Where were you in 1996? I was on the cusp of a transition; second half of the sixth grade, starting high school in september where I’d be travelling 8 miles across town to go to school. It would be the first time I’d wear a blazer, shoes, shirt, tie, and trousers, the first time I’d carry a pencil case and rucksack to school. 1996 was the year I began to grow up, it was the start of my life outside of the bubble that was my small town, the year I began my adventure to find the treasure that was to stop caring about all the trivial nonsensical judgements imposed upon me by other people.
This release came out a while ago but I’ve just discovered it, I love it, I can most certainly relate. K.Flay separates herself from her female counterparts who came to the forefront in 2011 such as Kreayshawn, Iggy Azalea, Azelia Banks etc because she’s the ‘girl next door’ who happens to live in the basement where she spends most of her days writing, producing and recording her own music.
I Stopped Caring In 1996 is K.Flay’s chronological soundtrack to her adolescent struggle to become an adult. The album is split into three parts:
I Stopped Caring
I Feel Everything
Everything Is Nothing
My favourite song has to be Less Than Zero because it’s so powerful. The beat and the crazy guitar riff -courtesy of sampling XX’s Crystalized- are mind blowing with compliments from her lyrical flow and delivery.
I think I love K.Flay so much because she’s comfortable with being herself, she’s sincere and doesn’t ascribed to the hyper sexualised/animated characteristics of her 2011 contemporaries. Bear in mind that K.Flay released her first project back in ’09 and has averaged two albums a year ever ever since, which are all written, produced and recorded by herself -impressive!
I’ve found a new ‘favourite’ artist that I’ll be on the lookout for in 2012!
I was doing the sporadic twitter/soundcloud rounds when I come across this song Maybe I’ll Miss You. At first I didn’t think much of it, I slyly dismissed it but I got to the chorus and I was like “WHAT THE FUCK!? THIS IS A BANGER!”. It was there that I began to share it on my Tumblr blog whilst listening to it and sorta started writing a commentary in real-time. Since posting it I think I’ve listed to it a few dozen times. At first I didn’t know why I loved it so much but then I put my finger on it, she has an angelic vocal timbre similar to Ellie Goulding. It’s also the way Corinne layers her vocals, the harmonies, the ad libs -simply majestic, add that to her overall sound and song choice; an amalgamation of quirky, ‘booty shaking’, feet shuffling electronica (UK Garage), and a piano ballad with sprinkles of manipulated oscillators on a variety of modular, granular, and additive synths -reminiscent of my gaming excursions on Nintendogaming consoles in the late ’80s/early ’90s, it’s no wonder why I’m captivated by this particular song.
Corinne Shields’ Maybe I’ll Miss You has won a place ‘Up In My Ear‘ because she -with the help of a creative collaborator perhaps, has managed to capture the sentiment of nostalgia almost absolutely. Also befitting of the song title and subject matter -WELL-FUCKING-DONE!
Randomly seething through twitter/soundcloud before finding this. Flicked through it and fell in love with it. Not perfect but I’d love it because the chorus is sick and it reminds me of one of those video games, you know the travelling through space in a spaceship on a mission to rescue Zelda…
Pretty much wrote this as I’m listening and I’ve just heard the breakdown… The backing vocals, harmonies are on point. She’s looking for work as a writer so artists and producers get in touch.
The track continues to grow on me with every listen, by the time I got to this sentence I had actually began to listen through all the other tracks.
Rightio!!! I’ve had my eye on this piece of machinery for a very very very long time. I watched all of the prototype videos and I also loved and respected the fact that the hardware was designed by someone from our culture.
This is tailor made for the culture in every single way, it’s ergonomic in the sense that the pads are laid out in an octave and unique in the sense that every button has a purpose, unlike other hardware manufacturers who overcomplicate the layout and functionality. I haven’t played with the product, just taken a look at the video demos, but the pads seem much more responsive and less likely to cause arthritis later in life from hitting them too hard.
