Editor in Chief
Mariel Bennett
Creative Director
Jordan Romanoff
Contributing Editors
Holly Alymore Federica Manca Shaniqua King Fydez Tan Alex Vickers Cindy Woong
Contributing Artists
Mariel Bennett Afianne Cope
Special thanks to: Sophie Diagle Jodie gLAdiator Profresher Jordan Wolk cover photo by lukasz weirzbowski
Andy Romanoff Lukasz Wierzbowski
Issue 9 Contents Style Fydez
1
Life Through Instagram
5
That’s Dope Afianne Cope
7
Its Hard to Be Queen
13
Andy Romanoff & BCBG
19
The Only Thing that Changes
21
Gabry Arkange
35
Lukasz
45
Profresher
53
gLAdiator
57
Letter From the Creative Imagine you’ve walked into a room. The floor of the room is littered with scraps of paper. You pick one up and begin reading it. It seems to start somewhere in the middle of a grand action. Names and words that are the shadows of familiarity tangle with one another creating movement. You hear voices behind you. They remind you of your home and you begin to see textures and smell scents of your childhood. You begin to really listen to the conversation and turn to say something but the room is empty. You turn back to continue the story and the paper is gone. This is the feeling we wish to convey. This paragraph is the genisis for Dress Me issue 9. When you take control of the context of a situation, you begin to limit the possible range of motion for the viewer. Narratives without context afford the viewer greater power, dispelling the notion that the producer is the divine being of the produced world. When we are given this trust by the artist, we are able to step forward from passive viewership and share in the act of creation. In this issue, we check in with Fydez Tan who styled some looks with clothing from The Flight of Fancy Botique. We see work from the talented Afianne Cope,
Director whose illustrative collages alter and build upon the efforts of others and let her personal style shine. Jody sits down with us to talk about queen teen life. Photographer Andy Romanoff shares his experience shooting Jonathan Messang for BCBG. Our shoot with Jodie and Sophie finds the Old West spirit in New England. Federica beckons us toward the tailored world of photographer Gabry Arkange. We welcome back Lukasz Weirzbowski for another enveloping photo set. Bassy beatsmith Profresher AKA Billy Blacklight give us the chance to ask him about influence and inspiration. We are extremely thankful to everyone who helped in the creation of this issue. It would not be possible to produce this magazine without them. They shared their ideas with us, and showed their trust by letting us into their worlds for which we are eternally grateful.
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Style Fydez pages 1/2
looks by Fydez Tan for theflightoffancyboutique.tictail.com/
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Life through instagram! follow us : @dressmemag
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the only thing that changes is the season.
No.01 : Watching the sunrise with Sophie back home in Vermont.
No.02 :DIY Dress Me shirts in denim & leopard print.
No.03 : Into this shade of nail polish with this iPhone case!
No.04 : Outfit detail from the other day. I’m still into it.
No.05 :Shooting with Jodie & Sophie for the next issue!
No.06 : Mixes from Jordan!
@dressmemag
No.07 : Short getaway spent at the Fairmont at Le Château Montebello in Canada. So cool!
No.08 : The Fairmont’s Le Labo toiletries (a favorite of mine)!
No.09 : First fire of the season back at home!
No.10 : Sophie being sweet & doing some candy typography.
No.11 :Fall in Vermont is beyond.
No.12 : Some new & old beauty favorites from Shiseido.
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THAT’S DOPE, AFIANNE COPE! collage by Afianne Cope I could say that as early as the age of 9, I was already artistically inclined. My mother drew portraits of us and I would add little details and colours to it. By the time I reached 14, I tinkered with various editing softwares. From then on, I wanted so bad to create beautiful images. I loved Sofia Coppola movies; watched MTV endlessly in early 2000s to draw huge inspirations from. I could say being in a family of literature and art enthusiasts also contributed a lot in me being a creative. While still at college taking communication arts, I had a small venture – I customized invitations for young ladies who celebrated their ‘debut’, a traditional Filipino coming-of-age celebration for young women. It helped me a lot in understanding what sort of images/compositions can attract and what type of people are drawn to my works. Seemingly, my art catered to the younger, more stylish group. Since then, I have always instilled fashionable details to my pieces.
