I. About PIOSystems
III. General and Miscellaneous
ABOUT PIOSYSTEMS
Q. When Did PIOSystems Start?
A. PIOSystems is a company I (Kwaku Wynn) started back in 2002 unofficially while I was attending College (Florida International University) in Miami. While working as a DJ, I was using the name ‘Pionear’, which was a play on the Company ‘Pioneer’ that produced the Digital CDJ-1000 Turntables I used.
Then from there, after possible copyright/trademark issues, I went on to use ‘Cue Spinna’ as my DJ/Producer name, and kept the 1st 3 letters from ‘PIO’near and added ‘Systems’ at end because a ‘System’ is the complete rig you use (Speakers, Mixer, Turntables, etc) while Djing. It’s also a nod to one of my favorite 80s Synth/Electro/R&B Groups, ‘The System’.
Q. Why Did You Choose The Colors Turquoise and Purple For PIOSytems?
A. The Main Colors (Turquoise and Purple) are not only my favorite Colors, but also Colors representative of the Colors on my Zodiac Chart:
My Zodiac Sign is Aquarius…And the Ruling Planet for Us Aquarians is Uranus, which is a Bluish-Green Color (Turquoise, Cyan, Aquamarine, etc), while my Birth Month (February) Birth/Gem Stone is Amethyst, which is a Purple Color. So it don’t have to do with anything else, like copying off Prince (Love him as a Musical Artist!) or any Gang-Related Nonsense (Never was in one, and at my age, probably never will). So it’s All in the Stars, as they say 😉
Q. How Did The Design Of The PIOSYSTEMS LOGO Come About?
A. I made a Blog Post about this earlier this year on 3/14 (‘PI’-Day):
https://piosystems.ninja/2019/03/14/happy-pie-3-14-day/
To Re-Cap, basically is a combination of the of Greek letter/symbol ‘π’ (pi), in cased by the letter ‘O’ (in a circle). And the little slash thru the left vertical line is a homage to the Kanji symbol ( 刃 ) for ‘Blade’ , which is part of the ‘Ninja’ Kanji (忍術) since it resembles it somewhat…
ABOUT KWAKU
Q. What’s The Origin/Meaning of Your Name?
A. ‘Kwaku’ is a West African/Ghanaian Name Usually given to Male Boys on their Day of Birth, which in my case would be a ‘Wednesday’. It’s a tradition over there (and other places) to name your kids the day they were Born on.
Q. Are You Ghanaian/African – Were You Born in Ghana/Africa?
A. No, I’m not…I was born here in the USA in the State of New Jersey. My Dad used to visit and lived and died over in Senegal, though, and he gave me and my Brothers/Cousin African Names (I’m the only one who got both First/Middle Name, though xD). It was a thing many African-American/Black (or whatever they are calling it these days) Families did during the Black, Afrocentric and Civil Rights Movements in the 60s/70s. But I am a child of the African Diaspora and African in Spirit.
Q. Have You Ever Been To Africa/Ghana/Senegal?
A. Nope…but I would really like to travel there someday…hopefully after I take care of things on this side of the Atlantic, then visit Senegal (1st), then Ghana (2nd) and other parts of Africa.
Q. How Tall Are You?
A. 6’3
Q. Where Are You From And Where Have You Lived?
Coming Soon!!!
GENERAL And MISCELLANEOUS
Q. Whassup With Your Fascination With ‘Ninja’?
A. Well, just like most other kids growing up in the 70s/80s, me and my family grew up watching alot of the Chinese Kung-Fu/Martial Arts films on TV (mainly on Saturday Mornings after Cartoons). And while I enjoyed the Kung-Fu Masters (like the ones played by Bruce Lee, Jang-Lee Hwang, Chiang Sheng and the Venom Mob) I was more interested in the Masked/Robed ‘Ninja’ type Character Films (Five Elements Ninjas) for whatever reasons…
Then later on, mainline Ninja/Martial Arts films started to appear here in the US, such as the films starring Sho Kosugi (Pray For Death, Revenge of the Ninja, Ninja III) and Shinichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba. Also there were films that starred Western/American Actors (American Ninja Series, The Last Dragon, etc) in lead roles and there was Anime Like Gatchaman: Science Team Ninja, better known in the West as other names like G-Force, Battle of the Planets, etc.
