HOOP DOOP MAGAZINE #31 by HOOP DOOP MAGAZINE

ISSUE # 31-AUGUST 2017 EDITOR IN CHIEF / ART DIRECTOR Attilio Brancaccio EDITORS Matthew Barlow Kat Milligan Katherine Marciniak Shelby Welinder ARTISTS Tim Kent Rejjie Snow Luca Valerio Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amico Gille Monte Ruici Lotta Sahlin Residente

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ISSUE #31 | CONTENTS

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COVER STORY A MAN & HIS MADNESS Tim Kent

REJJIE SNOW Live @ Bitterzoet

Hoop Doop meets LUCA VALERIO Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;AMICO

Hoop Doop meets LOTTA SAHLIN

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GILLE MONTE RUICI Metallic sculptures

Hoop Doop meets RESIDENTE

NEW RELEASE: Saccades - ST

On a frigid December n Bushwick studio. We w gallery-like. Clean whit until theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re shipped o

A Man & His Madness words: Shelby Welinder

Words: Shelby Welinder

night, Tim Kent hurries me off the snowy and windswept streets into his wind corridors of the warehouse until we arrive in a room that appears te walls and a variety of canvases are hung on displayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at least temporarily, off to various international collectors.

Kent leads me into his workspace, where paint smothers the walls. Brilliant slashes and distinct lines cover each and every surface. Splotches of oil are streaked across the floor over aged Persian rugs. The room contains an assortment of objects, everything from a guitar (which Tim plays, having been in a rock band, The Giraffes), to Royal Air Force models nodding to his family’s British roots. There’s a cot in the corner so he can take breaks in between pieces. Giving him the chance to literally watch the paint dry. It has saved him during those relentless hours before any given exhibition or deadline. It’s organized chaos, I realize as I carefully move through the disarray to find a place to sit. We crack open a case of beer to keep us warm. Kent is adorned in worn workman’s overalls on top of his winter clothes. He takes hits on his vape and speaks quickly. It’s evident that his brain is thinking at a million miles a minute, focused on countless other ideas. We talk art, the masters, his take on having attended Art Basel for the first time. Kent is a history and philosophy buff, and our conversation ranges between WWI/II, politics, the reality of a rapidly changing world, and the gentrification of the neighborhood that he’s called home for the past ten years. “Trippy, huh?” I lean in towards a work in progress, still wet. “At the end of a long day, looking at a painting is possibly the best thing you could ever do. That’s the appreciation time. Until, of course, you have 6

to move onto the next.” Kent has been practically living in his studio for the last three years. After coming off the back of exhibitions in Amsterdam, New York, and Art Basel in Miami, he’s revving up for two institution shows in Germany this spring. The esteemed Canadian-American artist (of Turkish and British-Maltese parentage) is represented by Slag Gallery in Brooklyn, and he describes himself as a cubo-futurist.

Follow: @ocularjoy

Kent’s meticulous labor is that of a visual engineer; his artistry often necessitates an intense, painstaking process. Upon viewing more intricate details up close, he laughs. “I f*ck up all the time, but through screwing it up, you get to see where it goes.” Kent explains to me with his hands, pointing to the corner of a canvas where he has undertaken such a situation or, in another case, left it. “And sometimes, you just lose something really good.” It’s evident by the splashes of pigments here and there that his speed creates the movement and underlying emotion in his compositions. A combination of geometric shapes and structural lines challenge the viewer, forcing them to push past the mundane and observe the infinite and convoluted components that make up his paintings. Diverging from his previous themes of portraits and architectural masterworks, his most recent creations utilize his knowledge of traditional interiors to provide a foundation for endless layers of oil and inspiration. “Too much time with them kills them,” he says, taking a long drag from his vape, “because that leads to too much control and becomes stale. Or fuzzy. And I find these always border on that. For me, the space has to be defined.” The graphic works are comprised of threedimensional qualities, vivid configurations and sculptural figures emerge from the background. 8