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After graduating, the fashion world drew me in. I took up special courses at School of Fashion and the Arts Manila. There, I have flown more freely than I ever have because I was immersed with equally creative individuals. I was exposed to fashion shoots and beautifully dressed-up women on a daily basis and that triggered my fascination with the female aesthetics and femininity in general because it captures so much drama and tells so many stories especially about beauty, power, liberty, sensuality, and wit which I have always translated in my works. Today, I’m working as a freelance digital artist. I am also the owner of VLM Shop and a blogger for Viva La Manika. blog.vivalamanika.com
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It’s Hard to be Queen When You’re Only a Teen Editor Sophie Daigle talks with ingénue Jodie M. in her last year of high school about beauty, life, and her future
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“ I love Unicorns! They are so mystical and Intriguing.� pages 15/16
S: What are some of your life goals? J: Eventually, want to live Eventually, I really I really want to live abroad. abroad. It would be great I was It would be great if I ifwas able to work in able to work in Paris or Paris or Florence asFlorence a buyer as fora a Fashion buyer for abecause Fashion House I House I hopebecause to study fashion hope to study fashion merchandising merchandising in college. I hope to then in college. I hope to then move move onto something that’sonto more specific, something like retail marketing. S: What’s your favorite movie? J: I love the movie The Breakfast Club! S: What is your favorite place in Vermont? J: Probably Probably Shelburne ShelburneFarms Farmsoror Church Street Church Street the because youbecause see the you mostsee interesting people. S: What is your favorite place you ever traveled? J: II went to Biarritz in inthe theSouth SouthofofFrance. It’s like France. a surfers It’s like laida back surfers kind laid of back place with a really kind of place with a reallyItpositive positive atmosphere. is my happy place I atmosphere. is my happy go to; it isItbeautiful! It isplace right Ion the ocean go and to; ityou is beautiful! It is right can see Spain fromon thethe beaches. It is ocean you can see Spain from the trulyand amazing. S: Do you believe in ghosts? J: Um... Um... not not like likethe theghost ghostbuster bustertype type of ghost of ghost but definitely the spiritual but definitely the spiritual types. I have had a types. have had a few creepy few Icreepy experiences. S: What do you think makes a person beautiful? J: II think views thinkthe theway waya person a person views themselves themselves and they whether they are and whether are comfortable being who comfortable they arebeautiful. makes they are being makeswho a person Once a person beautiful. Once someone is someone is completely comfortable being completely who t who theycomfortable are they arebeing beautiful. S: What is your favorite brand of makeup? J: II use because it it’s a lot useBare Bareminerals mineralsa lot a lot because is alighter lot lighter thanthan many many of the of the other other makeup I’ve makeups tried and I have it blends tried and really it well blends with my skin.
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S: What is your favorite childhood memory? Whenwe welived livedininWashington, D.C., in the DC, summer J: When in thethere were so many fireflies andfireflies we would summer there were so many andgo out a family, and them. wetogether, would goas out together, ascatch a family, and youhad had to choose between Barbie or S: IfIf you to choose between Barbie or Disney Princess, which would choose? Disney Princess, which would youyou choose? J: Disney Princess S: Who is your favorite musician? gothrough throughphases phasesbut but there J: IIgo there areare a a couple that that will will never change like:like: The Doors, Tom couple never change The Petty & The Heartbreakers. Doors, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. S: Do you like high school? likeparts partsof ofhigh highschool schoolbut butI Iam amexcited excited to J: IIlike do my my on on thing thing after after graduation. graduation. to do S: Do you like unicorns? I love Unicorns! are so mystical J: IYeah! love Unicorns! They areThey so mystical and and Intriguing. S: Do you want to further your modeling career? Yeah!I Ithink thinkit itis is expansion J: Yeah! anan expansion onon mymy huge interest in in fashion. I also huge interest fashion. I alsohave havesosomuch fun when am given opportunity to model for much funI when I amthe given the opportunity local, up coming to model forand local and upentrepreneurs. coming S: What are your plans for next year? hopetotoget get into one of the schools J: IIhope into one of the schools I amI am applying to and I hope to enjoy applying to and fromfrom therethere I hope to enjoy year of college thethe firstfirst year of college life!life! youcould couldsteal stealany anyanimal animal from S: IfIf you from thethe zoo, what would it it be? zoo, what would be? BabyManatee. Manatee. J: AABaby
Photography : Mariel Bennett // Model : Jodie M. // Interview : Sophie Daigle //
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Andy Romanoff: on and for BCBG I’ve always been a loner when shooting stills. When I made movies it was a collaborative effort of course but with a still camera it was just me and whatever happened and I loved that freedom. So I have to admit I’m surprised by how much I’ve been enjoying shooting fashion for the BCBG and Styleshoutout websites. To begin with there’s the idea of me shooting fashion, something I know nothing about. I...enjoy it. Watching the transformation that occurs when someone who is not an actor puts on new clothes and how that changes how they stand or move is remarkable to me. Then putting that person in a make believe world that somehow reveals more of them than the everyday surprises me as well. Jonathan Maseng doesn’t sit at a typewriter
wearing a Fedora in real life. And I’m pretty sure papers don’t rain down around him either. But he seems right as he does and he makes the clothing seem interesting to me. How interesting... ! andyromanoff.zenfolio.com
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no matter where we go everything seems to be the same as before. the only thing that changes is the season.
