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An EP with 6 tracks of avantgardist electro with some light hip-hop influence: That's Chrysalid, the last release of Woodini, the Parisian beatmaker who is also featured on the H1PNUZ Spring Tape .

It's music you can't really describe. As mysterious as the beautiful album cover.

[Fresh News from long-term H1PNUZ head "Mr. Kewen", a French-South-African guy working in the city called "Paris de l'Orient" aka Shanghai. The post is a little bit off-topic, we have to admit it. But interesting read though. The illustration is part of a collection about Chinese Culture by the Taiwan-based artist Yu-Wei Liang. Keep visiting us for more stories from China's streets.]

Last month, CCTV, the state owned Chinese TV conglomerate, broadcasted its greatest piece of propaganda to date. The topic of this monster-scale seven episode series was not China’s epic fight against the Japanese invader, nor was it the country’s tremendous economic achievements, its organization of the 2008 Olympic games or the more recent launch of the Shenzhou 9 rocket. No, the subject of this series called “A bite of China” was simply food. 

In my quest to present the China people don’t usually see and in keeping with the spirit of this blog, I would like to take some time to talk about food in the middle kingdom. A topic that may sound curious but which I believe says a lot about today’s China.

Food is of supreme importance in China. Everywhere you go people talk about food. The importance of food and eating (the character 吃 , Chi) is even reflected in the language. People need to toughen up by “eating bitterness” ( 吃苦 Chi Ku), weak men “eat soft rice” ( 吃软饭 Chi Ruan Fan) and perverts cop a feel by “eating tofu” ( 吃豆腐 Chi Dou Fu). “Have you eaten” is often employed as a way of asking “How are you?” and the Chinese idiom signifying a life of unbridles pleasures translates as “To eat, drink and play merrily” ( 吃喝玩乐 Chi He Wan Le).

The incredible and highly emotional public response to CCTV’s “A bite of China” series clearly shows that food fulfills a greater role here. In the crazy, fast changing society that is modern China, people look for mental landmarks and for elements that unite them. China’s culinary heritage is one of the last universally recognized, undisputed and un-politicized symbols of Chinese culture. It is something people throughout the country can cling and relate to.

Food in China also unites people. In the local restaurant I used to visit, people of all ages and social classes gather and sit at the same table eating the same cheap, unpretentious dishes. Wealth gaps have not been around for long enough to impact this (although sadly things are starting to change in this regard). There is something heart-warming in sharing a table with a tiny old man in his 70s whose face shows the hardship he has endured, a trendy college student and some random white collar worker with the badge from a famous foreign company hanging around his neck. These people represent 3 different realities but are still brought together by spicy noodles.

I absolutely love the way Chinese people like their culinary tradition because it is so unpretentious and so universal. It transcends genders, age groups and social classes. Food related contexts are where the best of China comes out: simplicity, openness, the feeling of community, good hearted camaraderie and recognition of shared values and a shared heritage. In China, streets don’t lie and food brings out the truth.

Denim jacket by H1PNUZ: Inspired by the style of "le gang des apaches", a Parisian street gang during the "Belle époque" (beautiful era).

Seems like we spent way too much time in Paris during the past few weeks...

#3. Take some minutes to go through these lines.

"Sup H1pnuz Fam whats the deal? how you all been? ok check it out todays Blog is as real as it gets & i´m sure u can all relate, Nas says LIFE IS GOOD but Life also has its DARKSIDE & no LIGHTSABER can help u here YADIGG? lets get into it... 2 things.

