I was 14 back then with no local skate shop so getting my hands on a copy took a bit of work each month and usually involved a train journey. Commercially, the mid nineties skate industry was in a slump but the lo-fi D.I.Y ethic of the (mostly skater owned) companies just added authenticity to the whole thing.

When people are doing something for love rather than money, those scenes quickly attract and assimilate like minded individuals, equally interested in and open to doing their own thing. That attitude combined with the lack of any significant corporate presence made certain skate magazines of the era a hot bed of interesting graphic design, photography and art in general.

I want to share this Ari Marcopoulos feature in particular because it inspired me to purchase my first SLR and go on to study photography at College a few years later, but also because of the way it basically sums up a lot of what felt so visceral to me at the time… people just doing their own thing.

You can click on each of the images above for a bigger version but if you’re struggling to read the text or would like a better look at the photos, I’ve uploaded some slightly higher resolution scans here.

“Charting the genre’s growth from obscure origins in south London to global recognition today, the film features in-depth interviews with many of the DJ’s, producers and promoters who have been instrumental in Dubstep’s ongoing evolution.”

“Skream, Benga, Kode9 and Mary Anne Hobbs are just some of the key players who have contributed, reflecting on the movement they’ve helped shape; a movement that has come to define the importance of underground music in the 21st Century.

This highly stylised film travels from Dubstep’s birthplace in Croydon to Europe, Brazil and Japan, demonstrating just how huge an impact this initially indigenous scene has made at an international level.”

Support these guys if you can by grabbing yourself a nicely packaged copy direct from the source.

Really enjoyed this, always motivating to hear from high profile people who’s feet remain firmly on the ground.

This is great in so many ways. Using film footage, a well spoken voice over and some inventive animations, the makers gracefully explain the basics of computer operations. With such developed usability and interface technology there’s little need for an understanding of these fundamentals now days. If however, you’re unfamiliar with these concepts and have ever wondered how the seemingly inanimate object you’re reading this on does what it does then this is an elegant introduction and a great way to discover about the octopus that was doing all the counting inside your favourite 8bit games console.

Via A Kind Of Terminus.

The 11 episodes released so far include parts 1-6 of Skate and Create, parts 1-3 of Graffiti and a couple of brief artist profiles on Swoon and Os Gêmeos…

Visit the site to check out all the episodes so far at…

http://www.wk.com/wke/show/diy/

“The first incarnation of Element came in the form of a small collaborative, East Coast company called Underworld Element. Most often referred to as Underworld, the company was inspired by the hip-hop movement and used a mixture of urban styles and reflected a raw and controversial vibe.

Soon after its inception, Underworld was plagued with many challenges, and the business began to collapse. Its original crew had all moved on, and Johnny was left with two choices: either turn the struggling brand around, or abandon Underworld altogether and start something entirely new.”

If you’re into the documentary then the first Element video ‘Fine Artists’ (above) is a good follow up move.

“When built in 1913, the Michigan Central Station was the world’s largest train station. The station was built fairly far from the downtown, with the hopes that it would anchor further development in the area. The station was used heavily through World War II, though the Great Depression slowed development in the city.  Michigan Central Station saw declining usage shortly after. Unfortunately the station was never even filled to capacity with several upper floors never being used.

The station finally closed for good in 1988. It has stood empty ever since, and after years of neglect and deterioration, the Detroit City Council has voted to demolish the historic building, and bill the owner, Matty Moroun, for the costs.”

The above images and text where taken from a project page of Kevins on Behance Network, click here to view the entire set. Also via his Behance profile you will find a set of various night scenes from metro Detroit and his 100 Abandoned Houses project.

You can browse the full selection of Kevins work at www.kevinbauman.com/

This is to some extent a compressed interpretation of Dan Sicko’s book, Techno Rebels which comes highly recommend if you’re into the subject matter (a revised edition of which is apparently in development although the last update on that appears to have been in April).

Techno and it’s early roots in Detroit are the focus here. Unlike Sicko’s book which I remember as relatively reserved in it’s accounts, this initially suffers a little from the barrage of overwhelming ego’s on parade. There’s some pretty bold and potentially quite questionable statements being thrown around regarding certain individuals views on what techno is and who’s ultimately responsible for it, the kind of conclusions I would prefer to draw later for myself as opposed to being fed as an introduction. Don’t let this put you off though as it’s by no means a deal breaker and easily explained as an inevitable consequence of the level of passion involved.

It’s an informative story on a number of levels. A big highlight for me being the inclusion of academic Jerry Herron with his accounts of the city’s social and economic history of the last 50 years and it’s role in shaping the circumstances and environment in which all this could manifest.

