Laura Siegel F/W 2012 @ MasterCard Toronto Fashion Week
Originally written for Casiestewart.com
Channel your inner urban goth with Laura Siegel’s bohemian-inspired Fall/Winter 2012 line. Models were dressed with bouffant hair and draped in flowy silk capes befitting of any self-respecting warrior princess. Others donned thick and chunky wool sweater dresses, and distressed infinite scarves. Her prestigious Parsons education has allowed her to think a little outside the box and has opened up doors to practical homeware like patchwork notepad and book jackets that are sure to catch anyone’s eye at the local Starbucks or Queen W. cafés. So would her ruck sacks and frilly black clutches.
Laura has kept up this season with her MO to produce ethically handcrafted easy-to-wear, textured designer pieces while enabling third world artisans to continue their creative skills. Some of her major accomplishments have included displays at Sak’s Fifth Avenue, features in Italian Vogue and a Rising Star award at Vancouver’s Fashion Week.
Juma Installation at Toronto World MasterCard Fashion Week
Originally written for Casiestewart.com
Toronto’s Juma, unveiled their Fall/Winter 2012 scarf collection at the Edward Day Gallery without the use of models, opting for an installation style event. An elite group of Monday night fashionista faves soaked in the wonders of Juma’s silky garbs. In case you didn’t know, Juma is a brother and sister team (Jamil and Alia) who create unisex, progressive ready-to-wear and accessories using their own digital prints inspired by art and travel. The upcoming season’s work was no exception and channeling aspects of local culture, and wildlife from the siblings travels in Thailand and Northern China but adding a spacey 60s mod vibe. I wonder what their trips are like. I can imagine they are quite unlike anything most family vacations I’ve been on!
Since launching their line in the 2003, the duo have relocated to New York where they spend half their lives, bringing some inspiration to their designs. According to Jamil, the two of them looked forward to “developing an environment that will embody the personality of the collection.” I guess this was true enough. The walls of the gallery were draped with dozens of scarves, not unlike the paintings that usually house the gallery’s walls, with glossy lacquered branches hanging here and there. It was well fitting as Juma’s scarves really are works of art that bring loud psychedelic burps pops of colour to the minimalist wardrobe that Toronto just can’t seem to escape from.
Aside from launching the exotic and always eye-dazzling array of garments and scarves Juma has been quite busy on other fronts brokering deals with Holt Renfrew, (now available in shops!) designing a tutu for the National Ballet of Canada’s 60th Anniversary, and also planning a new store opening, (location still being kept a mystery) but I’m guessing either Toronto, or New York.
– JESSE
MasterCard Fashion Week: Chloé Comme Parris – FW 2012
Originally written for Casiestewart.com
Black pantsuits were de rigueur at the Chloé Comme Parris’ Fall/Winter 2012 show. If it wasn’t a pants suit, it was bauble-studded epaulettes on three quarter length black latex inspired bondage tops, beige sheer blouses (with more studs) or aggro trench coats worthy of any self-respecting trench coat mafia.
The second movement showed off their outerwear collection that accessorized with what was either mink, coyote , or some other Nordic animal’s pelt embedded as collars or as full-length, high-shouldered vests. The Celtic braided headdress style, combined with the edgy fairy-like gowns left more than a few fans wondering if the Chloé Comme Paris sisters (Chloe & Parris) might have spent a good time of the last year watching Game Of Thrones on repeat.
