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.

Compiled and mixed in 1999 by an incredibly talented and criminally underexposed individual, this 90 minute session of dusty, low slung leisure is well overdue some additional ears. You can listen via the soundcloud player below but I’d recommend using the download arrow to the right of the waveform as you’ll get better sound quality that way…

S003: Donby – Too Much TV by Slide Music

I met John (Donby) in 97 via our Media Studies class at college. Quite quickly we found a couple of things we had in common, a general sense of contempt for the course we’d chosen and a great amount of music of the time. Being a year or so into my vinyl habit by then, I’d accumulated a real variety of records but was just on the cusp of funding my first pair of turntables. John, I believe was in the same situation. As a result, he became the person I would hang out with for long afternoon and evening sessions, sharing records, showing each other various mixes we’d come up with and just generally getting a sense of what was possible with the format. At disturbingly regular intervals over the years that followed he would casually pass me Cassettes, Mini Discs and eventually CDRs that consistently raised the game in terms of ideas and originality.

Musically, a lot had happened in the 90s. So much incredible hip hop, jungle, techno and house music but also so many labels who made it their mission to occupy the spaces between the more established genres of the time. Filtering the catalogues of labels like Warp, Ninja Tune and Mo Wax would reveal countless directions in which to explore a multitude of other independent labels pushing their own thing. My fast expanding record collection was consuming all these areas but for the first couple of years it was largely the jungle and drum and bass with it’s limited tempo range and relatively formulaic structure that was getting a look in on the turntables. These mixtapes my friend was passing me really changed my outlook on what was possible. Like many classic offerings from the likes of Coldcut and DJ Food, they illustrated there was a far less linear way of playing the game. Switching tempos and adding detail with samples and the first incarnation of Korgs Kaos Pad, the end result always highlighted the importance of doing your own thing. A fundamental principle I strive to lead with to this day.

Enough personal nostalgia, if we’re lucky John will allow me to share a few more of these in the future (because there is a lot of them) but for now I’ve dug up one in particular for a couple of reasons. It’s an earlier recording and perhaps in some respects less ambitious than many that followed, but the track selection is sublime and does a nice job of illustrating his ability to explore a certain area of sonic ground, drawing from a variety of sources to build an engaging narrative.

Throughout the years I’ve had the privilege of calling him my friend, John’s been an enormous creative influence and I know of a number of other heads who would say the same. Having typically kept a reasonably low profile he may not immediately be too enamored by the exposure here and as such I don’t want to blow up too much in the way of any current activities. The Donby moniker is now retired though I believe and in recent years certain West Country folk have been introduced to a new DJ in their area by the name of Ron Willis. Hopefully that’s a subject we can explore further in the not too distant future…

Seven years after his role as co-animator on Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 landmark feature ‘Akira’, Studio 4°C founder Kōji Morimoto revisits some familiar visual themes in this colourful music video for Ken Ishii’s ‘Extra’…

Akira appears to be Morimoto’s second time working with Otomo. He was also animator for ‘Construction Cancellation Order‘, a short story written and directed by Otomo for the 1987 anthology film ‘Neo Tokyo’. At just under 20 minutes, it’s good company for some extended coffee break action…

Construction Cancellation Order Part 1
Construction Cancellation Order Part 2

As an online project of it’s time, Miasmah played a significant role in the decision to realise Multilink in a digitally distributed format. It’s something we take for granted now but a decade ago, to see someone embracing the opportunity with such unique character and style was really inspiring…

Coming across Miasmah a few years ago when my world was less internet oriented, was a real insight for me. It showed me just how much potential there was to build yourself a platform online. Not only for exposing your own work but to act as the basis of a network, to communicate with other like minded individuals and lead to so many new friendships and collaborations. Multilink #08 (Dec 06)

I have a handful of personal favourites from this period (more of which will surface here soon) but this compilation in particular is a great example of the high quality content the label managed to deliver for free. A casual listen will likely provide a calming backdrop for whatever you’re occupied with but given your full attention, these 10 carefully sequenced tracks have the potential to be quite sublime. If you can afford to rest for an hour, I highly recommend spending the time getting properly acquainted.

