FREE!
DEC 07/JAN 08
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INTRO
Where Now? We’re reaching the end of the year and heading towards (can you believe it) the end of the decade. This December 2007/January 2008 edition of Think Again both concludes and begins things with a sweet array of articles to keep you up to date. You’ll find an interesting interview with the German trio of pixel heads known as eBoy (along with an eBoy poster in the middle of the magazine). There is also a chat with Gregory Finn who is a member of the multimedia project Ghostmother. You’ll, of course, also find plenty of things to think about doing or seeing, including a look at the upcoming Digitalism show, New Year’s parties around Prague and a nice little slice of Japan in the form of an actual karaoke box right around the corner. There are also all the usual reviews of books, including one of an interesting alternative to Prague travel guides, and films and some poker advice just ahead of the biggest poker tournament to grace this graceful city. So dig in and enjoy! Happy Holidays!
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Golden Prague Poker Hilton Prague Hotel www.goldenpraguepoker.cz
Projekt 100
URBANITE
URBANITE
9–14/12
Live in Prague
The biggest poker event ever held in the Czech Republic, the European Poker Tour 5,000 Euro buy in event will begin December 9th at the congress hall of Hilton Hotel, open from 12:00 pm to 6:00 am. The event should feature some of the biggest names in professional European poker and might even attract a name US player or two. During the even there will also be plenty of cash side games going, with 15 tables available with Hold’em, Stud, and Omaha high and high/low at a variety of betting limits. The European Poker Tour has been going since 2004 and has grown right along with its American cousin in popularity and size. If you’ve learned anything from our regular poker column you should be ready to rake in the chips!
20/12, 9/01 Roxy www.roxy.cz
The audio-visual series of themed parties Bulva Fabula is without doubt the best monthly mid-week session you will find in Prague. And it’s certainly not because there’s not much else happening in the middle of the week in this weekend-centric city. The December installment of the “VJ vs. DJ” night—bearing the name Winter Solstice Edition—features Mimo TV’s audio project Mythematica, “an audio breeding and cultivation lab of rock-crystal sounds”. Roll onto January, produced in cooperation with Světozor and Aero cinemas, the VJ’s will recontextualize art-house classics including Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point or Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.
10/1–31/5 www.projekt100.cz
3–7/12 Alfréd ve Dvoře ww.alfredvedvore.cz
The 14th annual Project 100 will feature a provocative and diverse selection of films that have been selected from the vast world of movies out there for exceptional quality, historical significance, and to fill in those blank spaces that exist in the normal world of film distribution. Some of the movies that will be traveling together as a part of the project from January till May across the Czech Republic are You, the Living, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Zabriskie Point, Andalusian Dog, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Turtles Can Fly, Holy Mountain, Aguirre: The Wrath of God and more.
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Her
Stone Age Sokolská 60, P2
Stepdaughter
www.pravek.cz
15, 17, 19/12 Švandovo Theatre www.svandovodivadlo.cz
Bulva Fabula
The new play Her Stepdaughter (Její Pastorkyně) is coming to Švandovo theatre in December. Known to some as Jenufa, the first of Janáček’s operas, this drama was written by Gabriela Preissova (born1862), the woman recognized as perhaps the most significant female Czech playwright. Her Stepdaughter attempts to display how a bourgeois, mill-owning family in a narrow-minded Catholic community can get caught up in the in a world of sexual betrayal and murder and then work its way through it all to final forgiveness. It may be an older work, but much of it still resonates today. English subtitles.
Four days this dark December will be lightened by the presence in Prague of a festival of British live art going by the moniker Live in Prague. The festival will introduce British live art personalities in presentations, home theater, performances, and lectures. There will, for instance, be a lecture by Lois Keidan talking about how and why live art evolved, and the different kinds of practices and approaches the term represents in the UK today. In addition there will be a number of shows and performances including Kira O ‘Reilly employing performance, video, and photography as she uses the body to weave and unweave narrative threads. On the Scent will explore the reasons you may have been transported to another place and time by an intangible but achingly familiar scent. All this and a lot more make Live in Prague something to spend some time exploring.
EPT Prague
Stone Age
Been put off recently by poor service at a local hospoda? The newly opened Stone Age recreation in the center of Prague at Sokolská 60, Prague 2 will have you running back begging for the rude waiters to return. At Stone Age they literally don’t know the meaning of the word ‘manners’. You’ll be eating with your fingers as you share the prey ‘caught’ by your somewhat unusual ‘hosts’, a friendly group that will even include a shaman! Dishes include pork, beef, venison, turkey, and shark. Witness the sacrifice of virgins to native gods, ritual ceremonies with drumming, painting, and all kinds of pre-medieval shenanigans. You’ll remember this evening; we can pretty much guarantee you that!
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THINK TANK
Palác Akropolis 20/12 thedigitalism.com Text by Lucia Udvardyová
Unless you have been locked in an attic for the last two years, you’ve probably noticed the onslaught of kids dressed in day-glo colors and bands like the Klaxons, Simian Mobile Disco, and, on the other end of the spectrum, Justice and the Ed Banger and Kitsuné label posses. Kistuné artists Digitalism (Jens “Jence” Moelle and İsmail “Isi” Tüfekçi)—who, unexpectedly for a band sporting a sound, come from Germany—are associated with this scene, especially with the French side of it. “Most promoters used to start talking to us in French,” said Jens Moelle in an interview with BBC. This French association is not particularly surprising considering their indebtedness to Daft Punk, as can be heard on tracks like Zdarlight. “But we did used to buy a lot of Crydamoure (Daft Punk’s label) back in the day. We were really into records that didn’t take themselves too seriously and had some kind of punk attitude. These records definitely had it, even though it wasn’t punk music.” Digitalism began in 2004 and the boys have already left their mark on pop music, with remixes for the likes of Depeche Mode, White Stripes, Tiga, Klaxons, and Tom Vek; they even delivered a re-edit of The Cure’s Fire in Cairo. Their debut LP Idealism was released to much anticipation in May this year. Currently they have other things to worry about, as is evident from an interview they gave the Resident Advisor where they stated, “We are talking about moustaches quite a bit lately; that is our running joke. I think a moustache will appear in the artwork for our next single. David Guetta is the real moustache guy from the past. Watch out for our moustaches.”
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THINK TANK
GHOSTMOTHER Photo by Martina Šimková Text by Lucia Udvardyová
If there’s one Czech band to watch out for in 2008, it could very well be Ghostmother. Established by Gregory Finn (aka Jesus Chrysler) and Klára Nemravová (aka Jane Honda), the band was later joined by Tadeáš Haager (R. Mutt) and Mikoláš Růžička (Prof Shalokim). Their music evokes old times while possessing a thoroughly modern sound composed of bouncy beats and intriguing samples. We chatted with Gregory Finn before their first ever live show at Palác Akropolis on December 22nd.
Introduce us to Ghostmother. Ghostmother is a multimedia project that encompasses elements of the early 1900s industrial and hip hop. We’ve been working on it for about a year. How did you all come together? About 13 months ago, Jeroným Janíček, who wrote a book about phobias, asked me to do a song for him that would express fear. I asked Klárka and Nironica whether they’d be interested; I found the combination of our three voices appealing. Thus, our first song, Obscene, was born. Eventually, we decided to do a project together, which we ended up calling Jesus Chrysler and Jane Honda. Last winter, we went to the mountains and started writing songs together. Everything evolved naturally from that moment; we were joined by prof. Shalokim and R. Mutt and gradually developed the visual side of the project as well thanks to Marielle and performance by Alessiny. We then changed the name to Ghostmother.
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How do you divide your roles in the band? We divided the roles in the band in such a way that we all don’t go crazy, and luckily, we all seem to complement each other. I write the music and songs most of the time, but each member can influence and change anything they like; Klárka looks after the web and R. Mutts has just finished the first animated music video and also helps Marielle, who does the costumes and dances, with the visuals. The whole stage set-up is prepared by all of us. Who or what are your major influences? We are really inspired by music from the 1920s to the 1950s as well as contemporary music and have used elements from both times, mixing it with electronic beats, samples, and hip hop. Why did you choose the 1930s as your main inspiration? Well, it’s not just the 30s; the inspiration also comes from much older times. We think the music
scene has been overdosed by modern trends and technology. We are joining both worlds.
Palác Akropolis 22/12 www.myspace.com/ghostmother
Ghostmother is a multimedia project. How exactly? The music has the same importance as the lyrics, costumes, graphics and visuals, dance, as well as the tricks done by our young magician. Ghostmother is a musical, visual, and theatrical experience. What will your live performances be like? That will be revealed at the show, but you can expect plenty of surprises. What are your plans with Ghostmother? We plan to perform live shows a few times a year. Each show will differ from the others like chapters in a fairy tale. We are not interested in traditional performances such as at clubs or at rock festivals. We will be recording our first album in the summer of 2008.
