Tag Archives: Rich Medina

Visualeyz. We rocks eyeballs!

The artist formerly known as Mos Def rocks the mic with Visualeyz on the visuals.

The artist formerly known as Mos Def rocks the mic with Visualeyz on the visuals.

If you pay attention to anything I say, you might recall that I dropped the name Visualeyz a few weeks ago.

I was talking about a JDilla tribute featuring DJs Questlove, Mike Nyce and Rich Medina in Philly.

I also brought up Mark Hines, of Visualeyz, who was manning the visuals for the night.

If you read that post, you probably thought, “Who is Visualeyz and what does ‘manning the visuals’ even mean?”

You would have been well within your rights to be curious.

As the purveyor of information, I am duty bound to disabuse you of your ignorance.

Visualeyz is the video production, VJ, and marketing arm of The Marksmen.

The About page of visualeyz.net describes Visualeyz as follows:

Visualeyz is a Video Production, VJ, and Branding outfit that brings stylized club and in-venue video mixing and branding together into a powerful marketing tool. In other words, we rock eyeballs.

Visualeyz provides video mixing and branding together into visual presentations and powerful cultural and social experiences.

That’s a mouthful.

But I feel like I haven’t really said anything.

Let’s try this again.

When Madonna was looking for the final dancer to join her crew, as part of the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange, Visualeyz was tapped to provide background visuals for an on-stage dance routine.

When Masters of the Mix was looking for a crew to shoot and edit the final scene of the second season, announcing the winner, they called Visualeyz.

When the Philadelphia Museum of Art needed to do something interesting to kick off their Art After 5 series, Visualeyz was at the top of their list.

When big dogs need visuals done right, they call Visualeyz.

Visualeyz offers businesses and brands numerous opportunities to connect with and engage their clients, customers, and sponsors.

Whether it’s a small local business targeting a niche audience or a big brand with a national pitch, Visualeyz has to tools to reach them all.

With the proliferation of smart phones and increasingly powerful mobile devices, Visualeyz helps brands target the mobile generation by providing 2nd screen experiences, microsites and integrated smartphone apps that engage audiences before, during and after events.

Visualeyz pushes live on-screen social media feeds, real-time posting of photos, audio and video content to brand profiles, and supplies full analytic data about who attended, how they accessed and interacted with your brand.

They’re part of the same crew who developed the interactive Red Rooster, Tillmans NYC, 1300 Fillmore and Townhouse mobile web apps, which let users browse the venue’s playlist right from their mobile devices.

In a nutshell, Visualeyz helps bridge the gap between engagement and conversion.

I’m kinda excited to see what the future has in store for Visualeyz and the brands they work with.

Here are a few branded teasers.

Okayplayer.

Goodie NYE.

Worship Recordings.

If your a brand looking for a deeper level of engagement with your audience, you better get you some Visualeyz in your life!

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Filed under branding, digital advocacy, iPhone, mobile, technology

Philly Loves J Dilla. Rich Medina, Mike Nice and Questlove pay tribute

Philly Love J Dilla

So a few weeks ago, my people wanted to throw a little party in Philly.

They were putting together a charity event to raise money for the Lupus Foundation.

The event was going to be a tribute to J Dilla, the legendary rapper and collaborator who succumbed to Lupus at 32.

What started off as a simple idea, quickly mushroomed into an over-capacity event.

In two short weeks we got Questlove, Mike Nyce and Rich Medina to play – together – at Johnny Brenda’s and pay homage to Dilla.

With those three sharing duties on the turntables, it’s not hard to understand why it was standing room only.

Literally.

Yameen Allworld played host, as Mike Nyce set the night off with classic headbangers.

Guru.

Tribe Called Quest.

Busta Rhymes.

Rich took over from there, digging deep in the crates.

Michael Jackson.

Common.

De La Soul.

And then it was Questlove’s turn.

Pure fire.

300+ people packed into Johnny Brenda’s in Philly on a Monday night.

Wall to wall bodies, floor to (second story) ceiling.

Accompanied by a steady stream of beats blasting through the speakers, Mark Hines of Visualeyz handled the visuals.

