contents
art
EDITORS :
SJR, MM, JF, BW.
8-9
DESIGN :
SJR, MM, JF, BW.
10-11
To Glue
ADVERTISERS :
SJR, MM, JF, BW.
12
Reel Revolution
WEB:
BW, MM.
13 Tom Roberts Red Eric Studios 14-15
music
To Call a Treaty on Graffiti?
16-17
Orca Illustration
18-19
Excess All Areas
style
Bigger Than Barry x Rinse FM
32-34
A Trip into The Bird’s Yard
22-24
T.R.E.
35-37
A Nation of Shopkeepers
26-27
Ivy Beside Me
38-39
The Deep Web
28-29
The Vinyl Revival
40-41
Vida Collective
30-31
Wil Frost
42-43
Beyond The Lens
21
Billy Watson 21 years old, enjoys mountain biking, music and Yorkshire Tea.
Steve Jones-Robertson
Editors Notes
26 years old, loves the gym and enjoys music and ďŹ lmin his spare time.
Jack Fletcher 23 years old, can be found next to the machine listening to 5Live.
Michael McInerney
Fiyah! is a brand new underground arts magazine bringing you the guide to art, music and style in Yorkshire.
23 years old, loves a decent and a die hard Aston Villa fan.
Our monthly magazine will be available in over 10 city centre bars and stores, with many more copies sent to surrounding areas. All issues will also be available through the media section in PDF format to view or download. We are currently building great links within Leeds, including a spot at Distrikt Club to give back great parties to our loyal readers. We will be throwing a monthly party to mark the launch of our issue showcasing Yorkshire’s freshest talent with lots of giveaways included!
To be kept up to date with this fast moving publication, sign up on the right hand side, you then can receive a web version of Fiyah! before it hits the shops! Visit our website or if you think you have what it takes to join the Fiyah! revolution, either with words or pictures, contact us at
Scan this QR code and visit our mobile application.
Smiling Ivy
the new e.p. Party Shop cartel out now www.smilingivy.co.uk
5
hot things
1
Savile Walks
Now then, now then. A new walking tour based around the life of Leeds legend Sir Jimmy Savile has been set up in the city by local guide Ken Goor. Fans of the broadcasting hero will be able to see his childhood family home in Woodhouse, through to the former site of the Mecca Locarno dancehall where a young Jimmy Savile started his DJ career in the 1950s. Other stops include the Leeds General Infirmary where Sir Jimmy worked as a hospital porter and the slightly more sombre spots of the Queens Hotel where his coffin was on public display and finally St Annes Cathedral where his funeral service was held. After every tour there will be time for reflection and a drink. Lasting two hours, the tour which was developed with help of the Savile family, is raising money for local charities. So any fan of the cigar chomping, shell suited icon will not want to miss this! Contact Ken Goor for details and bookings at 07742223926
2
Live at Leeds
Coming up next month is the hugely successful Live At Leeds Weekend, taking place Friday 4th May until Monday 7th across 11 separate venues around the city. Combining a mix of nationally respected acts and the hottest local talent this is certainly not to be missed. This year’s festival includes names such as Example, The Enemy, Marina and the Diamonds, Los Campesinos!, The Subways, Ladyhawke, Chew Lips, Dog Is Dead, Dot Rotten, Ghostpoet, Howler, I Like Trains, Jakwob, Jamie N Commons, Jess Mills, Lianne La Havas, Niki & the Dove, Ren Harvieu, Reverend and the Makers, Scroobius Pip, Spector, Stooshe & many others. www.liveatleeds.com
3
Beacons Festival
Wild Beasts, will headline the main stage on the Saturday at Beacons Festival which takes place from Friday 17th until Sunday 19th August 2012 at Funkirk Estate, Carleton, in North Yorkshire. This appearance will be a northern exclusive and the only opportunity people will have to see the band in the North of England this summer. Also announced are Patrick Wolf, Roots Manuva, Junior Boys, Ghostpoet, Errors, Maya Jane Coles, Factory Floor, Pearson Sound, Cass Mccombs, Willy Mason, D/R/ Clock Opera, Lunice, Submotion Orchestra, Bok Bok & many many more.
4
Henry Moore
www.greetingsfrombeacons.com
The renowned Henry Moore Institute is currently hosting an exhibition from the visionary artist John McCracken. Showing two of his sculptures ‘IV’ (1985) and ‘Neon’ (1989), this is a great chance in an award winning venue. Another reason to visit is that it is being featured alongside Michael Dean’s excellent Government exhibition. If you feel like of art then this is definitely for you: enter the building with an open mind to the art of surfaces and you most certainly will come out with inspiration. www.henry-moore.org/
5
Chapel Allerton
Another sculpture- based thing for you to check out this month! A guerrilla artist known only as “B” has been set loose in Chapel Allerton where four wonderful sculptures have appeared at the roundabout between Stainbeck and Harrogate Road. The artist is also the same person who erected a 6ft ‘Angel of North Leeds’ statue on a patch of council land on Regent Street, which has also popped up in Chapel Allerton and surrounding areas. Eat your heart out Banksy!
07
There’s been something stirring on the walls of Hyde Park - Leeds’ most outrageous student suburb - of late. Alongside the overflowing and upturned bins, noise complaints and healthy (and surely increasing) population of urban foxes a new breed of graffiti is emerging. Some new, arty styles are starting to appear alongside, but contrasting, the generic scrawls and word tags. Many of them look like they’ve come straight out of the sketchbook of an anarchist studying Fine Art - raising an interesting question - if graffiti is visually appealing, should it remain illegal? Many people living in the surrounding area will probably be familiar with the massive purple wildstyle piece covering the side wall of Booze Bin on Brudenell Avenue near Sainsbury’s. Personally speaking, I am of the view that if all graffiti was this intricate and colourful then it should be allowed, and therefore should be considered art as opposed to vandalism. It’s not this traditional style of spray paint tagging that I’m talking about, however. I’m referring to the paper based pieces covering lampposts, bins and electricity boxes; the ones that actually look like a handdrawn sketch. And that’s because they pretty much definitely are. The edgy, abstract graphics do all seem to be very much in the same style, ranging from brightly coloured birds, to women’s faces with icecreams and daggers for hair, to what appears to be a spiral planet consisting of skulls, ruined buildings and octopus limbs.
to call a
Treaty Graffiti? on
Words & Images: Billy Watson
This poses the question: who is behind this influx of artistic expression covering the many-shadesof-red brick walls of our fair district? The answer is, and probably will remain, that only the person (or people) behind it will know. The only thing the rest of us can do is speculate. The fact that they appear to be printed onto paper and then stuck up is intriguing in itself. Why would you go to the effort of scanning each one and printing them off when you could just as easily create a re-usable stencil? The answer is that many of the graphics are simply too intricate and complex for this use.
"because these pieces are relatively removable, they shouldn't be classed as graffiti at all..." Part of the whole culture surrounding street art is that of individuality. People do so to put their own particular and exclusive mark on a certain area, a sort of rebellion through artistic expression. Therefore, why would you want to use spray cans when you have bigger, more distinctive ideas? One could even argue that because these pieces are relatively removable, and not drawn or painted on, they shouldn’t be classed as graffiti at all.
