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SUPER SUPER

DALSTON, DISCO, CAMOUFLAGE & HMMMMMMMM! All the latest & greatest from the world of trends!

AMY STUDT

“I’ve always been a misfit!”

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SKEPTA Vs WILEY Rivals talk shop

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We pick’n’mix the BEST in style/music/celebrity/art/fun for YOU!

– are your friends really your friends?!

The Ultimate Guide to Goth in 2009 T Magic Egyptian HipHop Electroclash –the unseen photos Speech Debelle Wonky Pop #17 2009 £3.99

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SUPERCONTENTS

SUPER SLEBS

Wiley V Skepta 020 Rumble in the concrete jungle Amy Studt 040 The missing years as Jane Wails Kap Bambino 044 “we’re nothing like Crystal Castles”

SUPER STYLE

SEVEN SHADES OF MODERN GOTH 072 See anyone you recognise? MAKIN JAN MA 048 Exclusive interview w/ up’n’coming stars HENRY CONWAY SPEAKS OUT! 062 Need some sunnies advice? here you go!

WONKY POP 138 Apparently POP’s cool once again!!! Speech Debelle 144 Low down on the high flyer Reviews! SUPER new releases 150 Eminem / Sonic Youth / Telepathe

SUPER ART

Art or Party? 135 Is art just becoming an excuse for a knees up? Daniel Swan 134 – MIA’s Graphics Guy T MAGIC: Artist & entrepreneur 038

Dalston & Disco 012 All aboard the 149 for a boogie! Jogging Bottoms: The new skinnies 014 Feel that breeze between yyour legs Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm 024 So good it ain’t got a name yet ‘Scene’ 024 What’s the deal with that?! Camouflage 022 Get lost this summer! ELECTROCLASH REVIVAL? 074 Or maybe not – either way, we’ve tonnes of great unseen pics

SUPER NEWS

The Big Apple – literally 016 Green dreams in NYC FRIENDSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE 068 Are they really your friends? HOW TO BE A SLEB DJ! 034 Obviously helps if you’re a sleb first! HABBO MEETS SUPERSUPER 031 Look out for new online hook-up fun

hello SUPER ?

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SUPERSUPER #17 COVER: Art Direction SuperSteve, Model Josie Millar wearing jacket and headscarf by Horace, jewel print dress by McQ, sunglasses by Ad Hoc, bag by Armand Basi. Fashion Direction by Namalee Bolle, Photography by Billa, Hair by Akio Nishiyama, Hair Colourist Charlie Le Mindu, Make-up by Thomas De Kluyver using MAC, Stylist’s Assistant Hannah Balogun. Retouching by George McLeod

SUPER MUSIC

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thesupersuper.com

disco 12

Words by Dan Szor

“I’m dancing in outer space – which may well be the best place to be right now!”

Words by Dan Szor & SuperSteve

It’s all change in London Town as the shifting sands of culture are whipped up once again... Statement: “E8 is Great!” It’s official. The cultural reign of ‘the ditch’ [ie Shoreditch/Hoxton] is over. Or at least it is according to grown up UK and international media types (talian Vogue, Grazia, The Guardian, etc etc) who’ve been falling over themselves to proclaim how anyone with an ounce of credibility has jumped on the 149 bus up Kingsland Road and disembarked in Dalston. Yes Dalston, E8 is now for mainstream types officially the ‘coolest place’ in Britain. (Not a bad transition from an area once best known for its leper hospital and farm!). But why Dalston and why now? Well in order to answer this you must first take a look down into what ‘the ditch’ has become nowadays. In many ways a victim of its own success, it’s no longer home to struggling artists who sought solace in the area’s cheap rents and warehouse spaces in the early 90s. Around a decade and a half of gentrification has seen to that, and changed the area beyond recognition. Instead of turning the corner and bumping into a young YBA, you’re now more likely to bump into a drunken member of a stag party, probably dressed in an ill fitting spiderman outfit and ready to twat you because he thinks you look like a faggot. No, a once smug Shoreditch has succumbed to its own, selfinflicted liver damage, slipped on its own sick-lined streets and lost its avant garde crown. XXXcity boysXXX Dalston, conveniently situated 10 mins north of Shoreditch/Hoxton, sits either side of a busy thoroughfare, and for a long time was more a place to pass through on your way somewhere else rather than a destination in its own right. Just two miles yet a far cry from the troubled City of London, it’s a place of immense ethnic diversity. Waves of Jewish, Caribbean, Eastern European and Vietnamese immigration have all added to the mixed-up, almost mutated character of the area – a key draw for artists and young creatives seeking inspiration, and also a sense of living on the edge where anything can happen (will I make my fortune here or will I get stabbed as I pop down to the offy for a bag of crisps and a pint of K cider?!).

Apparently Albert Square in the BBC’s Eastenders is modelled on the area – originally to be filmed on location here, production was stopped due to safety issues(!). Dalston ain’t gonna win Britain in Bloom’s prestigious ‘Beautiful Area’ award, but if it were to enter ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ we’d place money on it to win – cos if it’s talent your after then this is the place to be: Gareth Pugh, Christopher Kane, Lightspeed Champion and the Klaxons are based here, to name but a few. Creative types have been going about their business in Dalston for a while, however. It was firstly the exodus of the best East End clubnights to the area, and latterly the opening of new venues – such as Dalston Superstore – that has really taken the area over the top. Where once the ditch was a place to go out and avoid the excessive security/bar prices/dark wood&big windows decor of West End bars n clubs, it has has now become precisely that, whilst Dalston – with its trapped-intime venues (obligatory mirrored ceiling, peeling wallpaper and disco lights) with corny 80s names (Passions, Visions and Passing Clouds to name a few), and promise of spontaneous house parties – is the perfect readymade antidote. With venues such as this, it’s no surpise that Dalston is almost like LDN’s spiritual home for the Disco revival that just seems to be going from strength to strength right now. Whilst it’s almost impossible for any Disco-inspired movement to be entirely without irony in places, for the most part this is absolutely not about kitsch, or flares, it’s about embracing the positivity and joyful exuberance of some amazing music, both from the original period (especially rare B-sides and obscure extended 12" megamixes) and from now, from Italo Disco (check the NY-based ‘Italians do it better’ label, for example) to disco-tinged remixes to the Cosmic side of things. Where’s it all heading? Well if its phenomenal recent growth is anything to go by, the appetite for escapist fun couldn’t be greater, so we may well soon see it becoming the sound du jour from Devon to Doncaster and beyond...

dalston

baggy is back & there ain’t no better attire for that louche lounging look!

Trend Statement: “Let it all hang lowwww, let it wobble to and fro”

Trend Info: We never thought we’d see the day, but frankly, we’ve gotta accept that skinny jeans are getting old. The Silhouette of indie cool is going through a phase of middle age spread. As the weather heats up and clothing becomes more about versatility than showing your humps it seems that skinnies are losing their crotch grabbing touch. Comfy boots and loose tops have become the way forward, so it’s not surprising that the bottom half has seen a makeover too. ‘Jogging bottoms as a fashion statement?!’ we hear late adopters cry – but guys, get with the times and accept that we were never gonna be skinny forever! From the shell suits of the 80s to the rudies of the 00s joggers have been around the block a few times, but only recently have they been accepted into the exclusive indie fold. Let loose and free your thighs. It may sound like a look that’s calling for getting lazy but really it’s the opposite – you’ll be less constricted and be able to do more. You’d be surprised how hot some plain black joggers can look…

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How to work the look: Think Aladdin meets MC Hammer. Pop down to your local Primark or Matalan for a pair of black jersey lace up ones – in our eyes these work the best. Alternatively scour the market stalls for the ‘hip hop’ inspired sort – although we must add, these are harder to pull off. Make sure your tie them up real high – just below your chest for optimum impact! Joggers can look great with most things – from plaid shirts to blazers with shoulder pads, the look will always look effortless. They’re comfy, cosy and cool… oh and you can run for the bus. Lifespan: Still early days for wider acceptance, but the skinny silhouette is undoubtably past its sell-by date and will inevitably be followed by a baggier one – we predict big tingz 4 joggerz!

Photography by Billa Model Samantha @ D1 Words by Vasilisa Forbes

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3 Main image (left): Vincent Callebaut Architects’ proposed Dragonfly project, NYC

Architecture words by Dan Szor Mrs O words by Namalee

Images above: Extensions to MOMA, New York, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel

The changing face of NYC?

thesupersuper.com

Defunct cranes tower above world cities as a haunting reminder of sound economic times. The noise of construction now just a mere echo as skeletal half-built structures bear no flesh and house no humans. Sounds bad, but wait a minute, there are ‘green shoots’ springing up in the minds of the more forward-thinking architectural practices and the councils and businesses that employ them.

for the city, thus cutting both the economic and environmental costs of transporting food to the inhabitants whilst allowing them to cultivate their own, right on their doorstep. Land restrictions and prices in world cities have previously meant that the idea of farming within an urban environment is not practical, yet to combat this the Dragonfly project stretches itself vertically, dwarfing the skyscrapers of nearby Manhattan, providing a new landmark that would become the true core (literally) of the Big Apple.

The fact that everything has slowed down does not mean the end, it just means that we’ve got some time to think. Instead of rushing in and allowing any old design to be built – which in hindsight will probably age just as fast as it took to build. It is no longer viable to construct identikit apartment blocks, with little thought for the future. The disposable age is over and only the more sound ecological and economical of designs are being considered. Less is more – and this will certainly be the case for architecture and town planning for the forseeable future.

Staying in New York, another building defying economic strife is the extension to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Situated next to the iconic MOMA building, the 75 storey building has been redisgned to 82 storeys, taking the building up from its original 350m height to over 400m. Why the increase? MOMA’s demand for gallery space due to the expansion of its art collection is a deciding factor, tied in with increased demand for luxury living within this part of town.

Vincent Callebaut Architects have come up with a concept that puts the above sentence into context. Believing that architecture can be a useful tool in encouraging environmental and social focus. The Dragonfly project, proposed for New York’s East River would provide a skyscraper with the unique job as acting as an urban farm – providing food

The design (pictured top right) received much criticism because it defied the usual New York skyscraper aesthetic. However, it’s definitely happening, so having a bit of faith and sticking to your guns can pay off in the end. Here’s to an exciting new phase where risks are still taken, but only the very best ideas prevail.

MRS O GOES AVANT GARDE!

She’s the first lady of fashion who boldly goes where no demure President’s wife has ever gone before. Let’s put our hands in the air for Michelle Obama and her oh sooo super day-glo wardrobe! Can you even imagine any previous President’s wife wearing the vivid reds and canary yellows of Mrs O’s super fashion landscape? And she has certainly put boring old Carla Bruni to shame in her conservative navy suits and unimaginative flats. (You’d never guess she used to be a top supermodel who went out with the likes of Mick Jagger would you?) Imagine how excited we were then when we received the news that our Michelle stepped out for The White House ‘music and poetry

evening’ wearing the hypermodern London based fashion label Basso and Brooke. The duo are best know for their head-to-toe digitally printed clothing. and as leaders of the pack they were the first to develop the revolutionary technique when they won the Fashion Fringe award way back in in 2004. Our grapevine squirrels tell us that Mrs Obama didn’t just do the regular sleb tactic of calling up her PR to get her mitts of the dress that she creatively fashioned as a top. Instead she walked into her favourite store, one where she’d previously purchased her other fave Brit designers dresses by Jonathan Saunders and Richard Nicoll – and bought it herself, like a true lady would!

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Words by Dominik E Riddler

SUPERTRENDS

www.adidas.com/uk/slvr

SPORT LUX 2 THE MAX!

TREND INFO: Sportswear got a facelift and it’s never looked prettier! It was conceptual designer Yohji Yamamoto, working with Adidas, who first endeavoured to bring a certain high-end spirit to sportswear awhile back with the Y-3 brand. Since then there’s been a long list of designers who’ve got in on the action, most recently Alexander McQueen for Puma, Jeremy Scott for Adidas and Aitor Throup for Umbro. Now, big brands are taking matters into their own hands and producing high-end pieces themselves with their in-house design teams. Adidas SLVR recently launched with its aim to create a ‘unique approach in craftsmanship’ with its sustainable materials and elegant silhouettes. Nike has also launched its more premium range that features deluxe leathers, high-tech jersey (that repels water, coz it’s so tightly woven!) and Nike’s techno flywire fabric’s arrival is still being felt. Big sport-brands are taking note that if there is a price-tag, we wanna be getting our money’s-worth!

thesupersuper.com

HOW TO WORK THE LOOK: By encompassing of all aspects of modern life, sportswear is now easy to ‘work’. Moving on from the days of eye-watering track-tops and pastel shellsuits, and the Lily Allen/prom dress/ Air Max days, formal occasions may call for an Adidas SLVR pair of velour-esque trousers and a night chillin’ in ya crib with the homies requires Nike’s leather sleeved varsity jackets. We’re just waiting for the day we see city-boys in a 3-piece Diadora suit. LIFESPAN: Its premium feel, its sophistication and its accessibility will drive this new age in affordable luxury sportswear.

All clothing by Adidas SLVR Photography by Jimmy Mould Styling by Thomas Sels Makeup by Kerrie Ann Murphy Model Ursula @ First Model Management

STATEMENT: “Luxury sportswear – not just a label”

adv_CX

Visit us at the Bread and Butter Berlin - 01-03 July 2009 - Hangar 1 booth S07.3

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Grime has been around for a few years still, and, after a few false starts, is finally getting crossover chart success. Wiley and Skepta have been big in the grime game since day, and are about to go head-to-head by releasing their LPs on the same day. Supersuper’s JP caught up with them to chat record sales, rivalry and grime in general... SUPERSUPER: The past twelve months have been a good look for Grime and the underground scene as whole, how do you feel the UK scene is looking now? WILEY: I feel finally we are getting somewhere, my little brother Tinchy has just gone to number 1 and I’m so happy for him, it’s been a long journey but now we are there and were going to stay here. SKEPTA: To be honest I think the music scene right now is the best it has ever been for young up and coming MCs/ artists. People like us have proved that having a good team with you pays off, and it’s starting to look like it’s not up to the majors anymore. If you’re a good MC/artist with good music and good videos you will prosper. I love being a London boy right now.

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SS: What is the best country you have played at, now that you’re on a Worldwide flex? W: You know, I’ve been all around the world, choosing one place is difficult; there’ve been too many good memories. S: Australia for me was the highlight of my career, it was good to go to a place that spoke the same language that I speak and they knew my lyrics and stuff. The weather was SUPERSUPER (laughs). I’m definitely going back there on a tour of my own very soon. SS: Do you think the UK people appreciate the talent that we have in the UK? W: Yeah but not enough, like in America they look after their artists properly but over here I can be walking down the road and some donut wants to chat shit in my ear and it isn’t like that in other places. S: Yeah definitely, like I said the UK is booming right now

and there are so many different types of spitters right now. Everyone is coming with there own style and flavour. Like Tempa T would say, “It’s Nice, It’s Nice.” SS: Could you ever see yourself doing an Estelle and going all American on us? W: It’s different for MCs but I’m versatile, I can work anywhere. S: I do want to try and take Grime over there for myself and for the youth of the UK and I would say that it is one of my dreams to have a big hit in the US, cos’ you only live once. SS: What has been your highest achievement in your music career so far? W: When ‘Wearing My Rolex’ went in at number 2. Next time I need to go 1 better! S: Erm, the highest achievement for me is getting to number 64 in the chart totally independently with ‘Sunglasses At Night’. When that happened I said to myself “Skepta you can do this” and it gave me the drive to do better and go for a better chart position next time. SS: You must be proud to see youngsters such as Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk doing big things like yourself? W: Yeah man they are my little brothers and I love seeing them up there now, it’s a great thing. S: Yep I’ve seen Chipmunk grow up and it’s an excellent example of what you can achieve if you have a good team with you, as well as being a good MC/artist. As for Tinchy, he deserves every good thing he gets because he has been working hard on the Grime circuit since the early Dizzee and Wiley days. He kept himself to himself, knuckled down and progressed. Bare respect for them 2 still. SS: You’ve experimented with different genres such as Electro and Funky House, what made you try this? W: Cos’ to be the biggest thing in this country you have to get your record on Radio 1 daytime and they are not ready to put Grime on there yet – tho hopefully one day... S: I believe that England is too small to focus on one genre

WILEY

of music. I produce music as well as MCing and I didn’t grow up listening to Grime, so naturally I take influences from a lot of different musicians. My advice to any artist that is going to vocal a track that is different to their norm would be, just remember to be yourself at all times, bring your own original vibe and leave your mark on the song, rather than changing your style to suit the song. SS: Let’s talk Funky House actually, it seems to be taking over at the moment, with almost every Grime and Dubstep DJ turning 100% Funky, what’s your thoughts on that scene as a whole? W: It’s the in ting right now and to be honest it reminds me of the Garage days when we first started listening to it back in the day. The gyal dem love it so it can’t be a bad thing. S: Any music that makes you dance is going to win, because Grime started to get half step and darker, the girls couldn’t dance to it anymore. There wasn’t anymore ‘Eskimo’, ‘D.T.I’ or ‘I Love You’ type tracks being made and Funky House is the new dancing music for everyone no matter where you’re from. Now MCs are partying to Funky House and getting a vibe, hence the new Funky House vocals by the likes of us, Gracious K, K.I.G and so on. SS: You have an album coming out on June 1st and you will be going up against your fellow friend and crew member in Grime, why didn’t you just release it on different dates so you didn’t clash? W: Haha! Cos’ my brother Skepta thinks he’s the king and so do I, so on June 1st we’ll see who is the king of kings! S: We have been going on and on about who is better for the best part of a year now and to be honest I think Wiley is one of the best artists in the World, he reminds me of an Adenuga [laughs]. He can DJ, he can produce any genre of music and make it sound good, he can sing in key and he can MC heavy as well. He was a recognised artist before me and I feel for me to be the best I need to get past him and only him. Dizzee, D Double E, JME, Jammer, Footsie and Kano have a say in this too but I don’t think they care at the moment.

Photography by Tim & Barry Interview by Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

SKEPTA

Wiley’s ‘Race Against Time’ and Skepta’s ‘Microphone Champion’ albums are out the first week of June

SUPERTRENDS

who is the king of grime?

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Photography by Billa Words by Emma Dilemma

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CAMO RETURNZ thesupersuper.com

YES,YES – MORE ‘HARD TIMES CHIC’ ON THE HORIZON!

Statement: “Let’s get Militant, Militant!” Trend Info: Camouflage’s history goes back 21 million years to the dawn of time. The word, translated from the French “Camoufler” means “to blind or veil.” It has always been a mechanism of survival; from the animal kingdom to military operations; leading soldiers through perilous battle under the disguise of a leafy shrub or desert rock. It then resurfaced in the 1990s in the form of All Saint’s combat trousers on Top of the Pops. After ducking out with The Spice Girls, none of us over the age of 21 remember seeing it since. That is, until now. We don’t know why the country has decided to go all militant on our ass – maybe it’s something to do with the new spirit of protest that’s in the air? While anarchists prefer the black hooded/scarf

combo, us moderates prefer to make a bit more of an effort. Let’s look like we mean business! How to work the look: There’s nothing wrong with dressing head-to-toe in camo but you might end up looking like you work in Dr Evil’s underground lair. A few of the high street shops might try and fob you off with some kind of glittery baby-pink camo pattern – do not let them sell it to you! The more realistic the pattern; the better. No need to go splashing out 5000 Euros on a Christian Dior one-shoulder dress either – practicality is the key. You should be able to move as fast as Jack Bauer. With the money you save, you can buy some binoculars to survey the area (or the queue in Primark) – just don’t go and get yourself arrested! LIFESPAN: CAMO 4 EVA!!!

SUPERTRENDS

HMMMMMMMMM

‘HMMMMMMM’ words by Dan Szor, photographs courtesy of, and featuring, SALEM

‘Scene’ words by Billy iDle

Can you feel it? Can you hear it? Like a distant army marching ominously towards you, in bedrooms and rehearsal spaces across continents, there is a new sound, a new mood emerging. Dark brooding synths and slowed down tempos, austere yet enveloping, cold yet warm, dark yet hopeful, sparse yet emotive. As yet unnamed, not yet fully formed, the sound is that of a huge, primal beast, slowly emerging from the depths of the earth from a years-long slumber. We’re calling it ‘HMMMMMM’ (uttered in a low voice), not ‘officially’, just conversationally, as a marker, a working title. Make no mistake, these are early days yet. Bands such as SALEM, from North America, and The Big Pink and Ulterior in the UK, are at its core, if it even makes sense to look for a core yet, but others too are starting to lean in this direction, taking inspiration from late 80s bands such as The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, with their reverbstrewn, distorted guitars, distorted vocals. Another key factor in the sound is a sense of space, of restraint, of what’s not there being almost important as what is. Patrik North, who runs the Canada-based label ‘Acephale’ records, home to bands such as SALEM and CFCF, explains it thus: “The whole reason you’re seeing this trend over here, and why I started working with SALEM, is because the forward thinking world has started to turn on the celebration culture we’ve enjoyed for the last 20 years. For many, the rave is now over. The free world is having a collective comedown. Personally I think things are going to get a lot worse, but bands like SALEM, who may on first listen sound down, actually offer glimpses of euphoria and light – this is sound of what is to come. This new sound is able to delve deep enough into the chasms of pain so much so that the listener almost comes out the other side. It’s a invigorating feeling that can crush and thrill at the same time.”

“scene” STATEMENT: The concept of being ‘scene’ was deThe concept of being ‘scene’ was de

SALEM: myspace.com/jjhhmm www.acephalerecords.com myspace.com/musicfromthebigpink

TREND INFO: It seems like everyone is casually dropping the word ‘scene’ into convos these days. From ‘Barber, I’d like my hair to be given a scene cut today plz’ to ‘OMG that party/boy/girl/antelope was way too sceney’, the word has become something of a catch-all term to describe certain general characteristics. The concept of being ‘scene’ was developed through an evolution in scenester-ism which birthed a generation who didn’t require a specific cultural backdrop or musical movement against which to define themselves. This group has no specific allegiance or

loyalty. Instead they wholeheartedly embrace the transient essence of trends, fashions and musical movements, the ruling principle of anything ‘scene’ being ‘cool for cool’s sake’. How to Work The Look: Since trends are in a constant state of flux it’s difficult to pin down one clearly defineable ‘scene’ look. Previously emo-esque chopped and feathered myspazz hair cuts were de rigeur for any self respecting scene kid, along with uber skinny jeans and checked shirts. These days however you’re far more likely to find them dipped head to toe in the ethically sound, pseudo sportswear garmz of a certain

US clothing company (whose initials are the same the biggest automobile recovery service that isn’t the RAC). Being scene isn’t just an aesthetic tho, it’s also a state of mind. Plz note: As with terms like hipster or fashionista it’s important to remember that anybody or anything who readily befits the definition wouldn’t be ‘scene’ dead describing themselves as such! Lifespan: The ‘scene’ aesthetic seems to be infiltrating the mainstream at a rate of knots, and can therefore only sustain itself as a byword for alternative subculture for so long before something else takes its place!

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Words and photography by Sian Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell

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y t s m a f x O

Statement: “Whose label is it anyway?” Trend Info: Remember when charity shops were a no-go area. A place to avoid like the plague, where only the weird art crowd would consume such luxuries of holey socks and old teachers’ blazers from. Swap the word charity to ‘vintage’ and suddenly everyone cannot get enough of second-hand clothing. Apart from the bargain prices and nice old ladies with cups of tea, the best part of charity shop clothes are the silly and bizarre labels that come sewn into the seam. Non-entity brands are now the epitome of cool, so much so that they have become ‘The Label’ to own. Ironic or what! ‘Avocado’ will soon be as popular as McQueen and Miu Miu, with people racing into Oxfam and ravaging anything labelled with the fruit on. Like a scene from 28 Days Later but with green mush. Perhaps unfamiliar to us, but these labels are established in their own right and already loved by someone, excluding their old dears. From ‘Fanny Lam’ and ‘Ginger Tree’ being massive in Australia, to ‘Sticky Fingers’ (that you get after Fanny Lam, apparently) who have been going strong since the 1930s. This trend is about having an open mind and embracing clothes that have been abandoned by their previous owners. Only then will you discover the most random of names dancing on your skin. How to work the look: If you really want to impress your mates then you have to get your hands on anything from the latest ‘Curry Knits’ range. They really are the forerunners for this trend. Match a king prawn bhoona sweater with the exclusive onion bhaji bobbled scarf, madras bell bottoms and pilaf rice tank top. Finished off with a quick squirt of vindaloo eau du toilette and you will instantly be ahead of the pack. Just remember, the ring of fire will most definitely be set alight with this trend so stay clear of any suspicious orange stains lurking around the crotch area. Lifespan: Forever as everyone grows old! It’s likely these clothes have been around for centuries anyway, but this trend will unite the youth and elders by getting them to agree… unknown labels rock! Whilst the young and stylish are just picking up on the trend, the retired wrinklys have been wearing these labels for years…. open your Nan’s wardrobe and her Fanny Lam will be hanging out for you all to see.

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DESIGNER LABELS le

SUPER SUPER

ISSUE #17 CONTRIBUTORS

FOUNDERS SuperSteve & Namalee CREATIVE & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR SuperSteve steve@thesupersuper.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Namalee namalee@thesupersuper.com ART DIRECTOR Dan Szor dan@thesupersuper.com EDITOR Emma Davies emma@thesupersuper.com FEATURES EDITOR Will Wright will@thesupersuper.com

Alis Pelleschi

Alis, Alis, who the f*@+ is Alis?– well, if you’d let me speak I’ll tell you. We first met Alis last year when she escaped on the last train out of the Black Country (the Midlands) and straight into our hearts. She takes ace photos, dresses up in various disguises and has a perverse fetish for senior style. This lil lady’s going places. Take a look at this issue’s ‘Get My Look’ and check out alispelleschi.com for a glimpse into her weird and wonderful world.

FASHION DIRECTOR Hope Von Joel hope@thesupersuper.com ASSISTANT TO FASHION DIRECTOR Kate Kearney kate@thesupersuper.com BEAUTY EDITOR Laurie Hadleigh laurie@thesupersuper.com FASHION NEWS EDITOR Dominik E Riddler dom@thesupersuper.com HAIR DIRECTOR Charlie Le Mindu charlie@thesupersuper.com DESIGNER Chris Pollard design@thesupersuper.com CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITORS fashion@thesupersuper.com Basso and Brooke, Thomas Sels

Billa

BILLA, BILLA, BILLA we hear the masses chant – that’s because they all want a now almost obligatory ‘billa pic’. One can find Billa loitering around the seediest of discos, with his Midas flash that can make even the worse-for-wear scenester look like one of the beautiful people (not always an easy task!). We must also say an enormous ‘thank you’ to Billa, who is one of the most most integral people involved in this magazine, and has been since wayyy back. He’s all over this issue, as usual, from the cover to the clubs pages at the back.

CONTRIBUTING MUSIC EDITORS music@thesupersuper.com Billy iDle, Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson EDITORIAL editorial@thesupersuper.com Loukia Constantinou, Vasilisa Forbes ARTS EDITOR Nicky Carvell nicky@thesupersuper.com CLUBS EDITOR JP jp@thesupersuper.com FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Jessica Harvey jess@thesupersuper.com SCREEN EDITOR Shirani shirani@thesupersuper.com

Loukia Constantinou

What can one say about Loukia. We’ve got a lot of respect for the girl after single-handedly teaching herself the entire history of electroclash (see feature on page 74). Last issue she memorised the entire back catalogue of P-Funk – is there nothing this lady can’t do! Check out her blog (Loukiac.blogspot.com) and find out why she likes chocolate willies and crockery purchased in Essex!

GAMES EDITOR Jayga Rayn games@thesupersuper.com INTERNS Salome Maguire, Sian O’Donnell ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Michelle Bryant michelle@thesupersuper.com +44 (0) 203 004 9770 AGENCY DIRECTOR Karen Fischer karen@thesupersuper.com +44 (0) 203 004 9770 PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Luc Le Corre luc@thesupersuper.com +44 (0) 203 004 9770 PUBLISHERS Luc Le Corre, Steve Slocombe, Namalee Bolle

SUPERSUPER 2nd Floor 182 Commercial Road London E1 2YJ United Kingdom Editorial: +44 (0) 203 002 07923 Commercial: +44 (0) 203 004 9770 General Enquiries: info@thesupersuper.com www.thesupersuper.com www.supersuper.tv facebook: supersuper myspace.com/thesupersuper youtube.com/supersupermagazine

SUPERSUPER Magazine is published 6 times per year by SuperSuper Ltd, Registered Company No 6035756. ISSN 1750-0648. Printing By PCP www.pcpltd.net Distribution by COMAG www.comag.co.uk © SUPERSUPER 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publishers. The view expressed in SUPERSUPER are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by SuperSuper Ltd and its staff and therefore these parties cannot be held responsible for them. All unsolicited material submitted for publication must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope if it is to be returned. SuperSuper Ltd do not accept any liability for material lost or any unsolicited material whatsoever.

Sian O’Donnell

On the first day Sian came to the SUPERSUPER office there was a flood. Was this a test of endurance on our part perhaps? Or was it just a careless mistake involving a tap, a kettle and a youtube dance?! Either way, she’s stuck around and became a vital member of the team throughout this issue. In true SUPERSUPER stylee we gave this aspiring fashion journalist no jobs involving fashion – and she proved she could do just about anything – she’s even a dab hand with the vacuum cleaner, lol SUPERSUPER CONTRIBUTORS Billa, Rebecca Pearson, Tim & Barry, Slinky Sunbeam, Paul Babycakes, Charlie Le Mindu, Jamie E-17, Megumi Matsuno, Amarpaul Kalirai, Chantelle Fiddy, Akio, Natalie ‘Esqueezy’ Esquire, The Murkage Cartel, Perez Hilton, Fiona Cartledge, Fraser Clarke, Jobot, Rat Scabies, Alexis Panayioutou, Neil Bennett, Daniel Stacey, Rebecca & Mike, Mark Moore, Alice Costelloe, KYM, Little Richard, Kayti Peschke, Kuni, Prof Julian Roberts, Tobias Jones, Motohiko Hasui, K-Tron, Dejan, The 3rd Earl of Kent, Ai, Robin Bharaj, One Time, Karen Potter aka Handsome Dan, Kiki Hitomi, Neon Skullz, Katy Fancyfox, Sofi Donuts, Dan Glass, Pochomkin, Jack De Havas, Hayley Betts, Nasplasha, Davey Tyler, Simon Smallbone, Melanie Szabo, Dean Varoj, Jasoll Ell, Jose Quijano, Laura Dominique, Julia Kennedy, Kenneth So, Claire Rothstein, Sophia Melot, Karen Savage, The Cobra Snake, Kyle Ross, Kara, Henry Conway, Neemo, Andrew Berry, Thomas De Kluyver, Dave Purgas, Alicia Samuels, Carli Forrest, David Richardson, Kabir, Jimmy Mould, Patrik North, Danielle Scott-Houghton, Gabriel Bisset-Smith, George McLeod

get in touch via myspace.com/ thesupersuper or email us at: letters@thesupersuper.com

. . . r e p u s r dear supe Stefan answers your questions!