Straight eye candy for anyone gazing up at the two-story projections flanking the stage.

All night long, Visualeyz flipped images up on the screen, drawing partygoers deeper.

In addition to the digital audio and visual play, there were also fine artists on hand getting busy.

Ameerah K and Chuck Styles each created portraits of the night’s posthumous honoree.

Ameerah K paints a portrait of J Dilla live.

Ameerah K paints a portrait of J Dilla live.

Despite the short window to put everything together, the event went off without a hitch.

The night would not have been possible, without the generosity of a few sponsors.

Okay Player, The Couch Sessions, M3 Printing, i-g creative and Two.One.Five Mag were all (partly) to thank for the successful night.

So were the night’s hosts, GLProductions and FlyGirrl.

gl productions

Fly Girrl

And what would a J Dilla tribute been without Yameen Allworld emceeing?

yameen_allworld

I just happened to be in Philly and was able to get a fix.

Before I had to boogie and catch a train back to Montcleezy.

But I was able to capture a few snippets for your viewing (and listening) pleasure.

Questlove gets set to take control of the turntables from Rich Medina.

Questlove gets set to take control of the turntables from Rich Medina.

Anyway, if you want to see more snippets, you can check out the Visualeyz YouTube channel.

And if you want to see all the chatter from last night’s event, visit Twitter and search the hashtag #phillylovesdilla or #phillylovesjdilla.

Peace!

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Jump N Funk and 101 Apparel take over Fluid

101 Apparel featuring Rich Medina

I’m always talking about Rich Medina and Jump N Funk, but what exactly is it?

And although I’m sure that I’ve explained the concept, the written word fails to do it justice.

So this weekend, I decided to shoot a few videos to highlight exactly what JNF is.

Friday night, in the midst of the storm, I made my way down to Philadelphia to Fluid, where Rich Medina, Mark Hines and 101 Apparel were putting it down.

101 Apparel is a clothing line that collaborates with DJs to create custom t-shirt lines.

As their website puts it “101 Apparel was created by designer Eric Crandell in 2006 as a way to seamlessly bridge the gap between art, music, and fashion.”

Friday, night, Rich decided to big them up at Jump N Funk to acknowledge the collabo.

But I’m not going to blather on.

Today, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Here’s a clip of 101 Apparel’s branding incorporated into the visuals for the night.

Rich Medina and Mark Hines at work.

The Roots crew reinterpreted by Visualeyz.

It’s not a party without a Soul Train line!

Classic!

To recap, Jump N Funk+Visualeyz+101 Apparel+Fluid=banging party!

So the next time I tell you that there’s a Jump N Funk party going down somewhere, make it your business to be in the cut to experience this flyness for yourself!

If you’re interested in copping that Rich Medina 101 Apparel collectible, you can get it here.

If you want to learn more about Visualeyz, you can check out their site here.

To find out when Jump N Funk will be in a city near you, go here.

Nuff’ said.

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Rich Medina has an app! Holla!

Rich Medina app logoI don’t know how I missed this!

My man Rich Medina…

My nigga-cant-get-no-bigga…

My ace-boon-coon…

My…you get the point.

Anywho, did you know that Rich Medina has an iPhone app!?

I was rapping to another one of our mutual friends when he dropped it on me.

Him: …so we can just add it to his app…

Me: Add it to who’s app?

Him: Rich’s app. Who the fuck else are we talking about?

Me: Rich has an app?

Him: Dude, you’re tripping.

Me: Stop fucking with me!

Him: It’s in the iTunes store.

Me: STOP PLAYING!

Him: It’s been there since December. Where the fuck have you been?

Now, there are two things you must know:

1. I just made that entire incident up.  I was channeling my inner Golem.
2. You need to cop that Rich Medina app!

If you’re not up on Rich Medina, I don’t know what to tell you.

He’s only one of the dopest DJs in the game.

And I’m not just saying that because he’s my boy.

My other boy, Ukachi Arinzeh, is one of the worst DJs in the world.

Sorry Uka, but you suck.

So, it’s clear that I am not influenced by my personal relationships when assessing skills on the ones-and-twos.

