http://www.unifunk.com UNIFUNK is a movement that focuses on delivering to the young and alternative positive messages in music, arts and events. The organsation encompasses an ideology that there is no greater medium than music and the arts for bringing a diverse group of people together and inspiring communities. Advocating worthwhile causes towards a funky, fresh and cutting edge market. Wed, 16 May 2012 14:32:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.unifunk.com/2012/03/27/free-men-a-fresh-cultural-take-on-world-war-2/ http://www.unifunk.com/2012/03/27/free-men-a-fresh-cultural-take-on-world-war-2/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:39:23 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=821 The movie Free Men inspired by true stories is a culturally captivating story of a young Algerian immigrants journey finding himself and what he believes in through a unique and innovative story going through world war II and the French resistance. This is a very interesting movie which gives a new approach to the commonly redundant movies on world war II and the discrimination of the jewish people. This drama is filled with integrity, determination and courage of the members of the french mosque who risk their lives to hide and protect the jewish people and help keep them safe by providing them with fake papers to show the german army. The main character Younes is played by the talented Tahar Rahim who is commonly known by his film The Prophet which he stars in. In Free Men his character Younes is arrested and given an ultimatum which he accepts and agrees to be a spy  within the pristine walls of the Mosque. His duty it trying to find out who is providing the jewish people with the false identification papers and protecting them.  He then unexpectedly joins the French resistance after becoming good friends with a jewish man Salim Halali played by Arab Israeli Mahmud Shalaby and seeing the struggle of what the jewish people were going through and what unjust things were happening to them.  Salim Halali plays a local singer who performs at a local bar and restaurant almost daily. His voice and the music that is played in this film is culturally captivating and beautiful. The way in which this film was shot and edited helps be the second story teller in this film, and changes the feeling and mood of the audience with different lighting, camera angles and sound incorporated into the movie. This film and story is so interesting because it sheds light on a topic that is currently intriguing and sensitive to many in todays world because in the middle east there is a war going on between the jewish people and arab world. In most modern day films and news casts all we see is conflict and negativity between Jews and Arabs. While in this film we get to see these two religions and ways of life get along with one another and the compassion they have. This sheds a bright light on the arab people who risked a lot to help out the jewish people  where in todays day they do not have the best relationship with getting along and helping out one another.  I think that this was a great film and that many people who are interested in political issues and wars would really enjoy this film and the message and story it has. The acting was one of the best i have seen in the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the story is so beautiful.   Reviewed by Natanya Maskart.]]> http://www.unifunk.com/2012/03/27/free-men-a-fresh-cultural-take-on-world-war-2/feed/ 0 http://www.unifunk.com/2012/03/06/the-deep-crates-cartel-pushing-boundaries-in-the-dubai-underground-scene/ http://www.unifunk.com/2012/03/06/the-deep-crates-cartel-pushing-boundaries-in-the-dubai-underground-scene/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:41:48 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=803  Frezidente and El Lobito run the night and Unifunk were there enjoying the J-Dilla tribute night chatting to them about the scene in the region. Wicked set Frezidente. How long have you been doing the night Deep Crates? F: Well, we’ve been doin the night for at least 4 months, it used to be called Freshly laced and me and Lobito carried it on with Deep Crates. So what makes Deep Crates different from typical nights in Dubai? F: We play everything underground from Afro-beat to Hip-Hop, D&B, Jungle… Is that different for Dubai? F: It’s pretty unusual, there’s not such a big following for this type of music, we have regular party people here though so it’s all good. L: Yeah because it’s really about the music, I’ve collected vinyl for over 15 years so the kinda people I work with and the crew, The Deep Crates Cartel, there’s 6 of us putting on parties around town, playing the kinda music we want to hear. So why’s tonight dedicated to J-Dilla? L: This is the 2^nd J-Dilla night we’ve put on actually.  So where are you guys from? L: It’s really mixed, my dad’s from Spain, my mums from Zimbabwe, I studied Arabic so I speak fluently and I’ve been living in Dubai for 5 years on and off but now I’m permanently grounded here trying to support the underground scene. F: I’m from London, born in Beruit and I’ve been living in Dubai for 12 years Over the years here, how have things changed in the underground scene? F: It’s always been the same thing actually, back in the day you could find the odd night like Deep crates but usually people would be flown in especially for it, where as the difference now is that there are regular nights using local DJ’s.  What makes Deep Crates non-commercial? F: We don’t play anything that gets played on the radio here, we play everything that has dust on it. We are also very cool about the dress code situation, you can come in wearing flip-flops, shorts, whatever, it’s free entry, we got special offers on drinks, all this makes it underground in Dubai standards.  