There are, of course, places where graffiti is legal, and even encouraged. These can be found both in Europe and abroad, including walls and areas in Paris, Zurich and Copenhagen - as well as further afield in Melbourne, Taipei and New York. These places serve as canvases for graffiti artists to express their artistic flair, and as such are often very popular - meaning individual pieces generally don’t last long before they’re covered up. The fact is that graffiti splits public opinion dramatically. Many see it as an art form and think there is nothing wrong with it, whereas others (including a Manchester judge who gave 10 month sentences to two young signature sprayers in 2005) see it as vandalism that must be quashed.
This could be another reason our artist chose to draw on paper, to avoid the potentially strict legal consequences. Anyone found ‘guilty’ of graffiti in the UK could be arrested and prosecuted under the Criminal Damage Act 1971. This means fines of up to £5000, but if the damage caused exceeds this sum much heavier sentences are possible. Those found doing graffiti can be given a £75 on-the-spot fine.
The bottom line is that personal tastes are very subjective, and graffiti - perhaps due to its illegality - will remain; both as a form of rebellion but also as artistic expression. If all graffiti was this creative, should it be legal? It could make the streets a more interesting and stimulating environment...
09
To Glue?
F
iyah! Is on the road and this time we’re off to the capital with two of Leeds’ most acclaimed graphic design students Sally Linsdell and Ruben Martinho. Both are in their third and final year of study at Leeds Metropolitan University and they’re already causing a stir in their respective fields. Ruben who specialises in handmade collage has the right to boast a back catalogue of over 500+ pieces whereas Sally has already been described by industry professionals as “a master of the Digital Collage”.
“a master of digital collage” the
To Glue is a one off event curated by Dummy Magazine art director Meg Sharp at London’s Meter Restaurant and Bar (formerly City Arts and Music Project). Showcasing and playing host to a range of international artists and live music acts, the event features artwork from American illustrator Jesse Lenz, painter Alicia Ortiz, the UK’s Ffion Atkinson, photographer and graphic designer Monika Traikov and of course, graphic designers Sally Linsdell and Ruben Martinho. After hearing the hype I decided to see what all the fuss was about and made the 400 mile round trip to the UK’s capital.
05/04/2012 Meter Bar, London // Words : Jack Fletcher // Images : Dan Head © //
The exhibition opened April 5th, with private viewing from 6-8pm, the main event kicked off shortly afterwards, meaning we arrived just as the Sun was setting on what had been a beautiful spring Thursday in the heart of London. As we walked through the entrance we we’re invited in by the soft lighting and contemporary, open layout. Old School hip-hop vibes played throughout the night with music provided by London producer Charmain Kato, iO, Terry Gunns, Sam Zircon, Joe T Clash, and Superpavilion DJ’s. The atmosphere was lively and by 9pm there was standing room only, the displays were received well and the combination of sound and visual complimented the overall tone of the evening well. Read more about the To Glue event and other feature artists online! //To Glue 5th April - 5th May, // Meter Restaurant and Bar London, 70 – 74 City rd, London
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If your in the London area all featured artwork will be on display for the next month running up until, May 5th. ,Fiyah!
11
Reel Revolution Words & Images by Steve Jones-Robertson
Traditional cinema can date back as far as 1895. For over 100 years there have been many developments as technology has advanced. The socalled silent assassination of projectionists seems to be happening at such an alarming rate that no one has seemed to notice. With the introduction of digital cinema projection, days of 35mm projectors will be nothing more than a whisper. Cinema today has many underlying problems. The rise in ticket prices and the re-emergence of 3D have many film lovers questioning the true destiny of the silver screen. While the majority of multiplexes embrace all the decisions by the ‘Big Brother’ there are still a handful of cinemas that adhere to their job role as an art. Cottage Road Cinema is the oldest in Leeds dating back to 1912. Its one of the few lasting independently run cinemas in the country. We dropped in to have a chat with CRC to speak about a few underlying issues with cinema today and what they have in store for the future.
CRC started by expressing their views on projectors and the introduction of new technology: “We still use projectors, but as technology moves on so must we. I’d say the introduction of digital projection is quite scary. They go wrong all the time. If something goes wrong with a 35mm projector you can fix it. We’ve got 2 of them, so if something goes wrong we have a back up. If something goes wrong with the digital equipment we could possible lose a weeks showing. The 35mm films available are getting smaller and smaller. In a way it’s a good thing that we are moving to digital, its better for the environment, it’s cheaper for the film companies, if they pass the costs they are saving to us. It can cost two thousand pounds to make a 35mm print of a film, so there are pros and cons to what will happen. We will be changing to digital this year.”
“We tailor the program around the customers we have at the time.” Even though CRC have adapted to the modern times I think they will stay true to their roots of a traditional cinema. Just because they will be using a modern format does this mean they will lose the magic of the overall experience? I personally think not. “We’re completely the opposite of any of the multiplexes. We’re friendly, we have time for the customers. We don’t always show the latest releases, you get some classics in there as well. If the students are around we may show a student film. We tailor the program around the customers we have at the time. Our ticket prices are dramatically different to anywhere else in Leeds. Ticket prices can range from £4 to £5.50. I think families like the fact that we don’t overcharge for popcorn and drinks.” This year is their centenary year, although they plan to move forward with technology, Cottage road plan to extend and build a bar for customers before they watch a film, this should happen within the next few months. We at Fiyah! believe they have that unique edge over all generic cinemas. They are a traditional cinema even though they are switching to digital their values will remain. www.cottageroad.co.uk
Tom RobeRTs poeTRy.
13
Red Eric Studios
Wombeatz as well as the legendary Leeds dub institution SubDub. They also provide an in-house photography team with professional facilities and supply planning and promotion for exhibitions. The studios consist of a main exhibition space (as well as the home of an African drumming collective) and an office packed with sound equipment that serves as a music tuition room. The building also houses Jungle Jam and Voodoo. They endorse the support and development of young and independent ventures; to the point that they offer discounted fees for students and unfunded or non-commercial projects.
Words & Images: Billy Watson
Red Eric Studios represent something quite unique, even in a city as creative and diverse as Leeds. They are a fully independent and innovative space offering services in photography, music, visual arts and event management as well as support for up-and-coming artists and musicians. Their services include music courses taught in collaboration with Exodus, Central Beatz and
We caught up with Rikines - co-founder, creative director and jungle DJ - to find out more. How long has Red Eric been around for? Good question, I’d say around four years. It all started from the music side and then started to move a bit more into photography, but when the recession kicked in the photography really suffered and we brought it back home to music. Although, now we’re trying to push photography and visual arts again. It all comes in waves I suppose. The idea’s always been the same - we haven’t moved away from our goals. The idea was to get work in the scene that we all came from.
What sort of photoshoots do you do? We first just rented it as sort of a dry-hire studio for photographers. Right now we do packages, we have photographers on our books: from juniors to seniors, and we generally do profile shots for music; though we do encourage studio photography. We keep in touch with all our photographers but most of them go down South. What training do the music courses offer? We all came from soundsystem culture, put on nights: we still do. So really it is digital…well, DJing more than anything. DJing, turntablism, rap and singing. We’re about to start doing production too, but that’s new. We haven’t done that before. How did the affiliation with SubDub occur? We’re all from the same family; we used to do Fusion and now Jungle Jam’s in here. Simon’s [Exodus] a friend, always has been. So that’s why I work with Outlook festival as well.
