WESTWORLD ISSUE ONE 2016
ART, FASHION, MUSIC & CULTURE
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WESTWORLD 001 // OCT 2015
Editors Dulcie Horn westworld@westerneye.net Portia Lyons music@westerneye.net Elly Novick musicassistant@westerneye.net
WELCOME Welcome to a whole new year & a brand new edition of WESTWORLD. As you can see from our celebratory photo on the right, WesternEye won best society at the UWE society awards last year and this year we are striving to be even bigger and better!
Contributors Lewie Cox Viv Beech Tom Miller Maise Bleu Leavy Camille Loftin Mike Allen
As WesternEye’s artier, sexier little sister, we at WESTWORLD aims to have our fingers on the pulse of this fantastic city, and to be able to bring our readers the best of what is happening around Bristol.
October 2015
We’re not just looking for writers to review all the great gigs, plays, ecxhibtions and nights we get tickets to but also photographer, stylists, illustrators, graphic designers etc. etc. etc. to bring all of our visual content together. Follow Us Twitter @WSTWRLD
On the cover:
Tumblr wstwrld.tumblr.com
Photography by Maisie Bleu Leavy, model Chloe Chapman. Read Maisie’s feature on page 4.
If you’re interested in getting involved then join our contributors group at facebook.com/groups/WSTWRLD. We hope you enjoy this compact first issue. Be sure to check out some additional visual content on our website WSTWRLD.tumblr.com & let us know what you think by tweeting us @WSTWRLD.
Contributors facebook facebook.com/groups/WSTWRLD/
ITS ALL GOOD Poem by Lewie Cox
Bask in it, make the most of it while it’s here, It’s not often you feel your problems disappear. Take note of how this feels and don’t you forget You don’t need to let such trivial shit, Get the better of you and make you feel down. It’s all good my friend, no need to frown.
Take a breather buddy, you know there’s no plot You’ve made it; you’ve got them - your eastern rock. It feels good feeling normal, you can finally think, No longer stuck out there on the brink Of what you can take; temporarily free. It’s all good my friend, for fuck’s sake, agree.
WIN TICKETS TO THE CLOTHES SHOW! Competition time.
The Clothes Show is returning to the NEC Birmingham from 4-8th December 2015. With over 350 leading fashion and beauty brands, non-stop catwalk shows, makeovers, manicures, beauty demonstrations and style advice, 2015 will offer an all-new fashion experience. WESTWORLD are pleased to give you the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the Tuesday of the year’s most prestigious fashion event for free! To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is email your name with the subject title ‘The Clothes Show’ to westworld@westerneye.net. One name will be picked out of a hat and the lucky winner will be announced on the 9th November!
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WESTWORLD 001 // OCT 2015
Last month saw the last chance for everyone to grab the last dregs of summer, with the dance festival, Tokyo World being held in Eastville Park. With promises of being as successful as Bristol’s other day festival Love Saves the Day, it did not fail to disappoint with thousands of tickets sold and the summer sun providing the perfect setting for the last festival of the season. Previously known as Tokyo Dub, Saturday marked the first Tokyo World festival showing the expansion of the event in recent years from its first year in Castle Park two years ago. This year also saw an increase in size from last year’s festival that also took place in Eastville Park, much to the delight of both the organisers and festival-goers who believed the stages were too close together.
Some of the revellers seemed to be enjoying the festival and fairly priced alcohol a little too much, with one man climbing up the centre volcano shaped stage, much to the delight of the crowd and disapproval of the security who aptly took him down! Described as a ‘real mix of Bristol’ by festival director Karl Smith, revellers were able to purchase a range of food as well as enjoying music from some of the finest musicians on the scene. Small stalls provided food from around the world and included Bristol’s finest Middle Eastern food chain, Biblos.
TOKYO WORLD 26/09/2015 - Eastville Park Review by Viv Beech
For those who were keen to party after the closing time of 11pm, an official after party was organised at Motion. ‘After World’ played host to some of the day’s headliners including Dub Phizix and Ed Solo but also featured legendary producer Breakage amongst the line-up.
PHOTO BY SHOTAWAY: WWW.SHOTAWAY.COM
Mixing the finest in dance music, with genres ranging across drum and bass, house, techno and dub, the festival really showed the essence of what the Bristol music scene has to offer. Performing amongst six stages and hosted by Bristol institutions such as The Blast, Shapes and Alfresco Disco. Headliners included Submotion Orchestra, Kurupt FM and Foreign Beggars, appealing to the vast range of audiences and age groups who attended from all areas of Bristol.