1: i´ve been a bit "under the weather" the last 2-3 days, haven´t been a pussy about till i went to work yesterday (Mon) & couldn´t bring 100% to the job so much that my Boss literally odered me to see my Doctor, which i did this morning, after waiting for about an hour because i did´nt have an appointment i finally heard my name being called, my turn, he (my Doc) immediately asked me about the nice lady who referred me to him almost a year ago, "How is She?, she hasn´t come in to see me since Sept. ´11" he said, with a bit of concern in his voice, he obviously hadn´t been informed & i immedialtly wondered why i had to be the one telling him this bad news, a very new situation for me, "She killed herself" i said very calmly, watching his facial expresssion closely, "Excuse me?" he replied as the blood left his already white face, he was shocked & by his body language very much taken aback as he leaned into & half slided down his giant black leather Doctors office chair! It took about 8 to 10mins for him absorve what i had just told him, during which he had pulled up her files on his computer & slowly typed in "committed suicide"...& another 5 mins before we could get to the main reason why i was sitting in front of him with blood shot eyes, "ok i cant do anymore for her, lets help the living, what can i do for u?" he asked me sounding almost relieved to be able to move on, "i´m sick" i said, describing then what was going on with my body, mostly my head, he proceeded then to prescribe what i needed to get from the pahrmacy & also put me on sick leave for the rest of this week  telling me to come in tomorrow morning for a blood test just in case :( wish me luck.

2: & this one got me real pissed off man... Monday morning as i was on my lunch break at work my colleague Jenny came into the room pointing at the window saying "look, a man is laying on the ground & no one is doing anything!" i jumped up "WHERE?" i yelled running over to the window where i could clearly see the bus & tram stop & a grey haired man in a brown jacket lying on the ground, we observed the situation for a second, there were people standing scattered along the bus stop, most of whom were looking in exactly the opposite direction to where this poor old man was lying, except one, a woman was talking on her cell phone & looking directly at the man lying on the cold cement, bending over speaking anxiously into her device her hair falling in her face, i said to Jenny "no look, that lady with the red hair, she´s calling an ambulance , i´m sure she is!" Jenny agreed, i then went back to the table where my lunch was now getting cold & forked another mouthful of noodles in my mouth thinking the situation outside our window was being taken care of & the man was in good hands but after about a minute i jumped up & ran out the door with the thought that it must be hot as hell outside, it was about 4pm & the sun was blistering down mercilessly, the sound of my voice screaming at me in my head "this man needs water!!", I grabbed a bottle out the fridge & ran across the street dodging cars on the way to the man on the pavement and the red haired woman standing over him. I immediately asked if she had called an ambulance, "YES OF COURSE!" she said with a shaky voice, i squatted down at the mans head & began using my hand as a cup pouring water in it & then wiping his forehead & hairline, there is a bench at most bus stops, i placed his legs up on the bench, all this time the red head was ranting behind me about something but i wasn´t paying much attention till she started cussing & raising her voice, i looked up at her & asked what she was going on about, "no one did anything, they all just stood there, nobody moved a muscle to help this poor man" she said in a cracking voice, "i was riding by on my bicycle & saw him lying there, just lying there, i stopped immediately & called an ambulance, no one said a thing or offered to help, i cant believe it, i just cant believe it" tears now in her eyes, i couldnt believe it either, there was at least 15 people standing there when i first looked out the window, now the tram had come & gone leaving just a few waiting for the next one, not a soul cared what was going on with the man, at least not enough to just walk over & ask "are u ok sir?" did´nt care enough to pull out their cell phone to call an ambulance (((FOH))) just watched him lying there while they went about there daily lives not giving a shit what happens to their fellow man, this man was not even a homeless guy or anything like that, he was well dressed, clothes clean, his hair was combed, his beard was trimmed, the whole nine but still no one budged! Eventually the ambulance came & whisked the poor man off sirens screaming & all. I guess i will never find out what his problem was, i then shook the nice ladys hand & thanked her for calling the ambulance, she in turn thanked me squeezing my hand & rolling her eyes in disgrace at the people who did´nt give a shit earlier, all of whom had already gone on with their lives careless as to what was goin around them.

  I beg u guys man, if u see somebody in trouble, someone lying on the ground, someone in need of help, please, PLEASE take a minute from you´re precious time to stop & think, if u cant help immediately then call the police, JUST DO SOMETHING, anything except look the other way, be your brothers keeper, no matter what race, religion or skin color, we all bleed the same color blood man  remember that next time u see someone in distress...YOU WOULD WANT SOMEONE TO HELP U!

KEEP IT REAL & MAY THE FORCE BE WITH U!

Drl Evln."

"Passion is your greatest love. Passion is the thing that will help you create the highest expression of your talent."

That’s why I think Professor Smith’s thoughts are absolutely worth spreading.