But I digress.

The app is quite dope.

It’s got a simple and easy to navigate UI.

It’s a DJ app for chrissakes!

There are three main options: News, Photos and Bio.

That’s my dude!!!!

The News page lets you check in with Rich, as he travels the globe, playing at hot spots all over the world.

It pulls in content from various sources, including his weekly article in Complex magazine.

It also includes information about where Rich is going to be, and when.

So if you’re a true Rich Medina fan (or stalker) this app will keep you up-to-date on his movements.

The Photos page is loaded with albums full of flicks of Rich at work and play.

Each album is set up “coverflow” style, and you can scroll through a myriad of albums or select an image to see it full-sized.

The Bio page is…well..it’s a bio.

The coolest function, though, is the embedded player at the foot of the page.

Hit play and you’re transported into the world of Rich Medina at his best.

The app features live sets from Rich’s performances in exotic spots in Paris to the local haunts of NYC.

So download the app and you’ll find yourself immersed in great music for hours.

The app was designed by TriAgency, a digital agency out of Philly.

Big ups Phil and Duane!

Anyway, if you’re iOS down, like me, I suggest you cop the Rich Medina app one time.

It’s free, so it won’t hurt your pockets.

And you will be so happy that you copped it, you’ll want to thank me.

But don’t.

Pay it forward and share the app with someone you know.

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The Beatles+Fela+Rich Medina+Mark Hines+Live Scoring+DROM = A night not to be missed.

Fela was the fifth Beatle. He didn't tour with them because he wouldn't rock the bowl cut.

I am an out and out FAN of Rich Medina.

Sure, he’s my dude.

I’ve known him since college.

And yes, we’ve partied and bullshat (past tense of bullshit, and bullshitted is also acceptable) across the globe.

But whenever this fool is on the ones and twos (aka ‘wheels of steel’ aka ‘Technics’ aka ‘turntables’) he just does something to me.

…I get this…

…uncontrollable…

urge to dance.

Literally.

It usually starts with a subtle foot tap.

Then the rest of the leg gets involved.

Before I know it, both legs are similarly compromised

And I’m involuntarily engaged in a two-step.

Slowly side to side.

Shifting my weight alternately on one leg then the other.

Soon, it’s no longer subtle or slow.

There’s a wild stomping going on with both legs.

Not to be outdone, my fingers are snapping.

Hands, a-clapping.

Torso swaying.

I have been mesmerized.

He does it to me every time.

And it’s not like I’m NOT trying to dance.

Why would I be up in the club if I was?

But I’m just saying.

Why you do me like that Rich?

Once, after a particularly raucous set, I had to take a moment to collect myself.

Rich had me going IN on the dance floor.

I was sweating, dreads all wacked out, and I had to catch my breath.

As soon as I had found a spot to cop a squat, there he goes again.

Water, no get enemy…

Water, no got enemy…

And I’m back.

The horns were calling me.

Body all twitching and jerking – of it’s own volition and against my entreaties to remain at rest.

Why this diatribe about Rich Medina’s hypnotic DJing skills?

Because on Friday, April 6th, he and Mark Hines (a guy with similar effects on the eyeballs) are playing at DROM.

The event, Scored & Jump N Funk Presents: The AfroBeatles, is an evening not to be missed.

Just in case you think I’m full of shit, read how DROM describes the night

SCORED & JUMP’N FUNK present the AfroBeatles bringing together an evening of live scoring with rare footage of Fela Kuti and The Beatles with narratives woven from The Beatles acapellas and African cinema. The indelible, DJ, producer, and poet, RICH MEDINA will be hosting and narrating this night of fresh “off-the-wall” music, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”

So if you like the Beatles…

Or if you dig Fela Kuti…

Or if you’re a fan of live scoring…

Or if you’re into choreographed dance routines…

Or if you simply like hanging out in the city with cool folks…

Then DROM is where you need to be Friday night.

It costs $10 to get in.

But it’ll be well worth it.

Give me a shout if you come.

You’ll probably find me on the dance floor somewhere…

In a trance.

Click the image for a treat.