Dear SUPERSUPER I, like much of the population of this sceptred isle have recently become obsessed with this year’s series of the Apprentice. The idea of working for a man of such stature as Sir Alan ‘Amstrad’ Sugar makes me go weak at the knees. Every time I catch a flash of his silver, almost Craig Davidesque hair the lyrics to the 1996 tribal classic by CJ Bolland ‘Sugar is Sweeter’ overcome me... ‘Sugar daddy set me free, sugar daddy come for me’. Over and over they repeat in my head until finally, he lifts his right hand, outstretches his fingers and barks those immortal words – ‘you’re fired’. Anyway SUPERSUPER, in order for me to ever get a chance of getting onto the Apprentice I thought I’d have to show some business initiative early on. I’m thinking of going into the rag trade, but more down the t-shirt route like your friend Paul Babycakes. Have you got any tips for an aspiring businessman? Any help would be mostly appreciated. Craig from Halifax Hey Craig. Wow, seems like you got a bit of a thing going on there for Sir Sugar – just don’t let it go too far! I know someone who became obsessed with Anne Robinson and the Weakest Link, and they’re now in Broadmoor high security prison. Turns out the weakest link was actually them – it took 37 police officers, a KFC family bucket and Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall to finally coax them down. I still get nightmares. Anyway. You wanna get into the rag trade do you son? Going down the t-shirt route is a good way to start off. If you’ve got a good imagination, good designs and a lot of perseverance then you’re half way there. Check out our interview with another entrepreneurial friend of ours, T Magic, in this issue – I’m sure you’ll get a load of tips from that. As for Sir Alan, I just don’t get why everyone likes him so much – when was the last time you used an Amstrad? You can get a knighthood for anything these days. Whatever next, Sir Sausage Roll? It beggars belief.

Hair Raising Bonjour SUPERSUPER! I’ve got a small bone to pick with you – and it’s not a herring bone! After reading last issue’s Hair styling makeover I thought I’d give it a go. Six hours and six cans of hairspray later I found myself in a slight quandry – instead of looking like Charlie Le Mindu’s promise of Crimp Dracula, my hair resembled something more like a

cross between Sugar Loaf Mountain and the right side of Gail Porters rather naked head. Ok, maybe I’m no Vidal Sassoon, but I followed the guide step by step – I just don’t know what went wrong. What makes it worse though is that after several washes and my mum having a go at sorting it out with a brillo pad, I just can’t get my hair back to normal – and I’ve got a date tomorrow with someone I met on Facebook. What am I gonna do? They’ve seen my pics so what are they gonna think when I turn up looking like this! Please help me out SUPERSUPER, if not I might have to get the lawyers involved! Harriet from Devon Hey Harriet. We understand your predicament but frankly there’s nothing we can do. You say you followed the guide step by step, but if you had then you wouldn’t be in this mess – you must have got a bit confused somewhere down the line. I’m no hairstylist either but by the sound of it you might’ve used a sandwich toaster instead of crimpers?! Don’t worry though, I’ve done the same before. They’re quite hard to clean, and you’re always gonna be left with a little bit of cheese in there, which, if it comes into contact with hair, can have devastating effects – I was followed around by wasps for months after my incident. And have you actually thought that maybe the Sugar Loaf Mountain will catch on? As for your date, if they don’t love you for who you are then they ain’t worth keepin’. If you’re that bothered, why not wear a fancy hat – maybe your mum’s got a nice wedding hat you could borrow?!

Rock the mic psych Dear SUPERSUPER I’m writing to you to congratulate you on your brilliant coverage of this psychedelic wave that seems to be on the verge of flooding every crevis of British society – even my mum was talking about taking a trip the other day. Actually in hindsight, maybe she was just talking about her day out at Chester Zoo with the Women’s Brigade, but it all sounded exciting anyway. I love the fact that people are gradually starting to think outside the box both in terms of how they express themselves, the art they make and just the way in which we treat each other. The world ain’t black and white, so let’s keep it that way. Look at The Horrors going of on a krautrock tip, even Lady Gaga’s got something weird going on. These are exciting times indeed – shame it took a recession to make it happen. Adrian from Merseyside

Yo Adrian [said in that Rocky style accent], how the devil are you? How’s life on Merseyside? Merseyside has a great tradition of psychedelia, especially in the post punk early 80s when you had the likes of the Teardrop Explodes and Echo and the Bunnymen turning on, tuning in, although not dropping out, but striving forward (Sorry Timothy Leary, but dropping out ain’t an option anymore). This psychedelic thing isn’t just a cool pastiche of old hippy values or a cool drug reference – it means more than that this time. Never before have we been in such a position of power and knowledge, both scientifically but also as humans over the actions we take. We have the power to save the world, travel into space, mess about with the fabric of life and time itself. Maybe psychedelia is an outdated word as it can suggest something quite introverted and self-centred. In our eyes today’s idea of psychedelia is of collective thought and respect – that way those introverted, almost selfish dreams we have may one day be one step closer to coming true. Peace Man. X Herb, Rhode Island

**** Obituary **** Sinbad the Super Sloth (1867-2009) It comes with great sadness that I have to announce the untimely passing of Sinbad. Although Sinbad is still officially classed as missing, a decision has been made by his close relatives, co -workers and the wider Sloth community to officially declare his passing. Sinbad was last sighted in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year, wandering off into the jungle in his trademark panama hat, cane and satchel. It is not known what he was up to or what was on his mind at the time. What we do know is that he was under a great deal of stress and in a very fragile state of mind. He’d always had a problem with gambling but this did not take away from the fact that he was a brilliant storyteller, orator and juggler. It is understood that at the time of his last sighting he was heavily in debt and was on a wanted list in several countries for tax evasion and fraud (we apologise now for anyone who got involved in that fateful pyramid scheme he set up, may you find some consolation in the knowledge that you were not alone). Several doomed rescue missions were launched by the Congalese government and an elite Sloth Task Force, but escalating violence in the region and the acute slowness of a sloth-led task force meant that they had to be called off. Lest we forget, that although troubled, Sinbad was still an honourable sloth. I

spent many a night with him down his local tavern where he filled me in on his exploits. I’ll never forget the time he told me the tale of when him, Pablo Picasso and Shirley Bassey got marooned just off Gibraltar after a Banana Boat accident – apparently, that was the true inspiration for Picassos most famous work, ‘Guernica’. Sinbad was an inspiration to us all. May we all join our furry three-fingered paws together and pray, in a moment’s silence, for the soul of Sinbad the Super Sloth. Amen. Rabbi Gary Slothstein.

Sister Acting up Yo SUPERSUPER! Guess where I just got back from, yep that’s right, I just came back from the theatre where I beheld the sight of Sister Act the musical. Frankly though, I was rather disappointed. They didn’t play any of the original songs from the film. There was no ‘My God’, no ‘I will follow him’, no ‘Inta Marata inta marata’ – I came out of there in tears! For years I’d longed to behold the sight of a choir of nuns singing Motown melodies with such pride and conviction... yet I came out feeling robbed. Do you have any inside knowledge as to why this atrocity was allowed to take place? It’s like going to watch Grease only to find that that it wasn’t really Grease, but that someone had made a typo on the posters and you actually went and witnessed a light hearted monologue about the trials and tribulations of Canadian Geese (I’m thinking it would be a bit like Seinfeld, but that’s a different story). What are your thoughts, SUPERSUPER? Leonardo de Calva – A foreign exchange Student from Chile residing in London Hey Leonardo. How you finding London life? Believe me I share your disgust. SUPERSUPER joined forces with the original cast a few months back for a charity ball to raise money to boycott the production – but it was just too late. I tell you now Whoopi (Sister Mary Clarence) would be turning in her grave if she were in fact dead. My life, like yours, changed completely after watching that film – it was like an audio/visual trip to Lourdes from the comfort of your armchair on a Sunday afternoon. Don’t worry though, that charity event was not in vain. This is all a bit hush hush, but there were rumours of a third instalment of the film, Sister Act Trinity – Old Habits Die Hard. Apparently it’s gonna be massive, but let’s keep it to ourselves, we don’t want that Andrew Lloyd Webber getting his greedy talons anywhere near this one. This one’s for us Leonardo!

thesupersuper.com

TEE TROUBLE

Paul Smith Le Book London 2009

The deﬁnitive reference for Fashion, Photography, Illustration, Advertising Production and Events www.lebook.com CONNECTIONS is the place to ﬁnd talent for all your campaigns, editorials, catalogs and other visual productions NEW YORK — JUNE 17 & 18, 2009 CHELSEA ART MUSEUM Register now! www.lebook.com/connections LE BOOK is also excited to announce the addition of BERLIN to the international LE BOOK and CONNECTIONS network. Art direction and Design by Tom Hingston Studio Photography by Graeme Montgomery

LONDON 2009

SUPERNEWZ! Going Up!

On JULY 3RD at the swanky Reebok Lounge in Shoreditch, LDN, Reebok are launching their latest Freestyle shoe with an exhibition and Reebok party in collaboration with SUPERSUPER’s very own Namalee. Namalee is one of 6 global representatives chosen by Reebok to create artwork inspired by the iconic Freestyle shoe (pictured above right). The event will feature artworks by all 6 artists, and on the night there will be DJs and music (including a live performance by Namalee), and plenty of free drinks, which is always nice. Put the date in your diary (entry is free to all) and look out for further msgs from us online about it v v soon.

‘Chicken: Low Art, High Calorie’, is by Siaron Hughes, pub. by Mark Batty/ Thames & Hudson markbattypublishing.com thamesandhudson.com

presents...

FREESTYLIST!

THE CHICKEN BOOK

Easily the best book, like, ever (apart from the odd bit of Tolstoy, perhaps); this new tome simply covers all things Chicken, from the graphics to the shops to the people who work in them. Amazing!

BEING BONKERS

As you may have realised, we’ve been on a bonkers tip for time – now, thanks to Dizzee (b2b #1s – woi oi!) it seems the rest of the world might be slowly catching on

THE MACBETH

Great venue, lovely staff, top bands – this ‘undiscovered’ Hoxton boozer is now increasingly playing host to the Sienna Miller/Alice Dellal set

jodie harsh does matter!

Image courtesy of the artist and

Jodie Harsh’s Circus is putting on a bit of R. Rock Enterprises an extravaganza of a party to coincide with this year’s Pride festival. Happening on July 4th at LDN’s Matter club (which you must check out if you haven’t already) it features a supersuperspecial guest appearance from Siouxsie (Soux, of Banshees fame, above left), VV Brown, Frankmusik and more. Check matterlondon.com or thisiscircus.com for info.

Taki 183 was arguably the world’s first ever graf artist wayyy back in the day (1960s/70s), tagging his native New York streets and spawning, well, everything that graf has become today. This month sees the launch of www.taki183.net which has prints for sale, info, etc. Props due & well worth a look

HABBO LOVE!

SUPERSUPER are teaming up with online social network for teens, Habbo, to create an exclusive SUPERSUPER space in Habbo world. The space will be the focal point for tonnes of snazzy style’n’music-related activity throughout the course of the next twelve months such as catwalk shows, sleb guests, competitions and more. Launching this summer, keep your eyes peeled for more info, or visit www.habbo.com

SLASHED TIGHTS

Already starting to do big things, the onset of summer will prob take them over the top. Fun for girls to wear and boys to stare!

PROPER HAIRCUTS

Fix up look sharp! Face the future with renewed purpose, discipline and focus, all for £4.99 at yer local barbers

INDIGNATION

MPs expenses, police violence, banker’s bonuses, surveillance society, lack of jobs – time we started to get just a li’l bit angry, no?

DONTWATCHTHAT.TV

The hot new online TV channel from Tim & Barry, featuring JCDC, SPTV, PAR TV and more

senior style The good folk of BRADFORD, UK Photographed by Alis Pelleschi

d n e ri

f w o

re a ly

1. If you lend a friend some money you.... a) Ask them to pay it back whenever it suits them if at all, what’s money between friends b) Never ask for it back, but tell everyone that the person you lent it to had just mugged you. c) Start rolling around on the floor laughing at the fact that your friend needs financial help. 2.You and a friend are attending a buffet and there’s one scotch egg left.You both have a penchant for scotch eggs and your both really want it. Do you... a) Let your mate have it, for you’ll one day be surrounded by a million scotch eggs in heaven. b) Snatch the scotch egg from the plate and put it down your pants so that no one can have it now. c) Just as your friends reaching for the scotch egg, stab their hand with a knife pinning them down to the table and then forcing them to slowly watch as you erotically digest the scotch egg while they scream in agony. 3. It’s the night of the School Disco. Everyone’s excited about it...only problem is, you and your friend turn up wearing the same item of clothing, an orange puffa jacket with the words MICHIGAN embossed across the back. What do you do? a) Hahaha its so funny that you turned up wearing the same clothes, lets make a joke about it and enjoy the night. b) Force them to take it off - you aint letting them steal your thunder. c) Take yours off and destroy it - then start laying into your friend calling him the ‘Michigan Man’ goading him and starting a chant in which the whole school joins in.Your friend is then found hung three hours later. 4.You really like going to ‘Wimpy’ for a burger but your friend is vegan. Do you... a) Go to that lovely little vegan bistro down the road and politely chomp into some tofu even though you can’t digest it. b) Force them to watch as you eat a burger while the juice drips down your mouth. c) Tell them that you’ve planned a day out at a special organic farm prided on the way it looks after its animals – it’s really a slaughter house. 5. It’s the 13th of July 1985, the Day of Live Aid. You and your friends have got to tickets to this once in a lifetime event. Unfortunately, 3 hours before your about to go, your friend receives some news about a close family bereavement. What do you do? a) Offer to stick by your friend through thick and thin and sell your ticket as it wont be the same without them. b) Watch it with them on telly, but secretly deep down feel really disappointed your not there. c) Drive past their house really slowly on the way to Wembley making the driver to

YOU?

beep the horn repeatedly, with you standing up through the sunroof whilst Queens ‘radio gaga’ blasts out at full volume while you chant ‘All we hear is [clap, clap] Radio Gaga [clap, clap]’ just to rub it in. 6. A friend in need is.... a) A friend indeed b) No friend of mine c) A laughing stock

7.Your friend wins the holiday of a lifetime and invites you with them. Unfortunately you can’t go so they invite someone else. Do you a) That’s fine, you couldn’t go so your happy that someone else will have the chance. b) Not speak to your friend for two weeks as your really bitter c) Wait till the morning of their departure then anonymously ring up Anti Terrorism Police saying you have information regarding your friend and a suspected bomb plot.Your friend is not scene again for a couple of years until he returns after a two year stint at Guantanamo Bay. 8. To you, friendship is... a) The coming together of two kindred spirits with a shared interest in each other goals and ambitions. b) Something you have so you don’t look lonely c) A tool you use to climb the social ladder of life. Once they’re no longer useful, you get rid! 9. “We’re all angels with one wing left, the only way we can fly is by embracing each other”. Do you agree? a) I think that’s beautiful b) I don’t believe in angels c) All my friends are fat. Even if we were angels those fat buggers would never leave the ground. 10. It’s your birthday and you’re really excited about what presents you’re going to get.You know that your friend’s going through a rough patch at the moment and has already warned you that they cannot afford to buy you a present, but has made something for you instead. a) Tell them it’s fine, you’re just happy that they’re there on your birthday. b) Spare you and them the embarrassment, so arrange to collect the present off them at a later date. c) Cut all contact with that person.You don’t do poor! If you chose mostly answers a) then your one of the friendliest, selfless people on earth....hmm your first name doesn’t start with a J and end in an S does it...and i don’t mean James? If you chose mostly answers b) then your actually pretty human.Yeah we do have to think about ourselves, but sometimes its nice to think of others too. If you chose mostly answers c) then...we don’t know what to say.Why do you read this magazine? Close the mag and just get out of our sight...you probably don’t care anyway!

Quiz by Dan Szor Sleb DJ words by Loukia Constantinou

SUPERQUi Z

HOW TO:

BE A SLEB DJ! Celebrities from the likes of Lesbo Lindsay Lohan to Kooky Kelly Osbourne are the latest from Slebland to grace the decks and DJ booths in nightclubs far and wide. They are often to be found in their coolest garms, coolly attempting to be extra-cool DJs and showing us their “sick” spinning skills. But what must one do to become one of these “sick” sleb DJ’s overnight? Read on! . . . (N.B. The use of the term “sick” here, can be defined in whichever context the reader deems appropriate).

1) BE A CELEBRITY - Firstly you have to be slightly famous.You must be sufficiently famous for people to know your name and therefore might want to come and see you play, but obviously not famous enough that you don’t need to be a guest DJ in a swanky club in order to gain more publicity. 2) HAVE SLEB FRIENDS - So this one might be a given because most of the time slebs are only friends with slebs anyway. However there is nothing like having a model/actor friend partying in the nightclub where you’re playing. The pap shots will be twice as career nourishing if a fellow skinny drunk sleb is falling out of the club with you after your set. 3) BE EXTREMELY COOL - Or at least display some kind of desperation to be cool. Chance are you will be DJing to a crowd of such cool people like yourself so if you’re up for a bit of hosting show your cool side by using foul language and funky phrases to get the crowd going. 4) HAVE ACCESS TO AN iTUNES LIBRARY - And an ipod. In case you remember when you get there that in fact you’re really an actor or singer and don’t have the slightest clue how to match beats and blend rhythms. Find out what tunes people are in LOVE with and pack them onto your ipod. For the win! 5) JUST FEEL LIKE BEING A DJ INNITTT…… - Let’s be honest. It doesn’t take much to be a celebrity anything these days. If you’re “famous” you can be whatever you want to be. An actor, singer, producer, writer, columnist, a DJ or ALL of the above, ALL at once. However bad or good you might be it doesn’t matter anyway because people will react. I mean flippineck… Even I’m writing about it aren’t I?!

LISTEN

thesupersuper.com

If you want to

“

Portrait by David Richardson

Kap Bambino

then listen.

We don’t care if you do or don’t!

ino

apbamb

e.com/k myspac SuperSuper: So Kap Bambino... how are you? Kap Bambino: Good thanks! SS: You’ve just come back from your US tour. How was that? KB: It was really, really intense! We played Chicago and New York and South by South West in Austin. SS: How did you go down at South by South West? KB: It was amazing and strange at the same time… we didn’t expect so many fans! SS: As you’re travelling around a lot, do you feel like you have not really got a home – like international gypsies?! KB: [laughs] A little bit yes! But we really enjoy it… and anyway, we’ve actually got a little bit of gypsy in us!! SS: OK! What’s your favourite place in the world… EVER? KB: [Orion] Chicago, maybe. [Caroline] Well for me… Mexico. SS: How did you get involved with The Fashion Ramone [Japanese club collective]? KB: It was two years ago and they just got in touch with us on Myspace and were like; “Hey, we really want to get you in Japan, we’re promoters... can we ring you and will you be able to come?” And we were like, “Yeah! Of course!”. SS: How long have you been playing together for? KB: Together? About 5 years. SS: Quite a long time – so are you friends from school? KB: [laughs] You might not believe it but we met 8 years ago. When we met, we decided really quickly to do music. Together we created our own label called ‘wwilko’. Three years later I tried to sing on his music but he was not really up for it! [laughs] – but after we did our first live show we realised we had a really cool thing going on so we decided to continue... the

rest is history! SS: When you play live you go mental Caroline… where do you get the energy from? KB: The music of course! I’m crazy anyway, I was born overactive! We don’t do dress rehersals – we just go on and explode from the first track – the music gets us high. SS: As you’re always on tour, when do you get the chance to practice or have any form of normal life? KB: Every time we go back to our hotel, or have 24hrs off. From week to week, we’re working, that’s just how it is. When it actually comes to laying down the music, we wait till we’re back home – god knows how you can make music on a train. SS: Yeah I chuckle when you see people on trains with their headphones on, laptop open, making a vain attempt at dubstep for all to see. KB: Well we need to have an exceptional space to create music. At home we do music in our bedroom. There are full ashtrays and empty beer cans everywhere! We play the music really loud and then the neighbours play the music really loud, so we play it louder, it’s all cool!! [laughs] In this environment we do music everyday. SS: Do you ever get in trouble? KB: No. No! SS: Your lucky I’m always getting into trouble for playing my music too loud. So where in France are you from? KB: Bordeaux – I worked with my best friend [sleb snipper Charlie Le Mindu] as a hairdresser for 6 years before I stopped and continued with the music. SS: Did you ever cut each other’s hair? KB: Oh, nooooo! [giggles] SS: So what was it like growing up in Bordeaux. Is it a big city? KB: Yes. Maybe like Manchester here in the UK. After Paris, Bordeaux is the only City to visit in France where you can have

Kap Bambino are Caroline Martial (left) and Orion Bouvier

fun! It’s in the south, but only 3 hours from Paris. It’s really cosmopolitan. There are cool things to do every night as there is an amazing underground scene. Garage, Rock ‘n’ Roll, electronica; there is a big mix of everything. It’s more accessible than Paris because it’s smaller so there’s a greater sense of community. SS: I remember hearing ‘Save’ for the first time and thinking it was amazing. It sounded so vital and free! Has the new album got the same energy or have you mellowed out? KB: Oh no the energy is still there but ‘Blacklist’ has a lot more melody. SS: Melody seems like it plays a very important part for you. I love the fact that you can sound so messy but underneath this melody shines through. Would you say your sound is Pop? KB: Yes... but no one would believe us! [laughs] When we say we are so pop, they say “yes… but it’s so hard!” But you can find a melody in something raw, which is what we hope people understand! We come from Pop, we come from Rock ‘n’ Roll, we come from the techno scene, yet in France we are not considered to be in the electro scene as we always play in Rock ‘n’ Roll dance venues. SS: Is there a big electro movement over in France still? KB: Errrrmmmm it has finished now but it was really a kid movement, like the emo movement over here? But everyone knows electro now… we had a really big background in French-Tech so we needed to try and create something different. We really are not part of any movement. We don’t want people to label us because you can’t categorize our music. Electro guys don’t want to be compared to Kap Bambino as it is not really electro and Rock guys don’t either because it’s not Rock! So we are just constantly in the middle... SS: So you would say that Kap Bambino is part of a ‘new thing’!? KB: Yeah, when we first started everyone

who watched our show was like, “what is that?!” But then we started to play outside France cos all the guys who believed in us were from Canada, Italy, Belgium n stuff … it took us 3 years to get anywhere. SS: People compare you to Crystal Castles don’t they? Because you’re a boy and girl duo... KB: Oh yes everytime! But they only started 3 years ago. You know you can find all our old vinyls and see the whole story of Kap and how we evolved. They are different to us lyrically and we have history – we started in caves! SS: Do you think the fact that you’ve had the chance to hone your craft properly means that you have more of a chance of sticking around for longer!? KB: We hope so. Now’s the time that people with actual talent will be filtered through those without. People want substance again and we’ve got plenty of that! SS: As you started in the underground, do you want to stay on the underground scene or do you want to be massive? KB: We just want to do music! If you want to listen, then listen. We don’t care if you do or don’t. We just want to play and work on music! It’s the start of the end when you become famous but we’re just gonna carry on doing what we’ve always done. SS: Do you want to be an influential band, so when people are growing up they remember you like ‘Ah, Kap Bambino that cool underground band!’ you know like they did with Joy Division, say? KB: Yes. That’s an embarrassing question but yeah we prefer to be a good influence on young people as we owe it to ourselves, to Kap Bambino and to our music. SS: So what does the future hold for you? KB: We just finished the new album, that is out now. And then we want to start on our new stuff! We want to travel a lot and exchange something with the crowd – that is very important!

thesupersuper.com

Portrait by David Richardson

French girl/boy synth-punk pioneers Kap Bambino are back. Packing out venues across the world, their live shows are something to behold, with raucous energy seeping from every pore of Caroline Martial and Orion Bouvier’s bodies. On the eve of their second major label release SUPERSUPER’s Dan Szor caught up with them to talk about breaking America, pre band hairdressing jobs and gypsies...

“ Joker

HUSTLE! Art is my

www.myspace.com/ thejokerproductions

SS: So T Magic, how did it all begin? TM: It was in 2003-04 when I was at University studying Graphic Design and Visual Communication. We used to go to Shepherd’s Bush market and get our trainers customized by these guys, and then one day I decided to start doing it myself and from there it naturally progressed onto hand painted T-shirts. It was in my 3rd year that I decided to build T Magic as a brand, after looking at Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx and others to understand the psychology of brands. I mounted my first solo exhibition in 2006, at Air Gallery in Mayfair. SS: How was the response in the beginning? TM: First it was just about looking fly and wearing what we wanted, but then people started to pay more attention. Usher stopped us in Miami and said he was interested in what we were wearing! SS: It seems everyone is calling themselves designers/promoters/artists/ etc etc nowadays. Do you see any potential danger of becoming a ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’? TM: T Magic is about promoting the message of empowerment. I put 110% effort, work and passion into creating the best art and fashion possible. Somebody once told me ‘Through the specific comes the universal’ – if you can be as true to an idea as possible, it becomes universally accepted. SS: Can you see yourself in the future doing different things, new things? TM: Definitely. T Magic is all about creating a lifestyle, like I have something called Desktop Collectables which are miniature 4x4 canvases with my different affirmations on – like ‘Success is my Destiny’, ‘Pain is my Glory’ etc – to tie in with the current climate. SS: Is your message the key starting point to everything you do? TM: I like to consider myself as an Alchemist; it is all about creating something out of nothing and making opportunity when there is none. SS: Yeah, optimism! It’s kinda harder to be positive than negative in some ways, you’re more likely to get haters at first. Have you had to deal with negativity? TM: It’s funny, if something bad happened to me like a shooting, I could be on every front page in the country, but as I’m

promoting a positive message it’s harder for people to understand your vision. SS: In the sense of Art vs. Commerce, how do you feel about art and money? TM: Art and money I definitely embrace! I’ve got no shame to put it out there; art is my hustle, it’s the way that I survive and this is why I take my art dead serious. Everyday I am in the studio working on new pieces, I breath creativity, it’s like my air that helps me function. SS: Where did the idea for a ‘Quote of the Week’ on your blog come from? TM: It’s all about inspiration, if I inspire one person I feel I have done a good job. I read a lot of different books from ‘48 Laws of Power’ to ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ and ‘Whatever you think, think the Opposite’ by Paul Arden which I definitely recommend to all young designers. One of my most favourite quotes would be, “Find something you love doing and you won’t have to work a day in your life”. SS: True. How important has the website been for you? TM: It gives me a window to express my thoughts, feelings, and findings and allowed me to step back from the traditional route of getting my product into retail space, and allowed it to be 100% exclusive to tmagicworld.com. It’s also a way to get people to understand the story I’m trying to tell. SS: What do you think about using yourself as a vehicle for promotion? TM: I’m not into putting myself visually out there. I want it to be; yes you are buying into me but more importantly, you are buying into my story. SS: Do you want to open shops in the future? TM: The plan is definitely to open up T Magic boutiques and then branch out on a worldwide scale. I’ve actually got something coming up in Amsterdam, for later this year (fingers crossed!). SS: What’s your worldwide game like? TM: The reach I have internationally is amazing. I’ve sold in America, Japan, Australia, Africa… on every Continent! SS: I like the way you use colour, you’re clearly unafraid of it yet you use it specifically and effectively. TM: I use a lot of colour to oppose the

Forthcoming Kapsize releases 003: Joker Do it / Psychedelic Runway 004: Joker and Ginz Purple City / Re-Up

...it’s the way that I survive

environment I have grown up in, the grey dark harsh realities. I like to see my work as escapism. SS: What’s your typical day like? TM: My day finishes at 5am and then up at 9am and pretty much straight to work. I sit down and drive myself crazy trying to perfect an existing design or come up with new concepts. I tend to work best at night. SS Are you a bit of a one-man band? TM: I would consider myself a one-man movement although there are a few people behind the scenes. Like the Magic [Fashion Trade] Show in Las Vegas, we didn’t have a studio but we just made loads of noise! I tend to use people around me that believe in T Magic; it is definitely a movement of like-minded people. SS: So if someone buys a T-shirt, do you literally go from designing, printing then delivering? TM: Designing yes, but then getting the T-shirt printed, labelled and packaged is all outsourced. I do have help but a lot of it’s pretty much all me… SS: Is that how you want to keep it, very much your own thing? TM: I want to keep it tight, I am interested in selling limited edition products – I’m not interested in mass producing. I’m a bit of a control freak, I like to have my hands on everything! SS: What sort of numbers do you do on the T-shirts? TM: I do 100 of each design, and products sell out very quickly so if you look on the site now there’s probably nothing available. A lot of people get pissed but I work on a first come basis and making something very scarce and limited, so it becomes more of a collectable. SS: I have to ask, credit crunch and all that, has it affected you? TM: Not at all, I mean people are going to buy it regardless. I tend to refer to my products as drugs, not illegal but prescribed drugs, you know, drugs people need! SS: So did you grow up around here? TM: I was born in Nigeria then my mum came over here for a better life. The government moved us to Hackney, South London and then here, to Stonebridge. SS: Has that influenced you as a person?

TM: Definitely. It’s so hard coming from an environment where everybody is going left and you’re trying to go right. I went to Uni for three years, came back and saw people still doing the same mundane things. My mother pushed me to do it, she’s been the most instrumental person in my life.

SS: So what kind of person are you? – you seem quite calm.... TM: In 3 adjectives it would be honest, passionate and driven but some would say boring! I don’t smoke, drink or rave that much. I’m so immersed in my work, I sit here and come up with a really good design and jump around the room like a schoolboy! SS: So who or what inspires/excites you? TM: I admire Damien Hirst for his business sense in art and I’m a big fan of Salvador Dali, he was the inspiration behind my piece ‘The Melting Soul’. Banksy for his marketing ’cos in this day and age talent will only get you so far. SS: What about music, fashion? TM: I like what La Roux’s doing artistically, kind of leftfield and different. I have a pretty good book collection, I study guys like Seth Golding who’s a marketing genius. Fashion wise I love Marc Jacobs; we have similar ideologies and work ethics. SS: So what’s next? TM: I haven’t attacked the social networking sites yet so you are going to see a branch out with that. I have just finished my summer collection and will be shooting a video and mini storyline, as well as expanding to jackets, hats and accessories. I always have a trick or two up my sleeve… SS: Now we come to the silly bit, the quickfire round, just answer off the top of your head… Favourite Colour?: Black Music artist?: Biggie Smalls US or UK?: US Favourite thinker?: That is a great question, a really good question, I have never been asked that… Favourite Brand?: T Magic Favourite key on the keyboard?: Esc Fave Phrase?: Art is my Hustle Pharrell Williams?: Yes, he came down to my exhibition in 2007 and really liked my work... And back to your Favourite thinker?: Favourite thinker, favourite thinker... let me look at my books...ah, yes... Kanye West!

thesupersuper.com

T magic THE BRAND CREATES LIMITED EDITION PRODUCTS – FROM ART PRINTS TO T-SHIRTS – THAT REPEATEDLY SELL OUT TO ITS WORLDWIDEAND FANBASE EXCLUSIVELY VIA TMAGICWORLD.COM. T MAGIC THE PERSON IS THE KIND OF GUY YOU WANT TO SEE SUCCEED – DEDICATED, CREATIVE, THOUGHTFUL & DECENT. SUPERSTEVE HUNG OUT WITH THE MAN AT HIS BRAND HQ IN LONDON’S NW10 TO FIND OUT MORE...