This is fucking excellent!!! It can bus power your USB midi keyboard controller!!! Something you can’t do with NI Maschine, MPC etc and you’re also able to assign controls to parameters such as filtering etc.
It would make sense to trade in my NI Maschine and cop this because I’m travelling to the States in a few weeks. Apart of me questions whether its too good to be true but the other half realises that this is what I wanted way before the Maschine -the NI Maschine being the consolation prize because this was not available. Fair enough the price tag is pretty hefty but for what this piece of machinery is capable of, I can’t complain. I also love that it fits inside my rucksack and it doesn’t require mains power to operate. I better get to saving and finding a buyer for my Maschine.
Conclusion Update 10/03/2012
Stereotypically ‘urban’ if we’re talking about the name, brand font and general aesthetic BUT £799.00 for a standalone groove machine with this much capabilities is aiiight if it were say 2005 because the portability of the NI Maschine Mikro (£275) and Akai’s new MPC Studio (£399) offer portability, performance, versatility, efficiency and the added bonus of a proven manufacturers track record at a much lower price.
I should also add that in january the NI Maschine that I once wanted to sell began to make sense and now it’s my first port of call to get grooves down in seconds.
BOOM CLAP BACHELORS are a collective of producers, live musicians and DJs out of Copenhagen / Denmark. The collective was founded in 2005 with the release of the selftitled album Boom Clap Bachelors (Vinyl – Limited 500 copies), which provided the outlet for future collaboration.
Producers: Ronni Vindahl, Robin Hannibal, David Cytryn og Thomas Bisballe
Vocals: Coco Maleika og Liv Lykke
The music spans from electronica, disco, non disco to leftfield, new wave, soul and indie influcences. The music is often subtle, understated, whispering vocals over crisp to lush instruments – off kilter drum programming – melancholy – uplifting – playfull – dreamy – but they like to rework their style.
Director Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen
Color correction Maria Klarlund/ KG film Copenhagen
There’s not a lot of music I hear which totally blows my mind to the point of going crazy and wanted to blow the dust off of my two octave usb keyboard, and open up Logic for the first time in what feels like a millenium, but J*J*Davey has managed to do that with Evil Christian Cop.
Jack Davey x Brook D'Leau = J*Davey
If I'm to be totally honest I can't remember where I caught onto this but it must be the team over at JBC Global because I was surfing around their hive as I've been listening to LA Rap in heavy rotation. After downloading the tape I nearly deleted the muthafugga because the opening track was a cover of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. Anyone that knows me fully will know that Nevermind's album status is the rock equivalent of classic albums; Reasonable Doubt (Jay-Z), Frank (Amy Winehouse), Beats Rhymes & Life (A Tribe called Quest), Alright Still (Lily Allen), and Equilibria (Sabrina Malhieros), so any attempt to change anything on such an epic album or any of these whatsoever is a severe violation!I quickly got over the violation when I heard Quicksand, my jaw literally dropped when I heard the weird synth which sounded like it had been tampered with to sound effortlessly cool and playful but the cherry on top of the cake was when Jack Davy sang the opening line:
I do it like quicksand,
Dontcha wanna get stuck with me?
Fair enough, I hear all of your groans and grumbles but you have to actually hear Jack bending her voice around the modulated and low frequency oscillated synth, it’s only then that you’ll understand the statement that’s being made; its an open invitation to have the magical stuff -butterflies, romance, affection, upon being honest at first so she doesn’t throw herself into a mess as she knows you want her but whether you love her or not is whether you get the goods. Follow?
So after having Quicksand, which narrates the theme of wanted to know whether someone wants more than the surface before you laid your cards out, Raincheck continues with sort of the part two to Quicksand. It’s a laid back contemplative track, smooth, containing lots of drifting synths against a slow steady rhythm section telling the tale of yearning for someone but trying to remain sensible in the mist of confusion.