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No. I’m not at SXSW, or WMC or Ultra Music.

I’ve got a major ‘tude.

Why?

Well, I’ll tell you.

Instead of getting my party on in Austin at SXSW…

…or shaking my groove thang in Miami at the Winter Music Conference or the Ultra Music Festival

…I’m staring at this computer screen in NEW JERSEY

blogging

…with a stank attitude.

Now I know that I should be taking this in stride.

I’m a grown-ass man!

I can’t be bawling over a change-of-plans.

Sh*t happens and sometimes you’ve just got to go with the flow.

Sure, I had planned on attending at least one of this month’s many music-related festivals.

SXSW was off the table because I was doing WMC and Ultra.

So I was sore, but not that sore.

I was going to make it up with a few days in Miami for Winter Music, shoot back to NJ for a quick spell, and then head right back for Ultra.

There were dates at a couple of hot spots – Bardot, Settai, the Shore Club – and I was going to be at them all.

I had Louis Vega, DJ Spinna, and Rich Medina on my agenda….

But noooooo…..

I’m ‘manning the ship’ as it were….

I won’t bore you with the details of why there will be no boogie fever for Stephen.

Suffice to say, duty calls. Duty schmooty!

Read: I drew the short straw.

So instead of giving you a play-by-play and regaling you with my stories of dancing the light fantastic, I’m ruminating (like a petulant child) over what I would have done, had I actually attended.

To wit…

Doesn’t that look like fun?

If you’re at either SXSW, WMC or are planning on attending Ultra Music, whooptee-effin’-doo for you!

But not to be a pure hater, here are a few links to Fusicology, which has, hands down, the BEST listing of the who, what, when, where and why for most major music events.

For the unofficial list of events at WMC, check out their Alternative Guide to South Beach.

SXSW Music officially started today, and you can get all the info you need right here.

However, I’m missing it all.

But my partners are there.

‘Working.’

Yeah right!

Damn you short straw!

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Harlem Stage at 30. Weaving together Harlem’s past, present and future.

I recently took a meeting with Harlem Stage around the planning for their 30th anniversary.

Harlem Stage has been one of the nation’s leading arts organizations devoted to the creation and development of new works by performing artists of color.

And they’re a fixture for the artistic community in Harlem.

According to their website,

Harlem Stage is a performing arts center that celebrates and perpetuates the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. We provide opportunity, commissioning and support for artists of color, make performances accessible to all audiences, and introduce children to the rich diversity, excitement and inspiration of the performing arts.

Located on Convent Avenue at 135th street, Harlem Center is a diamond in the rough.

With programming in music, dance, theater, film (like Weightless showing March 14th), education, and family, Harlem Stage has something for everyone.

Rich Medina threw down at Harlem Stage!

Last year, Harlem Stage hosted Rich Medina, twice, bringing his unique music style uptown for Harlem residents and HS patrons to enjoy.

The meeting I took today, was about one of Harlem Stage’s current challenges: how to properly convert thirty years of content, photographs, videos, audio recordings, posters, brochures and flyers, and make that content accessible to staff and patrons alike.

With the 30th anniversary gala quickly approaching (May 21, 2012), Harlem Stage is rapidly moving into the digital age.

They’ve been gearing up to bring 30 years’ worth of archival content to life, making it’s rich history available for the masses, to search, share, and enjoy, in a dynamic and interactive form.

We’re one of a number of experts being asked to help Harlem Stage craft a solution to bring this project to fruition.

And we spent much of our meeting discussing the nuts and bolts around properly digitizing, tagging, preserving/storing, and distributing/sharing Harlem Stage’s voluminous archived content.

We also talked about the opportunities that exist for Harlem Stage to make optimal use of that content once it’s ripped and tagged.

Optimally, we’ve impressed the powers that be, and demonstrated that we know what we’re doing.

At the very least, I hope that we were able to expand their understanding of what’s possible.

I, for one, am excited about the potential of working with them, and I’ll definitely keep you posted on our progress!

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2012 Will Be a Blogging Year (and what I didn’t tell you about 2011)

I just looked at the end-of-year summary that WordPress sends to folks who use its blogging platform, showing me what 2011 looked like.