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U Malého Glena Another New Year’s Eve, another party, another hangover the morning after. Get your party dresses ready and delve into Prague’s glittery New Year’s night life; or wait till next year.
NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Prague City Rockers, The Country Boy! – punk rock, 80s pop – masks are welcome – main theme – Punk Goes Country! www.klub007strahov.cz
NEW YEAR’S EVE BLOWOUT Stan the Man – Bohemian blues band – blues, jazz www.malyglen.cz
Palác Akropolis
Mecca
Cross Club
PRAGUE BURLESQUE SYLVESTER NIGHT Demonica Coca, Lina Von Sturm, Rebeca Del Rio, Count Koroptieff, Bruno Ferrari, Hank J. Mancini www.pragueburlesque.com
IMPERIALISTIC SILVESTR NIGHT DJs Philip TBC, Babe LN, Stanzim, Yukimura, Beast 67, Basetix Unity – drum’n’bass, breakz www.crossclub.cz
Chateau Rouge RETRO SILVESTR 2007 DJs Airto, Dan Cooley, Formi, Jan Berdych, Yannick 2nd stage: Kenny, 3rd stage: Goldstar & Choozze – breakz, disco, electro, house www.chateaurouge.cz
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Roxy
M1 Lounge GOLDEN NEW YEAR’S EVE DJs Kocour & Angel Charlie (Bora Bora!), Sweet Pete – house, R&B www.myspace.com/m1lounge
FESTA DA MADRUGADA DJs Bryant K, Baltazar, Mikulas Romario, Kaliyuga Sound DJ – brazil, acid jazz, afrobeat, dancehall/dub/reggae, funk, latino www.palacakropolis.cz
NYE WITH MINISTRY OF SOUND DJs Lisa Loud, Lafayette, Tripmain – house www.mecca.cz
Bordo
NYE 07/08
NYE 07/08
007 Strahov
Zero NEW YEAR’S EVE DJs Fatty, Lillou, Dita – house, minimal, progressive www.myspace.com/zeroprague
GOLDEN EYES 2007 DJs Loutka, Chris Sadler, Roman Rai, Cubik, Dan Cooley, Airto, Bo.dan 2nd stage – IM Cyber, Ghonzales, Nitropank, Deadly Viperz, Sweg, Panorama, Rudeboy 3rd stage – Pedro Rodriguez, Romario – breakz, deep-house, electro, house, jungle/dnb, latino, liquid funk dnb www.roxy.cz
Radost FX
2 LEVELS OF ENTERTAINMENT DJs Pierre Ravan, Vectif, Rico, Petr K – house www.radostfx.cz
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Lidická 8, Prague 5 Tel.: 257 219 042 www.tribo.cz
CHIC
FASHION
Sailor Jerry
Tribo
CHIC Trendy objects
Any fan of tattoos should be familiar with the old-school style popularized by tattoo artist Sailor Jerry who provided American sailors arm ink reflecting a life of binge-drinking and sexual promiscuity. He defined a tattoo era of pin-up girls, birds, boats, anchors and boldly-lined designs with bright colors. Sailor Jerry’s art, his spirit, and his imagination have been transposed to the Sailor Jerry fashion line available here in Prague at Tribo. The collection features skull- and roseprint t-shirts, hoodies, and sexy dresses. If you prefer to go against the grain, chart a course for Sailor Jerry.
Kidrobot Dunnys, Munnys, vinyl mini figures, platform toys, full-size vinyl toys and more are all now available at Prague’s Kebab Store. Kidrobots are urban street, creative design, and fine art mixed into collectibles. Founded by a designer Paul Budnitz in 2002, these art toys fueled the urban vinyl craze and became the lifestyle brand of the future. Get one and you will want more…
www.kebabstore.com
Flamingopark There’s a new concept store to check out over at Vlkova 11 in Prague 3 that goes by the name Flamingopark. The eclectic mix of strange, interesting, and amusingly useful items is the result of a Czech/Australian couple’s passion for traveling and searching out the curious and the unique. You will find a wide variety of cleverly and well constructed items from all over the world. Worth a peek at the very least.
www.flamingopark.cz
Onitsuka Tiger
Classy on the outside, x-rated on the inside. Gift wrapping paper that will be the talk of the Christmas tree and probably get you banned from next year’s family get together.
Onitsuka Tiger, Japan’s first sports shoe brand, has finally arrived in the Czech Republic thanks to the urban online store freshlabels.cz. The shoes’ appeal lies in their trademark thin soles, simple Tiger-stripe designs, and vivid colors, which make them stand out even amid the current boom in retro-style footwear. One of the best selling designs is “Mexico 66”, originally made in advance of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. You may also have seen a pair of Onitsuka Tiger on Uma’s feet in the film Kill Bill. Check out the Mexico 66s and all the other classic Onitsuka Tiger designs before they’re gone!
www.naoko.cz
www.freshlabels.cz
Raunchy wrapping paper
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T3
TECHT3 3
FASTER, STRONGER, BETTER
Text by Gordon Walker
Strolling Bowling
Lights and music under your control as you mix your own intuitively created shows for anyone enough in your debt to listen. The Tenori-on was created by the inimitable Toshio Iwai for Yamaha to add to their line of motorcycles and music supplies. The Tenori-on features a jog dial, LCD display, hi-quality stereo speakers, and four function switches. On the back side of the device are additional 16x16 LEDs that allow your captive audience to enjoy a Marilyn Manson-like light show! www.tenori-on.co.uk
Serious bowlers may be put off by the fact that the bowling ball has feet, but Strolling Bowling still manages to capture a goodly amount of the spirit of the actual alley game, especially the version that has made it to Prague. Wind the ball up and watch him stroll casually towards the pins. You might miss the fun of fat ‘athletes’ downing brews while demonstrating their craft, but you’ll still have a ball. www.sababatoys.com
Robot Guitar Gibson, that iconic company of the guitar world, has apparently decided it is time to add robotics to the world of high powered rock and roll. The Robot guitar does away with the atonal, highly amped pre-show guitar tuning that some music lovers hate, but maybe a few out there live for. Gibson uses a proprietary mix of on-board processing, a data transmitting tailpiece, a tune-control bridge, and Powerhead Locking Tuners to keep things perpetually in tune, and you can move to an alternate tuning with the turn of a switch. Rock on, dude.
www.gibson.com
Crawling Zombie Admit it—ever since you delighted through Romero’s classic ‘living dead’ pics, you’ve secretly longed to own your own flesh eating zombie. Well, we’re not entirely there yet, but until some still secret voodoo experiments are completed in Haiti, the Crawling Zombie will have to do. It crawls due to inexplicably missing legs; it also growls, speaks, and makes his eyes glow. He doesn’t eat flesh, but this minor flaw is being worked on.
www.iwantoneofthose.com
Shocking Arm Wrestling Take an hour or two to review the form on Sylvester Stallone’s brilliant Over the Top and then con one of your brawny friends to challenge you to an arm wrestling championship series (be sure to insist on best 13 out of 25). Then introduce the shock system and revel in the fun as you shock him nearly to death! Of course if the flic doesn’t turn you into a champion, you might try the above on your girlfriend instead, and if that doesn’t turn out as planned, there’s always the four year old nephew…
www.shockingfun.com 16
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5X5
5X5
Charlie One Singer www.ohmsquare.com
Glenn Spicker
Angel Eyedealism
Patrik Svoboda
Noot
The founder of U Malého Glena, Bohemia
Singer / Performer / Reasonable Diva
Graphic Designer
Canadian experimental electronics producer
www.myspace.com/angeleyedealism
www.visualperfect.cz
www.myspace.com/noot
Top 5 People who have inspired me
Top 5 Things that make life worth living
Top 5 Songs that make me sad
Bagel, The Museum of Communism and Traditional. www.glennspicker.com
Top 5 Best Inventions
5 THINGS I’M LOVING RIGHT NOW 1.
LIFE! My father just went through a triple heart bypass operation. I saw him today, the day after the op and he’s doing really well! It’s incredible how someone can have their heart stopped for a couple of hours, their insides rearranged, and then be sitting up the next day smiling and joking. So much respect to the doctors who give people a better quality of life every day. This put life into perspective for me. Sometimes we just don’t appreciate the basic wonderful things around us like family and friends! Breath and life!