What’s the standout event or festival you’ve done projects for? Well my baby was Fusion, but that was a good few years ago. Since then I’m really glad I’ve been involved with Outlook - it’s amazing things that Outlook has done. I’m Croatian so I bullied them into getting me involved. It was mainly the second and third years I worked a lot for them: everything really, setting it up in Croatia - dealing with authorities, police, everything. It was really fun. Are there any plans to do any more music events like the Christmas showcase here? We used to do loads more of them, however there's now a block of flats across the road. So we can get away with some but we don't want to upset them as we're bashing out jungle all the time anyway. However, yeah we’ll definitely do more.
Do you find many events of SubDub’s calibre that are involved in music courses and teaching?
Every time we finish a course or something significant has happened or work has been done in here we have a showcase. This is a really nice venue for acoustic and bands so we’ll push that. That can also finish a bit earlier so it doesn’t have to be an all night rave!
Without a doubt SubDub’s the biggest one up North. We’re just lucky we know that circle of people. I have to big up Simon - he’s worked really hard for what he’s achieved which is a big thing.
For more information on Red Eric and the services they offer, visit www.redericstudios.com. Thanks to Charlie and Rikines at Red Eric.
15
Orca Illustration
O
rca Illustration. I met Illustrator Mike Powis a few years back when he was contributing in a Red Bull recycling initiative. At the time he was in his final year studying Classic Art’s at Leeds Metropolitan University. Becoming interested in his work I kept in touch with him and recently we got the chance to catch up and talk about how his work is progressing.
Interview // Mike Powis : Orca Illustration // Words : Jack Fletcher // Images : Orca Illustration Š //
Find out more about Orca and all our featured artists online! Scan the code & find more features
How’s Orca? “Very well thanks! Just back from a lovely holiday in sunny Wales”. Can you explain briefly what you do for us? “I’m an artist, specialising in illustration and animation, I’ve recently been developing my style into comic books, apparel designs and children’s story books”.
What projects are you currently working on? “I’m adding the finishing touches to a book of paper net toys I’ve been developing over the past 6 months, which I’m very excited to be releasing for sale soon. I’m also working on creating a stop frame bmx movie, illustrating elemental powers over the lines of tricks which has been a load of fun”. How would you describe the Yorkshire art’s scene at the moment? “Pretty good! There seems to be great opportunities for young artists like myself to get involved in. I’m always on the look out for art nights & commissions, and have worked for the likes of Red Bull, on local charity fundraisers and on mural paintings for schools. I’m currently planning some live art paintings for a new night called Sonic Arts at Sedgewick Avenue, which is a night of local miscellaneous creativity with huge opportunities for interested artists and musicians to get involved in”. If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring Illustrators, what would it be? “Firstly I’d say definitely invest some time creating an ergonomic and easily accessible online presence. Secondly, follow your heart and don’t let anyone’s negativity put you off your dreams”. Where’s the best place for people to check out your work? “You can find my latest work at www.orcaillustration.com which links to my blog and various social media sites so you can stay up to date with any developments”.
online!
Interview // Orca Illustration I caught up with Mike at his home studio in Leeds. He agreed to give Fiyah! magazine an insight into his life as an illustrator and we wanted to know his opinion of the current arts scene in Yorkshire.
17
Cooke - two mates from Yorkshire. Its first residence was at The Music Factory, a gay club in the city centre, due to the open minded crowd. Following the first few parties, word spread like wildfire and Basics was born. These were the early days of house music - when the sound was fresh out of Chicago - and you were just as likely to dance in a field than in a club. This may have been part of the attraction of Basics: stars of this exciting new sound from across the pond were playing in Yorkshire every week, and not in illegal raves in abandoned warehouses.
Children of the Revolution: Excess All Areas Words & Images: Billy Watson
“Excess All Areas” was an exhibition held at Leeds Gallery in Munro House in February and March. The gallery opened in September 2011 with a vision of providing Leeds with an independent gallery to showcase photography, illustration and fine art. The exhibition showcased just some of the multitude of unique, controversial and downright lewd flyers used to promote Back to Basics - Leeds’ longest running and legendary club night. Ask any discerning house-head and they will tell you that the words “Back to Basics” have been synonymous with underground music in the North, and more specifically Leeds, for over 20 years now. Basics (as it is known by the regulars) was started on November 23rd 1991 by Dave Beer and Ali
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They grew rapidly from then on, with Ralph Lawson (resident) reminiscing of looking out of the window one Saturday in late 1992 to see that the whole of Lower Briggate had turned into a roadblock 15 minutes before the club even opened. All this and only a year on! But whatever heights they reached and whatever success they gained, Basics have always stuck to their guns. The vision has remained the same - quality house music delivered every week to a no-nonsense crowd. This is pretty unique for a club of this stature - a very special and increasingly rare atmosphere which is devoid of posers and where everyone oozes good vibes. They could have turned into a global clubbing brand, like the Ministry of Sound, but Basics rejected the lucrative offers and have stayed in Leeds. To sell the name would be blasphemous to everything it stands for - and this is why Beer (following the tragic death of Cooke in a car crash in 1992) has stayed true to his roots. Dave Beer’s hedonistic ways are hardly a secret - his face would probably accompany "debauchery" in the dictionary - though his affinity with art is lesser known. Beer has been responsible for the creation of Basics’ infamous flyers since the start, often collaborating with designer Nic Gundill. Only one other has designed one - artist Jamie Reid for the 1st birthday.
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A selection of Basics flyers from the club's history were showcased during the "Excess All Areas" exhibition, which ran from February to March 2012 and included Beer's personal selection, covering many years and venues, as well as Basics underpants. Rare prints and lightboxes were available for purchase, the former all signed and numbered by Dave Beer.
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The flyers - entertaining and outrageous in equal measure - have become iconic. They reflect the no-nonsense punk ethos that runs through Basics’ veins, and Beer’s persona comes through in his artwork - raw, uncompromising and controversial but very effective; summing up Basics perfectly. Beer first met Cooke at art college in Wakefield, and being an artist has always been a possible path and direction for him to take. If he had, however, the North would be without one of the most unique, exciting and consistently one of the best nights in any genre of music. Indeed, one of their most famous flyers was one depicting the queen's head with the words "two steps further than any other fucker" emblazoned across the face. This remix style (a take on Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen) reflects Beer's excitement of "the possibilities of plagiarising other people's work, taking existing and often iconic images and overlaying them with my ideas to make a statement about the world." Basics has always been at the cutting edge of house music. The unearthing of up and coming talent, alongside the biggest names in the
business all supported by the incredible longserving residents (Ralph Lawson, owner of 2020Vision and a star in his own right, was there at the start) make for an eclectic night. Basics is as much about the residents as the big names - and the quality and class on show unfalteringly from the faithful is as much an attraction as seeing a Tenaglia or a Von Stroke. This ensures that each one is as special as the last. Basics have given UK debuts to Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx - two acts that could headline virtually any global festival, as well as enjoying repeat performances from Derrick Carter, Kerri Chandler and Andrew Weatherall. Having now run for over 20 years, Basics has spanned over 1000 parties across 6 venues. This makes it officially the longest running club night in the world, with the defining factor being that the formula has changed very little. A strong part of this has been the Basics family - a loyal fanbase that's been with them since the start. Repeat offenders will often see the same faces around, from a range of day jobs but all with an irrepressible love of quality house music. The fact that a club night can have some of its promotional materials exhibited at an art gallery sums up just how much of a cult impact Basics has had on Leeds, with some even claiming that Basics is behind the massive influx of students into the city. Basics have recently moved following their 20th birthday party (when Howard Marks and Happy Mondays' Bez were in attendance). Their new haunt is the newly renovated The Warehouse - one of Leeds' oldest venues that celebrates its 33rd birthday with house don Frankie Knuckles this year. Thanks to Matt at Leeds Gallery.
