N 59° 19’ 54.03” E 018° 03’ 50.23”
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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1
APRIL + MAY 2013
publisher
DANTE COLOMBATTI
contributing editors
RAUL GUERRERO REBECA ARANGO ERIN DENNISON ANNIKA VOGT CURRY
contributors
RACHEL MANY GRANT YOSHINO VIJA HODOSY KACY EMMETT MATTHEW ISMAEL RUIZ ROSS GARDINER MEGAN LABER
design
RACHEL MANY NATHAN WARNER
photography
BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ CONAN THAI GRANT YOSHINO DOMINIK TARABANSKI
account managers
MATT OLSON JANESSA MOLINA
cover by ASGER CARLSEN
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No time for laces. The Oxford. Available at www.royalelastics.com Shot at Sakinaw Lake Lodge www.sakinawlakelodge.com
the introductory issue
PHOTOGRAPHY
music musician CHASE N. CASHE q&a SIX SOUNDSMITHS TO WATCH venue BOILER ROOM playlist THE NEW R&B
style 16 20 28 44
art STREET ART artist ASGER CARLSEN artist IAN MARTIN exhibit DECENTER GALLERY OPENING last look BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ
DOMINIK TARABANSKI
30 32 36 42 44 75
editorial HARDLY A BREATH editorial KIDS GOOD BEHAVIOR editorial TAKE IT FROM THE TOP designer STUSSY showcase MADE IN A FAIR WAY designer LUCIA CUBA
46 52 58 62 68 70
SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE
THE REED BOOT
COMING A/W 13
WWW.THECOMUME.COM // INSTAGRAM@COMUNE
NOTED
1
Daisy & elizaBeth Daisy & Elizabeth, named after the badass chicks behind this Brooklyn-based lingerie and swimwear label is bringing ‘Merica back to intimates. Their most recent collection, Pretty Little Mama, corners eco-friendly and sexy with our favorite F words: floral and fringe. A homemade gift was cool last Valentine’s Day but this year lace is for panties, not decoupage. DaisyaNDelizaBeth.cOm
Verameat Vera Balyura, the culprit behind the VERAMEAT jewelry line, home grows her recycled silver and 14K gold little monsters here in New York. Every piece from VERAMEAT is more twisted than the last and kosher for all the crazies in your life. The Two Headed Love Bunny necklace is perfect for a batshit BFF. Even your difficult vegan friends can get in on the carnivorous collection with a Dino Eating Chicken ring. VERAMEAT. It’s what’s for dinner. Verameat.cOm
2
3
art stacK
For those of you still weeping over Instagram’s new privacy policy, let’s get real. Nobody really wants that Earlybird-filtered image of what you ate for lunch. But if you’re still vying for a replacement and seriously need a new fix of checking-in-liking-sharing-commentingnetworking-all-around-social-media-thugging, perhaps you might have more fun with ArtStack. Geared toward the art lovers of cyberspace, the new app allows you to collect art you love, “stack” it to your profile, and share it with your fellow stackers. (Some of who happen to be heavy-hitters in the art and museum world.) Sorry Instagram, we can’t be monogamous. theartstacK.cO
ciViliaNaire
4
Civilianaire, the clothing and denim label hand-crafted in L.A., has finally ventured out of the West Coast and landed on the cusp of Nolita. The brand is the little sib of Lucky Brand Jeans and it turns out vintage-inspired runs in the fam. Civilianaire keeps it clean and classic with straight and slim leg cuts for men and women. The new store carries all the colors of the Civilianaire rainbow with indigo, burgundy, and olive tones. We’re excited too but for the sake of selvedge, keep your pants on. shOP.ciViliaNaire.cOm/
stelle auDiO Know that teenager on the train rocking Hot 97 on his boombox who gives zero fucks about what you think? Admit it, there’s a significant part of you that’s jealous. Where is that 2 CHAINZ coming from?
5
Um, not my clutch. Clandestine purse speakers from Newport-based Stellé Audio Couture make any moment sound so much better. stelleauDiO.cOm
6
m tO m OF m/m Paris Our design-geek jaws hit the floor when we discovered legendary design duo M/M Paris was releasing a retrospective book. With over 1,000 illustrations of some of the designers’ most impressive projects, exhibition photographs, and some killer interviews with their closest collaborators like Bjork and Pierre Huyghe, M to M of M/M Paris is filled to the brim with everything our little designer hearts could want. mmParis.cOm
7
DOmiNic lOrD Not since the love triangle between Chris Brown, Rihanna and Karrueche has there been so intriguing a relationship: Nu-Goth fashion, dub-step, and the dystopian future go together like peanut butter, jelly, and marshmallow fluff. Leave it to left-of-center NYC rapper Dominic Lord to tap into the MFEO trifecta. All ominous rhymes over throbbing bass wobbles and buzzy synthesizers, Lord’s debut Fashion Show Ep is geared towards a post-apocalyptic community of droids. So naturally, we’re fans. His uniform of Balenciaga and Bape doesn’t hurt either. DOmiNiclOrD.us
text KACY EMMETT
THE THRILL OF THE CHASE hiP-hOP artist-OF-all-traDes chase N. cashe BuilDs his OwN laDDer tO the tOP
YOU COULD SAY JESSE WOODWARD IS A CHILD OF NEW ORLEANS. HE HOLDS HIMSELF WITH BOTH IMMENSITY AND EASE. AS HE SPEAKS, HIS LONG ARMS DRAW HUGE EMPHATIC CIRCLES WHILE HIS WORDS SPILL EFFORTLESSLY AT A STEADY, MESMERIZING PACE, WITH THE LUCID CONFIDENCE OF SOMEONE WHO’S ALWAYS ON TIME YET NEVER IN A RUSH.
"
I HIGHLY DOUBT QUINCY JONES WALKS INTO THE STUDIO THINKING HE’S GOING TO DO ANYTHING WHACK.
"
THAT’S WHAT YOU WORK YOUR WAY TOWARDS But that’s only half the story. To understand how Jesse went from
what you work your way towards. Once I figured out that I could sell beats
a restless kid drumming on tables to the award-winning producer and up-
through a period of time, I was like, Ima be alright. Then once ‘Drop the
and-coming rapper known as Chase N. Cashe, you have to look to the other
World’ came out, that solidified it: I ain’t whack no more.” But as far as his credibility as a rapper is concerned, Chase N.
beast that raised him: the Internet. “Fucking Kazaa!” Jesse exclaims emphatically. “Kazaa, Win MX,
Cashe won’t operate with Quincy-level conviction till he gets that number
Napster, that’s what got me into music. It’s not like I could ask my parents
one. And unlike his contemporaries who have signed to major labels, he's
or any of my homies to teach me to play piano or anything, but I could
committed to going for it on his own terms. Because rapping isn’t about
download tutorials, bootleg programs, instrumentals—anything I could
adding another slash to his list of trades, but part of a grand vision of
think of typing in. I feel like that’s what made me what I am today.” That
a Chase N. Cashe who is 100% everything, and also something the self-
is: the beatmaker behind Eminem and Wayne’s “Drop the World,” the friend
proclaimed “funny motherfucker” just grew up doing.
who introduced Drake and A$AP Rocky, and the industry pro with names like Diddy and Jimmy Iovine casually populating his contacts.
