If you are interested in any combination of the following; hip-hop, punk, distortion, blues, reading and the apocalypse then you really must check out Mike Ladd and his excellent Majesticons x Infesticons project. The trilogy’s final recording, Bedford Park, is due for an April release on Big Dada and you can download the comeback single Kick Anthem here.
With the snow hopefully gone for another year we can look to throw out the thermals and winter boots and get on with some new kicks for 2010. One of the most inspired releases in some time sees Adidas resume its Star Wars project with a whole bunch of new footwear and apparel collaborations. The most interesting are the classic white and black Stormtrooper Superstars as well as the Darth Vader version of the classic shoe. If rocking the darkside isn’t your thing then there are other personalised efforts for Yoda, Skywalker and the gold bikini’d Princess Leia. Other styles include kicks inspired by specific scenes as well as the Death Star. Peep the vid below. …Read More.
10 years of making a buzz. Flying Lotus selects some of his favourite work and The Gaslamp Killer packages it up to into (mutha fecking) great retrospective mix. Bonafide interviewed Fly Lo for issue 02 , where we probed what makes him Fly. His new album, Cosmogramma, is coming out April 20th on Warp and should be well worth the wait.
Guerilla Pop-Up Store, Noise Lab, flings open its doors this January. Located in Manchester city centre, the lab deviates from the usual pop-up store concept (which basically equates to stealth branding using DIY tools) in that it’s built to showcase artistic talents and hopefully direct some cash into their back pockets. A good thing in this rather grey financial climate.
Backed by the arts charity Noise Festival, the local council and a number of other philanthropic partners, Noise Lab is billed a ‘living magazine’ with each month a ‘Guest Editor’ curating content, events, gigs, workshops and much more. Manchester street artist Doodlebug is the first Editor and has plucked a unknown art headz of the street to present their work alongside their work and talent next to recognised and established names such as Mr Scruff, Pete Fowler Monsterism and Mark Wigan. It looks ‘monster’, as Eric Hall used to say and well worth checking out.
Bonafide will be representing at Noise Lab with copies of the magazine available to fondle before purchase. Hopefully we’ll also be getting involved in putting on a special event or two. Watch this space.
Street-wear brand King Apparel are holding a sample sale at the end of Jan (running from the 29th till sunday 31st) at Dray Walk Gallery @ The Truman Brewery. King sponsor an array of musicians, artists and associated creatives including Joker who in this brilliantly art-directed picture is seen sporting a nifty purple number.
Coming out late this February, a slab of pure UK hip-hop. Produced by East London rapper Cyclonious this manages to be both tuneful and send out a social message. Props.
I haven’t visited the DFA website since they were legally obliged to re-christian themselves Death From Abroad (where art thou Death From Above??!). Thankfully, while the name and website have changed, the output and agenda remain the same. Still traversing electronica, dance, hip-hop and anything else that floats their boat they also retain a healthy sense of humour. The Winter 2009-10 podcast, this time mixed by Holy Ghost, displays all the hallmarks of the label. Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore would be proud to play this LOUD through the soundsystem in his Air Cav Huey.
Very few artists go out of their way to communicate directly with fans in a way that is as open, honest or sincere as DJ Shadow. Hey, he may not have liked the feedback given out to The Outsider and indeed that Keane remix, but respect is due for the fact that he keeps coming back for more. His recent web post sums up the challenge presented by downloading music for free and the affect it has both on the value consumers place in artistic endeavor and the future wave of musicians - those waiting for the new Nas, better get a coffee as they might have a looooonnnng wait. DJ Shadow is in the eye of the storm when it comes to the state of the music industry and it’s an insightful and a thoroughly recommended read.
Shadow’s site is also well worth exploring – crumbs the guy has been in, and often ahead of, the game long enough to be voted into hip-hops Hall of Fame (if such a thing exists) – from the nostalgic gallery shots to the new Handmade releases to the the current remix projects that showcase not only his catalogue but the great DJ skills of people like you and me. Well maybe not mine…
Publishers Continuum are adding more titles to their 33 1/3 series this year. Each 33 1/3 book is based around an influential album, with the writer having extended access to the artists and aiming to capture the ways the creators were influenced by the circumstances and ideas around them. The pocket sized tome then becomes a comprehensive documentation about the making of the album. Last June Coninuum released Illmatic, that elaborated on the NY State of Mind Nasir Jones was in when making his classic debut. Slated for this coming summer is PEs It Takes A Million, and I’d imagine that will make for a riveting holiday read.
Another 33 1/3 release worth checking is the Paul’s Boutique offering that demonstrates how the free-wheeling and madcap lives of the Beastie Boys penetrated what they put on wax. A highly entertaining, enjoyable and (rope-a-) dope accompaniment to the main event.
From old-school hip-hop to hip-hop on the outer reaches.Kidkanevil’s love affair with all things Japanese continues apace with the release of his new LP Basho Basho. Listening to the tracks it sounds like hip-hop through an ancient East Asian filter. Check it out and take advantage of bagging one of his previous albums, Problems & Solutions or Back Off Man, I’m A Scientist, for free when you purchase the CD.
What I also really like about KidK’s releases are the artwork. Produced by Matt ‘Monkey Boxer’ Bailey, Matt’s work has great flexibility and the illustrations for Basho Basho and the single Megajoy/Minjo are really suggestive of woodblock prints, feudal Japan, Rashoman and things of that ilk. Now that’s what I call proper record cover artwork.
BTW anyone not aware of KidK should check out our interview in issue 02 and his ill Public Service Announcement mix on Groovement. Both are straight outta Tokyorkshire.