It’s evident from the soundscape of Evil Christian Cop that J*Davey’s sound can be described as a combination of alternative hip hop, alternative rock, soul, electronica, fusion, jazz, punk, funk, new wave and R&B futurists. Growing up, Jack Davey was exposed to classic jazz and hints of late seventies jazz fusion before being introduced to the sound of the eighties with R&B and new hip-hop sounds whilst Brook D’Leau came up surrounded by new wave and pop-rock sounds by the way of Prince, Radiohead, Talking Heads and The Police. At an early age Brook began to create interestingly melodic instrumental tracks in his father’s home studio after school and on the weekends for fun. It’s only befitting that Brook share his soundscape with us on the jerky rhythmic oscillation that is ‘Trans’. You can sit there listening trying to work out how he was able to get the rhythm so swung to the extreme and play in such fine order but some things must never be questioned I guess.
My favourite track on the release is definitely ‘Lazy Days’. It’s fun, pleasant, upbeat, synthy, and anthemic, it’s been the soundtrack to my movements whilst London’s been hit by the heat wave. I wish they had put the lyrics to this too because I love it that much and I’d really love to see some visuals for this ep!
Here’s how they described their release:
Evil Christian Cop was inspired by the dark undercurrents that exist in the phrase “To protect and serve.” As producer Brook D’Leau explains, “Why should we rely on an evil stranger to protect and serve when you have the power to protect and serve yourself?” The EP features co-production by Greg Wells (“Teen Spirit”), GB (“Lazy Daze”), and LA-based lyricist DefSound. Full of synths, alluring vocals, and distinct production, the seductive twosome provide a dreamy soundscape for listeners to lose themselves in. Jack Davey and Brook leave all interpretations up to the listener. “We cannot provide the message, we simply provide the mental playground for the listeners’ minds to go wild upon,” says Brook.
“On the subject of military-inspired and camouflage design, Supreme announced its Summer 2011 collaboration with VANS today – included are a series of VANS Era with close resemblances to the Tiger Stripe camo pattern used during the Vietnam War era. In Olive Green, Orange, and White, each canvas upper is draped with black stripe graphics.
The second bestest colourway
To complete the design, VANS finished all pairs with leather inner lining and checker board leather heel tab, a subtle yet distinguishable hint between these and VANS’ general release editions. All will be available this Thursday, May 26th, at both Supreme retail locations in New York and Los Angeles. Plus, its online store atwww.supremenewyork.com. All follow by a release at all retail locations in Japan on Saturday, May 28th.
Help!!!!! I need these in my liiiiife but I don’t live in the states. I don’t live in Japan. I’m fucked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can someone get through to RaeRae and tell her to send me a pair of the Tony Tiger colourway!?!?!?
Oh Rae Rae!!! I need help!
Tony The Tiger from Frosties colourway!!!
MAY 26TH THEY’RE ONLINE!!!
Oh SHIT I’M ONE DAY LATE!!!!!
If these are overly expensive they can go fuck themselves!!! -in the nicest possible way might I add, I’m a size UK9, EUR42, US10 for future reference.
“I’ve got the SWAG and it’s pumping out my overaries.”
I encountered this rapper through an @TheObnoxiousOwl article, followed her on twitter, and saw this beast of a song a few days ago. I am now a fan, I can’t get it out of my head, and I can’t wait until the album drops -I don’t know when- but there’s a mixtape in circulation to keep me occupied.
Running late and rushing to get from home to Holborn in 20mins, I honestly thought that I’d arrive to see Beaux halfway through her set. As soon as I stepped foot out of Holborn tube station, I went into the maps application on my iPhone and began to follow the route in realtime, concentrating on the blue dot moving ever closer to the red pin, I thought I was going to be held up by around one hundred cyclists who were led by a bunny -similar to Frank in Donnie Darko. As I crossed the road, I heard a heavy bassline from a distance coming from what seemed like a dead end. To my amazement a further hundred cyclists came cruising around the corner led by a cyclist towing a mahooosive sound box, seriously. As he cycled closer, with an army of cyclists cruising behind him my body started to shake from the bass of the speaker box. I don’t know the name of the song, nor what it may have been but it was playing the dirtiest and deepest bassline known to man, woman, and child. The bassline was a weapon of mass destruction, if it was a soundclash the cyclist would easily be able to unleash the speaker box on the unsuspecting sound-youts of their adversaries.
