Bonafide aims to be a creative resource; to make it as informative as possible, we worked with people characterised by a drive to achieve and who eschewed conservative, safety first PR attitudes. A strong example of this is the interview with design collective Ehquestionmark. Ehquestionmark openly discussed work for Lex, an affiliate of Warp. The Lex imprint has an agenda to release experimental hip-hop and the Lex x Ehquestionmark relationship has blossomed to deliver some of the best music packaging ever seen.…Read More.
Eelus kindly helped with some visual candy for issue 01 of Bonafide and it’s great to see that his first solo show has just opened. Running from the 25th February to the 6th of March, The Colour Out of Space demonstrates how much he has grown in confidence and matured as an artist. For the musings of the man behind the spray can check out his blog where you get to see how everything comes together.
Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy’s first real foray into film making, is getting a cinema release on 5th March and the documentary is getting an airing on these shores next weekend. To be one of the lucky ones to have their bum on a seat at the preview, head over to Pictures On Walls and enter the comp and cross your fingers.
Un-surprisingly we haven’t been invited to a press viewing, so the only thing I’d hazard to guess from the trailer is that the film looks like it might be a mixture of Who’s Been Framed meets Jackass, but with lots and lots of spraypaint, messy hands and hairy artists bungling stuff. I, for one, am looking forward to this.
On the exiting tip, it seems like Bansky’s tagging rat in Liverpool has daubed its’ last building. Having seen the rat in the flesh and then read the article there is no way they can refurbish the pub and keep the rat alive. If you are in the area, checkit before its goes down the sewer.
Eric the Dog has been burning it up recently and working well…umm…like a dog. He’s joining forces with OG street scrawler Will Barras and DEM for the forthcoming Original Cultures - The Show @ StolenSpace Gallery. Running from 12.02.10- 07.03.10, this will be the trio’s second collaborative project following their work during Original Cultures’ first event in Bologna, Italy, 2009. Original Cultures - The Show promises to be a creative exploration of paintings, animation, design and some crazy ideas. If you are in the locale, checkit!
Brainfeeder goes global. The indie imprint set up by Flying Lotus in 2008 has signed a promotion and distribution deal with Ninja Tune using the London based record label’s “infrastructure to establish itself as a label with a global reach.” The statement goes on to add that ‘Brainfeeder remains autonomous…and Ninja is excited to be working with such an excellent label”
Brainfeeder housed many of Flying Lotus’s early recordings as well as those of the inimitable underground LA beat scene around him. The label’s output has further blurred the lines between progressive hip-hop and electronic music to devastatingly good effect, with a roster that includes Lorn, The Gaslamp Killer and Samiyam. But it is LA veteran Daedelus who will be releasing the first globally distributed Brainfeeder EP, Righteous Fists Of Harmony. A concept album/soundtrack to the Boxer Rebellion, the failed native uprising of a secret society of martial artists against the expansion of the British Empire in 19th Century China. Full-length albums by Samiyam, The GLK and a Brainfeeder compilation are expected to follow.
Rickshaw, below, offers a taster of what to expect and is part of the super limited Bleep x Give Up Art collaboration pack, North/South/East/West, of which we have a copy to give a way. Check out a few new beats and pieces over at our nascent Soundcloud account.
The Old Sweet Shop has been a great supporter of Bonafide, stocking (and selling out) of the magazine. And it’s high time we returned the favour. An independent art space supporting a diverse array of local artists and product makers, make a bee-line for the gallery next time you are in the Steel city. You won’t be disappointed.
Their latest show stars artist and illustrator Lord Bunn who is showcasing his skills for the first time on a solo stage. Girls runs from the 13th January to the 23rd March.
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.
Came across this at the terrifyingly good Its Nice That. It appears to be an archive of old-school flyers. Scrolling through the visuals, and there are a lot, is a bit like entering a different era. The flyers are basically a historical documentation of the birth of hip-hop. Also, from a design point of view, this gold in terms of inspiration. Likewise, if you are looking for an authentic old-school moniker visit this site!
I’ve been a big fan of Italian artist Ericailcane since I purchased one of his prints a few years ago. Working in a number of different media including etching, sculpture and watercolours, Eric the Dog is also quite happy to work on huge-mutha-walls too. His pieces feature characters inspired by fairy tales and folklore. True to the genre the beasties are weird, macabre and boast a devilish sense of humour. Like the animal he’s named after, Ericailcane’s work has bite!
Anyone wanting to check out his work should head over to Brighton’s Prescription Art Gallery, where Ericailcane has joined up with Run Dem, Cat Johnston and Andy Doig for the exhibition Bara Volante (Flying Coffin). It looks well worth a visit.
Still on the contemporary art and design tip, Intercity and Studio55(DSL) are currently organising a series of exhibitions entitled Pic + Mix. The concept revolves around collaboration with an artist hooking up a talent of their own choice with the idea of creating some artistic juxtaposition. The second show kicks off this Thursday, where graff veteran Chu is sharing his pencil case with street artist and illustrator Disco Teck. The duo have decked the walls of Studio55 with a full on installation piece. Check their website for further details.