MINI SINGLE REVIEWS Reviews by Portia Lyons, Elly Novick and Dulcie Horn.
IBEYI STRANGER/LOVER
DIRTY DIKE FT. FLIPTRIX GREAT ATTEMPT
KALI UCHIS LONER
LANA DEL REY HIGH BY THE BEACH
This new offering from our favourite French-Cuban twin-sister duo mixes piano with electronic beats and of course their signature blend of gorgeous jazz-influenced vocals. This track sees the pair trying to work out a conflict with a lover… or is it a stranger? ‘No-one is wrong or right, let’s dance our way into a fight’. They’re playing the Trinity Centre on the 4th of November…definitely one not to miss.
Dirty Dike’s new album opener transports your mind into a dark and eerie place, with a crackling and distorted backing beat accompanied by personal and reflective rhymes. His melody is simply mesmerising to the human ear. Mastermind Fliptrix takes the track onto a whole new journey to shed light on the success of High Focus and UK Hip Hop.
This dreamy and soulful track, from Columbian pop-princess Kali Uchis, was written about being comfortable alone; “where everyone can just admire you from afar but have nothing to do with you”. The sugary sweet retro video is ace too, think Amy Winehouse reincarnated out of candyfloss.
This haunting new single from Lana Del Ray is a mystical masterpiece, a melody that transports you on its waves of harmonies to a place of tranquility. A perfect soundscape for autumn sunsets.
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WESTWORLD 001 // OCT 2015
TOM MILLER tommillerart.com
I'm Thomas Edward Miller and originally came from Trowbridge in Wiltshire before moving to jolly ol' Bristol to study. I studied Drawing & Applied Arts over at Bower Ashton for 3 years, being a really versatile open course I did a mixture of arty bits and bobs using drawing, sculpture and video to help with my main passion for slappin’ paint about. Painting with emulsion/acrylics and mixing in and out with inks, glues and aerosols I try to create somewhere surreal, something interesting to explore and nosey about in.
FEATURED ARTISTS
Artistically the Bristol graf scene was a huge inspiration and incentive for coming to UWE, artists like 3dom and Jago particularly making up the great surreal and down to earth community of painters Bristol has… doing their ting together religiously! But the lowbrow scene of San Francisco has been endlessly influencing me with abstracted surrealism from artists like Oliver Vernon and Damon Soule being some of my greatest influences but just as much as the epic works of the classics such as Tiepolo and John Martin.
The graduate feature.
I'm currently working freelance as a painter making the most of the opportunity to after having a solo show at 'its all 2 much' and bagging a contract with them for a year. I want to push myself to paint more and more in as many places as possible spreadin’ a load of good vibes too. Painting big murals round the world would be great and exhibiting and collaborating with some my heroes round London and SF are future goals but I just want to pay rent and paint for now!
For this month’s artist feature we spoke to some recently graduated UWE creatives about life-after-uni. If you’d like to be featured next time send us an email to westworld@westerneye.net. We’re looking for artists from all genres.
Read Tom’s full interview at wstwrld.tumblr.com.
MAISIE BLEU LEAVY itstandm.tumblr.com
My name is Maisie Bleu Leavy, I’m originally from Nottingham but now live in Bristol. For two years I studied Fashion Design, I really struggled on the course and realised designing and creating collections wasn’t my forte, especially as I can’t really sew let alone pattern cut. So for my final year I decided to switch to Fashion Communication as I became increasingly interested in photography and the other side of the fashion world. I usually tend to work with film and pushed away from digital as I like the idea of not knowing what’s going to come out and making sure each shot is perfect before taking a snap, it makes you become more precise and have a clearer idea on how you’d like the shoot to be and what you want your images to say. I tend to base a shoot around a chosen model rather than creating a set up studio with a selection of clothes, I like the model to be as natural as possible and pick them for their style and assets. The best decision I ever made was to move over to Fashion Communication, I was worried I wouldn’t get much out of the course as I hated what I picked to study before hand but since the change over I learnt so much, mainly about my own style and what interests me, people. I created small publications on documentary photography, shooting people in their own environment and style. It made me realise that fashion isn’t all about catwalks and really expensive clothes, fashion is a part of our personality a perception of style alters within each personality making us individual.