So you guys aren’t doing this for the money? F: Of course not, we’re doing this strictly for the love L: Not at all, we do it for free we just wanted an out-let for what we do. You couldn’t make a living out of this. Is there anything you’d like to say about the future of Dubai’s underground scene?  F: Most people go out in Dubai to be seen you know, but with our nights people purely come for the music and the dancing.  Whats the story with the underground scene in Dubai in your opinion?  L: My experience here is that there are a lot of people into really really good music but the promoters here never want to take risks and they go for the easy options, you see that in a lot of countries but it’s at an extreme level here in Dubai. Thats why you get a lot of commercial R&B and House DJ’s here all the time. It makes me feel horrible! I’m a listener first and a DJ second, so if I don’t have a place to go listen to good music then something has to change. Initially we set up a night called freshly laced but me and Frezidente continued with Deep Crates supporting real music.  Lobito, I hear you’re part of an even bigger, International crew, what’s that about? L: That’s right, I’m part of the original Hip-hop organisation which is commonly known as the first family of Hip-hop which is The Universal Zulu Nation, set up by the Godfather of hip-hop culture, Afrika Bombata. So I represent his organisation out here. It’s all about empowering youth and promoting positivity and trying to breakdown this negativity associated with hip-hop and bring back the fun back into it and show people the diversity of the music and that it’s not all about gang culture and bitches and hoes and pimps, going to flash clubs and flashing your money you know.  So where did your love for hip-hop come from? L: Through the music, I was a b-boy for a while but soon realised I was a much better DJ than a B-boy so I started DJ’ing a lot more. I was listening to everything in the beginning, but what I realised with hip-hop is that it was a lot more than lyrics and beats but it was more about this huge amount of music thats being sampled and the carrying on of tradition and reviving a lot of old songs that maybe people would’ve forgotten about and the whole sampling culture is based on. F: Back in the day, my dad was a musician in Beruit playing mostly soul, funk singer. When I moved to london, the transition naturally was to Hip-Hop. I make beats too. Are peoples attitudes changing towards the underground scene in the UAE? L: I think they are, somebody much wiser than me once said that “things move in cycles” I’m a strong believer in that. I’ve been in this scene for a long time and it has it’s highs and lows but it always comes back. In Dubai the scene is growing, there are a couple of radio stations starting to support this music like channel 4, a DJ called Martin Metcalf who does the Big Love Sound system and Thursdays/Fridays you can check out General Public and Master Lao also supporting and they are all part of The Deep crates Cartel.  So how did you and Frezidente get to be working together? L: Well you know, he’s an artists, we connected through his graffiti and discovered he also is into the real hip-hop culture similarly to me.  Do you produce your own stuff and where can we hear it? L: Defiantly, I don’t want to boast but I’ve recently been included in the top 5 DJ’s of my style worldwide which is original b-boy break DJ and get to play internationally at major B-Boy and breakdance festivals like the Red Bull events. In Korea breaking is huge, I mean there are 2 TV channels dedicated to it funded by the government and in Dubai there’s going to be the R16 competition where local and Europeans will compete and then the winners get to go to Korea. That’s in May this year.    ]]> http://www.unifunk.com/2012/03/06/the-deep-crates-cartel-pushing-boundaries-in-the-dubai-underground-scene/feed/ 0 http://www.unifunk.com/2012/02/06/dj-krust-opens-our-minds-to-the-strategy-sessions-enriching-our-lives-from-a-real-perspective/ http://www.unifunk.com/2012/02/06/dj-krust-opens-our-minds-to-the-strategy-sessions-enriching-our-lives-from-a-real-perspective/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:50:06 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=794 Tuesday 7th FEB for my New Show The Strategy Sessions Where I’ll be talking about how to get results in life. I’ve been doing workshops and coaching session And I’m really enjoying helping people move forward past there blocks towards there goals. I’ll be sharing the main reasons why people don’t reach their goals or get things done and the mindset that keep them stuck A Strategy Session will bring you into a mind-shifting paradigm that will transform the way you think about your self. Your business, your services, and your world! Your personal wellbeing and level of commitment and focus will never be the same. So if feel like something is blocking you from moving forward or you would like to find a better to feel motivated or make changes In your life Drop me an email with your question on it or leave a comment on my facebook page. All details below. The FEAR of change is much worse than the change itself. The idea that something will make life worse than it is now stops most of us from really fulfilling our true potential. Fear of the unknown comes from the idea that you might do something wrong, or that things might not work out the way you thought. You might fail. People might think about you in a certain way. Well, that’s happening already. Failing and making mistakes could be called learning and growing. And, as long as people have mouths they will use them. Look at all the bad things that have happened in your life and all the good things that have resulted. Now look at all the good things in your life and all the bad things that have