“

Portrait by David Richardson

Kaya Scodelario

thesupersuper.com

Portrait by SuperSteve

T Magic

homeless

Remember Amy Studt? The teen pop sensation that disaPpeared just as quickly as she arrived. Now she’s back, and at 23 she’s here to prove that she’s not Just a little girl anymore. SUPERSUPER’S DANSZOR met up with her to talk the pressures of pop and her secret alias Jane Wails...

SS: So Amy, you’re from London, right? AS: I was born in London, but I grew up in Bournemouth. SS: What was that like? AS: Nice actually. I used to be a bit of a hell-raiser and hang out with the homeless people of Bournemouth. I used to go and eat at the soup kitchens and stuff and sleep on the pier. SS: How old were you when you used to do all that? AS: About thirteen. SS: Thats pretty young, may I ask why? AS: I didn’t have many friends at school and that group of people didn’t judge me. They all had their own secrets and their own reasons why they were there. SS: Did you feel an affinity with the idea of being a misfit? AS: Yes! SS: Oh... wasn’t that the name of one of your songs? [laughs] AS: I was really ashamed of that album and ashamed of those songs. SS: I thought it was alright... AS: I think I feel like that because I got so much shit for it!

thesupersuper.com

SS: So you were at boarding school. How was that? AS: I went to six different schools before I was 16 and I dropped out at 16. One of them was a boarding school. I was there for just under a year, before they politely asked me to leave. SS: They politely asked you to leave?! AS: I was just a bit of a trouble maker. Basically I wasn’t doing anything the other kids weren’t doing – but I was the one getting caught... SS: What kind of antics were you getting caught doing? AS: I was just having a hard time and I was

self harming and they found out about it. They didn’t want the responsibility of me, and were like “ok we are going to ask you really nicely to leave the school”. SS: OOH, I got in trouble for that at school, I got in trouble because they saw a mark on my arm and they were like “whooo what’s going on?” AS: Yeah they don’t know what to do with it – so instead of trying to sort it ot they wash their hands of it. SS: How did you get into music then, have you always been into it? AS: I grew up in a musical family, my family history is basically a travelling musical funfair. Before that there was a group of violinists called ‘The Studt’s’ who used to play in a Danish royal court orchestra which was a real famous orchestra in the 1700’s... there have even been books written about them. SS: Wow, that’s quite a musical legacy. How did it feel then when you got dropped from your label, with that legacy in mind? Were your parents disappointed? AS: Not in any way, my parents didn’t want me to do the music thing in the first place. They understood it was an amazing opportunity but in a lot of ways realised it saved me. When it ended nothing felt very real at the time; I was really disconnected from everything. I think if you’re famous in any way, rich people especially want to drag you down. It was all very confusing, I didn’t really know what I was doing or which direction I was going in. SS: How did your label tell you you’d been dropped? AS: Yes, I found out I got dropped by reading The Sun. SS: They didn’t even tell you first? – that’s pretty harsh! AS: No, no one told me. SS: What did you do in the period

between then and now? I heard you went under a different alias? AS: I did because I was so scared of people. I got massive social paranoia. I was convinced I was going to be booed off stage so I thought I would do it under an alias, I just wanted people to hear it and not make a judgement. SS: Who was your alias? AS: It was Jane Wails. Jane is my middle name and it was Wails as in “she wails” – not Wales the country [laughs]. So yeah I did the tour with Razorlight under that name. The drummer was the only one who came and spoke to me – he’s not with them anymore though – lucky for him he escaped! [laughs] SS: So the ex-drummer was the only decent one? AS: I didn’t have much contact with them till the last night when I got really drunk and made an idiot of myself. I was doing an impression of a granny porn star. I don’t remember exactly what I was doing but I can’t imagine it was very attractive. SS: How about your influences then... who inspired you musically? There are elements of your music which remind me of Kate Bush. AS: When I was about 9 years old people said I sounded like her. My voice has got a lot deeper now with smoking though. It wasn’t til I was 17 that I heard a Kate Bush track. SS: Your parents sound quite eccentric; did they not have any Kate Bush albums in the house? AS: No, no my dad liked weird songs. I used to run around naked in the living room to his stuff, but at heart I’m a really big fan of pop! SS: So when you come to writing your songs – do you go about writing a blatant pop song? AS: I have written with some writers and their method of writing is; they get out

“

I used to hang out with the

people of Bournemouth, – I was a bit of a misfit

some CDs they like, say ‘we should write a song that sounds a bit like this’. I don’t particullarly like that method though – anyone can do that.

SS: Do you think that the relationship between the songwriters has to be good or it’s just not going to happen? AS: It’s sooo important that your relationship with your writer is good. When you start writing with a new person, you know straight away if it’s ‘gosh this guy is such a twat’. The great thing about writing with someone you get on with is you bounce ideas back and forth. SS: Do you come from a musical or lyrical perspective when you start writing? AS: I don’t ever think about melody, melody is something that just comes naturally. SS: So when you think of lyrics, do you start with a chorus? AS: No, no. I do free association writing, occasionally I will get a couple of lines that will pop into my head and I will go ahhhh... that’s really good. Other than that I will write pages and pages of thoughtful nonsense. SS: A bit like Bob Dylan [laughs] AS: Is that what he does? SS: Yes, he used to. His song ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ is about 7 pages long. AS: I just pick lines out of the nonsense then arrange it. Then organise it and then piece it together with the piano. SS: What does the future hold for you? Where do you see yourself in a year’s time, say? AS: I really don’t know at the moment, I’m in this quite strange place now as in which direction to go in. I feel this album is drawing to an end and it’s the promotion that will carry on for a bit. I’m moving onto the next thing now. I’m going out to New York for a bit... but this ain’t the last time you’ll hear of Amy Studt! [laughs]

Portrait by David Richardson Dress by Luella at Urban Outfitters

Amy Studt

tu mys a . w ww dt.co m

Slinky Sunbeam’s Three days-in-the-life of London’s friendliest man-about-town, musician, writer and all round personality, Mr Slinky Sunbeam! Thursday This morning I thought I heard a stick of celery singing Bee Gee songs in the fridge – but when I opened it, it was just a chive talking.

On the top of my refrigerator were two silkworms having a race... it resulted in a tie, which I popped around my scrag as I headed out the door on my way to the doctors. I waltzed into Maudlsey hospital for my check up. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.” scoffed Dr. Murtle. “I know,” I replied. “I’ve been sick.” And then we talked: Me: “Doctor, I think I’ve lost my short-term memory.” Dr. Murtle: “When did that happen?” Me: “When did what happen?” And then Murtle (who looks uncannily like Moominmamma the Moomin) asked me if I was an organ donor. I said I wasn’t but I had once given a piano to the British Heart Foundation. She looked at me as if I had just wee’d in a child’s slush puppy as a prank. It was time to go. As I marched back out onto the beguiling streets of South-East London I was accosted by a nomad who looked like he was wearing all of the Emperor’s New Clothes. “I am a clairvoyant!” He announced flamboyantly, “My name is Gregor. I am similar to Russell Grant... but more powerful... and less stout.” He continued, “I am going to write a prediction of the future onto a post-it-note and stick it onto your forehead. If the prophesy comes true by the time you have unpeeled it from your cranium and read its contents, then you must strip naked and breakdance through London all the way up the M1 until you arrive at Leicester. You will do a head-spin at every junction – in a game I like to call ‘The naked M1 headspin challenge’.” “That’s not a very inventive name; it’s very literal,” I said sullenly. “Your SuperSuper article isn’t very inventive; it lacks direction,” he said truculently. “There’s no need for that,” I cried protectively. “It’s the truth. Have you even made a plan for this month’s issue? Or do you just write in a unordered Joycean stream of consciousness way and hope for the best?... I mean look at the tangent you’ve gone off on now. One minute you’re in the doctor’s and the next your arguing with a flamboyant clairvoyant,” blasted Gregor.

“Well... The reason I deviated, was because you were boring me. You’re borrrring!” I howled forcefully. “You created me...” whispered Gregor with a sigh, pointing at me typing up this article. “SHUT UP AND GIVE ME THE PREDICTION. YOU’RE CONFUSING ME, AND YOU’RE CONFUSING THE READERS!” I winced. “Well there’s no need to shout...” “I’M NOT SHOUTING. MY CAPS LOCK KEY IS STUCK.” Gregor continued, “Ok... here is the prediction big boy,” and with that he stuck the post-it note on my bonce. “If the prediction has come true by the time you have finished reading it, then I win.” I unpeeled it, and read it aloud... fearing for my dignity with every letter that crossed my eyes.

Gregor had won in the most fiendish of manners. I would now strip starkers and see out his challenge. Luckily I was wearing my ‘1981 Bucks Fizz Eurovision song contest Cheryl Baker outfit’, so making my mind up on how to remove my garments was relatively easy. I whipped off my Velcro-ed ensemble and then energetically danced to the East Midlands in an acrobatic style.

FRIDAY I was still reeling from the mad-carnival of unclad insanity I had to endure last evening - so I decided that I would head back to London in my birthday suit and get some new threads in East London, and that’s when I discovered, well, see the photo at the top right corner of this page... Everyone in Hoxton is getting Bird Flu because it’s retro. Vintage stores on Brick Lane are selling the disease in a vial. Unfortunately it seems that humanity is not in any real danger from these new-breed influenza, and the only thing we are susceptible to is worldwide mass hysteria.

“Doctor, Doctor my legs ache – I think I might have swine flu.” “Have you been exposed to any pigs or come in contact with anyone who has recently visited Mexico?” “No.” “Have you read a newspaper?” “Yes.” “...Here – just read this copy of The Beano for a couple of days and avoid contact with alarmist red-topped tabloids. By the time you’ve finished the Bash Street Kids, you should feel right as rain.” You see... the problem I have with accepting that ‘The whole of humanity is under threat’ is that I’ve read ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’. 1) B.S.E. – “Hey everyone. If you have eaten a burger in the last ten years then you are going to go insane.” 2) “Heya! S.A.R.S. is coming to a town near you. Not only is it going to kill you, but it sounds scary to say (especially if you whisper it. You just did it didn’t you? It is scary isn’t it?).” 3) “Wotcha... bird flu this time. The problem with birds is that you can’t stop them. They are wanderers, drifters, errant children, and they are migrating with your fate sealed in their beaks.” 4) “Ok... and next up we have... Swine Flu!” STOP

You’re running out of ideas. Birds are scary because they are travelling from different countries and landing on our porch. Pigs = slightly less menacing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t regularly come into contact with that many pigs.

...

d l r o W l u f Wonder

A hog will struggle to flock here from South America – they’ve cancelled many of the flights from Cancún and it would strain to make the distance across the Atlantic in a David Walliams-esque swimming attempt. Other reasons why bird flu is scarier than swine flu: – ‘The Birds’ by Alfred Hitchcock – ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe – Pigeon-holes (they are all around us whilst we are trying to work) Reasons why Bird Flu is not scary:

– ‘The Birdie Song’ by The Tweets – Big Bird from Sesame Street – Captain Birdseye – The 90’s sitcom ‘Birds of a Feather’ starring Pauline Quirk Reasons why swine flu is ridiculous: – The Three Little Piggies – Percy Pigs by Marks & Spencer – Children mocking the pandemic by giving each other piggybacks around the playground – Piggybanks (You have to execute them with a hammer to remove your currency. Kids of the 20th century are well trained and ready for war. If the pigs want to swim here then we will fight them on the beaches... we will fight them in the city farms... we will fight them in the butchers, we shall never surrender)

SATURDAY I got all flustered by yesterday’s entry and decried the best thing to do was leave the country immediately. I didn’t want to be in a nation where I could be affected by the news. I wanted to go somewhere where people had no grasp of current affairs, a place where there was a carefree attitude towards vast consumption of alcohol, a place where I couldn’t understand the language or the words people were saying... and as I boarded my 7:40am flight to Glasgow I realised I was going to be OK. I’m now sat in my Ryanair seat as I type this. “Did you know that Ryanair have never had a crash?” ...I don’t like it when people say that; it’s tempting fate. It’s like when Marc Bolan said he would never live to see 30 and then he crashed into a tree at the age of 29... he predicted his own future and it came true... this is sort of like the opposite... in this instance people are explaining the past in an effort to prevent the inevitable... I don’t want to do a reverse Bolan at 30,000 feet. Things wrong with Ryanair (in order of importance): 1) The air hostesses are like dinner ladies (tone of voice, style of apron. Why are they wearing aprons? They are supposed to be sexy). 2) I feel like we are going to die. Interestingly, according to this list, I am more worried about the staff’s garments than my own existence. That’s because life is futile and thoroughly pointless. 3) They keep trying to sell me stuff. I keep buying it to pass the time. Shall I buy a Ryanair scratchcard? I reckon that you get it, and then you scratch it, and underneath the silver is a sketch of Mr. Ryanair’s rigid joystick. And beneath the drawing it reads: “Trust me. I’m a pilot”. Probably. Or another good idea would be if you got a scratch card, and you scratched it off and underneath the silver it read: “This plane will be the last thing you ever see”. That would be a good April Fool’s Day prank for Ryanair to do. I might pitch that one to them. You know how you get murder mystery holidays? Well they should do murder mystery plane trips; spice up your journey. Like, maybe NOT even tell the passengers. All of a sudden someone leaps out with a blank firearm and shoots themselves in the head. There is (fake) blood everywhere. The pilot starts saying “F this! I don’t want to live either. That was my best friend! You have 10 minutes to find out what drove my companion to self-destruction or I’m going to slam this jet into the Pennines.” Then everyone can try and work as a team. Good idea? Ryanair really have done nothing but try and flog stuff to me... and there is nowhere to run. I’ve only been on the plane for about ten minutes and so far I have been given a magazine (to lure me in), I’ve purchased a malnourished microwaveable slice of pizza for £5, had knock-off scratch cards paraded in my face, and now they have just announced something over the Tannoy about luxury items being for sale. Gosh knows what Ryanair considers as luxury. Probably a framed photo of Mr. Ryanair interfering with himself out the window of Stansted airport with a smile on his face... he’s laughing because you have bought yet another piece of his rubbish. There is something about being at high altitudes which makes you think that things are reasonably priced. When I flew on Easyjet I purchased a cuddly toy for £10. It seemed really romantic at the time because I was able to pay in either euros or pounds. I used a mixture of the two and got ripped off beyond belief. I have realised that people (including myself) will buy anything if you offer it to them whilst sat on an aircraft (the flying machine has to be airborne, and it can’t be one of

those coin operated ones you get outside supermarkets which rock backwards and forwards to the tune of ‘Budgie the Little Helicopter’... I’ve tried selling my products there... the kids won’t listen to my sales pitch). But now, I’ve decided to get my inventor’s hat on. There is money to be made from no-frills airlines. So without further ado... here are my... Really Cool Inventions: Texas Hold ‘Em

*Play with up to 1 player(s) *Fashionable LCD Screen *Hold, Call, Bluff, or Swap – just like real *Requires 3 AAA batteries (Texas Hold ‘Em Game not included) Mouse and Rat Repellent It’s vital to have an effective deterrent like this in place before rodents arrive for a day trip and stay for a lifetime. Each of these plug-in ultrasonic rodent repellers booms out over 100 decibels of Kajagoogoo at constantly changing key signatures too irritating for a human to concentrate on, but are well within the cognitive thought spectrum of a mouse – although not harmful, it is very unpleasant for rodents to have to listen to; keeping them from your home and driving them into their bedroom where they will slam the door and listen to heavy metal, at constantly changing key signatures. Then you turn up Kajagoogoo to drown out the mouse’s music, and then you feel emasculated to even be battling with a mouse. Maybe you kill yourself? Maybe you don’t? £29.99 (mouse not included) Smart Ear *So light you will think you have lost it *Hear whispers from 100 miles away *Looks just like an iPhone

Conversations, TV, Radio, Parties, theatre – in fact any sounds or words you want to hear – you can hear with Smart Ear. Weighs less than a cat, can be clipped discreetly to your top lip, popped down your pants or into a handbag. No one ever need know you’re using it. Unadjustable volume control and futuristic Walkerman™ earbuds – those around you will think you are simply listening to music while they are trying to talk about you. People will think you are rude, but at least you won’t miss another defamatory remark. And that’s the main thing. (Bad hearing not included.) And on that creative bombshell I bid you adieu. So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen goodbye. Unfortunately a half-wit once gave me a piece of his mind... and I held on to it. Lots of love Slinky XXX (special thanks to Michael ‘The Girl’ Pearlman) Please feel free to harass me on Facebook. I like the attention. Add: Slinky Winfield.

SUPERSTYLiNg U’p!

Goin JOGGERZ

Oh yes, we’re definitely lovin’ em right now – esp the weird n wonderful market stall variety

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Fly-on-the-wall documentary film about American Vogue, Anna Wintour et al. An absolute must see for any discerning fashionista. We’ll also be looking out for tips for the forthcoming Channel 4 documentary on SUPERSUPER – although we’re sure it will be a whole different ball game!

ATELIER-MAYER.COM

Super hot online vintage boutique – stinky rag sale this most certainly ain’t!

AMBUSH JEWELLERY OBJECTS OF DESIRE Having had ultimate success with their first instalment of ‘POW’ jewellery, Ambush is back with its second collection fittingly entitled ‘Beeeeethoven’. The brainchild of Japanese rap group the ‘Teriyaki Boyz’ and M-flo, who first collaborated on limited edition jewels for the lead singer Verbal, they’ve created these hefty plinth rings in gold, black, white and all shades of neon. There are also matching pendants, which are just as weighty, but ensure you will be G’d up from the feet up.

Available at colette.fr and shop.fruitionlv.com Approx. £100-£150

CO-OPERATIVE DESIGN + BROWNS FOCUS

One of our fave emerging design talents get the chance to show the world (South Molton St types, at least) their style with the window at this famed boutique (see pic above left)

SHORT SHORTS – FOR MEN

It had to happen eventually – they couldn’t keep getting longer/baggier forever. Still only the preserve of well groomed & bronzed fashion insiders for now, just wait for this to hit the high street (we’re covering our eyes already!)

LACOSTE WELLIES

Check out these bad boys (left) for the ultimate in hotto-trot festival styling. The only prob is we wouldn’t want to get them dirty! 45

thesupersuper.com

STAR IN THE HOOD

For some devotees denim is more than just a material, it’s a lifestyle. If this be the case, G-Star are the architects of this lifestyle and the leading force in denim technology. After 20 years of innovative use of material, tailoring and production, G-Star still manage to come out this winter with the largest range of denims on the market. This Autumn’s mainline collection sees the reinvention of the denim jacket, that come in a variety of denim washes and shapes. There is a subtle 1920s influence, atop future-3D-constructed jeans are a pair of beige braces attached with a classic button fastening, so well considered. And it’s in these details that G-Star prides itself on, quality denim construction, taken seriously next level. Alongside Mainline is their next collection with industrial legend Marc Newson, and in true Newson style, pushes the boundaries of possibility. His fashion forward mindset, take the Shearling Jacket with its integrated balaclava and minimized seams, has pushed this capsule to be stocked in Colette, the ultra-chic Paris based boutique. G-Star have struck gold and hit all the right marks, standard. Available at www.colette.fr and www.g-star.com

Jacket, bag and organic jeans by G-Star Raw, jumper by Mark Newson for G-Star Raw, Shoes Model’s own Words Dominik E. Riddler Photography by Jimmy Mould, Styling by Thomas Sels, Make-up by Kerrie-Ann Murphy, Assistance by Dominik E. Riddler, Model Damien Powell at Select Model Management

SUPER STYLE

thesupersuper.com

Comin’ straight outta Hong Kong, this Central St. Martin’s graduate has exhibited works everywhere from London to Berlin, has a huge fash following in Japan and is stocked in some heavy stores. Here, Makin Jan Ma talks to us about his influences, and why he loves his kitchen...

SS: Hello Makin Jan Ma! Firstly, in many interviews you refer to yourself as an ‘accidental designer’, why is this? MJM: I think it is more of a coincidence than accident. I was never intending to become a fashion designer. I want to make films but somehow it all happens in the way that I am running collections now. I make clothes for my characters and now these clothes stand for a collection on their own. I really enjoy thinking about characters and making clothes for them. Making clothes is part of a process of developing characters and the more I make them the more I get to know what I am making. I see it as a long process of a research project. A research project for making a film. SS: You are known for creating films, where does the inspiration for these films stem from? MJM: The films I am making now while I am making the collection, are like testings. It all comes quite spontaneously. I get inspired from people I see, stories I hear, moments I mix with my imagination. Small things in life that I find interesting. SS: In what order do you design – do you envision the clothing or the film first? MJM: At the moment, designing clothes and writing stories are very much interlinked. It is hard to divide the process now. The two parts affect each other and I let it happen, whatever comes... SS: Does it ever seem like too much work, to create a film and collection? MJM: Never too much work, just not enough time realistically! But I try my very best to push both to happen at the same time. SS: Are there any unconventional methods you practice while designing? MJM: I love laying in bed, closing my eyes and letting images flow into my head. I take these images to evolve into stories and clothes. Or I will write and then I let the characters dress themselves before I start to draw them out. SS: What drew you to London? MJM: I am originally from Hong Kong. I had a London calling when I was 17 so I made up excuses to my family to let me to come to do a summer course at Central St Martin’s in London. When I went back to Hong Kong the office that organized my summer course called me for an interview. I went and Central St Martin’s accepted me so I decided to come study here. SS: What are your favourite places to go to in the capital, your places of escape? MJM: Well really there is no time for escape. But my kitchen is full of fun. I always have a lot of friends come over for drinks and dinner. I love making dinner for all my friends. I always make dinner for 10, 15 people. And then a spontaneous low-tech concert will carry on all night. When this happens I don’t need to escape anymore. SS: If you were stranded on a desert island, which three objects would you need to keep you sane? MJM: My DVD collection, my laptop and lemon water. SS: In these ‘dark financial days’, would you say there is a different amount of pressure to sell your collections? And for a young designer, how does this affect your designs? MJM: I am lucky that my Japanese sales are going pretty well this season – we’ve almost doubled last season’s. The good thing about being a small label is we’re so small that we don’t even get to the level that will be affected. So, keep doing what I want to do is the key. SS: Who would you say influences and inspires you? MJM: Mr S.N. Goenka [a leading teacher of meditation] SS: Will we be seeing the first Makin Jan Ma fashion feature film at our nearest cinema any time soon? MJM: Haha! Let me try to organize it! I am hoping to make a longer short this coming season.

Makin Jan Ma is available at Beyond the Valley www.makinjanma.com

www.makinjanma.com

All clothes by Makin Jan Ma (S/S 2009 & A/W 2009) Interview by Dominik E Riddler Layout by Chris Pollard

influences, and why he loves his kitchen…….

MAKIN JAN MA

SUPER BRAND

SUPER STYLE

LOUISE GRAY

Having already collaborated with ASOS on a little accessory, talk of the town womenswear designer Louise Gray has decided to branch out to create her first shoe. And who better to do this with than Nicholas Kirkwood, whose designs are as sought after as Big Foot! It will certainly be a rush to grab these platform pretties! Available at Dover Street Market, price on request

NICHOLAS KIRKWOOD

JONATHAN SAUNDERS’ new hot gola colab Scottish designer Jonathon Saunders provides another instalment with Gola set to be as coveted as Gola’s recent collaboration with couturier Christian Lacroix! This ttime round, the focus was to draw inspiration from Saunders’ latest collection, with a strict palette including cobalt blues, vivid greens, dove greys and jet blacks. The most wearable designer shoe collection we have seen in a long period and its something that is well sought after- coz you can even wear to werk! For stockists call 01706 211 111

PRIMAL SCREEN

This season sees the first T-shirt collection from Christopher Kane, one of London’s most talked about designers. After the success of his monkey print dresses from Spring/Summer 2009, and with increasing male interest, Kane decided to lift the primate design and print onto soft jersey t-shirts. With four different monkey’s featured – Gorilla, Chimp, Mandrille and Baboon – they’re set to be instant classics.

From: brownsfashion.co.uk, £220

Words by Dominik E Riddler

thesupersuper.com

ne’s pher Ka Christo -shirt Bizniz T Monkey

MENS AND WOMENS CLOTHING FOOTWEAR AND ACCESSORIES. WWW.SUPREMEBEING.COM

SUPER STYLE

go manish go!

Words by Dominik E Riddler Artwork by Chris Pollard

thesupersuper.com

Colourful Indian designer Manish Arora has joined creative forces with watch-men Swatch, and what treats they have cooked up! The watches all take certain characteristics from Arora’s work – stunning embellishments, rich colourings and intricate patterning. Arora and Swatch have limited this collection to six styles – ‘Timepective’ with all over clockfaces print, ‘Dancing Hands’ with multicoloured Indian hand icon print and ‘Huge in All’ with heart motif, leather strap and stainless steel case. All three of these styles are similar in shape but all entirely individual in detail. The next three are more embellished and fancy – ‘From Within’ features little heart gems on the strap and an over-all chunky gold steeze, ‘Giant Shimmer’ is more rounded but adorned with diamante and has a big dollar sign on the face, appealing to all blingers out there! Finally ‘Over Charm’, which is ornamented with two clusters of heart shaped charms, definatley the most precious of the lot. Forget Slumdog Millionaire, this is real Bollywood glam right here! Available at swatch.com Prices from £65-£235

Words by Dominik E Riddler Artwork by Chris Pollard

OUTLET

5 june â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5 july

end of season, samples & deadstock from Beyond the Valley & select designers 19 earlham street, seven dials london wc2h 9ll beyondthevalley.com

KithKin

for

available online at beyondthevalley.com

SUPER STORE

GRAPHIC SHOE Whether its dollar bills or cut’n’paste graphic, Levi high tops are a sure fire way to spruce any outfit. Available at levi. com, £89.99

GOT ‘P’? Like Louis Vuitton? Like a splash of colour? Like storing your money in something stylish? Pick up this purse pronto. Available at louisvuitton. com or call 0207 399 4050, £400

GLOVEDUP! These leopard print hand sheaths are where it’s at, fingerless to allow the wearer to pile on the rings- like an urban Karl Lagerfeld. Available at glovedup.com, £45

OKI-NI EXCLUSIVE! Archive booties from Bernhard Willhelm, in soft suede with red leather accents and gum rubber sole, and over-all Gladiator look acheived. Available at Oki-ni.com, £215

EXCLUSIVE JD will be stocking all the finest footwear’s this winter, limited edition colourways made specifically for JD! These Adidas ‘Forest Hill’s’ are cream of the crop. Available at Jdsports.co.uk, £59.99

LONG Obviously belly-tops are out, and for the best alternative look to Long Clothing for t-shirts a plenty. Available at longclothing. com, £24

TARTAN TARTIES Already feeling dapper in a hoodie, jeans and cap? Why not slip on these babies for the ultimate next level Hip-Hop dandy look. Available at shiptonandheneage. co.uk, £115

PITCH PERFECT As well as being the most advanced and techno headphones on the market, Atomic Floyd headphones look pretty slick too! Available at atomicfloyd.com £85

CHECK URSELF! If checked prints in a blue hue are for you then you’ll love this Quiksilver wind cheater. Fot stockists call 0207 436 6800, £55

thesupersuper.com

RUNWAY LOOK Christopher Shannon – BIG in the menswear game right now and for good reason.

VARSITY JKT Birmingham’s Fresh2Death clothing serve up this black leather sleeved varsity jacket, for all you jocks out there. Available at f2dcollection.com, £160

STOWAWAY! In times of downpour, turn to DKNY for a space saving waterproof number, in vibrant colorings. For stockists call 020 7808 8790, £160

PUSHING DAISIES: TAKE 2 We are still crying at the fact they are not making another series, so for Anna Friel and our peace of mind – purchase and enjoy! Available at hmv.com, £17.99

SMILEY SMILEY, CAROL SMILEY Smiley and Disaya team up to make the most optimistic jewellery, this enamel bangle being only a snippet of a fantastic assortment. Available at Kabiri, 37 Marleybone High Street, W1U 4QE, £82

PILLOW! Rocket through nap-times with this shuttle shaped fluffy. Visit bbcicecream. com for stockists, £100

STILETTE’S If you fancey crystals on those trotters invest in these Swarovski detailed peepboots from footwear pro Rupert Sanderson – readily available at Liberty. For stockist call 0207 734 1234, £800

Compiled and written by Dominik E Riddler Layout by Chris Pollard

DIESEL HIGH-TOPS Supple padded comfort in shiny purple is the order of footwear at Diesel, with velcro fastenings for the early mornings times. Available at 130 New Bond Street, London W1, £110 RUNIT-UR-WAY LOOK Excess all areas this winter at Topshop Unique, ‘anything goes’ attitudes all round.

MCM Purple- its everywhere atm. So why not co-ordinate your bag with everything in your closet, in the form of this snakey chain handled tote? Available at 5 Sloane Street, London, SW1, Approx £600

DISNEY Nostalgia + ohsonow = Disney Couture castle necklace. asos.com, £55

SUNNIES Let Adidas Originals protect your peepers, with a hench range, there’s something for everyone. For stockists call 0208 987899, £105

BRANDISH Pauls Boutique’s wacky bags available at BANK? Yes that’s right, get a handle on the situation. Available at bankfashion. co.uk, £55

THUNDER Taking an interest in ones timepiece is important, choose wisely, and choose Storm. Available at stormwatches. com, £169

PRETTY IN PINK For feminine wardrobe staples why not try this mini from French Connection, with frill details, it’s ultimate cute! Available at 0207 036 7200, £95 CRAZYLEGZ Adorned with mythical beings such as Unicorns and flying dolphins, this season Manish Arora gives our leggings a decent re-vamp with a selection of trippy prints. Available at Harrods, £144

F&M With a history of catering for all things sport related, Franklin & Marshall use all their knowledge of durability and longevity to produce a huge range of staple goodies. Like this bowling bag. Available at franklinandmarshall. com, £77

BOOMBOX! Ultra-hype sound system, it plays iPods, USB sticks, SD cardspractically anything. BUT! With only 50 in Europe, make haste in your purchase. Available at Speedball, Covent Garden, London,WC2H, £250

BERLIN BERLIN BREAD & BUTTER

BERLIN AIRPORT BERLIN-TEMPELHOF

01.– 03. JULY 2009

BREAD & BUTTER IS COMING HOME! WWW.BREADANDBUTTER.COM

BBBerlin_SuperSuper_230x300.indd 1

27.03.2009 15:06:06 Uhr

06:06 Uhr

the snazzy outdoors

SUPER STYLE Having worked with Kenzo, Hugo Boss and Mackintosh, to name a few, designer Jeff Griffin unveils his latest conquest with extreme outdoor clothing brand, Berghaus. Berghaus has always been at the forefront of the outdoor ‘scene’, often mistaken as just ‘anoraks’, and has now the weapon of design to translate its values to a more city based diffusion. Battle your urban landscape in a bright blue camouflage windcheater or fight the elements in a lively panelled cammo zip-up and some may wanna keep it subtle like a shadow demon in black Gore-tex. Available from griffin-studio.com, prices from £95-£350

BRAND NEW FLAVA 4 YA EAR After being a fan of Skullcandy headphones for a number of years, the Doggfather decided to “break bread” with them to create the ultimate in hip-hop headwear – the ‘Snoop Crusher’. The design is a clear reflection of Snoop’s own style, with a paisley-esque bandana style print that incorporates the Skullcandy logo, and on the centre of the outer casing an illustrated silhouette of the Dogg himself. Technical specs include 30mm neodymium magnetic speakers and mini sub woofers – basically Snoop D-Odouble G is gonna keep ya mother f****n’ head ringin’! Available at skullcandy.eu/snoopdogg, £64.99

60 YEARS OF CLARKS

FO’ SHIZZLE MY EAR NIZZLE! – snoop’s got his own headphones!

