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halil turaรงtemur lilgraphics.com

roland tr-808 article en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-808

fashion articles kanyeuniversecity.com hypebeast.com

interview jonas bevacqua

whatissgv.com

nabil elderkin videoclip vimeo.com/nabilelderkin

CONTENT

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ROLAND

TR-808

The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines ("TR" serving as an initialism for Transistor Rhythm). Introduced by the Roland Corporation in late 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. LIke earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real drum kit. Indeed, because the TR808 came out a few months after the ........................

Linn LM-1 (the first drum machine to use digital samples), professionals generally considered its sound inferior to sampling drum machines; a 1982 Keyboard Magazine review of the Linn Drum indirectly referred to the TR-808 as sounding like marching anteaters. However, the TR-808 cost US$1,000 upon its release, which was considerably more affordable than the US$5,000 LM-1.

STOP.

DROP. ROLL . POP.

AN OUT OF THE ORDI NARY MI X TAPE

k’naan “t.i.a.” YOUNG CHRIS “CLASS OF MY OWN” WYCLEF AND TIMBALAND “MORE BOTTLES” PHOENIX “1901” BAT FOR LASHES “WILDERNESS ” FAM-LAY FEAT PHARELL “GET THAT WORK UP” AMERIE “WHY R U” THE COOL KIDS “GOLD CHAIN

” SLICK RICK “HEY YOUNG WORLD ” PETE ROCK & CL. SMOOTH “I GOT A LOVE” J DILLA FEAT. RAEKWON & PRODIGY “24K RAP” PETE ROCK & C.L. SMOOTH “THEY REMINISCE OVER YOU” DE LA SOUL “ME, MYSELF, AND I”

;)

New leaks of Kanye West’s upcoming collection with Louis Vuitton are seen here as the previously shown styles are seen in new colorways. The Velcro’d up mid is seen with ankle and midfoot straps with tassel’d laces. The Velcro joints also share the thick cushioned heel. Available starting June of 2009.

parisian designer eyew e a r brand alain mikli contin u e producing some of the m o r e innovative eyewear piec e s o n the market. most recen t l y known for their creat io n o f shutter shades, made p o p u lar by the stronger vid e o clip, alain mikli stick to t h e ir formula, working up a s p e cial pair of shutter sh a d e s encrusted with swaro v s k i crystals. retailing for h k $ 3 6 5 0 (approXimately us$470), t h e s e eXtremely limited glas s e s w il l see a release at the ala in m ik l i store in hong kong.

trying to start a successful clothing company might be harder than trying to make it big in the rap game. so how did a 28 year old asian kid from the OC named Jonas Bevacqua manage to force the entire fashion world to take notice? I interviewed him and I still don't know how he did it. but what I do know is that LRG has grown exponentially over the past 7 years to become a world wide fashion phenomenon. and the LRG following has also grown; from Kanye West to Tony Gonzales (Kansas City Chiefs) to Robin Williams to Chico Brenes (Chocolate Skateboards)... all bases are covered. a whole lot of eyes are focused on Jonas and LRG right about now...

LRG has been around for a minute, but would you mind giving us the short version of how LRG started? Jonas: LRG actually came out a long time ago, but as far as us delivering to stores, it's been since about 1999. back then I used to valet cars and work retail... just did odd end jobs. I realized what I wanted to do with my life which is to make clothes, design fly gear and spread a message thru it. while I was valeting cars (I used to also DJ) I met this dude who was working with me that had a live hip hop band so he asked me to come over, set up my tables, and jam with them. so I went over there and I met the rest of the band including the lead MC Robert Wright who is now my partner in LRG, mentor and best friend. at the time he was already an established designer, I was just a kid who wanted to start a clothing company. I had an idea, I had a logo, and a few sketches. I didn't know where to get a zipper or a button. I didn't know nothing, I just knew what I wanted to do. "Yo, so Robert, you're a designer? that's great. I wanna start this clothing company. I'll give you half of it if you help me with it." at that time I was basically offering him half of an idea... pretty much nothing. at the time he wasn't happy where he was at, he had worked for all kinds of random companies like Quik-

