The Vista Views - Southpaw
04.10.2011
"Southpaw" is an absolute gem of a song by Sydney's The Vista Views, the perfect soundtrack to this slow thawing of the winter we're experiencing right now in the southern hemisphere. What starts off as a chilly campfire elegy, quickly blossoms into a sunny, upbeat love song, complete with cult-like singalongs and handclaps. Definitely a band to watch...
Gentlemen of Bacongo
30.09.2011
Gentlemen of Bacongo is a book by photographer Daniele Tamagni, that “explores the phenomenon of the African sapeurs, a clique of extraordinarily dressed dandies from the Congo. In the midst of war and abject poverty, these men dress in tailored suits, silk ties, and immaculate footwear.”
Sounds like a pretty must-have coffee table book to me.
Some more info from Amazon...
"The arrival of the French and Belgians to the Congo, at the beginning of the 20th Century, brought along the myth of Parisian elegance among the Congolese youth working for the colonialists. In 1922, G.A. Matsoua was the first ever Congolese to return from Paris fully clad as an authentic French gentleman, which caused great uproar and much admiration amongst his fellow countrymen. He was the first Grand Sapeur. The Sapeurs today belong to Le SAPE - one of the world s most exclusive clubs. Members have their own code of honour, codes of professional conduct and strict notions of morality. It is a world within a world within a city. Respected and admired in their communities, today's sapeurs see themselves as artists. Each one has his own repertoire of gestures that distinguishes him from the others. They are also after their own great dream: to travel to Paris and to return to Bacongo as lords of elegance. Designer brands of suits and accessories are of the utmost importance to Sapeurs - Pierre Cardin, Roberto Cavalli, Dior, Fendi, Gaultier, Gucci, Issey Miyake, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Yohji Yamamoto are their patron saints. Unlike some US hip-hop gangs who are dressed in similar fine threads, there is no bloodshed here here your clothes do all the fighting for you, otherwise you are not fit to be called a Sapeur."
We Won!
30.09.2011
So we won the Pedestrian Blogster Award for the best design/photography blog! Yeuwww. Massive thanks to everyone who voted for us! Expect the standard of blogging to really start slipping as I descend into my Late-Dirk-Diggler period of cocaine, arrogance and abuse. It's been real!
Fela Soul
29.09.2011
Alright I'm not usually into mash-up albums, but hey this one just works! Fela Soul is the project of Amerigo Gazaway, who has seamlessly stitched together the jazz and funk of afrobeat icon Fela Kuti with the smooth flow of daisy age rappers De La Soul.
And even better the album is free to download over here! Gawn geddit.
Patterns of Science
29.09.2011
Ian Addison Hall's Patterns of Science collage series plays around with some cool vintage fashion photos, extending the patterns of the fabric over the models skin so they look like a bunch of retro superheroes. There is a much better arty explanation over at his website but for the time being let's go with the She-Spiderman theory.
Via Beautiful Decay
Cass McCombs - The Same Thing
28.09.2011
We featured this song on our latest mixtape the other day, but it definitely deserves its own post. Cass McCombs is the great American wandering troubadour, a pretty damn prolific songwriter who is about to release his third album in two years. This is the first single, a beast of a song that chugs along like a steam train, instantly causing you to tap your toes and bob your head like one of those toy pugs you stick on your dashboard. Definitely one of my favourite songs of the year, and I'm sure the album will live up to the hype too.
You can pre-order the album, Humor Risk, here.
Matt Nelson
28.09.2011
India has always been a part of the world I've wanted to visit. Mumbai-based Australian photographer Matt Nelson does an absolutely beautiful job of capturing exactly what it is about the people and the culture that fascinates me so much.
Check out more of Matt's work at his Flickr page.
Ilyaskin Andrey
27.09.2011
Ilyaskin Andrey is a 22 year old graphic designer from Moscow. His use of colour and the organic/cellular style of his art makes me feel like there's some kind of cosmic shit going on in a petri dish.
More at his website.
NONSTOP
26.09.2011
Generally my interest in dancing videos is limited to the slow motion backflip injury montages from So You Think You Can Dance, but this is definitely an exception to the rule. Marquese Scott aka NONSTOP is a 29 year old dancer from Georgia, USA, with a complete disregard for gravity and body mechanics. It takes a little while for him to get started, but stick with it! Amazing stuff.