly short dramas (Dead Load, Mac An Athar etc.). The other as lighting and visual man for bands on television (U2, Elbow, The National, Snow Patrol, Queen etc.) This video for ’59′ gave me the first opportunity to combine both strands, and all in under four and a half minutes!

Mp3hugger called “59″ one of the top 50 songs of 2010, but it’s just one of the 11 experiments from their newest album Abandon. The album does a great job of once again capturing not necessarily your understanding, but your feeling through complexly laced synth melodies and drum patterns. It’s a lot of music in one; one minute I’ll get an 80′s Tears for Fears vibe with songs like Golden Eagle, the next it’s a cinematic haunting energy in areas of 59 and Handwritten Novel. But most of all, it’s a blank canvas that let’s you take what you will from it. Either way, you feel it, and that’s how music should be.

Here’s my favorite track off the album. Burn one, and turn it up.

The new CD Abandon is available on Itunes. You can get all the latest on tour dates, music, etc. at KKC’s website here. Thanks to KKC for reaching out to us and sharing the love.

Ok so the song is a few months old I know, but it’s still a great song. What I think goes unnoticed is just how many genres of music this one song combines effortlessly, and also puts a modern twist on. It’s gospel, blues, and disco all rolled in one. Songs like these are great silent tributes to the art of music itself.

Adele’s album 21 is set to drop February 22nd in the US but it’s been out since January in the UK. She’s also announced a North American tour starting in May. Tickets go on sale tomorrow Feb. 11 and you can purchase them here.

I was so interested in the song that I checked Adele’s website out and found a track by track interview of her new album, here’s the one for Rolling In The Deep

Check out more of Adele and all the interviews on her site adele.tv/home

Winter Reel 2010 from Jordan Riggs on Vimeo.

Movies and film are by far my favorite media and form of art because they combine the visual, the audible, and even the writing elements into one.  No other form of art can accomplish all that.  To be a ”Director” in the true sense of the word over all these things is no small task. What does it mean to you to be a Director?

To be honest I don’t know what that means. Theoretically it means you have a vision that you execute with the help of a group of crew members and actors and yada yada, but I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t know what it means to be a good director, or a successful director, those are two different things but yeah.

As the head of it all, you may not make every decision but still it’s important to be in tune with every element or nuance of the project to a certain extent.  For example, your relationship and communication with the actors to bring out the correct emotion. Or even choosing the music for scenes etc. What would you say is your area of expertise so far in your young career and why?

I’m a very visual director. Its a curse I think. I spend much more time thinking about how the look will effect people as opposed to how the actors will. That’s not to say I’m bad with actors, but I’m always learning better ways to communicate the emotion. I see certain things in certain people and thats why I choose them; I think they will bring a different side of life to a character that I hadn’t even thought about previously. From the beginning I have thought that my job is to create a visual world for the actor to thrive and grow in, so I’m very visually motivated. Sometimes it means that a movie turns out bad because I let the actor take the role in a different direction. Other times I realize that the actor has discovered layers to a character I hadn’t ever thought of.

I’ve watched a lot of your work and I’ve noticed many times that there’s an abstract element to many of your films. For example in your project Blessed there’s opera music paired with a drunken vomiting stupor. When making those type of decisions in your art, is it more important to you that the audience make their own conclusions; or is there something you’re aiming to relay to us?

First off, Blessed was for a certain hip-hop artist who had asked me to do a promo for his mixtape. The dude had asked me to do some stuff for him in the past and was flakey so instead of going through the runaround, I just shot the thing. It was based off of a photo shot by Tracey Emin called I’ve Got It All. It’s of a woman with money coming out of her vagina.

I’m always looking for ways to blur lines in genre and Blessed seemed like the perfect opportunity for a mixtape that was supposed to be entitled Money Walks, Bullshit Talks. Regardless, he didn’t like the film so I just used it on my own as a short. Normally yes, I do make films abstract in an attempt to make audiences think, because I believe they are smarter than Hollywood gives them credit for; and also I don’t want close-minded people watching the stuff I put effort into anyway.

I can tell you’re a music fan, what’s on your ipod?

By answering this question I’m asking to be judged BUT it’s okay because I don’t have an iPod, but everyone should listen to Butler and the Gentlemen, Cherub, Mike Goode (album coming soon,) and OFWGKTA. There’s also this one chick Sophia Cunningham out of Omaha, NE: best voice I’ve heard in a LONG time. She’s the next Lauryn Hill/Erykah Badu and someone needs to recognize.

I’m sure you could name quite a few, but what are some of your favorite movies, actors/actresses, and directors?