silver and O'neal and all kinds of private labels. I don't wanna speak too much on his behalf, but basically at the time he was working for the man and it was about a paycheck not about the passion or the design. so I started saving money from valeting... I'd save 300 bucks and go make a run of stickers. then save up another 300 and get a trademark... shit like that. did some patterns, got some samples made. right around that time my dad introduced us to a few friends and one of them was in the business and they gave us a very small amount of capital to start. we basically took that money and made a production run... we were very fortunate because that year at ASR someone had backed out of their booth the day before the event so we went to home depot, bought some wood and just built our booth a day before the show... very grass roots, as good as it gets. we sold out of all of our product. I think we made 300 pairs of pants, 4 styles of hoodies, and 4 styles of t shirts and we sold out by noon the first day. It was amazing. It was really good timing too, because at the time the market was very defined as in; you're either skate, or you're surf, or you're urban as in Hip Hop... I hate even using that term. I feel like we were the first ones to really bridge the gap between these worlds... not really on purpose either, it was more just a reflection of what Robert and I

are into. we're into gear, we're into skateboarding, we're into all different kinds of music. so our timing was great. now everyone is trying to do it, and I think that's great, but back in 1999 you were either one or the other. so we've now been doing it for 7 years... we lost money for the first 3 years. I basically made nothing during those years... drove a minivan, lived at my parent's house, ate Taco Bell. basically the same story for anyone who starts their own business. but we kept flipping our money ever since and that's where we're at today. I did some research on you last night and I was reading some blog and on there some guy was saying that he used to like LRG, but that shit has changed and that's why he's not feeling it anymore. how would you say LRG has changed since 1999? Jonas: It's typical human nature... especially in our market. it's like when you like a small indie band but then all of a sudden they get big and they have a video and you say "I don't like them anymore, they're too big". or how about the classic, "oh, I can't wear it anymore, too many kids at school are wearing it." and that's very much the attitude of the average kid today. if anything, our design and quality has gotten better. we're doing leathers now, real

fur,blackberry cases,tents, champagne holders, basically doing and making all of the things we've dreamed of. but like I said, some people don't like things once they know too many people have it, and that's perfectly undertsandable. but I'm a firm believer in the idea that good design speaks for itself. I don't care how many people have it... if it's fly, it's fly. alot of kids want you to stay that little underground company that sells 4 shirts a year and only 10 people got em. they want you to live at home and drive that minivan and eat Taco Bell everyday. they think that's underground. that's not underground. underground is being independent and being your own boss. a lot of people got it twisted. they don't like it when you get too big or become too successful. I feel proud to be here doing what I do. We're living our dreams everyday. People think we sold out or something... people need to do their homework. selling out IS NOT expanding your distribution or making your product more available for the consumer. selling out IS changing your identity in order to sell something. LRG has never changed it's identity.

Jonas: there are so many... Kanye... Robin Williams... anyone who wears it. I can't just pick one. but what I can say is that we have an amazing support group from the people that wear it to the people we work with and im very thankful for all of them. speaking of Kanye West, I heard that you might be starting a clothing line with him. is that true? Jonas: Yes, we might be doing a clothing line together, but that's all I can really say because of legal reasons. earlier you mentioned that you had no formal training as a designer, was LRG a huge guinnea pig for you? were you just learning as you went along?

Jonas: Completely. total learning curve even to this day. we mess up all the time. I remember there was this one time when we made our first run of jackets and I left them in the back of my truck while I ran in and got some food. they were in clear bags and the sun actually bleached all of them. imagine your first time doing this shit and your entire production run is ruined. luckily we fixed them... took them to an enzyme house and washed I bought the second season them out. this is what we startof ENTOURAGE on DVD the ed with (pointing to an original other day and I saw Turtle sketch of the first run of LRG), wearing LRG. who's the one person that you were the most literally hands on... sketching with pen and paper... thinking excited to see wearing LRG?

of weird shit, funny shit. we went from that (walking thru a few doorways into the main design room) to this. hundreds and hundreds of tech-packs (detailed line drawings of garments), and now we've got the women's line LUXURIE also. we went from 2 deliveries a year to now 8 deliveries a year, and its soon to be 10. but it wasn't overnight... it's been over 7 years.

you've been in the game for 7 years now, what would you say was the most difficult obstacle for you to overcome? Jonas: I wouldn't call it an obstacle, but there's a fine line that we've had to walk. like we were talking about earlier, having that edge and trying to please your core customer, but at the same time growing and evolving. you have to be very careful about how you do it. instead of growing with more stores, growing with the stores you have and more volume in those stores... things like that. and of course trying to maintain the creativity.