I’ve finished my three years at university but currently studying one day a week to complete some modules. Other than working in retail I tend to take my camera on the road with me and take photos of friends, club events and places abroad. In the future I’d love to work for a fashion magazine like ID, VICE or Dazed and Confused, only thing is that London really doesn’t appeal to me, I love Bristol too much. I’d like to get an internship with Crack Magazine. As well as photography, music plays a huge part in my life so working for them would be amazing! I don’t really have any precise career ambitions, I guess just to be comfortable and happy then the rest shall follow! See more of Maisie’s photos on wstwrld.tumblr.com.
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WESTWORLD 001 // OCT 2015
CAMILLE LOFTIN camillezoeloftin.wix.com
I’m Camille Loftin or Camille Sunshine! I come from South London init, spent a fair few years in right-on-in-Brighton and currently live in Bristol. I studied Illustration at UWE and I work freelance. I mainly work with pro-markers, pens and water-colour inks. My work ranges from an abundance of colour to graphic monotone with attention to strong line work. At UWE I got to experiment with loads of different materials and processes, including screen-printing, etching, learning how to bind books etc. Moving to another creative city with a huge hub of artists was good for me. Aside from illustration, I've always had a love for underground electronic music, which Bristol is king for. At the moment I'm keeping up my freelance illustration, working on commissions and building up my portfolio. I've most recently been producing paid artwork for Happy Daze, a Bristol based collective who organise nights fuelled on decor, music and good vibes, including their venue at Boomtown and new festival Hazey Daze, postponed for 2016…
SUBLOADED: 10 YEARS OF TECTONIC RECORDS
25/09/2015 - The Black Swan Review by Mike Allen
Friday 25th September saw Bristol’s pioneering dubstep night Subloaded return to The Black Swan for a one-off party to celebrate Tectonic Records’ 10th anniversary. As is common with these events the majority of the line-up was kept under wraps until the night but with a back catalogue as impressive as Tectonics, for people familiar with its contribution to UK bass music, this was not a night to be missed. Leading up to the night, Bristol native Rob Ellis, otherwise known as Pinch, the label’s creator and dubstep heavyweight, released subtle clues of what to expect on the night through the Facebook page leaving the rest up to peoples imagination. Upon entry the official line-up was distributed on small slips of paper with a slightly satirical disclaimer warning people of the infrasonic frequencies that would be pummelled out of the mighty Jah Lokko sound system throughout the night.
KAHN AND NEEK PHOTO BY MIKE ALLEN
“If your chest ain’t rattlin’, it ain’t happenin’”
For those that don't know infrasound is noise that is lower than 20hz, a frequency range that is also used for monitoring earthquakes, mapping rock and petroleum formations underground and studying the inner workings of the heart. These frequencies are so low that the human ear cannot even detect them so you might ask, why bother? Well if the music is being played through the speakers at a high enough pressure the infrasound vibrations can be felt around various parts of the body adding a whole new spectrum to the listener’s experience including wobbly eyes or an itchy nose. This is something any bass veteran can describe to you in detail. Sticking to its roots, Subloaded kept décor and lighting to a minimum evidently putting more effort into sound quality and creating a classic moody atmosphere with the use of a low glow over the decks. As people flooded into the infamous Easton rave venue Peng Sounds’ Ishan Sound took to the decks playing out a mix of his flute drenched rhythms and classic steppers to warm up the sound system and crowd. Next up on the Bristol-studded bill was local legend and Punch Drunk label owner Peverelist back to back with Hodge who played out a faster paced set with an array
of dub and techno sounds to really put the place into gear. By the time dubstep veteran Distance took the stage the main room was reaching capacity and the energy was high. Hands down one of the best sets of the night Distance started his set dropping tunes that took you back to the early years of dubstep and using his signature mystical sound pallet, put the crowd into a trance, the sub bass reverberating of the walls in a way it only does at the Swan. By this point we had reached the climax of the night and for the next three hours the stage was graced by some of the best producers, selectors and MC's Bristol has to offer. Bristol old boys Addison Groove, RSD, Blazey, DJ Die, Jakes and Joker all highly respected on an international scale played out crowd crippling sets with an eclectic mix of dubstep, grime, drum and bass, techno and everything in between. Thrown into the mix of this extremely rare line up were relatively new kids on the block Bristol bass ambassadors Kahn and Neek. Already with an impressive discography and releases on Mala's Deep Medi Musik, these two did not disappoint with a huge set starting with Peverelist's classic “Roll With The Punches”. They continued to please the crowd with tunes tapping into the nostalgia of people who have been religiously attending Subloaded events since its early beginnings in 2004. This left little time for the label owner, Subloaded creator and father of Bristol’s dubstep movement Pinch to play us what he had brought in his big bag of dubs. This however was not a problem as his masterful mixing abilities and on point tune selection did not need a lot of time to impress. Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end and when the clock struck 5 this good thing did. Pinch signed off with a heart felt thanks to everyone who was there and to everyone who made the night and the past 10 years possible for Tectonic Records, finishing on a positive by hinting toward another Subloaded event to be held in the near future. The success of this event and the sheer amount of support shown proves that Tectonic Records has a long future ahead of it and will continue to be a driving force within the heavy bass music world. This Bristol institution, which has in the past proven to face adversity head on and win, will keep pushing the boundaries and defy the rules of sound and genre. Remember… if your chest ain’t rattlin', it ain’t happenin'.