Meryl Streep, Tom Hardy, P.T. Anderson/Spike Jonze, no favorite movies at the moment.

As a director, I’m sure you can envision exactly how you want something to come off or to be personified. Any aspirations to get in front of the camera rather than behind?

I suck at acting. No way.

I saw that you write, produce, and direct; what’s the best part of creating a project from scratch for you?

It’s me. There’s a quote in a film The Philosopher Kings along the lines of, “When you create something you become more that human.” I feel that way about art.

Brilliant Derrick is hilarious to me. His character and personality had me laughing out loud. As I was watching, it crossed my mind that there’s so many different personalities and egos that are potentially in one film at a time. As director, not only are you responsible for making sure the vision comes to life, but for managing and delegating.  As you’ve developed your craft have you had any trouble managing all of the personalities?

YES! That’s all I’m going to say about that. Derrick Sloan’s a funny dude though.

How do you feel about the current state of the major film industry.  What do you want to change or bring to the game with your artwork?

I don’t know how I feel about the film world really. Its weird to me, I think that overall I just want people to understand that there’s a difference between “good” movies and “fun” movies. I recently got into an argument with a friend about the Oscars, so I’ve been asking the question, “If Inception and There Will Be Blood were released the same year who would you want to win the Oscar?”

The majority of people stood behind Inception and it pissed me off to no end. Inception is a fun movie and is high concept. It was a great film to watch, I enjoyed it and got lost in it; but There Will Be Blood combines deep characters, with arresting visuals. A true story of the human condition with roots that grab hold of religion, relationship, and power; and it does it with little dialogue and even less exposition.

That is my kind of movie and the fact that people would rather watch Inception win over There Will Be Blood makes me sad about my standing in this industry. I just want people to understand the difference between “good” and “fun.” There’s nothing wrong with fun, I’m just saying.

Atropos was excellent, I need to watch it another time or two to put together my personal meaning of it. After creating it and seeing the final version for yourself, what do you take from it?

I’m a genius! Seriously, let me Kanye for a second and just say; that film may not seem like much to the general population, but I feel like if you see it the way I see it, it is so much deeper, well thought out, and well executed than I had ever imagined it could be. We spent $200 dollars on that film. I attribute the final product to God’s blessing on me and my crew.

Taking the last question a step further, what do you want people to take from your work in general?

I don’t think I make my movies for other people yet. I think Brilliant Derrick might be the first film I REALLY released to the public for everyone to see and that experience was just fun. In the future though I think I want to be in a place where an audience can leave feeling like they were apart of whatever world I put on screen.

What do you have lined up for the future?

I’ve got tons lined up for the future. (Rachel Dahlin look out for her, she’s gonna be famous!)

Thank you for taking the time to give us an interview; is there anything else you’d like to add or say to the readers?

To the readers: If any of you know Nicki Minaj personally tell her I want to put her in a film because I believe that she is one of the smartest most talented people in pop culture, entertainment overall, and probably business today. ALSO, I want people to know that I don’t know what I’m doing, no one does, so don’t act like you do.

This is a small just a small sample of the versatility of Jordan’s works. To see more you can check him out on vimeo

Whether this is your first time on this site or you are a regular here; this pertains to you. Our staff is looking to grow so that we can take the webmag and our vision to the next level. If you like what you see on this site and think you have the perfect voice to add to our webmag, then please write a “blog-style” article on a topic of your choice, and send it our way at contact@ivybetty.com

There’s no length requirement. We’ll be looking throughout all of February. We’re looking forward to hearing from all of you. Thanks everyone.

Alexis Nicole has been a regular on IVYBetty, and that’s because she makes good music. This is no exception, Alexis Nicole is set to drop her latest project which is Part 1 of a series called Letters To Love on V-Day. Check out the very musical promo below, and to get familiar with just who Alexis is, click here…

If you’ve been keeping up with the features like I know you have, then you know I’m on my art tip right now. So I bring you all a guy whose art makes some really powerful statements. Detroit native Jason Phillips is one of those artists that has all the talent, but also has the correct mindset as well to set him apart from his peers. Check it out.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

First and foremost tell me and the readers about yourself and why out of all the areas of artistic expression have you pursued painting/drawing?  Obviously you’re naturally talented at it, but going beyond the fundamental talent for it, why this lane of art?

Drawing was initially how I began to express myself at a young age. I was always captivated by drawings and paintings. Of course, I became bored of black & white pencils and charcoal, so I progressed to prismacolors, watercolors, acrylic paints, then oil paints. Oil paints provided me with the looseness and richness that I desired in my work.

Although I dabble with many media, drawing and painting is more conducive to my lifestyle. Less space and equipment is required than other disciplines.