I feel like there is so much more to be said about the early years of Miasmah, perhaps at some point I’ll ask Erik if he has time to answer some questions about it for the blog. As I said above, I’ll post some other personal favourites in the near future but in the meantime here’s links to the Lighted Apartment compilation and some previous coverage in the mag…

Download ‘Lighted Apartment’ at Archive.org: Release Page / Direct Download

Erik Skodvin Interview: Multilink #01 (Feb 05)

Miasmah Feature: Multilink #08 (Dec 06)

Was anyone else watching the sequences with the rings and seeing vinyl grooves? If you use the attached microscope on a lathe to inspect a lacquer or dubplate you’re cutting, they look a lot like a couple of these following frames…

Incidentally, if you like the NIN track in the video you can grab it for free as one of the first nine tracks from Ghosts I-IV (track 9 is pretty sublime too).

Source: http://vimeo.com/24410924

Their site appears to have vanished but you can peep more images and check out an interview over at UK Adapta.

“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.

Subtle and sublime video for Leftfields Swords, one of the highlights from their 1999 LP ‘Rhythm and Stealth’…

It seems like a brave move allowing the audio to shift back and forth behind the dialogue in each scene but the result here is great.

After the huge success of their first album ‘Leftism’ I remember some of the material from this follow up LP being delivered alongside pretty dramatic visuals like the Afrika Shox video by Chris Cunningham and the Guiness advert featuring Phat Planet. I’m not sure this video achieved such a high profile but in my mind it’s the perfect delivery for the track… different people in different places, each getting down with their own vibe.

Now go find yourself a copy without the dialogue and turn it up loud for that break around the 3.30 mark.

Sepalcure – Love Pressure EP [HF025] by Hotflush

I was originally a little disappointed to find ‘Feeling That I Know So Well’ (the original track from the time lapse video) isn’t on this release. Not to worry though, being the gentlemen they are Praveen and Travis have teamed up with XLR8R and made it available as a free download to celebrate the new EP. Good work all round.

This guy seems comfortable with his style across a range of different scales (some of the aerosol pieces are big!). Check out the clip below to see one of the smaller ones coming together…

Visit his site for more… http://www.aryz.es

Originally released as 100 hand numbered promo’s back in 2008 (I’m not sure who sent me mine but thank you guys), this is well overdue finding it’s way online.

Grab it via the link below and keep your eyes peeled for part two later this year.

http://get-wise.tumblr.com/post/773789655/get-wise-volume-1

Props to Iloobia for the heads up above and big thanks to those of you that are still checking in here from time to time despite the lack of updates.

Posts here may have slowed significantly but there is still a pulse. This game’s not over yet.

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/

Written, directed by : Patrick Jean
Director of Photography : Matias Boucard

As the seasons change I find myself revisiting releases that have been hibernating, unnoticed in my itunes library for a while. Certain musical directions that for one reason or another I’ve come to associate with a particular time of year will stand out again when I’m browsing for a work soundtrack or something to keep me in a groove while I’m cooking dinner. This mix by 40 Winks often reappears around this time each year, maybe it’s the first few days of being outside in a t-shirt without freezing that does it…

S002: 40 Winks – Extended Leisure by slidemusic

As I said last time I’m not going to go in to any depth trying to explain the content of these mixes, you can scan them via the player if you want to get a feel for what’s involved. If you’re not familiar with what 40 Winks do, think along the lines of an adventure in laid back beats and narrative interludes.

You can stream or download the mp3 via the Soundcloud player. Enjoy.

1923 (aka Heaven) is one of two animation loops directed by Max Hattler, inspired by the work of French outsider artist Augustin Lesage (1876-1954). 1923 is based on Lesage’s painting A symbolic Composition of the Spiritual World 1923.

The second animation loop, 1925 (aka Hell) is based on Lesage’s painting from two years later A symbolic Composition of the Spiritual World 1925.

