Electronic Beats Magazine - Issue 04/2008 by Telekom Electronic Beats

Letter from the Editor

“BACK T O BA SICS” So winter is again upon us – and with it the festive

Also part of our issue is a focus on the trend for

season of Christmas and the New Year. It seems very

going back to using traditional techniques paired

un-jolly of me to mention the credit-crunch when

with high quality materials, as is apparent in many

all anyone really wants to think of is the other c-c

exciting brands – Mykita eyewear and artist/ jewel-

word, (that’ll be Christmas-crackers), but yet there

ler Arielle de Pinto are just two who we admire and

it undeniably is. As the world slides into economic

whose work we have chosen to highlight.

meltdown it suddenly doesn’t really seem like the

For the male London-dweller or indeed any fan of

right time to splurge on extravagant gifts for your

London shopping, you should prepare yourselves

loved ones or yourself.

for the ultimate guide to gentleman’s stores that

Luckily for you lot we have this Back to Basics issue

man-about-town Kevin Braddock has lovingly pre-

to show you that reigning it in a little really can be

pared. In here you will find the store to sell you

worth your while – why buy ten pieces of cheap

the wellies that will have you standing out from the

clothing that will only last you one year, when you

crowd at Glastonbury next year, where to buy the

can buy one beautiful high-quality piece that will

gourmet cheeses that shows any guest opening your

easily last you ten? Yes, you have to invest in it, but

fridge that you are a man of distinction, the suit to

that investment will in the long-run pay out. It’s

knock ’em all dead and the umbrella with which to

time to start seeing the sense in this way of think-

shield you and your pretty young lady’s head with.

ing, as Daniel West explains in his essay, Catwalk-

Doesn’t that sound divine?

Crunch.

So remember – it’s quality not quantity – which is a pretty good rule to apply to anything actually.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading Electronic Beats this year. From the whole team and myself, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Liz McGrath

CONTRIBUTORS

PEOPLE PUBLISHER PRODUCER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ART DIRECTOR FASHION & STYLE EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER PROGRAM MANAGER ONLINE EDITOR PROJECT DIRECTOR ONLINE ONLINE MUSIC EDITOR PRESS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS COVER IMAGE Lisa Borges ARTWORK / PHOTOGRAPHY

WEBSITE

Toni Kappesz Commandante Berlin Gmbh, Schröderstr. 11, 10115 Berlin, Germany Liz McGrath (liz@electronicbeats.net) Lisa Borges (lisa@electronicbeats.net) Sandra Liermann (sandra@electronicbeats.net) Viktoria Pelles (viktoria@electronicbeats.net) Leona List (leona@electronicbeats.net) Claudia Jonas (claudia@electronicbeats.net) Semir Chouaibi (semir@electronicbeats.net) Carlos de Brito (carlos@electronicbeats.net) Gareth Owen (gareth@electronicbeats.net) Michelle Kramer (michelle@electronicbeats.net) Gareth Owen, Daniel West, Kevin Braddock, Gavin Herlihy, Johannes Bonke, Neale Lytollis, Joanne Croxford Lisa Borges, Leona List, David Bornscheuer, Rainer Metz, Michael Mann, Attila Hartwig, David Cunning www.electronicbeats.net

RAI NER

DANI EL

KEVI N

JOHANNES

M ETZ

WEST

BRADDOCK

BONKE

Rainer Metz is a freelance stylist living

Daniel West is a writer and curator who

Kevin Braddock is Contributing Edi-

Johannes Bonke is the owner of the

and working in Berlin. After a couple of

contributes to Dazed & Confused, Time

tor for British GQ. He has written for

press agency d:press and is one of

years as a clothes designer, he discov-

Out and the BBC. He recently curated

The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times,

the youngest international interview-

ered his passion for creating new ideas

a documentary photography project

Sunday Times, Independent, Vogue,

ers working at present. In the past

from existing items rather than design-

for Saatchi & Saatchi and is currently

Director, Dazed & Confused, Elle and

six years, he has made around 700

ing them himself. A regular contributor

developing a collection of situationist

Wallpaper, and was previously Features

interviews with A list stars, musicians,

to the Electronic Beats’ fashion pages,

reflections on Berlin, his adopted home.