Having protected the hoofs of many a legend including Bob Dylan, Steve McQueen and Paul Weller, Clarks originals celebrate their 60th birthday with a trip through the ages of the Desert Boot. Taking you on a journey, all six boots feature characteristics of their age, whether it’s an ode to the 90’s with a Union Jack on the heel or the swingin’ sixties with Liberty’s Paisley Bourton flower power print – check the 70’s inspired deep purple fringed pair, oh so bohemian! All shoes come in a specially created anniversary presentation box, with a mini keying version of your shoe.

thesupersuper.com

Words by Dominik E Riddler

Available at clarksoriginals.com £89

SUPER STYLE

NOKI:

For more on Noki visit www.novamatic.com

WALTER WALKS ON WATER!

www.w6yz.com

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Wanna keep it fresh these coming months? Sonia Rykiel has formulated this perfume, Blue&Blue, with what looks like a slice of the Mediterranean Sea. With essences of exotic fruit and a hint of musk, this fragrance is super sexy and refreshingly feminine! For stockists call 0845 688 3343, 40ml £27 and 75ml £40

W6YZ is the new range of footwear from Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck and Falc spa shoe manufacturer. These shoes are the footwear equivalent of Walter’s unique designs, for which he draws inspiration from music, art and nature. With an assortment of mens, womens and kids, all based on a particular element of the circus – Magician, Animal, Clown and Juggler. With his “Crocowoolf” (Crocodile Wolf) creature embroidered on the profile of the shoes and colours of the fluoro variety, it makes for footwear fun.

www.waltervanbeirendonck.com

Sacre Bleu, Sonia!

For Autumn/ Winter 2009, JJ Hudson aka Noki and his NHS (Noki House of Sustainablity) team have collaborated with prolific photographer and film maker Mark Lebon, to present their latest ‘NewClear’ silhouettes. The film focuses on the roots of the Noki aesthetic, using a strong mix of music, fashion and clever editing it overrides any misconceptions you may have about this sustainable crusade, and as the original master of the ‘hard times’ approach, Noki is now more relevant than ever. Watch the masterpiece at: www.dobedo.co.uk

Words by Dominik E Riddler

NOW ON YR SCREEN!

Circus_Advert.pdf

22/05/2009

14:41

IN ASSOCIATION WITH PRIDE LONDON

SIOUXSIE

A VERY SPECIAL GUEST DJ SET

ROOM 1

ROOM 2

KISSY SELLOUT(LIVE) VV BROWN (LIVE)

GUTTERSLUT

FRANKMUSIK (DJ SET)

JODIE HARSH DAN GILLESPE-SELLS (DJ SET) AND KRIS DI ANGELIS

TOM STEPHAN (Super Chumbo) PER QX

ELLIOTT J BROWN NIC FISHER MISS CRYSTAL MC

matterlondon.com / thisiscircus.com / pridelondon.org / jodieharsh.com / mainstageartists.com

ALIS

You may know know this girl by a number of names. Previously a myspace celebrity who went by the moniker of Tampon Girl (she jumped ship as the great myspace exodus got into full swing), to us she’s just good ol’ Alis Pelleschi. This Bradford born lass who currently resides in Birmingham loves dressing up, yet when not dressing up she’s out and about prowling northern towns for their abundant stock of old people, taking their photos for our ‘Senior Style’ page!

www.alispelleschi.com

GET MY LOOK

g n i r r a t

“This is my little red riding hood outfit. The snood was made by this lovely lady that knits them for me. I have them in yellow, pink, black, orange, green and red. The dress was £10 from ebay. The shoes were £35 from new look. I wish I loved wearing heels, but I don’t. My friend Wolf is another ebay find for £10.”

All photography & words by Alis Pelleschi

SUPERSTORE!

“I got this bra from a fancy dress shop in Leeds for £5. It is my favorite thing. I wish I could wear it everyday. The pants were £5 from the rag market. And the hat was £6 from H&M. It needs a wash. The unicorn was from poundland.”

“The Bambi necklace was a birthday present from Argos. I love Bambi. I’m wearing a blue thong playsuit that I bought from one of those skanky ghetto sex shops in Brum. The hat I stole from Daisy (Llama face) which she bought off ebay for £25. (This isn’t the first time I’ve stolen it.) The glasses I bought from this old man with a stall at the Sunday Flea market. They are filthy dirty.”

“I got this sequin bedazzling jumper for £5 from the fancy dress shop in Birmingham rag market. I keep leaving a trail of sequins everywhere. The leopard pants are from a charity shop in Bradford and were £3.98. My retro nike trainers were £20 from ebay, they’re meant for boys, so make me look like I have massive feet. The tape player isn’t important, but the tape within it is. GROOVY GHETTO 2. Best tape you will ever buy! Reminds me of driving round Bradford in my momma’s red rusty, mouldy cavalier.”

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“This is an ebay-licious outfit. I bought these gladiator boots [out of shot] for £45 and got them in gold, silver and black. And the black ruffle dress was £25. The Yashica camera used to belong to my Swansea granddad and is beautiful. No digital can compare.”

“

The Semantics of Eyewear

thesupersuper.com

Glasses of all shapes, sizes and vintage are very ‘in’ right now. Who better to guide us through this maze of optic options than self-confessed lens lover and all round style supremo... Henry Conway!

The biggest accessory story of the year, the one that is inescapable in every fashion tome, is that glasses are back. Back in a big way. Never before has shortsightedness been such a thing of envy – myopic modes are bang on trend. What is more extraordinary, if not slightly puzzling, is how non-glasses wearers are sporting them as an accessory – the rise of plain glass lensed opticals have become so popular that even Topshop are selling them. Thought is it? Eye wear can transform your whole look, but where to start, and who does one reference? We should start by stripping the trend down to universal eyewear – sunglasses. We all have a pair, or in the case of some, fifty pairs, and our choices and ways of wearing say as much about us as the threads we clothe ourselves with. I can bet you have been dazzled by a display of sunnies at some point and thought to yourself , “which pair is the most me?”. The semantics of deciding which pair to choose is mind boggling. From what suits your face shape, to how much of your eyes you want to hide, to the cultural references of choosing an aviator rather than a wayfarer, it can often be a thankless task. Take a friend, get them to be brutal. “Too Victoria Beckham” (which if you are wearing her range is a given), “ too costumey”, “too too much” – it is best to have honesty, my dears, it really is. They can be the ultimate accessory, letting you be who you want when you wear them. Not for nothing do we say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Keeping them from view can be a wonderous, mysterious statement. With one style you can be David Bowie, the next Greta Garbo. Pop stars have long capitalised on this trend. Lady Gaga bounces from conceptual early 80s vintage Versace, squared and reminiscent of early electronica, to little round 1930s Biarritz thin framed dark sunglasses – very dress up, but worn with a panache that get her noticed for playing with fashion

to create her own brand of icon. Katy Perry rarely strays from the vixen, mid-50s cats-eye shape in juicy berry colours, to compliment her spotty prom dresses and American distillation of Lily Allen’s original retro styling. Let’s not even start on Elton, that would be a whole book… Madonna’s early naughties period of oversized branded sunglasses was vulgar to most finely tuned sartorial sensibilities, and the bling-crystal-encrusted-shouty style of frame tends only to be seen in St Tropez now, thank goodness. If you want to be contemporary and chic, then step away from large logos, dispense with ubiquitous wayfarers (too many knockoffs), and raid the wonderful diversity that is out there. As opticals (real glasses to those of you who are 20:20), are on every catwalk, in every look book, and in most fashion shoots (the crux of any menswear stylist’s arsenal of accessories), take note that the blur of fashionable sunglasses and proper glasses has truly set in. Where to start if you don’t want to be branded to the hilt? If it is old school glamour you are going for, then Oliver Goldsmith are the ones to turn to. The British company (founded in 1926) lay dormant for many years, and has been turned around by Oliver’s granddaughter Claire Goldsmith. The originals furnished the faces of such legends as Michael Caine, Peter Sellers, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, John Lennon – the roll call is astonishing. They have cleverly re-issued many originals, and so if it is late 1950s glamourpuss or early 1960s cad you are going for, then look no further. His mantle was very thoroughly picked up by Oliver Peoples, and the Los Angeles eyewear makers have featured in nearly every major movie since they opened their first store in West Hollywood in 1987. I had the good fortune to meet Larry Leight, its founder, a few years ago. He told me how they started with no advertising, and that the fact that they had no logos led to a feeling of personal discovery for

“

more often than not, my outfit planning starts with what to see through that day

the customer. It has worked – the brand commands enormous loyalty – a lesson in this new age of lux austerity. Oliver Peoples is like the Aston Martin of eyewear. Chic, understated, expensive without being flash – it is the stealth of the brand I most admire. Even Oliver Goldsmith supposedly bought Oliver Peoples glasses towards the end of his life. The true optical aficionado naturally wants the originals, but these are not for the faint hearted. Real tortoiseshell frames from the 30s are likely to set you back close to £10,000. Yes, for glasses... Brittle, and thus prone to snap, not to mention that you are wearing bits of real tortoise, the drawbacks don’t matter to the optical addict. They are the holy grail. So if you are looking for geek-chic heavy topped styles (Ray ban Clubmasters onwards), to the mad professor rounded 1930s look (Oliver Peoples), through to club kid 70s & 80s retro (AM Eyewear), there are glasses for every face, as if to appear from any age. I, myself, have amassed an extensive collection. My current favourite is a pair of fabulous Beausoleil tigers-eye square heavy-block frames, that are a modern twist on Yves Saint Laurent’s tortoiseshell originals. Bought on a heady day on Marylebone High Street at my fave opticians, Mallon & Taub, every time I wear them I get compliments galore – especially when paired with a heavy trench coat, or a slimmed down version of black tie. ‘A young YSL’ is the most often referenced, and I get tickled pink when someone picks up on it. For when I am wanting to be a bit beatnik, I plump for my rose-tinted Lukas frames (Oliver Peoples, and I have banged on about them, but why settle for anything less than the best dears – pointless). They are a charming 50s shape, thinned to be just modern enough. More often than not, the outfit planning starts from what to see though that day. Yes, the eyes have it, the eyes have it…

thesupersuper.com

As your taste in men changes over the years so does your choice of friends – and that’s no bad thing… Since I left school my friendship group has become more diverse than a UN committee. Back in the day it was all about aligning yourself with the top boys and girls, even if they didn’t have much to offer bar the best highlights, most expensive garms and access to the local boys school dorms. But a lot dun change. It was the overly-bullied ginger twins who went on to model for TopShop, the posh geek who got a bad man role in Hollyoakes, and the prefect brainiac who went onto write for Arena (RIP). Having disowned the waste cadets a long time ago, it’s with great pleasure that I introduce to SuperSuper one of the coolest friends I’ve ever had, Jody McIntyre. Firstly, let me point out – this is not bread any disabled yoot season. Sure my man has a wheelchair but take that away and you have someone who goes to extreme lengths in his fight for justice - more than can be said for most of us excuse-laden hypocrites. Add the wheelchair back into the equation and you’ve got somebody who puts the most able-bodied of us to even greater shame. Jody has been documenting his journeys in a column for Ctrl.Alt.Shift called ‘Life On Wheels’. He’s the most dedicated activist you could wish to meet: In the last year he’s spent three months travelling around South America, flown to Egypt in search of the Viva Palestina convoy (which he found and journeyed to Gaza with), reported from the NATO stand-off 64

in Strasburg (where he was subjected to a 12 hour-long tear gas attack) and attended every protest in the UK with a cause close to his heart. Even with his toes poppin’ out of his worn trainers, truth be told he’s far cooler than me and probably you.This self-professed one-man quest to prove that disability doesn’t have to stop you doing anything in this world, surely warrants more gun fingers and braps than any MC on a stage near you too?

JODY: “The doctors at Dulwich Hospital said I would never walk, talk, sit-up etc… because of my cerebral palsy. Haha! Who’s laughing now, wastemen! I’m a revolutionary on a global mission to overthrow the balance of power from the rich to the poor, and to fight for the rights of oppressed people all over the world. Oh yeah, and I have a wheelchair. I think the revolutionary spirit has always been passionately burning in my soul, waiting to be released. I wanted to go to South America after reading about Che Guevara’s conquering of the continent and also after seeing films likeThe Motorcycle Diaries, City of God, and Y Tu Mama Tambien, which made me think there would be beautiful girls at every turn (which was partly true)… So many people thought I wouldn’t be able to do it, so I thought maybe this could inspire

Fiddy (not 50) has gone from being ‘the’ authoritative grime journalist to being a somewhat respectable editor & writer for loads of impressive mags & papers, including her regular londonpaper column and day job running Ctrl+Alt+Shift, the Christian Aid-backed youth project raising awareness of global development issues.

Chantelle Fiddy

other disabled people to break down these boundaries too. And I thought it would be a cool thing to write about... Emotionally, walking to the top of Machu Picchu was indescribable (I left my wheelchair at the bottom), and sleeping on a beach in Rio de Janeiro for my last few nights (after running out of money) was definitely a unique experience. I once got stopped by the police in Salvador, Brazil, who just wouldn’t believe I was on my own and kept telling me to: “go and find my family”. But none of my experiences overseas can compare to the shitness of Transport For London - have you seen how few tube stations have disabled access? I’m now writing a book about my South America trip entitled The Wheelchair Diaries. In June I’m going back to Palestine to fight the occupation – I really hope the Israeli government don’t read this otherwise I won’t be allowed into the country! And then on October 4th Viva Palestina are sending another convoy of aid from Britain to Gaza to break the siege once again – my life ambition is to see a free Palestine… I think I prefer being overseas - the people are nicer and they don’t talk to you about “health and safety regulations” all the time. Recently I just went to a park in London to read a book and happened to meet a girl from Iraq who has agreed to teach me Arabic – that’s pretty cool. Must’ve been the keffiyah!”

Read Jody’s work at www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk and at whatsanymansaying.blogspot.com.

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“ TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL?

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Why do you think it’s called a party? Because deep down every human knows that the best thing about us hairless monkeys is our will to team up and do things together. Gathering a crowd might not always make things easier but it’s a water proof guarantee for more fun and a better show. A simple and stimulating truth, celebrated here by Weactivists Jason Lee, Stash and Giovanni Ribisi. – Go team, Go!

WeSC Concept Store London: 38 Carnaby St. Ph. 0207 – 287 95 48

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FRIEND ARE WE LOSING IT IN THESE DIGITAL DAYS?

When old skool Greek philosopher Aristotle ruminated on the subject of friendship he likened BFFs to being ‘one soul in two bodies’, whilst noted 19th Century American poet Emerson reckoned that ‘A Friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of Nature’. However, fast forward to today and there are many academics who argue that these romantic notions of old are becoming undermined, and the very essence of friendship devalued, by the way social networking sites encourage us all to communicate. But is online interaction really such a significantly ‘lower’ mode of communication culturally speaking? Are we really losing the true meaning of friendship in the transfer from the ‘real’ to the online world? Billy iDle investigates. . .

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DSHIP

The internet, and more specifically, social networking sites, have revolutionised the concept of friendship. In Europe alone 211 million of the 282 mill internet users (a whopping 75%!) are now using social networking sites as a means to touch base with friends old and new, messaging users from the other side of the world to as near as the other end of the sofa, all the while keeping us notified of any significant updates and goings on via all-important newsfeeds – featuring updates ranging from ‘I just got married!’ to ‘I am watching mr motivator videos on youtube...I never knew he had a small ponytail???????????!’ (Big up Dan Szor on that one!). We’ve never been so popular, nor so well informed. But it’s not just about information, we’ve got a whole new level of control over who we choose to befriend. Friendship these days extends way beyond who we bump into while fumbling through life – now we can pick and choose exactly who we allow into our closely guarded inner circles. Thanks to MySpace and Facebook’s profile system gathering, we now live in an age of selective friendship. No longer must we rely on chance and fate to fling us into contact with peers holding shared views and common interests. Instead the site offers us a veritable friendship menu to pick from, with user’s tastes clearly defined and outlined for all to see on their personal pages. Meanwhile newer sites like Twitter invite us to penetrate the concept of friendship on an even deeper level, with access granted beyond the lives of our online buddies to their actual thoughts as social networking slowly creeps towards becoming a forum for soundbites prized from our internal monologues. And yeah, you only joined Facebook on the understanding that it would be ‘for our real friends only’ but pretty soon you had added everyone from that boy you vaguely remember fancying in Year 9 Science to the girl you held the door open for in Dixons the other day. It’s not even a generational thing either: 50% of Myspace users (once the most ‘youth orientated’ of all the major networking sites) are now over the age of 35.

That’s not to say that there aren’t users out there with 1000’s and even millions of friends on their lists – I’m sure we could all think of a few amongst our, er, friends. Surely, you’d think, these so-called ‘super users’ have transcended our understanding of what it means to be ‘friends’ with someone? Not necessarily. Research carried out by Facebook’s in-house sociology team reveals that, irrespective of the number of ‘friends’ on our lists we tend only to main regular contact with 5-10% of users we have added. The average Facebook user with 120 friends, messages or chats with 4-6 friends and regularly leaves comments on 7-10 friends’ photos, status updates, or walls. More ‘popular’ users with 500 friends, message or chat with 10-16 friends and bless an average of 16-17 friends with their comments on status updates, pics etc etc. These figures go some way to explaining why, even in this age of social networking, the average number of close friends people proclaim to have remains – as they always have – between 6 and 12. If anything our online interactions actually have more in common with those of societies far more cultivated and refined than today’s. Essentially sites like Facebook offer us a limited set of interaction modes (writing notes on friends walls, inviting them to events, offering gifts etc) which it enforces rigidly. Anyone who undermines the conventions of the site is threatened with exclusion or banned. Conceptually it’s positively Elizabethan – the social codes of the site as non-negotiable as those of an 18th Century tea party or a BBC2 adaptation of a Jane Austen novel! A range of talking points either transferred from, or directly inspired by the real world are offered to us as entertainment, from photo albums to Scrabble to picking our top five favourite albums/haircuts/Air Jordans. Far from debasing communication, Facebook just does what civillised societies have done for centuries – it codifies the ways in which we play out our friendships. Behind the superficialities of lolzspeak, sheep throwing and ‘which Barbie are you?’ applications, we’re essentially looking at a site which has all the rigid conventions of medieval courtships or Victorian box socials. Rather than altering or undermining the meaning of friendship, social networking sites actually conform to relationship conventions that have been woven into our DNA and subconscious since we were primates. Despite the cries of naysayers regarding the undermining of friendship as a concept there’s really no reason that post millenial BFFs shouldn’t mirror classic notions of being ‘friends forever’ – we still have the same small number of close friends as we did before the rise of Myspace, Bebo, Facebook et al.

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Collectively we’ve all dialled up to this new way of interacting, with 53% of British Facebook users claiming in a recent survey that the site has ‘changed their life’. The next evolution of friendship is seemingly here at last. The worry amongst many concerned social commentators though is that something has been lost in translation, that somewhere in the transference from the real world world to the world wide web we have become a generation that deals in acquaintances rather than friends.

revolutionising our capacity for friendship so much as adhering strictly to established principles of ‘real world’ relationships. It seems that we might not yet be quite as popular as we think…

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But have we really changed all that much?? Some 10 years ago an eminent British anthropologist by the name of Robert Dunbar theorised that there is an upper threshold to the number of real world relationships we can realistically sustain, ie a limit to the number of real friends we can have. His theory was grounded on the principle that both humans and apes form bonds via some kind of grooming. In our primate cousins this concept manifests quite literally, apes establishing their friendships by brushing the hair of those they have selected to form relationships with. Time and memory constraints mean that there are only a limited number of these grooming relationships that can be maintained. Likewise with humans, if we don’t feel inclined to invest and maintain enough ‘grooming’ time with with someone (via gossip, chitchat, telephone calls, emails etc etc) we don’t really feel that we know them well enough to categorise them as a friend. According to Dunbar the upper tier of actively sustainable relationships for apes rolls in at 55 while for humans the number is 150, calculated on the basis of our proportionately larger brain size. 150 seems to be something of a magic number in terms of human relationships. It is, amongst other many group sizes to which the number correlates, the average unit size of a professional army’s century; the approximate mean of village and tribe sizes (according to surveys carried out by Dunbar); and it’s also the average number of friends per user on Facebook (according to Liverpool University researchers). Contrary to appearances, social networking sites aren’t

And anyway is it really such a bad thing having friends on our list with whom our relationships aren’t so strong? On the contrary. Sociologists believe that these so called ‘weak ties’ greatly increase our capacity for problem solving. The belief is that our true friends are usually either too similar to us or know us too well to be able to give any leads in problem solving we don’t already have ourselves. More remote acquaintances on the other hand will know us well enough through their regular newsfeed updates of our life, but have the benefit of providing us with more detatched and objective advice. In theory we are now able to obtain useful advice for any given situation or solve any problem by outsourcing it to our friends via a status update! Not so long ago I put up an advert seeing if anyone had a bike I could use and within minutes I’d been offered four, set up a date and found someone to clean my room and do my dishes for free!

Reassuringly the true spirit of friendship remains alive and well in both the online and real worlds, with the former very much still taking its cues from the latter. Still, with that said my online status ain’t saying so much at the moment so make sure you add me – the numbers are looking kinda low at the moment. Search criteria: will@thesupersuper. com. Hit me with an add and maybe we’ll grow to become BFFs. See ya online yo!

Slinky Sunbeam’s

GUIDE TO FRIENDSHIP The friendliest man in London Town (and quite possibly the whole wide world) gives us some tips in his own inimitable style!

Friends are the most important things in the world. Friends are everything. Friends are what we live for; it’s inherent. We carry around mobile phones so it feels like our friends are in our back pocket. Sometimes our friends actually ARE in our back pocket, but that’s only if one is friends with the Borrowers, the Smurfs, or Honey I Shrunk the Kids (second half of the film). Sometimes we take friends for granted. Friends are hard to find and even harder to keep. Friends is a 1990’s TV show. “I’ll be there for you when the rain starts to fall.” So said the Rembrants, and so say I. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it? The worst type of friend: The sycophant. There is nothing wrong with being nice, but to act obsequiously towards someone to gain an advantage is just not on. The opposite gender to myself have to suffer this in a small way every day of their life; such as when they are cold-courted at locations such as bus stops. Man says: “I really like your clothes.” Man means: “I’d really like to see your clothes on my bedroom floor.” Man subconsciously means, unknowing even to himself: “I’d really like to see your clothes on my bedroom floor because it reminds me of the time I was young and I dressed up in my mum’s garments. There were clothes all over the floor.” Freud says: “You fancy your mum.” Man says: “No. I don’t!” (In a really over-thetop-defensive-hostile-Oedipus-complex-sortof-way.) Slinky says: “Stop.” Now let’s look at those two words: ‘friend’ and ‘ship’. A friend is a person who one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. A ship is a vessel, larger than a boat, used by operating firms such as P&O to transport duty-free bargain hunters to Calais and back. Be careful where you steer your friends. You don’t want to end up with a friend-shipwreck. Other types of ship: Spaceship, airship, Harold Shipman. Friends are just strangers you haven’t met yet! So how do you convert that woman that you walk past on the way to the train station everyday into your new best friend?... Well here are some questions to spring

on unassuming members of public that will brighten up their day. (I recommend you recite these to strangers’ faces whilst you’re in a lift... that way they have nowhere to run for at least 20-30 seconds, and will have no option but to kowtow to your relentless companionship.) Without further ado... questions to convert strangers into compatible soul mates: Q 1) If you had the 50p coin from TV show ‘The Queen’s Nose’ what wish would you make whilst rubbing Elizabeth’s snout? Q 2) What’s the most scared you have ever been? (Don’t be put off if they say “Now”, whilst pressing the alarm bell on the lift’s button panel.) Q 3) If you had to share a night of passion with a clone of yourself, what age would you choose? Q4) If you could go back in time and teach a famous historical figure to beatbox just before they were about to give a major speech, who would it be? And then keep the momentum going with these lovely titbits: Get your BBC newsreader name by using the name of your first pet as your Christian name, and the road you grew up on as your surname. e.g. Tazmania Cavendish, Kirsty Young, Cantona Woodcoat. Get your serial killer name by taking the name of your favourite childhood toy as your Christian name, and your mum’s maiden name as your surname. e.g. Stretch-Armstrong Slack, Beanie-Babie Hill. Now you have engaged with them, it’s time to wow them with some ILLLUSIONS! 1) Offer your potential companion a pen and piece of paper. If they are not willing to take it, use force (superglue to the palms as a recommendation).You are either now ready to perform a magic trick, or you are now ready to see the magistrates in the morning. 2) Ask them to choose a number between one and nine. 3) Multiply this by nine to produce a two digit number 4) Add these together (This will always produce nine, but they won’t necessarily know this.) 5) Order the stranger to subtract five from this number (which will give him four).

6) Equate this number with the alphabet. i.e. A=1, B=2, etc. 7) They must now think of a country that begins with that letter (which will be D). 8) They should then think of an animal that begins with the last letter of that country. 9) They should then think of a fruit that begins with the last letter of that animal. 10) You can astound your ‘new friend’ by announcing the following statement: “THAT’S RIDICULOUS THERE ARE NO ORANGE KANGAROOS IN DENMARK!” You have to be prepared for the freethinking types who will have thought of something different. There are no raspberry dinosaurs from Deutschland! But if this does happen, then just smash the place up, safe in the knowledge that you tried. Slinky XXX

GOTH Indus

The Horror Goth

A goth is for life – not just for Christmas... or so they say. In recent years however, it seems to have become a customary ‘phase’ of an adolescent’s life to adopt at least one shade of goth at some point. Maybe we stick with it, maybe we don’t, but it’s practically inevitable that we’ll at some point in our teenage years entertain the idea – well that’s unless you’rE an SPORT-loving scally with a penchant for ‘Clubland’ compilations. Yet the Gothic subculture is a very broad subject with so many different avenues you could take – AND you don’t wanna take the wrong one FOR YOU. And anyway, this is make or break time in your social existence – one false move could lead to exile...or maybe that’s what you secretly want. Anyway, here’s the SUPERSUPER guide to the 7 shades of GOTH most prevalent today. Which one are you? Words by Dan Szor Illustrations by Kiki Hitomi

trial G

oth

f ... o s e d a h S n e Sev

80’s

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Goth

General Info: The Horror Goth has become the staple modern goth. These were the slightly older kids we all aspired to be yet just didn’t have the right emaciated framework or hair large enough to give us that arched back, pavement staring, tree like silhouette. Style: The tightest jeans ever – so tight in fact that you may one day have to be surgically removed from them. These coupled with a rather too small blazer and white shirt and pointy shoes. The more uncomfortable you look, the more hardcore you are. Listens to: Vintage surf rock and old school garage rock, but now discovering obscure retro 7”s. Whatever next – krautrock? Lifespan: Quite enduring but over time the look will get more and more toned down and you’ll gradually be accepted back into the mainstream society.

General Info: These guys can take things to the extreme. Usually found in the PostIndustrial clubs of Berlin and Eastern Europe. They might seem hard, but really they’re as soft as snow and have hearts of gold...well most of them anyway. Style: Think body dismorphia, goatees and piercings to the max. Boots adorned with excessive pieces of metal and studs are standard, as well as having the sides of your slightly balding head shaved, leaving a slightly wonky bit on top. A goatee is optional. Listens to: Bands such as The Mission, Nine Inch Nails and Rammstein. Imagine a factory floor with steam spewing out, pistons turning and molton metal – that’s what they listen to. Lifespan: Sticking a plate in your upper lip and having holes in your ears so loose that you can wear them as stirrups is a big decision – therefore industrial goths are here to stay!

General info: The Goths that started it all back in the 80s, and still going strong. These are the original ‘goths for life’ crowd – this ain’t a phase, this is a lifestyle choice. These guys probably still reminisce about the famous Batcave nightclub in Soho. Style: Usually found hanging around the likes of Camden or in biker bars with names like ‘The Full Moon’ or ‘The Rigger’, across the UK. For the ladies it’s all about an ankle length dress and corset (making the most of those ample sized breasts). For the gentlemen think Robert Smith from The Cure. Slightly oversized suit jacket and shirt with extremely oversized cuffs, coupled with big hair and a whiter than white face. Listens to: These guys like to rock out, but also like the mellower side too. Think This Mortal Coil, The Cult and The Sisters of Mercy – nothing modern though. Lifespan: May be a dying breed now, but you won’t see these guys swapping alligences anytime soon.

General Info: At school these guys usually stayed in at breaktime. The boys usually have such hobbies as Warhammer or playing guitar, and the girls the same. Basing their entire existance around Marilyn Manson they find joy amongst their peers but isolation outside their chosen social group – no one understands them, man. Style: Both male and female members of the Manson tribe usually have long centre parted hair which is usually an off reddish colour. Trench coat, dog collar and band t-shirt are standard. Listens to: I think you know the answer to this one. Lifespan: It’s just a phase, they’ll grow out of it....won’t they? (Pray their parents)

EMO

General info: Usually found in packs ranging from 2 to 78 loitering around places such as shopping centres in the day and parks by night, the emo kids are a force to be reckoned with due to their sheer numbers. Style: This style is probably the closest you can get to a none conformist uniform without actually calling it a uniform. Star tattoos on wrists – check, tunnel earings and lip ring – check, hair down over one eye like 90’s soul sensation Gabrielle, but stuck up at the back – check. A bit of eye make-up and the obligatory skinnier than skinny jeans with underwear on show and hey presto: you’re now officially an emo. Listens to: Anything angsty but with a pop sensibilty – nothing too harsh now. Think Fall Out Boy and you’ve hit the nail on the head. Lifespan: We’re yet to actually see an old emo as they’re all pretty young – we’re guessing though that they’re gonna be around for a while as they all seem to mate with each other. Maybe one day they’ll actually have the power and influence to create their own country!

e v u o

o uG

General info: These cocky young upstarts are the new kids on the goth block. Learning from their Horror superiors, they lean more towords the romantic/artistic side of the dark spectrum. Style: High-waisted all the way. Comfort is the key to creativity in their eyes – with smart hair coupled with an elequent silhouette. Props such as dangling crucifix earrings and an Arthur Rimbaud book can often be used to accentuate the look. Listens to: Still retro inspired, but not 60’s obsessed like their older Horror counterparts, these guys have their musical tastes firmly rooted in post-punk – from Berlin period Bowie to Grauzone and Suicide, not forgetting a little of Nick Cave as well. Lifespan: As fickle as the wind. These kids were probably dressed in neon a few months ago, but bless them they’re only young and trying to find their way.