Favorably, the ball is rolling: last year after independently going on tour with Drake, Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky, he released his second
Not that those three things piled up even approach the height of
album of rhymes, the aptly titled Charm. Chase’s production chops account
Jesse’s ambition. Though they do offer financial stability, a goal he’s made
for about half the tracks, while the leftover pie is divvied up by a team
lyrically plain on a handful of records. In Jesse’s case, the struggle to stay
of notable beatmakers like Jahlil Beats and Araabmuzik. Under Chase’s
afloat has been in pursuit of creative freedom, independence being the first
executive-direction, it’s a cohesive album that begins to define his sound.
step in becoming the household name he aspires to be (“You don’t get to
And that sound is an unexpectedly nostalgic one.
where Jay-Z is by being irresponsible.”). A product of his generation if there
It started with “O.M.W,” a laid-back beat Chase built around
ever was one, it was hearing crickets-as-percussion in Missy Elliot beats that
an acoustic guitar loop and a sample from Playa/Aaliyah's 90’s hit “One
inspired his art, and watching artists flaunt their goods on MTV Cribs that
Man Woman.” From there, he kept at it, mixing old-school R&B and soul
inspired his drive. So after Hurricane Katrina hit his hometown, a seventeen-
samples with wonky jazz keyboards and funky guitar licks. Producer Mark
year-old Jesse saved up some money and moved to Los Angeles. It didn’t take
Christian ran with the idea on the tripped-up groove “Star 67,” and again
long before the Internet introduced him to the right people.
on the slick album-ender “Kill Yourself,” the song that personifies Jesse’s
“My career has been half digital, half street.” Jesse explains when
odd mix of relentless determination and easy-going charisma.
we ask him about landing the “Drop the World” gig via Twitter. “I’ve always
“I grew up on jazz, acoustics, natural instruments,” Jesse says,
been an outside kid, and I’m a body language person. But the Internet was
though he always had a link to sounds outside the city. The Internet exposed
just my gateway; it was like a phonebook to me with all the answers. The
him to the coastal rap that wasn’t really on the radio; it taught him how to
rest was my personality.” The connections that launched his production
make a Neptunes beat; it showed him where to find a Timbaland kick. So
career were made on MySpace—it was there that Jesse met his frequent
much so that when he first started dabbling in digital music—an atypical
collaborator, LA-born producer Hit-Boy. Together they formed a local artist
choice for a New Orleans kid—he went for the synthetic, futuristic aesthetic
collective called the Surf Club, made some beats for Sean Kingston, and
that was popular at the time. But now that he’s building his own sound,
got the attention of producer Polow De Don (on MySpace). The next couple
something to establish himself as an artist with lasting power—not just
of years were spent earning their industry stripes at Polow’s Atlanta label,
a producer or a rapper, but a relevant cultural entity—it turns out his
producing records for the likes of Flo Rida, the Pussycat Dolls, and G-Unit.
hometown couldn’t help but shape his identity. “My focus now is soul, and
It’s now four years since Chase N. Cashe left Atlanta to go indie
to really have instruments in my music where I could have a band on stage
with the Surf Club in LA, and he’s onto the third rung of a ladder he
with me from 1-15. I wanted to be able to take my music to the stage. That
describes as “diluting your whackness,” elaborating: “I highly doubt Quincy
was it man, I just wanted performance.” It’s like Jesse said, his career can
Jones walks into the studio thinking he’s going to do anything whack. That’s
only be half digital. The rest is personality.
text REBECA ARANGO photo BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ grooming BARBARA YNIGUEZ
six
soundsmiths
to watch TODAY’S FRESH CROP OF PRODUCER-MUSICIANS HAVE AN INFINITE PALETTE OF SOUNDS AT THEIR FINGERTIPS, ALLOWING THEM THE FREEDOM TO CREATE ALMOST ANYTHING THEY DREAM UP. TO GET AN ABSTRACT PICTURE OF WHAT THOSE DREAMS ARE MADE OF, LA CANVAS PRIED INTO THE HEADS OF SOME OF OUR FAVORITE UP-AND-COMING SOUNDSMITHS. READ ON FOR A BIT OF SYNESTHETIC MADNESS.
text + interviews meGaN laBer
Not many electronic artists are making a bigger splash than Australian beatmaker Harley Streten, better known as Flume. The 21-year-old Sydney native has been obsessed with making sounds since finding a music production program in a cereal box at the age of thirteen. Recently, he’s become internationally renowned as the up and coming beat boy to look out for. His mix of soulful vocal tracks, futuristic synths, and trippy rhythms combine into something purely creative.
ASIDE FROM MUSICAL INFLUENCES, WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND? Studio time really gets to you after awhile. When I want to clear my head I go surfing. It helps with ideas, and after I feel ready to keep working on a track. IF YOUR SOUND WERE A COLOR (OR A COMBINATION OF COLORS) WHAT WOULD IT BE? I think it would be a mix of purple, black, and white. IF YOU COULD COMPOSE THE SOUNDTRACK TO ANY FILM... I’ve always loved the idea of producing a film or tracks for a film. If I could, I would do sounds for a Sci-Fi film like Tron, Blade Runner, or the Fifth Element. WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE PEOPLE DOING TO YOUR MUSIC? Well, people tag me a lot on Instagram when they are taking road trips, so I guess I make good tracks for that. Also, a lot of people come up to me at shows and say they like to have sex to my music. TELL US ABOUT THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU’VE EVER SAMPLED, OR THE COOLEST SOUND YOU’VE EVER CREATED. I think the coolest sound I’ve ever sampled would have to be when I recorded myself slapping my girlfriend’s ass. It made one of the tracks as the beat. YOUR FAVORITE SOUND FROM EVERYDAY LIFE? LEAST FAVORITE? I really like the sound of something hitting a wall. That thwack noise it makes is great. My least favorite noise would have to be that bell that goes off when you enter the 24-hour stores. Those things drive me crazy. WHAT TUNE CONSTANTLY GETS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD? I’d say right now it is “Destiny” by John Talabot. That track is really good. HOW DO YOU RECREATE YOUR SOUND FOR LIVE SHOWS? I use a lot of midi clips and audio clips. It’s somewhere
01 / flume
between a live set and a DJ sort of thing. There are parts I play live. I also use my launch pad a ton. WHAT’S THE BEST SOUNDING ROOM OR VENUE YOU’VE EVER PERFORMED IN? Definitely Gretchen in Berlin. That was a great space. WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? I’m working on this live show with a massive infinity mirror. It has six screens in hexagonal shape and a mirror on the back, which makes it look like a long tube. We are hauling this
photo wilK Flumemusic.cOm
massive thing to our Australia shows. We are also prepping for the U.S. tour coming up as well as SXSW.
02 / young adults Young Adults is an LA-based artist collective and record label. Their nu-house compilations feature work from the likes of androgynous Suzanne Kraft, Montreal duo Grown Folk, and many more. Leeor Brown and David Fisher, aka DJs Lazy Brown and Deep Body, launched the label as a hub for similar-sounding artists looking for a place to release their latest tracks. The enterprise is an evolution of the Friend of Friends label, with an increased focus on getting people to the dance floor. We chatted with the brains behind the operation to find out more about their particular aesthetic. ASIDE FROM MUSICAL INFLUENCES, WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND?
WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE PEOPLE DOING TO YOUR MUSIC?
The sun, the moon, PCH with the top down, Palm Springs, industrial
Dropping down and getting their eagle on.
zones, comfort foods, altered states and disco balls. YOUR FAVORITE SOUND FROM EVERYDAY LIFE? LEAST FAVORITE? IF YOUR SOUND WERE A COLOR (OR A COMBINATION OF COLORS) WHAT
Always a sucker for nature sounds, but can’t stand the alarm clock.
WOULD IT BE?
Used to have a nature sound alarm clock. I was very conflicted
Mostly muted earth tones and burnt sky fades; muddled green, charred
each morning.
orange, a dash of purp and we’re cookin’. WHAT TUNE CONSTANTLY GETS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD? IF YOUR SOUND WERE A PERSON, CREATURE, OR IMAGINARY CHARACTER,
“I don’t have State Farm… but insurance find me moneyyyyy.”
WHO WOULD IT BE? OR WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? Jessica Rabbit.