Editor at The Face magazine. He was

producers and directors, for over one

Rainer also works with various photog-

w w w . d a n i e l- w e s t. c o m

nominated in Writer Of the Year cat-

hundred magazines, newspapers and

raphers in the fields of fashion and ad-

egory for the 2007 PPA awards, and was

online sites from five countries.

vertising.

highly commended.

www.rainer -metz.de

INDEX

BACK T O BA SICS TUNE IN

F E AT U R E S

FOCUS

M O S T WA N T E D

06–21

22–29

30–49

50–51

NEWS . .................................................. 8 QUEEN OF CROCHET:

A GENTLEMEN’S GUIDE TO

GANG GANG DANCE........................... 10

ARIELLE DE PINTO.. ............................ 22

LONDON.............................................. 30

DUKE DUMONT................................... 12

MYKITA................................................ 28

CATWALK CRUNCH.. ........................... 38

DERRICK CARTER............................... 14

DENNIS HOPPER:

HEIDI................................................... 16

BALLAD OF AN EASY RIDER............... 42

ELECTRONIC BEATS FESTIVALS.............18

IN DEFENSE OF THE EIGHTIES.. ......... 46

WE DON’T ASK FOR MUCH................. 50

I NTERVIEWS

GET DRESSED

JET SETTING

HEAR THIS

52–63

64–75

76–89

90–99

CRAZY P.............................................. 54

BASICS ON SHOW.. ............................. 64

WOOLFY.............................................. 58 WOLFGANG FLÜR............................... 62

TIROL: TIME TO GET ELEMENTAL.................. 76

THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE.. ................ 90 MUSIC REVIEWS.. ................................94 MY MUSIC MOMENT: RAT SCABIES.. ..................................... 98

A R T WO R K

This wint er, Electronic Beats have held some tr uly memor able fes t ivals f rom Pr ague t o Berlin t o Vienna, read up on who dazzled mos t in our roundup review. We have some whit e -hot Ones To Watch - check out Duke Dumont, one of t he mos t exciting electronic producer s in t he UK t oday and Gang Gang Dance who have been t ear ing it up in t heir homet own of New York and have now set t heir eyes on t he res t of t he world. We also have R adio 1’s new darling DJ, t hat’ll be Heidi Van den Ams t el who’s giving you some Words F rom The Wise and house music legend Der r ick May is letting us know it’s Tough At t he Top.

LISA BORGES

Tune In

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Iosono at Tresor “I think it brings a lot of creative potential for the music industry, not just for the club. It’s a new start and I’m happy it’s taking place at Tresor.” Dimitri Hagemann, owner of the legendary Berlin techno club, is talking about IOSONO, a system which saw its club debut during Germany’s music industry trade fair, Popkomm, and which is being touted as the next big thing in audio technology. IOSONO is based on a concept called Wave Field Synthesis enabling it to recreate natural sound waves as opposed to merely amplifying sound. Another innovation is the way in which sound is transmitted; DJs use multiple audio sources in conjunction with a multitude of speakers – in Tresor’s case 800 – allowing them to position and move sounds to create a more textured, 3D experience. Gerald Moser, IOSONO’s Business Development Manager, explains: “In our case, DJs open up their creative work-