General Info: An offshoot of the industrial goth brigade that discovered dance music. Probably the most exuberant and out-there of the goth brigade. These guys ain’t afraid to show a bit of colour and flesh. These are the Nu rave goths. Style: Fluro dreads and furry boots mixed with pvc body stockings and fluro wrist cuffs and jewellery. Think cyberdog and you’re sorted. Listens to: Sneaky Bat Machine and Razor Blade Kisses. Lifespan: These guys are fun, hopefully they’ll be around forever.

Visigoth

General info: Originally appearing in the 4th Century, these are the oldest Goths ever and played a vital part in the downfall of Rome. Style: The Visigoths didn’t really care that much for style – basically making do with anything lying around or that they’d killed. We do like those strappy sandals, mind you! Listens to: Apart from the wailing sounds of death and war drums, probably very little. Lifespan: Unfortunately the Visigoths are long gone, disappearing around 712 AD.

thesupersuper.com

Manson Goth

Cyber Goth

CULT HERO

glitz, glamour & gaffer tape

electroclash

words by loukia constantinou

thesupersuper.com

Whilst many of us were discovering the opposite, or even the same sex for the first time, still crying over the split of the Spice Girls and revising for our GCSE’s, popular entertainment unlike any other we’d seen before was making its way into the retro clubs across the chicest cities. Inside the seedy, sexy and smoke-filled undergrounds of New York, Berlin and London, a loosetalking and fabulously filthy little slut of a music genre was born. Her name was to become ELECTROCLASH. Although I was too young to have inebriated myself with her the first time round, some of the baby mamas and baby daddies of this lovechild (DJ Hell, Ms Kittin, Fischerspooner et al) are releasing new LPs this month. What better time therefore to learn about or remind ourselves of the music that encouraged cake-boys (and in turn rudeboys) to wear their Sunglasses At Night and taught us that in fact laughter is not the best medicine, but instead we are to Fuck The Pain Away... The year 2000. A new millennium, a shift in political and social climate, an international sense of relief that the world didn’t come to a messy end and, more entertainingly, it marked the dawn of a new, explicitly expressive, full frontal music and performance style. “Everyone was preparing for Y2K. The entire world was gonna crumble and we were all gonna die. If I was gonna die at the stroke of midnight in 1999, I wanted to die fucking having a great time, covered in glitter and wearing a jockstrap” says Casey Spooner – one half of the renowned Electroclash group Fischerspooner. “Debauched energy was coming from this fear of death or celebration in spite of death.” And so with this attitude and mindset, emerged an electronic musical revolution. It may have been pioneered by fags in drag and their hags, it may have been seen as the scene for the queens, but nearly ten years on we can still hear its basic sonic elements and influence in many things we blast from our stereos and skank our nights away to today. I always thought that NOW was the time, where the cocktail of sex and love, political and social commentary, art and music, performance and spectacle was at its most toxic. However almost ten years ago, back when the cool club connoisseurs of the new millennium had their first real hit of it, it was more seductive and more addictive than ever. Why? Because back then it was NEW. You might feel to dip in for a dab of something illicit before you read this and why wouldn’t you? The scene was style, sex, substance and statecraft darling. It was the kind of music, which said one 76

images courtesy of conrad ventur

thing but may have meant another. Or said something SO explicit, it couldn’t possibly mean what it was saying…could it? The name of this synthesis of electronic, 80’sinfluenced, rock-influenced, computer-savvy, music style materialized in the month and year, which will remain notorious until time runs out. September 2001, New York City was a jumble of body bags and mourning, a historic event, which jolted not only the USA, but also the whole of western civilization, had just occurred. A few weeks later, amongst the chaos and the loss of love, a music festival finally gave a title to that which from then on was to be known as Electroclash. Larry Tee, New York’s notorious DJ, promoter, producer and one of the pioneers of the scene originally coined the word into popular culture. “The term Electroclash came because I decided to do a festival,” says Tee. “I needed a fun, sexy name for it. I came up with a bunch of choices and I asked Cindy Greene who was a member of Fischerspooner at the time and we both decided that Electroclash was the best term for the name of a festival to describe this music.” Welcome. Wipe your feet in glitter on the way in.

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Before it claimed its name and it’s fame however, it had begun taking shape on our side of the Atlantic. The boundless and inexhaustible party scene had already made its roots in Europe. House music was at home there. And whilst the likes of cities like Berlin spawned world-renowned techno and electro music veterans, it was only a matter of time before all of that filtered onto the dirty dance floors of London and New York. DJ Hell who is rightfully considered as the godfather of the scene had launched his own record label called International Deejay Gigolos, which mixed sexy, flashy, trashy, glamour and sex with soundscapes from techno, punk and house. By the time Electroclash reached it’s peak, Hell was responsible for releasing such artists as Fischerspooner, The Hacker and Miss Kittin and many more of what would become the scene’s biggest players. Without these trailblazers we probably wouldn’t have music makers like Simian Mobile Disco, MGMT, Calvin Harris even La Roux with us today. Electroclash had it’s heyday in the early 2000’s when all of a sudden there was a surge in artists all working in this new and innovative way. Whilst in Europe, the scene was still very much about producers and DJ’s; suddenly a performance art element had emerged. Many bands surfaced from an arty underground scene. From playing in galleries and small clubs to unsuspecting audiences it gained a cult following. People were drawn to the kind of taboo element 78

it so freely professed. It looked at the art of entertainment in full form by using everything at its disposal to engulf every sense the human body has. It stimulated the ears through the music, the eyes through the performance, and the whole body through the adventure it seemed to take you on. Technology was cheaper and more accessible and so people began to make DIY music. The internet and sites like Myspace played a huge part in it’s success and whilst on paper many artists may have seemed to be nothing, within the clubbing scene their music was spreading like wildfire and reaching more and more audiences. It looked and sounded a bit like the eighties. Sonically and stylistically it seemed to draw the best bits of hipster culture and fuse them together. However, it was something that looked beyond the implications and performance styles of its contemporaries and predecessors and it turn, something, which had an inevitable influence on the music of its successors. To diminish it’s purpose and effect by declaring it as simply being retro and sexual, doesn’t give enough justice to those elements beyond the glossy and extravagant exterior. On the surface it may have seemed like a bunch of people obsessed with showbiz but it was much more. “With Electroclash everybody had their own style. Everybody was saying how retro it was but it wasn’t retro at all. It had a very political statement by its very existence,” says Tee. “Peaches had said something about female sexuality that had never been expressed before. Chicks On Speed were railing about all these corrupt corporations.” Even Miss Kittin’s Frank Sinatra which was a rant about the celebrities in the VIP rooms was pertinent, “I got that she was making fun of celebrity culture and the whole Hollywood entertainment weekly kind of culturisation of America,” says Tee. It wasn’t long before Berlin and New York came to London. In 2002 London’s very own DJ and promoter Jonny Slut launched a night called Nag Nag Nag at one of Soho’s notoriously gay and alternative music venues, the Ghetto nightclub. The night was a weekly success from the time of its launch until it finished last May. “One reason I started the night was that music was becoming more interesting again,” said Slut. “It might not entertain 4,000 people at Ministry of Sound, but it certainly entertains my crowd. Anyone who thinks club culture is dead should come and see my queue on Wednesday nights.” And much like Larry Tee’s infamous nights such as Club Badd, Luxx and Berliniamsburg in Brooklyn, these trashy electro nights in London also became the haunts for the coolest bands, celebrities and supermodels. Beyond the somewhat sordid and erotic façade of glamour and glitter there was a social relevance to everything that was expressed. “Everybody said “oh its

so sexual…” but a lot of the acts weren’t particularly sexual at all. The general idea was that it was like a freak show,” says Tee. And like with any Freak Show of it’s kind the media went into frenzy. “It got a lot of media attention it exploded for a moment and then it was met with a big backlash,” says Casey Spooner. “So then it became a detriment to everyone. Where initially it was super positive and it gave everyone a great deal of exposure, all of a sudden it kind of felt like there was almost this glut of people working in that style and it diminished the quality of what was happening. It became a bit of a parody of itself and then the media that had celebrated it so excessively and so quickly, basically turned against all the artists.” After being praised and destroyed by the same means it’s sound merely lingered its way into more commercial genres of music. And now, just like when it first became popular, most of the original artists who first introduced this more aesthetically wowing subculture in music, are back with new things all around the same time. But is there still a place for Electroclash today? “I think all the best artists are still working and I think that the better things have survived. When we were working initially entertainment was very sober, it wasn’t very expressive. It wasn’t very colorful and it wasn’t very interesting. There was this moment where people like us and Peaches and all these eccentric and unusual characters sort of raised a consciousness about how to be presentational, how to be performance. Especially for music that is electronically driven. It feels like the things that we started have continued to grow and have established themselves in mainstream entertainment,” says Spooner. As the original Electroclashers return to the stage with a more mature, more progressed sound the legacy lives on. “I think it’s gonna wind up a lot more influential [than other music]. Now, groups that are actually better looking than the original Electroclashers are actually doing something very similar, like Crystal Castles and MGMT even Britney Spears – her stuff is sounding very Electroclash. There’s a whole new generation that was inspired by the mayhem of Electroclash. It’s gone somewhere new and I like that,” says Larry Tee. “In ten more years we’ll have the chance to go a noughties party. A part about this generation and we’ll say, okay we’re all gonna dress up ELECTROCLASH! How gorgeous would that be? As opposed to, we’re all gonna dress up indie rock…” *wamp wamp wamp* “To put it down on that level though, I don’t think it deserves that. It deserves to be a big up for actually trying to be a little different. If people like then they like it, if they don’t they don’t and fuck you!” Well we certainly DO like it. And if you don’t then yeah, FUCK YOU!

X Sarong (worn on head) and t-shirt by “Stephen Sprouse” Louis Vuitton, Safety pin belt (worn as necklace) by McQ

Fashion Director Namalee Bolle Photography Billa Art Director SuperSteve Model Josie Millar Make Up Thomas De Kluyver using MAC Hair Akio Nishiyama Hair Colourist Charlie Le Mindu Stylist’s assistant Hannah Balogun

e s o R w e N

Silk T-shirt by Cassette Playa, Paisley tights by Eley Kishimoto, Black bracelet by Disaya, Skull ring by Disaya, Knee high boots by Scholl by Diego Dolchini

Sarong (worn on head) and t-shirt by “Stephen Sprouse” Louis Vuitton, Safety pin belt (worn as necklace) by McQ

Jacket by Topshop Unique, Pink dress by McQ, Loose knit jumper by ASOS, All Jewellery by Thomas Sabo, Metal belt modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own, Leather purse belt by Noki NHS

Jacket and headscarf by Horace, Jewel print dress by McQ, Sunglasses by Ad Hoc, Bag by Armand Basi

Bikini by “Stephen Sprouse” Louis Vuitton, Over-the-knee boots by Topshop Unique, Sequinned gloves and tights by Ashish

Rope print catsuit by McQ, Fringed shoulder piece by Noki NHS, Leopard print peep-toe wedges by Ashish for Topshop

Bikini by “Stephen Sprouse” Louis Vuitton, Over-the-knee boots by Topshop Unique, Sequinned gloves and tights by Ashish

Military hat by Noki NHS, Denim vest and fur detail belt by Louise Gray, Rope print leggings by McQ, Studded belt by Ad Hoc

Trench coat (worn inside out) by â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stephen Sprouseâ&#x20AC;? Louis Vuitton, Sunglasses by Giantvintage.com, T-shirt dress by Horace, Printed tights by Pamela Mann at Ad Hoc and Boots by Dr Martens

Leather Jacket and fishnets (worn under jeans) Stylists own, ‘The Dammed’ t-shirt models own, Jeans by ASOS, Studded belt by Ad Hoc

Evening dress by Ashish, Fringed cropped jacket by Noki NHS, Black leather gloves by Ad Hoc

BOYS R US

Hat by Dries van Noten Fur coat by Katie Eary AW 09 T shirt with embroidery by KTZ Painted coat by Mihara Yasuhiro Jeans by John Varvatos Pig Trotters by Katie Eary using Dr Martens AW 09

Photography Simon Harris @ www.simonharrisphoto.com Concept and Fashion Direction Kabir @ www.mynameiskabir.info Grooming Aaron Dorn @ Carol Hayes using Bumble and Bumble Model Isaac Carew @ Nevs Fashion Assistants Adam Junje Chen Pawel Bendarek

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Shirt (worn as swine flu mask) by Qasimi Kimono from Koveted from Kabir Archive Airtex top by Adidas Necklaces by Keko Hainswheeler

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Bird flu hat, blood splattered shirt and gaffer tape Union Jack trousers by Katie Eary AW09 Stars and stripes denim jacket from Koveted from Kabir Archive Tie by John Varvatos Shorts by American Apparel Ring with chains by Keko Hainswheeler Necklaces Modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own

Fur hat, braces and sporran from Koveted from Kabir Archive T shirt by I Hate U Halo (worn as necklace) and Bird skull necklace (worn from braces) by J. W. Anderson Chains (worn on wrist and from braces) by Keko Hainswheeler Checkered jackets (on shoulder and worn as trousers) from King of Fripp, Paris Socks by Falke Customised boots by Katie Eary using Dr Martens AW 09

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Badge (worn in hair) by Ashish Coat from Koveted from Kabir Archive T shirt by I Hate U Chains (worn on wrist) by Keko Hainswheeler Bag (worn as harness) by Komakino Necklace hanging from bag) by Cassie Graphics Shorts by American Apparel Jeans by Katie Eary using Swarovski Crystallized Elements AW09

Jacket (worn inside out) from King of Fripp, Paris T shirt from Koveted from Kabir Archive Glass Crucifix Necklace by J. W. Anderson Codpiece bumbag by KTZ Jeans by Keko Hainswheeler

Flatcap, leather jacket, denim coat and sporran from Koveted from Kabir Archive Red military coat by Katie Eary AW09 Split top by Armand Basi Necklace Modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Leather shorts by Qasimi Socks by Falke

skyhigh

Lakiza wears dress by Eley Kishimoto

Photography by Rory DCS Fashion Direction by Thomas Sels Make up by Zoe Koritsas using MAC Hair by Hiroshi Matsushita using Bumble & Bumble Styling assistance by Laura Models Svetlana @ First Model Management, Lakiza @ Profile

Jacket & trousers by Y3 Shoes by Clarks Originals

Shirt & trousers by Acne

Dress by Issey Miyake ‘Pleats Please’

Trousers & socks by Acne Top and headband by Freddy Shoes by Veja

Coat by Gloverall Shorts, top & socks by Acne Shoes by Veja

Hat by Eley Kishimoto Jacket by Comptoir des Cotonniers Jeans by Acne

Coat by Paul Smith Top by Cooperative design Hat and platforms by Acne Leggings by Horace

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POULE DE L’EST GIRLS

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! a hair story by charlie le mindu

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Hair Director and Creative Direction: Charlie Le Mindu using Fudge Photography: Dean Varoj Model: Stephanie and Maia Make up by the poule de l est.

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artists stripes iconic elements

The K-Swiss “Classic” is the original, iconic tennis shoe. The first shoe released by K-Swiss on their launch in 1966, it carried the five stripes (in part a functional device for holding the upper together) that have since gone on to become the brand’s instantly recognisable signature. The five stripes were just one of the five key elements of the Classic, along with the white leather, eyelets, three piece toe and the K-Swiss shield. Forty three years later, the Classic remains as relevant as ever – the true sign of timeless, quality design. The simplicity and clean lines of the Classic make for the perfect blank canvas for interpretation, which is why SUPERSUPER invited five artists – Tim PMH, Pure Evil, Thomas Sels, Nicky Carvell and Charlie Le Mindu – to do just that, the spectacular results which you can see on the following pages. If these reworkings have gotten your creative juices flowing, then why not head over to www.remastertheclassic.com where you can have a go at remastering a classic for yourself!

TIM PMH

PURE EVIL

) )

THOMAS SELS

NIC

RVE LL

CHARLIE LE MINDU

Before:

It’s the hair styling makeover with...

CHARLIE LE MINDU This month’s style... from Compo to Crumpet

FRENCH SUPERSTAR CELEBRITY HAIRSTYLIST CHARLIE LE MINDU TAKES US THROUGH THE STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO CREATING THIS MONTH’S FABULOUS LOOK IN HIS OWN INIMITABLE STYLE!

Easy. Do a masive seperation on the top of your head going right down to your neck and finish with shape of triangle. Remenber when u u were a kid n try to shave your hair to look like a punk it s exactly the same separation!

After: Hot She’s a LADYYYYY........

Start to the side separaton. The smaller the seperation the sexier the result will be...so do it good!!!

thesupersuper.com

Get ya roller - 1cm diametre is great. Take a little separation and roll your hair in it quick! Both sides should be done in 10 mins!!! Tighten them good in case your scared of them falling off due to the water being slippy. Then Just put a net on both sides.

126

O YES FUDGE IS BACK - And this hairspray smells of coconut! Take all the rollers off and spray spray spray you hair before styling it!!! brush it brush it brushit. And then voila...

Get ON TOP! Find the smallest roller ever and put it on most of the hair! The back my be bit difficult at the beginning but with practice it’ll all be cool.

4 Hey grandma? Oh yes we love it. Make sure its really really dry - this is very important!

THE NEW MA FASHION

Kingston University London www.kingston.ac.uk/pgfashion

The Fashion C areers C linic is the ďŹ rst careers advice service in the UK dedicated to helping new graduates and designers. W e p rovide guidance via one to one consultations and email / p hone sup p ort, covering the following top ics:

+ Portfolio presentation + C V layout + Interview preparation + Networking skills + Advice on working with agencies

Visit our web site for details of our sp ecial offers and our p rize draw to win a FREE one to one consultation. W e are exhib iting at Graduate Fashion W eek â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we look forward to seeing you at stand E104.

#17

Issey Miyake Pleats Please www.pleatspleaseshop.com J Jeff Griffn for Berghaus www.studio-griffn.com John Varvatos www.johnvarvatos.com J.W Anderson www.j-w-anderson.com

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K Katie Eary www.katieeary.co.uk Keko Hainswheeler www.kekohainswheeler.com Kickers www.kickers.co.uk Kokon To Zai www.kokontozai.co.uk Komakino www.komakinodesign.com Koveted from Kabir Archive www.mynameiskabir.info K-swiss www.kswiss.com

A Acne shop.acnestudios.com Ad Hoc www.adhoclondon.co.uk Adidas Eyewear www.adidas.com/eyewear American Apparel store.americanapparel.co.uk Apple Bottom Jeans www.applebottoms.com Armand Basi www.armandbasi.com Ashish www.ashish.co.uk ASOS www.asos.com Atomic Floyd www.atomicfloyd.com

D DKNY www.dkny.com Diesel store.diesel.com Disaya www.disaya.com Disney Couture www.ASOS.com Dr Martens www.drmatens.com Dries Van Noten www.driesvannoten.be

B Babycakes www.bbycks.com Basso & Brooke www.bassoandbrooke.net Bernhard Willhelm www.oki-ni.com Billionaire Boys Club www.bbcicecream.com Boxfresh www.boxfresh.co.uk

F Famous Stars & Straps www.famoussas.com Falke www.socksfox.com Franklin & Marshall www.franklinandmarshall.com Freddy www.freddytheclub.com French Connection www.frenchconnection.com Fresh2death www.f2dcollection.com

C Cassette Playa www.cassetteplaya.com Christopher Kane www.brownsfashion.co.uk Comptoir des Cotonniers www.comptoirdescotonniers.com Clarks Originals www.clarksoriginals.com Cooperative designs www.co-operativedesigns.com Cross Colours www.crosscolours.com

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E Eastpak www.eastpak.com/shop Eley kishimoto www.eleykishimoto.com/shop

G GiantVintage www.giantvintage.com Girl Gang www.girlgang.co.uk Glovedup www.glovedup.com Gola by Jonathon Saunders G-Star www.g-star.com H HL Jeans Co. www.hl-jeans.com Horace www.asos.com I I Hate u www.myspace.com/ihateumilano

L Lacoste www.lacoste.com Lady Luck Rules OK www.ladyluckrulesok.com Levi www.levi.com Long Clothing www.longclothing.com Louis Vuitton www.louisvuitton.com Louise Gray studio.louisegray@gmail.com M Makin Jan Ma Beyond the Valley, London, W1F 7RD Manish Arora www.harrods.com MCM www.mcmworldwide.com McQ www.net-a-porter.com N Nicholas Kirkwood www.doverstreetmarket.com Noki NHS www.123bethnalgreenroad.co.uk

O Onitsuka Tiger www.onitsukatiger.co.uk P Paul Smith www.paulsmith.co.uk/shop Pauls Boutique www.bankfashion.co.uk Q Qasimi www.qasimi.com Quiksilver www.quiksilver.com R Rupert Sanderson www.liberty.co.uk S Scholl by Diego Dolchini www.scholl.com Shipton & Heneage www.shiptonandheneage.co.uk Skullcandy www.skullcandy.eu Smiley www.smileylicensing.com Sonia Rykiel www.soniarykiel.com Storm Watches www.stormwatches.com Supreme Being www.supremebeing.com Swatch eu-shop.swatch.com T Topshop Unique www.topshop.com Thomas Sabo www.thomassabo.com V Veja www.veja.fr W Walter Van Beirendonck www.waltervanbeirendonck.com Y YMC www.youmustcreate.com Y-3 y-3store.adidas.com

SUPER STOCKISTS

’ high ‘Sky rom s by f e ag ng top by e arri ve im , Abo , p98. E design by Acn s y e r sto perativ to, jean o o Co- Kishim Eley

Are you a creative soul? Feed your talent and develop your career by studying at our specialist art, design and media college. At Plymouth College of Art we offer a unique personal environment for you to study in… from a wealth of resources and facilities available to dedicated staff all with the one objective – to help you succeed in your chosen discipline and fulﬁl your potential. Come along to one of our Open Days and see our wide range of art, design and media courses for yourself.

Foundation Degree Fashion BA (Hons) Fashion

01752 203 434 | www.plymouthart.ac.uk Fashion by Simone Rodrigues | BA (Hons) Fashion Photography by Rob Jarvis | BA (Hons) Photography

School of Textiles and Design Use your head, choose fashion at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design. Unrivalled facilities – so say Dame Vivienne Westwood and Mark Eley of Eley Kishimoto – and our combination of traditional and contemporary expertise lead to a wide range of careers for our sought-after graduates.

UG FOR 2010/2011 ENTRY: BA (Hons) Design for Textiles (Fashion, Interior, Art) BSc (Hons) Fashion Technology BA (Hons) Fashion BA (Hons) Fashion Womenswear BA (Hons) Fashion Menswear BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Retailing BA (Hons) Fashion Communication

PG FOR 2009/2010 ENTRY: MA in Fashion and Textiles Design MSc in Fashion and Textiles Management MSc or MA in Fashion and Textiles Innovation and New Applications For more information, please click: www.tex.hw.ac.uk, email: enquiries@tex.hw.ac.uk or call: 01896 892156.

www.hw.ac.uk

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GAMES

WOLVERINE E3

Guitar hero

It’s that time again. The biggest event in the console calendar is upon us once more as hundreds of thousands flock to the Mecca of gaming. Expect big announcements for the Tony Hawk’s and Guitar Hero franchises and new addition to the family DJ Hero, extensive previews of the new Red Faction and a sneak peek at the long awaited Darksiders. It seems unlikely but there are rumours that Nintendo will announce a new Wii’s HD compatibility will be announced The PS3 is set to comeback from last year’s disappointing performance with MAG, a FPS with 256 people per multiplayer game, which should really show off how technologically advanced the PS3 is. There will also be a good look at God of War 3 and potentially a new PSP.

Bionic Commando The primary issue I had with Bionic Commando is that the best part, the grappling hook, is dumbed down by the linear level structure; because there is always one route, travelling at superspeeds is not always helpful as avoiding radiation/water is much harder. The story is typical, but bearable, and with some mastery the hook does become great fun. It just feels like a game that should’ve been set in the world

METALLICA

Guitar Hero is a phenomenon. like cashing in, it’s actually a very Although the spiel about it being a authentic Metallica experience. ‘new, innovative social platform for They picked the acts, they are experiencing and interacting with playable characters, the venues are music’ may seem a bit far-fetched; it identifiable with the album covers of is undeniable that the franchise has the past, there are Metallifacts at the revolutionised music within gaming. end of each song and, perhaps most It has evolved and progressed well, interestingly, there is an Expert+ fighting off Rock Band by creating difficulty mode for the drums where its own full band experience, you hook up two bass pedals for the keeping up with and surpassing authentic note-for-note experience. competitors. This expansion includesWorth buying if you’re a fan of the over 45 tracks including Metallica’s band but don’t forget the new Guitar anthems and songs from over 20 Hero isn’t that far away. 9/10 guest acts. Although it may seem

that Crackdown was (see bottom right). If this was an open world game with a huge sandbox environment it could well have been incredible. It’s with this that the multiplayer is so good. The panache with which you can frag your foes is really excellent. It is by no means a bad game and with a different environment and a more refined combat system it would potentially be brilliant. 6.5/10

3 GODFATHER UFC unleashed It’s easy to think of crime-based sandbox games as Grand Theft Auto clones, and it would be hard to deny its influence, but in truth Godfather II is very, very different. It is an engrossing blend of third person shooter and real-time strategy. You work your way up the criminal underworld’s career ladder extorting, racketeering, murdering and stealing. The action part of the game is good, but unspectacular, the execution moves are sufficiently violent, the aim is ok, the camera’s mediocre and the lack of jumping is a minor foible. The RTS side of things is excellent. You promote, recruit and manage your family. You can be robbing a bank whilst you send goons to take over some new turf with regular updates. It’s a well executed fusion which will hopefully carry through to other, similar games. It is a good game that has too many minor flaws to be brilliant. 7/10

At first UFC seems like an slightly odd prospect; however, when looking at the long-term success of wrestling and boxing games, coupled with The Ultimate Fighting Championship being the fastest growing sport in the world, it is not. The game is excellent. It represents the brutality, expertise and unpredictability of the sport. Fights can turn on their heads with one strong hit. Each fighter has individual preferences and fighting styles just as the real life stars do. The controls are simple, and it’s possible to win just spamming power moves, but anyone looking to truly the enjoy the game will set out to master the complexities as it enriches the experience. The career mode is a bit repetitive but for a first attempt it’s an incredibly polished and playable game. 8/10

COMING SOON FUEL, Velvet Assassin, Terminator: Salvation and Virtua Tennis 2009 are the biggest releases this month and Prototype is out next month so keep your eyes peeled for a review.

Available for under a tenner pretty much everywhere, it’s well worth it. If you picture GTA, from the perspective of the good guy, with super human strength, agility and plenty of weapons to assist your removal of the criminal scourge then you’ve got it.

BARGAIN CORNER 131

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all incredibly satisfying. You can level up your character and allocate points to different skills and attributes and there are ‘mutagens’ which you find and equip to obtain various boosts. It’s not the deepest of games. The platform and puzzle elements are repetitive and somewhat ridiculous but they’re understandably there to add some variety to the Hack ‘n’ Slash. It’s by no means a short game and at times it can seem a bit monotonous but at the same time it is great fun and probably one of the better games this year. 8.5/10

Sneak preview of the biggest event on the gamer’s calandar - the E3 exposition in LA

CRACKDOWN

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is everything you’d expect; it’s vivid, violent and visceral. This is one of the most brutal games ever. Those claws tear countless enemies into ribbons, remove organs and bring down hulking beasts. The core of the game, violence, is done excellently. The fighting system is simple enough to grasp immediately but complimented by a myriad of way to kill enemies which allows you to fight in your own way. Whether you decide to impale enemies on statues and trees, throw them off cliffs or just slice and dice them it is

Compiled & Written by Jayga Rayn games@thesupersuper.com

Words by Dan Szor

SNOWBOMBING 2009

www.xbox.com/en-GB/live

Imagine blissfully skiing down the side of an Austrian mountain, decked out in the most fashionable of ski suits, Oakley sunglasses and maybe even a headband, perfecting your turns and gliding across a blanket of snow so smooth that it resembles skiing on whipped cream, only to be overtaken by a man dressed up as the Incredible Hulk, complete with purple shorts and a woman dressed up as Wonderwoman looking a little worse for wear. Welcome to Snowbombing. The annual musical alternative to Ibiza. Skiing, snowboarding and partying – the three elements that make this one of the most unique festivals in Europe. The sleepy town of Mayrhofen gives way to over 2000 revellers from across Europe, with the town’s bars, cafés and nightclubs providing the venues in which a whole host of international artists and DJs perform. Highlights this year included The Noisettes who performed in the Xbox Lounge and used the Xbox 360 Live’s advanced capabilites to play Guitar Hero live with Just Jack at a party in London. 2manydjs were the icing on the cake on the last night. A small clearing in the forest provided an almost surreal venue not dissimilar to where the ewoks live in Star Wars Return of the Jedi. Old skool and modern classics echoed through the pines and gave rise to an avalancheinducing wave of euphoria. The event, sponsered by Xbox Live, tied in with the Xbox ethos: Fun, unity and entertainment. Not only a games console, the Xbox 360 connects you to a whole world of entertainment. As well as having the capability of allowing you to play games with people anywhere around the world in realtime, Xbox Live allows you to download a whole host of music videos, HD films and even games straight to the Xbox 360’s hard drive. You can even chat to your family and friends on msn – something we immediately took advantage of straight after coming off the piste. With a worldwide community of over 17 million, Xbox Live opens up a whole new world of entertainment, without you ever having to leave your room.

