Ganja Vibes Blog

DJ Apollo

DJ APOLLO is a hip hop legend and musical pioneer who helped lay the foundation for the subculture known as turntablism. Born in the Philippines and raised in San Francisco, Apollo is a jack of all trades known for his many musical styles, from hip hop to soul, funk, breaks, 80's & disco to name a few. He was one of the first DJs to experiment with the turntable as a musical instrument, which helped elevate the skill into an art form and turn the DJ into a musician. Because of this, Apollo also became one of the first DJs to be member of a live jazz band. One of the founders and original members of the Invisbl Skratch Piklz (ISP), Apollo helped introduce a revolutionary art form to the music world. The Piklz created the first turntable band: an art form in which turntables become the instruments that form all various sounds. The crew comprised of Apollo, Mix Master Mike and Qbert (also known as the Rock Steady DJs), and each artist possessed the skills to play various musical roles. These included the role of the drummer, bass player, lead scratch or turntablist. The combined talent of this team earned the group the titles of Disco Mixing Club (DMC) United States And World Champions (1992), which is the highest honor a DJ group can earn. The original ISP won them on both the national and international levels. With the success in the DJ battle circuit, Apollo's talent caught the attention of musical geniuses in the jazz and hip hop arenas. Apollo became the official DJ for Buckshot Lefonque, a band led by jazz legend Branford Marsalis and co-produced by DJ Premier of Gangstarr. Apollo also landed the DJ spot for Oakland based hip hop collective, Souls of Mischief of the Hieroglyphics and his musical work is featured on the group album "No Mans Land." Another defining moment in Apollo's career has been his experience with hip hop jazz trumpet player, Russell Gunn, and recorded tracks for Gunn's albums Music Ethnocology, Volumes 1 and 2. Apollo is currently the DJ for another Oakland native, the diva of the Bay Area, Goapele. Apollo is one of the few DJs in the world that has appeared on the three major late night talk shows, including David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. He is also featured in Scratch, a 2001 documentary film, directed by Doug Pray, that examines cultural and historical perspectives on the birth and evolution of hip-hop disc jockeys, scratching and turntablism and includes interview with some of hip-hop's most famous and respected DJs. Both national and international publications continue to highlight Apollo throughout his career, including Vibe, Rolling Stone, URB, DJ Times, and The Source to name a few. Some of his awards include the Technics DMC DJ Hall of Fame Award and Inductee (1999) , the International Turntablist Federation (ITF) Grand Wizard Theodore Award (2000), and the Hip Hop Slam Hall of Fame Award (2002) presented by Billy Jam. In 1999, Apollo joined up with two other legendary DJs, Shortkut (Beat Junkies) and Vinroc (5th Platoon), to form the super DJ group Triple Threat DJs. The only collective comprised of all turntable champions from major turntable crews. Triple Threat strive to master as many musical styles as possible as they produce tracks, compose music on the ones and twos, and rock a party with three times the power of your average turntable legend. Triple Threat has expanded into a music label and events promotions company as well. On an individual level, Apollo also continues to create and master new forms of turntablism. He has an ongoing series of highly coveted mixes and projects that incorporate different genres in live gigs and studio beats, and spreads his musical acumen with DJ gigs throughout the world. If you want to KNOW what GOOD is, check out DJ Apollo's Dancehall Reggae Mix. Ya Welcome! Go To: http://www.mixcrate.com/mix/66378/DJ-Apollo-Reggae-Dancehall-Classics DJ Apollo supports the cause, being one of the many fine entertainers at this past years West Coast Cannabis Expo!

A sea organ made with Mother Nature herself!

