Music & Snowboarding

I titled this post music and snowboarding because the two activities are intertwined in my life, like the twin serpents on a Caduceus.

First, snowboarding in the Czech Republic. The trip was dope... minus all the distractions off the mountain. When I arrived it was too late to take public transport so I used the hotel's shuttle service. This is the first and last time I use that service due to incompetence. The driver strapped his and my snowboard to the roof of the car with thick elastic bands. The coils seemed sturdy, and the driver seemed to have complete confidence they would hold the equipment safely during our journey. 

Two hours into our three hour drive from Prague airport to the snowcapped mountains of Spindleruv Mlyn, the driver pulls off the highway for cigarettes and discovers both our snowboards missing. Needless to say..."I was not happy." Upon further inspection we found that the elastic coils snapped and the boards fell off.

We drove back over an hour and made several detours along the way before finally finding both snowboards separated by a few hundred meters on the side of the road. It was a bad way to start the trip, but I was happy to have my board back.

When I was on the mountains it was superb! Fresh powder, long wide, lines and endless points to off-road free-ride. This year I got to try night riding! This is when they open the brightly lit mountain of Hromovka at night, so riders can snowboard or ski in the dark from 6-9pm. Yo! It was off the hook...like a telephone receiver. 

The night sky was so clear, the stars looked like tiny Swarovski crystals, glittering on an obsidian canvas... that stretched to infinity. Everyone on the mountain was a serious rider who could carve the powder like a sculpture. There were no more than twenty of us, but once I hit the slopes it was like I was alone on the mountain. Smelling the fresh pine scented air, while carving the snow in intricate "S" shapes... riding the contours of the mountain like a surfer does a wave. I did more riding than filming, but the video below is footage of me riding down a mountain trail.

Aside from winter sports the small village of Spindleruv Mlyn has activities (bowling, snow biking, casinos, aqua-park) to keep tourists entertained off the mountain. I saw a few people bowling, but most of the people who weren't on the mountain were drinking. They have more varieties of liquor than flavors of potato chips. 

I came back with some souvenirs of Absinthe and a Pear liquor that's similar to vodka. The Absinthe, looked like this Chartreuse liqueur I used to drink with a friend when I lived in California. They taste nothing alike. Chartreuse has a sweet, almost liquorish flavor, and the Absinthe tasted like toothpaste flavored formaldehyde. The only upside is that it's so strong, one shot and you got a buzz. I haven't opened the Pear liquor yet...cuz I'm saving it for a celebration occasion.

Now the music...Yesterday, the album became available on iTunes and Amazon.com for download. This came as a total surprise to me, since "Tha Audio Bully" wasn't set for release until the 17th of March. I'm not complaining though, cuz you can buy a digital copy of the album RIGHT NOW by clicking this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tha-audio-bully/id968917907?uo=4 

In conjunction with the album release, Vinumous Records will be doing a promotional contest where fans win free merch. I'll post more information on the contest in the next post. For now, check out the rest of the pics from the trip below. Also go check out the album and if you like the music...share it with a friend.  

Release Date

The album is DONE! The release date for "Tha Audio Bully" is March 17th 2015, and It will be available digitally and on CD. 

Along with the album release my label Vinumous Records will be doing a contest for the fans to win free merchandise. To find out more details on the contest and to see our original selection of T-shirts and caps, check out our store page. While I was recording the album I also recorded songs for “The Bonus Traxx” EP. The EP will include songs that didn’t make the album, as well as a few extra tracks.

2014 ended strong for me with the single “New York Spit” reaching #1 on the Starfleet Music Charts. The single stayed on the charts for twelve weeks and the video has over 20,000 Youtube plays and is still climbing. It’s all thanks to you fans!  The next video project will be for the single “Love Hip-Hop” off the new album. Be on the lookout for that video in the next few months. 

Everything was done just in time for my trip to the Czech Republic tomorrow. I'm taking a week off to shred some powder and relax. I'll post some pics from the trim when I return. Until then...check the tracklisting for the album in the pic below. 

Much luv to everyone who contributed to the project! 

 

Holo-Tech

There is a quote by someone I can't remember that says. "If civilization was confronted with a technology so advanced that it baffled our imagination. That technology would be perceived as magic." To some people who have viewed Microsoft's new product HoloLens...magic is here.

HoloLens is a pair of goggles containing a Windows 10 operating system that generates holographic projections (in midair or on a surface) that can be manipulated by the user. This Holo-Tech (Holographic Technology) produces an interactive form of augmenting reality that's user friendly. It uses sensors, a high-definition 3D optical display, and spatial sound to allow users to manipulate augmented reality through gaze, voice, and hand gestures. 

The concept behind HoloLens was to take all the tasks done behind a computer screen and bring them off the screen. Blending the digital world with the real world where the users can interact with their projects in augmented reality. Who is this technology made for? Everyone. The diversity of how HoloLens can be is applied to everyday life depends on the user. Engineers, architects, designers, jewelry makers, and visual artists can make 3D scale models of their projects.

There's a similar gaming product about to hit the market this year named Oculus Rift which also offers augmented reality. The major difference between the two is, Oculus Rift was designed primary for gaming, while HoloLens was developed to be more project oriented and used in everyday life. HoloLens will be available this year. It's release will coincide with the launch of the new Window's 10 operating system.

Below I posted a video displaying HoloLens in action. It's the demo for the new product and shows how science fiction can be made real.