1. Electricity
1. Portishead
1. My family
1. Hamburger Lady – Throbbing Gristle
2. Refrigeration
2. Lucille Ball
2. My girlfriend
3. Contraception
3. Hillary Clinton
3. Our dog CROCKER
– Suicide
4. Bicycle
4. Annie Lennox
4. My job – redesign
3. The Visitation
5. Beer
5. Nina Simone
5. Enjoying little
Glenn’s next project is
Angel, currently
due to open December
residing in Lisbon
Patrik is a Think again
in Nebušice: Prague’s
and New York, lived
designer, the founder
5. First World of
fifth bagel store…
in Prague for a year.
of Visual Perfect design
Bronze – Cro Magnon
Her single ‘Skype
studio, and a member
Call’ is out now
of Graphic Design Union.
Toured with Wolf
and her album,
Watch out for his future
Parade and is
Dead Czech Chix:
projects.
currently finalizing
things
2. Frankie Teardrop
– White Noise
4. Old Man on the Mountain – P.G. Six
Live From NYC, is
work on a 12” release
set for release in the
of a remix he made
near future, both
for Canadian legend
on Bit Records
Sandro Perri. He
Mexico (BRM).
currently lives in Prague.
2.
I’ve been seJUICE’d! and am loving my Juicer book! It’s called Super Cool Drinks and is written by Michael Van Straten. When you get to my stage in life, you know, over 30, having burnt both ends of a lot of candles, midnight oil and even cigarettes when it’s really late, you start to look for a few healthy alternatives in life. Buy yourself a JUICER, I tell you! You can stick practically anything through there as long as it’s been plucked (sorry my little Budgie, Maruška just came to my mind then, but that really was a terrible joke. I love her dearly… when she stops squawking for ONE GOD DAMN MINUTE!!!!!... no, really…). So you’ve got juices for every occasion. Power juices to get you going in the morning, detox juices, juices that act as remedies for all sorts of ailments, juices to PREVENT the onset of any of those ailments, hangover cures, love potions, the list is endless.
3. On a musical note and I really ought to as I AM one of those musical people after all: A CD I can’t stop playing right now is Tom Vek, ‘We have sound.’ I reckon he’s British and his style is, er, kinda quirky to say the least. Lots of quite badly played guitar and drums which suddenly all fit together and start grooving. Minimalistic, but out there; quite punky at times and some great bass lines. Almost funky in a warped way. His voice goes from a kind of wailing to singing to talking to screaming. I love the fact that the production is really raw in a time when so much music is over produced and everyone’s striving to get the best sound and the most polished production. This album brings a smile to my face each time I play it and I can’t stop playing it! Check it!
4.
My mates Nano ipod with Nike sensor training dooby wotsit attachment. AMAZING! Started to jog a wee bit and have just discovered that it is of course much easier to run when you have beautiful music in your ears instead of that terrible sound of your own heavy breathing. But the great thing is the small disk that you attach to your shoe to calculate the distance you’ve run, the average speed per kilometer, calories burnt etc. Such an incentive to run further and faster each time!
5. My fairly new dark green sexy little ankle boots equipped with high wooden heel and a wee little button to boot! From a shop called Faith in UK. Can’t say much more about that one can I? Just love ‘em!
And by the way all you pop pickers, look out for our (Ohm Square) new album which is due out in a couple of months.
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TRENDS
Fear of Flying Text by Laura Baranik
I do feel a little bit sorry for her, but I can’t imagine why she’d think it would be fine with me if she took up half of the already-too-narrow space I’d paid for. When did flying become so unbearable? And at what point did we start to forget that even when 416 people are packed together in a roaring metal tube, they should still have the right to some personal space? Maybe it happened around the time that we were first instructed to remove our shoes before getting on planes and poorly-ventilated security checkpoints everywhere began to smell like the inside of a blue cheese factory. Once all these strangers have smelled each other’s foot fungi, I guess the logic goes, what’s the harm in subjecting them to obnoxious conversation or cuddling up next to them in their seats or making them endure gust after gust of old man breath as
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I’m on a flight from L.A. to London, trying to get some sleep.
you snore? For those nine and a half excruciating hours,
Just next to me, in the aisle, stands a masculine Hungarian
we’re all one big miserable family.
woman wearing a fanny pack. She’s talking loudly over my
The surfeit of unwanted intimacy is compounded by the
head to the man sitting at my left; every now and then,
fact that we’re flying more than ever before, so planes are
she rests her hand on the top of my chair, which makes my
becoming increasingly packed and airports are struggling to
seatback bob up and down against the side of my face.
handle the overload. I can’t remember the last time I was at
Prolonged dirty looks have done nothing to shut her up.
London’s Heathrow and my flight left on time. I’ve actually
Now I give her a seething “Excuse me,” which succeeds only
never even heard of a Heathrow flight leaving on time.
in prompting her to remove her hand from its offending
Oftentimes, the delay is announced once you’re already on
position. Her cheerful jibber-jabber goes on for another
the plane and strapped into your seat, which translates to an
twenty minutes. Later, just as I’m settling in to watch
additional hour or so next to Halitosis Harry.
a movie, she returns to continue the conversation.
One of my major ambitions in life is to be able to fly
On a different trans-Atlantic flight, I’m seated next to
luxuriously everywhere I go. A private jet would be nice, but
a tragically obese woman who just barely manages to
I’d settle for first or even business class—anything that
squeeze into her seat. To my horror, she goes to lift the
would give me a little breathing room. Until then, can you
armrest that separates us so that part of her gelatinous
all please take a shower before you get to the airport and
physique can roll itself into my territory. The armrest
spray some deodorant in your shoes or something? And if
doesn’t budge, thank God, and she ends up being moved to
you’re really fat, maybe you could lose some weight, too.
a free pair of seats.
The sugar-free breath mints are on me.
Sagittarius (22 Nov.-21 Dec.)
Gemini (21 May-21 June)
This month is a big celestial birthday gift to you. Whatever you want to tackle—new job, painting the living room, driving cross-country—you can. And maybe someone will tackle you.
If the toilet leaks, the landlord’s crazy, or your roommate’s been having incredibly loud, animalistic O-moments in the middle of the night… relax! You’ll be incredibly lucky in love. Fair enough?
Capricorn (22 Dec.-19 Jan.)
Cancer (22 June-22 July)
Serendipity. If you pause, say to try and scrape something off your shoe, you might miss it. If you keep the shit on your shoe and meet your new serendipitous friend, but...
Your life is set for a huge change. Your love life is ready to flourish, and all because you bought that wonderful hat the other day. You did buy it didn’t you?
Aquarius (20 Jan.-18 Feb.)
Leo (23 July-22 Aug.)
Tenderness ought to be tried whenever possible. Always slapping the ass of your lover during lovemaking will not be an unerring turn on. Especially during or after ‘piles’ problems.
You’re a bit of a bad-ass. You like it loud, rough and immediate. Of course, your sparkling wit and social zest makes everybody want to give you what you want. Take it and ask no questions.
Pisces (19 Feb.-20 March)
Virgo (23 Aug.-22 Sept.)
All of your aims are achievable, although many of them would involve bionic implants and a lot of theft. You won’t be hospitalized, but things may not go as planned.
You are so charismatic and convincing. Don’t be frustrated if people don’t think you’re a prophetic genius within five second of meeting you. Give ’em an hour. (Shots of Tequila might expedite the process).
Aries (21 March-19 April)
Libra (23 Sept.-23 Oct.)
Though you’re sometimes a homebody, now is the time to put on gilded wings and flit about town. Your social fluttering could lead to partnerships, both of the money-making and the love-making varieties.
You’ve had a contemplative year, full of changes and fresh starts. Relax and enjoy the fruits of all those self-improvement tapes and Buddhist meditation classes—whatever floats your boat.
Taurus (20 April-20 May)
Scorpio (24 Oct.-21 Nov.)
Romance and money are in store for you; specifically, other people’s money. If you’re selling your car, applying for a loan, or buying your weekly lotto ticket, you’ve got some celestial backup.
A hairy back may trouble you. Especially if it’s not your hairy back in question. Make some coffee, sit down and read the internet. Hell, it’s what you do everyday, right?
