FEEL THE RHYTHM

Basement Bhangra – S.O.B.s
204 Varick Street, Manhattan

SOBs (Sons of Brazil) offers some of the best dance nights in the city. Known for Salsa and Latin music nights (which I highly recommend), it also hosts Basement Bhangra. Any fan of Bollywood movies has heard this South Asian dance music genre and witnessed the accompanying dance moves. Attending Basement Bhangra for the first time will introduce you to a world of beats and steps.

SOBs sets the perfect environment for you to embrace a new dance style. Early in the evening the club offers instruction for everyone to learn key basic steps. Then a band or warm-up DJ provides music while you perfect your moves. It’s a collaborative effort, as people around you celebrate and improvise while they dance. The main event is the arrival of the internationally renowned DJ Rekha, whose passion for the event she spearheaded can be felt with every song. The beat is beyond catchy; you will feel compelled to dance along. Dance with wild abandon. There is no fear of looking silly. Enjoy yourself and move freely as the infectious beat brings a sense of glee.

To truly understand Basement Bhangra, you must experience it for yourself. SOBs hosts the event on the first Thursday of every month, so there is ample opportunity. You can visit DJ Rehka’s website, www.djrekha.com, for more information and a full schedule of her appearances.

THE CONSCIOUS CONSUMER

Moo Shoes
78 Orchard Street

The cold, wet weather is coming, is it time to update your winter footwear? Moo Shoes can offer everything to keep your feet snug and your conscience clear. All the products sold in this LES boutique are cruelty-free. Not only will you find footwear, but also a wide range of accessories including belts, handbags, outerwear and clothing. It’s the shoe selection however that will blow your mind. The range in styles appeals to all sensibilities and styles. If you have trouble making a selection, never fear, the staff is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. You can also expand your culinary skills by picking up one of the many vegan cookbooks available. Visit their website www.mooshoes.com where they frequently announce sales and events. Moo Shoes is located at 78 Orchard Street and is open seven days a week.

THE WISDOM OF AGES

Your Daily Walk With the Great Minds by Richard A. Singer, Jr. [Marvelous Spirit Text]

In its third edition, this collection proves to be a perfect tool to assist with your path to transformation and improve your physical and spiritual well-being. It’s a great way to ring in the new year. Meant to be read over the course of one year, each chapter represents one month and offers a reading suggestion. It starts off with Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking. The book suggestion sets the background for each month, while Your Daily Walk With the Great Minds includes daily quotes from great thinkers as well as a meditation and a topic for your personal journal. Singer finds the most profound quotations that provide motivation and inspiration on a personal level. Unlike most self-help books, this one is not to be read cover to cover, but used to assist you in your transformation through the year. It can be read over and over again, each month also has an alternate reading suggestion, as the meanings and results will change as the reader grows. Singer’s approach focuses on the change you can create within yourself, without relying completely on seminars and outside sources.

MUSIC TO SOOTHE YOUR SOUL

Ben Leinbach presents Sangha [White Swan Records]

In Sanskrit, “sangha” means community, and Ben Leinback creates an audio version of sangha with this CD taking the word as its title. The revered yoga music producer recorded a collection of chants sung by an all-star line-up of mantra singers including Jaya Lakshmi, Mukti, Donna De Lory and Jai Uttal. Leiback invited these vocalists to record their favorite chants in his studio, creating the instrumental backgrounds to enhance their vocal performances. The result is a soundtrack of aural beauty, ethereal and soothing. They create a soft breeze of calm in any setting. Jaya Lakshmi’s voice in “Tantroktam Devi Suktam” reminds you to take a moment and breathe. “Sat Narayan Waheguru” featuring Snatan Kaur moves you with its gentle beat and Spanish guitar. The final track on the album “By Your Side/Jaya Gurudev” acts almost like a lullaby as David Newman sings softly and reassuringly. With layered orchestration, you will find something new with each listen.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Nation of Change
www.nationofchange.org

In a world of sensational headlines and short-sighted reporting, Nation of Change offers a refreshing alternative news source. Publishing a mix of national and international articles on their website, this not-for-profit aims to “report 24/7 on critical issues affecting our democracy with a focus on positive solutions to social and political problems.” Readers can control their level of in-depth coverage by reading the website, subscribing to the Nation of Change daily newsletter, and by joining their community platform. The organization does not accept advertising or corporate sponsorship, to ensure that their coverage remains unbiased. Instead they focus on their commitment to “to peace, social equality, human rights, and environmental conservation.”

MAKE MUSIC WITH YOUR PHONE

Brian Eno iPhone Apps

Brian Eno has always been known to push the limits of sound and music. Experimenting with electronic and ambient music, in essence creating a new movement, he has always been one to embrace new technology. So it should be no surprise that he has embraced the mobile digital age. With two iPhone applications, Trope and Bloom, he allows users to create their own experiments in sound and visual.

What’s unique about these apps is that he doesn’t try to adapt an existing instrument (piano, guitar, etc.) for the phone. Instead, the phone itself becomes the instrument. Taking advantage of the sounds and images the phone can create, it allows you to play with new sounds. Let it play on it’s own and hear the music it can create by itself. Each application has a slightly different sound; some say with Trope you can create something slightly darker, more melodramatic. There is also more variation of color on Trope. With both applications, you will find that the compositions and patters are endless. Trope and Bloom are available for the iPhone.