Photography : Jordan Romanoff, Mariel Bennett & Sophie Daigle // Styling : Mariel Bennett // Models : Mariel Bennett, Sophie Daigle, & Scotty B. //
left & right pages : all clothing by sandro
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left page : dress & shirt: sandro // vest: h&m // shoes: ralph lauren //
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right page : mariel : top : sandro // jeans : jbrand // jacket : borrowed from scotty // sophie : top : vintage // boots : frye // pages 25/26
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top : // skirt : stylist’s own // boots : michael kors //
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Interview à Gabry Arkange Federica Evelyne Manca Prima della vera lettura per capire qualcosa(di molto interessante)su un’artista che mette in risalto con le irraggiungibili tecniche del passato la sua visione della bellezza nella fotografia, scoprirlo quanto ha concesso tramite le sue risposte dunque, ma come primo lato da mostrare decide definirsi con queste parole: “Gabriele Arcangelo Esposito in arte Gabry Arkange è una persona buona e cara, intelligente e colta, molto riservata e tranquilla, un bravo ragazzo e tutto il resto ma gli devi stare simpatico, altrimenti ciao”. Come l’appertura d’un fiore il nettare stà in quel che percepirete nello sguardo delle sue foto, qualche petalo spero averlo aperto con quel che segue. Raccontami il tuo percorso ed i tuoi diversi ruoli da quando hai iniziato la vita lavorativa nel mondo della moda-fotografia ed a che punto ritieni essere arrivato professionalmente parlando? Come racconteresti la tua “gavetta”, il tuo percorso, dai momenti più scoraggianti, a quelli più belli? Sono un fotografo di moda, ho studiato styling senza mai praticare la professione realmente, anche se lo studio e l’approccio al mondo della fotografia lo devo grazie a questi studi, che mi hanno permesso sicuramente di avere
una consapevolezza ed una comprensione del sistema moda a livello superiore rispetto a molti “wannabephotographer”. È stato studiando a Parigi che ho capito che con lo styling non avevo nulla a che fare, ero un fotografo, non uno stylist e credo che lo sapessi fin da subito ma come ho detto prima non posso rinnegare i miei studi precedenti, senza quelli sarei un fotografo diverso oltre che essere una persona meno colta. Ho vissuto a Parigi più o meno due anni, lavorando con vari fotografi come assistente, alcuni di successo internazionale altri meno, non mi sento di fare pubblicità a molti di loro, per motivi personali, le sole due persone che voglio ringraziare per l’amicizia e per il lavoro svolto insieme sono: Philip Neufeldt, fotografo ed attuale direttore artistico a Jalouse e L’officiel Paris China ed inoltre Alfredo Salazar, fotografo e amico, il più dandy di tutti. Successivamente son ritornato a Milano, ero già deciso a voler diventare fotografo a tutti i costi, oltre alla preparazione che avevo acquisito sul campo mi mancava la conoscenza tecnica fotografica, e ho studiato fotografia per circa 6 mesi, detto questo il mio sogno sarebbe quello di ritornare a Parigi, Milano mi avvilisce, ma c’è tempo per ogni cosa, ho intenzione di fare un certo lavoro, per ora a Milano, riuscire a raggiungere alcuni traguardi prefissati e poi si vedrà, il giorno in cui lasciai Parigi ero a terra, un cadavere, mi sentivo sconfitto, avevo intenzione di restarci per sempre e di non far più ritorno in Italia, ma ero consapevole che la concorrenza in Francia era di livello superiore rispetto a Milano, io ero davvero solo agli inizi, dovevo studiare, farmi le ossa, non potevo competere con i fotografi di Parigi, come assistente avrei potuto ancora sopravvivere, ma ero stanco di aiutare gl’altri, e ho scelto una direzione, che mi ha costretto a fare un passo indietro, ma
