Andy Howell interview
Thursday, July 30th, 2009There’s a great interview with Andy Howell over at Slap magazine featuring his video part from Useless Wooden Toys and a selection of artwork.
I had a music post prepared for today but something exciting is happening tomorrow which I’m hoping this Howell interview may (loosely) work as a primer for. Check back Sunday / Monday for details.
Openmind / Strictly Kev
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009Kevin Foakes was a big influence of mine towards the end of the 90’s although it wasn’t until a few years later that I joined the dots together and realised how many of my favorite things he’d been involved in.
Under the Strictly Kev pseudonym, Foakes was part of the original DJ Food line up alongside Patrick Carpenter (PC) and Coldcut’s Matt Black and Jonathan More. A friend of mine picked up Refried Food sometime in 97 and it was following up on the remixers there that led me to the likes of Autechre, Fila Brazillia, Luke Vibert and Mathew Herbert. Shortly after, I discovered the Blech II mix that he and PC had put together, which for me still stands as one of the best examples of what you can make of a mixtape (look at that tracklist!).
Alongside the music and DJing, Foakes has delivered some seriously tasteful artwork as graphic designer at Ninja Tune. Over the years, he’s created a visual profile that only long term realtionships like this or The Designers Republic & Warp seem to yield.
I recommend you spend some time exploring the history of projects on his site. If you’re into digging for good stuff you may have missed, the connections to be found there are certainly worthy of investigation.
Crack And Shine
Sunday, July 12th, 2009This looks good… an intelligent book on London’s graffiti culture, from people actually in a position to comment for a change.
This book could be vital. For as long as I can remember, graffiti has been a prime candidate for appropriation by the seemingly infinite incarnations of mainstream media. The explosion in recent years of ’street art’ as an ambiguous tag for anything outdoors involving paint has done little to expose the real nature of the sub-culture that ad agencies still seem unashamed to pillage for a lazy fast track to an ‘urban’ aesthetic.
In a lot of ways, a low profile of the reality here is a helpful proponent in allowing it’s continued practice. The fact that such a raw, committed activity continues to burn so brightly despite the constant, overwhelming misrepresentation it receives is certainly reassuring. That said, it’s always good to see these things documented accurately at some point if only to provide a valid counterpoint for their bastardized commercial persona.
Pre-orders and further info at www.crackandshine.com
Love Story: The History of Love Park
Friday, July 3rd, 2009Here’s something tasteful to fill a half hour gap in your weekend. From the Winter 2004 issue of the long gone and sadly missed ON Video Magazine…
“Few skate spots on earth can claim the notoriety of philadelphia’s love park. its location and design have made it the focal point of east-coast skateboarding. for the first time, ricky oyola, stevie williams, josh kalis, kerry getz, tim o’connor, and a host of local notables tell the tale of this legendary landmark.”