Rulers are precariously balanced on top of partially-finished Poland Spring bottles. When prompted about their use, he sheds light on his method. “Sometimes it requires me gridding it out. Not the whole thing, just when I need a formation, I’ll create a composition and then impose it.” Kent shows me a sample of linen where he’s used this system. “But part of my whole approach is not sticking to a certain illustration, but getting different ideas to force and challenge me into other areas that I haven’t done before.” A phone rings, and we abruptly realize it’s late; we lost track of time. Kent starts cleaning his brushes. I notice a lone punching bag next to his sink. He nods at it. “When you have those Rocky moments and gotta let off some steam, ya know?” I tell him that I don’t, because I can’t even begin to fathom the amount of time and energy it must take to create one of these masterpieces, let alone if it was messed up somewhere along the way. But these are the exact qualities that make Kent a true artist. He can easily roll with the punches and isn’t afraid to fight back.

LIVE IN AMSTERDAM

Words: Matthew Barlow

In anticipation of his debut album Dear Annie, the Dublin born rapper performed a number of shows across Europe. Performing at Bitterzoet, Amsterdam, the audience were treated to a lively sold out show in which the rapper cut across various tracks from the highly acclaimed Rejovich EP and tracks from his newly released mixtape (The Moon and You). Jay-Way, the local Amsterdam rapper warmed up the evening with a highly interactive concert hyping the crowd up with the clichéd tactics “Everyone on the left make some noise, everyone on the right can you beat that?”. In fairness, it worked, as the result was a trap-rap induced frenzy where the people were clearly ready for what was in store. Donning an all Lacoste tracksuit and displaying his ever known love with fashion and streetwear, enters Rejjie Snow. “Amsterdam is my second favourite city in the world” he shouts at the crowd. For the next hour or so, Rejjie seamlessly floats between the jazz infused material we hear in Rejovich and the newly released trapesque tracks such as Flexin. The rapper performed quintessential Rejjie tracks such as 1992 in which the crowd were engulfed by the stars’ hard and typically un-Irish sounding flow. Between tracks however, Rejjie’s Irish roots are 14

Follow: @rejjiesnow

apparent as his voice echos around the club: “What do you want to hear?” The fans cry “Olga, All Around The World!”. “Beg the boy to Riverdance, I’m Irish what you fucking mean?” he spits in his signature low baritone as the beat to Flexin drops. Here, we see Rejjie in a different light; one that seems a million miles away from the MF Doom style of his earlier songs. Yet, Rejjie focuses on the now, and as the bassline thumps and the drum machine hits, Bitterzoet was face to face with a somewhat menacing trap cut. “I took acid and made this mixtape for you” a poised Rejjie yells to the crowd, referring to tracks from the new mixtape The Moon and You. Featuring the likes of Joey Bada$$, Jesse Boykins III and Julian Bell, the mixtape is made simply as a thank you to the fans, and it is therefore no surprise that it is freely available via the artists’ website. The rapper closed the show with Pink Beetle and Snow (Rap Song). The first track showing how far Rejjie’s reputation and sound has grown since that of the latter. “All these niggas rappers, Playin’ rappers, greaters actors, Me, I kept it humble, Me, I did it, this my greatest chapter”, Rejjie raps in testament to his path to success. And the rapper stays true and humble to his words, as the furious and hard-hitting 16

beat of Snow (Rap Song) drops to the delight of the crowd; one of many songs featured on his first EP that launched Rejjie’s career to the wider audience. As the sweat dripped from the rappers face and the crowd were eagerly awaiting more, it seemed very fitting from a man that has no creative boundaries to promote his latest product – Young Luv Face Oil. After this night, I think we could all do with a little exfoliation. Cheers Rejjie.

STAY TUNED FOR THE DEBUT ALBUM DEAR ANNIE COMING SOON.