“

LOOK OUT FOR

“SUPERART” SUPERART Nicky Pic With Nicky Carvell nicky@thesupersuper.com

“

Most recently MIA got me to do her on-stage visuals

INTERVIEW IMAGE(S)

DANIEL SWAN

Have you ever been casually browsing the web when a video inhales you like a rainbow hungry tornado and spits you out into an apocalyptic afterworld? Young artist Daniel Swan’s work had this exact effect on me, so I caught up with him to chat about Youtube, Sci Fi and Aztec geometry... SUPERSUPER: Hi Daniel! I’ve just been admiring your eyepopping website with super psychedelic videos! You say that you watch a lot of Youtube - how does this inform your work? Daniel: Youtube is just such an amazing resource, I’ve spent whole days just browsing peoples’ holiday videos looking for nice images and moments that capture strange vibes or atmospheres I haven’t seen before. SS: Are you still studying at Camberwell? If so, are you involved with the local Art scene around there and Peckham? D: I’m in my second year of the graphics course. I guess I am involved in a very small way, I’ve worked on events and exhibited in places like Area10 in Peckham and Corsica Studios in Elephant and obviously Camberwell collegerelated things as well. I want to try and do more of that, collaborate with people locally on projects and maybe more gallery happenings. SS: Do you like Paper Rad‘s work? You seem to forward a similar aesthetic. D: Yeah Paper Rad, Fort Thunder artists, Seripop, Gary Panter and stuff like that were definitely an influence on my earlier work, and still are probably. Then I became obsessed with Paul Laffoley paintings, Raymond Pettibon, Buckminster Fuller and Superstudiotype visionary architecture stuff and made some zines of bad guy island hideaways and space architecture being destroyed, and now I’m not sure where I am. Still definitely into space...I’m starting to make a science fiction film short...sort of. SS: Have you VJ’d in clubs at all, or is your output strictly via the internet?

D: I’ve done some pretty primitive VJing for friends’ bands at a couple of venues in London, and a few clubs around Leeds and Manchester play loops of random stuff that I sent out. Most recently MIA got me to do her on-stage visuals for Coachella festival last month and it was crazy to see my videos on such a massive screen in front of a crowd like that. She bought my DVD and she was lovely. SS: Cool! You seen to have an almost obsessive use of pattern and formulaic movement - is this to do with the computer technology that you use? D: I like repetition and patterns, grids and noise, aztec geometry and african textiles, digital compression, aliased pixels and stuff. Like when I’m doing pen and ink drawings I find myself putting all those elements in, making frames round things like operating system interfaces and drawing patterns like photoshop tiles....I probably just spent too much of my life in front of a computer. But I like nature too so I mash some of that in there as well. SS: You also employ a lot of geometric symbols which appear as having visionary significance; what do you see happening in the future of your work? D: I’m not sure, I sort of try not to think about it too much and try and do what feels most enticing. At the moment I’m working on a new zine, trying to get organized with that scifi film, making a video for my friend’s band, doing some gig posters and working on patterns to digitally print onto fabric which my girlfriend will hopefully make a range of clothing out of - it will be intense! Experience Daniel’s work at: danielswan.co.uk

1. THE NEW AGENDA Featured in Super Super a few issues ago, Michael Pybus’ clashing Post Pop collages are showcased in this group exhibition which is supported by the Jerwood foundation. Including “Portrait paintings on psychedelic marbled surfaces” and “Large-scale paintings of creatures and totems” this all sounds very exciting and right up Super Super’s street! fivehundreddollars.co.uk 2. Baroque - Style in the Age of Magnificence V&A Museum. 4 April - 19 July. Gold capes billow in the glittering wind whilst shards of light dynamically pierce through the tumultuous fog...before I get too carried away with this one, the point is that we have a lot to thank this 17th/18th century arts movement for. Outlandish romance and excess is back and Baroque was the original bling. Including painting and sculpture through to furniture, get yourself down to the good old V&A to find out where all our modern drama emerged from! vam.ac.uk 3. Banks Violette Team Gallery, New York. 7 May - 20 June Banks Is Back! This time our favourite monochrome sculptor continues his critique of Americana presenting a motorcycle starkly cast in his signature resin and salt. This is a rare chance to also check out his drawings, which are described as “film cells from the world’s slowest movie.” They include a large rendering of the American flag onto aluminium, propped up against the wall. Hard edged and quietly emblematic, this show faces death with subtle theatricality. teamgal.com 4. Isa Genzken - Open Sesame! Whitechapel Gallery. 5 April - 21 June. After what seemed like forever (well 2 years), this leading east end gallery finally reopened after it’s expansion. With work ranging from her minimal 70’s sculptures to the current day mish-mash of consumable stuff, it becomes clear that she has hugely influenced young artists today; (I can’t believe she’s in her 60’s!) The mirrored tiled panels are particularly stunning, feeling both familiar yet futuristic at the same time. whitechapelgallery.org 5.Tal R armes de chine Victoria Miro Gallery. 21 May - 25 July. Most famous for his playfully patterned paintings, Danish Artist Tal R moves onto installation in this show which may sound YAWN! but not when the context is revealed. From 2005- 2008, he transformed his studio into a ‘Palace’, and the items in this show include “owls, sad penises, eggs, elegant guard women with buns, lost scouts, wrong fruits, melted minimal ice cream, sad fruits, junk and bottles, tombstones, embarrassed old uncles.” That’s more like it; this show should definitely have the peculiar factor! victoria-miro.com 6. Screen 8 Seymour Place, London. 20 May - 2 June. Graduating from The RA Schools last year, Angus Sanders-Dunnachie’s multilayered cartoon cutouts were a huge Pop hit! He returns in this group show held in a disused yet ‘nice’ shop. Also featuring a piece by Antony Donaldson; a British pop artist who worked in LA in the 60s and whose super smooth paintings and sculptures of exotica such as palm trees, still exude an effortless, sometimes sinister cool. www.angussanders-dunnachie.co.uk 7. Degree Shows 2009 Liverpool John Moore’s BA Art and Design: 23 - 29 May. ljmu.ac.uk Royal College MA Sculpture Show: 22 - 30 May. rca.ac.uk Glasgow BA Fine Art: 13 - 20 June. gsa.ac.uk Royal Academy Schools Show: 17 - 28 June. royalacademy.org.uk Goldsmiths BA Fine Art: 19 - 22 June. gold.ac.uk Manchester BA Fine Art: 20 - 28 June. artdes.mmu.ac.uk Central Saint Martins MA Fine Art: 30 June - 3 July. csm.arts.ac.uk Chelsea BA Fine Art: 23 May - 6 September. chelsea.arts.ac.uk Breaking New - 500 Dollars Gallery, Vyner Street. 14 May - 14 June.

From Warhol to !WOWOW! FROM THE YBA’S TO LUCKY PDF AND BEYOND it seems that sociability CAN BE THE key to the Art scene – YET CAN THIS SOCIABILITY ACTUALLY threaten THE INTEGRITY, and has ART become just another excuse for a party?

ART OR PARTY When the moon turned out to be a lightbulb and as fake as Andy’s wig, the Superstars soon burned out, but the myth lives on and since then art has had an undeniable link with publicity. Now, due to an everyday which is becoming increasingly harsh and unforgiving, escapism is on the rise and parties are indicative of our increased sociability. Interaction makes us human and in sparse times it is our instinct to huddle together like a group of penguins fending off the arctic chill. The constant changing of the penguins on the outside is much like hosting a party; convincing the police that it’s a civilised family get together (“me nan loves dubstep!”) and cleaning up the crap afterwards - it’s great that way because you only have to host it occasionally and get to destroy your mate’s place next time! Crystal Carvell says “yes please!” to these parties; dress up like an Aztec warrior, dance like a deranged dickhead, fall on

your ass and get a bruise in the shape of Mickey Mouse. The importance seems to be whether it’s an event where the party happens because of the art, not vice-versa; you do actually want people to LOOK at your work and not puke on it do ya?! So, with the risk of sounding like me mum; it’s all about balancing the making and partying - both are crucial and co-dependent; shit show = shit party. Oh and after the after party‘s ended, whatever you do, don’t stare at a wall! Make some wicked work and then you may need some help from your mates to get it out there and you can get a matching Minnie bruise on the other cheek to cheer Mickey up! Formerly an astute Suit, Jeff Koons forwarded the Warholian model of ‘Business as Art’ – or more excitedly as excess on every level. His huge blow up sculptures taking Pop to bursting point, epitomised the £39.99 (Taschen) 80s consumer culture to both its Available from all decadent and sinister ends. This good bookstores is an unmissable book on the ultimate Post Pop Superstar.

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most of which are run by young excitable entrepreneurial groups putting on nights incorporating both Art and Music. Thanks to the enduring cool factor of Goldsmiths College and availability of cheap/disused spaces, a lot of this is currently happening in South East London. Also, following the legendary !WOWOW! collective founded in 2003 who hosted renegade warehouse parties, the Peckham scene continues to flourish with groups such as Lucky PDF (more to come about this lot in future issues!) But in whose paint encrusted footsteps are these groups treading? Taking it to extremes, in the 60’s Warhol’s Factory was the centre for avant garde happenings in New York. Outsiders to society were attracted to the silver space like moths to the moon and re-cast as Superstars. The Underground became Velvet as Warhol exposed his cultivated subculture to mass culture; Pop Art was all about being popular.

After an intense week of scampering around London galleries I’ve just done something radical; I stared at my white studio wall. I’ve never done this before; it’s always my laptop/someone’s face/ my own face in some mirrored Perspex. This zen moment was at once a calming yet terrifyingly existential one; anything could happen here and it’s all up to me! But I’m never actually alone when making Art - there’s an elaborate framework of people, places and organisations behind me. The solitary artist is a rare phenomenon these days. We no longer starve in garrets, never encountering a shower (well not most of us anyway!) The modern artist is shiny and sociable; just check out the customary specsblack, bold and definitive; it’s all about outwards staring rather than introverted pondering. In that case, what’s all the laptop gazing about? The answer is communication; I love receiving invites to art openings/events -

. . THE E N D NEW ALBUM OUT NOW INCLUDES THE NO.1 SINGLE BOOM BOOM POW

SUPERmusik!

POP :

STILL A DIRTY WORD

Snap, crackle and ermmmmm...

Pete Waterman – on Pop Music

“

I’ve been going in and out of style, but I’m always guaranteed to raise a smile

I don’t know about you but the ATM ain’t showing me a whole lotta love atm if you get what I mean. That pinching feeling in the pocket needn’t necessarily be a bad thing though. On the contrary, it could be just what we need right now… Up until recently we’d all been too drunk on our own affluence to be truly discerning in terms of cultural consumption. Face it, over the past few years we’ve paid lip service to too many chancers and also rans. Too many sub-par nights, boring bands and dud DJ’s. We were as unsure of the exact point of their existence as they were, but hey, it didn’t matter, there was always another party round the corner to distract us from worrying about it too much. However, in a time where we’re stacking pence instead of p’s it seems like it might finally be crunch time for the creatively bankrupt chancers clogging up our club and music scenes. Dj’s/ producers / bands / artists it’s time to step up! With limited recourse to funds none it’s simply not worth leaving the house for anything less than life changing. Of course, it’s absolutely fine to start a band/club project without an agenda, a vision or a defined purpose. The compromise is that you’ll inevitably find yourself without an audience either. If your goals don’t extend beyond attempting to recreate the contents of your record collection or emulating something which has already existed then why bother? And why should anyone else??? Fragmentation from genres to sub genres offers a good breeding new sounds, however it also reduces the pool against which material is judged. There’s too much functional music out there at the moment, all designed purely for the purpose of fitting seamlessly into a specific scene, DJ set or sub genre. Maybe that’s why some of the most exciting and creative music right now is being made under the more collective banner of pop. The days of ‘pop music’ being defined by ballads sung from stools are long gone. From Wonky Pop to Lil Wayne, we’re entering the most exciting time in the genre since the eighties. Cynics that bemoan it as cynical, transient and superficial are misguided and out of touch. Why shouldn’t something inclusive and frivolous also be creative, experimental and relevant? These are the very values on which SUPERSUPER is based! Obscurity shouldn’t be warn like a badge of honour. On the contrary it simply reflects a lack of ambition. It stands to reason that it’s far harder to construct a melody capable of penetrating the subconscious of the masses than something imminently forgettable. In short it’s time for everyone involved in music to affirm their purpose and start thinking big. Solace for the empty pockets era will be found in those who are rich in ideas, so if you want to be heard either go hard or go home! Words by Billy Idle

Going Up! HI NRG

Moving on from the cosmic disco trend of...a few weeks ago. It’s now time to throw your hands in the air and pretend you’re on the dancefloor of LDN’s ‘Heaven’ back in 81

BENNY HILL RIDDIM

The big riddim coming out of JA (that’s Jamaica to me and you) right now. Apparently Benny Hill was massive over there, too!

ACID

It’s back! Witness the music and dance on into infinity alongside the odd unicorn

Boutique FESTIVALS

Why pay hundreds of pounds for a ticket to what resembles a corporate concentration camp? It’s gotta be all about the little ones this year

KITCHEN SINK GRIME

Have you got money on your Oyster?! The daily trials of life laid down over a grime beat – sounding more relevant than ever. See Ms Darks, Junior Spesh, et al,

DEEP HOUSE

Forget those throwaway squelchy basslines – we’re all gonna sink a little deeper inside, inside, inside...

PARTY PROMOTER OR PROPERTY DEVELOPER?

As the recession bites harder and spaces become available some promoters are taking the next step on the rung and actually purchasing places to party

So what is...

Master Shortie

thesupersuper.com

Lykke Li MagistratesLittle Boots Example

Alphabeat Frankmusik

Wonky ones to watch out for:

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words by Carli Forrest*

Who?

Meet the new unashamed faces of pop

Why Wonky?

The future?

A former SUPERSUPER cover star beatboxer known as ‘Mr Mouth’, Croydon born Vincent Frank dropped out of London College of Fashion to form his sound.

Remixing material by Pet Shop Boys, Alphabeat and Mika, is there any wonder why we call him wonky pop?! Oh, and he speaks posh too.

His album ‘Complete Me’ is due for release in July and he’s performing at the East Dance tent at Glastonbury, your gonna hear a lot from him over this year, or at least over the Summer….

Denmark’s finest, this six piece group are fun, bright and happy… need we say more?

Their debut single, ‘Fascination’ was a massive hit in 2007, with their sound mixing retro 80s melodic pop with tambourine shaking and optimism! (And dancing like a hyper kid on stage.)

They were meant to support Katy Perry on her world tour but instead chose to work on their second album instead, meaning for better or worst, we will be seeing much more of these guys.

A 26 year old West London rapper, signed to The Beats record label. Oh and guess what his name isn’t Example, it’s Elliot John Gleave.

It’s rap for nice people, enjoying the nice sunshine on nice sunny days, feeling nice. He would say “an up-tempo electro garage rap mash-up”. Nice.

Possibilities Studios want to make a film about his life and he has new material out soon. Possible collaborations with Chase and Status and MJ Cole.

Victoria Hesketh, the 25 year old Blackpool lass taking the charts by storm. She was also a former SUPERSUPER cover star back in 2007 under a different alias.

Shiny Pop Music in its crystal form, with short sequin dresses and size 3 feet to boot. Oh and she auditioned for Pop Idol too.

She will probably change her sound, look and name again (Dead Disco anyone?) so you wont recognize even if she does….

A four piece indie dance band hailing from Essex! Whether they wear white socks is unknown.

Essex Pop with a dirty groove, they used to be a Travis-like group called “Echelon’ but saw the error in their ways and for that, the world will forever be grateful.

Signed to XL Recordings and wanting to “infect the world with a dirty groove like some out of control STD” is the means for success!

Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (phew!); the 23 year old Swedish singer/ songwriter who you don’t want to dismiss as manufactured pop confection.

A mix of soul, electro and self-proclaimed ‘powered-sugar pop’. Out and proud, that’s what we like to see!

She is apparently writing material for her second alum but insists it will be a long wait before fans can hear it. The sugar rush may fade.

A.K.A. Theo Kerlin, the South London Fresh, enthusiastic, bounce your head rapper, self-made full time producer and to the grove, 80s tinged electro-pop. Brit School drop out. And he appeared as Simba in the West End production of The Lion King.

With his own Label, ‘Odd One Out’ there is no stopping this geezer!

*Except ‘Wonky ones to watch out for’, by Sian O’Donnell

It’s difficult to turn on your radio these days without getting smacked in the face with a synthesiser. Great isn’t it?! Having long been subjected to the evils of generation X Factor, we can finally regain our faith in pop music as the boys from Wonky Pop push eighties-inspired delights into the mainstream and declare war on all who try to mucky pops new found credibility.

SUPERSUPER caught up with the guys behind Wonky Pop to find out just what it’s all about...

FLAMBOYANT BELLA SUPERSUPER talks binge drinking and social networking with Flamboyant Bella!

owe everything “ We to myspace

SUPERSUPER: How are you? Flamboyant Bella: I’m good yeh, really good just laying in and stuff. SS: What do you mean lying in? Lounging about? FB: Yeh well I have band practice later, but nothing to do for a bit, well for at least a couple of hours which is nice! SS: So where do you all live? FB: We are based near Luton. SS: How old are you all? FB: Well I’m 19. Three of us are 19 and Mitch our bassist is 17. SS: So when you all started out you were all under age? FB: Yeah we were all 16 and Mitch was 14. SS: So tell me about your name Flamboyant Bella, how did that come about? FB: Haha, it’s a really boring story. Basically we were looking at old newspaper articles and there was one of them and it just read ‘Flamboyant Bella’ - we all thought it was funny so we went with it. We’re constantly thinking of other reasons to tell people though, you know, just to make it sound more interesting. SS: When I was looking at your pictures, you lot did’nt really strike me as being super flamboyant. I was expecting you all to look like the New York Dolls, proper 70’s glam rock. Frankly i must say i was dissapointed. FB: Haha. Well when we initially started we did try to be a bit more flamboyant, but I guess we just could.nt pull it off. Maybe we could kind of liven it up a bit more...more pink and frills! SS: Maybe you should invest in some feather bowers? FB: Maybe. We would run the risk of alienating a few people but it could be fun! SS: You started out when you were 17 and under age. Did thE whole underage scene play a vital part in your existence and you feel like you have grown with your audience? FB: Underage kids are our general fan base. When we were writing the tracks we were that age, so we were writing about things that your going through at that age. We’ve got fans that have been with us since we first started who are now our age age, so all in all we have a wider audience than we did when we started. We definitely appeal to the younger market, but i kind of guess thats all we know. SS: Sites like MySpace really helped you out didn’t they? FB: Oh yes ridiculously. We owe everything to MySpace. It would have been impossible for us to achieve anything without Myspace. SS: It feels like Myspace is on a downward spiral now though - you reckon this will have an effect on you? FB: It’s a shame actually. I think the music

“

*Except ‘Wonky ones to watch out for’, by Sian O’Donnell

DEFINITION OF WONKY! part is not as big as it was. We don’t get as many plays as we did before or as many people checking us out. Facebook doesn’t same impact - you can’t even listen to music on there. SS: It feels like facebook caters for an older crowd. It seems to lack the vitality that MySpace once had. FB: I worry for bands that are now just starting out now. We built up our own following and we still get plays on it - well at least we did. We kind of hit Myspace at its height everybody was using it and people have stuck with us. SS: Lets talk about your lyrics. Songs like “Absolutely Wankered” – how old were you when you wrote that? FB: Gosh, I was getting on to 14 I think. I was board in a classroom at school and I thought ah I’m going to drink on Friday so i wrote a song about it haha. It doesn’t go to well that I was 14 at the time and writing about binge drinking...but everybody does it. SS: Well your just saying the truth aren’t you? FB: Yeah. We’re not condoning drinking necessarily, we’re just saying that it happens. I think that everyone who listens to that song can relate to being that drunk. SS: What do your parents think when you’re singing that - didn’t they have to come to you’re gigs with you and stuff because of your age? FB: Our parents used to ferry us to and from our early gigs. Actually they were incredible with it all. They knew what we were doing anyway - it gave them an insight into us and in the long run made us all closer. At least we were being honest with them. SS: You’re image is quite cute but then you sing about drink and drugs. Was this a purposeful contradiction? FB: I don’t know if it was purposeful it kind of just worked. At the time there was not a lot of pop music out there, I mean there’s loads now. Pop music is really getting back in fashion. SS: I like what you just said. Do you think the age old stigma surrounding pop music has gone. FB: Kind of - it all depends on the music. SS: Your doing the Wonky Pop Tour right. Are you excited and how did you get involved? FB: Yeah we’re really excited. It seems like the next step up. It’ something we’ve wanted to get on for a while. SS: Do you think the Wonky Pop people have hit the nail on the head with them putting you with a lot more hip hop bands on and you being quite the opposite? Kids seem to be into everything nowadays. FB: Normally people just listen to indie or dance music. Nowadays everything seems to have just rolled into one big mesh. I think Wonky Pop has done a really good job of catering for this fact.

Music promoters, Iain Watt and Rene Symonds co founded Wonky Pop last year in a bid to protect pop music’s newly sexedup reputation. Still enraged by the “evil laboratories of various record companies that spawned the likes of The Backstreet Boys and N Sync”, The Wonky Pop Boys are providing a platform for pop’s comeback. Cowabunga! In 2008, The Wonky Pop Tour propelled acts such as FrankMusik, Little Boots and Alphabeat into the spotlight. Armed with regular London club nights at Matter and Punk, where the likes of Sam Sparrow, New Young Pony Club and Friendly Fires have all performed; the disco defenders battle forth to cement pop’s new place on the club scene. Following a recent sold out show at Sankeys in Manchester, headlined by Little Boots, the Wonky Warriers have sworn new territory out of the capital. Regular club nights in Manchester and

Glasgow are afoot as they strive to spread their Wonky Word. The boys describe themselves as a “lifestyle choice for people that lean the same way; the wonky way – whether it be in fashion, film, music or gossip”. And although we have all been a bit wonky for a while now (you can find vintage in the toilets at Yates?), it’s only in the last year that pop has followed suit. We’ve had the dark wave of The Horrors and the like; now quirky and edgy is having fun. “The days of droll, dark indie music are gone”, smirks Rene, “We had the recession in the 80s with Thatcher and now we have Gordon Brown and the credit crunch. Once again the people of Britain are looking for relief in good quality pop music.” It’s an obvious parallel. “Put it this way, if I’d just been made redundant and had children to feed, I wouldn’t wanna listen to Joy Division.” Point taken.

To help us get a our heads around all this wonky carry on, the Wonky promoters have kindly compiled these lovely charts for us...

Wonky Pop chart

1. All that she wants - Ace of Base (Disco Villians Mix) 2. Paris - Freindly Fires (Aeroplane Remix) 3. Anything by C&C Music Factory 4. I’m Not Alone - Calvin Harris 5. Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal

Wanky Pop chart

1. Issues - The Saturdays 2. Ibiza - Vengaboys 3. Quit playing games with my heart - Backstreetboys 4. SOS - Jonas Brothers 5. 5,6,7,8 - Steps

MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS I double dare anyone to call Marina wonky to her face. She describes her sound as “My sceptre. On your foot.” Ouch! A gazillion times removed from Jessica Simpson, Marina leans the wonky way as she warbles Kate Bush stylee through lyrics such as ‘let incy-wincy spider free’ and ‘look like a girl but I think like a guy... not lady-like to behave like a slime’ Snubbing comparisons to Kate Nash “I have a keyboard and a fanny... that’s all”, this lady is

(In all fairness though – we here at SUPERSUPER quite like the second chart too!)

not a force to be reckoned with. Marina may be likened to Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan as she delves into all things spiritual and enchanted. She claims to be from Ancient Greece but she is actually from Wales. A follow up to the wonderful Passion Pit, Neon Gold Records released Marina’s debut single ‘Obsessions’ on Valentine’s day this year. SUPERSUPER predicts big things!

! klf

nite jewel

For those of us unfortunate enough to have been born barely one notch above windowlicker, Ramona Gonzalez is one annoying supertalent. Being that she is a composer, songwriter, multimedia artist and to top it off, she’s also currently reading philosophy at Occidental College in Eagle Rock, L.A. Right now however, it’s her remarkable alternative disco project, Nite Jewel, which has us all in a lather. The latest in an ever lengthening list of amazing acts coming out of California in the last few years, Nite Jewel’s seductive louche beats are the perfect soundtrack to summer evenings in the city. Her début LP ‘Good Evening’, was released Stateside earlier this year and arrives in the UK via No Pain In Pop in August. Keep ’em peeled...

ARCH M

If you’ve not already snagged yourself a copy of No Pain In Pop’s latest compilation consider yourself sonically (and effectively morally) bankrupt. The CD features the best of the bands they’ve released (HEALTH, Telepathe); their gigs have hosted (Pens, Ponytail) and they’ve written about on their ace blog (Abe Vigoda, Nite Jewel). Team NPIP were kind enough to fill us in on their current favourie ten tracks too, looky looky!... Joy Orbison - Hyph Mango Floating Points - J&W Beat Arch M - Cat Grave FaltyDL - To New York The Mayfair Set - Already Warm Alice Coltrane - Galaxy in Turiya Theo Parrish - So What Now MJ Cole – Sincere Teengirl Fantasy - Floor To Floor Patten - Version (Test Mixxx)

EGYPTIAN HIP HOP

Indie / Folk / Geetar

myspace.com/nitejewel

We live inside a dream, or so David Lynch tells us. This is exactly the feeling Corey Reid’s multi-layered guitar-haze pop gives you. Better known as Arch M, Corey, a San Franciscan who decamped to London four years ago, is adding the finishing touches his debut LP, Moon-Tan, but still found the time to answer a few questions, like... SS:What do you like about London? AM: Its history and architecture place a romantic veil over everything. In the States it’s very rare to be in a 100-year-old building. It’s probably haunted, by default. Over here, the Tower of London is barely haunted. SS: How do you approach the whole process of writing and recording songs? Sometimes I sit down and say “time to write a song”...which is usually immediately after smoking a joint. Other times, I’ll just record little doodles on tape just to get them out of my head. Unfortunately I have dozens of tapes, and I’m sure some nice tunes have been overlooked. I rarely sit down and write an entire song on guitar, which makes playing live very daunting. SS: What can we expect from an Arch M live show? Something different every time, I’d say. Daniel from Gentle Friendly, who in my opinion is the best live band in London, has helped me out. Roy, who I play with in Hype Williams, is also helping me out live from time to time. SS: What are you listening to at the moment? I constantly play Nite Jewel and The Samps. I’ve been listening to the new Thee Oh Sees record. Maher Shalal Hash Baz is always on rotation. Ducktails, Sun Araw are current favourites. I’ve been listening to two old psych bands from London too, Harmony Grass and Kensington Market. myspace.com/archm

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The Lord spake unto Egyptian Hip Hop, go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may listen to exciting new music in Manchester. True to their instructions, EHH’s rad live shows break free from the stale, stoic model of Manchester’s dreary and oft-cited musical history and deliver what the Hip Hop themselves describe as “an evolving mixture of various pop experiments or ‘pyramid pop’!” Rising phoenix-like from the ashes of former Super Super favourites Copycats, Egyptian Hip Hop are keen to emphasise that they are merely one band in a new wave of excellent new music in Manchester, “the scene right now is really alive, so many good things and bands to see right now. We share a rehearsal space with Sir Yes Sir who are great and there are also bands like Citizens and Former Bullies”. EHH are playing heaps of gigs locally as well as a few dates in London. We recommend you see them soon. myspace.com/egyptianhiphop

BLACK DICE Take You To Where New Experiences Await Black Dice’s latest album, REPO, is another weird shot of abstract abrasive electronic music, albeit presented in a populist context, which is as playful and hypnotic as it is experimental. Calvin Harris this ain’t. We caught up with one third of Brooklyn’s foremost electro noisemakers, Aaron Warren, following the final night of their European Tour in London and just before they were set to jet back to the States for an epic North American tour. SS: How have the European crowds responded to REPO? BD: The Euro tour was great. We visited some new spots like Budapest, Hungary and hit some old faves like Berlin, Paris, Rome, Lisbon. We have a strong road vibe going and we’re really having fun. If people know the record or at least some of our music, they’ve been psyched. More people than ever before seem to know the new record on this tour, so that makes it fun. Even in Slovakia we had some fans. SS: How do the three of you stay sane on the road? Being nice to each other and having a sense of humour is essential. Plus we’re all really longtime friends in the touring party and we try to hook up with friends on the road to inject new personalities in the mix. SS: Any irritating habits? BD: Everyone’s got their quirks: snoring, telling the same story over and over, always wanting to sit in a certain seat in the van, little stuff like that. But you deal. SS: What have you been listening to in the van? BD: The new MF Doom album is really great, lots of Creedence, Clearwater Revival, Doors, Doobie Brothers, Notorious B.I.G., Dr Dre, Kinks, Led Zeppelin. Also soundtracks, Vertigo is pretty great and River’s Edge, my all time fave movie, which has super cool tunes too. SS: We’re big fans of I.U.D. [a rad industrial duo including Gang Gang Dance’s Lizzi B], particularly your remix of ‘Daddy’, how did that project come about? BD: Aw cool! I’m an admirer of the band and asked them if they’ed be into it and they were, so I busted it out. Had fun with it, they rock! SS: What’s planned for Black Dice after you finish touring? BD: Some resting and relaxing; doing our own things for a minute. We really wanna do some long form film/ video stuff, but we’ll see. Psyched to work on some new tunes though too. SS: How do you relax then? BD: Personally I watch a lot of TV and listen to classic rock radio. I like 70’s pulp crime novels. Hanging out with my wife who is a painter and talking about art or pop culture. myspace.com/blackdicemyspace

All words by Simon Smallbone

Few bands’ music better encapsulates the freedom and pleasure of Britain in the throes of Acid House in the late eighties and the early nineties than The KLF. The iconic duo were infamous too for their Situationist statements and publicity stunts, including burning a million pounds of their own money, firing a semiautomatic rifle filled with blanks at the tuxed music industry bigwigs at the BRITs in 1992 and then delivering a dead sheep to one of the aftershow parties with the message “I died for ewe – bon appetit”. That year the group won ‘Best British Group’ (in a tie with Simply Red), they were critically lauded and commercially successful; everything they found abhorrent. So, as they left the stage at the BRITs, the PA announced: “The KLF have now left the music business”. The band summarily deleted their back catalogue and that was that. I urge you to seek out second hand copies of their seminal LPs, The White Room and Chill Out.