Thank you Lassi for the tip off on these. Check them out full screen and in HD for maximum effect.

You can find the image above among a selection of other work from Mr Young in our recent Capsule 01 print project.

LMG Interview with Alex Young

Forthcoming on Hotflush Recordings I believe, Travis (Machinedrum/Tstewart) and Praveen team up as Sepalcure. Accompanied here by time lapse footage of Sougwen doing her thing with pen and paper…

“Sepalcure’s combination of love for bass and 90s house acapellas is the culmination of a cathartic two week collaboration between Machinedrum and Praveen. Their mix of tribal dub, house and two step beats works equally well for both late nights in the club and rainy, introspective nights at home. Detroit techno chords cut through wooden beats, neon synths and dubbed out atmospherics. Future lovestep.”

Looking forward to the full release from these guys soon.

http://www.sepalcure.com

Sougwen is a featured contributor in Capsule 01

From the Serein website…

“‘Retold’ is an apt title for this body of work, at times light and serene, other times dark, brooding and sinister – Nest are expert storytellers. Taking cues from film soundtracks and contemporary classical music, the story is woven using a myriad of instrumentation. Dulcet piano tones are backed by string and horn arrangements, unidentifiable plucked instruments and the sound of the Welsh harp; often heavily processed, Retold is an album that has as much in common with experimental electronic music as it does with modern classical composition.”

“Nest is the collaborative project of Otto Totland and Huw Roberts. The first six tracks on this album were originally released in 2007 on the eponymously titled Nest EP; they are presented here again having been remastered alongside five new pieces composed in 2009. A revised edition of the track ‘Cad Goddeu’ was created especially for this release.”

Huw has been a good friend for a number of years now. Along with a handful of others who populate the contact list of my chat client on a daily basis, he’s the closest thing I have to any real work colleagues right now. Always on hand for discussion and feedback, his consistent high standards and objectivity are a real asset when I’m stuck procrastinating on a project that’s not progressing as I’d like it too.

You may remember seeing my original post on this blog when the Nest EP was released back in 2007. Huw had played me material he’d worked on previously but when it arrived back then the EP really blew me away and became an all time favourite that I’d go back to again and again. It’s one of those rare gems that’s so immediately accessible but also manages to reveal more depth with every listen.

Huw also runs the Serein label and when he explained his plans to make the transition from a back catalogue of digital mp3s to manufacturing and distributing physical product my first thought was how much I wanted a well crafted Nest release and in this regard ‘Retold’ delivers on every level.

An update to something with which you already have a strong relationship is often a cause for concern but the results here are very welcome. The new material sits beautifully alongside remastered tracks from the original EP adding new layers of depth and fidelity. I’m won’t say anything more about the music itself, you have the sample tracks above for that.

I’ve taken a batch from Huw that are available direct from our new online shop and although things may seem a little quiet around here from the outside, I’m working hard to get Multilink moving again at a proper pace. Purchasing products here is a great way you can help speed up the process and support the artists behind each project.

Buy Nest ‘Retold’ from the Multilink online shop (£7.99)

Let me begin by making it clear that the Capsule series is in no way intended as a replacement for the online magazine (which is still due to return in the near future), serving instead as a physical extension with it’s own functionality and agenda in line with the nature of the format. To explain a little further…

Since publishing the first digital issue of Multilink Magazine people have often enquired about a print version and expressed an interest in getting their hands on the featured artwork in a more tangible format. There’s a number of reasons why the magazine has always made more sense to me in a digital format both in terms of production and distribution as well as the flexibility needed to accommodate the diversity of what’s been featured in each issue. That’s not to say I don’t fully appreciate the desire to interact with content away from the computer sometimes. There’s so much to soak up online that it’s often hard to really give things the level of attention they deserve and regardless of what quality monitor you use it never really feels the same as leafing through well printed pages on a nice weighty paper stock.

