Images courtesy the artist.Ricardo Cortez, a.k.a. Tijuana Rick, is an “aficionado of the obsolete,” one who has dabbled with disco balls and spun the space race into board game Johnny Cosmic. For his latest project, Funk’d Up, the self-descriibed "Chica-New Media artist" takes a “nostalgic trip down 1980’s arcade culture” with an interactive experiment in funk.With it’s groovy wood paneling and glowing red buttons, Funk’d Up recalls the early days of simplistic arcade gaming. The gameplay itself involves participants controlling a pair of disembodied lips which robotically beat-box over Tijuana Rick’s chosen tunes. Simply put, by selecting a pre-recorded 8-track cassette tape—options include boogie, modern, arcade, and funk music—he or she can remix the classic 70s or 80s jam in real-time. “Funk has left an indelible mark on pop culture,” Tijuana Rick told The Creators Project. “This piece serves as both a time capsule and a teaching tool for newer generations,” so make sure to thank Tijuana Rick on your one-way trip to Funky Town.
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