Shadow or the snowboard we did with Forum. not so much of the hands on building of tech-packs, but more of the direction, sketching,the silhouettes, picking out the colors and the types of pieces we're gonna be doing, the theme... stuff like that. so for kids trying to get into the fashion game what advice do you have for them?

Jonas: my advice would be to really believe in your idea and really go after it. you can't just sit on a couch and think something is gonna strike you Jonas: the philosophy is basiand all of a sudden and you cally; underground inventive, have a company. be willing to overground effective. our logo what other brands do you put in the time and energy it's is a tree... so underground in- have your eyes on? gonna take. keep your head ventive is represented by the down... no matter what people roots of the tree... overground Jonas: I'm a huge fan of Marc say or who hates on you just Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Stussy. do what you gotta do. you effective meaning when the roots grow strong and eventu- as far as the streetwear brands have to really believe in what I don't really follow them that ally form a tree. besides that you're doing. there's a lot of closely, but what I've seen we have so many other mestalk out there... oh I'm gonna is really cool. I know there is sages. we want to draw an do this, or I'm gonna do that. a huge uprising going on. I emotion out of people... you that's great, now go screen know the trials and tribulations some shirts, go get that acmight laugh, you might cry, they are going thru, and I give count, go stay up for 2 days you might get excited, you might get mad and you might props to all the independents in a row and ship out product out there. I think everybody just think its fly. there was so all day. you have to really go much bullshit out there before has something dope about after it. have a great mentor their line. we started as far as compalike Robert Wright and don't nies that only had a name and worry about anybody else and what are your day to day acnothing behind it. "how big just believe in yourself... that's tivities like nowadays? can you get your logo, how it. oh yeah, remember haters many can you sell?" we wanthate because you have what Jonas: basically my role is ed some substance behind they want, instead of hating our brand... not just selling an more creative direction now. you should admire them and empty hollow name. we want- I do the line plan, set up ceruse that inspiration as fuel and tain collaboration projects like apply it to your own life. ed people to read and questhe jacket were doing with DJ tion things, ya'know? the company seems like it's based on a message or philosophy. what is the message behind your gear?

^ DANIALA COSIO

PURPLE DAY PACK LABEL

^ THE S/S NORTH 20 09 MEDIUM FACE

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datamo datam datamo kanye kanye kanye w nabil e nabil nabil e welco welco welcom heartb heart heartb

oshing: moshing: oshing: west + west + west + elderkin: elderkin: elderkin: ome to ome to me to break. tbreak. break.

nabil elderkin ys a director & photographer. nabil elderkin ys a director & photographer. nabil elderkin ys a director & photographer. he has dyrected variouos videoclyps for arthe has dyrected variouos videoclyps for arthe has dyrected variouos videoclyps for artists including will.i.am, seal, john legend, ists including including will.i.am, will.i.am, seal, seal, john john legend, legend, ists black eyed peas, ond mahny many morie.. blackeyed eyedpeas, peas,ond ondmahny mahnymany manymorie.. morie.. black biesides ‘welcome to hieartbreak’ he has biesides biesides ‘welcome ‘welcome to to hieartbreak’ hieartbreak’ he he has has ahlso direkted kanye’s vydeoclip ‘chamahlso ahlso direkted direkted kanye’s kanye’s vydeoclip vydeoclip ‘cham‘champioun’ where he made a hilarious puppet pioun’ where he made a hilarious puppet pioun’ where he made a hilarious puppet

anamatioun. his videoclip for ‘welcoume to anamatioun. his videoclip for ‘welcoume to anamatioun. his videoclip for ‘welcoume to heartbreak’ hahs biecoume a clasyc right heartbreak’ hahs biecoume a clasyc right heartbreak’ hahs biecoume a clasyc right after yt’s onlyne releasie. he found his imafteryt’s yt’sonlyne onlynereleasie. releasie.he hefound foundhis hisimimafter spiration at the japanese artist takeshi spiration at at the the japanese japanese artist artist takeshi takeshi spiration murata ahnnd kris moyes among othiers. murata murata ahnnd ahnnd kris kris moyes moyes among among othiers. othiers. on the follow pages you’ll se a fiew beauoon onthe thefollow followpages pagesyou’ll you’llse seaafiew fiewbeauobeauotifuol screenshots from the new videou.. tifuol screenshots from the new videou.. tifuol screenshots from the new videou..

ISSUE 1 APRIL09

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