HOW DO YOU RECREATE YOUR SOUND FOR LIVE SHOWS? Vinyl only, no filler, all killer.
photo NON stOP recOrD yOuNGaDults.us
03 / shlohmo
Aside from mixing muffled voices and heavy bass under the solo moniker Shlohmo, Henry Laufer is pretty busy for a 21-year-old producer. When he’s not working on his own tracks, he’s partly running the artist collective WEDIDIT, a community filled with underground electronic hopefuls with tons of talent to spare. His latest EP Laid Out is filled with hypnotic drum machines and hiccupping synth noises. Sound too familiar? Take a listen and learn that there are still fresh ways to spin it.
ASIDE FROM MUSICAL INFLUENCES, WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND? Imagery, movies, lights, objects, and a lot of indescribable feelings. It’s those feelings that you can’t really describe. IF YOUR SOUND WERE A COLOR (OR A COMBINATION OF COLORS) WHAT WOULD IT BE? Black, or more like matte black. IF YOUR SOUND WERE A PERSON, CREATURE, OR IMAGINARY CHARACTER, WHO WOULD IT BE? OR WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? A small rock that’s alone forever, but you can’t tell anyone about it. IF YOU COULD COMPOSE THE SOUNDTRACK TO ANY FILM... I’d really like to do The Snowtown Murders. I would do something really pleasant to contrast the horror on screen. I love when films have that joyful music contrasting with the content. WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE PEOPLE DOING TO YOUR MUSIC? Everything. It’s very easy “life” music. People told me they have sex to my music. I don’t like to imagine that per say, but other than that, I like to imagine people walking through the snow. Maybe lying on the ground and thinking about cottage cheese feelings. TELL US ABOUT THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU’VE EVER SAMPLED, OR THE COOLEST SOUND YOU’VE EVER CREATED. Foley stuff, like a chord half-stuck in the outlet so there is super heavy static feedback. I love recording the noise that it makes coming from the speakers and using that as the bass for a track. YOUR FAVORITE SOUND FROM EVERYDAY LIFE? LEAST FAVORITE? The sound of metal fittings that clink when they come together would be one of my favorites. My least favorite is the sound my phone makes when I get a new text message. WHAT TUNE CONSTANTLY GETS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD? Right now the only song is the new Drake track, “Started From The Bottom.” HOW DO YOU RECREATE YOUR SOUND FOR LIVE SHOWS? I’m usually in more of a party setting, so I kind of want to cater to having fun as opposed to lying down. Whatever the crowd is feeling is how I turn my set. WHAT’S THE BEST SOUNDING ROOM OR VENUE YOU’VE EVER PERFORMED IN? I’m a really bad judge of that. I love when the bass is really loud, so that said I don’t really know. There is this place called 1015 Folsum in San Francisco that just shakes your face when the bass is loud enough. WHAT TOOL, INSTRUMENT, SOFTWARE OR INNOVATION (IF ANY) IS INDISPENSABLE TO YOUR SOUND? Ableton is essential.
photo susBOy shlOhmO.cOm
04 / buke & gase Brooklyn-based team Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez make up the eclectic experimental instrument group known as Buke & Gase. With tools like an electric ukulele and a guitar-bass mutation, the duo is trying, and succeeding, at being innovative. Just when we thought we had heard it all from the many electronic experimenters, Buke and Gase arrived with a sound that mixes electro and prog-rock with a dash of post-punk. And we’re pretty sure that doesn’t even begin to cover their unique nature.
ASIDE FROM MUSICAL INFLUENCES, WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND? ARONE: Everything. We have such a curiosity when it comes to sound. We try to reach for the unattainable and push our own concepts on what is an attractive sound. For example, we use the kick drum. It’s kind of a bland instrument on it’s own. But when you add the rattle of the snare drum it becomes much more interesting. We just love experimenting with new unique sound patterns. IF YOUR SOUND WERE A COLOR (OR A COMBINATION OF COLORS) WHAT WOULD IT BE? ARONE: It would be this sort of multi-layer painting that would be covering this original painting. The first layer going over the original would have a lot of dark browns with broad lines that are muddled. Then there would be a lot of yellows, blues, pinks, and greens. IF YOUR SOUND WERE A PERSON, CREATURE, OR IMAGINARY CHARACTER, WHO WOULD IT BE? OR WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? ARONE: It would be this odd mixture of a terrible mermaid with some type of dragon-like head. It would be this crazy mutated animal, and there would have to be scales. YOUR FAVORITE SOUND FROM EVERYDAY LIFE? ARONE: Aron really likes the sound of clicking old switches. I like the breeze through the trees, but on a hot summer day. That’s a really nice sound. HOW DO YOU RECREATE YOUR SOUND FOR LIVE SHOWS? ARONE: The premise of our live acts is to pull off the things we have in our recordings live. We use all our limbs in the process, and it’s pretty tiring. WHAT’S THE BEST SOUNDING ROOM OR VENUE YOU’VE EVER PERFORMED IN? ARONE: There has been no “best” venue, but our practice space sounds really good. The Echo and Bowery Ballroom were both pretty great. We just played Montreal and loved it. WHAT TOOL, INSTRUMENT, SOFTWARE OR INNOVATION (IF ANY) IS INDISPENSABLE TO YOUR SOUND? ARONE: Aron’s face…and voice. There are a whole bunch of things.
photo GraNt cOrNett BuKeaNDGase.cOm
05 / the cyclist Northern Ireland tape-throbber Andrew Morrison, aka The Cyclist, walks the line between analog and digital. Best known for using a thirty-dollar keyboard to lay down his tracks, Morrison’s music echoes early house without discarding the high-quality depth and complexity of modern electronica. His debut LP Bones in Motion drops March 26th on Stones Throw. It’s a full album’s worth of Morrison’s signature post-punk-inflected dream-techno—perfect for all our moodiest late night listening sessions. ASIDE FROM MUSICAL INFLUENCES, WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND? First and foremost, I’ve got to say film. Not just because of the amazing experimentation you see in some soundtracks, but in the images that stay with you. Like the starting run in A Touch Of Evil, or maybe some of the darker scenes in THX 1138, and 2001:A Space Odyssey and anything Stanley Kubrick. IF YOUR SOUND WERE A COLOR (OR A COMBINATION OF COLORS) WHAT WOULD IT BE? Hmmm…I’d say a swirling mix of deep blue and yellow-orange, at least that’s what I envision when I close my eyes to it. IF YOUR SOUND WERE A PERSON, CREATURE, OR IMAGINARY CHARACTER, WHO WOULD IT BE? OR WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? A very inebriated and unintelligible Hunter S. Thompson. IF YOU COULD COMPOSE THE SOUNDTRACK TO ANY FILM... 2001: A Space Odyssey . Sci-Fi isn’t exactly my favorite genre, but this film has so many beautiful sparse scenes that you could do so much with the sound to go along with it. WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE PEOPLE DOING TO YOUR MUSIC? I always picture people dancing, mostly in dingy rave clubs, where the only
WHAT TUNE CONSTANTLY GETS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD?
nice looking bit is the light shows. I really see those people going at it though,
“Thief” by Can has stayed consistently in my head over time. Proper heartfelt
all the flailing around, really losing themselves.
tune, the guys voice is just so strained throughout, unforgettable.
TELL US ABOUT THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU’VE EVER SAMPLED, OR THE
HOW DO YOU RECREATE YOUR SOUND FOR LIVE SHOWS?
COOLEST SOUND YOU’VE EVER CREATED?
Currently, I’m using an Akai APC40 with Ableton to sequence and cover
On the track “Visions,” there’s this odd cymbal sound throughout the track.
audio with effects.
This actually came from the springs inside an old battered £50 Stratocaster I’d had. I was hitting them with the wooden side of a violin bow and recorded
WHAT’S THE BEST SOUNDING ROOM OR VENUE YOU’VE EVER PERFORMED IN?
this onto a 4-track cassette using the microphone of a guitar tuner.