19
17/02/2012 Mint Warehouse // Words // Images : Jack Fletcher //
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BiggerThanBarry Rinse fm Uk Tour
O
nce larger than life Birmingham resident Bigger Than Barry has now transferred it’s appeal across the Pennines to the city of Leeds. This time round Barry was piling on the pounds as they introduced the UK’s biggest underground music label and radio, the mighty Rinse FM. The Fiyah! squad were asked to spark the flames by filming the event, you can watch the footage online. We didn’t need a second invite with DJ’s such as Zinc, PMoney, Plastician, N-Type, Taxman, Roska + Jamie George, Markus Nasty + Ranking, Mark Radford, Chef and Royal T. With this kind of lineup the crowds were obviously going to be big, however anyone that went will tell you the queue to get in at just 11 was ridiculous! However those that made the journey, did not regret! ,Fiyah!
21
Rectifying
Entertainment
TRE Words & Images Steve Jones-Robertson
really. I’ve steered well clear and then it’s really history in a classic case of nature vs nurture. I did some sale jobs quite well. My mum’s a graphic artist and my dad’s a musician. I was training people to do door sales at the time it just so happened, he passed me on the street and I was training a young lady (Pause.. Laughs). T – Training being the key word. SD– He sort of said “I live down that one, pop in for 2 or 3 years. I went to go check out his tunes and I was like “this is ridiculous, how come I haven’t heard this before.” So then I started doing some harmonies, he asked me to feature on three tracks on his album then we did a collab album. Jack City – I started producing when I was 16, I then stopped. I then started up DJing with my mate from Leeds. I did a few nights at Rehab in Harrogate then decided I wanted to get back into producing. I met Tre at college, he was only there for a couple of weeks.. (laughs).
Jason Massiah, better known by his alias ‘Tre’, is a Hip-Hop Rapper, performer, songwriter and producer. Tre has built a loyal and expanding fan base over the years, after focusing primarily on his local scene in Harrogate.
T – Months, a couple of months (laughs).
producers and artists he has learnt his trade in the industry and is ready to put all his focus into the great city of Leeds. This year, 2012, is where he believes his destiny will truly lie. For a city with such an expansive taste in genres and styles Fiyah! are keen to sink our teeth into the depths of the independent Hip-Hop world.
What’s involved in a typical day?
After making my way to Sponge Studios I was lucky enough to be joined by record producer Jack city and RnB vocalist Soul Deep. Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you grew up and more importantly what made you take the steps to the career your pursuing? Tre – I grew up in Harrogate, I’ve always loved verse and it went on from there. That’s how I got involved in it, I got side tracked as into it at 20 and started hitting it hard. Soul Deep – I’m from east London. I’ve kind of dipped in and out of music from the age of 16
JC – I ended up meeting him again on a night out and told him to give me three months to start making you beats.
T – Once a month we try get a whole track done in a day, that’s a new thing we’ve started to do. We either pick a beat from the library or just a sporadic one and just start. JC – Anything goes really, we come in and try get something done, and we always do. How would you sum up your style in a few words? SD – It would probably be a statement. I’d say it’s bringing the voice back to where Hip-Hop was. Are you working on any new material? T – There’s the EP between me and Soul which is ‘The Love’ album EP. They’ll be a solo project between Soul and Jack. I’ve got a mixtape which I’ve produced which is called ‘Back to Music’ and there’s an idea, we’ve got a couple of tracks laid down for something called “Once Upon a Time it Used to be Called Music.”
E “Start writing, never stop. No one can write your life better than yourself.�
23
JC – Leeds is my favorite city in the world - I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. SD – In terms of culture and being unique, the music we do is that we’re story tellers. People that like life and listen to stories. It’s about finding different angles that you can talk to people in. People from all different walks of life can say, they might not be from where I’m from but I’ve done that. Where can you see yourself in 5 year’s time?
What advice can you give for young artists getting involved in the industry? T – I like that..Never let anyone else’s opinion affect your own. When I started out I met a lot of people that are classed as a higher power than me. It shaped me and I’d act how I wouldn’t normally. I missed a couple of chances just by being a little naïve. Go into every situation with your eyes open and don’t let anyone knock you off your stride.
T – I’m working on my 5 year plan at the minute (laughs). No, in 5 years I can definitely see myself in a position where I could make an impact on the industry. And hopefully be with these boys. Also taking artists on and building them up. SD– Muziks Message to me is a brand not just a few artists getting together. Once we get the people on board that can do different elements it will all work. Music’s in the message and music has a different message for everyone. It will be a movement because it’s not just about lines we write and songs we do. It’s more than that. JC – The idea is to stay independent. We want to build a family rather than trying to hunt down. major labels.
SD – Start writing, never stop, because no one can write your life like you can. JC – Don’t let anyone knock you. I use to get put down when I was DJing at an early age, no one really classes it as a proper job, even though I’d work my arse off. T – If you’re going into music make sure you’ve got something good to say. Can we expect any live performances within the near future? T – Yeah definitely. I’d say we’re attacking the festival scene this year. It will be more focused in Leeds rather than Harrogate. What do you think is unique about Leeds as a culture?
The true concept of a movement is to bring about change. From what we have learnt today, Tre has begun to build his own movement with a distinctive family of talented artists. With a mixture of raw talent and street-smart industry heads, the sky is the limit for this unique group. We expect big things to come this year from Tre and his crew, follow his progress and previous work: trelad1.bandcamp.com Tre on twitter - @trelad1
Ivy Beside Me Words: Billy Watson, Images: Phil Robinson (For more of Phil's work please visit www.robinsondesign.co.uk)
Smiling Ivy's growing impact on Sheffield Smiling Ivy have been causing quite a stir in Sheffield’s thriving and diverse music scene. Their unique blend of styles sets them firmly apart from the crowd, and they have received radio coverage and support from BBC Sheffield and Sheffield Live.
"reverb, valium, porn-stars, late nights and Somalian pirates..." They won first prize at the GSMG Rock Open in December 2010 and have recorded with Alan Smyth; a producer who has worked with fellow Sheffield bands Arctic Monkeys and 65daysofstatic. Smiling Ivy comprises five members - drummer Steve [Hunt], bassist Jimmy [Kohanzad],
saxophonist Ray [Grandy] and singer and frontman Dan [Hobson] who also shares six-string duties with lead guitarist Sam [Dormer]. The band formed in 2005, when they were based in the Peak District, but following their relocation to Sheffield they have really started to make a name for themselves with their electric fusion of reggae, funk and ska.
They have several EPs under their belt - starting with 2006’s debut “Sex, Drugs and Sunday Dinners”. “Reasons Not To Lend Us Money” and the full-length “Filtho Nastro” helped the band’s growing presence in Yorkshire, and their newest release “Party Shop Cartel” was launched with the help of several clowns, party bags and general Ivy shenanigans back in September.
Few bands cover as many miles as Smiling Ivy having played all over the North as well as gigs in London and Scotland. In the past they have shared the stage with acts like Frank Turner, Dreadzone and Zion Train and they once even played a set on the stairs of a pub in Manchester!