sai come si dice... un passo indietro, un balzo in avanti, speriamo. Quando hai iniziato? sentito che era la tua strada e la tua passione? vorrei avere il tuo parere se alla fine nasciamo in certi casi con tutto già testardamente pronto per essere completato, o se per te si formula a seconda degli avvenimenti della nostra vita? Guarda, io sono cresciuto in una famiglia molto semplice ma allo stesso tempo molto particolare, mio padre è a livello mondiale uno dei 10 artisti più importanti degli anni 80-90, per via di questo a casa si parlava solo di arte e nient’altro, ricordo, quando ero ragazzino, venivano a cena tanti amici dei miei genitori, solo crescendo ho poi capito che erano i vari: Maurizio Cattelan, Barcelò, Pistoletto, Tony Cragg e tanti altri di cui ho un ricordo vago. Tanti racconti legati al lavoro di mio padre, le sbronze con Schnabel, le canne con Basquiat, le chiacchiere con Beuys, storie pazzesche che mi hanno sempre fatto sognare, è naturale che anch’io sentendo tutti questi racconti abbia sempre pensato di diventare un’artista, ma mi sono accorto che, oltre a non avere una buona mano non avevo nulla da dire, in arte, nulla di particolare da comunicare, avevo solo una grande passione per la bellezza, in senso ampio del termine. Quali sono i tuoi idoli? Direi che i miei punti di riferimento in fotografia sono : Steichen, Man Ray, Irving Penn, Steven Meisel, Paolo Roversi, Peter Lindbergh, Jock Sturges, e Araki . nel contemporaneo invece trovo particolarmente brillanti, Mert e Marcus, David Sims, Sundsbo, Willy Vanderperre, Ben hassett, Ben Toms, Matthew Stone, Serge Leblon, Debusschere, Taka Mayumi e Toyin Ibidapo, sicuramente in questo momento ne dimentico tanti altri.
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Ora “grazie” o “per colpa” del digitale e della tanto acclamata reflex, della “commercialità-indie” del vintage per passeggiare senza considerazione con una polaroid, tanto per far un’esempio, molte persone di tutta età credono poter entrare in questo mondo. So che tu rimani uno della vecchia classe “analogica forever”, ma ovviamente non è certo solo quella che ti permette di avere talento, se quindi prima posso dire che entrambi odiavamo la categoria “sono un talento con la mia reflex e analogia non so cosa sia scusa...” ora non trovi ci sia anche la categoria che citavo prima, forse solo “un’evoluzione” ancor peggiore della prima? un’altra da sopportare? Ma persone con talento ci sono, e magari non sanno come iniziare farsi notare, sono senza conoscenze, che consigli ti senti di dare. Allora, sinceramente mi sono sempre fatto gli affari miei, in ogni caso, anche quando si parla della mia professione, ho sempre pensato solo ed esclusivamente a me stesso “fregandomene degli altri” certo, non tutti siamo così, ad esempio, spesso mi capita di avere discussioni in merito con altri colleghi ed amici, spesso mi viene detto, che non sfonderò perchè non sono un “personaggio”, o che non sono un “fashionista” a volte anche perchè non sono gay, eccetera, io rispettando le opinioni di tutti, non rispondo. Non mi sento di dare consigli ad altri fotografi, primo, perchè anch’io di conseguenza, non sono ancora nessuno, e non mi permetterei mai di dare consigli, secondo, mi diverto talmente tanto a guardare le oscenità del 90% dei “fotografi” in circolazione che non vorrei essere proprio io a contribuire ad un miglioramento della situazione generale. Detto questo dico anche che sono favorevole al digitale di massa, progetti professionali realizzati con iPhone, fotoritocchi massicci tipo chirurgia plastica, fotografi nerd, con