HOOP DOOP MEETS

Interview: Katherine Marciniak

Follow: @lucavaleriodamico

In a sentence, how would you sum up your exhibition? It’s an urban-abstract-creative experience. Do you have any suggestions on how adults can regain their creativity? I think the best way for adults to access their creativity is by simplifying their thoughts and avoiding the urge to overthink everything. We should also challenge ourselves to be more curious, whether that means experimenting with new things or going out of our comfort zone. What is the most inspiring place you have visited so far, and why? New York. I lived and studied there for two years. It’s the craziest, weirdest, most difficult, yet most amazing city that I have ever visited. If you haven’t lived in New York, you will never understand when

Frank Sinatra sings “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere”. Yes, definetly New York. It’s challenging, funny, energetic and sparkling! Who are your role models when it comes to art? There are many artists who inspire me. I would say that my favorites are Escher, Dali, Mucha and Bosch. What do you hope people will take away from your exhibition? I know that I’ve visited a great exhibition, museum, gallery, or any type of art space when I leave with the need to create, the itch to express myself. I hope people feel the same way when they step into my exhibition.

ÂŤJinx is a thudding, piece of electronica, KUDO building a song in the space between thum- ping beats and eventually blowing the whole thing into a monster chorus.Âť - Nothing But Hope And Passion Magazine

Shortly after the release of IDA KUDO’s latest single, she’s back at it with a new music video produced by her self, illustrating her gloomy vision embedded with african tribe-inspired graphics. This creature, more spirit than human, the Djinn is brought to life through dance, smoke, chalk paint and the pulsating beat of the track. In Jinx, the Djinn bewitches or ”jinxes” the woman, driving her mad and in her insanity, she kills the man she loves.

Gille Monte Ruici is a French artist based in Paris. Using metallic waste and recycled materials he finds everywhere, Gille instinctively creates amazing sculptures giving a new life and personality to those common objects that we usually trow away.

Gille Monte Ruici Portfolio

HOOP DOOP MEETS

Interview: Kat Milligan

Follow: @the_oogman 34

Lotta Sahlin is a Swedish illustrator with a quirky and clean style. She uses mainly simple lines to create intricate scenes of the busy, (or not so busy) lives of others. Often the pictures she draws are realistic and abstract at the same time. She has a way of focusing on small details that could easily blend into the background was it not for her keen, sharp eye. She is frequently out and about, ready to draw with just a pen and paper. As you can all see, sometimes quality comes from the simplest of tools.

Why did you start drawing? I can’t remember having a specific starting point. But every time I’ve got my eyes on a pen or a piece of paper, I’ve had a really hard time not to use them. Describe your perfect backdrop when you have a free day with your pen and paper? One of my favourites is to sketch people in the public space. So the perfect backdrop would be sitting in a nice chair right outside a café on a sunny day. While spotting some landscapes, a couple of nice buildings and people on the move. If I’ve manage to be really productive I would also be celebrating with a muffin or two. Many of your drawings are just black and white. Why do you refrain from using more colour? An ink pen is such an easy tool to carry with you. It’s graphic, fast and it gives a clean expression. The different size of the pen gives the perspective. I do like colours, but for now I believe my focus lies in the object.

Does anyone in particular inspire you? A whole bunch of people! Excellent! We can try and guess who instead! You have a unique focus, for example you seem to focus more on a personÂ´s body outline than their facial features. Do you have a reason for this style? I was attending at this strange art lesson once. Where we were told to pick a spot on the model and follow the line no matter what. It could be the outline of a foot, which eventually grabbed the line of a curtain and then a flower which led me to a hand. Suddenly we all sat there with this unfilled space on our paper, which looked just like our female model. It was a fast and fun way of drawing. No rights or wrongs in how to capture the object on the paper. And quite similar to Russian roulette when it comes to deciding whether or not to stop drawing! How do you hope to develop for future pieces? Exploring how my drawings work as installations and how they adapt to the room. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my goal for now.

Follow: @l8art

HOOP DOOP MEETS

RESIDENTE After traveling across the globe to trace his DNA for his newest album, Residente finally makes a stop in Amsterdam to bring his music to the Melkweg stage. Although he is best known as the founder of his former band, Calle 13, Residente has much more to offer. He is a rapper, writer, activist and the director of numerous music videos and a new documentary series. Hoop Doop sat down with RenĂŠ Perez after the concert for a brief interview.