Sooooo….last year I authored exactly 14 posts.

14!

That’s abysmal.

I. Am. Ashamed.

I am constantly extolling the virtue of regular blogging to my clients, and in 2011 I was thoroughly remiss.

And unlike 2010, where I was a blogging superstar (relatively), in 2011, I was a friggin blogging hermit!

And it’s not like I didn’t have a lot going on to blog about.

So to make up for my total lack of posting, here is my 2011 in review.

December: Art Basel Miami

Hotness was all over..even on the walls.

I attended my first Art Basel Miami, which (if you didn’t know) is the largest international art festival in the United States. I spent four days hanging with some of the hottest contemporary fine and street artists in the game, partying at Miami’s most exclusive night clubs and meeting with clients in a whirlwind where days and nights seemed to blend together. Big ups to Sanford Biggers, Martin Luther, Rich Medina, Sapna Lal and all the good folks at Bardot, Townhouse, Gigi and Bond Street.

November: Jump N’ Funk After Experience at Red Rooster

The After Experience at Red Rooster was the bomb!

If you’ve never been to a Jump N Funk, then you’ve been missing one of the best parties ever. Literally. Jump N Funk is an afrobeat party, celebrating the life and music of Fela. The first time I attended a JNF, at WMC 2005, I left the event sweating like a slave. I was hooked. 2011 was the 10 year anniversary, and Rich Medina was in top form as he tore the roof off of the Red Rooster in Harlem, after the anniversary show at Harlem Stage.

October: The Digital Strategist

I was the guest of David Muhammed, the Digital Strategist, on his public access show on SoMa TV. In the renovated studio at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, I was interviewed about my experiences in the technology and mobile space. I posted a short piece about the interview, which lasted about 50 minutes, but felt like five, earlier, but if you missed it, here it is again.

September: Born To Shine

I spent some time with Rich Medina in September, who was fresh off of the show Master of the Mix (produced by GTM Central and presented by Smirnoff) on the set of Time Warner Cable’s new program, Born To Shine. Rich was the resident DJ for the show, which was recorded on the 106 & Park set, and provided his unique banter and musical je ne sais quoi to the show.

August: Q3030

I started consulting a tech start-up out of Atlanta, called Q3030. The brain-child of Marq Sears, a serial entrepreneur, Q3030 had developed an new technology, called The Cube, an interactive platform that enables brands to place interactive branded advertisements on a number of highly trafficked websites, like MediaTakeOut.com. I was brought in to help map out the strategic direction for the company, content acquisition, capitalization and branding. They’re actively seeking angel investment, but are moving forward.

July: Martha’s Vineyard

In what has become somewhat of an annual tradition, I took a working vacation and spent a week in Martha’s Vineyard with the family. We rented a quaint three bedroom house on a lake in Oaks Bluff.  Every day we hit the beach, the strip, the lake or some other outdoor destination. Now my kids are now hooked on the place, and it’s looking like this IS, in fact, going to be an actual annual tradition.

June: The Marksmen

I rejoined Marksmen Productions, a company I had worked with for several years, and immediately jumped back in the fray working on some really innovative projects. Several years ago, the Marksmen developed DOT.TUNES, a web-based application that gave users the ability to remotely access all the content of the iTunes library remotely over an internet-connected device. Since that time, they’ve developed several applications that run off of the DT platform, including HookUp (remote sharing over multiple DT instances), ReVenue and !mpulse. Stay tuned for the developments on this front in 2012!

May: Cannes Film Festival

Free Angela, the documentary film arrives in 2012.

I took my second trip to the South of France for the 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival, where I put to use everything I learned on my first trip. I attended a few premiers, ate frogs legs, partied in a castle…and…on the beach…and…on a yacht…and…well you get the picture. I also met with some of the hottest up-and-coming film-makers, directors and producers. I also started working with Free Angela, the documentary film on Angela Davis by Shola Lynch, in association with Canal Plus, De Films En Anguille, and BET (yes, BET).

April: The Today Show

I'm waxing eloquent about going grey!