– JESSE
TOP 5 ELECTRONIC RELEASES: FEBRUARY – AUX.TV
Ango – Another City Now EP
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Is Ango short for Anglo? Given that he hails from my favourite bilingual city to the north, this could be true. The six track narrative fuses late 80s pop, early 90s house and the smooveness of contemporary R&B. The record is apparently “a lyrically polarized selection of girl songs expressing the giddy way up and the painful way back down.” Ouch. What is this girl landing on?Another City Now is a solid fit to the LuckyMe roster known for their signature lush synths and soulfully uplifting melodies. Ango is also noted for his collaborations with Lunice and Azealia Banks. |
Gunslingers And Greenhorns – Poker Flat Vol. 9
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Poker Flat return with this ninth compilation featuring ten of their brightest new talent and grizzled gunslingers that will take you on a whistle stop tour deep into the Wild West of modern house and techno. Check out the freshest cuts from guys like Adultnapper, Ian Pooley, Roland Appel, and Sebastian San. For added bonus, there’s a full 16 track disc mixed and compiled by label honcho Steve Bug. |
Deadmau5 – Meowington’s Hax 2K11 Toronto |
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The DVD to accompany the mother of all Can-Con performances where little Deadmau5 brought down the house, errr, Rogers Centre, and earned a plaque for Canadian artist with the most tickets sold at an event. And also the largest congregation of glow-in-the-dark mouse-eared-wearing 20-somethings on ecstasy, EVER. The disc is about two hours long and I imagine it would be an awesome addition to any Deadmau5ers weekend pre-party routine. Sadly, the epic video screens that Deadmau5 funded on his own tab are not featured as prominently as they could be, and a lot of the highlights of this vid are of chicks gone wild, sitting atop bulky dude’s shoulders, which makes it best left as background noise. Sonically, it does redeem its self as it features 26 cuts from the show. |
DJ-Kicks – The Exclusives
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The DJ-Kicks shtick is to have a popular DJ/producer/band create a mix of some of their favourite songs of the moment, and the cherry on top is that they also have to create an exclusive track made specifically for that album. The album here is actually a compilation of all those exclusives from the past five years, and is the second ‘best of’ since 2006. Some of my favourites include “Pockets” by Four Tet, the epic 12 minute long “Feel So Good” (good, good, gooood!) by the Juan Maclean, and Scuba’s deep and dark 90s helicopter bass-y and ravey sounding “M.A.R.S.” |
Trevor Jackson Presents METAL DANCE |
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I used to be into EBM and Industrial music when I was in my teens because it was hard, raw and made liberal use of electronic styles. I’m probably missing something on a grander scheme of things because I don’t really understand why everyone cares about this ubergoth trend all of a sudden. Is it because the drag/witch house is running its self out so it’s now time to capitalize while we can on its secret origins? Anwyay, at first I thought they meant Steve Jackson, of the Fighting Fantasy book and dice fantasy game books, but no. Trevor Jackson is actually an art director and audio nerdophile who has a penchant for Alien Sex Fiend, Yello, Nitzer Ebb, Jah Wobble and Severed Heads. My teenage mid-90s self would be gushing if he discovered this one in the record bin. My current self wonders do I really need this nostalgia? |
Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month
Stuff we missed last month: January is usually deadsville for album releases but we missed Steve Aoki’sWonderland, featuring celebrity collaborations with Kid Cudi and Travis Barker on “Cudi The Kid,” Earthquakey People featuring Rivers Cuomo (a sure summer hit), and “The Kids Will Have Their Say” with Sick Boy and former members of the Exploited and Die Kreuzen. Also missed in January was Skrillex.
Things that didn’t surprise: Skrillex taking home a three Grammys – Best Dance Recording, Best Dance Album for “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” and Best Remix for Benny Benassi’s surprise hit, “Cinema.”
Things that suck: Every other guy and girl trying to do the Skrillex short/long emo undercut shave hair-do. Thankfully it’s more for the ladies.
Palladium Boots: Streets In Focus
Fresh Hype from Palladium.
SALVA, COMPLEX HOUSING: DJ COOL WITH PIRATING IF IT HELPS HIM TOUR
Posted on Feb 14th 2012 3:00PM by Jesse Ship
“I wish I played piano my whole life but at the same time, I don’t think I’d be where I am, coming at it backwards from a post-modern aesthetic shows in my music — and I’m glad to be where I am, regardless,” Paul Salva, creator of the surprise hit ‘Complex Housing,’ a fusion of abstract hip-hop, funk, Detroit techno and old school house, tells Spinner.
As a Chicago-native and child of the ’80s, the former turntablist who goes under the moniker Salva owes a lot of his fan appeal to dissolution of musical boundaries over the past decade. Less stylistic limitations means a potentially wider appeal and a more open-minded audience.
“It’s the cornerstone of me being able to be an artist; it’s unlikely that I’ll get negative online reviews from fans that like [LA] beat music because I write a straight, dark house tune.”
Not that he doesn’t respect time-tested crafts and tradition. Salva pays tribute to the masters, and believes that the most important thing for any musician or artist is history.
“For anyone who wants to approach being a master and honing their craft, learning the history plays a huge role. I tend to look backwards be it classic house, ’80s electro-funk, Miami bass, or early rap. But it can go both ways. There are young artists where ignorance plays a factor into accidental genius. For example, take the 20-year-old kid who just got Fruity Loops and is all of a sudden making the hot new sound. But if you look at artists who have been around for 10 years-plus, they’re the ones who can best keep a neutral perspective on trends. So it’s a mix of both.”