Interview: Katherine Marciniak

How are you liking Amsterdam? I really like it. I think I’ve been here four times. Actually, I know more about Amsterdam during the night than during the day because all of the times that I’ve visited here, I always performed during the night. I just know the city superficially. Like in every great city, there is a lot of tourism but it [Amsterdam] has a lot of art too. The architecture is beautiful, you know, even though some of the buildings are slanted. It’s nice. I don’t know about the social issues in the city but I would like to know about them. What inspires you when writing your lyrics? Everything that affects me in life inspires me. I try to be super honest with everything I write. It’s something that I learned in art school – you should be a reflection of the things that surround you. In art, there is no room for being scared or afraid. I talk about everything. I talk about sex, parties, politics, religion… Everything. That’s the reason I am an artist. Otherwise, if you don’t portray all the things you are feeling, you are a businessman.

How did your family and friends impact your career? I come from a family that is really conscious about social issues, but also very into art. My dad is involved in social work so he is always helping others and aware of what’s happening around the world. Ever since I was a kid, he taught me about social and political issues. My mom is into the arts and she is a singer and actress. My family is very creative. My brothers and sisters are also in the fine arts. They are actors, singers and musicians. They critique my work a lot. I have eight brothers and sisters but I mainly listen to three of them because I can’t listen to everyone. They work with me and are very hard on me. They are my biggest fans and my biggest haters. What is your favorite song in your new album? All my songs are like sons for me. It’s impossible to select a favorite song because it’s like selecting a favorite son. I never do twenty songs and then select thirteen. I work on all of the songs until they are done. They are like your children… you stay with them until they go to college

and can be on their own. With music, it’s the same for me. I create a song and I stay with the song until it’s done. I think the whole album is precise. I was very anal-retentive because with every sound that I wanted, I went to the exact place to get it. I didn’t sample anything. If I wanted to have the pipe organ from “Interstellar”, I went to the same church and recorded with the same guy. How would you label your album, genre wise? My album is urban because I’m a rapper. It’s kind of Avant Gard world music because it’s from the world. It’s new rhythms and beats. I don’t know what genre the album is… it’s a mix of things. It is not a typical Latino album either… it is in Spanish but it also has other languages. I think it is Residente - that’s the genre. For this album, who was your target audience? I didn’t have a target audience, I never have. I just do my work without thinking about the people and what they want. Then if they like it, it’s okay and if they don’t like it, it’s okay too. I just do whatever I want to do. Because that’s another thing about art, if an artist is a slave to the taste of the

people, he/she is not an artist. You’re not being honest with yourself, you just want to satisfy someone else. Which country did you visit [on the album] which made the biggest impression on you personally? Every country was very important. The first country I visited was Russia. I went to Kizil, Tuva, which is on the border of Mongolia. It was great there because I had time to get to know myself better because when you’re in a forest, surrounded by trees and mountains, you start thinking deeper about yourself and questioning yourself. I was shooting a documentary in Armenia at the same time that there was war there. I met some of the refugees and it was hard on me to see what’s happening. One of the kids started to cry in front of me and that made me think about my son. Africa was amazing. It was very inspiring to see people with nothing have everything even though they didn’t have a lot of the things that we need on a regular day basis. China was incredible too. And huge. It’s full of people. I’ve never seen that many Chinese people at the same time. If you think about it, I was the one who stuck out.

SACCADES - S/T “A bright, sun-drenched psych pop reverie that places Saccades leagues above the rafts of diluted Tame Impala rip-off’s that loosely throw around the term” KALTBLUT Magazine

Nicholas Wood is a Berlin-based musician who’s best known for making up one half of the well-known synth pop/post punk duo, The KVB. During a break in The KVB’s busy touring schedule, Nick spent the summer of 2016 working on a solo album under the moniker of Saccades.