If you’re not a fan of techno I would still suggest you give this a go. You may be pleasantly surprised and if it leads you onto the book, there’s a whole other level of in-depth and worthwhile material to be explored there in regards to creative drive and progression in general.

From Plexifilm…

“HIGH TECH SOUL is the first documentary to tackle the deep roots of techno music alongside the cultural history of Detroit, its birthplace. From the race riots of 1967 to the underground party scene of the late 1980s, Detroit’s economic downturn didn’t stop the invention of a new kind of music that brought international attention to its producers and their hometown.

Featuring in-depth interviews with many of the world’s best exponents of the artform, High Tech Soul focuses on the creators of the genre — Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson — and looks at the relationships and personal struggles behind the music. Artists like Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Eddie Fowlkes and a host of others explain why techno, with its abrasive tones and resonating basslines, could not have come from anywhere but Detroit.”

“MAKE IT COUNT is a four-part documentary, which showcases Element’s defining moments and delves into its compelling story. From its humble beginnings, to a forward thinking global brand, this film covers two decades of stories and imagery.

In creating Chapter 1 of 4, “WIND” Kirk Dianda (director) followed Johnny Schillereff (Element founder & president) and dug into his history, interviewing the very people that have shaped his life and the company. The opening and closing sequences give you a small taste of the diverse community of people interviewed for the entire project, topics covered, and nostalgia that was un-earthed.”

The remaining three chapters are to be released on the first of each month. Use the button on the bottom right of the player to view full screen.

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

Here’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.”

From their site…

“NEWWORK magazine is a large-format arts publication for Connoisseur of fresh ideas. Designed and published biannually by studio NEWWORK, each issue features new work from a wide range of artists and creators in the worlds of fine art, design, high fashion, culture, and politics. From art directors to business leaders, design students to curators, NEWWORK’s contributors are united in their passion to push the boundaries of their disciplines. Among the magazine’s special features are bold, custom-designed typefaces and a twist on the traditional newspaper format, offering a stimulating juxtaposition of striking design and everyday simplicity. Since pages can be separated, each layout can be hung on the wall as an individual art piece.”

visit www.newworkmag.com

From the BFI website… “Jennifer Baichwal’s award-winning documentary centres on renowned artist Edward Burtynsky whose large-scale photographs portray the devastating impact of industrial expansion on the environment.

Baichwal observes the artist at work amid some of the most surreal landscapes of the 21st century: China’s mountains of computer waste; the Yangtze River where whole towns are disappearing in the flooding caused by the Three Gorges Dam; the shipbreaking yards of Bangladesh; Shanghai, with its increasingly crowded skyline and millions of new inhabitants.

Eschewing polemics, Burtynsky aims simply to bring these landscapes into our consciousness, to provoke reflection on some highly inconvenient truths. Yet Baichwal’s film also exposes a tension between ethics and aesthetics: aren’t these images of apocalyptic splendour just a little too seductive? One thing’s for sure: it’s a terrible beauty that’s born.”

I saw this about a month ago and it blew me away. Although it was filmed back in 2006 it only saw a UK DVD release this week via the British Film Institute so I’ve been resisting the temptation to write this post until now.

Manufactured Landscapes is the most visually stunning documentary I’ve seen in a long time. It seems to have received a little criticism for the lack of any overtly ethical component in it’s narrative but for me that worked out well, providing an opportunity to absorb all the information on offer and consider the ethical connotations for myself once the film was over. As a film about social and economical issues, arguably perhaps it does lack something in addressing it’s ethical responsibility but as a film about a photographer and his work, I think it’s right on point.

I read another review where the author called the film boring (!!) which to me is madness. There’s no doubt this documentary takes it’s time but (in my view) anything else would be inappropriate and fail to do justice to the unquestionable depth and detail of Burtynsky’s work. For me, the combination of relaxed pace and calmly meandering, non didactic narrative was close to perfect. I seriously can’t recommend this enough.

If you’re still not convinced, there’s a well executed New York Times review here from sometime around the films US release date last year.

Finally, here’s a 10 minute compilation of excerpts from youtube…

I forgot about Epicly Later’d for a while so going back to check what I missed and finding this, really made my week. All 4 parts are going to take you over an hour but it’s so worthwhile.

From VBS… “This is the John Cardiel episode of Epicly Later’d. It began like all the episodes of the show begin, just meeting up with a dude to talk about skateboarding. But John is such a legendary skater with such a long and amazing personal history that to try and crush everything into a normal 15-minute episode would have been a joke. Over the course of filming and editing, this thing just grew and grew until now I almost want to say it’s a full-length documentary.”