Well I’m going to have to say my bedroom, seeing as my first shows are going to be in March, throughout the U.K.
YOUR FAVORITE SOUND FROM EVERYDAY LIFE? LEAST FAVORITE? My favorite sound would probably the oscillating sound of the bus engines, when
WHAT TOOL, INSTRUMENT, SOFTWARE OR INNOVATION (IF ANY) IS INDISPENSABLE
you sit at the back of the bus at night. Least favorite—it’d have to be chalk on
TO YOUR SOUND?
blackboard, can’t stand it. I’m just one of those people who find it complete
It’s got to be magnetic tape. It’s obviously not a very modern tool, but it has a lot
torture, though now that I think of it, I’m probably going to have to sample that now.
of very interesting characteristics. It’s just so easy to mess with and get creative.
photo shauN BlOODwOrth cyclistmusic.cOm
06 / poolside Danish-born Filip Nikolic and San Franciscan Jeffery Paradise are the brains behind chilled-out groove machine Poolside. They found each other in LA and worked on very different, separate projects before finally joining forces to create what some have dubbed “daytime disco.” See them live and you’d have to agree. Their energy and sound, much like their popular rendition of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” is mellow and smooth with a dose of vintage funk, lending itself to lounging poolside at some 70’s motel in the afternoon. We caught up with Filip Nikolic to further deconstruct the formula.
ASIDE FROM MUSICAL INFLUENCES, WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SOUND?
TELL US ABOUT THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU’VE EVER SAMPLED, OR THE
We get inspired a lot by our surroundings, hikes through the local spots,
COOLEST SOUND YOU’VE EVER CREATED?
hanging by the pool, etc. Also Mezcal and wine gets us going really well.
For “Off My Mind” we used an old synth to make ocean wave sounds. It’s just a noise generator with a hand swept filter but a lot of people think that we
IF YOUR SOUND WERE A COLOR (OR A COMBINATION OF COLORS) WHAT WOULD IT BE?
actually recorded the real ocean.
Right now it’s definitely electric cyan! WHAT TUNE CONSTANTLY GETS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD? IF YOUR SOUND WERE A PERSON, CREATURE, OR IMAGINARY CHARACTER, WHO
Recently it has been Twin Shadow’s “Golden Light”—luckily it’s a great song.
WOULD IT BE? OR WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? It would be a creature made out of slow moving water and he would gently be
WHAT’S THE BEST SOUNDING ROOM OR VENUE YOU’VE EVER PERFORMED IN?
petting our feet…
With Poolside, I think it has to be First Avenue and 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis or Lincoln Hall in Chicago
IF YOU COULD COMPOSE THE SOUNDTRACK TO ANY FILM... WHAT
I have no idea. Maybe Cocktail with Tom Cruise?
TOOL,
INSTRUMENT,
SOFTWARE
OR
INNOVATION
(IF
ANY)
IS
INDISPENSABLE TO YOUR SOUND? WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE PEOPLE DOING TO YOUR MUSIC?
I couldn’t do without my computer and my giant box of random percussion. And
Either relaxing in a nice chill environment or day dreaming about relaxing in
my broken Casio CZ-1000 is our “secret weapon”.
a nice chill environment.
POOlsiDemusic.cOm
BOILING POINT text + photo reBeca araNGO
ONliNe NiGhtcluB PheNOmeNON BOILER ROOM eXPlODes FrOm the uNDerGrOuND with PlaNs tO taKe OVer the wOrlD The inaugural broadcast of Boiler Room was originally scheduled
Boiler Room’s NYC debut last July featured sets by Arrabmuzik,
for an actual boiler room—a neglected old chamber in the basement of an
Baauer and Shadowbox. Since then, they’ve kept the tradition alive with
East London warehouse founder Blaise Belville was leasing at the time.
appearances from Flying Lotus, Nicolas Jaar, and Joey Badass, though the
Sadly, asbestos had already annexed the territory into its stinky underworld,
productions have evolved past the program’s humble East London beginnings.
and Blaise had to find someplace more hospitable, though equally derelict.
Thanks to help from sponsors like Red Bull Music Academy, Boiler Room
Easily enough, there was the exposed-brick-and-paint-chipped
now pops off with legitimate-looking cameras on tripods, professional-grade
space upstairs, which served as headquarters for Blaise’s various hustles,
gaff jobs funneling throbs of wires, and young AV guys in plaid button-
including the music blog Platform. Always restless for yet another project,
downs darting around importantly (and if YouTube views are any measure of
he planned to invite some DJ friends over each week to record mixes in an
importance, than BR’s thirteen million certainly substantiates their airs). If you’re lucky enough to attend one of the secret invite-only tapings, you
atypically low-key environment: one where they could have a drink, a smoke, and bring some friends around. But that was the height of expectations. “I d i d n ’ t e ve n thin k it w a s g o in g to b e c o o l,” B la is e t e l l s us o n t he pho n e fro m L o n d o n . “ I th o u g h t w e w e r e g o in g to c a ll it ‘O f f i c e Ja m ’
V E N U E
might find people eagerly positioning themselves in frame, trying out their freakiest dance-moves for the kids at home and waving hi to mom. That’s when it becomes clear: Boiler Room is American Bandstand for the post-Dubstep generation.
or s om e th i n g stu p i d —b ec a u s e it w a s o u r o ffic e .” T h a t fir st Tue sda y
Granted the Boiler Room model remains tied to the underground,
night , th e o ffi c e a c c o m mo d a te d a n in tima te p a r ty o f fo u r, w hi l e a bo ut
rooted in pirate radio culture, and supposedly free from commercial
f if t y -t o-a -h u n d re d fri e n d s tu n e d in o n Us tr e a m to w a tc h fo u ndi ng D Js
pressures, on a scale plotting relevance to the zeitgeist (EDM), taste-
Thris t an a n d S a m m y p e rfo r m fo r a w e b c a m ta p e d to th e w a ll.
making authority, and name recognition, it’s rapidly swelling into the shoes
As Blaise tells it, in its first two years the fledgling project survived
once worn by Bandstand and more recently, TRL. Today, teams on the
largely thanks to its appeal to artists. “It was their first time in an atmosphere
ground in Berlin, London, New York and Los Angeles are broadcasting
that wasn’t a traditional radio station, or a nightclub with hundreds of random
about forty shows a month, with immediate plans to infiltrate Tokyo as well.
people, where they could play whatever they wanted and not really bother
And the global takeover won’t end there. Blaise explains that the idea
about trying to appease people.” London labels like Young Turks jumped in
is to remain footloose and low budget enough to go wherever the music takes
to curate nights, quickly turning Boiler Room into a rite of passage for new
them. “We want to be the world’s most comprehensive music discovery channel.
electronic artists. By March 2011, they had moved into a larger space, hosted
We’re starting to make moves in the US, but the picture will only be complete
James Blake and Jamie XX at the height of their popularity, and watched
once we’ve covered all the bases.” Same thing we do every night, Pinky.