Afterwards, when Video Games started to gain Popularity in the 80s, the Ninja started to appear in them as well, with the earliest Game them showing up to my Knowledge were the Arcade games Yie Ar Kung Fu (Star/1984 or 85) and Kid Niki: Radical Ninja (1986)
BUT…
The Game that started my Fetish for all things Ninja was a Arcade Game from SEGA called Shinobi released in 1987:
With Shuriken/Ninja Star Throwing, Jumps and Flips and of Course, the Ninja Magic, the game totally blew my 11 Year-Old Mind at the Time and Renewed my Interest in Martial Arts. So ever since then, along with a few other Pop Culture Phenoms Ninja became a part of my Essence. Here’s my Arcade Playthru of It:
Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation?
With the Current ‘Woke’ Environment we live in nowadays, many might assume a Guy who was Born in America (of African American/Black/Etc Lineage) going around referring to himself as a Secret Covert ‘Profession’ created by Japanese/Asians to be Appropriating. But as a Practitioner of Martial Arts since the age of 5 (took my 1st Lessons at a 4-H Building across the Street from my Grandmother’s House in Jersey), then on and off in various other Disciplines and as well as being an avid Gamer since about the same age, I don’t think I’m ‘Appropriating’ the Culture at all; I’m too immerse into it, and any Gaming, Training, etc I immerse myself with the Art (Ninjustu/Ninpo) and also use it in a Fun/Slangy purposes (being Stealthy Good or an Expert at Various Things). But I dunno, if anyone have any Issues with this, please feel free to email or contact me!
Q. What Martial Arts Have You Trained In?
Over the course of my Life, I’ve Trained in the Following:
- Shotokan (Karate)
- Capoeira (Angola)
- Bujinkan Taijutsu (Ninpo/Ninjutsu)
Now I just Trained in these Arts, I haven’t Belted in Any. And as I get older (and due to various Health ailments) I’m not able to train like I want to or used to. But I follow an adage I’ve came across while reading the works of Masaaki Hatsumi’s (the founder of the Bujikan) book ‘The Way Of The Ninja: Secret Techniques‘:
So while I’ve attended Dojo’s, Schools, Gyms, etc, I tend to find self Training to be the most Important.
Q. What Are Those ‘Adinkra’ Symbols You Use?
Adinkra Symbols
(source https://yen.com.gh/)
Adinkra Symbols are glyphs/symbols similar to Hieroglyphics that represent certain Items, Sayings, Proverbs or Aphorisms from the Akan Kingdom in the region known as modern day Ghana (known as The Gold Coast back then) and maybe Côte d’Ivoire/The Ivory Coast in West Africa. Being the name of the Cloth they are often written on, they are referred to as one of the 1st Written Languages in West Africa, they were often placed on Pottery, Buildings and Clothing Items. There are about 63-80 Symbols that’s widely circulated, but some say there are hundreds more out there (either historical or homemade). There are also some sites that attempts to turn them/translate them into a modern Alphabet, you can check one of them out here:
https://www.adinkraalphabet.com/
Nowadays you can see many Films (such as Black Panther), Games, TV Shows, Musicians, Artists, Craftsman, etc use these Symbols in various Backgrounds, Graphic Art, Posters, Logos, Jewelry, etc. With me being a descendant of the African Diaspora and being born with a Ghanaian Name (see Above), I’ve taken a keen interest in these Symbols ever since learning about them at my 1st College back in 1995. So I also incorporate them into my Works, such as Games, Graphic Art, and sometimes Music.
I’m also in the process of Developing an App for the Adinkra; it will be for free, and for nonprofit purposes of teaching and educating others about the History and Culture of African Symbolism that’s often left out of U.S./American studies here in the Americas.
To Learn More About Adinkra, You Can Visit The Following Sites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adinkra_symbols
https://www.adinkrasymbols.org/
https://yen.com.gh/109014-adinkra-symbols-and-their-meanings.html
PIOSystems 