space by adding new sound sources. The artists who most benefit from this system are those doing multi-track productions. They can feed each track of their production into the system and can switch it on, switch it off, move it around, use certain filters on it, and use everything separated as opposed to a usual stereo setup where everything just comes out of two speakers.” Although IOSONO is already in use in a small number of cinemas and theme parks, this is its first tryout in a club context. Karlheinz Brandenburg of the Fraunhofer Society has already revolutionised the way we listen to music through his development of the mp3 format. He is also the brains behind IOSONO and was especially pleased to see it used in this way: “You really get to feel the music everywhere, so it’s a much closer experience. In fact, it’s a closer experience without having to be louder. It’s all about cleanliness of sound and immersion, the idea of being somewhere else. For me, the basic idea has been a dream for a long time and I think over time we will see it everywhere.” Headlining DJ for the night was Berlin’s Fidelity Kastrow; she’s played some of the hottest dancef loors throughout Europe and the US and certainly knows the difference between a good and a bad PA. “It’s amazing. It’s just really mind-blowing,” she gushed. “You just get so many ideas of things you want to prepare and how you want to change making tracks. It’s challenging but it’s very intuitive. I am just in the real baby steps of learning what the system can do for DJs.” With the system due to be fine-tuned over the next few weeks, IOSONO at Tresor could really set the standard for a completely new clubbing experience. But with a price tag of between three and five times as much as a standard PA, it’s unlikely that many venues will be able to afford it. Time will tell then if this really does develop into the Next Big Thing. Text

Neale Ly t ollis

P ictures

I O S O N O G mb H

Blau Our favourite boutique owner Nicole Hogerzeil has opened a new joint on Berlin’s Mulackstrasse. Check out her selection of young happening designer items such as Wolfen, Ayzit Bostan, Kunoichi and Nele J&P as well as cool vintage items by favourites like Golden Goose, Tsumori Chisato, Cacharel, Zucca and Isabel Marant. M u la c k s t r . 2 3 / 1 0 1 1 9 B erli n Text

S A N D R A L I E R M A NN

»BACK TO BASICS«

Pet S h op B oy s and Kompakt A relatively obscure eighties pop track, re-worked by one of the UK’s best-loved bands, released on a respected German label – if you thought that concept was a little too ambitious to be true, then think again because Pet Shop Boys have just released their latest single – a cover of the classic ‘I’m In Love With a German Film Star’ featuring vocals by Sam Taylor-Wood – on Kompakt Pop. On the surface it may seem a curious concoction all round, yet it’s perhaps the unlikeliness of it all that has ensured a striking finished product. Kompakt’s Michael Mayer explains how the single came about: “There’s a longstanding mutual admiration between Kompakt and Pet Shop Boys and we’ve loved their music ever since they started,” he said. “Neil and Chris discovered our label years ago and even came digging around in our record store. This is a special side project for which they didn’t want to run through their usual channels, and the song is about a German film star so Kompakt seemed a suitable harbour for it.” When the original was first released it was only a minor hit, yet it made a lasting impression on Neil Tenant: “I bought the original version by The Passions in 1981 and I’ve always thought it was a mesmerising track,” he explained. “We thought the song would lend itself to an electronic interpretation. I hope we’ve emphasised the sexual longing.” All the stops have been pulled out for this release which features a brace of sexy remixes, two of which come from Mark Reeder. Michael Mayer is hooked: “When I heard his mixes I was staggered. He totally captured the classic PSB sound. That’s something a 25-year-old minimal techno hotshot couldn’t have accomplished. I think his ‘Stuck in the 80s Mix’ rounds off the package in a very appropriate way.” And the striking cover art can leave no doubts as to which German film star Neil Tenant is in love with: “Marlene, because she’s so glamorous and has that wonderful husky voice!” Pe t S ho p B o y s - ‘ I ’ m I n L o v e Wi t h a G erma n F ilm S tar ’ feat. S am Tay lor - Wood is a v ailable n o w o n Kom pa k t Po p as a C D ma x i , 1 2 ” a n d 7 ” . w w w . p e t sho p bo y s . c o . u k | w w w . k om pa k t- n e t. c o M Text