viewership explode to twenty or thirty thousand a night. BOilerrOOm.tV
ALB U M AVAI LAB LE EVE RYWH E R E FOR TOUR DATES VISIT
FOALS.CO.U K
STREET photo credit A PETROSSI, instagram: Hamachi_me
ART
DARKNESS
ON THE
EDGE OF CHINATOWN asGer carlseN eXPlOres his seNse OF selF with the BODies OF Others Asger Carlsen never wanted a “real” job. Ever since he sold his first photo—at age 16, of his skateboard buddies getting pinched by the cops—he’s been making images with a camera professionally. Even as the more practical means of making a living as a photographer evolved into the life of a studio artist, making it not feel like “work” has been important to him. Carlsen takes pictures, but it’s arguably the least important part of his art. Most of the heavy lifting takes place on a computer, his canvas a massive drawing tablet and LCD monitor. His body of work as a photographer is his source material, but it isn’t until he opens Adobe Photoshop that the virtual sculptures like those seen in his latest books Hester and Wrong begin to take shape. “That's where the work starts,” he explains. Early work featured literal inspiration from his days as a young crime photographer, with a beach crime scene guarded by cops being transformed into an accidental exhibition of an otherworldly monolith. Later, perhaps having depleted his cache of crime-scene outtakes, he resorted to more traditional methods of model casting and studio shooting, but his black-and-white documentarian style persists. Shot with stark strobe lighting, no makeup, and the “anti-location” of his home studio in New York City’s Chinatown, Carlsen does his best to strip his source material of its original context. “I want the process to be completely nihilistic,” he says. “I don't want it to be anything. I just want it to be.” In his studio, his models pose in multiple positions, and once the files are loaded on the computer, he stitches their parts together, guided by their poses. The bodies of his models—the raw materials for his digital sculptures—inform the work. One yoga expert was capable of exotic poses, another’s skin tone was particularly desirable, and obese models provided forms and textures normally abhorred in commercial photography. But despite the myriad options in software, he does his best to keep the process “organic,” eschewing liquify and other extreme retouching tools in an effort to maintain consistency. Combined with his black and white vintage aesthetic, it could explain why his work occupies real estate in the Uncanny Valley but doesn’t immediately scream “Photoshopped!” The period of cognitive dissonance between what appears to be real and what we know cannot be is palpable, regardless of its length for any individual viewer.
WANT " ITODON'T BE PART OF THAT THING OUT THERE. I WANT TO BE PART OF MY OWN THING.
In many ways, Carlsen’s work is very much a response to his more
As he perfects sculpting his digital materials in Photoshop, the natural
recent career as a commercial photographer. As a 16-year-old skateboarding
progression would appear to be a transition to the physical realm. Carlsen built all
crime photographer, he had no aspirations of being an artist, but now
the props for Wrong by hand in his home studio, and has even made reference to
cognizant of the restrictive rules defining the mainstream commercial market,
Hester as an example of photographic sculpture. He’s had offers to finance such an
he strives to position his work as its antithesis. “I don't want to be part of that
endeavor, but for now is content to wait for the right one.
thing out there,” he says. “I want to be part of my own thing.” But he didn’t always have the confidence to play the rebel.
Ultimately, from inception to execution, Carlsen’s work is deeply introspective. Outside of the obvious hours spent poring over Photoshop
In the photo that effectively birthed his new style, a young cyclops
documents, a recent Garage magazine shoot exemplified his place at
poses for a portrait with an older woman. The photo is at once mundane and
the center of his own artistic universe. Working in his home studio, he
arresting, and art-world denizens took notice. Yet when he first made it in 2006,
photographed his models against one wall, then turned his chair 180 degrees
he didn’t like it at all. Neck-deep in a burgeoning career as a commercial
around to edit on the computer, making himself the literal axis around which
shooter, the work represented a drastic departure from his developing style; it
the project revolved. Several magazines have already commissioned him to
was just too different. He sat on it for a year. When he finally showed it to his
do self-portraits, and he has plans to make his process even more isolated,
agent at the time, the reaction was unsurprising: “What are you doing?” the
foregoing casting sessions in favor of a single subject: himself.
agent asked. “What is this about? What the fuck?”
But if the work is an inquisitive journey through the self, Carlsen
While Carlsen claims that he’s “much better now,” he admits those first attempts were difficult. When the possibilities of editing are limitless, how far
admits to finding “a certain darkness” within. But he is no closer to any answers...or even destinations.
can you go, technically? And as he developed his skills as a digital manipulator, it
“I don't know where I belong,” he says. “I don't think I'm trying to
became part of the problem. If the fourth attempt was better than the third which
communicate anything specific, but I do think [the work] represents me as a
was better than the second, it meant that with each new skill learned he had to go
person, what I went through, what I experienced in my life. It’s an attempt to
back to older work to apply it. Some images took as long as two years to complete.
belong somewhere.”
art editor aNNiKa VOGt curry text matthew ismael ruiz artist photo cONaN thai photos courtsy of asGer carlseN
UNMASKED MARTIN
sculPtOr/PaiNter iaN martiN resists the waVe OF cyNicsm FrOm ONe OF maNhattaN’s last Great art stuDiOs text arJuNa NeumaN photo rachel maNy
"
THE CITY IS A FLYING BUTTRESS OF CREATIVE ENERGY. IT CAN BE RESTRICTING, BUT WITH A LITTLE FINESSE AND SOME MOXIE, YOU’LL FIND BUOYANCY.
"
A mandatory evacuation notice rattles with us up the service
hand. Without two good paws, he picked up brushes (and knives and sponges),
elevator. Beside me, Ian Martin hoists open the articulated cage of the lift and
and spun his talents in a new way. “With painting I get a sense of instant
shrugs, “That doesn’t really apply to us yet.”
gratification,” he smiles through a pause. “You can step through any door at any moment. With sculpting, however, you have to build that door.”
Death row never smelled so acrylic. Perched on Mott Street, in the northern branches of NYC’s
As for the first-borns, his cadre of sculptures, those grimacing
Chinatown, Ian Martin’s 5,000 square-foot work studio is an anomaly. A notable
sentinels huddle for warmth, as Martin spends the winter being courted by
holdout from a once fecund urban narrative predicated on manufacturing
his new mistress. A modern make-smith, Martin’s proficiencies, authenticity,
spaces, turned squatting grounds for the creative community of the 1970’s.
and unceremonious graces form a robust quality of likability; you would pick
Originally a furniture factory, decreed to become luxury apartments, Martin’s
this man to be on your team, you would surely see what he was getting into
roomy work digs are kept alive with a little “luck and charity.”
during the apocalypse. A philosopher to boot, Martin has much to offer in the
Checkered, like rows and columns of mug shots across the floor,
form of humble observation and experience. He openly foregoes coveting the
are Martin’s paintings. Figurative abstractions, floating on muted backgrounds.
preciousness of his art. Instead, he anchors himself in a process he describes
Vibrant and engaging they evoke a slight discomfort. Portraits of spirits,
as rich with spirituality and rebirth. By accepting and accentuating, the
mutants, and shamans exchange glances as they chatter on in their two
leanings of each material, Martin’s process conjures a synesthesia between
dimensional planes. Martin’s MFA in Sculpture, awarded from the New York
the transcendental experience of art and the quotidian labors of the artist’s
Academy of Art, has kept him grappling with utilitarian armatures, molds and
space. He forgives, moreover, marvels at, how his work fluctuates in volume
castings—structural feats exclusive to his cardinal medium. An affinity for
and voice when moved within or out of the studio. Throughout the course
busts and masks, cultivated while studying in Italy and China, takes on an
of working a material or an idea, his transformative images lend themselves
entirely new plumage and color scale on canvas. Approaching painting with
towards releasing the preciousness of any one form or stroke. This constant
an undiminished eye for sculpting, Martin layers and texturizes ridgelines from
release of ego, as Martin describes it, allows him to engage spiritually with the
fibers, dirt and cement alongside bold fits of pigment. You can’t miss the shared
process of death, growth and rebirth. “ You can be very serious about your art,
sense of masculinity and aggression between his two and three-dimensional
seriously dedicated to your studio practice, but if I’m making choices dictated
forces. Martin’s father, Jan Martin, had always been the painter in the family; it
by the notion that each mark I make is a precious one, that attachment leads
was not until a late-night mishap that Ian Martin would find himself temporarily
me down a path that truncates my creative process. A painting is a fight
lopsided. Riding his bike (drunk) through Chinatown, he fell and broke his
against ego and a bold pronunciation of self.”
text ViJa hODOsy photos cONaN thai
"
WE’VE A TENDENCY TO GROW CALLOUS, TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OR LOSE INTEREST IN THINGS… ARTWORK IS THE ANTIDOTE TO COMPLACENCY.