One large contributor to their rising success is their relentless and extensive touring schedule.
Visit www.smilingivy.co.uk for more information on the band, their releases and upcoming gigs.
The string of releases and hectic touring schedule have done nothing to dampen the band’s spirits, however, and they still maintain their fun-loving antics, close-knit friendships and hedonistic attitudes. This is reflected in Sam’s description of the band’s music: “reverb, valium, porn-stars, late nights, fast cars… and Somalian pirates.” Smiling Ivy are a band on the rise, offering a wholly different and entertaining alternative to Sheffield’s music scene. Thanks to Phil Robinson.
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O
ver the past five years independent music and in particular the 12” vinyl has seen a rapid resurgence in sales and exposure but why?
Well, we’re still far from the 1980’s, a decade when the number of UK Independent record stores was at an all time high of just over 2,200, the vinyl record was still very much the preferred choice and way to listen to music and the likes of labels such as Rough Trade were at the forefront of Independent music, bringing early punk artist’s such as The Buzzcocks to the nation along with being a main distribution arm for many smaller Independent labels such as the late Tony Wilson’s infamous label, Manchester based, Factory Records. Rough Trades distribution network allowed Factory and labels alike to trade nationally. Despite successes Rough Trade along with Independent music sales fell into hard times, technology advances in the early 1990’s were a catalyst to the demise of vinyl sales, with products such as the Philips Digital Compact Cassette, Sony’s Minidisk and the slightly later CD-R in 1995 helped major players like BMG in their decision to increase output on the new much more portable audio formats, the format change played straight into the hands of high street retailers such as HMV, Virgin Megastores and Our Price who had the funds available to buy large quantities of CD’s and therefore sell each unit for a lower price than that of its vinyl counterpart. A couple of years later, maybe surprisingly vinyl sales saw a short but steady rise from 1993 to 2000 with an increase of 1.2million, growing from 0.3m to 1.5m. Although, we shouldn’t get carried away here, we must remember that compact disc sales in the year 2000 were 730m strong, so overall vinyl represents a miniscule section of the market. Moving on from 2000 to 2006, despite a slight rise in 2003 vinyl sales slumped to a decade record low, having a total of just 0.9m total sales. In July 2007 Sanctuary Records, then owner of re-launched Rough Trade Records sold the label to British record company Beggars Group thus making Rough Trade an independent label again. Since the takeover they’ve brought artist’s such as The Strokes, The Libertines and Pete Doherty’s, Babyshambles huge exposure, once again bringing independent music to the forefront of the UK music scene. Another Independent label which has stood the test of time is the slightly later founded XL Recordings, originating from the Acid House days
of 1989, specialising in D.I.Y rave sounds, the label soon found national success with the release of The Prodigy’s “Experience EP”, then a World-Wide breakthrough with The Prodigy’s “The Fat of The Land” charting at number 1 in 26 countries including the U.S. In more recent years the label has not held back in its bid to keep growing as an Independent, with nothing short of massive releases from the likes of Platinum selling Basement Jaxx, Mercury Prize debut album winning Badly Drawn Boy and Mercury Prize winning album “Boy In Da Corner” from Dizzee Rascal. The label compares the likes of Dizzee and the Prodigy in the way that both artists music rose from the streets, building a reputation through local pirate radio waves and gigs. The success simply escalates from there for XL, in 2008 Adele released the multi-Grammy nominated 19 album and MIA’s, Paper Planes, became the biggest selling record in the companies nearly 20 year history.
“Vinyl sales have risen
by 2.7million to
a high of 3.6million”
Independent labels like these, along with wild card releases such as Radiohead’s self-released album, “The King of Limbs” in February 2011, which sold 20,771 copies on 12” vinyl alone have played a massive contribution to the recent rise in vinyl sales. In 2011 BBC Radio 6 helped promote national “Record Store Day” which is a day dedicated to Independent record stores, this year the celebrations will be held on April 21st 2012. So get out there and help Independent labels bring you yet more incredible music to the masses. Check out www.recordstoreday.com for more information. These recent examples of independent music exposure have helped vinyl sales soar again, from 2006 to 2011, figures from the Nielsen Company suggest that vinyl sales have risen by 2.7million to a high of 3.6m. On a personal level, I’ve always admired vinyl records, starting a collection from a young age I now have thousands ranging the genres. For me the physical feel of a tangible object, the social contact you have in hunting down a record all plays a part in the excitement of listening to music on vinyl. Compared to entering your card number into an mp3 download store, vinyl will always win my heart when it comes to buying music and many others appear to be coming back to the same way of thinking. Keep it vinyl. Sources: roughtrade.com, XLrecordings.com, TheGuardian, blog.nielsen.com
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Evolution of Animals
Wil Frost Words & Images by Steve Jones-Robertson
W – That would start by getting up far too early, driving over to whatever studio I’ll be working out of for the project. Mainly I work with bands so usually before we’ve started the project in the sessions we will have done pre-production. So we will have sat down and gone through all of the songs, tightened everything up. When we get into the studio you start going through and record each instrument for that song, working on everyone’s individual part and making sure that that song is as tight and as good as it can be. How would you sum up your style musically for Morain in a few words?
Wil Frost: an independent producer, singer and songwriter. Signed to Brightblack Records in 2010, he and his band Morain have never looked back. The release of the 2011 video ‘Animals’ and sell out gigs at the Cockpit and other Leeds based venues has helped establish Morain as one of the most exciting up and coming talents in Yorkshire. The Leeds music scene is one of a mixture of talent and variety. To comprehend and understand the sheer depth of the industry Fiyah! decided to grab an exclusive interview with the busy 22 year old. Can you explain a bit about what you do and more importantly, what got you involved in the industry? Wil – I first got into music when I played the clarinet when I was younger, I did that up until I left college. When I first started at high school there was loads of bands, I used to see them down in the music room rocking out. I used to think, why am I playing the clarinet!? So that Christmas, year 7, “mum I want a guitar.” I started getting into rock music and it just went on from there. I’m the singer and guitar player in a band called Morain; I’m also a record producer and a songwriter. How do you manage your time between Morain and your production work for other acts? W – It can be quite tricky at times, but at the minute the way the bands working we’re trying to get ready to do the proper launch. You have blocks when you’re really busy then you have down time for a few weeks. Because I’m freelance I choose when I work so I just make sure I’m working in that downtime. I try not make things clash. What is your typical day as a producer?
W – I always say we’re an alternative pop band... With an epic twist. What do you prefer, working as a producer or being involved with the band? W – Fully the band. Morain is my life. Is the production just for another source of income then? W – Not at all, look I just love music.. Not only being able to create music with my friends and do my own thing but the idea that I can help other people create music and be involved. You learn so much from working with different people. What can we expect from you and everything you do in 2012? W– This year will be a pretty big one for Morain. We put out a single a year ago, just to kind of put our name out there. We’ve just been constantly working and writing. We’ve got a new single and video ready which is all finished. They’ll be a new release this year, no date set yet, we’re waiting for the right time. Do you have any confirmed gigs or events coming up? W – When we know the release dates for the video and single that will all come. We’ll be doing shows, definitely be playing around Leeds. I think the idea is to get on some tour supports so we’re expecting big shows, should be cool.