6 Bristol has collaborated with Music Against Borders to collect any unwanted musical instruments. Colston Hall wants the people in Bristol to polish their old brass and donate to the Calais refugee camp. The international charity is using the venue as a drop off point for any donations to be distributed to the jungle also known as the swelling camp. Instruments can be left at the box office at Colston Hall between 10am – 6pm up until October 16. Music Against Borders aims are to unify communities parted through war and give them the opportunity to take part in workshops and unstructured jams.
WESTWORLD 001 // OCT 2015
MUSIC WITHOUT BORDERS
Of course any musical instruments are welcomed but in particular they are on the hunt for djembe and doumbek type drums, children’s’ instruments and anything from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Across the next few months’ teachers will be putting on a range of different workshop where all instruments will be used. As well as workshops the instruments will be used to support the commencement of the migrant’s orchestra project, an exchange with UK based musicians.
BONFIRE NIGHT As the nights begin to draw in and the chilling autumn weather has emerged the smell of bonfire is just around the corner! For a chilled bonfire night, why not head down to the family orientated display at Bristol Zoo Gardens? There are even special low noise fireworks simply for the comfort of the animals (it is on a school night after all!). Or if you would rather a bit more entertainment get to King George V playing Fields in Downend on 6th November at 6pm and enjoy two displays, fairground rides, food, drink and a bar. If you’re feeling really adventurous Tremor & Swing’n’Tingz are hosting a bonfire extravaganza at Motion on the fifth with musical entertainment from Slamboree, amongst others, as well as promises of indoor pyrotechnics.
crowdfunding.justgiving.com/music-borders
THE ARNOLFINI X UWE
#WSTWRLD WHAT'S ON
Have you got a great gig lined up this month? Discovered an incredible club night? Found a secret underground exhibition space? Watched an eye opening local documentary? Stumbled across the best busker in the bear pit? We want to hear from you! Let us know your picks for the coming month by tweeting us @ WSTWRLD or tag #WSTWRLD in your Instagram pictures to show us what you’re up to.
With Bristol being a heart of culture, creativity and art, one of the great treasures it holds is the internationally renowned Arnolfini Centre of Contemporary Arts. This year UWE have announced a new partnership between themselves and the Arnolfini; around three hundred arts subject students will use the Arnolfini as the base for their creative studies. This innovative arts partnership will allow UWE and Arnolfini to share its resources, facilities, events, education workshops, academic research and much more; essentially leading a new path for a future of artistic partnerships and joining of resources. This will result in more dynamic exhibitions and talks to students at UWE and the visitors of the Arnolfini. If you’re now a student based at the Arnolfini we’d love to hear about your experiences, drop us a line to westworld@westerneye. net or tweet us @WSTWRLD.
HALLOWEEN Arguably the best weekend in the social calendar, Halloween in Bristol always has a lot to offer and this year is no different. Kick off your freaky fun on the Friday at Wide Eyes’ huge Halloween Special. Everyone’s favourite Tuesday club night really pulls out all the stops for its Halloween extravaganza, spreading across not only Lakota but the Coroners Court and Blue Mountain too. With tickets starting at only £8, don’t snooze! Saturday, of course, is the infamous Bristol Zombie Walk and this year it will be kicking off at 12pm from College Green… if you haven’t been before, definitely check it out, all the undead shuffling, bus stopping, gut throwing zombie fun you could possibly ask for. All Hallows Eve itself brings the pretty much legendary Just Jack Halloween Freak Boutique back to Motion featuring a headline slot from Ricardo Villalobos – expect top class production and a whole heap of house and techno across the huge four-room warehouse venue.
JUST JACK HALLOWEEN 2014 PHOTO BY KHRIS COWLEY, HERE & NOW