Multilink Magazine has always been a purposely chaotic mixture of people and ideas across as wide a variety of disciplines as possible. The idea is to celebrate the diversity of creativity while at the same time trying to highlight the common fundamentals involved. This has meant issues of various sizes are released at irregular intervals, one of many logistical considerations that alongside the fluid nature of the content in each issue really doesn’t sit too well with the kind of unavoidable financial model required to produce and distribute a project in print.

Capsule has been conceived as a high quality and collectible series of art books and prints that span the same diversity of visual culture found in the free online magazine without the editorial. Many of the same principles remain in place such as the variety of content and desire to elevate some incredible talents, generally operating beneath the popular radar. But where the online magazine is a platform for all kinds of creative endeavours, these books and prints provide a more focussed catalog of art and illustration. High production standards have been a key consideration and considering what we’ve achieved with the magazine in it’s ‘virtual’ environment I’ve been keen to ensure that the physical quality of the end product justifies the move to a manufactured format. On a similar note, I’m happy to say that we’ve kept tightly in line with all FSC standards, using environmentally sound inks and paper from well managed forests and other sources. It was essential from the start to try and make the books as affordable as possible and collectible over time forming a much larger resource and archive. With that in mind they all feature an extra durable PUR binding to ensure you won’t find pages starting to drop out over the coming years. You can also open them up nice and wide too without worrying about any disturbing cracking sounds from the spine.

So enough introduction from me, follow the link below (or in the left hand menu) to see more details of who’s in the first volume. It’s currently available direct via our new online shop and will soon be joined by some initial limited prints from this volume and a handful of other non-Capsule related items that will also appear here on the blog in the coming weeks.

If you’re having any problems with the order process or have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to drop me an email via the address on the info page or via the contact page on the shop.

A new online issue of Multilink Magazine is incoming too I promise so please do keep checking back.

For more details and to order a copy at £7.99 click here.

“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.”

“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.”

Here’s links to the Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 posts with embedded video as above.

It’s been a while since I last looked at this stuff and made (then promptly lost) the mental note about posting it here, so big thanks to the good people over at the Nice Produce blog for posting it there and jogging my memory.

You can see more of Shohei’s work on his site… here.

Interesting stuff to look at on his blog too, probably a lot more interesting if you can read Japanese though.

“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.

With a well considered mixtape, tracks can be placed in certain contexts and you often end up hearing something familiar in a new light. There’s a lot to be gleaned about the person putting the mix together too, the variety of tracks and moods and the type of transitions between them all say something about that individuals relationship with the ideas they’re using.

So the concept is simple, I’ve got together a pile of mixes from friends and associates and with their permission I’ll be posting them at intervals here on the blog via soundcloud. Over time we should rack up an interesting archive from the past present and future. Enough introductory rambling now, on to the first installment…

I’m starting the series with a mix of my own from 2003 which may seem a little self indulgent though there is a specific reason for it too. Multilink wasn’t originally conceived as a magazine, it basically started life as a desire to get involved with creative people and projects of as wide a variety as possible. We stumbled into the idea of a pdf mag after Steve showed me Bloodwars and it seemed like something that between us we could get moving pretty quickly, so that’s what we did. With no experience of any conventional magazine editorial process, my plan was to approach the first issue as a mixtape only made with people and projects as opposed to 12″s and LPs and that’s basically what I’ve stuck with for all subsequent issues since.

The significance of starting our series with the Disengage mix is that it was planned and recorded during the same period Steve and I put together issue #01 of multilink. So as different as the end formats may be, I’ve always felt they shared a similar process in regards to selection and assembly.

S001: Leisure Management Systems – Disengage by slidemusic

I plan to avoid describing the content of each mix, opting instead for a little background info each time. However, if you do require serving suggestions then this one is probably well suited to long journeys or extended sessions of lazy leisure.

Download the mp3 via the arrow on the Soundcloud player. Larger front/back artwork and track listing can be downloaded here.

“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.”

I’ve no idea when I originally made the note about featuring these or how it slipped through the net, they’ve chosen a good day to resurface though.

For more images, news and prints visit www.kenichihoshine.com