A line said with such tongue-in-cheek sincerity that you cannot help but smile. It’s the perfect quote to outline the aesthetic of Dark Days, a documentary by British film-maker Marc Singer that profiles the lives of New Yorkers who have resorted to living in an abandoned segment of the subway system known as The Freedom Tunnel. What is particularly surprising and enjoyable at the beginning is the light-hearted nature of some of the documentary’s characters. Far from being depressed misanthropes, we are introduced to a variety of people who are recounting past events whilst shaving, going about daily business or painting the walls of their living quarters.
As fantastic a resource as itunes is, its genre column tends to be about as vague and misguided as a music review in The Express (see their review of PJ Harvey’s latest album). Nonetheless, after uploading Carrier by Sully into my library, the genre read ‘dubstep/ grime’. This specificity immediately struck me as something of an anomaly for itunes, so it was with these dual genres in mind that I immersed myself into Carrier.
After months of online rumours iconic streetwear brand Supreme will finally opened its first European store in London tomorrow (Thursday, 22nd September).
Based in Peters Street, Soho, the space will stock the entire Supreme range including skateboard and collaborative rareties, but don’t hold your breath for the classic box tee. More pictures after the jump, story courtesy of HUH. …Read More.
For the second instalment of our Looking Back series, I shall be turning my nostalgically rose-tinted gaze back towards the early nineties Daisy Age of rap, and in particular to the genre and period defining work of A Tribe Called Quest. Not much can be said that hasn’t been said already about Tribe and their iconic status, which makes the documentary Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Questall the more exceptional. Taking its name from the group’s fourth LP, Beats… sets out to unpack the complex relationship between Tribe’s two main benefactors; Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, from the age of two, via the inception of the band, right up to the present day and their reunion shows on the Rock the Bells tour.
Six studio albums and several more E.P.s in is an impressive feat for any band but you’d get long odds indeed on an independent rap group from the Midwest surviving and thriving for this long. Like distance runners, Ant and Slug have settled into a measured pace and played to their strengths on latest album The Family Sign. …Read More.
To celebrate the release of Martyn’s second album Ghost People, Black Atlantic are hosting an exclusive event at a secret warehouse in Hoxton on Thursday 15th September. Beginning at 9pm and with tickets at £12, Martyn will be accompanied by Erosie, Kode9 and a number of other guests in what is sure to be a night to remember. Tickets are available here
Following on from the Supreme news, here’s something about a skating team/label a bit closer to home. Drawing on a coterie of skaters and design talent Palace Skateboards have been an emergent presence in London for the past few years. They’ve plucked some of the finest talent about and combined it with a visual brand that gets noticed – riffing the likes of the Coco Chanel and Versace logos’ and psychology diagrams has made for some excellent tees. This video, commissioned by VICE and ASOS, profiles key man Lev Tanju who talks about the Palace philosophy, his love of VHS and future plans.
Ever since the now mythical Chains and Black Exhaust compilation piqued my interest at the turn of the millennium, I have been a habitual consumer of the output of Memphix, Now Again, Mochilla and the other connected labels and acts that specialise in this genre. Chains and Black Exhaust proved an elusive prize. Every so often I’d read a tit-bit about it on a forum or in a knowing review. It’d be on my radar, whetting my appetite but then would prove impossible to find and it’d disappear down the Wanted List and I’d forget about it. I finally nailed it a year or so ago and, with all it’s Hendrix-esque, un-fettered lushness, I was engrossed.
The point of these ramblings? That there is a whole other world of good stuff out there which aforementioned labels have an un-canny habit of unearthing, dusting down and preserving for future generations. And you, dear reader, should be making the most of this.
Following the Stussy thread and riding the wave of the surf, love this piece of advertising for Japanese clothing brand Beams. As befitting a brand that doffs a cap to Americana, this piece of artwork has a proper Pacific ocean vibe – clear skies and a clear blue ocean – and appropriates (rather than bites) American artist Ed Ruscha’s style very nicely (I’m presuming he wasn’t commissioned by the label to paint it himself).
Sully