The Morning Light I woke up this morning and something magic occurred. I was conscious, but had absolutely no idea who I was or where I was. I just was. I can’t remember a more peaceful existence since very early childhood. I had no cares whatsoever and, like a child, I observed in a timeless now the morning light coming through the skylight above my bed. I felt excited to be alive, and happy to see the light—but then I made the mistake of trying to remember who and where I was, and it all suddenly came back to me, like my operational system rebooted, and I knew in a flash everything that makes me whatever it is that I am. The magic was gone, but it sure was nice to experience it for a small, eternal moment; it is also nice to remember it, and write about it. As I lay there, I realized I was already days past deadline with writing this article, and I knew I did not have any worthy thoughts to write you, Dear Reader. I also knew I needed to do a lot of other things— like going down to the basement to load the wood furnace, feed all the animals, answer a bunch of e-mails I had procrastinated, etc. etc. etc. It had been so peaceful without the self, time, and place that orients so much of my existence, that I somewhat regretted the OS reboot. I suddenly remembered that it was a Czech national holiday, the day the Czech nation celebrates the student uprisings and the Velvet Revolution. That is my favorite Czech holiday because I believe this nation contemplates the importance of democracy and personal freedom on this day, and it’s probably the one day that most Czechs can feel a sense of noble courage and real patriotism about their nation. It’s something like America’s July 4, Independence Day celebration, except Czechs don’t blow off a hundred million dollars worth of fireworks
and there’s no talk of “spreading freedom” to smaller countries—since the Czech Republic is one of the smallest countries in the world. Czechs are simply glad to feel the holiday’s spirit, and have the freedom to relax in it. Once I thought of the Czech holiday, it then occurred to me that this also means it’s my birthday, so I knew I was a year older, though I honestly did not know how old I was (and actually didn’t much want to find out). That’s how birthdays are for middle-aged folks, they feel happy if they can’t remember exactly how old they are so that they don’t feel that old. That got me to thinking about time again, and I realized that for years I have been subconsciously cultivating my outlook on life so as to live as much as possible outside the parameters of time. For fifteen years I had not had a job in the sense of having to set an alarm clock and go to a work place on specific days; instead I had worked to work for myself, which meant I had developed the habit of getting up when I woke up—meaning the hour, day of the week, month, and even the year had ceased to matter to me. A few years ago I honestly had no idea what year it was, and I was quite happy with the freedom of not needing to know. That should be part of the definition of freedom: Freedom is not knowing what year it is. Last year I lost that freedom because I made the mistake of working as an editor for some dumbass “serious” business magazine for about six months, but the experience was actually very valuable for many reasons. I came to understand that I have been lucky to be a freelance writer who did not have to arrive at an office and engage in all the daily personal politics. You know the old saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.” My case was very fortunate because it was so easy to regain what I had lost:
EXPERIENCE
SEX 22
Sex-O-Scopes December/January
Text by Sinclair Nicholas I simply quit working with the assholes and took my life back, though it took me another six months to relearn the art of letting go of time, and I also had to retrace my steps to get my free and natural writing voice back. Under organizational pressure, I had made the mistake of training myself to write “professionally”. What I have been doing all these years as a writer is learning how to find the courage to write so honestly that it’s actually dangerous in this world. Yes, trust and friendship is truly dangerous in this world (something I also learned from that job). I could not write for that business weekly with the complete freedom and natural voice that Think Again has allowed me for the last several years, and I am grateful to Think Again for never editing or cutting my writing since this so often mediates and negotiates the article into something acceptably moderate—though hopefully not so dead as to be completely unworthy of reading. This is the last article you will read from me until next year (if Think Again decides I still haven’t “gone over the edge” with my personal thoughts and utterly free style). If I can wish a few things to you, Dear Reader, it is that you endeavor to find your way towards letting go of time, and that you live each day with the happy knowledge that you are truly free. You are extremely valuable if you keep the courage to believe in yourself. I also hope you have the courage to wield a self-confident but kind and simple smile that, like a sword, cuts through all the fake and evil shit that this world so often throws at you from every direction. Finally, I simply want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year—though I hope you are fortunate enough to forget exactly which Happy New Year it is that I am wishing you.
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INTERVIEW
www.eboy.com
Famous for a wide array of bitmapalicious illustrations, web design, fonts, and games, Germany-based eBoy puts out pixel work that has been at the forefront of contemporary illustration for over 10 years, and their eye for detail is being embraced worldwide. Pixel heads eBoy recently entered the world of toys with a revolutionary line of mini changeable action figures called PEECOL. We cornered them to see if we could gain some insight into their world of a few million pixels. First of all, who exactly is eBoy?
have been interested in.
eBoy is a band producing pictures and toys. The members are Kai Vermehr,
At some point we had the idea to make fonts with these bricks—the
Steffen Sauerteig, and Svend Smital. We create re-usable pixel objects and
result was the ff-peecol series with lots of b/w bricks that are distributed
take them to build complex and extensible artwork. And we make toys.
by Fontshop. Each letter triggered one brick—you could build images by recombining letters.
How did you get started? What should people know about your art?
Now as we worked on a concept for a toy series, we soon realized that,
eBoy was founded in 1997 by Steffen Sauerteig, Svend Smital, and Kai
again, we wanted it to be modular. Not as atomic as LEGO—we wanted
Vermehr with the acquisition of the eBoy.com domain. The basic idea
it to be really really simple, and it turned out that our existing PEECOL
driving eBoy was the embracing of the new possibilities of the emerging
pixel people were exactly of the grade of modularity and simplicity
digital world. Pictures could be copied as many times as necessary if they
we were aiming for. So we look at it as a new chapter in the life of
were digital—and every copy was a perfect reproduction of the original.
PEECOL—now on real toys.
Data could be sent to the most distant parts of the globe in seconds. This was crazy. So we wanted to work specifically for the screen and went the
Any favorite PEECOL toy?
pixel way. Pixels felt quite good and were big fun handling.
No, we love them all! :)
What influences you the most?
Tell us about your recent co-operation with Lacoste and Kidrobot.
There is not really a main influence. It is just everything from everywhere.
Kidrobot designed three sneakers for Lacoste and we did one Peecol-Tennis
We collect and share images, links and knowledge we find on the web and
guy representing each shoe. If you buy one of these limited shoes, you’ll
we always carry a camera with us to capture analog stuff around us. It can
get the tennis guy as a giveaway.
be stones, the weather, object oriented programming, porn, whatever. What is your proudest moment? Your paramount pixel work is eCity series. What does such a work
When we see that people are happy with our stuff.
require and how much time does it take to create one cityscape? All our pixel images are made with Photoshop, and nearly every single
What has been the biggest challenge for you so far?
pixel is placed by hand. We use some copy-pasting and we have a library
Maybe Peecol toy; because so many new techniques had to be learned.
of picture parts we constantly extend and re-use. Still it’s pretty time consuming. How long it takes depends on our availability for such a
You celebrate 10 years in the market next year. Are you planning
project. If we devote all our time, we can finish a city within 6 weeks. If
anything special?
it’s more a side project it could even last a year or longer.
Actually we missed our tenth anniversary this year—the record for eboy. com was created on 2nd of May 1997. So it’s too late.
Last month, you introduced the new PEECOL line of figures and went from 2D pixel work to 3D toys. What’s all this about? What
What are you working on at the moment?
was the evolution of PEECOL?
On a new Tokyo eCity poster to be released before Christmas and on more
The original peecol concept was to take reusable 36x36 pixel image bricks
Peecol figures for the next editions.
and build images with them. The idea was to save bandwidth because one
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transmitted brick could be used several times on a webpage. We started
What are your plans and desires for the future?
to make sets like an ambulance set or a terrorist set and used them in
Making more products for our online shop! And there are still a lot eCity
pictures. Basically it was a simple modular concept—something we always
images waiting to be realized, it would be nice to have more time for that.
You’ll like this film. What’s not to like—two excellent actors at the top of their games (Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe) directed by a top notch film maker (Ridley Scott) in a gangster epic. American Gangster is satisfying and fun, it’s just not quite as epic as the title and all the talent imply. Washington plays Frank Lucas, the real character this film is based on, who brings a higher quality of heroin to the streets of New York. Russell Crowe plays the only cop at the time who actually had the guts and the moral streak to do anything about it. It’s an elemental battle between good and evil that is better than most others of its type.
Crime/Drama, 157 min, USA
Turtles Can Fly In Turtles Can Fly, writer/director Bahman Ghobada has crafted a masterpiece that should be required viewing for anyone who wishes to discuss the American invasion of Iraq. The story is that of an Iraqi teen named Soran (Soran Embrahim) who is called ‘Satellite’ for his business of selling and installing satellite dishes. The film looks at the war and its effects through the eyes of children who suffer because of it. It doesn’t have a political axe to grind, but instead offers an incredible glimpse of the pain, sorrow, and strength that arise in its wake. This is truly a must-see if any film is.