“You can’t think that your good, you have to always presume that you’re not good and keep pushing until you get the rewards that you want.” Leeds is a unique city, what can you offer as a band that is different to everyone else out there? W –I think the Leeds scene is huge; you get all these different parts to it, like. You get all the big touring bands coming through that you hear in the charts playing at The Academy. Then you’ve got all these underground rock bands that play at Cockpit , indie bands that play for like Brudenell Social Club and metal bands that play in cellars at student houses. I don’t think there are many bands like Morain in Leeds which is cool because it’s something fresh. I think our music caters for everyone because we can go to any one of those certain type of places that are segregated in certain genres and there is something in the music to appeal to everyone. Do you think artists such as yourself get the exposure you deserve? W – Sometimes, I don’t think in Leeds we get the exposure we should get in a sense. Then again that’s down to what the scene is because it is so divided. We never wanted to be that band that playing gigs every other week because your just gonna die out. We’ve always spaced it out so not as many people do know us in that sense. Say in a year’s time when we’ve released the single and built up a fan base we can come play Cockpit, you have 500 people there for you and that’s kind of the reward you can get from it, and that’s what it’s all about. What tips do you recommend for any new independent music acts trying to get involved in the industry? W – Keep at it, as long as you believe and you don’t give up, you’ll get where you want to be. You’ve got to be very critical of yourself. You can’t think that your good, you have to always presume that you’re not good and keep pushing until you get the rewards that you want.
Who is your favourite artist at the minute? W – Keep listening to a band called Phoneix at the moment...good question (laughs)..erm The Cribs just put a track out from their new album they sound cool. Who is your idol in music? W – I have three absolute icons.. Gary Barlow, absolute genius, Tom Delonge from Blink 182. He’s the reason I started playing music. And then Chris Martin from Coldplay. Is there anyone you’d like to collaborate with? W – If I got the chance to spend the time with Gary Barlow, be in his presence writing a song. Just to see how he works would be really inspirational. I was in London in January working; I spent the day the day writing with Ant West from Futures. They’re a similar band to us, they’ve just signed to Mercury Records. We’ve supported them a few times and you’re always looking up to them thinking “thats where we need to go next.” Where can you see yourself in 5 year’s time? W – In terms of Morain I’d like to think we’re still doing it and still improving. Just keep doing what we’re doing and keep building. In terms of production, you’re always waiting to produce that one big track that kind of gets you noticed as a producer. I just wanna keep helping bands and making things look better.
2012 looks set to be a big year for Morain and Wil. We at Fiyah! are certain that great things are to come from the young prodigy. For any new fans please check out the following links.
www.morainmusic.com www.myspace.com/morainmusic
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The Bird's Yard a trip into
Words: Billy Watson, Images: Steve Jones-Robertson
The Bird’s Yard, one of the most interesting shops in Yorkshire, has always done things their way. Where else can you go into one building and buy clothing, jewellery and makeup from a selection of over 50 designers? The focus is on independent, boutique and vintage style - ranging from cheap and cheerful to high-end designer pieces. This variety ensures that there is something for everyone on one of Bird’s Yard’s floors, and that nine times out of ten it will be unique.
Located opposite the Duck and Drake and Megabus stop on Kirkgate (the oldest street in Leeds city centre), Bird’s Yard is a shining star amongst the sea of generic and conformist shops scattered across Leeds, and has offered exclusivity and individuality at very affordable prices since their opening in July 2010. They were awarded Best Newcomer and Best Designer in 2010/2011 and Best Designer and Best Jewellery in 2011/2012 at the Leeds Retail Awards, as well as being named in the Top 10 Vintage Shops in the North by industry leaders and won Best UK Shop in the end of year poll for Alt Fashion Magazine (beating two established Camden shops along the way.) Fiyah! caught up with the shop’s owner and founder Michelle to find out a bit more about Bird’s Yard and how the shop works. Where did the idea behind the shop first come from? I had a shop behind Topshop, where I was for 8 or 9 months and at that time I wanted to rent
out bits of space to people - I didn’t want it to be just one shop. Plus it’s massively boring having a shop on your own. When that got knocked down for Trinity I lost my mojo a bit.
Do the independent artists, sellers and designers apply to come into the shop, or do you seek them out?
It’s different. In the beginning I spent months I’ve always liked things that aren’t fashionable; trawling the internet for local people that I liked, or if I was at a fair I’d go I like people who set trends not over and say “Have you got a follow them. I knew there wasn’t "90% of the people shop? Where do you sell? Would a shop in Leeds where you could you be interested?” I did a buy a really cool present - I don’t in the shop can do couple of open days at the shop: want a Lush bath bomb, I want a bespoke service I sectioned it up and people something that’s unique! 90% of for a customer..." came and looked around. the people in the shop can do a bespoke service for a customer, and I love that. Where else can you get that? It hasn’t taken off as quickly as I’d have hoped but that’s probably because I don’t make it the law to promote the place. In fact, more Do you hand pick the vintage clothes? people from London and surrounding areas are coming in. We’ve made it everywhere else, Well everyone falls into the trap of buying just not in Leeds; it’s a tough nut to crack! magazines and saying “I’d love to look like that”, but I’ve got clothes like that, or a take Where did the connection with graffiti on it. My stuff is as close to high fashion and artists come from? editorial pieces as you’ll find - there isn’t anywhere in Leeds that does that. I’m good at I really like it. I bumped into a girl at a fair I was picking it, the best bit for me is the buying. I doing just before I opened the shop and she don’t want any more vintage: it’s ten-a-penny.
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had some really cool bits of artwork and some hand etched leather. I asked them what they were doing and if they’d be interested in getting a little shop. So she did the lady on the gates and a big piece inside. She’s really good. I’ve talked to them - nobody can get a job at the minute and said “you’ve got these skills, I’ve got this shop, let’s collaborate.” What does the future hold? I want more of a male influence. Bird’s my nickname, which isn’t that well known, and could be taken to mean that we're exclusively women’s. I’d go for street and higher end men’s fashion. There are very few men’s designers around here, men’s fashion in Leeds is really generic and stuck in a rut. A lot of the designers are just pumping out stuff they know’ll sell - so it all looks the same. If I were to go out and pick it myself it means I’d be taking on something else and not renting the room out.
A tea room could be really popular, the Megabus stop’s outside and a tea room is something I’ve always wanted to do but I don’t have the time. [Since the interview took place Michelle made plans to open a vintage tea room in late March.] I need something on the top floor that’s going to drive people up the stairs. I just want it to be buzzing - if I’m shopping with loud music on it makes me buy. Every month I’m going to open the shop up to anybody to come down, be creative. I want you to come along, bring a rug, or bring a massage chair, or set up your fortune telling, or even open your jacket.. just something that’s gimmicky, and do it for free. I want to get a little old caravan in the yard with a DJ in it and some deck chairs and a sand pit. Our launch event was brilliant - we had a marquee, burlesque dancers and local bands and DJs. What sort of relationship exists between the individual sellers? We’re very supportive. A lot of us end up collaborating together, which is lovely! We often end up against each other in the Retail Awards, but it’s taken in good will… ultimately we’re working under one brand so we share our successes. One thing is for sure, Bird’s Yard is a wholly different and intriguing alternative to Leeds’ existing shops, and based on the enthusiasm and commitment of Michelle - as well as the awards they have received - the footfall should increase over the coming months. Go and check it out for yourself!