It seems like every artist has his/her own natural eye for certain things that gives them the initial spark to create the entire story; ”the minds eye” so to speak.  Color patterns, angles, subject matter, the list goes on.  In the beginning stages of your career and development, what was your raw talent?  What came natural to your minds eye?

Imagination.
I would draw a lot as a child. However, I rarely used references. I wasn’t into comic books much, so I wasn’t trying to copy or imitate other artists work. I was able to create using my own imagination and would try to make my drawing as realistic as I possibly could. Earlier in my career, I would create surreal compositions by “warping” and “floating” objects within my work.

Taking that question a step further, were there specific things that you did to further develop that raw talent?

I had parents who encouraged me. I was placed in extra curricular art activities. I also attended Cass Technical high school in Detroit. It was well known for its commercial art curriculum. Before my senior year, I began working with a renown artist by the name of Hubert Massy. He introduced me to oil paints and creating large scale works.

I just tried to surround myself with artists that I could learn from and took advantage of every art program I could.

I can’t draw but I can appreciate, and even picture some really dope paintings. For someone like me who wants to pursue a career like yours, how would you approach developing them?

I strongly believe that being an artist is inherent. If you have it, you have it. …Practice, practice, practice. exposure, exposure, exposure.

I saw how much time and detail went into your tribute to J Dilla,  how important is music to you and what you do?

Music helps me get into a zone when I work. When I paint, I tune everything in the natural world out.

What’s on your ipod when you’re painting?

Depends on my mood or sometimes what I’m painting. I really only listen to 3 playlists: Hip-hop, Jazz, and Neo-soul. Pandora Radio is cool as well. I love the J Dilla and Flying Lotus stations.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, there’s an element of business involved with just about everything, including art.  How much are you involved in the business side of things, and what’s your views on the business and politics of art?

Unfortunately, I am involved in the business side. It’s very hard to keep up with clients, books, schedules, and then creating. Fortunately, It gives me more control of my brand and what moves I make as an artist.

Politics are politics. “I try to get in where I can fit in.” There will always be artists that are “connected” and get more accolades here and there. I like to examine the engine behind those artists, and take notes on the moves that were made to get that artist exposure and recognition. That is, in my opinion the key. Today, it has nothing to do with the actual skill of an artist.

One of my favorite pieces from you is the History Chair.  I have to ask, where did the idea come from? Did you have every element and detail mapped out or were some pieces improvised as you went along?  Did you feel a sense of pride, power, or accomplishment while painting as you began to see your vision being manifested so well?

Thanks. I’m glad that you like it.

“History Chair” was part of the “10,000 Project” for the Art House Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Over 10,000 artists were mailed a sheet of paper with the same word on it, and we had to create a visual representation of that word. The word was “chair”.

There were many thumbnail and rough draft drawings created. 90% of the composition was designed before the 4 x 6 ft. painting was started. It is now at the Stewart McClean Gallery in Atlanta, GA.

During my painting process there is a time when developing layers, the work is very abstract. I have to work through this murky, obscure phase correctly, or the painting will take a negative turn, requiring more hours and headaches to fix. So, there is always a sense of pride and accomplishment when compositions come together correctly to my eye.

The sense of African American culture is obviously undeniable in your works, is there another area of subject matter that is or is becoming as intensely important to you?

“Every good painter paints what he is.” -Jackson Pollock

My work will always have an African American perspective on whatever subject I choose. It is what I am. Our views and perspectives are truly American and need to be documented and accepted as being so. I do all types of studies of landscapes and still lifes. However, they are just practice to me. They have no message. My true passion is to create art that reflects humanity.

What are you most proud of?

Inspiring young artists.

Outside of these questions is there anything you would like to say to those reading this interview?

I am always interested in doing commissioned work. If you have a blank wall that needs a strong piece, please contact me at contact@jasonphillipstudio.com

Jason is a truly talented artist, who in my opinion knows who he is a person and exudes that within his paintings. You can find more of his work, and more about him at his website, jasonphillipstudio.com. Thanks for reading.

If you don’t know who LaJon is yet, then you’re off your game. But it’s cool, we’ll bring you up to speed, just check out the exclusive feature on the soulful singer/songwriter that we did about a month ago here. Now for those that are on top of things, here’s a follow up for you that definitely does not disappoint. I said it in the feature, and I’ll say it again, LaJon’s songwriting ability coupled with his voice sets him apart from the others. Seamless piecing together of ideas articulated brilliantly throughout the verses, chorus, and bridge. LaJon is no fly by artist, and this is No Coincidence.