Drama/War, 98 min, Iran/France/Iraq
VIDEO
CINEMA
American Gangster
Martin Scorsese Still regarded as something of a renegade by mainstream movie critics, despite the fact that he has been nominated for numerous Academy Awards for his prolific output over the years, Martin Scorsese is undoubtedly among the greatest filmmakers that America has ever produced. He first rose to prominence in the 1970s after graduating from NYU Film School, and was part of the generation of directors who would “take back” Hollywood from the hacks and start producing a genuine American cinema that would by far surpass filmmaking in all other countries—at least for a decade. Scorsese has had an incredibly prolific career, and is showing no signs of slowing down. For now, we’ll take time out from trying to keep up with him to reflect back on some of the high points of his lengthy career. Mean Streets (1973)
This paired-down black comedy stars Griffin Dunne as a New York City word
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro Mean Streets was the first film to bring Scorsese wider recognition. This bare bones production is set on the streets of New York’s Little Italy and follows the misadventures of a group of small time gangsters. The story centers on Charlie (Harvey Keitel), an up and coming member of the local mob, who is constantly being stalled by his childlike friend Johnny (Robert De Niro), who he seeks in vain to protect. The film features several Scorsese trademarks—a top notch soundtrack by the Rolling Stones, an incredible performance by Robert De Niro, and an indepth exploration of Italian American machismo and the violence that inevitably ensues as a result of it.
processor. When he meets a beautiful woman, played by Rosanna Arquette, in a diner one night, he is led on an all-night adventure through the world of 1980s downtown New York. Will he ever be able to get out of Soho? After Hours perfectly captures the insanity and insomnia of the city that really never sleeps.
Goodfellas (1990) Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Roy Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino Goodfellas picks up where Mean Streets left off—the underground world of organized crime. Goodfellas is Scorsese at his Dostoevskyan best. Based on a true story written by a real-life Mafia rat, Goodfellas earned Scorsese his third Oscar nomination, but he would lose out to Kevin Costner. Joe Pesci won a Best
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Darjeeling Limited Three brothers (Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson) set forth on a train through India in search of adventure. As a pitch, it sounds great. As an actual film it falls flat on its face, mostly because the adventure never actually takes place, being replaced apparently by character quirks and annoying dialogue. Not a single one of the brothers is a particularly appealing character and nothing much really happens. The blame for most of this lies with Director (and co-screenwriter) Wes Anderson, who apparently had very little to say other than boys need a father figure and like trains. Oh well.
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Jodie Foster This film is a major anomaly in Scorsese’s career, but nevertheless a worthwhile one. It tells the story of a young mother fallen on hard times who ends up moving from town to town in the American southwest with her young son in tow. Eventually, she finds work in Tucson, Arizona in Mel’s Diner… But will she ever be able to find love and self-respect again?
Supporting Actor award for his work.
The Aviator (2004) Starring: Leonard DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Alan Alda, Gwen Stefani, Alec Baldwin The Aviator tells the true story of Howard Hughes, a self-made millionaire whose downward spiral into insanity and wild eccentricity is captured by Leonardo DiCaprio in an Oscar-nominated performance. Every step of Hughes’s fascinating life—from his pioneering days in Hollywood to his final insular years in Las
Taxi Driver (1976) Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster Widely considered to be Scorsese’s masterpiece, Taxi Driver tells the story of alienated taxi driver Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), a Vietnam vet who gradually becomes overcome with his vigilante fantasies. He becomes intent on saving an underage prostitute named Iris, played by Jodie Foster—but first he has to assassinate an evil Senator who is apparently out to destroy New York City.
Vegas—are charted with care by Scorsese and his stunning cast.
The Departed (2006) Starring: Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen Certainly not Scorsese’s greatest film, The Departed nevertheless finally won the director an Oscar—an award that most felt was long overdue. The film is set in Boston, and pits two rats against each other—one in the police working
Adventure/Comedy/Drama, 91 min, USA
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After Hours (1985)
for the mob (Matt Damon), and one in the mob working for the police (Leonardo
Starring: Griffin Dunne, Bronson Pinchot, Teri Garr, Catherine O’Hara, Rosanna Arquette, Tommy Chong
DiCaprio). Of course the two are expected to sniff each other out, and mayhem ensues.
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ART
XYXX Text by Travis Jeppesen This month, a new group exhibition exploring the intersections between family violence and gender will open at Karlin Studios. Curated by artist Vladimir Skrepl, XYXX will feature works by local bad boys Marek Ther, Petr Písařík, Ondřej Brody, Viktor Frešo, and Jan Mucska. In addition, the exhibition will feature a new video work by maverick underground filmmaker Bruce LaBruce, the subject of a recent article in these pages. LaBruce’s work, Give Piece of Ass a Chance, was
Uncertain States of America Text by Travis Jeppesen
A two-year research project by curators Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Daniel Birnbaum, and Gunnar B. Kvaran has given rise to “Uncertain States of America,” an examination of the youth-obsessed contemporary art world in the United States. All of the artists to be featured in this show are under 40; the vast majority of them are still in their 20s. What visitors to the Rudolfinum can thus expect is a mixed bag of the precociously prodigious and the woefully underdeveloped. While market hype and inflated ambition may be the factors that have driven
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recently premiered in Berlin at the Porn Film Festival. It is meant to be a lesbian re-staging of the Patty Hearst kidnapping by the SLA in the 1970s, featuring a kick-ass soundtrack of groovy tunes. The film is also in many ways a lesbian version of LaBruce’s feature The Raspberry Reich. A group of mad dyke terrorists kidnaps a munitions heiress and indoctrinates her into the world of crime and Sapphic love. Made in collaboration with the Scandelles collective of Burlesque artists in LaBruce’s native Toronto, Give Piece of Ass a Chance is quite a ride, so don’t miss out on the fun.
Where: Karlin Studios, Křižíkova 34, P8 When: 13/12/07–6/1/08 www.karlinstudios.cz
a lot of the latter into the limelight, gallery crawlers can rest assured that the prodigies are represented here in equal measure. Our bet? Zero in on the splattery expressionism of Dan Colen. Don’t spend too much time on the overrated Miranda July, but do give the alwaysunpredictable Adam Putnam a chance. Still uncertain? You’re not the only one. But if you’re craving a glimpse at the Newest of the New—or at least the Newest of New York—this is the closest you’re going to get to it in Prague.
Where: Galerie Rudolfinum Alšovo nábřeží 12, P1 When: 6/12/07–24/02/08 www.galerierudolfinum.cz
BOOKS
Street Art Praha By István Lekó and Richard Cortés Published by Arbor vitae Street art as a medium of artistic expression—not to be confused with graffiti that despite its affiliation with street art, is not of concern here—has become increasingly popular even in this relatively conservative city. An anthology documenting Prague’s visual folklore that includes an astonishing 750 artifacts by local and foreign street artists, including Ahoy, Pasta, Point, Masker, Pash, Zipper, Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and Swoon, spread over 464 pages, is thus a much anticipated work. Street Art – Praha, which accompanied the exhibition at the Školská gallery, is a work of love for this oft-denigrated form of artistic expression. It was put together by Hungarian reporter István Lekó and art director Richard Cortés who were assisted by Pasta, one of the doyen’s of Prague’s street art scene. The book manages to capture the ephemeral nature of this subversive form of art—most of the pieces documented in the book are already gone, they sometimes vanish as quickly as over night—and street art’s various techniques including stencils, stickers and even 3-D objects popularized by the mighty Point are all present. “(Street art) is a medium of artistic expression that is a logical addition to the existing cultural layers of Prague,” writes the theorist Tomáš Pospiszyl in his foreword.
A fascinating read and an indispensable alternative Prague guide.
www.street-art.cz www.street w tre
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Burial
Giles Peterson’s
High Contrast
Daft Punk
Untrue
Fania DJ Series
Tough Guys
Alive 2007
Hyperdub Records
Various Artists
Don’t Dance
Virgin
Fania Records
Hospital
Enigma and mystique have been a serious part of the electronic music ever since Underground Resistance burst onto the techno scene with their faces covered in masks. Burial has been surrounded by a similar air of mysteriousness from the time he (as it has generally been agreed it’s not a woman) released his critically acclaimed self-titled debut album on Kode 9’s Hyperdub label last year. His haunting soundscapes, partially influenced by UK garage, dubstep, and even early 90s hardcore and rave scenes, and partially by Basic Channel and Chain Reaction, create the perfect backdrop to urban megalopolises like London, where Burial (apparently) comes from. His second album, Untrue, bears his melancholic, ethereal stamp while showing off his ability to go in deep, melodic directions. Archangel is a haunting, utterly sublime love song for urban ghettos, with Endorphin following in a more somber vein. Dog Shelter is a beautiful offbeat number, while Raver starts off with a distinctive kick drum and sounds like a UK garage track played at 33 rpm. Various crackles, shuffles, and sonic minutiae are interspersed throughout the record, a sort of vinyl memento for the MP3 generation. The only disappointing thing about Burial is that—presumably to retain his anonymity—he refuses to play live.