resulted. We use language in the best way we can to describe the events in life. At the end of the day we experience life in whatever way we can. If you’re scared of change you ARE changing, it’s just you’re changing into more of the same thing you’re scared of. The question, is are you driving new change or are you just a match on the ocean being tossed around on the waves of circumstance? We make choices every moment. Stop and think about last year. Think about all the things that happened to you. Now, how did you get where you are today? Trace the steps back to the decisions that created the changes you made. - Were they good or bad? - Were they right or wrong? - Did you make them or did someone else? - Was it easy or hard? - Were they fast or did they take forever? - Did it cost you a lot or was it free? - Why did you make those choices? - What happened because of them? - Where did they take you? - Who did you meet? - What happened because of those meetings? Make a mind map and look at the journey on paper. It will fascinate you the way life twists and turns. You couldn’t plan it if you tried. But we always look back at the results of the action we took not at the decision that drove the action. We have already been through some life changing events, more than at any other time in human history. We are living through the most unpredictable moments ever. Will it get any easier? Of course not! We don’t want easy, we want the ability to deal with whatever life throws at us and keep moving forward. What else are we going to do here on planet Earth? Words by DJ Krust (Full Cycle) For more insights and information about The Strategy Sessions check out:- DETAILS FOR RADIO SHOW: http://www.spreaker.com/?ref=U4515452 FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/Dj.Krust BLOG LINK: http://disruptivepattens.tumblr.com/ TAKING PLACE EVERY TUESDAY]]> http://www.unifunk.com/2012/02/06/dj-krust-opens-our-minds-to-the-strategy-sessions-enriching-our-lives-from-a-real-perspective/feed/ 0 http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/31/gavin-williamson-world-european-and-british-kickboxing-champion-on-his-art-giving-back-and-music-4-life/ http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/31/gavin-williamson-world-european-and-british-kickboxing-champion-on-his-art-giving-back-and-music-4-life/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:16:36 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=786 How important is it to have organisations like UNKFUNK and an event like Music 4 Life ? I think UNKFUNK is a very new and unique organisation that is very now. Meaning, it wouldn’t have made any sense let’s say 10 years ago to have a organisation like UNKFUNK. Event organisers put on events to make money. Charity events raise awareness and also make money. The upcoming event Music 4 Life bridges the gap, giving a youth market exposure to great causes, especially Cancer Research UK. You are a great giver in community and have been part of some very interesting arts projects yourself, can you tell us a bit about these? Yes, well! I have put on several successful events spanning from 2001 to 2006. I had events like ‘ the gods room’, express yourself and ‘ PFR’ (Private function room). All these events had young people from economical and social deprived backgrounds, getting together and expressing themselves to a local and wider community. TGR Phatt Fridays (The Gods Room) was the most successful out of them. This event included spoken word, hip-hop, musicians, artists, dancers, basically every form of expression was compressed within the gods room. The program was completed by a topical debate or discussion about the issues that affect young people and their communities. How do See UNKFUNK benefitting the community? UNKFUNK’s unique angle gives a platform for musicians, artists and DJs to display their skills to each other under common causes that affect everyone. It gathers people together no matter what race, colour or creed. What made you want to support Music 4 Life? At my age you see things through different eyes. When I was younger it was all about taking, now I’m in a position where I can give back. Music 4 Life will increase the awareness and the cause of an important charity. When people are affected by common disease, they will unite and fight back. Have you or anyone you know been personally affected by cancer? Yes, I have! My dearest and eldest auntie/godmother on my mother’s side. She had a very rare form of cancer, the name I can’t remember. However within months of being diagnosed, the cancer had spread so far that it reached her brain. She lost all faculties within one week and passed on shortly after that. My Uncle on my dad’s side was our first family loss, he died of lung cancer, it was a difficult time for the family. I know that cancer can kill fast and slow. The more research that can be done the less, family, friends and loved ones will suffer. As a sportsman how does it feel for you to be part of a groundbreaking event like this? As a sports person I feel like I can finally give back information I have learnt on my journey and travels to everyone who gets involved with this event and wider. How important is healthy living for you in relation to the prevention of cancer? Your body is a temple and you should treat your body like a clean abode. I have the statement: you should feed, eat, drink and sleep just like a baby! You wouldn’t give a baby alcohol, raw meat and processed food to eat. Would you? I think if everyone took this philosophy on board, cancer could be prevented. There have been proven links to healthy living and a good diet as a way of preventing Cancer, what tips would you give people wanting to maintain healthy living standard? As a champion and an instructor, it is very hard to find time to make sure that my diet