'New American Noise' Dives Deep Into Sissy Bounce Scene

On January 18, the Sundance Channel is set to premiere New American Noise, a six-part documentary series by Nokia Music and Somesuch & Co. where each episode focuses on a different music scene within a different city. Rather than leave the lineup to a single curator or a room full of execs, the network sought out directors who already moved through rare circles in music, and asked them to tell the stories of these unique locales. The aim? To tell "the story of music's evolution in America while also capturing the perspectives of music fans from all walks of life."

Abteen Bagheri, who has done music videos for A$AP Rocky, Delta Spirit and Blood Orange, has taken on indie Portland and New Orleans bounce. Emily Kai Bok, the brilliant eye behind Grimes' "Oblivion" clip, is covering the alt-rap scene in New York. Bob Harlow, who's directed for Best Coast and the Vaccines, is portraying the nearly post-apocalyptic Detroit warehouse scene. And Tyrone Lebon, who's done shorts for Nike and numerous others, is delving into music promoted via Atlanta strip clubs, and artists trying to make it in Los Angeles.

Above, we have an exclusive excerpt from Bagheri's New Orleans episode. Among the highlights: copious shots of booties popping, twerking, jerking and bumping — both men and women, both upside down and right side up — plus an interview with Cash Money O.G. Mannie Fresh discussing the rhythms that make his city's music so addictive, and a full minute of sissy bounce star Nicky Da B (he of Diplo's "Express Yourself") rap-chanting a cappella from a barber's seat. It's compelling stuff that bodes well for the rest of New American Noise (see the full trailer at the show's website!).

NPR: In New Orleans, A Buffet Of Great Music

by Ann Powers

Enlarge Douglas Mason

 

 CLICK HERE FOR FULL NPR STORY WITH YOUTUBE CLIPS

 

  Glen David Andrews, the New Orleans trombonist and singer and regular on HBO's Treme, surfs the crowd at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Gluttony. Yeah, it's a sin. And I don't have the professional excuse for enthusiastic food consumption that I do for constant musical intake. But it doesn't take much for a social media addict like myself to convince herself that indulging in can be a public service. Since my Chowhound-devoted husband and I arrived in New Orleans two and a half weeks ago, I've been regaling (the hungry say torturing) my Facebook friends with pictorial documentation of our gustatory journeys as we move — like those fish who never close their mouths — through this irresistibly tasty city.

The Gluttony Series in my Mobile Uploads folder features my shaky iPhone snaps of the duck confit Po'Boy from Crabby Jack's; the oysters, broiled and on the half shell, at Borgne; Cochon Butcher's amazing house-cured meats; the famous Godzilla crab at Jacques-Imo's, a crème brulee to die for at Herbsaint; and my personal favorite, the squid and Pimenton sausage sandwich at Maurepas. (Okay, I'll stop! I'm making myself jealous now.) We've spent our daughter's college fund contributing to the local restaurant economy, but at least I can fool myself into thinking I've given friends a useful guide for their next trip down the Mississippi.

As I dug into the shrimp and cabbage salad at Pho Tau Bay yesterday, however, I realized that my cuisine quest was even threatening to overshadow the amazing musical immersion NOLA has also granted me. I'm a glutton for sound, too, and dancing, and the convivial crush of bodies in a crowded club. I need to share these indulgences too. So here's the Gluttony Series, Part Two: a selective playlist of some of the best sounds I sampled in the city where everything's worth a listen.
  Thanks to all the YouTube pioneers who recorded other version of what I saw and heard.