If you collect NYC Latin music, it’s likely you will have some of the 26 tracks on Giles Peterson’s Fania DJ series, with two CDs of Giles’ remastered favorites from Fania, and also Tico, Alegre and Cotique—all labels with vintage Latin jazz, boogaloo, Latin soul, afro-Cuban jazz, mambo and salsa. But even if you have a good stock of Tito Puente, Fania All-Stars, and both Palmieri brothers, this one is worth getting for the rarities alone, including two odes to Asia: “Chinito Boogaloo” by Rafael Cortijo y su Bonche, with its chopsticks boogaloo and faux Chinese singing, and “Rush Hour in Hong Kong” by Louie Ramirez, which is just unstoppable. Roberto Roena’s “Shades of Time” is an earthy Latin-jazz cover of Santana, with a sax solo and ramble of a lover’s false promises in place of the guitar hero’s jam; another cover “Tighten Up” by Al Escobar is Latin-soul gold. Ray Barretto’s “Acid” is a hard to find boogaloo meets afro-Cuban jazz nugget; on disc two, there is amazing Latin jazz by Noro Morales Quintet and Mon Rivera. But “Mambo Moderno” by Vladamir is one of the best for latenight dance-floors, with a fiendish laugh in the break, of course.
Within the broad spectrum of drum’n’bass, High Contrast would be just beyond liquid: easy sounds, just big enough to get everyone moving, even so-called ‘tough guys’ before the mayhem on the dance floor starts. The opening track “If we ever” is an essential record in a DJ’s collection. Thanks to Lincoln Barrett’s facility at combining jazzy pianos, filtered trance synthesizers, aggressive oldschool beats, and heavy bass lines, he caters to a large audience. There are not really any radically new or refreshing sounds on this CD, but it nevertheless manages to it be of the best drum’n’bass albums of the year. Not just for the ‘hardcore jungle maven’.
9/10
9/10
8/10
9/10
Lucia Udvardyová
Tony Ozuna
Sirius Smart Sounds
Lucia Udvardyová
Bordo 11/12/07
BEST SHOW
SOUNDS 34
Dan Deacon
Recyclit
If you start tracing the influences of much of today’s dance-indieelectro music, you will inevitably end up with one name—Daft Punk. The French duo established by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo have influenced a legion of producers, and we’re not just talking about obvious choices like the Ed Banger crew. After a relatively long hiatus, Daft Punk returns with a live set—Alive 2007 which is the duo’s second live album and was recorded in Paris earlier this year. With Alive 2007, Daft Punk transfers the dynamics of their live show onto an album. The band’s greatest hits are flawlessly segued with lesser known instrumentals creating a seamless compilation of their three albums Homework, Discovery, and Human After All. Several climactic moments are included within the record including the transition of Around the World into Harder, Better, Stronger, Faster; the move from Television Rules the Nation to Crescendolls; and Superheroes moving into Human After All. Until someone finally decides to bring Daft Punk to this country, Alive 2007 can be a sort of brilliant consolation.
If postmodernism has any meaning these days, Dan Deacon is its epitome in music and art. The Baltimore-residing “absurdist“ artist, who is also part of the underground collective Wham City, mixes and matches a diverse array of influences without any stylistic limitations and perfectly moves within the murky territory
between irony and making a decent tune. He also happens to make good music and play terrific shows. “I might try to start the audience chanting, saying a ridiculous phrase, using very elaborate nonsensical count-downs, maybe create a circle for dance contests,” he stated recently. So get ready to dance!
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Plastique
All boom-bangers need to get ready for a crazy rock’n’roll moshpit extravaganza. Sepultura’s ex-drummer Iggor Cavalera is in the house, so this one is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Cavalera’s semi-live project Mixhell, which he does together with his wife Laima Leyton, consists of DJ-ing and fiddling with the Akai MPC sampler. If you survive BBB’s December appearance, then roll on into January and special guest Yuksek, the French electro-head who has remixed for the likes of Shitdisco, Chromeo, and Siriusmo under his belt. According to NME “...his mini-anthem Composer has been turning indie discos into war zones.” You’ve been warned.
December tends to get a little hectic with all the office parties, club nights, and gigs to deal with, but we’ll throw another item at you to add to your calendar if Plastique is your sort of thing. The oldest running electroclash–nu rave night in town welcomes back Sci*fi*psi, a Czech electro outfit who, according to their MySpace site, are “electro-humanoids, as found in remote, far-away galaxies. (…) fed on mostly music and for this purpose…tend to form groups. Can exist in any form throughout the known universe and are famous for ‘chameleonic’ tendencies. Sightings have been reported on Planet Earth.” And at the upcoming Plastique, for that matter.
15/12 – Rock Café, 19/1 – Bordo www.boombangbaby.com
21/12 Radost FX, www.plastique.cz
Enon with Sporto
Stars of the Lid
There’s no better way to avoid the pre-Christmas frenzy than by getting down and dirty at the inimitable 007. Said Strahov club is bringing Touch and Go favorites Enon who will be assisted by Prague’s up-and-coming indie electro darlings Sporto. The Philly based band Enon is generally classified as indie rock, though its sound encompasses synth pop, alternative rock and noise. Enon’s latest LP Grass Geysers... Carbon Clouds was released on the respected Touch and Go label in October as a follow-up to 2003’s Hocus Pocus.
The Music Infinity concert series, which has brought the likes of Telefon Tel Aviv, Triosk, and David Sylvian, continues with its pre-Christmas edition featuring drone ambient mavericks Stars of the Lid. Their influences range from European minimalist composers such as Arvo Part to Talk Talk to the ambient sounds of Brian Eno. The band was established in 1993 by Brain McBride and Adam Wiltzie in Texas, and the name “Stars of the Lid” refers to “your own personal cinema, located between your eye and eyelid,” according to McBride. Close your eyes, relax, and let yourself float free at this soothing sonic soiree.
16/12 Club 007 Strahov, www.klub007strahov.cz
15/12 Palác Akropolis, www.palacakropolis.cz
Sound HeadQuarters
Boban i Marko Marković Orkestar
The SoundHeadquarters party at the Cross club is one of the few genuinely underground club nights in Prague that aims to transplant the sound of urban Britain to Prague. The party has consistently brought the best gritty electro and dubstep sounds to Prague, and this time it looks like an excellent journey will be had as London’s wonky techno/breakbeat/electro master Si Begg takes the stage for some bass heavy sound play. Begg started producing in the early nineties influenced by Chicago acid and later by the early Warp artists like LFO. He also runs two labels— Mosquito along with Christian Vogel and Noodles.
Boban i Marko Marković Orkestar and Boban Marković are coming to Prague. Highly acclaimed, the orchestra promises to introduce neophytes to Balkan brass music to a very interesting and neglected style of music, and to practitioners that are considered by most in Serbia to be among the very best at their craft. So, whether you’ve heard Balkan brass music in one of Emir Kusturica’s excellent films or you’ve spent time in the Balkans and know what you’re in for, or even if you’re just curious, be sure to check the Marković Orkestar out.