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A
How would you sum up the style of the business?
Nation of Shopkeepers
Words & Images Steve Jones-Robertson
A Nation of Shopkeepers is an alternative music, art space and food & drink venue in Leeds. Located on Cookridge Street, Nation is one of the most unique establishments in Yorkshire. We wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so we set up a meeting with supervisor Hannah to find out what makes A Nation of Shopkeepers so special. Can you briefly explain the background on ‘A Nation of Shopkeepers’, the name and the brand? It’s part of a chain ‘nb tokyo’ and there are 12 of us round the country. We all have our little quirks. Nation of Shopkeepers is a Napoléon Bonaparte quote, “England is a nation of shopkeepers.” (L’Angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers). We are a nation that embodies everyone, culturally and in the Leeds community. The arts scene is big and the music scene is big, the aim always has been to build a place where everyone can come together and have a good time. We have local brewerys that stock the ale and local bands that play, so it’s just a place for Leeds.
We’re open to everything, for example the music we put on can range between Hip-Hop, Death Metal, Rap anything goes. It’s the same with the drinks. There is so much here, so what ever you’re drinking we are guaranteed to have it, apart from alcopops because we’re not Wetherspoons. It’s different with the clientele, you get older couples wanting a relaxing night on a Monday or like the art students that come in, I think we appeal to everyone on some level. Do you host any nights on a weekly or monthly basis? Yes we have weekly and monthly nights. Wednesdays we always have free bands on: always free entry. It’s either the best of local talent, or bands that are just starting out, or bands that we had a while ago and we bring back because they bring a good crowd in. We’ve got ‘Game Time’, which is a Hip-Hop night. We also serve free fried chicken. There’s ‘Capture the Flag’, which is an alternative to the hip-hop which is massive in Leeds. What separates this bar from others in Leeds, what makes you unique? I think we’re definitely one of a kind, we are a bar, we do a lot of food as well so we could be classed as a restaurant, we get a lot of families here in the day. I think our variety of events: the art stuff we put on and the music, the courtyard. Our outside is so big we have events with DJs and bands outside. We had ‘Hercules and Love Affair’ last summer they played on the balcony, everyone was raving in the courtyard on a beautiful day. I think the staff as well, we’re really friendly and we’re all good
“We do regulars cards so if someone’s come in a lot or been nice at the bar they can save money ” as well, we’re really friendly and we’re all good friends, when you come in here you can see that. It’s a place that you want to be because everyone’s having a good time so its kind of infectious. Stand out drink? We do regulars cards so if someone’s come in a lot or been nice at the bar they can save money on Becks or Redstripe - they’re the main drinks we sell, which is nice because it means they come back. You’ve noticed them and been like, “Hey guys if your coming back have a card.” You know what they want, which works really well. We do so many drinks, we only do a couple of cocktails but when we do them they’re badass. Food specialities? It’s a bit like American diner style, our burgers are famous basically, because they’re fucking sick. We do roast on a Sunday they do really well because they’re enormous and good value for money. We serve everything in baskets so it’s a bit quirky. The food does really well so if we’re not known for the nights we’re known for the burgers. Can we expect anything different in 2012? Yes - it’s our third birthday in a couple of weeks so we’re having a huge Mardi Gras party outside. We’re building better connects with the art college, getting students in here showcasing their work. We’ve got a guy coming who will be doing an exhibition a few weeks. We plan to have bigger, better nights, we’re growing all the time. We have a really good team, there are four of us doing the arts and events, just to make sure it will be a good year for us. We’re doing a project with the Quay brothers; they’ve got a huge theatre piece in Leeds happening in May. We’ll act as a base for them so they can play their films, we’re going to have some live art outside so there is a lot to look forward to.
Strawberry and raspberry mojito cocktail
A Nation of Shopkeepers lives up to all the hype it rightly deserves. We at Fiyah! believe its one of the most unique businesses in Leeds. With free live acts, great drinks and food and an incredible atmosphere you’d be crazy not to pop in. Why not check it out for yourself?! www.anationofshopkeepers.com 27 - 37 Cookridge Street, Leeds, LS2 3AG Tel: 0113 203 1831 Sunday to Thursday 12 - late / Friday and Saturday 12 - 3am
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The deep Web Words & Images by Michael McInerney
An investigation into the dark side of the web {{{{Anonymity Armouries & Anarchism
T
hink of the internet as a big iceberg, people mostly only see the part which is visible above the water. As with any other iceberg though, the majority is below the surface. In this analogy the submerged part of the iceberg represents the Invisible, or Deep Web. Our heavy reliance on search engines mean that we have a skewed perception of the web’s contents as we only see what is Indexed by search engine’s crawler bots, rather than what actually exists. Mike Bergman, who is credited with coining the phrase said, “searching on the Internet today can be compared to dragging a net across the surface of the ocean: a great deal may be caught in the net, but there is a wealth of information that is deep and therefore missed.
Most of the Web’s information is buried far down on dynamically generated sites, and standard search engines do not find it. Traditional search engines cannot “see” or retrieve the deep Web – those pages do not exist until they are created dynamically as the result of a specific search. The deep Web is several orders of magnitude larger than the surface Web.” The true scale of the deep web is not known, no one has a good estimate on the size. An estimate made by Bright Planet [link] estimating the invisible web to being 500 times bigger than the Indexed, Searchable; Surface Web. In 2009 Google released that they had indexed 1 Trillion pages, although it is wise to take these figures with a pinch of salt it does indicate the sheer magnitude of the deep web.
The question you, the reader, must be asking though is; “What does this have to offer me?” And aside from all the encrypted government sites, library catalogues and other academic resources that answer would be, not very much... That is until you factor in the concept of BitCoin, the worlds first decentralised, open source currency. With anonymity being the corner stone of the deep web, as you might expect it is full of highly illegal activity, which is what a lot of this currency is spent on. Now by now you are probably wondering, how do I access this treasure trove of illegalities? The first thing what you need is a deep web browser, the most popular being Tor (The Onion Router). Once you are running Tor you merly type in a .onion address (deep web address) and you are there! All .onion addresses are anonymous, and it is near impossible to trace the original user. You can use Tor on virtually any PC, Mac or even mobile devices like the iPhone and Android-operated smartphones. At the risk of aiding illegal activity I shall not be releasing any specific domain links in the following paragraphs, but believe me when I say that they are out there and easy to find! You must keep in mind that you won’t be able to maneuver around the deep web quite as easily as you do back on the visible Web. There is no Google-like search engine of these sites that I’m aware of at the moment. Instead, it’s a collection of Wikis and Chan-type sites that aggregate links to other locations on the Deep Web.
currently list a Glock 17 for sale out of Canada that “includes 1 clip with 9 live rounds.” There are sites on the Deep Web that offer the services of hitmen, advice to gang members, directions on how to build explosives, how to cheat at virtually anything and pretty much any other illegal activity or service that you can dream of – some of it is frightening, some of it is interesting, all of it is anonymous. All of these transactions use Bitcoin, the aforementioned decentralised currency which is causing real waves in the ‘real economy’. So much so a respected blogger Jason Calacanis said that it is “the most dangerous project on the internet”. Bitcoins are just files on a computer which are exchanged through a P2P (peerto-peer) network. The reason this currency should have government agencies and banks sweating is that it basically renders the banks useless as it needs no intermediate between transactions. States should also be very worries as it is a global currency, so no exchange rates. This would mean that a state would no longer be able to manipulate the value of their currency to provoke inflation. Finally (and maybe most importantly) all of these transactions are done via P2P; so the money is untraceable, therefore it is also untaxable. This should be very disconcerting to governments across the world, and I am sure that it is something that they are taking very serious. This adventure through the dark side of the web was highly interesting, I’m not sure whether I should celebrate, or worry about this discovery. The romantic-anachist side of myself loves the fact that there is a huge world hidden away from Google, which is wholly unregulated and has no respect for borders or laws. In these days of constant social media sharing it is a nice thought that there is one last bastion where people can interact without state interference. But, back to the Iceberg analogy, there is much undesirable stuff and potential trouble at the bottom of the iceberg. People of a nervous disposition should not go too far, as they are running the risks of being seriously upset. It is you the user who takes responsibility for the legalities of your actions on the web. Think of the deep web as liberation of the web, which still needs some ironing out.