Team Beaux
When I arrived at Traffic I ended up bumping into Team Beaux: Chantelle, Beaux, family and band members, which was bonus because I was able to have a brief exchange of pleasantries and conversation with the entourage. Once inside I held my spot in the corner waiting for Beaux to hot the stage. The DJ was playing some of the most soulful sounds I had heard, underneath a barrage of conversation comparable to being in a crowded exam room and being able to hear everyone’s voices at once as if you could read their minds. If the turnout was for Miss Saunders, she already had garnered a loyal and hefty following, after playing just a few shows.
Talking to Chantelle, Beaux’s manager, I discovered that there’s a few A&Rs from many big record label and independents sniffing around, trying to get their teeth into the next big thing. Chantelle comes across as a genuine individual who believes in her artists. Managing not only Beaux but another producer/mc outfit, Chantelle, and business partner Matt, are dedicated to getting the job done correctly ensuring her artists fulfil their potential. She’s managed Beaux since October 2010 and has teamed her up with producers both in the UK and abroad.
Our brief conversation cleared up so much because it managed to fill the gaps in my knowledge. I was wondering how Beaux had managed to achieve such a universal sound so early, so it all made sense to know that someone was there to connect the dots to ensure that someone so gifted becomes someone great. My perception of Idle Management is a place that works towards making dream a reality by putting substance in front of all else. With this mantra at the forefront of their operation, I have no doubt in my mind that Idle Management and their artists will be very successful in the future.
Beaux opening up at around 10 o’clock and had the crowd swaying from the get go. I finally realised who Beaux reminds me of vocally, Melody Gardot, on a real. I think it’s the way her vocals are warm and sultry. Her rendition of the Ignition Remix went down a treat, the place suddenly erupted!!! I witnessed gun fingers in the air, whistles and all sorts. Although Beaux’s set was quite short, she did have everyone singing along and busting moves -surprising as Chantelle told me she’s only had a few shows yet she has a mahoooosive following, I suspect it’s the charming voice and the music in all honesty because it’s got me hooked.
To read Beaux’s Apr 17th Up In The Ear feature click here
Everything was all rosy, I gave a card with my contact details to the photographer so I could get some footage and pictures to use in my future posts and he advised me to stick around because something special was about to happen. I thought to myself whats the harm in staying a few more minutes because you never know what could happen…
And then there was Shean Williams, dude shut it down totally! He’s tore the roof down with uptempo rhythms and hard guitars riff. Hints of light and heavy synths teamed up with heavy basslines ensured Shean Williams’ rhythm section was tighter than a virgin bride, no matter how much lubricant you tried to use, you’d never get past it. The rhythm section was tight, synchronised but it had this groove to it that had you swaying. Shean Williams and the band demonstrated their dynamism wizardry, taking you on a roller coaster ride of rhythms, quantisation and crazy chord shifts. I had never heard of Shean Williams until this late evening in Holborn. His music is a fusion of Funkadelic and Jamiroquai, with roots firmly in gospel music reminiscent of a Kirk Franklin in regards to the way he controls both the crowd and his obedient band who’ve mastered their instruments as individuals to the point where they seem to flow effortlessly as one. It was similar to watch something divine at work because I’ve never seen a tighter band in my life. Each member of the back playing their position to perfection, it wouldn’t surprise me if they all grew up together or landed on earth from the same divine guiding lightsource. I’d deffinately pay to see these guys again, both as instrumentalists, a four piece or playing under Shean Williams. I urge all artists, instrumentalists, producers, and performers to sit and study these guys because Shean Williams and the band is exactly how live music should sound, it’s exactly how music should be executed and presented to the masses. Yea I was bobbing my head from the get go, from the Black and Yellow instrumental cover, yes I was pulling the weird faces upon hearing the rolling basslines over the tightest drum playing in all of the land, I was in awe of these guys. They really were something special, on this day I discovered a diamond.