15/12 Cross Club, www.crossclub.cz
31/01/08 Archa Theatre, www.archatheatre.cz
SCENE
SCENE 36
Boom Bang Baby
37
Rogers, Peet, Lafayette
CROSS CLUB: Drumstation: live
CHATEAU ROUGE: Taboo Kill-Time:
Visionary Underground feat Dr. Das,
Live Unifiction, Gemini Gem,
Feefree, Brooklyn
DJs Ladida, Squint
DUPLEX: Dirty Dancing: DJs Tommy
KLUB 007: Papier Tigre, Ter Haar
Rogers, Peet
M1 LOUNGE: Smokin Friday: DJ Big J
CHATEAU ROUGE: Nightlife:
MECCA: Meccamix: DJs Damian
DJs Formi, Kenny
Wilson, Kuba Soulcheck,
M1 LOUNGE: Smokin Friday: DJ Big J
Diome, Bon Finix
MECCA: DJs Phunk Investigation,
MISCHMASCH: DJs Jakub V., Brian,
Johannes, Poco, Abdul Cana
Eagle, Madman
MISCHMASCH: DJs Jakub V., Brian,
PALÁC AKROPOLIS: Galactic Golden
Eagle, Madman
God X-Mass Party:
PALÁC AKROPOLIS:
DJs Luboš Václav Vála
Hip Hop: DJ Pufaz
U MALÉHO GLENA:
RADOST FX: Lollypop On Ice: DJs
Libor Šmoldas Trio
Lumiere, Vilém
XT3: Live Riviera Playboyz, DJs Pepe
ROXY: Human Traffix: DJs Spirit
ZERO: Laundry: DJs Lillou,
Catcher, Loutka, Cubik, Marwin
Dita, Mary Love
FLASH
FLASH
7. 12. Friday/Pátek
Shamma, Machine Funck U MALÉHO GLENA: Vertigo XT3: Live Discrimination
15. 12. Saturday/Sobota
ZERO: Masters Of The Universe
DUPLEX: Discovery!: DJs Neo,
Session: DJs Sine, Trusty
Andrea Fiorino CHATEAU ROUGE: Showstaarzzz: DJs A.L.I., Babylon Rocker, DJs Tweet,
8. 12. Saturday/Sobota
Moek, Fallus
CROSS CLUB: Defragmentation:
KLUB 007: Brigada Flores Magon
Dr. Das, Transglobal Underground
M1 LOUNGE: Retro R&B Soul Party:
soundsystem
DJ Tone
DUPLEX: Police Department: DJs
MECCA: Home of La Troya: DJs Oliver,
Lafayette, Nuff, Mark Evil
Baby Marcel, Texx, Tommy Rogers
CHATEAU ROUGE: Boogie:
MISCHMASCH: Mixx Maxx: DJs Jakub
Live Human Stake, Front Line,
V., Milan Kroužil
DJs Lucas Hulan, Malkao
PALÁC AKROPOLIS:
M1 LOUNGE: Retro R&B Soul Party:
Live Stars Of The Lid
DJ Tone, pop house: DJ Martez
RADOST FX: Soultrain Weekender: DJs
MECCA: Vibe: DJs Chris Ibott,
Big J, Rico, 12Play, Dipps
Tripmain, Kate
PARUKÁŘKA: UFO X-Massaker: Live
MISCHMASCH: Mixx Maxx: DJs Jakub
Deheth C, Afrodisiak, Tetrafarmakos,
V., Milan Kroužil
DJs Herbyboy, Elza
PALÁC AKROPOLIS: Cibelle
ROCK CAFÉ: Boom Bang Baby!:
RADOST FX: Soultrain Weekender: DJs
Live Mixhell, Carabine, DJs Tvyks, The
Big J, Rico, 12Play, Marc
Voracious
ROXY: Ultima: DJs Agent, Nika 77,
ROXY: One Night: DJs Josef Sedloň,
Lucas Hulan
Bela EN, Dan Cooley
U MALÉHO GLENA: Vertigo
U MALÉHO GLENA: Roman Pokorný
ZERO: Bikini Jazz Xmas Bash: DJs Craig
Fusion Jazz Q
Hampson, Chris Chemist
XT3: Live Running Sushi, DJs Fun Freak ZERO: Cartoon Clash Night: DJs The Fakes DJs
14. 12. Friday/Pátek CROSS CLUB: Imperialistic Night:
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Limewax, Raveboy, Yukimura, Chong-X
PRAGUE TV’S MONSTER BALL V
DUPLEX: Dirty Dancing: DJs Tommy
PHOTO BY DAVID HUITRIC
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28. 12. Friday/Pátek
CHATEAU ROUGE: Clubber Colorful
DUPLEX: Dirty Dancing: DJs Tommy
House: Live Rivers For Sale, Fetch!,
Rogers, Peet, Enrico
Bugmen, DJs Dan Cooley, Madman
CHATEAU ROUGE: Breakpoint X-Mas
M1 LOUNGE: Smokin Friday: DJ Big J
Edition: DJs Yannick, Santa Vilem
MATRIX: Crucifixmass: DJs Layka
KLUB 007: Nuclear Death Terror,
Sound System, Metro DJs
Risposta
MECCA: Opera House: DJs Lafayette,
M1 LOUNGE: Smokin Friday: DJ Big J
Mcio, Yaroush
MECCA: Rehab: DJs Nesquik, Omar,
MISCHMASCH: DJs Jakub V., Brian,
Sly Antro
Eagle, Madman
MISCHMASCH: DJs Jakub V., Brian,
PALÁC AKROPOLIS: Bow Wave,
Eagle, Madman
DJs 2K, Akira
PALÁC AKROPOLIS: Viva La Musica!:
RADOST FX: Plastique: Live Sci-Fi-Psi,
DJs Joke, Mgr. Biggy, Joe Harper
DJs Vectif, Face
RADOST FX: Remember House: DJs
RIVER CLUB: Steam Xmas: DJs Roger
Loutka, Lumiere, Vilém
Venzet, Pete Walk
ROXY: Elektra: DJs Lexy & K-Paul,
ROXY: Bush: IM Cyber, Philip TBC,
Airto, Bon Finix, Tripmain
Mystif, Rudeboy
STYX: Minimal vs. Maximal: Live
U MALÉHO GLENA: Performing
Elektrabel, DJs Monotype, Dialect
Tomatoes
U MALÉHO GLENA: Adam Tvrdý &
XT3: Carneval: Live Lesboys,
Adam Serry
Tetrafarmakos
ZERO: Afrodrops Nite: DJs Pat Heart,
ZERO: Take The Piss: DJs Chris
Slim Buddah
FLASH
FLASH
21. 12. Friday/Pátek
Quadrant, Kev, Rich
22. 12. Saturday/Sobota
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29. 12. Saturday/Sobota DUPLEX: Young Hearts: DJs Fcuk,
DUPLEX: Clublife: DJs Ronny, Milhaus
Macio, Adnene
CHATEAU ROUGE: Dance or Die:
CHATEAU ROUGE: Digi: DJs Airto,
Live The Ritchie Success,
Marwin Schamma
DJs Victorious, Page Down
M1 LOUNGE: Retro R&B Soul Party:
KLUB 007: Basta Fidel
DJ Sweet Pete
M1 LOUNGE: Retro R&B Soul Party: DJ
MECCA: Selectro: DJs E-lite, Bon Finix,
Sweet Pete, pop house: DJ Martez
Scarcoke, Wolscha
MECCA: Starmix: DJs Angel Charlie,
MISCHMASCH: Mixx Maxx: DJs Jakub
David Monoszon
V., Milan Kroužil
MISCHMASCH: Mixx Maxx: DJs Jakub
PALÁC AKROPOLIS: Last Electro
V., Milan Kroužil
Ingredient: DJ Lucky Dub
PALÁC AKROPOLIS: Ghostmother
RADOST FX: Happy New Year:
RADOST FX: Soultrain Weekender
Live Nironic, DJs Big J, Rico, 12Play
Touch: DJs Big J, Rico, 12Play
ROXY: Climax: DJs Chris Sadler,
ROXY: Zen: DJs Michael Burian, Roman
Elite, Strain
Rai, Tazz, Bo.dan
STYX: Lost in Bass: DJs Dread Beat
U BUKANÝRA: Vivacity+: DJs Cubik,
Squad
Trnqua, Drahota
U MALÉHO GLENA: Ondřej Štveráček
U MALÉHO GLENA:
Q featuring Eric Doelman
David Dorůžka Trio
XT3: Praggabash: Live Missy M., Misho,
XT3: Live Slávek Janda Banda, DJ Mersi
DJs Ragamuffin Whiteman
ZERO: Housefellas: DJs Sense,
WAKATA: DJs One Drop Nation
Stevon, guest
ZERO: OM: DJs Suza
PRAGUE BURLESQUE NIGHT
PLASTIQUE – TRASH FASHION
PHOTO BY PETR MAREK
PHOTO BY VLADO MIKO
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CLUBS
Where To Go… HAPPY DANCING Watch out! Everyone is cute, well-dressed and happy. Duplex P1, Václavské náměstí 21 www.duplex.cz Celnice P1, V Celnici 4 www.clubcelnice.com Daylong (OC Palladium) P1, Nám. Republiky 1 www.daylong-disco.com Karlovy Lázně P1, Smetanovo nábřeží 198 www.karlovylazne.cz Misch Masch P7, Veletržní 61 www.mischmasch.cz Mecca P7, U Průhonu 3 www.mecca.cz
Retro Club P2, Francouzská 4 www.retropraha.cz Radost FX P2, Bělehradská 120 www.radostfx.cz Roxy P1, Dlouhá 33 www.roxy.cz
CHAT’N’CHILL You know those kinds of places where you dance between chats? Bars or clubs with pleasant modern sound around you. Aloha Wave Lounge P1, Dušní 11 www.alohapraha.cz Bordo Club P2, Vinohradská 40 www.bordo.cz
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Coyotes P1, Malé Náměstí 2 www.coyotes.cz
Rock Café P1, Národní třída 20 www.rockcafe.cz
Styx P8, Sokolovská 144 www.clubstyx.cz
Chateau Rouge P1, Jakubská 2 www.chateaurouge.cz
Vagon P1, Národní 25 www.vagon.cz
Kain P3, Husitská 1 www.kain.cz
Klub Lávka P1, Novotného lávka 1 www.lavka.cz
JAZZ Prague’s most acclaimed jazz musicians play in these well-known jazz clubs.