"
Once peers, now pals, Martin is just the sort of person I’d hoped to meet in the belly of this beast. I found him at a bar on Chinatown’s Bloody Angle, listening to NPR podcasts on his headphones. Since, he has been a fountain of well-timed pauses, smiles, and handy work. Renegotiating character or relative talent, in a megalopolis like New York, is to contend with one humbling experience after another. The struggle, the relentless conveyer belt of cold, heartless, fang-baring shrews, is par for the course. As long as you can tolerate the flogging and manage to not be scared-off or spit out, you meet cool people—including yourself. Martin advises skipping over the convenient tongue-in-cheek irreverence of acting aloof or ungraciously cynical. Selecting instead to express your goals as precisely as possible so as to ripen them before they rot in the bullpen. Martin’s goal is to preserve the curiosity and penchant for exploration he cultivated while romping through the streambeds of Indianapolis as a boy. He’s right, there is much to learn about the people and places around us, “We’ve a tendency to grow callous, to protect ourselves and or lose interest in things… Artwork is the antidote to complacency.” The patina working its way around Ian Martin’s palms is a reminder that hard work never goes unnoticed; rather, accumulated over time, it defines us. Like the paintings and sculptures in his studio, we as creatures take on characters that diminish and expand in our relative spaces. Martin finishes his beer and casts it across the room, “The city is a flying buttress of creative energy. It can be restricting, but with a little finesse and some moxie, you’ll find buoyancy.” Self-awareness and a badass clubhouse help too.
LE BOOK PRESENTS
ART BY KEITH HARING © ESTATE OF KEITH HARING
THE CUSTOM-MADE TRADESHOW FOR THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY
Andrea Geyer’s Indelible, 2013, Seher Shah’s Unit Objects, 2012-2013 and Douglas Melini’s Favorable Transformations, 2012
Decenter:
THE DIASPORA OF MODERN ABSTRACTION art editor ANNIKA VOGT CURRY text Matthew Ismael Ruiz photos courtesy of Patrick Lyn
Nestled in the heart of the Lower East Side, the Abrons Arts Center was born of the fiscal
Palmer and Campbell instead chose to draw parallels to the cultural and political climates
seeds planted by a 1963 recreation of the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art,
that tend to influence such shows, using the art as a bridge. Whether the works from the
more commonly known as “The Armory Show.”
1913 show were political is debatable—Decenter’s politics are more explicit.
So when CUNY art history Ph.D candidates Daniel S. Palmer and Andrianna
Andrea Geyer’s Indelible showcases 50 women involved the original armory show
Campbell were asked to curate a show at the Abrons, it didn’t take long for them to
who have since faded from the history of modern art, re-evaluating their contributions 100 years
connect the dots and decide what should inform their exhibition. Decenter, which is on
removed from a culture even more misogynistic than today’s. Nine of those who either exhibited
display through April 7, is their re-evaluation of the legendary 1913 show, a contemporary
paintings or were instrumental in organizing the original show were selected for Decenter.
look at the legacy of abstraction as it’s mediated through the digital space.
turn of the 20th century, the same could be said of the Internet and the 21st, where, as
The show features works from 27 artists working with various media, both
Much in the way that the maturation of telephony connected people at the
physical and digital. The young art historians accumulated an impressive roster of artists
Palmer remarks, “we each have a portal to a million other worlds in our pocket.”
that includes renowned fine art photographer Barbara Kasten, Tumblr superstar Jessica
This digital revolution is central to the way we discover, consume, and share art in the
Eaton, and New York Times darling Andrew Kuo.
21st century, and subsequently, to how Palmer and Campbell conceived the show. Mov-
Eschewing curatorial pratfalls like selecting only inflammatory or cubist-influenced works,
ing away from the more centripetal aspects of modernism, they embraced the centrifugal
DECENTER: AN EXHIBITION ON THE CENTENARY OF THE 1913 ARMORY SHOW HOURS: ON
DISPLAY
ABRONS 466 D
TUESDAY-SATURDAY,
ARTS
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THROUGH CENTER
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11AM-6PM;
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SUNDAY,
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motion of dispersion. After selecting their 27 core artists, they invited them to curate their own digital exhibition on the website, and the show began to take on a life of its own.
The website, executed by the design firm CHIPS,
is an organically grown portal of artworks and artists curated by the 27. A fluid, interactive design, visitors to the site are greeted more than 200 names piled on top of each other, manifested as small rectangles. In order to make sense of anything, the viewer must drag individual rectangles away from the center into the infinitely expanding virtual surface, revealing the threads that connect each artist back to one of the original 27.
Each interaction with the site is unique; by de-
sign, Palmer and Campbell have shifted from the role of curator to spectator, discovering new work each time they visit the site. In this digital realm, the spectator’s role achieves an elevated importance, something Marcel Duchamp championed more than 50 years ago. In his 1957 essay on the “Creative Act,” Duchamp, whose Nude Descending a Staircase was the star of the 1913 show, concludes that “the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.”
And despite the contemporary medium of the In-
ternet, this network is not much of a departure from the original show, which ended up featuring more than 1,300 works.
“That original armory show operated in a very
similar manner,” says Campbell. “Right up until the opening, artists were walking in with artwork and just hanging it.”
Michael Delucia’s Glint, 2012 and Amy Feldman’s 4 Likes, 2013
M
THE NEW R&B In the early 1980s, disco imploded, leaving behind a dark cloud of digital debris bound by surplus sexual energy that quickly fused into contemporary R&B. A synthetic sound newly liberated from the dance floor’s glittery expectations; the genre has since gone in-and-out of chart supremacy while remaining at the forefront of electronic pop production.
GALLERY OPENINGS LEO GABIN Elizabeth Dee Gallery March 6 - April 13, 2013 Opening: March 5, 6-8pm Elizabeth Dee will be presenting the Belgium-based collective Leo Gabin’s first US solo show of videos and paintings. Inspired by the contradictions and creative potential of the Internet as a medium, the dynamic collaborative explores contemporary perceptions of authorship and ownership by sampling, editing, and augmenting American cultural idioms and artifacts. www.elizabethdee.com
Most recently R&B’s signature silky-melisma and sultry-beats have been adopted by the indie-alternative crowd pushing its sound in yet another direction. This month’s launch playlist focuses on R&B’s latest sounds, like Usher’s on-going collaboration with Diplo, The Weeknd, Miguel and Portland’s Shy Girls.
