Police in Rio

I found these images on 'O Globo', Brazil's number one news agency. This guy is fucking scary. If cops look like this I would much rather have my neighborhood be patrolled by 12 year old kids, high on cocaine carrying ak47's.

Here's a fun fact: The police in Rio kill about 1000 people a year. In New York, the police killed 12 people last year, according to the NYPD, so that might mean 100 but still....

Late Night Selection

This selection of music was made very late on a thursday night, home after a few drinks. I guess it also is best to listen to this mix late at night when you come home after a few drinkst. Maybe feeling somewhat disappointed or maybe just the opposite in which case you might still wake up dissapointed.... or just the oppposite. Figure it out.

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WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL stupidtelligent mixtape 3.

We've been neglecting our lovely blog for too long but were back with a brand new mix by your boy Haas. Simply click the player for a direct confrontation or download below. Let us know if it doesn't work or if you think the mix is a piece of shit.

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01 - Angels Instr. - Diddy & Dirty Money

02 - Fat LAdy Sings - Raekwon

03 - La La La - De La Soul

04 - True Love - Apathy feat. Phonte

05 - Fear Instr. - Drake

06 - Fear - Drake

07 - She dont have to see you (to see through you) - Bobby Patterson

08 - Soft Hoop - Metro Area

09 - Scorpio - Dennis Coffey

10 - Boriken Soul (dub  mix) - Yonurican

11 - LAtrifying - Dam Funk

12 - Where's My Money (Caspa remix) - TC

13 - Heartbeat - Nneka

14 - It's Not Over (Skream remix) - Klaxons

15 - ReUp - Joker

16 - Miracles - Jamie Vexd

17 - Happy Feelings - Maze & Franky Beverly

18 - Seventh Dangerous Match - Scientist

19 - Love Hangover acapella - Diana Ross

20 - 2-D - Skream

21 - Ribbon in the Sky - Lloydie Crucial

22 - Sweet Love - M Beat

23 - The What acapella - Notorious BIG

24 - Run 'Em Out (Ft. Roots Manuva) - Breakage

25 - Punanny - Admiral Bailey

26 - Go Go Club Riddim Instr.

27 - Bike Back - Blak Ryno

28 - Bill - Gaza Kim

29 - A Nuh Whore - DeMarco

30 - Knock Knock - OG Ron C & Pleasure P

31 - Be Mine - Donaeo

32 - In The Morning - Egypt

33 - I Should Have Cheated - Keyshia Cole

http://rapidshare.com/files/294322504/women_are_beautiful_mix_dj_haas.mp3

http://www.zshare.net/audio/67113566828eaee8/

NEW PRADA FW 09 LOOKBOOK

For a few years now I've been working with OMA/AMO and Lok Jansen, creating artwork for the online Prada lookbooks. Since last season Prada has also printed the lookbooks for distribution in stores around the world.

Amazing how a highly respected fashion brand allows us to work with such creative freedom. Go to Prada.com to check it out, click collection and then Lookbok FW09 ....

Stupidtelligent Mixtape 3

Stupidtelligent Mixtape 3 by Haas (right click download)

A recent visit to Houston southernly inspired me for this new Stupidtelligent Chopped and Srewed mix. Play it in your car...

Tracklist coming up

'Cheiro de Gaz'

A new video installation by Haas&Hahn for the Brazil Contemporary Festival 2009 in Rotterdam.

Hahn and I took the 75 combi to and from our work in Vila Cruzeiro practically every day. The 75 is one of very many informal bus routes in Rio de Janeiro. When driving through the city one sees thousands of old T2 volkswagen vans, mostly white, transporting people to all parts of the city, using loudspeakers attached to small sampling machines to announce the destinations. Here's a clip from Vila Cruzeiro during an army occupation where you can get an idea of the amount of combi's in service.

Hahn and I became slightly obsessed with the 75 line. Enough for us to recreate a 1973 T2 bus in original 75 style, complete with original stickers and a sampler, or 'buzinha, that we had our best friend Pit buy in Penha at 'So Buzinhas'. Penha by the way is the area in which Vila Cruzeiro is situated, which, by the way, is where we painted both paintings of the Favela Painting project.

When we were not being driven around in the 75 combi's, Pit would drive us around in his souped up Fiat, of which he is so fond that he named it 'Pit', like himself. Souped up in Pit's case means a lot of stickers of Tuning brands and Jiu Jitsu logo's, and a very nice stereo system.

Pit used to be a feared Jiu Jitsu champion and even though he's the nicest guy in the world, a great cook and connaisseur of the healing powers of local herbs and plants, people know better than to mess with him because he still looks very dangerous with scars all over his face resulting from when he once fell asleep behind the wheel in Penha. Still, I hope I never get to see Pit's old fighting self resurface if anyone ever messes with him. Watch him demonstrate.