is sound. Maintaining a healthy living standard doesn’t have to be explained, we all know what we do wrong. The problem I think is that living in a hectic and chaotic city like London where most people work ridiculous hours just to keep a roof over their head. They spend less time enjoying life and get caught up in a whirlwind. Everything has to be instant. Fast food, fast cars and a quick turnover of money. From my personal research I have found that 95% of pre-packed foods contains processed sugar which damages the human body in horrific ways. Everything you should eat, should be fresh. I know it’s hard, we all make excuses. You are looking to begin alternative style bootcamps, can we look forward to seeing these in 2012? Yes! Boot Camp, boxercise, fitness classes and spinning classes. All these things will be happening being taught by me or one of my teachers. So far every Sunday at 9 AM and 12 AM I have a fitness class. I have a kickboxing class every Monday and Wednesday at 7:30 PM all taking place at sport studios, north-west London. Get involved, get fit and stay healthy. I know you’ve got a hectic schedule lined up for the year ahead, but what shall we look out for from you, in the forthcoming months? The future is bright, the glass is half full and sleeping is for the dead. I have the British, European and World Championships taking place this year and titles to defend in all threee. The season starts on February 18th and will be non-stop till October. I plan to open my own gym so I can grow and develop my dreams. Sounds great! Thank you for donating your time to this special event and we look forward to seeing you on the 4th February 2012 at Music 4 Life. It’s my pleasure, I am glad to be a part of this amazing event. To find out more about Kickboxing catch Gavin and the amazing Sports Studio team at:- Sports Studios 95b Fairfax Road London NW6 4DY Phone: 0207 372 8580 www.sportsstudios.com  ]]> http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/31/gavin-williamson-world-european-and-british-kickboxing-champion-on-his-art-giving-back-and-music-4-life/feed/ 0 http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/16/james-ramsden-publishes-music4life-four-course-menu/ http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/16/james-ramsden-publishes-music4life-four-course-menu/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:48:08 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=611 www.jamesramsden.com 16th January 2012 The Secret Larder at Music 4 Life | 4th Feb 2012 This year marks the 10th anniversary of the charity Cancer Research UK and as part of the celebrations Unifunk are putting on a night of music, revelry, and food. Which is where I come in. We’ll be transporting the Secret Larder from our Holloway flat to the Metal Works in Islington. It’s a brilliant space and I’ll be sharing it with DJs and bands and, with any luck, lots of hungry people. Full details are on the Unifunk website, but here are the bits you need to know: Date: 4th February 2012 Venue: Islington Metal Works Time: 7pm-Midnight (two sittings) Cost: £52.50 (that’s £20 for entry to the whole event, £30 for dinner, plus a booking fee) Menu: - Cauliflower soup, shiitake, onion, truffle salt  - Soused herring, pickled shallots, leaves  - Roast shoulder of mutton, parmesan polenta, caponata, salsa verde  - Rhubarb and rose pavlova Click here for 7pm sitting, here for 9pm sitting. For more details visit www.unifunk.com/upcoming-events website or email rsvp@unifunk.com Hope to see you there! J x PS If you’d like to help out, either front of house or in the kitchen, do give me a shout.]]> http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/16/james-ramsden-publishes-music4life-four-course-menu/feed/ 0 http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/04/west-london-apocalypto-warehouse-new-years-eve-party/ http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/04/west-london-apocalypto-warehouse-new-years-eve-party/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:30:53 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=468 http://www.unifunk.com/2012/01/04/west-london-apocalypto-warehouse-new-years-eve-party/feed/ 3 http://www.unifunk.com/2011/12/08/beat-players-first-birthday/ http://www.unifunk.com/2011/12/08/beat-players-first-birthday/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:45:48 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=242 www.beatplayers.com]]> http://www.unifunk.com/2011/12/08/beat-players-first-birthday/feed/ 1 http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/23/headflown-music-ep-review/ http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/23/headflown-music-ep-review/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:22:52 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=206 http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/23/headflown-music-ep-review/feed/ 0 http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/23/136/ http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/23/136/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:56:46 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=136 http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/23/136/feed/ 2 http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/11/exploring-arab-hip-hop-with-randa-safieh-master-mimz-the-arabbritish-center-in-partnership-with-leighton-house-museum/ http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/11/exploring-arab-hip-hop-with-randa-safieh-master-mimz-the-arabbritish-center-in-partnership-with-leighton-house-museum/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:40:17 +0000 admin http://www.unifunk.com/?p=216 http://www.unifunk.com/2011/11/11/exploring-arab-hip-hop-with-randa-safieh-master-mimz-the-arabbritish-center-in-partnership-with-leighton-house-museum/feed/ 2