On Saturday March 8th I went to the American Sabor Exhibit at the EMP.  I spent most of my time there dancing to music in the listening booths with my friend and watching the music videos.  I discovered a new genre of music that I really like.  It is called Reggaeton.  Reggaeton originated in urban areas of Latin American and Carribbean countries such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.  Reggaeton blends Jamaican music influences of reggae and dancehall with those of Latin America, such as batchata, bomba, plena, and merengue well as hip hop and Electronica.   I love this style of music because of its beats by a drum machine.  Before I knew what the genre was called, I knew that it would be perfect for the merengue.  The artists rap in Spanish, with some English.

My favorite artists that could be considered Reggaeton are Daddy Yankee (Puerto Rico), Pitbull (Cuban American from Miami), Kat DeLuna (Dominican Republic), and Sean Paul (Jamaica).  On Saturday I was very happy to find out the artist and name of the song Gasolina by Daddy Yankee.  I think it’s very interesting to find out what countries the different artists are from and think about all the different musical influences coming from African rhythms, indigenous styles, and modern culture and technology.

Jack Black, Mos Def, and Danny Glover star in this 2008 film directed and written by Michel Gondry. I went out Saturday, the 8th of March, to Pacific Place in downtown Seattle to see the movie. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the film! It was quirky and original. Voice-over was present throughout the film, which is most likely why this was offered as an extra credit opportunity. Even during the trailers, I was watching for voice-over and its effect on atmosphere towards the audience! One film particularly, titled Funny Games, had an interesting trailer because the music and tone given off did not fit the film’s plot. It was like the remixed trailer of The Shining. Anyways, to get back to Be Kind, Rewind, the focus was on jazz and the legend of Fats Waller, who was born in the actual video shop, which of course is named, Be Kind Rewind. As Fletcher leaves town to attend a “memorial,” Mike is left in charge, though specifically instructed to “Peek Yrrey tou.” That was hilarious watching when their suits camouflaged with the fence perfectly on their way to sabotage the power lines/generator.  Due to Jerry’s magnetization, all the VHS tapes in the store are erased. Consequently, Mike and Jerry must remake these Hollywood film’s into their own masterpieces, though quite a bit shorter in length. Eventually, the government comes into the picture when copyright infringement forces the tapes to be destroyed. It is ridiculous how harsh the punishment is for doing what they did! Somewhere near 64,000 years in prison and over a billion dollars as a penalty. All those tapes being crushed was heartbreaking because the voice-overs and ambition put into those films were made with passion. The sweded version of films created is kind of like our remaking of PSA’s or voice-over’s of movie clips. We are sweding in English 121! Eventually, the documentary is made of Fats Waller, who really isn’t born in the video store. The whole community came in and helped to create the film and help save the video shop. So much generosity and the good of human nature was shown by this community. It really gave off a pleasant and happy tone. It isn’t always the new forms of things which are the best, be it a DVD or these new high-budget films. I think an underlying theme was that new things will always eventually sweep the old away, but both the new and old have their benefits and strengths. The ending came abruptly. It seems that the store has to close down after all that work, but the community saw the film and really enjoyed it. It was “indie” and really captured the hearts of those who were watching. The Be Kind, Rewind shop also had more of a personal relationship with its customers, whereas the giant mega-video chain did not. Also, I think this film also connected on a social level of commercialization taking over all aspects of American life, where small privately owned stores cannot survive anymore. I really enjoyed this film and left feeling great. I’m really glad that I had the chance to view this film, especially as an extra credit opportunity!

I went to the EMP this afternoon and it was interesting. I really liked the exhibition on Hip Hop and salsa, but my favorite was the one about the influence of Latino Music from San Antonio. As I listened to the Tejano music, I was taken back home to the Riverwalk. The sounds, the music, the beats, all reminded me of where I was from. These exhibits show sonic literacy, which is the ability to identify, define and construct our personal and cultural soundscapes. Basically, this exhibit studied the influence of Latino culture on U.S. music. The music from San Antonio has a large Tejano influence. Tejano is referred to as an influence from Mexico. Geographically it makes sense that Latino influence in Texas would be from Mexico. This music incorporates various forms of folk and popular music originating from the Hispanic people of Central and South Texas. There is some German influence on the Tejano music and they brought music genres such as polkas and waltzes. This exhibit explores the influence of different cultures on the Tejano music and in turn the influence of Tejano music on U.S. Popular Music. I really enjoyed coming to the EMP. Another style of music popular in Texas is Reggaeton. It is a mix of Spanish lyrics and Jamaican dancehall. I love listening to Raggaeton and it was interesting to learn about its origins as well as the origins of hip hop and salsa. I watched El Cantante a while back which was about the singer Hector Lavoe. He had started the salsa movement in 1975 and brought it to the United States. Through all the exhibits, the influence of different cultures and their music on U.S. Popular Music is shown through the movement of people to new places.