Salva is also head of Frite Nite Records, a deliberate nod to the campy ’80s horror movie. His label has little to do with vampires and slashers, but the name helps convey the kind of fun and knee-jerking vibe that he’d like to portray in their releases. He’s also fairly modest about things, using the label as a platform for friends and peers’ music that he believes in.
“Frite Nite is more of a crew; I encourage everyone to get other record deals. If someone is going to invest in your music, publicize it, I encourage that. We’re really an artist-run label.”
And artist-run labels understand the power of recently demonized torrents and other file sharing services like MegaUpload. Salva’s mostly an advocate for the proliferation of ideas when it comes to Internet culture — after all, as an underground artist, getting exposure is what allows him to keep touring.
“I know that a lot of my music is pirated,” he says. “The kids that are downloading are the kids that are going to come out to my shows and allow me to go out on the road. I’ll record music for free if it helps me stay out on the road.”
He agrees that the sharing of data and information shouldn’t be restricted, but with the entertainment industry flipped on its side at the moment, something should be done.
“You think the artists are suffering but it’s really hitting the corporations, which I couldn’t really care less about. However, with technology going the way it is, I really do think that they need to find a way to curb this stuff. They have to figure out a file codec or way to store files that you can’t illegally share. “
Sound Bite: Ian Battenfield Headley – Musicworks Spring 2012
I’m thrilled to be part of this issue of Musicworks featuring John Kameel Farah, Philip Glass, and a “Make Your Own Sequencer out of a Cigar Box For Just $30!” tutorial! I love that I was able to flex my intellect when putting this together. My article is an interview with Musicworks’ first annual electronic music composing contest, awarded to audio engineering wunderkind (I dared not use this hackneyed term in my article) Ian Battenfield Headley! My only regret is that I wish I had more space to include Ian’s cultural anecdotes on his trip to Beijing’s MusicAcoustica conference. Maybe I’ll add some of the notes later on.
“Break-ups: The Series” Submissions
Truth. Passion. Love. Hate. Submission.Hysterics
BRILLIANT!
Principle Creator: Ted Tremper
Improvised by:
Ep. 1 = Katy Colloton, Ted Tremper
Ep. 2 = Seth Dodson, Kellen Alexander
Ep. 3 = Paul Jurewicz, Cecily Strong
Edited by Ted Tremper, Mary Cait Walthall
Cinematography: Ted Tremper
Camera: Bobby Richards, Ted Tremper, Zeph Michaels
Sound: Bobby Richards, Ted Tremper
All Episodes Directed by: Ted Tremper
For more episodes please visit breakups.us
For questions or comments please email ted@breakups.us
Bassnectar Amorphous Music Mixtape Vol.7
I hung out with Lorin Bassnectar at a party he played at a venue somewhere off of Moss Park in 2004. He still went by Lorin at that time, and Ill Gates was still the Phat Conductor. I don’t think they knew each other yet. Lorin was a nice dude, we shared some casual conversation and some smoke. And that was that, anyway, enough of the rambling, here’s the mix tape and the track list for y’all:
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Thor Whiskey
BEHOLD!!! A great new nectar of the gods of has descended from high atop Highland Park’s secret Asgard brewery, which spans downwards, nestled twixt the wriggly roots of the hallowed tree of Yggdrasil. Both Loki and Odin can finally agree on one thing, Thor’s prowess in the distillery is unequaled.
Highland Park Single Malt Scotch THOR expression is the first release in a new series they have named the Valhalla Collection. And what mighty brew it is with a 52.1% abv, the limited edition whisky comes housed in a wooden frame, inspired from Viking long ships of yore.
I have yet to taste the mighty elixir as it isn’t out till spring, but I have been told it’s tasting notes are “concentrated and forceful, with bold waves of aromatic smoke. This whisky immediately commands your attention from the first encounter. Its high strength grabs the palate, refusing to let go. As its big flavours swirl around the mouth, some softer, sweeter notes develop, giving Thor an unexpected layer of complexity and depth. The finish thunders on, leaving behind the impression of both strength and foreboding.”
This fearsome brew packs a punch and will wallop your wallet with its $250 price tag.