Whenever Pit gets in his car he complains about a 'cheiro de gaz', which means the smell of gas or gasoline. We called our video installation 'Cheiro de Gaz' in honour of our good friend Pit and his car.

When recreating the 75 combi we couldn't stop at the stickers and 'buzinha'. We felt the combi had to convey the street life of Rio, it's favela's and the people. We converted two side windows and a big screen behind the driver into projection screens on which we show a selection of film material we shot over the years of doing projects in the favela's of Rio. 'Cheiro de Gaz' shows us what a 75 combi sees while doing its work on its route through Penha. Impressions, stories and music.

'Cheiro de Gaz' is being shown on different locations Rotterdam during the Brazil Contemporary Festival in Rotterdam alongside exhibitions at the NAI, Boijmans Museum of Modern Art and the Photo Museum.

After that 'Cheiro de Gaz' will remain on duty on the 75 line to promote the next Favela Painting project by Haas&Hahn named 'O Morro'. A whole hillside favela painted by the proper owners of the houses. A project we expect to result in the greatest community driven artwork of our time.

'Cheiro de Gaz'

Soundsystem: by Morel Hi Fi, Israel

Video installation: Beamsystems

Projection Foil: Glimm Screens

Sampler: So Buzinas in Penha, Rio

Management: Mothership / ZoekDekking

Many thanks to: Rotterdam Festivals, Tjimme Ruyter, Floppy-D, Valter 'Pit' Filho

and ofcourse all drivers of the 75 combi line in Penha!

Favela Painting is a Firmeza Foundation project.

5, 6, 4, 3...Yeah Right....

UNIQ

I came across this illustration I made a few years back of Rotterdam rap legend UNIQ while rummaging through terabytes of digital confusion. 

FATOS TRAGICOS MIX

Fatos Tragicos Mix by Haas (right click download)

A collection of Hip Hop and Soul from Brazil. In 2004 Hahn and I travelled to Brazil to film Firmeza Total, a documentary about Brazilian Hip Hop music and the role it plays in the lives of the young people in the favelas.  We brought back a lot of music which we've been enjoying extensively since then. 

01. Salve - Racionais MCs 02. Jorge Da Capadocia - Racionais MCs 03. Fiquem Na Paz do Senhor - Alvos da Lei 04. Na Rua Na Chuva Na Fazenda - Hyldon 05. A Folha Vôa - RZO 06. Leia o Livro Universo em Desencanto (Haas Edit) - Tim Maia 07. Favela Sinistra - Trilha Sonora do Gueto  08. Amigo de Infancia - Consciencia Humana 09. Seja Mais Voce - Dexter 10. Imunização Racional - Tim Maia 11. Ela Partiu - Tim Maia 12. O mensageiro - RZO 13. O assalto - Alvos da Lei 14. Eu sou função - Dexter 15. Jesus Chorou - Racionais MCs 16. Apenas Um Sonho - 509-E 17. Vida Loka (Parte 2) - Racionais MCs 18. A favela agradece - Dexter 19. Trutas e Quebradas - Racionais MCs

The Mix contains different artists, most from Sao Paulo but also from Brazilia and other places.

Racionais MCs is the one of the oldest and most famous rap group in Brazil. Many of their songs are official ghetto anthems, rinsed in favela's all over Brazil. Their producer, Edi Rock, uses a lot of Marvin Gaye samples. His sound to me is extremely representative of the Sao Paulo matrix. He also produced the two beats we used for creating the track in Firmeza Total (below), there's a scene where he is showing us different beats he's working on.

For us to be able to work with him was exceptional because these guys are seen as demigods, their shows allways packed to the brim. A friend  told me that he had been to a show where kids were dropping themselves from holes in the roof to get in. 

New!!! No Way Stupidtelligent mix by Jeruniverse a.k.a. Haas

No Way - Stupidtelligent mix (right click download)

I suggest the Right-click option because the sound is way more perfect.

NEW PRADA LOOKBOOK

The New Prada lookbook is online. The artwork was done by Lok Jansen and me. It will also be printed 100000 times in a tabloid format for Prada stores around the world. Check it out here!

OI

Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this!!!..What a horrible disaster. The TVCC building in Beijing is burning to the ground today. Thousands of people have worked on that building for many years as it was nearing completion. I have no idea if there are many casualties

From the NY Times:

BEIJING — A fierce fire engulfed a major new building in Beijing that houses a luxury hotel and cultural center on Monday, the last day of celebrations for the lunar new year when the city was ablaze with fireworks.

The building was designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and is part of China Central Television’s new headquarters, an angular wonder of modernist architecture that sits astride the city and was built to coincide with the Beijing Olympics last year. The CCTV building was a hugely expensive trophy of Beijing’s pre-Olympics building boom, costing millions of dollars, and any damage is likely to be embarrassing for the ruling Communist Party.

