http://foreignfamiliar.com/

Juakali

October 2008

Juakali leveraged the Breakground press release copy for his web site, http://foreignfamiliar.com/ in October of 2008.

sodahurts.com

sodahurts.com

2007

The client wanted a web site that challenged young people to look at their soft drinks and ask is there anything in here that I actually need?

This was a fun site to develop, and I used a graphic designer who works on club fliers and youth oriented fashion to execute my design ideas. The inspiration was acid green and toxic bubbles.

Live Concert Review, 2007

Dr Das v Dhamaal Sound System

Elbo Room, San Francisco, March 2007

For their recent collaborative project, Dr Das, Sukhawat Ali Khan, Janaka Selekta, and Ramjac draw from a rich chronology: Past is represented in sampled sounds and live classical elements, Future is reflected in the expert and judicious on stage use of Information Age technology tools, and Present is in the conversation of the artists with their immediate audience. Dr Das writes bass melodies that make low frequency animate and engaging. The thematic choices made by Janaka relate a political and social undercurrent that creates a positive feedback loop with the collective audio subtext of the group. Ali Khan and Ramjac add highly skilled expertise in their respective instruments of choice with both precision and improvisation. They collectively understand that a positive future will neither resemble nor be an antithesis to tradition. As a soundtrack for the future, their work is based on holistic progress that respects the past. They achieve this by deconstructing and complimenting classical audio elements through digital mediation to render tradition immediate and relevant to a contemporary audience that is constantly moving forward in time.

Together, they compose pragmatically optimistic foundations for live and recorded future work. However, their creative focus is the improvisation, energy, and inspiration of live performance. This is the best way to experience this collaboration. It is extremely rare that a cutting edge live concert has the arc of theatrical narrative and the impact of social awareness. These ideas are communicated through a show in three acts. First, Sukhawat playfully engages the audience in with light classical phrases. This is the context though which the audience grasps the second act, the live performance of Dr Das' latest release, Emergency Basslines. Finally, all artists come to the stage for a dynamic improvisational conversation with each other and the audience. Covering Past, Future, and Present, this package is one of the best values in live entertainment, drawing a diverse audience into a cohesive community that will return again and again for the live experience.

Emergency Baselines is a philosophy set in sound, an auditory theory for global progress. The militancy in the texture of the sound is a reflection of the precision digital tools used to express a disciplined multi-national conversation about the future. The crew employs novel technologies to craft musical localities that are also temporal spaces, reflective of the phenomenology of Web 2.0 communities where abstract space is the image of socialization and community. The hope is that the Past can be selectively used to make relevant the relationship between our traditions and the (virtual) realities of our Information Age experience. This notion is sent flowing through thoughts and bodies on low frequency vibrations that are loaded with solid DUB noise grooves and phrases. With sounds foreign and familiar, anachronistic and forward thinking, the musical collaboration seeks to construct a hopeful vision for global collaboration. They prove that this can be facilitated through technological innovations in communication across generations and cultures in an entertaining way. The compositions are stories about tradition, tools and ownership that ask the listener to realize and join a cohesive vision of collaborative cultural stewardship.

Shaunna Hall Biography, October 2008

Shaunna Hall

Biography

2008

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Summary

Shaunna Hall was born in Modesto, California in 1963 to musically inclined parents. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, soaking up the diverse artistic culture. Hall played trumpet in school, studying under Jon Simms, the founder of the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band and Twirling Corps, at Ben Franklin Jr. High in Daly City, Ca. She started taking the guitar seriously as a teenager at Serramonte High School, and began her rock music career at Blue Bear School of Music where she studied songwriting.

Shaunna Hall is a longtime San Francisco performing artist and composer, equally at home with a guitar in her hand, composing or working behind a sound board. Shaunna has worked with a wide range of bands, producers and artists all over the world since 1981 including 4 Non Blondes, Strom, Inc., The Eric McFadden Experience, Lee "Scratch Perry" and more.

Shaunna Hall is currently playing guitar for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. She became an official band member in 2007 after five years of touring as a part-time player, monitor engineer, and crew member.

Hall is currently creating the next Electrofunkadelica collection, which will again feature many musical guests and the recording debut of BB KINK, a drag king character Hall introduced in early 2008.

Read more...

fedelinas.com

2006-2007

Fedelina's was a restaurant in Caspar, CA overlooking a beautiful cliff and the Pacific Ocean. The chef and owner wanted a fun web site that integrated the concert events at the Caspar Inn. She wanted a feminine mid-century look for her business cards, menus, and web site that played off the masculine 50s feel of the Caspar Inn. However, she did not want it is look like "Flo's Diner."

The brand, web site, and content target local patrons who have many fine dining choices but few lower price point options in the area. Their expectations for the quality of cuisine are high, and the owner delivered an amazing menu at a reasonable price.

The writing style is friendly and fun, and the look is clean and simple. The web site approach reflects the restaurant brand and experience, setting appropriate expectations for customers.

Breakground Press Release, October 2008

JuaKali

Breakground EP

Gunjah Records/Foreign Familiar

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Contact

info@foreignfamiliar.com

Links

foreignfamiliar.com
myspace.com/juakali

Finally, a featured release by one of America's pioneering voices in all dub and bass driven music categories.

As an in-demand producer and vocalist, JuaKali impresses both industry and audiences with his ability to innovate across dub, reggae, dancehall, bhangra, electronic, and experimental genres. His anticipated debut release, Breakground, on Gunjah Records/Foreign Familiar reflects the distinctive range and energy JuaKali brings to live performance in dance and festival venues all over the world. Breakground integrates JuaKali's fresh international aesthetic by incorporating dub, dubstep, and electronic genres with a blend of contemporary and inventive producers (Badawi, Secret Agent Gel, Shamaji, and Syncro). Juakali combines lyrics that clearly express dissent with those encouraging gratitude, community, and optimism.

The first single from Breakground, "Revolution Now," calls for change in a new way: it celebrates community, compassion, and cooperation as a foundation for justice and peace. Drawing on over fifty years of history in progressive and cellular dub genres, the track appeals to a wide range of fans. It brings together classic skank, dub riddem, and bass melody elements with contemporary fliers, samples, and noise. Juakali delivers a powerful vocal track that masterfully balances analog warmth and processed edge. With a DJ-friendly arrangement, this tune invigorates dance floors all over the world!

JuaKali is a Brooklyn resident originally from Trinidad. He has traveled the world in recent years collaborating with cutting edge artists and igniting audiences. In 2006, following his FIFA World Cup performance, EGO Magazine described JuaKali as an Artist "on the forefront of the Reggae, Jungle and burgeoning Dubstep scene in the US and around the world." Since then, JuaKali frequently appeared on commercial recordings from Alpha & Omega, Raz Mesani, Pinch, Dub Gabriel and others. JuaKali is a host and resident at the premier dubstep event in the US, Dub War in New York City, reviewed by the New York Times in January of 2008. JuaKali also brings his talent to Sub Swara, another leading DJ/performance hybrid night in NYC.

• Tour dates planned in support of the new album

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For more information, promo requests, or interviews, please contact:

info@foreignfamiliar.com

Links

foreignfamiliar.com
myspace.com/juakali