FULL FLEX EXPRESS – TICKET 4 SALE
Ok, so you may have heard about this re-creational Janis Joplin-esqure tribute tour that Skrillex and Diplo thunk up one inordinately frosty LA winter afternoon called the Full Flex Tour. they thought to themselves, “Hey wouldn’t it be awesome to recreate her 1970 cross-Canada tour where she got freaky on a VIA RAIL train with the Grateful Dead and The Band?” (yes this really is how festivals are born.) Along for the ride will be Pretty Lights, Grimes, KOAN Sound, Tokimonsta and more.
HOWEVER! This tour is less about practicality than it is simply enjoying the ride. When asked about the run of dates, Skrillex said “we were really inspired when Mumford and Sons and Edward Sharp and those guys did a train tour. We wanted to do it as well and share this music with people across Canada. Just to do it and have fun.”
And fun will be had. So much fun that I have a friend’s ticket available for sale. Please contact me at ASAP as I hear the show is actually sold out. Original cost was $60.05, and because you’re awesome too, the $.05 will be waived, at your convenience. ;)
Locals Only Fest – Summer 2012
A dusty gravel pit outside the Amsterdam brewery corralled by gourmet food trucks served as a soundstage for dj/producers at Toronto’s very first Locals Only festival, a concept that combined up-and-coming promoters, dj/producers and bands, backed up by visual arts from the Everyone Is An Artist agency (EIAI).
House music (and electro) was at last brought to Housey St. with live PAs from a handful of Toronto-based artists like, Kevin McPhee, Ryan Hemsworth, Jesse Futerman, Coleco, Nautiluss, and Sean Roman. They may not be getting the local attention they deserve, but when it comes to international affiliations, all are hold their own weight.
Up a ramp, a vacant warehouse space inside the brewery hosted bands for the night like Last Gang’s Nightbox whose recent accolades include a track on MTV’s Jersey Shore. But the real showcase was Blank Capsule, the elusive gothic/synth-wave side project of Bryce Kushnier aka Vitaminsforyou and the Jokers Of The Scene, one of A-trak’s early signings to his Fool’s Gold label.
There’s a lot for Toronto to be proud of, and the festival’s concept should continue into years, or seasons, to come, as long as scheduling can be kept on track, and maybe a bit more promotion would have helped out as well.
Scarves Of Paradise – Evil Monito
Shot back in the winter, thanks Jen Tse!
Scarves Of Paradise
Photographer: Dwayne Evans
Fashion Stylist: Jen Tse
Make Up: Onna Chan
Hair: Dat Tran
Stylist Assistant: Jesse Ship
Model: Tsanna (Sutherland, IMG)
Scarf: JUMA
Necklace: Rita Tesolin
Scarf: JUMA
Earrings: Rita Tesolin
Scarf: JUMA
Earrings, ring, bone bracelet: Dandi Maestre
Gold bracelet: BIKO Designs
Scarf: JUMA
Earrings: Rita Tesolin
Scarf: JUMA
Chunky Bracelet, earrings: Rita Tesolin
Bracelet: BIKO Designs
Classicworks Split 01 – Cardopusher & Nehuen
Classicworks is a brand new techno-inspired label to emerge from Barcelona, founded by producers Cardopusher and Nehuen. Cardopusher first flew onto my radar via a remix he did for Kalup Linzy and James Franco on their experimental drag-er-iffic “Rising” , a story that I covered for AOL Spinner (read article here).
The guys are very proud to announce its first high-octane release, ‘Split 01’ showcasing four new tracks of theirs. The duo like to say that they combine with more force that Voltron to present a blueprint for their own twisted vision of retro-futuristic club sounds.
CWS001: Cardopusher / Nehuen – Split 01 Video Teaser from Classicworks on Vimeo.
On the remix are a shuffley and deliciously textured Nick Hook (of Cubic Zirconia) treatment and Hyperdub’s DVA. I’m definitely Advance support comes from some greats like Lando Kal, Ikonika, DJ Orgasmic (TTC, Sound Pellegrino), Murderbot and a bunch others. Sounds like things will be pretty stellar from the looks of it!
Full release is out July 23rd, get a taste of ’em here!
Zed’s Dead w/ Omar LinX – The Living Dead
So apparently a lot of you out there are fans. The Living Dead is Zed’s Dead newest track to hit the digital dance floors. I’m posting this because Peter Greene, the guy who played Zed will actually be in the upcoming video, dropping in a few weeks. How fucking cool is that? Omar LinX also drops solid gruff bars, channelling a dusted up and dirty 90s Bruce Willis.