Freehand Cooking

Tomorrow is my birthday and that reminded me that a year ago Hahn got me a Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine (George Foreman Grill) for my birthday. So its time for more haute cuisine. Forget the Jamie Olivers and Gordon Ramsays. They are only puppets controlled by the English government because the whole world knows that the British were never known for good cuisine.

Time for 2 recipes with the power to change the world.

1. Freehand Egg Croutonne

First of all take notice that Hahn is not wearing a shirt. A chef has to be one with the heat in the kitchen, besides the food has to feel the chef's authority. One could say the hierarchy between the chef and his ingredients. Nevertheless Hahn is not a fool, he always wears protective glasses. Notice the accidental beauty, the amazing composition in the image to the right...This is what we call "freehand" cooking.

Improvise! Out of the box thinking is essential. The concept of a recipe actually contradicts this basic principle, so make sure you add some personality to the process when making the "Freehand Egg Croutonne". Hahn re-invents the Foreman grill by turning it upside down. The ingredients are given a new perspective, notice (right) how Hahn has upset the egg, reminding it of its position in the hierarchy between ingredient and chef.

Every last detail matters so don't ever get sloppy, even Gordon Ramsay will tell you this. Take notice of any subtle signals from your apparatus. The Foreman Grill signals Hahn that it's ready to deliver with a tiny red light. TV chefs always act pragmatic and cool when their dish is finished. The ingredients could use some praise after their hard work, like a football team after winning a game.

2. Egg in the hole.

I felt so inspired and excited after Hahn's performance that I forgot to take off my shirt. Nevertheless my dish started with an epiphany, a technique never seen before, an idea that came to me in the heat of the moment. A moment disgracefully disrupted by another "hate-call" from Jamie Oliver.

Hahn took over with great eye for detail, respecting my initial concept, all the while showing the ingredients who's boss. The bread, egg, cheese and bacon work together like a well oiled machine.

Nimble, quicker with a blade than Zatouichi, a true master.  Egg in the hole turned out even better than we expected, with an unexpected surprise at the end. Freehand cheese calligraphy.

2008, The year of the barbeque

2008 has been an exceptional year for many reasons. Hahn and I (Haas) spent the year living in Rio de Janeiro making a 2000m2 painting in Rio's most dangerous favela. During that time we experienced many memorable culinary moments, most of them at barbeques. We consumed thousands of kilos of meat and millions of liters of beer at these social events which Brazilians call a churrasco. Lets reflect on 2008, the year of the BBQ.

(By the way, this post was inspired by this song on the new years mixtape put together by my cousin Jesse and his wifey Yula.)
Wendy Rene - BBQ (right click download)

The Churraso is a social event where people, meat and beer come together. The preparations are very simple unless one chooses to marinate the meat which might take a bit more time. 

Hahn quickly acquired fame with his spicy marinated chicken inspired by Surinamese quisine, but people who know Hahn know he was a bbq fanatic even before going to Brazil. 

Other than that all you need is a good selection of meat and very cold beer.

The last is important because a Brazilian won't touch beer if its warmer than -4°C. 

The meat in brazil is very cheap and of excellent quality. One typically buys huge chunks of picanha (rump cap in English), exceptionally tender meat which I have never seen in Holland, lots of linguiça (sausage), with which you keep all the kids happy who tend to flock to your churrasco, drumette (chicken leg) and asa (chicken wing). Oops, I forgot to mention that coraçao (chicken heart) is very popular. 

Picanha is usually prepared with coarse grain salt beforehand. This can also be bought pre-mixed with spices.

The bbq itself is usually handmade. Most bbq's made of old oil drums, gas tanks or the drum of an old washing machine.

Above, an interesting local technique can be seen to prepare your fire, providing more oxygen with the use of an electrical fan. The thumbs up hand-sign is the most common gesture in Brazil which can turn an angry stare into a smile at all times and has got us out of trouble many times.

One more thing which I feel is crucial to the churrasco is the way of serving the food. Unlike in Europe or the U.S. where people wait in line for their burger, in Brazil the meat is cut into small savory pieces and handed out. In this way the guests don't have to get up away from their beer and pleasant conversation to fight for their food. 

A churrasco can make a great party.

Finally lets go back to some of those special churrasco moments.

Eventhough this was new years eve 2006-2007, these guys from Vigario Geral (favela in Rio) deserve honorable mention for frying a whole pig. Pigs run around freely in many favela's so you just need to catch one and kill it to throw a party like these guys.

Churrasco on our friend Don's boat.

This guy is Pitbull, or Valter Nogueira Filho, another churrasco superhero.

You might also wan't to check out this video we shot in 2007 for Bebel du Ghetto, the video revolves around a typical favela churrasco, this time in Cantagalo.