When I thought they were done for the evening, they returned to the stage for what I think was the final time -I left shortly after for the last train. This time the band hit the stage for an instrumental rendition of Jay-Z‘s Show Me What You Got, if there were any doubts about the tightness or skillet of the band from pending critics, this introduction to part two of the musical onslaught, severed all doubts that floated in the air.
This time the set was more upbeat and included much more covers, everything from Jessie J‘s Do It Like A Dude, to Labyrinth’s Let The Sun Shine. For me personally Do It Like A Dude was far superior but the crown jewel in the cover parade was Rhihanna’s Only Girl In The World, they shut down Traffic, and had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. The Rhi rendition had every spectator in a trace, I looked around and saw everyone dancing -some out of time and others just let loose. The beginning of the rendition was that Curtis Mayfield/Shaft type of funk; the wah guitar riffs, the basslines rolling smoothly beneath it, the light shuffled hats from the drummer, Shean Williams had everyone guessing because when he had introduced the song he was rather vague, saying something like:
In rehearsals with the band, I told them if we’re going to do this we had to do something different.
I expected something else, and the band toyed with expectation because they really surprised me, I didn’t even know they what song it was until I heard the light keys, or at least the faintest synth pads before BAM!!!!!!! They went in!!! They had everyone up dancing and on their feet, the guitar solo from the lead guitarist was fucking brilliant!!!! Oh my fucking god!!! Thinking of it I’m like boi…
Carlo Fusiello
Slash who?! Clapton who?! Hendrix who!?… Nah Uh fam!!! Don’t chat shit to me about lead guitarists when you ain’t heard the dapper dan gorgan Carlo Fusiello!!! Know thyself roooodbwoy! Gemme tho famalamadingbizzle!
On a real you lot gotta understand that I can die happily after posting this knowing that I, as someone who loves music, witnessed the greatest show in the world. You’ve heard Motown backing bands, you’ve heard all the old soul and jazz records but let’s face it, you revere them oldies because they’re either dead or prominent for the era that they create and changed a whole culture. People like Shean Williams, The Band -I think they’re called or I shall call them ‘The Don Daddas’, and Beaux Saunders, and I’ll call her band ‘The Frenchies’ after French and Saunders, are the future. Shean is there, his band are ready to take on any contenders -whether it be Questlove, Slash, Stevie, Muddy Waters (Tryna think of a bassist), because they are fucking ill!, and Beaux is shutting it down after only a few shows so she’ll grow if she continues to be guided by an amazing team, whilst learning from Shean and The Daddas.
Tonight was powerful and I’d like to thank Beaux’s manager, Chantelle for inviting me to Traffic because had she not had invited me, I would never have discovered the diamond that is Shean Williams and The Don Daddas. I’ve already put the 14th May Traubadour show in my diary and now Shean joins the likes of Beaux on the Up In The Ear radar.
I pledge my allegiance to great artists and good music.
If any of you ever misplace my card just ensure you add the email to the mailing list so I know when the next show, release, or visual needs broadcasting.
(Written in the venue between sets, and on my way home -really wanted to mention that because I’m so fucking amped after hearing such amazing live music.)
And by the way… This is a fucking tune!!!!!! Selekta HAUL AND BOMBOCLAAART PULL IT UP LIKE A MILLION TRILLION TIMES YA ZIMME!!!
Last month I stumbled upon a Grime obsessed designer and intellectual by the name of Kara Messina. I was scrolling through my twitter and read a retweet with a link to an article about a designer who was currently working on a menswear collection to be launched on 280411. I started following both Y’OH and Kara after reading an interview which housed this image on March 18th. After various twitter exchanges on the beauty of Air Max 1s, I learnt that Kara Messina was a accomplished pattern cutter who worked in high fashion for 6 years, with a background working for award winning footwear designer John Richmond, as well as pattern-cutting for designer labels Basso & Brooke and Aquascutum.