Playlist michel
“Changes (Slohmo Remix)” LOL Boys
“Slower” Brandy
“Rated R” Jeremih
“‘86” Dawn Richards
“Heart Attack” Trey Songz
“I Don’t Care” Elle Varner
“Go Missin ” Usher
“Under Attack” Shy Girls
“How Many Drinks” Miguel
“Derriere” Hamilton Park
“4am” Melanie Fiona
“28” The Weeknd
stream the Full Playlist here
CHICKEN OR BEEF? The Hole l March 6 - April 20, 2013 Opening: March 6, 6-9pm With a show title inspired by the ubiquitous question oft heard on transatlantic flights, this massive group exhibition will present a transcontinental survey of figurative paintings done by American and European artists. Curated by V1 Gallery’s co-founder and director, Jesper Elg, the works will present a variety of contemporary styles, all independent yet likewise linked through their common genre. www.theholenyc.com
BILL BRANDT: SHADOW AND LIGHT Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) March 6 - August 12, 2013 Shadow and Light at MoMA represents a reevaluation Bill Brandt’s heralded career as a founding figure in photography’s modernist tradition. His distinctive vision and ability to present the mundane world as fresh and strange through explorations of society, landscapes, and literatures are indispensable to photographic history and life during the middle of the 20th century. www.moma.org
PORTIA MUNSON: REFLECTING POOL P.P.O.W. Gallery April 5 - May 4, 2013 Opening: April 5, 6-8pm Portia Munson conjures the utopian and spiritual beauty of nature with highly detailed photographic prints of meticulously arranged flowers, scanned from her Catskill, New York gardens. The large-scale figures resemble Eastern religions’ representations of the universe, also known as mandalas in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism. www.ppowgallery.com
CORDY RYMAN: ADAPTIVE RADIATION Dodge Gallery April 6 - May 12, 2013 Opening: April 6, 6-8pm Dodge Gallery will play host to Cordy Ryman’s first solo exhibition, Adaptive Radiation, a major installation scaling the floor and walls of the gallery with stacked books, leaning 2x4s, stapled Velcro, stuck debris and assembled paint sticks. Ryman’s works resemble compulsive counting—with hiccups that recast unexpected and irregular intrusions as persistent patterns. www.dodge-gallery.com
JOAN SEMMEL Alexander Gray Associates April 17 - May 25, 2013 Opening: April 17, 6-8pm Joan Semmel’s solo exhibition at Alexander Gray Associates will feature the artist’s self-portraits from the past two years, portraying Semmel’s exploration of her personal experiences as a feminist woman. In these works, Semmel uses mirrors to evoke reflections on the aging process and the passage of time. The exhibition will also feature historic paintings from the 1970s, highlighting Semmel’s dedication to figuration and development of style. www.alexandergray.com
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TEGAN AND SARA
IN STORES EVERYWHERE
HARDLY A BREATH PHOTOGRAPHY CONAN THAI STYLING R AUL GUERRERO HAIR & MAKEUP TIFFANY LEIGH PATTON HAIR & MAKEUP ASSISTANT MEGAN RICKERSON MODEL HILDIE GIFSTAD @ FUSION MODEL MANAGEMENT
BOTH LOOKS BECKETT FOG
DRESS OSKLEN / SHORTS PRIORY OF TEN
SHIRT BECKETT FOGG / SKIRT PRIORY OF TEN/ SHOES OSKLEN
SHIRT BECKETT FOGG / SKIRT AND SHOES OSKLEN
BLAZER PRIORITY OF TEN/ PANTS CRES. E. DIM
good e h av i o
photo GRANT YOSHINO styling SARAH PERILLO hair JAKOB SHERWOOD @ Artists by NEXT NY makeup MARGINA DENNIS assistant makeup CASSIE KURTZ models NICOLA WINCENC @ Request / NOMA HAN @ Fusion / GORGIA @ Wilhelmina
kids on
this page ON GORGIA jumper by Again / denim vest vintage
opposite page ON NICOLA shirt and leather jacket by Nudie Jeans / denim by Commune
ON NOMA shirt and denim by Commune / denim Jacket by Commune
ON GEORGIA dress by Again / motorcycle jacket vintage
TAKE IT FROM THE TOP
TOPMAN INTRODUCES ITS LATEST COLLABORATION WITH UK DESIGNERS AGI & SAM
U
nder Gordon Richardson’s creative directorship, Topman has
attained the rare balance of popular appeal and fashion credibility. Richardson may not have started out a sartorial warrior, but throughout his tenure, the former graphics student has virtually changed the high-street menswear landscape. His trajectory in the fashion world began by designing a children’s line for Burton, which eventually lead to taking over Topshop’s struggling brother company. Gordon has since almost single-handedly revived Topman, transforming the once floundering brand into an international force to be reckoned with, both in retail sales and industry prestige. By locating the niche between brand identity and progression, Gordon has found a way to make Topman both relevant and accessible, largely thanks to his collaborations with independent designers. Richardson’s brainchild MAN was born in 2005 as a platform for new menswear talent. An initiative between Topman and Fashion East, the show has since become a staple in London Fashion Week by showcasing three up-and-coming British designers under the umbrella of the retail empire. Since Agi & Sam’s debut at MAN in 2011, there have been whispers of a Topman collaboration on the horizon. “We’ve been watching these two talented young designers grow and mature over the past few seasons,” Gordon says of the 26-year-old design duo. Best known for their oddball whimsical prints and irreverent sense of humor, the independent line’s light-hearted approach to design has gained them a cult following in the London fashion scene, making them the perfect choice for the industry giant’s latest independent partnership. “Their aesthetic is very Topman, with clashing prints and a young silhouette that sits comfortably alongside our own ranges” The Topman x Agi & Sam collection blends the unlikely inspirations of watercolor owls and retro football* kits, rendering the collaboration no less bizarre than the designers’ main collections (their FW’12 showing starred massive M.C. Escher-inspired chickens). So who exactly is this collection for? “Someone who is probably creative” explains Agi, “who understands and appreciates craftsmanship, originality, but also knows himself quite well—so he’d be able to buy a printed jacket or something and style it well with other separates—rather than looking like an idiot.” Sam interjects, “What’s that joke we always use? A confident ladies-man with a slight alcohol problem. And who talks a little bit too closely in your ear...” I think we know that guy. *by football, we mean soccer
text eriN DeNNisON 189 the GrOVe DriVe lOs aNGeles, ca 90036 us.tOPmaN.cOm
THE PHOTO GRANT YOSHINO STYLING RAUL GUERRERO ASSISTANT STYLIST SARAH PERILLO GROOMING TIFFANY LEIGH PATTON
STUSSY’S ROOTS IN SURF AND STREET CULTURE BEGAN IN 1980, WHEN SEAN STUSSY HAPHAZARDLY SCRIBBLED HIS NAME ONTO ONE OF HIS CUSTOM SURFBOARDS, UNWITTINGLY CHANGING THE STREET WEAR LANDSCAPE FOREVER. TODAY, THAT SAME HANDWRITTEN LOGO STANDS FOR A BRAND WITH A GLOBAL CULT FOLLOWING COMPRISED OF SURFERS, SKATERS, INDIE KIDS AND HIP-HOP HEADS ALIKE. LAC SAT DOWN WITH STUSSY HEAD DESIGNER NICK BOWER FOR A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO THE ICONIC BRAND’S IDENTITY, PERSPECTIVE AND EVOLUTION.
ETRIBE WHAT MAKES STUSSY SO ICONIC? CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
WHAT CAN’T YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT?
STUSSY “TRIBE”?
It depends on how long I’m leaving the house for. For a day, there’s nothing
As a brand, Stussy played a major part in the birth of a worldwide youth style.
that important, but for a week I have to have a quiver of shoes.
The OG Stussy Tribe were like-minded kids from LA, NY, London and Tokyo
that were the early style makers. They recognized that the gear Shawn Stussy
DO YOU WASH YOUR JEANS?
was making was what they wanted to represent. Tribe was a title Shawn gave
Nope, I’m only interested in indigo rigid denim. When my denims get to the
this crew who were mostly kids he had met in NYC and became his friends.
point where even I can smell them, I wash them with water only, inside out. After that happens twice, I’m over them.
HOW HAVE YOU EXPANDED THE BRAND WHILE STAYING TRUE TO STUSSY’S ORIGINAL CULT FOLLOWING?
STUSSY STARTED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH SURFBOARDS. HOW WAS
Our distribution in the USA is not that different from what it was some years
THE BRAND ABLE TO ADAPT AN EAST COAST SENSIBILITY?
ago; we don’t sell to a lot of stores that would like us to. The expansion
In the interest of clarity, Shawn Stussy started with surfboards, shaping
over the last ten years was in Japan, where quality and design is part of
and selling them. The brand Stussy was born when Shawn started making
their national character. More recently we’ve expanded our presence online
clothing. Stussy was originally designed for California with Reggae being the
through our own site and collaborations.
musical influence. Then in the mid 80’s, the musical influence became more
HOW CAN YOU MAKE STREET WEAR DAPPER?