Lalibela P5, Holečkova 17 www.lalibela.cz
M1 Lounge P1, Masná 1 myspace.com/m1lounge Nebe P1, Křemencova 10 www.nebepraha.cz Vertigo P1, Havelská 4 www.vertigo-club.cz Wigwam P1, Zborovská 54 www.cafebarwigwam.cz Zero P1, Dušní 8 myspace.com/zeroprague
GUITARS AND INDIES You don’t have to be old fashioned to listen to guitars. This sound is immortal! Batalion music pub P1, ul. 28 října 3 www.batalion.cz Futurum P5, Zborovská 7 www.musicbar.cz Lucerna Music Bar P1, Vodičkova 36 www.musicbar.cz
Malostranská Beseda P1, Malostranské nám. 21 mb.muzikus.cz
Agharta Jazz P1, Železná 16 www.agharta.cz Jazzclub U Staré paní USP P1, Michalská 9 www.jazzlounge.cz U Malého Glena P1, Karmelitská 23 www.malyglen.cz Unijazz P1, Jindřišská 5 www.unijazz.cz
SMOKED BEATZ Styles & rhythms change daily here but the good vibes and atmosphere stay the same. Techno, d’n’b, jungle, hip hop. Underground sounds. Abaton P8, Na Košince 8 www.prostorabaton.cz
Matrix P3, Koněvova 13 www.matrixklub.cz Palác Akropolis P3, Kubelíkova 27 www.palacakropolis.cz Shadow Azyl P5, Kroftova 1 www.shadowazyl.cz Sedm Vlků P3, Vlkova 7 www.sedmvlku.cz U Bukanýra P1, nábřeží L. Svobody www.bukanyr.cz Wakata P7, Malířská 14 www.wakata.cz XT3 P3, Rokycanova 29 www.xt3.cz
Boiler RX P9, Novovysočanská 19 www.boiler.cz
AFTER DANCE It is well accepted that a party should never end. Be aware that there is no point in visiting the following places before 6am.
Club 007 P6, Chaloupeckého 7 www.klub007strahov.cz
Le Clan P2, Balbínova 23 www.leclan.cz
Cross Club P7, Plynární 23 www.crossclub.cz
Studio 54 P1, Hybernská 38 www.studio54.cz
VENUES
be kara OK! You know what karaoke is and you’ve probably seen a box before. The question is: have you ever seen or experienced a karaoke box? Until recently, any urge to experience said unique pleasure involved either a trip to Japan or an extremely powerful imagination and a DVD of Lost in Translation. Now however, thanks to Martina and Andrew Remy, you can do the real thing right here in the cozy confines of Prague. The idea for bringing the karaoke box to Prague apparently came to the couple after first visiting Tokyo and coming away inspired by the fun they’d had and then visiting a Moravian wine cellar where they realized that the two seemingly disparate experiences actually had a fair amount in common, namely singing, food and drink, and communal fun sharing. Their karaoke box club is called be kara OK! and can be found on Legerova street just a short walk from Wenceslas Square. The difference between karaoke boxes and the more common karaoke bars is that the former is meant to be more private in that separate themed rooms are available for groups of people to enjoy themselves and get a little foolish without a huge roomful of strangers watching. be kara OK!’s rooms include the sci-fi inspired Galaxy, King (Elvis Presley dominates this one), Jungle, Sweet, and Kabuki. Each box has its own sound system; a touch screen system to order food and drinks; light effects; barcoded songbooks in English, Czech/Slovak, French, Italian, Russian, German, and Japanese; and soundproofing. There is also a sushi bistro upstairs that serves sushi incorporating elements of both the East and the West. Get in there and get those vocal chords going!
be kara OK! Legerova 78, Prague 2 Tel.: 222 240 035, 720 365 044 www.bekaraok.cz
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POKER
Text by Gordon Walker
Poker Psychoses An aspect of poker play that is absolutely vital to long term success, but mostly overlooked, is the psychological side of the game. It is actually incredible to me that such an important set of skills is so fundamentally ignored by so many. If you listen to players talking about the game, they will either be discussing theory, particular hands, or why they think such and such a player is either great or terrible (usually terrible). Occasionally there will be a small bit of analysis of their own psychological state for a particular session, particularly if they felt they went on tilt, but that is generally it. I am going to look at six things to pay closer attention to and think about both at the table and, especially, away from it if you have any desire to be a successful player for more than just a session or two. The first area, and the most basic, is your mental state when you decide to play and then during the session. This is an area that has been much discussed, so I’ll keep it simple here. You should not be depressed, mulling over problems from work or a relationship, on drugs (and alcohol is a drug), angry, or distracted in some other way. Obvious? You would be surprised how frequently I see this basic rule being broken. While playing refrain from any of the above as well, and monitor yourself occasionally to be aware of how you are feeling and whether you’re focused or not. Anger, especially at other players, is an especially dangerous emotion at the table and can be quite expensive; so can boredom, by the way. The second area is tilt. Understanding that good games are always going to produce bad beats is essential. Taking that understanding and using it to avoid going on tilt when
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someone makes a horrendous play to beat your straight on the flop is something many players forget to do. Do it. If you can’t, make sure you get up and walk around any time you realize you are fuming. The third area that needs to be addressed is having an awareness of our own game. How good of a player are you? Most players vastly overestimate their abilities. Do you think you could survive in a cash game against five or six well known professional players for any significant amount of time? If you do, you are probably deluding yourself and this delusion will prove costly. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your game and then do the same with players you see often. Once you can make a good estimate of your own abilities you will be better able to use another critical skill, game selection. If you are not paying attention to how you rate as a player vs. the others at the table you are thinking of sitting at, you are costing yourself money. A very good player will be a loser over time if he always plays with only great players. Then there are two skills that are on a deeper level that are related to each other: understanding your motives for playing and understanding the motives of other players. Here are some reasons people play poker: To make money, release from stress, escape from unpleasant everyday reality, gamble for fun, gamble because they are compulsive gamblers, enjoyment, nothing better to do. Among players who play a lot, the most common reasons are to make money, compulsive gambling is in their blood, or they simply really enjoy it. Knowing why you are playing and what this says about how you will play is important to understand. If you are a compulsive gambler who has chosen poker because the odds can be in your favor, realize that you will have to deal with a constant desire to be ‘in the action’. These factors affect others as well, and understanding and using this information will be a profitable endeavor. Good luck.
EDITORIAL
RELAX
Relaxation Beyond Prague During the Christmas rush, rest your mind and body in the quiet and serene mountainside setting of Špindlerův Mlýn and rejuvenate yourself at Hotel Praha’s Spa Center. The spa offers a wide range of services and treatments such as a swimming pool with massage banks, countercurrent, watershots and screen; different types of saunas—classic, herbal, Russian, Finish, and Laconium (a low temperature version). In addition to the above, you can choose from a wide range of massages including classical massages to ones with aroma oils or Thai massages. Natural resources are what this place is all about. For the peat baths, pure peat is used, unblemished by any additional substances. The peat is mined in the Slavkov forest conservation area and is characterized by powerful effects on rheumatic problems and locomotive diseases. For the herbal baths, essential oils and tinctures from true herbs are used, which are added into the bath. You might also want to consider having a Cleopatra bath from whey made of the best alpine milk along with a bath oil made from wild roses. If you’re there for a cosmetic procedure, you’ll be pleased that they use marine-based Thalgo products and treatments for face, body, aroma-phycology, hydrotherapy, and post-depilatory.
EDITORIAL Think Again Issue #43 December 07 – January 08
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Publisher & General Manager: Kateřina Quirenzová Advertising: sales@thinkagain.cz Office
Editor-at-Large: Gordon Walker
Vinohradská 102, 130 00 Praha 3
Arts and Culture Editor: Lucia Udvardyová
GSM: 777 133 514
This is truly what is meant by pampering yourself.
Spa&Relax Center Hotel Praha Špindlerův Mlýn Tel.: 499 523 516 www.spindl-hotelpraha.cz
Publishing:
info@thinkagain.cz Contributing Writers: Travis Jeppesen, Laura Baranik,
www.thinkagain.cz
Tony Ozuna, Sinclair Nicholas, Tobias Moshövel
myspace.com/thinkagainprague
Contributing Photographers: Martina Šimková, David
MK ČR E 14587
Huitric, Lado Alexi, Ondřej Sláma, Vlado Miko, Jedi, Petr Marek
© No part of Think Again magazine may be reproduced without the prior permission of the
Art Director:
publisher. All opinions expressed herein belong to the
Cover illustration:
Patrik Svoboda /visualperfect.cz/
individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the
eBoy
The font used is Botanika /suitcasetype.com/
views of the Think Again editorial staff.
www.eboy.com
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