Her skills as a pattern cutter allowed her to cut the collection herself so even the fit of the garments aren’t stereotypical to what’s around at the moment. She describes the silhouette as having a 90s feel to it “No skinny looks, Big Up oversize!”.
For Y’OH I’ve NOT used any checked fabric. There’s no point in rehashing another version of something that is already great as it is. Instead I’ve selected an existing cloth that has the potential to function as a “new classic”. Yeah it’s bold so I’m expecting some people might find it objectionable (hence the collection title) but it’s also a very beautiful fabric so if men can appreciate that, it can’t fail. What makes it so original is the context in which it is presented, which is streetwear.
So this is a designer who understands that it’s better to find your own niche rather than jump on to something that’s already been accomplished, similar to Missoni and their signature knitwear, Levi’s emphasis on denim, Nike’s emphasis on sport shoes. All brands just mentioned all respect their specialities, all have their signature ‘stock’ products which almost never change, whilst they may introduce a product to the market or reproduce a product under their brand, the question is: What gap is Kara going to fill, with no press shots of the collection, everything is pretty much a mystery unless you’re apart of her inner circle of creatives, family, friends, collaborators, and creatives.
Cut in three colours, one of which is printed fabric
Y’OH will consist of outerwear, shirts and non-jersey tshirts. The context of the printed fabric used in the collection is set to blow your minds. Inspired by comparing Hip Hop to Grime; Mens transition from youth to adult; 90s Fashion; Subcultural affiliation to brands and functional performance garments. The market level is in between luxury and streetwear and will be sold on the online Y’OH store. The collection itself intrigues me because Hip Hop and Grime are basically the father and son when it comes to Culture and Sub Culture. Also many of the grime kids go on to become pop stars on music that is much slower in pace and closer to Hip Hop. Whether this transition is so one can tap into the global phenomenon of it’s father or artists leave grime behind because they don’t believe in its commercial viability is unknown but when mentioning Hip Hop, or their progression, a whole host of these artists use the terminology ‘growth, progression, and transition’. Does this indicate that when MCs were making grime they were young, sub culture, but when they grew to adults -not indicative of age- and made Hip Hop, father culture?
Either way, I’m intrigued to see how well Kara straddles the line between the two in order to plug the gap, and whether she answers the questions raised in the form of her collection ‘Heads Ain’t Ready’.
The concept for the first collection “Heads Ain’t Ready” came about though contemplating the popularity of the checked shirt. The much-loved garment that is timeless and unrestricted in that it crosses over into different generations and subcultures (Hip Hop, Skaters…) The checked shirt is considered such a classic, that regardless of the number of colours, wearing it is almost like wearing black. It performs in the same way that it pretty much goes well with everything. Camouflage print also functions in the same way.
Judging by this in depth and revealing interview with Full Frontal Fashion, Kara seems to aiming to take something that is already a classic garment and innovate in a contemporary forward thinking context. Kara knows that trend cycles come around every so often, but iconic designs such as the checkered shirt shall forever remain -most notably the Burberry print which has lasted several generations and still remains a staple house in chequered shirt design, or its lesser known but cult rival, the Aquascutum print, or even the Lumberjack checkered designs and those by Pringle (Argyle) to an extent.
My interpretation of Kara’s collection would be what Ralph Lauren did ,in the early ’90s, with the Oxford (candy) Striped shirt. The Oxford shirt rivalled that of Burberry’s iconic check which was created in the 1920s, first used as a lining in it’s military trench coats. After Polo dropped the ‘candy stripes’, Ben Sherman resurfaced out of nowhere to become the brand of choice after RL and Burberry for a checkered -oxford style shirt.
Shirt Fusing: 1 is the top collar, 1 is the underneath collar (a little smaller), 1 is the collar stand
The more interviews I read was the more the anticipation for the collection grew, I began to realise that Y’OH is more than a street label, it’s more than clothes, cuts, garments, and image. Y’OH is a philosophy of contemporary sartorialism, it’s not just about the aesthetics of an item, but whether its ergonomics are conducive to both user and lifestyle. Not only was Kara research trends, styles, cuts of clothes but she was going further afield by delving into cultural anthropology, semiology and semantic, social studies, esoterica and attending the free afternoon lectures at the LSE to see if there was anything she could apply for her craft.