Want a new kind of night out at the pictures? An unforgettable film experience is coming to a screen near you for more infomation & to book tickets visit www.futureshorts.com futureshorts.com/tickets youtube.com/futureshorts twitter.com/futureshorts

CFCF You Hear Colours (7â&#x20AC;? Single) Out Now Air France No Way Down (Double 10â&#x20AC;?) June Memory Cassette Call & Response EP July

www.acephalerecords.com

Kingdom Mindreader ft. Shyvonne July

SLATER C A Harness and Shirt by Kingdom for Hood By Air

Pop / Dubstep / Misc

AC SLATER of Trouble & Bass/Nightshifters fame is definitely one to look out for. The guy produces shit hot tunes and throws down some seriously tasty bass bangers. We caught up with the Brooklyn basshead during his European tour to talk abduction and pizza joints SS: So DJing/producing is pretty much one of the best jobs ever! How did you get there? A:Hard work! I did hardcore rave for years before getting bored and then started doing what I do now and it just took off. SS:Did you have to do any strange jobs before you started? A: I had a pizza joint job, it sucked so bad that I walked out in the middle of my shift and never went back to get my pay! SS: Trouble & Bass is pretty huge and in demand in the UK at the moment ... what’s it like being part of it? A: T&B is my fam! It’s amazing how it has worldwide presence. We’re about to go on tour in the US and I know it’s going to be non-stop fun and of course bass in my face. SS: Are you on any other labels that we should know about? I’ve noticed you’ve got tracks out on Nightshifters...? A: I’ve got my own digital label called Party Like Us Records which I’m pretty proud of. Nightshifters are a really solid label based out of Berlin, run by Jason Forrest aka DJ Donna Summer. SS: You create such a bass heavy sound, very dubstep/bassline

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driven....what are your main influences? A: Old skool hip hop and 88-92 UK rave. To me those are close to perfect. Is playing the UK much different than playing the US? A: I love playing in the UK, you have a real love for music and it shines through at parties. I think the main difference is that dance music in the US is not as deeply rooted as the UK. SS: Has anything crazy every happened to you on tour? A:One time I was playing a party and someone threw a giant sack over me and put me in the trunk of a car. I woke up in a cottage where I spent the 5 months tending to horses. SS: The Little Boots ‘Meddle’ remix with Skeet Skeet featuring Goldielocks was pretty special, you gonna be pulling any more exciting collabs outta the bag? A: I’m all about collaborating! Currently I’m working on projects with 77klash (Brooklyn based MC) and Ladybox (Copenhagen) as well as producers Mumdance, Drop the Lime. SS: So any upcoming people to watch from across the pond? A: Udachi from NYC is about to blow up. I am also liking Egyptrixx, 12th Planet, BOLTAN, and DZ.

Words by Natalie Esquire

club nights, Castle and Club Vortex? K: Club Vortex is a monthly party I do at a small warehouse/club in Brooklyn called Glasslands. Its a mixed crowd, open minded, ready to dance, and art / fashion-forward. The next one is my birthday party on July 10th. I’m having recent Mad Decent signee Maluca perform and I think we’re bringing an amazing new DJ from Boston called DJ Rizzla out to do one of his infamously intense Ragga-House / soca sets. Also my favorite artist BLACKMOTH does live video mixing and always comes up with bonkers visuals for the parties. SS: I understand that you’re over in the UK during June, are you looking forward to playing some shows here? K: Yes, I’m coming over to do Night Slugs at Egg June 19th, and a few other parties too. Bok Bok, Manara, and GIRLUNIT, are my London family, so I’m very much looking forward to reuniting with them. SS: How do the clubs and audiences differ in the UK? K: Hip Hop is such an integral part of American music culture, so even at a party where the focus is club music, if you switch to Crunk, R&B, or Hip-Hop, people react and all go wild on it. In the UK people want to hear faster harder sounds, with 140 bpm being the average song tempo. I have fun trying to push US crowds to go hard on some faster tunes, and maybe one day I’ll try to teach my UK people how to club to slower music? I think all the exciting music right now is at more extreme tempos. Bands like SALEM and House of Ladosha are making amazing slow music and all the Juke sounds out of chicago are generally 150 bpm and faster.

SS: What influences/keeps you busy outside of your music? K: Right now I’m solely concentrating on making music and DJing, but on the side I make digital art and videos too. I also love the great outdoors and camping and all that. Recently I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, so I’ve actually become quite interesed in it and am learning as much as I can about it at the moment. SS: What do you have planned for the rest of the year? K: My first official single, “Mindreader” featuring Shyvonne, will be dropping this summer as a limited edition vynil release on Acephale records. In the early fall I’ll be releasing a single with Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990’s newly minted Night Slugs record label, so people should keep an eye out for all that, as well as plenty of touring around and partying! www.kkingdomm.com myspace.com/kkingdomm

Afternoon Tea with

HIGH RANKIN

SS: Big up for getting signed to hervés label! How did that come about? HR: I believe Radio Ones merchant of the bassline, Annie Mac was kind enough to pass a track called ‘Bubble and Squeak’ to Hervé and he popped it in his essential mix. I hit him up on myspaz and the rest is history. SS: What kind of music did you produce at the start and how has it changed? HR: I first started making drum and bass. It took a good 3 or 4 years to get anything half decent as at that time the internet was just for the rich and the lonely I took time blindly fumbling about in programs until any good popped out! SS: A few people be hating on Snoop Dogg hopping on that ‘Eastern Jam’ beat. What’s your take on it? HR:I have nothing against Jam in any form. Be it a strawberry preserves from the west or marmalade from the north. SS: What are your favourite past times other than producing? HR: Boating along the Cambridge canals, drinking fine whiskey and scorning the poor.

Subeena is one of the most forward thinking & colourful electronic producers of our generation! She co-runs a record label called ‘Imminent Recordings’ with her mate Dot. She’s tipped for big things in ’09. SUPERSUPER: Yo Subeena. What kind of music has influenced you? SUBEENA: I think everything I’ve listened to since I was 6 or 7 influenced me really...I went through lots of phases and genres and bands of any type. But if we speak about electronic music then I’d definitely say some of the earlier Warp stuff was the first main influence. SS: What about dubstep wise? S: When I was trying to produce “dubstep” I was listening to many other things. I like a lot of ambient... SS: Is that what you listen to? S: Yeah, I’ve been listening to a lot of Tim Hecker and or stuff like Gramm and Farben lately. I also tend to go back and listen to music that influenced me in the past. SS: So what kind of music do you play out? S: If we speak in terms of what I play out though I love pretty much the opposite. I tend to like

Words by Will Wright

SS: We’re all enjoying your Telepathe rmx at the moment, how did that project come about? K: They are freinds of mine and I was instantly drawn to the track when I heard it on myspace. The cascading snare roll really stuck with me and that’s one of the parts from the original that I put in the remix. Also the vocals are so sweet, odd, and restrained, really magnetic. SS: Your sound as a producer and remixer seems to have a lot of UK Garage influences. Is that fair comment? K:Yeah I’d say so. From 2-step up through UK Funky, the Garage movement has been very influential on my sound. There’s a lot of diversity within the genre, but the persistent presence of heavy bass, soulful vocals, caribbean influneces, and syncopated drums really gets me. SS: How would you describe the main sounds and influences of the New York club scene at the moment? K: Mainly people are still playing Fidget House, “Banging Techno”, and wack Baltimore Club remixes. I’m not feeling most DJs in New York right now. There is a small collective of DJs in the US pushing new sounds and pushing club music in an interesting direction. The Dutty Artz crew in NYC is playing a tight mix of Cumbia, Dancehall, and Bassline, and DJ Total Freedom and NGUZUNGUZU are some incredible DJS based out of Los Angeles. I think It’s getting better though. There are also a few incredible new live acts emerging right now, like House of Ladosha in NY that are doing a mix of Dark-Crunk and Banjee-Drag. SS: Can you tell us what goes on at your own

DUB+BASS top 5

Tittsworth - BALTIMORE, US Tittsworth feat. Nina Sky and Pitbull - Here He Comes Blaqstarr - Get Off (Jackbeats remix) Nadastrom - Ghetto Pass Fatboy Slim - Praise U (Rivastarr remix) Blunted Dummies - House 4 All (Tittsworth remix) AC SLATER - NY, US Udachi & Jubilee - Paypur Drop the Lime - “Howling” BOLTAN - Creepy (Mightyfools Remix) AC Slater - Hello (B. Rich Refix) High Rankin - No Money for Guns Hostage - “Rudeboy”

SUBEENA ! quite techy and very bassy tracks. SS: Tell us a bit about your record label! How did that come about? S: I have been co running Imminent Recordings together with Dot... We started it about 2 years ago since we were both producing and we found about it through a mutual friend.. We kind of decided to set up a label straight away and just did it. It’s been a good experience and definitely learned a lot through it. SS: Do you have any advice for aspiring producers? SS: I don’t know if I can give any concrete advice but all I can say is relevant is to try and keep original ideas. Of course get inspired and influenced by what you like but always keep your own personality in your music.

Words by Emma Dilemma

? KING OF NEW YORK

US DJ Kingdom is bunning down the NY club scene right now, with his Castle and Club Vortex nights being the hottest tickets in a city that never sleeps, Pumping out everything from Cumbia to Crunk. SuperSuper caught up with the man himself to discuss dancing, dark-crunk and diabetes!

THE COLD HANDS OF SHOREDITCH .COM

:: ONLINE BOUTIQUE :: Horace :: Without Backbones :: Tuesday Night Band Practice :: Original Sins

IT’S GOOD TO It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything from a UK Hip-Hop artist that meant anything, But WITH HER raw rhyming skills and realityDRENCHED CHARM, SPEECH DEBELLE’S CHANGED ALL THAT. supersuper met up with her in WHAT better place but round her ends in Crystal Palace Park down in South East London... Words by Danielle Scott-Haughton SS: So, tell me a little bit about your name; Speech Debelle? S: Debelle is from my gran’s; (her) name is Debell. She’s a fashion designer so she changed it to Debelle. I had Speech, but then someone from Arrested Developtment’s called Speech. I just thought it would fit and then after that I found out that Debelle means the beautiful one and then it became voice of the beautiful one.. Yeah! I like that!

Next Big Thing

Q&A 1000 words

SS:When Times SS: yourBold album came into 8ptoffice, on 9.6 the we played it for a bit and I had to take it home, and Answers: I’ve just been in love with it since Timesthere Italic 8pt 9.6I because isn’t oneon track had to skip. How long has it taken you to get that sound? S: I’ve been doing this for about 10 years. It takes a long time to understand what you like as a musician or an artist. When I was recording after a while I was told that I have a particular note that I like – C minor or something like

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that. It takes a long time to realize what you like. When you go into the studio you can be like “Uh huh, it’s that. Yeah it’s that.” SS: Yeah, definitely. Your record is unmistakably British. Was it a conscious decision on your part to ensure that was in there? S: Yeah, it was. I wanted the record to be like a HipHop Coldplay album. Like I know here, this is Crystal Palace, I grew up here. I have to introduce those kinds of elements to the music. SS: I love the whole album, but my favourite songs are Bad Boy and Buddy Love, what are your favourite songs?

TALK about Maudsley outpatients amd I definitely relate to the whole thing, but I mean what are your favourite tracks on the album?

S: I think my favourite’s probably speech therapy. When I started the album I wanted to make a concept and that track gave me that whole concept, it was me realizing that the whole album would be my therapy session. An they are sort of pieces of the puzzle and something that I could sort of bump to in the car. I like Better Days. SS: I just love the whole thing. Your record is real, dealing with real life stuff; life in a hostel, drug dealers, absent fathers, nonsense part time jobs, broken hearts, why are you so upfront on this record?

with Speech Debelle

Well then that’s my bench mark. It’s a blessing to hear that. SS: Which artists on th UK scene are lighting your fire right now? S: I like bashy. Shystie I’ve always liked as well. I think bashy’s probably my favourite, SS: Why’d you like Bashy so much? S: I watched his video for black boys and I felt wowed. And I think that don’t happen often. He kind of reminds me of Tupac, not in a copykat way, in his own way. SS: Just more lighthearted questions. Do you migraine skank, do you know about tribal skanking?

S: I wrote most of this album when I was by myself. I thought I could either choose these songs or start a whole new album and I think for me to go to another album people would need to hear this one. I think I’m more afraid of lies thatn I am of telling the truth. If I’m telling the truth then I can defend that “Yeah, I said that.” Can’t do that if I’m telling lies.

S: I’ve done it before and I’ve done the head shoulders knees and toes at my mates birthday and we were having a lot to drink and I did a little bit of that, but generally speaking, honestly speaking, I’m a bit of an old soul.

SS: The production on this album is on point and together with your lyrics are the reason all the tracks are “unskippable.” Tell us about how the production on the album and how you went about putting it together.

S: My favourite thing to do is to go to nice restaurants. Luckily my manager’s the same, so we spend pretty much most of our money in nice restaurants. We love to go to restaurants and eat food that tastes delicious like” Oh my god! This wonderful mackarell pate’ with plum sauce.

S: Yeah! It was recorded in Australia, it was produced by Lotek. Yeah it was mainly done in Melbourne Australia.

S: Why do you like buddy love?

SS: Roots Manuva said that you are bigger than the paradox of UK Hip-Hop. That’s a huge deal - how does that make you feel?

SS: Well, its just true, innit? You know, you’ve just got that guy and I think it’s just the realness of the situation and I really appreciate the fact that I grew up in south London and talking

S: It’s a good thing! It’s nice to hear! I think he’s really set the bar for me. When I first got signed we were talking about how much I’d sell and how successful I’d be or couldn’t be. What did Roots do?

SS: Where do you like to go out, when you’re just being Speech and chilled out?

SS: And we’re doing a little feature on best friends. Who’s your best friend? What does friendship mean to you? S: My best friend? Probably would hae to be a cliché and say my mum. She has to be the one who I feel confident in… she’s probably the person who I trust the most.

M A D R AMSTE

Last month Tommy Hilfiger invited SuperSuper to attend the ‘Hilfiger Denim Live’ party in Amsterdam. With a line up boasting The Virgins, Larry Tee, and Apes and Androids all on the same bill we were duly on the plane out before you could say ‘wooooi oiiiiiiii’! For those that dun know the dun know the Tommy Hilfiger brand has a long history with music and musicians, from Bowie to Beyonce, Jagger to Jay-Z. According to the man like Hilfiger himself ‘music has always been my inspiration’. But just how important is fashion to those bands in attendance? Larry Tee: “Music and fashion? Oh there’s nothing else! Part of the reason I liked groups like Gary Glitter is because he had great outfits and part of the charm of bands like ABBA was their fabulous mismatched fluoro outfits!” “We’re not the types to buy those thick magazines and sniff weird adverts and stuff,” The Virgins told us. “But when we’re not lazy we’ll wear the weirdest shit we can find! Now we have a bit of money to spend we like to buy clothes we don’t think we’ll be able to find two of.” Despite the party being held in the heart of Amsterdam the party was something of a New York-love in. With the majority of the bill made up of confirmed Brooklyn-ites (The Virgins, The Films – who are set to front Hilfiger Denim’s AW09 campaign, Larry Tee and Apes and Androids are all residents) was Hilfiger Denim Live a symbolic coming together of the ‘Brooklyn scene’ we’ve all heard so much about? Um, not quite: “We’re not really into scenes at all,” The Films told me, while according to The Virgins “We have yet to find evidence of a Brooklyn scene!” PAR!!!! Larry Tee doesn’t even believe in localised scenes. “I think the real scene kids of today are internet stars” he mused. “They’re not tramping round high in clubs or hiding away in Taboo, they’re on the internet with 58 million hits!” So where does all that leave the UK scene in their eyes then? According to The Virgins, “we listen to more bands that come from England than the US, I’m not sure exactly why.” And more importantly, how about Donk?! Larry Tee: “I have yet hear any Donk but I am totally up on Bassline!” And on that that note SuperSuper dusted off to buss a little one-two skank at the party. Needless to say it was a lot: champers on the house with Amsterdam’s glitterati in attendance. All the bands represented fully on the night but props must be given to nu-psychedelia dons Apes and Androids who brought the house down with their flamboyant show. Keep an eye out for the next Hilfiger Denim Live yo, it’s gonna be peak! To watch performances at Hilfiger Denim Live please visit http://www.hilfigerdenim.com

Images (clockwise from top left): The Films The Virgins performing The Films (bottom of page) Mixhell (on the drums) The Virgins Apes and Androids Housse De Racket Larry Tee

HILFIGER DENIM LIVE

rystal

ighters

SUPERSUPER: Yo! Crystal Fighters, we are extremely intrigued about this ‘Basque’ focus on your music, what is it all about, and what is Basque? Gilbert: The Basque country is basically this region in Spain where our lead vocalist Laure comes from. We guys were making music in London before we met Laure, doing DJ sets and making beats. Laure was clearing out her grandfather’s attic when she discovered this book he had written entitled. ‘The Crystal Fighters’. It was a folk story but the writing itself was really ahead of its time. We were so inspired by this story that we took what it represented and created it ourselves. Sebastian: Yeah the book basically became our new focus and direction. We took the dark prophetic feeling and recreated the tale through music. G: It allowed us to make this totally new kind of dance music, not the generic type you hear a lot nowadays, but one that includes a whole culture within it. SS: So what about this story? How are you recreating the tale? G: When we started out playing live we performed as a ‘live opera’ which was directed from the story written by Laure’s grandfather. It was a very theatrical performance - we would even come out holding cards with text from the book written on them. S: Most bands are so 2D on stage. They come on, play a song and whatever, but we wanted to do something else.

How does the crowd react to this, it sounds radical? S: We really try to build the crowd up, take it somewhere unexpected. We feed off the crowd and the crowd feed off us. S: We actually use Basque instruments, like the Txalaparta when playing live. G: Our music also has a raw punk edge to it, which we can tap into. We played alongside Selfish Cunt and Ulterior, bands with a rather different feel than our music, but we managed to combine the sounds and break the boundaries of genres. SS:Your music doesn’t seem to have a genre at all, unless you could call it Basque-OperaElectro-Tribal-Dance? S: We definitely want to mix genres, bring old Spanish sounds with more melody and combine that with dance and dubstep beats. Our song writing also has grander themes than the average dance music track, which connects us back to the story. SS: So is there a single or album on its way since signing with the Kitsune label? G: Yeah, the single ‘Xtatic Truth’ is released with Kitsune. It’s a very solid dance song. However our album, which we are working on at the moment, will be much more melodically and harmonically diverse. S: We don’t know where the story will go, we just let it create itself and we’ll find out…. ‘Xtatic Truth’ is released on May 28th on Kitsune www.myspace.com/crystalfighters

DROP THE LIME - NYC, US MYSPACE.COM/DROPTHELIME Star Eyes-’Dissapear (Mikix The Cat Remix)’ Blackfinger-’UMF (Supra1 Remix)’ Major Lazer-’Pon De Floor’ Keri Hilson Ft Lil Wayne-’Turnin Me On (Radio Edit)’ Dre Skul-’I Want You (Bok Bok Remix)’

Rave Rodent #1

The Flying Squirrel

How many bands can you name that start with the word crystal

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DATAROCK Imagine hesitantly walking into a small upstairs room only to be surrounded by a bunch of guys in red tracksuits all talking Norwegian. No this is not a wierd porno film about mutated salmon, this is DATAROCK. The tracksuit wearing troubadors from Bergen, Norway, met up with SUPERSUPER still glistening with sweat after their soiree at the Camden Crawl. Still raucous, raving and wearing their trademark trackies, theyre here to put the punk back into pumpin iron...oh and theyre actually really good too.

RADIOPROOF - LONDON, UK MYSPACE.COM/RADIOPROOF Crystal Fighters - Xtatic Truth N.A.S.A Feat Kanye West, Santogold, Lykke Li - Gifted (Steve Aoki Remix) Primary 1 & the Shoes - Ho Lord Upside Down - Banjo or Freakout Metronomy - Thing for Me (Breakbot remix)

The dark disco remixes of Montreal’s Mike Silver, aka CFCF, are currently every blogger’s wet dream. We caught up with the man behind the mask and asked... Your Cassie mix is blowing up over here, how did the track come about? I’m really happy people are enjoying the ‘Official Girl’ remix. I made it in two or three days on a whim after hearing the original and I’m proud of how it turned out. I think of your own music as melodic disco, but just a whole lot darker. Like the murkier, more intense backroom in the club. Is that a reasonable description? Yeah, I think that could suffice for a large portion of it. I like to think of the Red Room/Black Lodge in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks series...with a strobelight.

CFCF

Words by Vasilisa Forbes

Dance / DJ / Pop

Genre-defying, Basque inspired, electro-opera... welcome to the wierd world of Crystal Fighters

Grum - LEEDS, UK myspace.com/grummusic Bottin - No Static Grum - Sound Reaction House of House - Rushing to Paradise La Roux - In for the Kill (Lifelike Remix) Kris Menace - Metropolis (Serge Santiago Edit)

Words by Vasilisa Forbes

C F

’s

Three international DJ’s give us their 5 must hear tunes right now

SS: So guys how was Koko? D: Yeah it was a good gig. We played the Austrian Film Festival yesterday and had to drive for 2 hours to get to the airport, we literally arrived in Camden an hour before our set. We played a lot of new songs from the album like ‘FaFaFa’ and ‘Computer Camp Love’. SS: What did you think of the Camden Crawl? D: It’s awesome. London is so much fun it feels so great to be back. I think it was London that really kick started our international success, we played great gigs here and got reviews which helped spread our sound around the world! The press coverage here helps a lot, you do a gig and you get a great reception and an incredible atmosphere, people from around the world look to what is going on in this city for inspiration and thats a powerful thing for a city to be able to do! SS: I guess that’s true. It sounds like you guys have been real busy though, is there a new album coming out? D: Yeah the first single has just been released and the album is coming out 8th of June. We recorded the album at the Wendy House Studios and spent days repolishing and reworking it to add layers. it’s a really energetic album and we wanted it to be really interesting to listen to. It’s mainly guitar based dance with easy hooks but there’s lots of detail in the songs, so every time you listen you pick out something new. SS: Are the fans excited?? D: Well expectations for the 2nd album have been very high, when you debut your TOP 5 TRACKSUIT first album there are no expectations so its WEARING TUNES alright, but people are always hoping for 1: Liverpool FC something better and stronger each time. Its good though, its creative pressure to be Anfield rap 2: Vangelis our best! SS: By the way... I’ve just gotta ask, the Chariots of fire tracksuits…. 3: Jim Jamison they are amazing but what is that all Baywatch Theme about?? 4: Survivor D:Haha yes the tracksuits were a pure Eye of the tiger coincidence. Basically we felt we had to be 5: Eric Prydz somehow unified. In the beginning we all wore white uniform. Our mate worked at a Call on me hospital so he stole us all these white outfits so that was great until we decided to a bit more upmarket and invested in these.

AUTOKRATZ ?

Does that explain the eerie red balaclava figure? Yeah, it’s an image I wanted to associate with the feeling of some of my music. A looming, mysterious red figure with huge eyes that never blinks. I wanted something that would trigger that feeling of looming unease and muffled terror. What influences you outside of music? Movies and television have had a big role in the kind of music I try to make. Horror films from the 70s and 80s, plus the movies of David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Dario Argento and Werner Herzog. What do you have planned for the rest of 2009? A trip to Europe to play a few dates, then enjoying my summer back in Montreal. Working on new music to hopefully be released as soon as possible. We’ll see where it goes! Words by Simon Smallbone

SS: So how did you two come together? A: That’s right! I was stumbling around outside a club and was uncontrollably sicks all over this mans shoes, and that man was David. SS: Your debut album ‘Animal’ is out on 22nd June- how would you sum it up ? A: “Autokratz Album Animal” SS: How do you feel about the current surge of electronic music moving into the mainstream? A: There’s nothing wrong with electronic music reaching larger audiences but if you start making contrived music to get into the mainstream, that’s when it looses its beauty, honesty and its value. SS: What’s it like being on kitsune, arguably one of the most important and recognised music labels to emerge in recent years? A: Kitsune are really cool to work with. We love their forward thinking attitude towards music. SS: What else can we look forward to seeing from you in the future......? A: Touring with Busy P and Kavinsky across Germany. SS: Finally, who would be your dream collaborator, dead or alive (not the Pete Burns band)? A: Mark E. Smith - although last time I saw him he slapped me across the face, so a fair bit of work to do yet!

Words by Sian O’Donnell

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TOP

Photography by David Richardson

KASMS It’s not all disco in Dalston y’know – witness the Darkwave creeping up Kingsland Rd with this Kasms gig at Barden’s Boudoir (ably supported by Shirani’s Super Nightmare Band) bardensboudoir.co.uk kasms.co.uk myspace.com/thesupershirani

SCORCHER

UK SPESH!! F

thesupersuper.com

Name: SCORCHER Genre: Grime Location: London Known For: Being one of the best MC’s and producers in the Grime scene. SUPERSUPER: Who is Scorcher? SCORCHER: Scorcher is Skywalker aka Pay-Per-view Sky which makes me the best thing since sliced bread. Oh yeah and a pretty good recording artist, producer and music video director. SS: When did you realise you had a talent when it came to putting lyrics together? S: It’s never been something I’ve ever stopped to think about. I’ve always gravitated towards music, I started playing the piano before I could walk and learnt songs from just repeating words. SS: What got you into making Grime music? S: The lifestyle I lived and the people I grew up with all represented Grime so it was just natural for me to make it too. SS: Would you say that Grime is dead? S: Grime can never die as long as I’m alive. SS: Many people have slated people like yourself, Bashy, Wretch 32 for making more Hip Hop type tracks and less of the Grime type stuff, what would you say to that? S: I’ve always made hip-hop, rock, pop and reggae influenced music from my first ever mixtape so I think people who have a problem with that just aren’t fans of Scorcher and are fans of grime, which is cool with me. SS: Your not only an underrated MC, but you are one of the Grime scenes best producers, do you feel that you have been credited enough for your music production? S: I don’t know to be honest. I don’t need a pat on the back to feel valued cos’ when you’ve worked with just about everyone you respect in the scene (as I have) that’s all the recognition you need. SS: What do you prefer, the MIC or Fruity Loops and Q Base? S: That’s like asking if the chicken or the egg came first (laughs)... I’ll pass on that one. SS: You’ve now started up a label called SKYWALKER, how did that come about and could you see yourself doing a Kanye and working with Louis or Gucci or something? S: I have no idea what made me want to do clothing. I guess I was getting pretty bored of buying all the usual designers. I certainly hope to do a line with Gucci, after I just spent a load of dosh in there yesterday it’s the least they could do (laughs). SS: What does the future hold for Scorcher in 2009 & beyond? S: It holds the start of the dynasty. Concrete Jungle coming in the summer. www.myspace.com/scorcherofficial

148

r3e

Name: Fr3e Genre: Funky House Location: London Known For: ‘Tribal Skank’

SUPERSUPER: Where did you get the inspiration for your dance moves? Fr3e: The inspiration and theme of the dance comes directly from the track and how we would dance to it. SS: You can’t please everyone out there, so what would you say to people that think your copying K.I.G’s ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes? F: At the moment I see the Funky scene like the Dancehall/Bashment scene in the way they use dance moves to be more interactive with the audience receiving the music. No one says that Tony Matterhorn is copying elephant man. They even use the same tricks in rap like Fat Joe’s Lean Back & Soljah Boy’s ‘Crank That’. I would say the funky scene as a whole is evolving and people like us and K.I.G are a part of that development.

SS: With the whole Grime scene loving off Funky at the moment, what do you say to people that think MC’ing over Funky is NOT the one? F: I say let music be music - it’s whatever sounds best on the track. I will let you into a secret. We actually made two versions of tribal skank - one was more MC based and one was more of a melodic sing along. We went with the sing along one in the end. When it comes to MC’ing over Funky I would say some times it works and some times it don’t, it’s as simple as that. SS: One of your brothers is UK Rapper Craze 24. Is that right? Can you ever see yourself being a rapper rather than a rave MC? F: Yes, you’re correct. Craze 24 is Big Ven’s brother. We all rap together and help each other with music all the time. We see ourselves as artists not bound by genre or stereotype - hence the name Fr3e. To get to this point we had to familiarise ourselves with all types of music. We are what ever we feel like making at that time. SS: Do you think Funky will outlast all of the hype? F: Yes too much people support and love the music for it to go anywhere. We know some people that only rave to funky so it’s really doing something big at the moment. SS: Fr3e & the future? F: We have the release of “Tribal Skank” coming out soon, after that we release our next track “She Likes Me”. We’re planning to release a lot of singles until the album drops next year and beyond that. We want to be known as respected artist world wide, always bringing something fresh and new to the table, bringing music to new heights and eventually being a significant part of the music business! www.myspace.com/fr3e

JP gives us the lowdown on the movers and shakers on the UK scene!

SWIFTA BEATER

Name: SWIFTA BEATER Genre: Bassline Location: Birmingham Known For: ‘A Milli’ (Bassline Remix) SUPERSUPER: What got you into making music? SWIFTA BEATER: Well just like most musicians say they were born into a musical family, so was i. My dad was known as Wooligan and used to run a revival sound system called ‘Live Wire’ back in the day. He’s also a producer as well. He makes genres such as Reggae & Roots. I don’t know if you’ve heard an old song called ‘’Boom Shacka Lacka’’? You’ve probably heard it because it was a big track back in early 90’s. Basically I’ve had a liking for music from birth. SS: What was it about Bassline that attracted you? SB: To be honest I never did like Bassline at first. I used to only make Grime & Hip Hop before but my friends kept on saying I should try making Bassline because I’d be good at it. At first I was thinking what’s the point, this music sounds like pill popping music (laugh). I eventually put some time and effort into a track I remixed called ‘Why did you play me’ which Kyla sang on. She’s known for the big funky house track ‘’Do you mind’’. SS: I started to call your sound and some of the Organ Bassline production ‘NOISE’. Are you offended by that? SB: Well to be fair with you, the squeaky bass that you hear on most of my tracks was just to be different from the rest of the other producers. I can’t say I really like the actual synth itself because it is a noisy synth but I just like the deep bass it carry’s underneath. As for the Organ Bassline as you call it, I don’t think that many producers are being as creative with music as they used to be or could. They’re just doing the same thing over and over again. SS: How did you come up with your signature crazy siren sound? SB: Lol! That’s a good name for it actually, I don’t really know how I came up with the sound I just know when I was messing around with the synthesizer I wanted it to sound different to anything that has been heard before. SS: What plans do you have for 2009 & beyond? SB: I’m planning to start my own record label and produce albums and mix tapes. I want to sign artists of all genres such as; Grime, Bassline, Electro & Funky House, maybe a few others but we will see. Hopefully in the long run my label would turn out to be a major. www.myspace.com/djswiftabeater

IKONIKA Name: IKONIKA Genre: Dubstep Location: London Known For: ‘Please’ SUPERSUPER: When did you realise you had a talent for producing music? IKONIKA: I started listening to Hip-Hop when I was younger. I think around 1993-4. I found myself really into the beat. I was never really listening to the lyrics; I was more fascinated about where the beat came from and how it was made. I guess from there is when I realized I wanted to get involved… SS: Why did you choose to make Dubstep? I: I started learning the drums a couple of years later. I played in a few metal and hardcore bands. I was really into it. Then around 2005 I decided to go back to Hip-Hop and try making some beats. I’d got a copy of FL4 and was trying stuff out really. It wasn’t until I found out that Skream was making his stuff on the FL too that i decided to try and emulate some Dubstep. SS: What’s your thought on the current state of the Dubstep scene? I: I actually think it’s really exciting. So many people are coming up with their own sound and are starting to get a lot of recognition. I’m talking about people like Joker, Guido, Darkstar, Madd, Zomby, Brackles and Greena. These people just make me want to step my game up real bad and I’m really happy to be friends with them. SS: To me Dubstep seems like a very male dominated scene - a bit like Grime. How does it differ being a female in such a scene? I: I don’t really like this question because compared to say the metal scene, Dubstep is a little teddy bear. I’ve never really seen it as male dominated as everything in life is pretty much male dominated. As a woman you just learn to deal with it. I don’t really notice it. Most of my heroes are male but they’d still be my heroes if they were female. I dunno. I hate these sexism questions because it doesn’t effect me, I don’t think about it when I’m making tunes.