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il pallino per le macchine sportive, fotografi amatoriali, dilettanti, “fotografi” che parlano solo di musica e mai di moda o arte, “fotografi” che credono di avere una marcia in più perchè fottono con quello/a, “fotografi” che si ritrovano a spendere un patrimonio per un paio di scarpe di Prada, Occhiali da sole Jil Sander, pantaloni Dior Homme piuttosto che un’attrezzatura decente, obiettivi Zeiss eccetera ( attenzione, sono favorevole ad acquistare prodotti, Prada Jil Sander e Dior ) ma se vuoi fare il fotografo prima di tutto hai altro da comprare, o no?? Comunque mi va bene tutto!!, perchè mi diverto tantissimo, io rimango in silenzio, sempre, quanto sono “fighi” me lo devono dimostrare con le loro foto. Cosa pensi della questione Galliano? averlo accusato ed eliminato “senza pietà”, cosi’ in fretta senza pensare a quali erano magari le sue ragioni, ai suoi insulti (altri insulti?), insomma a esaminare la faccenda tanti punti non sono chiari.... Non è che forse a causa dei tanti scandali della moda che le vale tante critiche dall’esterno ogni avvenimento sia trattato più severamente per questioni di apprezzamento pubblico a liberarsi di “persone scomode” in una maniera cosi’ istantanea a mio avviso, abbiamo anche l’esempio di Carine Roitfeld licenziata dopo il famoso numero di Vogue Paris definito pedophilo chic, e mi viene a pensare se lo scandalo Kate Moss fosse arrivato ora a cosa sarebbe successo, sarebbe stata esiliata dalla moda? Insomma quest’ultima non è che stà diventando troppo schiava dell’opinione d’un pubblico che non ne fa parte? La questione Galliano, sinceramete non mi ha mai appassionato, conosco bene il locale dove è successo il tutto, La Perle, non ho mai visto scene al di fuori del normale, guardando
i video su youtube sono rimasto a bocca aperta, a dir la verità li ho trovati anche molto divertenti, uno spasso, ma al di la di questo, credo che il tempo di John Galliano da Dior era finito, non c’entra con il licenziamento, o meglio, era una scusa, hanno preso la palla al balzo, licenziandolo al momento giusto, sarebbe successo lo stesso, la vita di ognuno di noi è fatta di cicli che nascono e muoiono indipendentemente da quello che fai o dici. Stessa cosa penso tra Carine Roitfeld e Vogue Paris, i veri motivi sono altri, il mondo cambia e la gente si adegua. Qual’è quello che ti ispira nella tua ricerca fotografica di tutti i giorni? e per parlare più all’interno del tuo stile cosa sai dirmi a proposito di cio’ che vuoi ottenere nel risultato finale? cosa cerchi in una modella, la tua “modella tipo” per dire cosa deve avere? e tra le Top attuali e del passato, quali ameresti poter avere in un tuo shooting? Io amo la iconografia classica, le luci caravaggesche, il fascino, che solo la morbidezza di un dipinto ad olio o una scultura neoclassica ti possono regalare, amo i colori forti e decisi, amo sperimentare tipologie di illuminazioni differenti, la teatralità, considerare la fotografia di moda un’atto scenografico. Il mio punto di riferimento, storicamente è vogue italia, soprattutto il periodo che va dal 1995 al 99, periodo in cui, Meisel, Lindbergh e Roversi hanno cambiato il mondo della fotografia, regalandoci scatti indimenticabili, talvolta perfetti, amo la fotografia degli anni 90. La mia modella tipo dev’essere molto bella, molto magra, molto atletica e androgina, sono affascinato notevolmente dai visi molto strani, da considerarsi quasi da extraterrestri, vedi Sasha Pivovarova, Aymeline Valade,
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Gemma Ward , solo per citarne alcune. Poco fa a Milano ho conosciuto Aymeline Valade, oltre che un’exaterrestre poteva sembrare un cobra, un serpente sottile, lungo e muscoloso, un viso incredibile e tralaltro anche una ragazza molto semplice e simpatica, direi che mi piacciono le modelle filoaliene, filoserpenti Amo molto anche le modelle un po’ mature, trovo molto seducente la pelle non più giovanissima, vedi Kristen Mcmenamy, stella Tennant e tante altre... negli ultimi 2 anni Meisel per Vogue Italia ha scattato diversi editoriali con modelle non più quarantenni, ad esempio Veruschka, attrici come Isabella Rossellini.... mi piace la modella adulta.