This musical instrument is the first pipe organs that are played by the sea. It is located on the shores of Zadar, Croatia. 35 musically tuned tubes and the movement of the sea are the main players of this incredible thing. The Sea Organ has 70m long with the pipes built under the concrete. The musical pipes are located so that the sea water and wind movements produce musical sounds that are heard by passers by so that it achieves a communication with nature and promotes a unity of architecture and environment. As sea forces and energies are unpredictable in terms of tides and winds, this organ offers never-ending concert of numerous musical variations in which the performer is nature itself. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBhk5KFwLVc&w=560&h=315] It is the world’s first musical pipe organs that are played by the sea. Simple and elegant steps, carved in white stone, were built on the quayside. Underneath, there are 35 musically tuned tubes with whistle openings on the sidewalk. The movement of the sea pushes air through, and – depending on the size and velocity of the wave – musical chords are played. The waves create random harmonic sounds. Each musical organ pipe is blown by a column of air, pushed in turn by a column of wave-moved water, through a plastic tube immersed into the water. The pipes’ musically tuned sounds emanate to the surroundings through apertures in the vertical planes of the uppermost stairs. The 7 successive groups of musical tubes are alternately tuned to two musically cognate chords of the diatonic major scale. The outcome of played tones and/or chords is a function of random time and space distribution of the wave energy to particular organ pipes. In this part of Croatia the prevailing musical tradition is the spontaneous four-voice male singing, with melodies and chords conforming to the diatonic major scale. The 5 musically tuned pipes of each section are arranged in 1.5 meter spacing. A listener, standing or sitting on a chosen point on the scalinade, should be able to hear 5 to 7 musically tuned pipes play their natural music. Thus, whole five-pipe sections are tuned to one musical chord. The citizens of Zadar are extremely proud of the first natural musical organ driven by the sea waves ever to be constructed. This installation, absolutely unique in the world, was designed to let people enjoy the point where the medieval town of Zadar embraces the Adriatic. Expert in dalmatian stone carvers and architect, Nikola Basic, created this masterpiece of acoustics and architecture in 2005; recently received the European Prize for Urban Public Space for this project. Many tourists come to listen to this unique aero phone, and enjoy unforgettable sunsets with a view of nearby islands. Famed director Alfred Hitchcock said that the most beautiful sunset in the world could be seen from precisely this spot on the Zadar quay. That was how he described it after his visit to Zadar, a visit he remembered throughout his life by the meeting of the sinking sun and the sea. Source: Informal.RO Publicat: 17 decembrie 2008 Autor: Lucia Reich

Spice up your sex with a vibrator, says HOT Spice Girl Mel B

Mel B, 34, who was shocked to learn that most women do not have an orgasm, decided to dole out advice on how to attain it. “I read about new research that showed 75 per cent of women don’t have an orgasm during sex!” the Sun quoted her as telling Closer magazine. “Oh my God! That amazed me, because having a good sex life is absolutely essential in my opinion. “My advice to women who are unfulfilled in the bedroom is to invest in a sex toy. I use a little vibrator called a Pocket Rocket – and it does the trick every time. “The good thing about sex toys is you can use them by yourself of with your partner. “My hubby and I have a great time together – I’m not sure if it’s because we’re the same age, but we both have very high libidos,” she said. The singer also went on to give tips on how to create the perfect sexual environment. “If you feel like getting intimate with your partner, it’s important to be relaxed,” she said. “I often have a candle-lit bath first and listen to some soothing music. Next, put on some gorgeous lingerie – I’ve got a big collection that’s just for the bedroom. “Make sure there are no distractions, then go for it!” she added.

Bob Dylan turns The Beatles on to cannabis

11.00pm, Friday 28 August 1964 (47 years ago) On 28 August 1964 Bob Dylan introduced The Beatles to cannabis. The two parties were introduced by a mutual friend, the writer Al Aronowitz, at New York's Delmonico Hotel. Upon arriving at The Beatles' suite Dylan asked for cheap wine; Mal Evans was sent to get some, and during the wait Dylan suggested they have a smoke. Brian and the Beatles looked at each other apprehensively. "We've never smoked marijuana before," Brian finally admitted. Dylan looked disbelievingly from face to face. "But what about your song?" he asked. The one about getting high?" The Beatles were stupefied. "Which song?" John managed to ask. Dylan said, "You know..." and then he sang, "and when I touch you I get high, I get high..." John flushed with embarrassment. "Those aren't the words," he admitted. "The words are, 'I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide...'" The Love You Make Peter Brown Some of The Beatles had actually been introduced to cannabis in 1960, but the drug had made little impression. We first got marijuana from an older drummer with another group in Liverpool. We didn't actually try it until after we'd been to Hamburg. I remember we smoked it in the band room in a gig in Southport and we all learnt to do the Twist that night, which was popular at the time. We were all seeing if we could do it. Everybody was saying, 'This stuff isn't doing anything.' It was like that old joke where a party is going on and two hippies are up floating on the ceiling, and one is saying to the other, 'This stuff doesn't work, man.' George Harrison Anthology After the hotel room was secured, Dylan rolled the first joint and passed it to Lennon. He immediately gave it to Starr, whom he called "my royal taster". Not realising the etiquette was to pass it on, Ringo finished the joint and Dylan and Aronowitz rolled more for each of them. I don't remember much what we talked about. We were smoking dope, drinking wine and generally being rock'n'rollers and having a laugh, you know, and surrealism. It was party time. John Lennon Anthology The Beatles spent the next few hours in hilarity, looked upon with amusement by Dylan. Brian Epstein kept saying, "I'm so high I'm on the ceiling. I'm up on the ceiling." Paul McCartney, meanwhile, was struck by the profundity of the occasion, telling anyone who would listen that he was "thinking for the first time, really thinking." He instructed Mal Evans to follow him around the hotel suite with a notebook, writing down everything he said. I remember asking Mal, our road manager, for what seemed like years and years, 'Have you got a pencil?' But of course everyone was so stoned they couldn't produce a pencil, let alone a combination of pencil and paper. I'd been going through this thing of levels, during the evening. And at each level I'd meet all these people again. 'Hahaha! It's you!' And then I'd metamorphose on to another level. Anyway, Mal gave me this little slip of paper in the morning, and written on it was, 'There are seven levels!' Actually it wasn't bad. Not bad for an amateur. And we pissed ourselves laughing. I mean, 'What the fuck's that? What the fuck are the seven levels?' But looking back, it's actually a pretty succinct comment; it ties in with a lot of major religions but I didn't know that then. Paul McCartney Evans kept the notebooks until his death in 1976, when they were confiscated and later lost by Los Angeles police.