Now you can download the song here, or if you’d like to get to know LaJon better, check him out at his website iamlajon.com. Props to the LaJon team, for shooting the exclusive our way first. More to come…

IVYBetty readers, we’re back again with another feature of an artist you are definitely going to want to lend your ears to.  I met this gentleman’s manager at a conference at the famous Patchwerk Recording Studios, where just about every artist whose made a name for themselves has recorded at.  We exchanged contact info. and a short time later he approached me with this artist’s first single whose voice and songwriting ability grabbed my attention. Ladies and gentlemen, LaJon.

When we spoke on the phone you told me about different artists that inspire you, and how you pull from all sources to better yourself as an artist.  Tell me about a few of the biggest ones that stand out to you, and what exactly it is that you pull from that artist.

My music idol has been John Legend. His music is so inspiring in the aspect of the passion and connection I get from it. His sound is amazing and I’m constantly compared as having a similar sound to him which is very uplifting.

Another one of my favorites would be Lauryn Hill. Her ability to make timeless music is something I only dream of doing. Her music expresses so much pain, passion and her voice is simply flawless with a slight rasp.

I admire Beyonce and her stage presence and performance skills. She tells a story every time she touches a mic and the way she captivates her fans is phenomenal.

Following up on that question, what area of you isn’t inspired by someone else; what’s your completely original contribution to your artistry?

With all that being said, I still feel that I find myself unique and different from other artists in the way that I take aspects from almost every type of sound or genre and try to incorporate it into my music. Some artists find comfort in his/her certain genre but I really try to venture out and use a wide and eclectic variety of styles. I have acoustic songs with nothing but guitar which is something you wouldn’t expect from a Soul artist. My uniqueness would probably be easier assessed if I were to let you borrow my iPod for a day..lol You’ll be amazed and maybe even disturbed at what you will find but that’s me .. I am LaJon.

Tell me about your creative process.  Are you the guy who sits silently in the corner of the studio with the track on repeat?  In other words, how do you write? How do you record?

I’m very very random when creating songs. To name a few, I’ve wrote a song while driving up to Atlanta to record a different song. Also I had a stomach ache one night and couldn’t really sleep; laid up in my bed and wrote a song there.. When I first started recording, I was very intimidated by the booth like anyone would be but as I began to get more comfortable, I treat it like a second home.. I love listening to the tracking and recording myself singing it on my webcam to see how it sounds and what I like and don’t like.

Live instrumentation is definitely coming back around in a major way, but what else would you like to see begin to shift in music? More specifically your lane of music, and how do you approach your music to contribute towards achieving that goal?

I’m loving the resurfacing of live instrumentation and I really try and incorporate into my music as well. But what I would also like to see resurface in my lane of music would have to be the experimentation of more and more instruments and sounds in the music. I try to incorporate a lot of sounds from different genres and still try to make it sound R&B soul, but at the same time I love different sounds such as guitar and violin.

What’s your ultimate music goal?  The pinnacle of your idea of success in music.

Many feel that the fame and fortune is what makes them pursue the music industry and what defines success but I’ve always had the understanding that If 1. You do something you love and 2. You do what you love WELL, then people will remember you for it. The fame and fortune will follow so I don’t really focus on that. However when I think of ultimate success, I want to be remembered as great, as the best. I live by the quote “Good, better best; never let it rest; Until your good is better, and your better is BEST”

We see a lot of artists use their platform in music to accomplish something that can impact the world on such a great level.  For example, Alicia Keys and her work in Africa with people affected by AIDS.  Is there an ultimate goal that you want to accomplish, something completely outside of music that you think music can be the vehicle to get you to that goal?

As a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc, whose national philanthropy is St. Jude’s Children’s research Hospital, I have always been an active volunteer for them. I feel that my music would be a great transport to reach out and affect these kids positively in an even bigger way. I really would love to get on a National campaign with this organization and raise money for further research and care.

What’s next for you as a person and as an artist?

I am just honestly looking to grow in several aspects of being an artist. Preparing for the release of my next single entitled “No Coincidence” in mid January as well as an EP entitled “Definition of Lovers Lost” in early March. Constantly trying to broaden my fan base and interact with them in as many ways as possible. Also learning more and more about this industry and just trying to be a student of music. Performing at as many places as possible so people can match a face with the music and really connect with an audience… so everything is NEXT… lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK5FQUSOn1g

Where can our readers find more from you?

Readers as well as fans can find me on pretty much every social network site as well as at my website at www.IamLAJON.com where you can stay up to date with music, videos, recent news and gallery. Also you can follow me on twitter @IamLAJON as well as on my Facebook fan page “LaJon”.