Mi rivedo però nel tentativo a livello inconscio di cercare una via di uscita da quel lavoro senza soste, io pur non essendo ancora nessuno di importante so cosa vuol dire vivere 24 ore su 24 di fotografia di moda, progettare, scattare, andare a sviluppare i rullini, le scansioni, i fotoritocchi e tutto il resto, ci sono giorni che non dormo, per via del tempo che manca alla consegna, per colpa della quantità di lavoro che è tantissima a volte, questo si, ha a che fare con me, non che io mi sforzi di indagare su un omicidio accaduto in un parco, ma capisco benissimo che a volte ci sia la necessità di avere un hobby parallelo, uno svago, che sia lontano dal mondo della moda, che ti possa far sentire meno vuoto spiritualmente anche magari.
Il celebre film sulla fotografia “Blow Up” del Grande Antonioni e uno dei rari sull’argomento che sia arrivato anche ad un pubblico che non si interessa al settore, cosa pensi abbia saputo raccogliere su questo universo raramente trattato, ed intimamente ti sei riconosciuto in qualcosa sul protagonista od altro? Blow-Up è sicuramente un film incredibile, forse il più bel film di Antonioni, racconta bene ciò che era la Swinging London, la Londra degli anni 60, il personaggio di successo che poteva essere David Bailey, per quanto riguarda me direi che forse non ho nulla a che fare con il personaggio principale, per il fatto che lui fosse il più importante fotografo d’inghilterra, che avesse uno studio personale più grande di casa mia, molti assistenti, segretari, un tavolo stracolmo di pellicole pagate da redazioni e riviste eccetera, per un fotografo agli inizi come me è difficile immaginarsi di vivere una realtà così importante come quella che poteva essere di Bailey, oltre al fatto che ai tempi di fotografi di moda ce n’erano neanche un decimo rispetto ad oggi, se non di meno ancora.
gabryarkange.com
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Wroclaw Revisited Photography by Lukasz Wierzbowski We were somewhere in Poland when we found inspiration. It came by way of our San Fransisco connection. We later heard the same tip from a friend in New York City. We knew when we saw it that this was perfect. We may have been far from home, but the images were far from foreign. They swirled with the mists of youth, dancing around synthetic realities through abstracting pattern filtering the concrete to something softer. It was DIY world building at its finest, with all of the pieces inviting you to just put them together. lukaszwierzbowski.com/shop.html
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Profresher Billy Blacklight DMM: When and how did you get started making music? PBB: I’ve always had music in my house. My dad plays drums and piano. I always played around with the piano in the house and then in 7th grade I started to learn guitar via tabs on the internet. When I was 15 I acquired a boss loop station and started making loops on a daily basis. I was only able to save 11 loops at a time so I would continually delete the ones that I liked least. At this time I started performing and recording with a band called High Five. We recorded our only album to day between 2005-2007 titled Weeping Crowds (which is still available on itunes) When I was around 18 I started working with and artist who goes by Mecca right now recording loops from my loop station and giving them names. During that time we started experimenting with Ableton Live. This was in 2007 and the project is still known as Boom Khat. There is a Reverbnation page with a bunch of the loops and early tracks still available for download.
DMM: Do you have a favorite album? PBB: Usually when asked this question certain albums jump to the top though I couldn’t really pick one. Dark Side of the Moon, Houses of the Holy, and Electric Ladyland come to mind. I also love hip hop so albums like Deltron 3030, Nas Illmatic, Outkast ATLiens, and Atmosphere’s Overcast!. There is so much music out there these days though that I feel like these on some level are just the foundation of my musical influences in some vague way DMM: What are your non-musical influences? PBB: Anything fun, or interesting. DMM: Where are you from and do you think it has had an effect on your style? PBB: I’m from Minnetonka, Minnesota which is like 15 minutes west of Minneapolis. I think to some extent it has because of the people that I encountered and the kind of music I was exposed to was unique as it would be for anyone anywhere. But at the same time I do often think that there’s something about having cold winters that shapes the culture here.