I’m also a fan of the free lectures at the London School of Economics. My job is to find out what is missing and provide it. I am at an age where I don’t strive to be unique — or, to be more specific, to go out of my way to be different.
It was here that I began to respect Kara rather than just admire her for being an accomplished pattern cutter who was in the process of creating her very first solo collection which she had conceptualised, illustrated, designed and cut herself rather than outsource the work to outsiders, it’s a purely individual effort. Y’OH to me already signifies individualism and style before fashion, and the more importantly a lifestyle because Kara is at the helm of all activity and decision making, working to her strengths and showing strengths in outsourcing the sewing and assembling of the garments to local factories. it’s at this point, before anything has been seen that you respect Kara for supporting her local factory rather than taking the cheaper, less hands on approach and sending it to some sweatshop in a third world country. I’d support the brand purely on the basis that she cares enough for her local economy and the quality of her garments, as well as making the garments ready to order to make sure all items are fresh rather than piled up in an asbestos riddled attic being eaten by dust mites.
I see my work as providing a service, especially being a young female designing menswear. I am very careful to be thorough in my research. Hence images alone won’t suffice, and I spend a large proportion of my time reading cultural textbooks on subjects from music to advertising through to religion.
This is the front of a shirt (pattern) before it gets cut out & sewn up
I support what Kara is doing because she’s immersed herself in a subculture that people often forget and leave behind when they progress into the charts. For me, this is not just clothes, it’s the resurgence of a culture, a rebirth of something which formed an integral part of my life as well as many others. This is the rebirth of that which, had I not had it whilst growing up, I would never have learnt some of the most valuable lessons, and I would never have had a creative outlet for all of my teenage angst, and adolescent rage. Had it not been for Grime, I would never of had a dream, I would never of had something to keep me on the straight and narrow because of my firm belief in turning a negative circumstance into something positive. Besides, the emphasis of the collection is transition, and Kara seems to be attempting to cater for the gap in between boys to men -a demorgraphic which grime caters to because of its unadulterated energy. Maybe Kara is saying that Grime is not just for one particular demographic with this new collection she has made the choice to build her foundation in the gap between the childs innocence of eye, Grime, and its much worldly ancestor, Hip Hop.
Will the Y’OH collection be the catalyst of change, if Kara has immersed herself in the Grime subculture will she become the Dame Vivienne Westwood of our beloved culture, will this encourage other creatives as well as those who have already been a part of the culture, in some shape or form, to take more of an active roll in pushing it forward?
I don’t have the answers, I doubt she has either, but I believe that the stars only align themselves once so if your in the London area on 280411 make your way down to Pure Evil Gallery in Shoreditch and see for yourself.
Here’s a lil teaser… I was thinking the same when I saw this it was cleverly put together by Beatrice Alessio
Stayed tuned because now I’ve dealt with the culture’s Vivienne Westwood in a part 1/2 feature, I will do a spread on Grime’s Annie Leibovitz in the near future…
I encountered these earlier on my adventure to Birmingham to see Adele in concert. A whole lot of my female friends dislike Vans, a few in particular, and I thought this Leopard print Lo Pro Era may convert the naysayers…
I’ll be trading in my DSLR on monday, and I was at odds as to whether I should stay with Canon or defect to Nikon. My current DSLR is a Canon EOS1000D which has no film capabilities whatsoever. If I am to to have my own Michael Palinesque travel round the world culture show on the BBC, I really need to get some practice.
Here is the bulk of my research, and yes I watched youtube videos after peeking the prices -and what!?!
After this witty review I was leaning towards the Nikon D3100 but I dug deeper in the world of the Canon EOS550D, because it had a microphone input. I thought about was the price difference at first, but after watching the Camera Labs review, I decided that the 550D would be the better investment.
