Fine Art Friday: Kazuki Takamatsu

Japanese sculptor and painter Kazuki Takamatsu has been developing a style of gouache painting that uses a technique known as depth-mapping imagery to create a 3D look to his work. The concept of depth map painting fills each individual pixel with a shade of grey, each shade proportional to the distance from which the viewer sees it, in a combination that provides a surrealistic view of the medium. The bulk of Takamatsu's subject matter consist of figures in various compositions that use the deep contrast and tonal values of the human form to emphasize the depth of the scenes. The results seem like 3D x-ray scans of scenes from everyday life, but in a "dreamlike, dimensional, fantasy haze".

Video: Bonobo - "First Fires" ft. Grey Reverend

This is kind of a left field post for us, but there is something very experimental and still hop hop-ish about Simon Green’s fifth album as Bonobo. His single "First Fires" is an ode to lost love that you rarely hear in hip hop anymore, but seems buried in the synth and moody work of fellow producers like Clams Casino and Flying Lotus. The track features Cinematic Orchestra affiliate Grey Reverend and weaves in a very Portishead vibe that resonates with the more chill crowd in hip hop. Check it out and learn something about some of hip hops darker corners of music production.

Video: Trek Life - "Just The Music"

Glad to see the visuals for one of my favorite tracks from Trek Life, off his recent album "Hometown Foreigner". The hazy track has Trek speaking on life and making the music that the world can appreciate, not just night club and trap folks. This track stays on repeat in my ipod and helps me get to work every morning without slapping strangers on the NYC subway.