DMM: There is a serious volume of work on your soundcloud page. Would you say you feel connected to that community? PBB: Somewhat I think soundcloud is an amazing tool to get the music out and for people to be able to follow your work without having to get any sort of mainstream outlet to promote it for you. Though I cant help but feel as amazing as it is it still does feel a little bit disconnected. Either way its an upgrade from the old myspace model in my opinion. I used to upload a song every day with myspace just as a tool to send friends links now I hardly send anyone links anymore because I get enough feedback from soundcloud. So in that sense I do feel very connected to the community in a way I depend on them. DMM: Do you have a community of musicians and/or creatives around you? PBB: I’d like to think so yes. Most of my friends are musicians, promoters, or artists. Either way almost all of them work in the production of things creative. DMM: How would you describe your sound? PBB: I’d say its a lot of loops melded together to make a song of some sort sometimes it comes together in more of a deliberate way than others. But mostly I just try to take whatever happens and try to make it sound good to me whatever I’m listening to or reading or thinking about at the time is usually an inspiration. DMM: How did you get your name? PBB: I changed my name a lot when most everything was Via myspace I remember seeing people like NastyNasty on there in 2007. But yeah at one point I changed my name to Blacklight and I was really in to that because before that it was MIDIcinal and I
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just got tired of it. Before that even it was Illy B Funk. But around that time I met a girl who had a cat named Professor. So I added that to the name and for a year it was Professor Blacklight. Now this was the spring of 2009 and the same time I discovered soundcloud. I think Rusko was a big inspiration at the time and I was really into the idea of a name that could be kind of a graffiti tag. And this led me to make my soundcloud page just Profresher rather than Professor Blacklight. Where the Billy Blacklight thing began was on facebook when people were changing all their last names to their middle names, as well as fake last names. I just decided to change my personal facebook name to Billy Blacklight and thats when it started getting confusing...... Either way for the record its Profresher Billy Blacklight and any combination of the three. DMM: What is your ideal workspace? PBB: Really anywhere I feel comfortable. Speakers are nice but I travel often and have gotten used and enjoy producing in my headphones. DMM: What was your inspiration behind the Zodiac project? PBB: This project idea actually started in 2009 as well around the same time I started using soundcloud. I was making so many tracks and trying to make albums and it was getting kind of messy. So what I started to do to help keep track of it all was saving each tune in Itunes under the zodiac sign that it was created sort of as if they were children. I think if you download Smitten to this day its under Gemini but was recorded in 2010. So this is just a fine tuned version of that as now I make tunes a little slower than I used to. I focus on making 3 quality songs for each sign this time so that I can keep some sort of consistency.
DMM: Do you have any other concept projects? PBB: Nothing in the sense of Zodiac signs or any sort of time based thing. But as far as concept projects go I try to conceive all of my albums as concept projects in some sense. Alien Orgasm wasn’t an album but in a way it was a project of projection. Where the mix foreshadowed releases to come. There are still about 6 songs not released from that mix and I’m working on finishing that now. DMM: Do you have a personal Mantra? PBB: Sometimes I think certain riffs that I play on the piano or guitar turn into mantras but otherwise no. DMM: If you could steal any animal from the zoo, which would it be and why? PBB: I don’t know if I could handle taking care of any of the animals there. If I could afford to take better care of them than the zoo I’d adopt a couple of those little monkeys with the mustaches or maybe a lemur. DMM: If you could play a show anywhere, where would it be and why? PBB: Sydney opera house. No idea its just an awesome building and its in Australia. DMM: Do you have an everyday uniform? PBB: I wear hats a lot. soundcloud.com/profresher
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Wale - Bag of Money ft. Rick Ross & T-Pain Meek Mill - Flexin on Em Zeds Dead - Cowboy (UZ Remix) Adventure Club - Retro City (LOUDPVCK Remix) Branchez - Shake CRNKN & Protohype - Boom Big Chocolate - Blue Milk DJ Sliink - Count D!RTY AUD!O - Drop that Ass feat. NikkiMarie Brillz - Buckwild [note: cannot WAIT for this shit to drop] soundcloud . com / gladiatormusic