Sex, Drugs, Rock ‘n’ Roll All Turn On Brain’s Reward Pathways

Health & the Human Brain Jam On It The same reward pathways in the brain that are fired up by food, sex, and many illicit drugs — and even the anticipation of such highs — are triggered by pleasurable music as well, according to a study by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. Like those other pleasure cues as well, listening to music is associated with the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the results may offer insight into why music, which has no obvious survival value, is prevalent and significant across human society. The research team measured dopamine release in response to music that elicited “chills,” changes in skin conductance, heart rate, breathing, and temperature that were correlated with pleasurability ratings of the music. “Chills” or “musical frisson” is a well established marker of peak emotional responses to music. Using novel combination of PET and fMRI brain imaging techniques, researchers found that dopamine release is greater for pleasurable versus neutral music, and that levels of release are correlated with the extent of emotional arousal and pleasurability ratings. “These findings provide neurochemical evidence that intense emotional responses to music involve ancient reward circuitry in the brain,” said researcher Dr. Robert Zatorre. “To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that an abstract reward such as music can lead to dopamine release. Abstract rewards are largely cognitive in nature, and this study paves the way for future work to examine non-tangible rewards that humans consider rewarding for complex reasons.” According to lead investigator and doctoral candidate Valorie Salimpoor, “Music is unique in the sense that we can measure all reward phases in real-time, as it progresses from baseline neutral to anticipation to peak pleasure all during scanning.” “It is generally a great challenge to examine dopamine activity during both the anticipation and the consumption phase of a reward. Both phases are captured together online by the PET scanner, which, combined with the temporal specificity of fMRI provides us with a unique assessment of the distinct contributions of each brain region at different time points.” The study also showed that two different brain circuits are involved in anticipation and experience, respectively: one linking to cognitive and motor systems, and hence prediction, the other to the limbic system, the emotional part of the brain. January 13, 2011 PsychCentral Source: McGill University Cranial sacral therapy (also known as craniosacral therapy) is a gentle, noninvasive form of alternative medicine that deals with the movement of the fluid surrounding the skull and spine. Cranial sacral therapists ease the restrictions of nerve passages by focusing on the membranes that encase the central nervous system. Cranial sacral therapy seeks to restore misaligned bones to their proper position and is thought to eliminate the negative effects of stress as well as provide relief from migraine headaches, neck and back pain, temporomandibular joint disorder (the inflammation of the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull) and more. For more stress relieving tips visit: http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/relieve.html#relievequick

Starland Vocal Band

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NUkhMq_iRo&w=420&h=315]

Crimson and Clover

Originally written and Performed by Tommy James & The Shondells [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpGEeneO-t0&w=420&h=315] Over and over, over and over. Crimson and Clover is about the fulfillment of the most basic of human urges, and how awesome it makes you feel. Joan Jett & The Black Hearts [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdhonK8NMm8&w=420&h=315]