SS: Where do you get your inspirations from because your sound is very different to the normal Dubstep sound? I: I think it’s because I’d listened to so many different genres of music when I was growing up. I went through so many different phases as a teenager. It was all a bit confusing trying to ‘fit-in’ because people could never categorize me and I guess it’s kind of similar with my music. I’m a Gemini so there’s always going to be a weird balance with me. I have many personalities and I absolutely love a bit of contrast. I describe my style as synth and bass, future and past, electronic emotions, quarter stepping, scared and not scared…

ONES TO WATCH

Name: DEXPLICIT Genre: Hip Hop/Dubstep/Grime Location: London Known For: A lot SUPERSUPER: You’ve been off the radar for last couple of months? DEXPLICIT: I’ve been DJ’ing in various cities all over ‘Mother Earth’. I didn’t even plan a tour or anything. Promoters from everywhere have just been ‘hittin me up’ on MySpace and other social networking sites so it kind of just turned into one. This year though, I will be concentrating much more on my releases. SS: Your Bassline stuff has really taken off since we last spoke. You merked it at the SUPERSUPER party last year. How is that still going? DP: Yeah the SUPERSUPER party was crazy! In terms of Bassline, just like Grime, I think there are many years left in the music, but just like everything in life there comes a time for evolution. I believe it’s up to the producer’s & DJ’s contributing to the scene to determine whether the scene continues to grow or becomes ‘frozen in time’. SS: How many club nights did you play at last year, I saw you on almost every underground to artsy fartsy club night possible? DP: Well my PRS account say’s there were nearly 40 nights in the UK. But I played abroad a lot last year also. SS: You have a new Grime project? Tell us more about that? DP: Yes, I’ve put together a series of 5 Grime instrumental CD’s called ‘Dexplicit Content’. These will be released every 6 weeks throughout the year... SS: Dexplicit and the future? DP: This year I’ll be releasing an LP called ‘Digikinesis’. The Album will show-off the new sound I’ve been experimenting with this year and for anyone who hasn’t heard a set from me in 09’, it’s basically a fusion of Bassline, Dubstep and Grime; but when making it I was specifically trying not to follow any genre guidelines. It just happened to sound like a concoction of those genres (plus a few more!). Look out for it! I promise you it won’t sound like anything else you’ve heard anywhere in the world. NO HYPE! www.myspace.com/dexplicit

BASHY

Name: JAJA Genre: Rapper/Author Location: London Known For: Lyrics Originally from Birmingham, but growing up in Brixton JaJa is one of the UK’s best loved lyricists. ‘’I have loved music since I can remember. I went from break dancing to graffiti and then got into rapping. I used music as my personal diary when I was down I would just write lyrics and it just evolved from there.” Elijah Kerr (birth name) realised he had a talent for putting words together ever since he went to his first live concert which featured controversial US rap group, Public Enemy. Being from the UK and trying to break into the rap game has been a struggle for many acts, but over current years it has grown immensely with the likes of Sway and Dizzee Rascal taking it global. With 10 years in the rap game under his belt, does he still have faith in the UK Hip Hop? ‘’Yeah, the UK Hip Hop scene has no doubt grown and I believe it will get much bigger as the artists start to progress further”. Yet some UK Hip Hop acts have been caught slipping (as they say) when it comes to record deals, mainly due to the fact that labels don’t know how to manage them, but is it all just about making money at the end of the day? JaJa states‘’It would depend on what kind of deal they would be offering but I wouldn’t sell my soul for money, my music means more to me than just chump change’’. Soze and his crew PDC, have received a lot of bad press in the past, from having whole page spreads in well known newspapers to being featured on Sky One’s Ross Kemp on Gangs show, claiming that they glamorize guns and drugs, but with all that JaJa has always tried to let people know that the crew have turned their backs on things of the roads and just want to do music now. ‘’The whole transformation has been an up hill struggle, people thought I would never be able to change a street crew into a record label and I did. It has been running successfully so far, but if I had stayed on the streets I would have been dead or in jail for life.” One of the ways Kerr has tried to change peoples perceptions on himself and his establishment PDC, has been through a book called ‘Street Boys’ in which he talks about the goings on in the hardcore gang life of Brixton, South London. ‘’A guy called Tim Pritchard approached me about doing a book because he thought I was a interesting character, I said yes to it and we both started working on it. The thing is, I didn’t take it serious and thought no way is this book going to get published, but it did and now it’s in all the top stores like, Waterstones, WHSmith etc. Your favourite rapper is now in your library (laughs).” Could we see this rapper becoming the UK’s answer to P.Diddy and doing films, books etc? ‘’No doubt, I would love to do more books and also start making films and doing theatre productions. I see myself as more than just a music artist. For PDC as a whole our main aim is to be the biggest and best UK Streetmusik label in the world and creating opportunities for unprivileged kids and giving them a chance to achieve their own goals in life whatever it may be.”

Name: BASHY Genre: Grime/Acting Location: London Known For: ‘Black Boys’ SUPERSUPER: For those that don’t know who Bashy is, can you tell us? BASHY: Boy I’m just a brudda from the ends who had a dream. I’m a street commentator, actor, music supervisor and I just try to do as much as possible, so by the end of the year I’ll have some more titles for you. SS: How different does Ashley Thomas compare to the MC and underground superstar, Bashy? B: Bashy is the alter ego that just doesn’t give a shit, a guy who isn’t ever going to hold his tongue for anyone. The performer who performs like no other artist, wears outrageous colours & isn’t afraid. Bashy is here to leave a mark on the earth and be as innovative as he can. Ashley Thomas is the young man that went to your school, the actor, the music supervisor and the counter balance to Bashy. He is the thinker who reads and is interested in history and the arts & laws of attraction. Sounds like two different people innit? (Laughs) They are... SS: Cliché question, but have to ask you, how did you get started in the music game? B: (Laughs) I always get this question all the time, I hate it. I started in the secondary school playground, battling and stuff. I did nuff house parties and raves, spitting normally and at times just clashing to prove how good I was. I then met Major Ace who was part of Pay As You Go and he put me onto the thriving East London pirate/developing grime scene. From there I just went from strength to strength. SS: Some have criticised you in the past for doing Hip Hop tracks, why do you think that is? B: I do music. I’m a musician, to me it’s all the same, I’ve always represented grime to the fullest but embrace hip hop equally. I just love all different types of music and I love challenging myself. I don’t watch what them kinda people who say those things say...they’re not important. SS: Do you think Grime is DEAD? B: No way! Its growing everyday are you mad? The chart has seen success from a number of grime artists, so who ever thinks that should just SHULLUP! SS: You were music co-ordinator for British hit movie Adulthood, what did your role entail and how was it for you? B: Yeah man that role was really motivating. Loved it! I was working with a exceptionally good team. It’s good when you have an opportunity to work with people who have the same ideals as you. Noel Clarke was cool and introduced me to Ian Neil who showed me the ins and outs of music supervising. I felt responsible for our scene, cos’ usually them kind of soundtracks don’t reflect our scene properly so it was my job to make

sure it did. The soundtrack is really good; there are a lot of big names on it. I’m the music supervisor for a new movie now called ‘Freestyle’ out in Autumn this year, it’s a story of basketball freestyling and love, so watch out for that one... SS: You have had a few videos that have been along the lines of a little movie, including your latest one for the track RANSOM featuring Scorcher and Wretch 32, can you see yourself acting on a more serious level in the future? B: Yeah, I’ve always loved acting but the roles over here are too stereotypical or show black boys in an unintelligent manner. I went to the Brit School and studied theatre so it has always been my goal to get back into it properly. You will definitely see more of me on your screens acting. I’m the lead role in a play called ‘Markus the Sadist’ which goes on tour in September. Ransom is about just being creative with what you have. 70,000 views in under two weeks is a good look. SS: You were always known for rocking colourful garms and never leaving your house without the famous Chupa Chup lollies. You seem to have got rid of all that, why? B: I still do that. I’never stopped. I just stopped giving away free promo for certain companies, it’s all about business, otherwise forget it. I’m still addicted to lollies and still love bright clothes. I’m on an Ashley Thomas tip at the moment that’s all. SS: You have been sponsored by/asked to wear many streetwear designer’s brands when you do your live show’s. Do you ever see yourself going into some form of modelling because you obviously like your garmentation? B: I never rule anything out so who knows, maybe! I’m only 5”11 though so I don’t know (Laughs). I’m putting my ‘Bish Bash Bosh’ line out in the summer so look out for it. It’s not just merchandise T-Shirts either, it’s an actual fashion label, real high quality stuff, with good designs. SS: Ok, so let’s talk blogs. You’ve recently taken the blog world by storm with your www.itsbashy.wordpress.com. Do you feel that blogging is a good tool to keep people in the know of what’s goin on? B: My blog is madness. It’s just another outlet where i can express myself. I can’t say everything I want through music so that’s why I blog and Twitter. I love it. I’m not like the other blogger, I don’t JUST post up videos. It’s a good chance for people to see what I’m up to on a daily basis! SS: Bashy’s future? B: What can I say man, Catch Me if you Can is out on June 1st, then I’m on my Tour. Bish Bash Bosh Jeans comes out in the summer. Keep your eyes open for Ransom. I’m going to be showing the universe all of my god given talents. Catch Me If You Can out June 1st www.bashy.com

JP’s CHART

DEXPLICIT

JaJa

Rude Kid ft JME - London Town (Remix) Wiley – Where’s My Brother Fuzzy Logic ft Egypt – In The Morning DJ Reepz ft Ny – Dangerous Lil London – Mr. Seduction Geeneus ft Baby Katy – As I DJ Pantha & MNT – Get Loco Remix Angle ft Gemma Fox – Girlfriend (Bassline Remix)

Pick of the Month

ANNA Systems breaking down White label

I’ve got a cousin called Anna, but she don’t make tunes like this. Not to be confused with the similarly named ‘Annie’, Anna’s Systems Breaking Down was a massive electronic-balearic masterpiece back in 82. This remastered version of the heart -wrenching tale of love versus the daily grind is summed up by the chugging, almost bored bassline and echo-y backing vocals that meander through the synth lines like the voices of the people we pass on the way to work (How’s that for a description! :) This is the precursor to the sound of now. Space between music, the harking back to the italo disco days of blissed out dark euphoria. Think of the future by looking back – it’s gonna get a lot slower... DS

Walter Jones I’ll keep on loving you DFA

EFFI BREIST/TELEPATHE Chromes on it/Mirror Rim Skinny Wolves

You know when you hear one of those songs and you immediatly imagine yourself standing on some tropical island in some blissed out state of euphoria surrounded by beutiful people who are all friends - well this is what this 12” sounds like. Who needs drugs when people are putting out tunes like this. Smooth, familier and hauntingly beautiful, this is gonna be a massive balearic anthem. Move to a different pace, have a kit kat, take a break - lets face we all need it after a wierd start to the year. Lets make the summer a good one. DS

Skinny Wolves latest 7 inch is a Girls vs Girls love in featuring SuperSuper faves Telepathe and Effi Briest remixing each others best known songs. Telepathe get busy with the 808 drums and throw a whole load of analogue synth into the mix for their epic re-imagining of Effi’s strutting ‘Mirror Rim’ track. Meanwhile ‘Chromes On It’ by Telepathe is given a textured, bass heavy overhaul, the tracks vocal harmonies pushed right to the front of the mix for a full on blissed out aural experience. WW

dizzee rascal Bonkers Dirty Stank

EMMA DILEMMA Encarta 96 EP Dream Phone Productions

DZ/THE BASSIST/DLX/ THE RE:DUB EP Roguedubs

MAN LIKE ME Man Like Me Our Time

Dizzee Rascal has teamed up with Armand van Helden to produce what some are calling the anthem of the summer. “Bonkers” is dedicated to people who think Dizzee R is as mad as a hatter, six sheets to the wind and a sandwich short of a picnic. Something we call can relate to? Here at SUPERSUPER Towers, we’re not nodding our head to the beat; we’re nodding in agreement. Apart from the “all I care about is sex and violence” bit - that would be a bit weird! It’s definitely a smash hit - If Woolworths was still open we’d buy it on CD for £2.99, and use the change from a fiver to get a family bar of Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut. Check out B-side ‘Butterfly’ too for an old skool jungalist homage its ace! ED

This release comes from one of our own, Emma Dilemma, (me!) the inventor of Victorian Grime. I dont want to ruin your day, but I’d like to remind you of the glory days of Encarta. The good old fashioned honest days before the strife and woe of the internet: the days where if you wanted to go on a computer, it was wheeled in by the teacher. This concept album aims to bring back the notion of time, knowledge, and reliability - Encarta being like a wise old uncle, always on hand to help you with your homework. Nowadays knowledge is taken for granted, thanks to Google. This EP is made exclusively by a mixture of hardware and Fruity Loops - and rolls along pretty much like a cat flying on a keyboard in space. See www.myspace. com/encarta96 for more details! ED

DZ teams up with a bunch of producers who definitely sound like they’re new up and comers. DZ’s ‘Wildstyle’is like the world is falling down, but he makes it sound good all the same. The Bassist brings ‘Fire In Babylon’ to the table – which takes a reggae vocal along the lines of ‘blazing in Babylon’ and modernises it...first prize goes to whoever guesses what you’re supposed to do as you’re listening to it...yep. Kojak’s ‘The Devil’ is some pretty low down bass reggae rework and DLX makes euphoric with ‘Dreams’. Pretty decent. NE

OK so enough of the waiting already... Man Like me finally drop their self titiled debut album and it’s a comedic frenzy of single dad-dom, weird carnival-ish synthy sounds and falafels. Something within me just can’t help but love a band that can come out with lyrics like these -‘when it come to plums, they remind me of your mums, too many will give you the runs’. Also helps when the front-man feels most comfortable when he’s decked out in full on Burberry print – trousers AND shirt. Stand outs are Fruit, Single Dad all time favourite. NE

JUDGE A CD

BY ITS COVER You should never judge a book by its cover but no one ever mentioned cds! :)

BABLA AND HIS ORCHESTRA Babla’s Disco Sensation Babla ACE ALERT! Babla and his orchestra take us on a musical journey through India on the Disco Bus. Back in the late 70 and early 80’s Babla started covering bollywood classics and infusing them with heavy sitar funk and mumbai moogs. Babla can also be credited for starting the ‘Disco Dandia’ movement which saw him tour the world enabling everyone to be turned onto the eastern disco tip. Also for some strange reason, when listening to this the other day, a strange with of curry filtered through the room - how odd. DS

DEXPLICIT DEXPLICIT CONTENT VOL.2 Hide The Soul Fierce Panda

Bassline DJ and producer Dexplicit releases Volume 2 of Dexplict Content, an album of grimey, hyper bassline instrumentals hot and ready for youts to start spittin over about how much they hate doing revision. Dang, I quite like it though. Change Formation (Hench) is pretty mean, and inspires all kinds of bassline rave screwfaces. There’s also a track called Pancakes, which beats me. Bassline has kinda dipped at the moment, could be on vacation, could have just died a horrible death. This albums good, but being a collection of instrumentals it’s more like a DJ tool. NE

kasabian West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Here’s the guys! One, two, three, four of the cool chaps (sorry, lads) looking into a mirror. Wow! It really is a feast for the visual senses, but I’ve no appetite for this. Take a look. Yes that’s guitarist Serge Pizzorno sporting a fulllength reverend’s robe avec knife next to a guy wearing a hell of a lot of fur. Lead singer Tom Meighan is wearing a 19th Century jacket favoured by Napoleon Bonaparte, although somehow he’s ended up looking more like Jesus Christ, and not in a good way. I challenge you to look at this for more than 30 seconds without getting irritated. It’s actually impossible. This album is not going in my stereo.

EMINEM We Made You Shady Records

On the first listen, I was too distracted by the Slim Shady style video to take notice of the song. The video is typical of Eminem- taking the mick out of countless female celebs (Amy Winehouse, Sarah Palin)....yawn. It reminded me of the dark days of yr 7, when a boy called Andrew Pictson used to play the Slim Shady LP on the school bus, whilst giving me the odd chinese burn. This beat is another top notch production from Dr Dre, and Jessica Simpson sings the hook. I can now forgive Marshall Mathers for that awful track he did about booties with Akon a few years back. ED

EL-B The Roots of EL-B Tempa

Way before Burial first committed sound to sequencer or the term ‘Dubstep’ had even been coined, south London producer EL-B was pioneering sparse, soulful and bass heavy 2-step centred around the 140 bpm mark. This compilation from Tempa compiles both classics and rareities from the back catalogue of the man who set the sonic template that nights like FWD >> (as well as the funky and dubstep scenes in general) have since followed. The depth of the tracks featured, coupled with ELB’s infectiously swinging drum patterns make this CD ideal for either raving or home listening. Zoop! WW

HIGH RANKIN No Money for Guns EP Cheaper Thrills Records

A big release on Hervé’s label for this young Brightonian vagabond. Step up, William Rankin! Lovers of heavy bass: listen up and fly right! We get a jolly good mix of electro, dubstep riffs and old school vibes. And I’m not just talking your normal 1990 old school vibes- We take a journey back to the 1950s with the fantastic “The Tale of Clarence Baskerville”. There’s so much packed in to this EP it’s unbelieveable, it’s like flicking through Reader’s Digest, Beano, and Super Super all at the same time whilst trying to watch an documentary about sand. More releases please! ED

Sonic Youths 16th Album - fuckin hell guys - thats a lot of albums. It proves that sticking to your guns and not selling out/shape shiffting when the wind of cool changes. and of course it is hard hitting yet simultaneously psychedelic at its best. Think mediation, power, beautiful melodies, whilst crashing vocals and guitars. Sonic Youth are ones to adore, and so is this album, it will take you places…further than the centre of your soul, ‘Mission control to brain police’, ‘Who shot the poison arrow’, sound interesting enough? VF

blank dogs Under and Under In the red

The Brooklyn music scene’s gone done it again. Who’d ‘ave thunk it? From his slew of limited vinyl and cassette releases, it was clear that this one-man new wave-pop-punk project had the potential to stand alongside the L Train scene’s leading lights, see Vivian Girls and Crystal Stilts (some of the members of which appear here), but this 15-track album lets everyone know for sure. Synth and guitar melodies like that of The Cure dominate, albeit filtered through ancient, submerged keyboards and eroded recording equipment, but Blank Dogs’ own dusted and weird sound remains. SB

RAFFERTIE Wobble Horror / Sugar Planet Mu

Move over Dizzee Rascal, cos if anyone’s bloody bonkers, it’s Raffertie! In a badman mix of garage/dubstep/grime/ rave and insane electronics, this young chap should be grateful he wasn’t born in 18th Century France, cos they’da locked him up and thrown away the key. Next level bizness.. act like you know somethin’! ED

JOKER / FLYING LOTUS Tectonic Plate 2.3 Tectonic

GANG GANG DANCE First Communion Warp Eight months after the release of their superb dance-pop album, Saint Dymphna, Gang Gang Dance finally get around to releasing its standout track, just in time to promote the band’s return to touring after an unfortunate equipment-destroying fire. ‘First Communion’ is effectively a microcosm of the LP showcasing everything that makes GGD special: new-wave synths, tribal beats and otherworldly singing. The single is supported by a rad remix from TV On The Radio who add their trademark guitar squiggles and some tasty beats. Niiice. SS

For a lot of people, these two men can do no wrong at the moment. Fly Lo is up to his usual tricks, fans of the Kanye and Martyn re-smacks will not be left disappointed. But, ‘Surprise Surprise’ as Cilla would say: Joker completely smacks it with ‘Untitled_RSN’. He’s cementin himself as one of the greats – and making a big impression across the pond; one of his tunes was played during an NBA basketball game. Gwarn Joker! ED

Iggy pop Preliminaires Astralwerks

Iggy hits us slam in the face with a new ‘French inspired’ album ‘Preliminaires’. More chilled out and inspired by New Orleans - Theres a lot to expect from this one, and its not what you expected at all…/

SUPER-cuts

What we’re listening to

Suzzanne Ciani - Water lullaby If porn were actually love then this is what it would sound like. Sadly it’s not, but there’s no harm in dreaming! DJ GODFATHER - FROM A MILE AWAY Get yourself some lamé hot shorts and freak the hell out to this. SANDRA - EVERLASTING LOVE What’s wrong with a bit of hi nrg now and then?! And with a name like Sandra you can’t go wrong! TWISTED WIRES - ONE NIGHT AT THE RAW DEAL Latest release from uber cool label Italians do it better. Slow mo at its finest.

VA The Final Night Of Paradise Part 1 12” Garage Records

The first in a series of 5 ep’s this is an actual live recording of legendary proto house disco DJ Larry Levan’s final DJ set at New York institution Paradise garage back in 87. Expect missed beats yet stacks of character in this warts and all insight into the sound of clubbing just before it went all out over the top. Chicago classics give rise to Disco delight as he takes you on a journey down a memory lane we all wish we could of walked. DS

We did have a Youtube chart here before, but due to the increasing difficulty of actually being able to find or watch anything on it we decided to post an image of some Iranian Soldiers in their ‘Chewbacca’ like camoflauge!

QUIZ TIME 1)Young Jeezy’s president is...? Yellow Mauve Black White 2)In his latest video Tempa T is sacked from his job at........? Discount Giant Mothercare Pars R Us Matalan 3)The Horrors’ new album is very Krautrock inspired. Which of these acts is not a Krautrock band? Neu Aqua Cluster Can 4)Dusty Springfield once sang ‘When you’re alone and life is getting you lonely you can always go............ Where? Downstairs Downtown Down Under Down Down Down D Down (repeat to fade) 5)UK rap sensation Giggs first name is? Ryan Gary Auldous He’s just Giggs man, he don’t need no first name – you get me? 6)Keane are the latest addition to which ace festival? St Cuthbert’s Parish Summer Fair featuring a tombola, coconut shy and a splat the rat event. Ibiza Rocks Blast a Berry (Sponsored by Ribena) Pride 7)Glass candy should not be? Eaten Used as a massage tool Thrown Ignored as they’re ace! 8) If SUPERSUPER were to fashion a canoe out of a lovely piece of driftwood we found, which of these famous guitar players would we ask to help us to build it? Think about this one logically!... Brian May Keith Richards Eric Clapton Slash 9)If Dalston Superstore was actually a superstore, it would be famous for what? Its fresh fish counter A great selection of cut price meats The quality of its baked instore pies A good night out

10)CFCF recently remixed a Lil Wayne and Cassie song. What did Cassie want to be in the song? Lil Wayne’s.... Microwave Official girl Bigger brother Table (Apparently Lil Wayne really likes tables and has quite a selection of Georgian and Victorian furniture) 11)Lady Gaga’s latest single is called? Poker face Poke her in the face Poke the pope in his face Reqium for those souls lost at sea in the 20th century 12)Money....? Finish the name of the song thats taken the supersuper office by storm? In my pocket but I just can’t get no love On my oyster! Money, Money Success, fame, Glamour 13)Snowbombing is a festival in which country? Thailand Nigeria Austria Israel 14)Will the real slim shady please... Stand up Sit down as you’re causing a scene Hand himself in to the style police Bugger Off 15) The Specials once sang a song which highlighted the plight of someone famous. Who did they wish to free? Boy George Nelson Mandela Grooverider Gary Glitter 16)Which riddim is massive in JA at the moment? The Benny Hill riddim The Barry White riddim The cast of Cool Runnings riddim The Rising Damp riddim 17) SUPERSUPER’s favorite band of the moment Salem are named after? Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s cat. The salem witch trials. My friend Saleem but they accidently missed and e out. None of the above 18) The new Beastie Boys album will be called? Hot Sauce Committee The Parsley Sauce Panel The Bread sauce Board The Mcvittie Magistrate

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SONIC YOUTH The Eternal RoskaKicks & Snares

Just when you thought Roska’s tunes couldn’t get any better, he goes and raises the bar for funky AGAINNNN with this release! He can teach next man a thing or two, still. The production of ‘Love 2 Nite’ is as crisp as a packet of Walkers fresh off the conveyor belt, and shows just how far you can go with Fruity Loops when you know your stuff. Now it’s stopped being grey and miserable you can take your dubstep tape out of your walkman (lol) and replace it with some next level tropical drum patterns and ravey synths!! Play this whilst sipping a shandy in the sun. ED

ROSKA FT JAMIE GEORGE Love Tonight Roska Kicks & Snares

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billa

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Out ‘n’ about in London town

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COBRASNAKE ! l i z a r B n i

welcome to

NAMAZONIA

email me!: namalee@thesupersuper.com

Do you dream of becoming a modern day fashion muse? Here’s how to live a life for the sake of creative inspiration! I’ve always felt that it was my job to inspire others, kind of like a creative fluffer. Or perhaps a rollerskating nymph who leaves a twinkly trail of Mugler’s Alien perfume inspiration in her wake, smiling and laughing a la Kira in the 1980 cult classic Xanadu. What a great job that would be, I thought to myself before my official muse-days had begun. Imagine if I could float in and out of large crowds of people weaving a great big technicolour chiffon pom-pom blanket of creation as I breeze past, translucent like a hologram and as inspirational and weightless as the very air itself?! In Greek mythology the muses were the hot-to-trot goddesses whose cups over-floweth with mountains of knowledge as they carried out a pretty magical hard day’s work of inspiring literature, the arts and life in general. Museums were the places that people went to worship them and music itself even got it’s name from them! There were nine of these wonderful ladies each of whom embodied a different creative quality ranging from ‘epic poetry’to ‘dance’ to ‘comedy’ and even ‘tragedy’. And lo and behold gazillions of years later in modern day London town, around 2004 AV (After Versace) I followed in the almighty steps of these women to become the amusing fashion muse to none other than the pioneers of digital print, Brit/Brazilian fashion designer duo Basso and Brooke. But becoming a bona fide muse is no easy task, ladies and gentlemen. The muse trick is you have to make everything look easy and effortless! Sssshh it is the secret of true style. Famous muses have met their makers, so to speak, in numerous ways – Edie Sedgewick bumped into the artist Andy Warhol at a party, looking amazing and encapsulating the essential 60s joie de vivre, whilst Amanda Harlech was pursued by Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel where he positively snatched her from poor John Galliano at the House of Dior! The woman is just sooooo unbelievably chic that she has the best designers in the world fighting for her. Basso and Brooke came to find me in a space-ship style shop that I used to co-run in Brixton called Stefan’s Superstore. It was the kind of store where we opened when we felt like it and sold items based on how much we loved them, so some of my SpongeBob toys were in there priced at £1000,000. Basso and Brooke came to entice me with spurting cock-printed oven gloves and a whole heap of unabandoned vision about building a fashion house – and it was true love from that day onwards as I went on to style several seasons of shows in London, Moscow, Korea, Berlin, Sao Paulo and Shanghai. Of course, I believed in

them from the beginning. Step two of being a good muse – you have to believe in your cause. But for the first part you have to work on yourself, and it involves not caring too much about that almighty dollar. It is our job to spend time ‘musing’ over colours and ideas that will be big for 3009, and, graceful and carefree beings that muses are, we are must never radiate desparation to the point that even if we are starving on the street, you would never know. So it does help if you come from a wealthy background as many muses tend to, or if, like me, you’re just a regular all round pauper whose blood is pink rather than blue, but thinks there’s nothing like a little luxury to wear with your rags, then that’s all good too. Rather than being money-driven I am scandalously creatively driven and I have always wanted desperately, more than anything in the world for the people around me to go forth and create magnificent things – for my friends, family and even my pets to make art, painting, sculptures, fashion, songs and poetry. I wanted this so badly that I often placed myself firmly at the centre of the artistic shenanigans at every available opportunity to try and make sure it would miraculously ‘happen’. I think this is probably exactly how I became a ‘multi-tasker’ – it was my brazen desire to create endlessly that meant that once I’d written a song I start to paint, or do some styling. It is my belief that there is creativity in all of us, whether you think you are creative or not – we all have different strengths at expressing ourselves but we can all do it if we try. Sometimes all that is needed is a friendly little push here and a gentle shove there, so if you can give somebody else a helping hand to bring on the creativity that you know needs to be felt by the world then what are you waiting for? Do it! If you have a friend who wants to be a musician or a painter and is struggling with getting it ‘out’ then maybe you are the key to kick-starting their success. Believe me it’s worth a try. As a student and also right up until this day I have been enthusiastic about posing for artist friend’s paintings, stripping off for their no-matter-how-amateur photographic pursuits and throwing myself onto the dancefloor at any nightclub that plays any music (that’ll be all nightclubs everywhere!) as I never actually get my knickers in a twist about the specific genre of music just so long as it gets me go-going. And rubbish tunes don’t bother muses at all! Quite the opposite in fact, just give me a beat and I will invent a way to dance to it. And heaven help you if you ever get in my way because you will be joining me! And it WILL be fun. And to be a true muse you must, must, must be able to laugh at yourself, and you have to have the freedom to feel comfortable with yourself and who you are. Humour is one of the biggest truths of being a good muse because you will be endlessly photographed and viewed from every angle (not all of them wonderful) – so it helped that as a teenage Saturday girl at Next I could spend countless hours running off into the multi-mirrored changing rooms with armfuls of frou-frou eveningwear to try and understand the wonder that could potentially radiate from my being.So when I found my own face immortalised on dresses, shoes, leggings and skirts in Basso and Brooke’s 2006 Spring/ Summer collection (see pic) it felt wonderful to have become so inspiring that I’d actually climbed right inside the fashion of my time. It’s a monumental thing to experience, yet at the same time it just felt very comfortable seeing a cartoony me peeking out through a multicoloured utopia of extreme futuristic skyscrapers, my big face emblazoned on my own hotel with windows on my eyes, with my hair bigger and pinker than Jem’s ever was on any of her cartoon TV shows. There was me in every stomp of a supermodel’s 6 inch heel as my illustrated face crashed against the catwalk, flawless and shiny as a brand new Ferrari. OMG! And there was me AGAIN on a pair of pop art spray-on super sheen leggings, this time my face blown up across a model’s backside, and I was sure I caught myself winking as she posed for the photographers and strutted off into the imaginary space known as fashion.

Wow that hockey mask makes you look real sophisticated.

Oh, your new hair isn’t that bad! I’m exhausted from seeing all my friends

Wish you were here! :)

Hey, want to be my friend? Yes, yes I do!

;(

Hey, you coming to the party later?

SUPERSUPER are opening a brand new room in habbo soon! c u there? Oh ya!

This is how i dress in real life! How much will it cost me? Nothing dude, ít’s free! Come and play with us.

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22/05/09 13:01