The highlight for April (aside from my 41st birthday) was being invited to participate in a focus group that was being taped for the Today show on NBC. The focus group was assembled to talk about perceptions related to aging, and whether grey was sexy or not. The segment, which aired shortly after taping, can be seen here. Check me out in my 2 seconds of fame, when I say “I love her with the grey.”

March: Winter Music Conference

I attended my third (or was it fourth?) WMC in Miami at the Miami Convention Center. It was my first WMC off the strip and in the convention center, and the mood was noticeably muted. I sat on a panel discussing the future of mobile with some mobile industry luminaries and hung out with Benzino and Dave Mays (the former owners of The Source Magazine) at their posh recording studio in downtown Miami (out of which they also publish their new publication, Hip Hop Weekly). I also spent a few hours at the King of Diamonds, the…ahem…’gentlemen’s club’, but we can talk about that later.

February: Morgan 4 Congress 2012

The new look of the M4C website!

If you followed me in 2010, you know that I was working with Vincent Morgan, a Democratic Candidate for Congress, running against Charles Rangel in the 15th District of New York (what is commonly referred to as Harlem or Upper Manhattan). Although he lost, it was a learning experience, and in February of this year, he assembled his inner circle to strategize for his 2012 run. We relaunched his website, created new marketing materials, and put together a strong team for his next run. Look for his formal announcement soon and repeat after me: “Morgan for Congress 2012!”

January: KiwiTech

I joined KiwiTech, a Washington, D.C. based mobile application development firm, that was moving from developing apps for the publishing sector, into the media space. This small family owned and operated outfit has developed over 600 iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad apps to date, and shows no signs of slowing down.

If you’ve made it down this far, let me say that one of my resolutions is to blog at least once a week in 2012. Which means that if I actually do what I say I’m going to do, you can expect at least 52 posts from me this year!

Yaayyy!

Now lets see how long it takes me to fall off the blogging wagon this time!

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Filed under branding, Smack talking, technology

Stephen Chukumba says: “Jump N’ Funk”

I’m blogging about the Jump N Funk party, which was celebrating it’s 8th anniversary, cause I just got home (about an hour ago), and I’m still buzzing.

8th Anniversary flyer

8th Anniversary flyer

I should have come home and gone to bed to prepare for tomorrow (or today, rather), but it was Jump N Funk, and I was already in the city for a whirlwind round of meetings (the last few days – LOVING IT!)

And I’m glad I went!

The party was at Le Poisson Rouge, @ 158 Bleeker, and the joint was popping! If you’ve never been, LPR is a great space. Designed and optimized by true audiophiles, LPR has arguably the best sound system you’ll find in NY.  Full disclosure: I may be a bit biased because it was designed by my peoples, but the acoustics are banging!

The minute I walked in I saw Rich Medina, our DJ & host, and gave him a pound. From there I made my way straight to the dance floor, to shake my groove thang, cause he was spinning Lady by Fela and I LOVE me some Fela – okaayyyy?

After working up a sufficient sweat, and seeing that Rich’s turntable game was as tight as ever, I spied my frat brother (and fellow digital conspirator) Mark Hines up in the control booth, manning the visuals.

The plan was to give him a pound and head home.

But when I got up there, this is what he was doing*:

Is this picture with my 2G iPhone too grainy? Where's the flash Apple?

Is this picture with my 2G iPhone too grainy? Where's the flash Apple?

Mark in profile getting bizzizy

Mark in profile getting bizzizy

View overlooking the crowd. Check the screen (if you can see it). Umm Apple?

View overlooking the crowd. Check the screen (if you can see it). Umm Apple?

*I promise that the next time, I won’t use stills to illustrate a dynamic point.

and I stayed a little longer that I should have. But damn, I was transfixed. Have you ever seen someone mixing video? That sh*t is ILLLLLLL!

Needless to say, Rich and Mark did their thing, I got my dance on and now I’m up blogging! (Can you believe this guy?)

If you get a chance to go to a Jump N Funk party in the future, I highly recommend it.  I’ll definitely keep you posted on the next one.

Little side note to Dan: If my game is a little off tomorrow, this is why.

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