[Little Dragon: Time travelers...]

[Little Dragon - Blinking Pigs]

It was over 2 weeks ago, but seeing Little Dragon for the second time at SF’s The Independent was one of the dopest music experiences I’ve had in a long, long time. I’ve been in a weird limbo with regards to artistic expression and working to figuring out the best medium to express myself through, that not only doesn’t add to oppression, but works to confront it. At the same time, I want to ensure that I am able to find a middle ground in which I can express raw emotion that flows from all people, without being too calculated and thinking too much. Its a search for a funny balance of thoughtfulness and the pure, sometimes ugly, funk that secretes from my heart.

What I witnessed the night I attended this concert was my shero/Haafu-sister/celeb-crush Yukimi Nagano do just that. It was wild to see her (and her incredible band) grow exponentially since a year after watching them for the first tme. I think for me personally, it felt dope to see a mixed race Japanese heritage artist fully shining and repping their weird, goofy self to the utmost extreme. The first time I saw her, she was shy, reserved, and to me, very culturally “Japanese” (if you wanna get all ethnic/racial essentialist out here =P), but this time, homegirl was en fuego. She had new dances, was calling out the crowd and was feelin the sh*t outta herself! Her growth and progression as a musician was fresh to witness. It made me feel hopeful.

[put that in your pipe and shmoke it, gregory alan mitchell =)]

I think something that has helped me come to a place of peace I haven’t experienced for some time, is that I’ve begun to be comfortable in knowing I will never find a place where I am completely comfortable. And when I think about it, I don’t believe anybody ever is completely comfortable (maybe certain circles of rich, white, hetero, men?) even if they are monoracial. I’m beginning to feel that a solid, unchanging identity can never be found in race and racial politics, regardless of who you are. Race and identity are both far too fluid to lock one’s claws into whilst never feeling unsettled (feel free to debate with or challenge me on this). Everything is impermanent and discomfort and suffering are part of the human condition. In their own way, LD remind me to acknowledge this fact, and I take comfort =P that Yukimi seems to have found a way to take pride in and enjoy her art, despite what the world throws her way. In other words, I’m tryna be a more little-dragonish myself these days (as most of us prolly are =P).

[Little Dragon - Swimming]

Little Dragon sounds like elements of everything I loved about music from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, while producing a sonic boombap that makes the future look bright and sound like it has just arrived.

BUY MACHINE DREAMS!

Sen

p.s. LD’s keyboard man, Hakan Wirestrand’s beard aint nuthin’ ta f*ck wit’! If my genetics allowed me to do so, I’d grow my sh*t like that asap! =P