Dapper is not gear, it’s a style. If that’s your thing, and you put it together right, I guess street wear could be made dapper.
DO YOU SKATE OR SURF? HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE BRAND?
I surf. I was loosely involved, not so much with the brand, but with Shawn because we both lived in Laguna Beach in the 80’s.The job of designing for
Stussy wasn’t offered to me till 97—two years after Shawn had left. I joined Paul Mittleman in the design department.
about Hip-Hop—the Beastie Boys, Run DMC. It was this influence that had an impact on the Stussy gear and made it relevant on both coasts.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EAST COAST AND WEST COAST STREET STYLE? WHICH DO YOU PREFER?
Not much difference. The internet has changed all that. There’s a common language to streetwear worldwide. There are obviously groups within street
style that see themselves as “local” and wear their own style, but in the big picture we don’t design for it.
WHAT ITEM OF CLOTHING DO YOU WEAR MOST OFTEN?
WHAT’S NEXT FOR STUSSY?
Solid poplin shirts.
Making sure we stay relevant, everything will follow on from that.
STUSSY PLAYED A MAJOR PART “ BIRTH OF A WORLDWIDE YOUTH
IN THE STYLE. THE OG STUSSY TRIBE WERE LIKE-MINDED KIDS FROM LA, NY, LONDON AND TOKYO THAT WERE THE EARLY STYLE MAKERS.
”
MADE IN A FAIR WAY wearable, detail oriented work-wear is the core foundation of Nudie Jeans. each collection showcases pieces that adapt to one's lifestyle: “you shape them with your life-style, and they become like a second skin.” Denim trousers, jackets and buttonups in dark washes are universally casual and available in a variety of timeless styles. Organic cotton basics remain a staple in to an infinite number of personalities. all Nudie Jeans are made with certified 100% organic cotton emphasizing a concern for ongoing environmental issues. Break-in, repair, reuse and recycle.
photography GraNt yOshiNO photography assistant cOliN BOOKOut styling raul GuerrerO grooming BarBara yNiGuez using KeViN murPhy grooming assistant VerONica NuNez text sarah PerillO all clothing NuDie JeaNs thanks to eVaN DuNiNG @ the Dream FactOry lOs aNGeles stuDiO
SOCIAL MEDIA
DOMINIK TARABANSKI RAUL GUERRERO STYLING ASSISTANT MARTIN HAMERY HAIR TAKAYOSHI TSUKISAWA MAKE UP FRANCISCA SAAVEDRA TEXT ERIN DENNISON MODEL VALENTYNA OLIEINIKOVA @MUSE MODELS PHOTOGRAPHY STYLING
Of all the artistic disciplines, Fashion is typically the first to fall in the shallow bin. While we can sit here and endlessly debate the substance of an oxblood peplum to no avail, the hybrid of social awareness and craftsmanship married under designer Lucia Cuba’s most recent brainchild, ARTICULO 6, carries a certain irrefutable weight.
Cuba, a Peruvian designer and social scientist with an undergraduate degree in Social Psychology, a PhD in public health, and most recently an MFA in Fashion Design and Society from Parson’s, came around to fashion in an unorthodox manner through working with local Peruvian independent designers. Lucia was able to explore fashion design through her independent brand LUCCO and develop activist platforms such as Project Gamarra, a project focused on Lima’s role as a creative hub of garments and textiles.
Through her exploration of ethical manufacturing on a regional level, Lucia Cuba’s next venture was ARTICULO 6, an initiative aimed to raise awareness about the case of forced sterilizations implemented during the government of Alberto Fujimori in Peru.
Referring to the Sixth Article of the Second Chapter in the General Health Law of Peru, the program establishes that “all persons have the right to choose freely the contraceptive method they prefer, and to receive appropriate information on the methods available and the risks.”
ARTICULO 6 consists of a collection of thirty-four pieces of clothing and twelve actions inspired by the Andean “polleras” or skirts, which is the result of a process of deconstruction and reinterpretation that uses both embroidery and prints on cotton twill and canvas. Most uniquely, the garments feature text—testimonials of the victims, political speeches and policy documents—embroidered onto the fabric itself, depriving the literate wearer of any opportunity for oblivion or ignorance.
After nearly a century of producing caps, New Era has undoubtedly become a household name. Whether on the heads of professional athletes or just style-minded, street-wear-savvy civilians, the iconic hatʼs logo and silhouette is instantly recognizable. But what you might not realize is the skillful attention to detail that goes into the construction of each and every fitted. “A lot of seams are actually hand-sewn, and a pair of human hands touches the hat every step of the way,” explains director of marketing, John Behling. L AC takes a closer look at the meticulous 22-step process that goes into crafting our beloved 5950s.
WWW.NEWERACAP.COM
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST iNsiDe the wOrK OF PhOtOGraPher BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ text rOss GarDiNer
One can plunge far into the carefully hidden depths of a person’s character by simply turning a camera at them. Some are completely unfazed by it, flirting, meowing, letting the lens applaud over their image. But others become edgy and awkward, shuffling around under the magnifying glass. And then there’s the rest, desperate to appear unfazed, shrouding their insecurities with outstretched tongues and garish expressions. The photographer and his camera interrogate everyone they see. Brantley Gutierrez’s portfolio is a hugely personal collection of photographs. The warm chemical-bathed faces of familiar rock stars and actors just keep relentlessly coming, gathering this peculiar swaggering momentum, so much so that once-Beatle, now-Knight Sir Paul McCartney’s image is about ten photographs into the reel, just casually tucked in there as an “oh yeah, and…”. We see Eric Clapton, the snow leopard of rock ‘n’ roll, belly-laughing in his home. Paul Rudd sitting backstage sipping from a pink phallus-shaped water bottle. A quim of Arcade Fire members (“quim” is the collective noun for a collection of Arcade Fire members) just having a frolic on a knoll somewhere. You see light streams of diversity across his body of work, from sharpened editorial photography that utilizes substantial budgets, settings, rigs and crews, to soft, casual, almost homely photographs that do more to counteract the notion of “celebrity” than almost any other outlet. From the palms of a generation strangled by its obsession with the lives of the lauded, it’s as fresh as frost to see someone that instills a silent humanity back into people we pushed onto pedestals high above us. “But it’s all about collaborating” he says, teasing his steam-punk inventor’s soul patch, “I really get my buzz on when I’m creating with other people. In portrait photography you’re constantly collaborating. On a movie set you have hundreds of people collaborating. Even right now. Trying to get something useful out of me!” Brantley Gutierrez has taken photographs since he was a child. Raised somewhere between the rolling Virginia countryside and the static D.C. concrete, he grew up fascinated by the camera’s ability to extract hidden emotions from people. After a frustrating stint mainly photographing snow in Aspen, he made his way to Seattle, and eventually to Los Angeles. His transition into rock photography was impeccably timed. His first couple of high-profile gigs with the Foo Fighters came moments before the digital explosion and the industry’s implosion. He was there, establishing himself as a fantastic photographer before detachable lenses became fashion accessories and every business felt that the privilege of experience was plenty payment enough. But while he is still an ardent film user and a spontaneous-shot fetishist, it’s not difficult to see that despite his wealth of talent his most vital asset could well be his personality. “People have to feel comfortable around me, because if they don’t then they’re not going to be themselves,” he says, smiling as I note his smiles, “I liken it to a doctor’s bedside manner.” And where war photographers are defined by their bravery, rock L A S
photographers are defined by their ability to “be cool” and chill in the background. At least, if Brantley’s photographs are anything to go by, that is how you catch and bottle moments of passive humanity in those we treat as gods.
T L O O K
Visit lacaNVas.cOm FOr BehiND-the-sceNes PhOtOs FrOm BraNtley’s cOVer shOOt with chase N. cashe BraNtleyGutierrez.tumBlr.cOm