The most incredible drummer on the web
My daughter introduced me to El Estepario Siberiano’s YouTube channel a couple of months ago, and I have been captivated ever since. The Spanish drummer (real name: Jorge Garrido) shares videos of him performing electrifying cover versions of popular songs, striking his drums with such astonishing speed and skill that he leaves other professional drummers in awe. The numerous reaction videos from other musicians are delightful in their own right.
Garrido is candid about the extensive hours he dedicated to reach this level of proficiency. He mentions spending nearly every day behind his kit for years. In an era where machines seem to handle everything, there’s a rebelliousness in that amount of human effort. This is why my top picks include Garrido’s covers of electronic music, where he outshines the drum machine. Be sure to check out his rendition of Skrillex and Missy Elliot’s “Ra Ta Ta” and see if it doesn’t bring joy to your heart.
Discovering life within the uncanny valley
Viewing Sora videos of Michael Jackson seizing a box of chicken nuggets or Sam Altman munching on the pink meat of a flame-grilled Pikachu has reminded me of an Ed Atkins exhibition I attended at Tate Britain a few months prior. Atkins is among the most pivotal and disconcerting British artists of his time. He is renowned for his hyper-realistic CG animations of himself (flawless skin, awkward movements) that play with the virtual portrayal of human sentiments.
In The Worm, we witness a CGI Atkins making a long-distance call to his mother during a covid lockdown. The audio is taken from an actual recorded conversation. Are we observing Atkins sob or his avatar? Our focus shifts between two realms. “When an actor breaks character while performing, it’s referred to as corpsing,” Atkins has remarked. “I want everything I create to corpse.” In comparison to Atkins’s work, generative videos resemble cardboard figures: realistic yet lifeless.
A gritty and grimy tale of a talking dingo
What’s it like being a pet? Australian author Laura Jean McKay’s debut novel, The Animals in That Country, will make you regret asking. A flu-like epidemic grants individuals the ability to comprehend what animals are expressing. If that feels too Dr. Dolittle for your liking, fear not: these creatures are strange and unpleasant. Much of the time they don’t even make any logical sense.
With everyone now conversing with their devices, McKay’s book redefines the anthropomorphic trap we’ve all fallen into. It’s a brilliant depiction of what a nonhuman thought process might hold—and a contemplation on the challenging boundaries of communication.