“the most dangerous project on the internet” - Jason Calacanis
A deep web market place, which is garnering much attention at the moment, is called Silkroad. From ecstasy, pure MDMA, marijuana, psychedelics and opiates, they have basically any drug with a userbase. They also have categories for ‘services’ like hacking, ‘lab supplies’ like sulfuric acid and liquid mercury, ‘money’ for stolen credit cards, travelers checks and forged bills and coins, ‘jewelry’ like uncut stones, stolen gold and other precious metals obtained via devious means and finally ‘weapons’ where they
Sources: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/123187958.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/26/dark-side-internet-freenet http://www.worldwidewebsize.com/ http://www.launch.co/blog/l019-bitcoin-p2p-currency-the-most-dangerous-project-weve-ev.html
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// VidaCollective // Words : Jack Fletcher // Images : Vida Collective
Vida Collective
V
ida Collective, a recently founded company rolls its sleeves up and gets hands on by priding itself on doing it all in house!
I met Vida Collective co-founders, Dean Sloman and Tom Sheehan a few years back whilst studying at Leeds Metropolitan University. Since moving back to their home city of London the guy’s have kept up the work rate by setting up their own business and online store, Vida Collective. Independent skateboarding, art and apparel company Vida pride themselves on doing all design work in-house, “everything’s hand drawn, making each design unique” replied Dean when I asked him what set’s Vida apart from similar set-ups. “I know many companies outsource for designers and artwork, they can sometimes lose the original identity and vision that they set out for... Everything we do is drawn, by hand, by us”, Dean explains, “this means we have complete control over our image and also I think it gives each design its own character”.
“everythings hand
drawn making each design unique”
Website, (www.vidacollective.com) is now live and is the main source for info on what’s going on at Vida, the online store’s in development and will be open for business at the beginning of June. They’re getting heavily involved in the skateboarding scene and to kick start things they’ll be releasing a small yet affordable range of skateboards (see images) and T-shirts throughout the summer. Until then you can still get your hands on some gear, after generating such a large response from a recent giveaway, Vida have decided to hold regular competitions and prize draws where you can win all sorts of stuff, so for your chance to win it big, go to facebook.com/vidacollective. Also, are you or someone you know a talented skater, the guys recently uploaded this post... ”Whilst we’re waiting for stock to arrive we’ve been busy extending the VIDA family and we’ll be announcing our first team rider very soon with some footage and photos. We’re totally stoked that we can now begin filming but we’re also looking for more riders, if you’ve got some sick footage or you know a shredder that deserves a hook up then get in touch with us now!”.
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Beyond the Lens
Words & Images by Steve Jones-Robertson
2012 marks the birth of a new era. Fiyah! Magazine will be officially launched on Wednesday the 25th of April at Distrikt in Leeds. We wanted to create a unique front cover that would embody what we are about. Independent acts are what we strive to unearth as we believe some of the greatest talents out there today are yet to be found. Because we are an ‘Arts, Style and Music’ magazine, we can delve into the most unique talents in Leeds. The theme we eventually decided to go forward with was a mix of new media vs old media. We thought it would be great to have a clash of the two medias tangled around a beautiful centerpiece.
www.studio86.co.uk
We trawled through local markets looking for the most obscure and ‘old school’ media we could find. We gathered VHS tapes, preferably something vile and putrid that no one would actually want to watch, and with joy tore it to shreds. We used a mixture of hard drives, vinyl’s, cd’s, music chords and so on. Studio 86 were kind enough to open their doors on their day off to let us shoot for a few hours. Lauren Green, our model for the day, ended up doing a fantastic job for us. In the end we got the shot we were looking for. We never wanted to be confused as another fashion magazine, so to find the correct balance took a lot of methodical planning and preparation but all in all was great fun.
We hope you enjoy the mixture of the three genres we put have together. We believe by doing this there is something for everyone, thankyou.
CLUB LISTINGS Monthly Spotlight MINT CLUB Now one of the city’s most popular and talked about nightspots, The Mint Club has come a long way in their history. Starting life as the Fiddler in 1997, when Leeds’ clubbing scene was a fraction of what it is today, the then owners saw the club’s potential right from the beginning. A collaboration with Leeds legend and Basics owner Dave Beer was the spark needed to announce Mint on the British clubbing circuit, and boy did it work! Mint is now one of the most successful clubs in Leeds, attracting some of the biggest names in the world to grace their decks, such as Sven Väth, Derrick Carter, Sébastién Leger, Steve Bug, Luciano, Ricardo Villalobos and Martin Buttrich. As well as House and Techno, they also feature student nights during the week, offering drinks deals and slashed entry prices. Perhaps the most successful of these is Bigger Than Barry, a Dubstep and Drum & Bass night from Birmingham which attracts students in their thousands every Tuesday, due largely to the low £5-8 entry price. Being nominated for the DJ Mag Best Small Club award, as well as placing 62nd in the prestigious Resident Advisor club awards, which is no mean feat and only adds to Mint’s stellar reputation. If you haven’t done so already, we urge you to check it out
May 2012 monday
Gin & Juice Mint Mondays
Faversham Mint
28th May Every Monday
tuesday
Bigger Than Barry Revival Moustache
Mint Hifi Faversham
Every Tuesday 15th May Every Tuesday
wednesday
Hoogie Boogie Move On Up ReWind Karma
Milo Hifi Wire Wire
2nd May Every Wednesday 23rd May 30th May
thursday
TomorrowAudio Moschino Hoe Silver Hips Disko Stew Slipslop Fuzzy Logic
Distrikt D-Fusion Hifi Hifi Bar room bar Wire
Every Thursday 10th May 3rd May 10th May Every Thursday Every Thursday
friday
FunkSoulNation SQ1 / Night Slugs House Arrest That Mixmag Thing Laloop
Hifi Wire Phono Distrikt Mint
Every Friday 4th May 18th May 11th May 11th May
saturday
Boogaloo Grandmaster Flash Futurepast Subdub 14th Bday Vagabondz Carnival Straight Up
Hifi Mint Warehouse Beaverworks Vox Warehouse Leeds Union Wire
Every Saturday 5th May 5th May 5th May 12th May Every Saturday
sunday
Sequence & Radiant Technique & Asylum System / Louche Sunday Joint
The Warehouse Faversham Mint Warehouse Hifi
6rd May 6th May 6th May Every Sunday
If you want your club featured in our listings contact us at info@fiyah.co.uk. All listings are correct at time of print.