For The Record – Beat Junkie’s 20th Anniversary doc
“For The Record” … gotta love the play on words with this one. It’s been twenty years since the legendary Beat Junkies first shocked the Los Angeles hip-hop scene with their progressive approach to turntablism. To celebrate, the group has joined forces with LRG Clothing Company to present For the Record, the Beat Junkie Sound’s 20th anniversary documentary featuring A-Trak, Jazzy Jeff and other DJ legends about the group’s influence and impact on global hip-hop and DJ culture.
With stops in the United States, Europe and Asia, The Beat Junkie Sound tour begins in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 30, 2012 at the Echoplex with a special kick-off performance and exclusive premiere of For the Record before its slated worldwide, online release on July 2, 2012.
And it wouldn’t be an LRG project if there wasn’t some kind of apparel involved. See the limited-edition Beat Junkie 20th Anniversary hats and tees that will be available for purchase the night of the tour launch, premieres and tour dates. Check it all out at http://Fortherecord.l-r-g.com/
Innis & Gunn Canada Day Limited Edition
I sincerely hope Innis & Gunn’s Canada Day Scottish Oak Aged Beer (matured 49 days) brew sticks around for the summer, at least past Canada Day its self, because it was one of the tastiest and strongest (7.7%) I’ve had in a Glasgow minute.
Alongside Ale Malt, they added Aromatic Barley Malt which imparts the beer’s rich toffee colour and satisfying maltiness. They also used Goldings hops from three farms in East Kent to give the beer a bitterness to balance out the core malt sweetness. They then used slowly oak matured the beer to unlock the delicious flavours of vanilla and toffee locked inside the oak grain. What this means in english is an incredibly well balanced beer with rich graham cracker taste, seen sometimes in fall pumpkin-flavoured brews with a distinctive bitterness and subtle fruit flavours.
Official Tasting Notes
Nose: Oak, toffee
Colour: Auburn
Palate: Creamy, with toffee and oak, complemented by a vibrant, spicy Fuggles hop bitterness. Warms and mellows on the palate revealing a delicious malty character with hints of vanilla.
Finish: Biscuit malt and vanilla mellowing with time, balanced by an earthy hop bitterness.
Food Matches: Try with maple-glazed cedar plank salmon or alongside delicious nutty cheeses, such as Gouda.
The packaging for this year’s Canada Day beer has been created by Canadian artist Gary Whitley who won this year’s Innis & Gunn art competition. Being a proud Canadian, Gary was inspired to use the national emblem, the leaf of the Sugar Maple with its distinctive shape and vibrant colour, to add a sense of both drama and fun to his iconic piece.
Gary Whitley has been a professional artist for more than 30 years. His work, which takes inspiration from the great Canadian outdoors, is exhibited across the state of British Columbia and has seen him chosen as a Signature Member of the Society of Canadian Artists. We are proud to showcase his outstanding work in celebration of Canada’s national day.
Palladium Boots Seen on Karmaloop’s “The Product”
As part of their weekly product review video series, the Product, our good friends at Karmaloop give a quick overview of some of our latest styles, including the Palladium Sport Hi, the Slim Chukka, the Slim Snap, and the Pampa Hi LITE.
Hosts Holland Smith and Dani Concepcion present each shoe and talk about their favorite colors, style details, and features, while Chris models each style and chimes in as a die-hard Palladium fan noting that they are “the most comfortable boots” he owns.
Double Helix – Death Grips
New distortion magic from Death Grips. I really ought to get my scanner fixed so I can post up my interview with them published in Coachella’s CAMP Magazine 2012.
Diamond Rings – I’m Just Me
Toronto hero, Diamond Rings continues his global onslaught with his first release on Astralwerks Record, taken from his forthcoming album co-produced with Grammy-nominated Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Killers, Prodigy, UNKLE, Robyn). “I’m Just Me” is consistent with his ambiguous gender-bending visuals and lyrics. The video is fairly in line with his past productions, but according to John O, “[it] marks a shift towards a monochromatic color palette and visual aesthetic predicated on the interaction of light and form.’ Most importantly, ‘I’m Just Me’ represents the beginning of a new journey into the world of Diamond Rings.” The track is available now to download on iTunes.
In case you want more, (like, who doesn’t???), you can check out my interview with Diamond Rings in Spinner, or my review of his NXNE show last summer.
