T-INA Darling - The Fine Art Of Living [Rudel Records 003]

The former Hamburg- and now Berlin-based imprint Rudel Records recently released its cat.no. 003 which is "The Fine Art Of Living", the first full-length album by T-INA Darling, long time established DJane, artist and musician known internationally for her event series "Femmes With Fatal Breaks", legendary swing parties and artistic work under her real name Ina Wudtke. All these activities now come together in "The Fine Art Of Living" which is way more than just a simple album - not only due to the fact that it is released accompanying the exhibition "Black Sound White Cube" taking place in the german capitol Berlin. "The Fine Art Of Living" is also a political statement against a phenomenon known as gentrification featuring - aside from the musical side covering influences from Swing, HipHop, Dubstep and various urban bass styles - spoken word pieces written by poets like Langston Hughes, May Ayim and T-INA Darling herself dealing with the topic of change within in the social inner city landscape of Berlin and worldwide, a theme that runs through "The Fine Art Of Living" like a red ribbon. Although a conceptual album work like this might not necessarily draw the attention of the average dancefloor-focused DJ there are a few dancefloor fitting tunes like "I Am The Law", "Baustelle" or the Pop-flavored "Berlin, Berlin" to be found able to move the crowd, not only in intellectual circles but also at underground parties allover the place. The word is going round that the first CD-edition is already sold out and waits for a reprint so check out the vinyl version at your local Berlin record store or at Hamburg's Otaku Records which is one of a few not Berlin-based record store that stocks "The Fine Art Of Living" at this very moment.