“From his youth in the sticks of Grass Valley to becoming one of the most loved and respected skateboarders of all time to miraculously recovering from a horrific, paralyzing injury, we are proud to bring you John Cardiel’s story as best as we can tell it.”

You can find the clip above along with the remaining 3 parts at the Epicly Later’d page on VBS.tv

First up is a 6 minute film of a graff jam back in September of last year where locals were joined by writers from out of town to paint a 10,000 square foot section of the LA Rivers concrete waterway…

Next is an even older, 30 minute docu called Getting Up. Graffiti is big business these days. What started life as an illegal activity has spawned a far more socially accepted component with more and more authorized areas to paint and huge corporate entities like McDonalds and Coca Cola happily adopting the visual element to promote and package their products.

I’m going to avoid controversy and stop short of pushing any personal views but I think most people would agree that for all the advantages of letting people get on with their ideas without the dangers of being caught, the absence of that particular pressure means a large part of the original culture is lost. In regards to peoples motivations for being involved at least.

This film is very much focused around more traditional views of what Graffiti is about and as such, it gets a little over zealous at points. I’ll let you decide for yourself when people are starting to waste words . For me though, this is a reassuring little window into how, regardless of it’s long, ongoing proliferation into the mass media, the cultural roots of this are safe for now.

Here’s an essential addition to your RSS reader…

“The Big Picture is a photo blog for the Boston Globe/boston.com, compiled semi-regularly by Alan Taylor. Inspired by publications like Life Magazine (of old), National Geographic, and online experiences like MSNBC.com’s Picture Stories galleries and Brian Storm’s MediaStorm, The Big Picture is intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery – with a focus on current events, lesser-known stories and, well, just about anything that comes across the wire that looks really interesting.”

I would suggest checking out everything there as it’s all good stuff but some recent particular favourites for me were ‘Views Of Jupiter’, ‘Large Hadron Collider nearly ready’, Large Hadron Collider ready to restart and ‘2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony‘. Incidentally, if you’re not familiar with the Large Hadron Collider story, that’s really worth a peep too.

Homepage for The Big Picture photo blog here.

There can’t be many people out there producing electronic music that aren’t already familiar with the Amen Break to some extent. It’s quite possibly the most reused piece of audio since the introduction of sampling.

A few months ago, Nathaniel pointed me in the direction of this tidy and concise 18 minute youtube clip doing an admirable job of explaining the enormous significance of this 6 second drum loop and it’s influence on anything breakbeat related since. I never got around to posting it here and eventually it slipped my mind completely but after it was pointed out to me again this week by someone else (thanks qiU!) I thought I better share before it gets lost again among the mess of other ideas swirling about my mindtank.

Short 5 minute documentary behind the scenes of Wax Poetics Magazine. Hat’s off to these guys, nice to see anything with this much integrity continue to grow.

Pump Up The Volume is a three part history on the development of electronic dance music. Part one looks in detail at Chicago and the early roots of house as it grows out of disco’s remains. The second and third parts take you through Detroit techno, acid house, Manchesters legendary Hacienda club and the UKs widespread rave scene of the early 90s that gave birth to so many new styles and directions over the following decade.

I say this about stuff a lot but you should consider checking this out even if you think it’s not your area. Anyone who’s into the idea of subculture and watching something develop should get a lot out of these. Although at 3 hours in total you may want to drop a bookmark to come back for parts two and three…

Pump Up The Volume: Part One (58mins)

Pump Up The Volume: Part Two (49mins)

Pump Up The Volume: Part Three (58mins)

Mark Rothko born Marcus Rothkowitz (1903–1970) was a Latvian-born Jewish American painter and printmaker who is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he rejected not only the label but even being an abstract painter.

Below is an hour long BBC ‘Power Of Art’ documentary on his career. I have a few reservations about the way this is done but ultimately, it does deliver a solid picture of some of what the guy was about. See it through if you have the time, it’s a little dark in places but well worth it…

A name that gets less than it’s fair share of recognition is Natas Kaupas. To me, one of Skateboarding’s greatest strengths as a culture is its ability to be different things to different people and Natas really personifies what it’s meant to me over the years. The guy got involved on his own terms and carved his own route, that’s what it’s all about. Later, he would use that same personalized passion and drive as he began to get involved in related business ventures. Eventually finding himself as an art director he continued to turn his dedication and love for what he was involved with into some seriously fresh, original and influential styles.

Below is a 4 part ‘On Video’ biography on his career from pioneering skate legend of the 80’s to his post injury art direction of the 90’s. Don’t sleep on this if you’re feeling it’s not an area of interest to you, the cultural significance of this guys attitude and approach goes way beyond the context of skateboarding…