Neale Ly t ollis

P icture

Pero u

Get Physical is 100 Releases Old! One of our favourite Berlin-based labels, Get Physical, has cause to celebrate this month as it’s 100 releases old. To celebrate this landmark occasion, the label has prepared a very special 100th release. GPM100 is comprised of nine disparate “battle” tracks from the label’s co-foundersand veterans, best known producers and recent signings alike: M.A.N.D.Y., Booka Shade, Italoboyz, Nôze, Dakar, Siopis, DJ T, Thomas Schumacher, Lopazz, Heidi, Einzelkind and Meat. What a roll-call! Highlights include old collaborators MANDY and Booksashade coming together again for the track ‘Donut’ - an incredible club track that also acts as a neat summation of Get Physical’s core qualities and aims. London-based Italoboyz and f lamboyant French showmen Nôze for atrack that’s a truly beguiling mix of 1930s style swingtime brass and pounding techno rhythm and we really love the track where DJ T (who co-founded Get Physical with M.A.N.D.Y. and Booka Shade) teams up with Thomas Schumacher for the brilliantly named ‘May Contain Nuts’: a jacking techno track that will whip any discerning dancef loor into a frenzy. We have loved dancing to Get Physical these last few years and we know there is much much more where this came from - We have the feeling that GPM are only just getting started! Here's a Hemingway shot to the next 100! w w w . p h y si c al- m u si c . c om

O N E S T O WAT C H

Gang Gang Dance Gang Gang Dance. Best name ever? Maybe. It’s rare that a band is asked to take part in New York’s Whitney Gallery biennial showcase, celebrating the cream of the New York Arts world but then, Gang Gang Dance are no ordinary band. They are one of a group of exciting, highly creative bands to come out of New York in recent years making the city once again a place where new breeds of music are cast and forged. TEXT

G are t h O w e n

Formed nearly nine years ago when Brian Degraw, Lizzy Bougatsos, Josh Diamond and Tim Dewitt decided to focus all of their thinly spread efforts on to one musical project, Gang Gang Dance have supported the likes of Sonic Youth, Architecture in Helsinki and The Black Dice, but are now set to take centre stage themselves. With a sporadic output and live shows on the wilder side of extreme, they have been until now the ultimate cult band. Sharing a scene with other innovators such as TV On The Radio, Battles and Animal Collective, Gang Gang Dance are part of a group of musicians and artists laying a new musical path, distancing themselves as far as possible from the likes of hipster revivalists The Strokes. Gang Gang Dance are not a conventional guitar band, although they use guitars in strange and unsavoury ways. They also use electronics, drums and experiments with Lizzy’s voice to either ethereal or unsettling effect. They create truly new and exciting music, not quite like anyone before. They look to the future and the present for their inspiration, finding it in the East London’s grime scene (Tinchy Stryder pops up in their latest album) the avant-garde, and the use of polyrhythm. They completely reject the existing templates in order to create something totally new. The idea of a listening to a Rolling Stones record for example, says Josh in a previous interview is not at all what they are about, “that shit makes me feel sick to my stomach”.

Their fourth album St Dyphna, which admittedly sounds like a water-born disease, has so many ideas crammed into its short, sharp 42 minutes that it feels like it will take the next 12 months to digest them all. From abstract noise patterns to droning synth workouts, Gang Gang Dance create the kind of music that on paper looks like the bastard child of too many creative minds and too many drugs, but in reality is the missing link between fun and the future. Their cacophony of rhythm alludes as much to dance or world music, as it does conventional pop. So much experimental music is too close to the cutting edge to be enjoyed, but Gang Gang Dance so completely embrace the unknown in their quest for something new, that they succeed in creating music that sets the pulse racing with its wanton innovations. At their intense live shows, where bone crushing percussion is fused to distorted electronics and Lizzy’s theatrical vocals, the band play in a circle, facing each other for a frantic, sweaty performance. And it really is a genuine performance. Where in the past they have been innovative, but perhaps too challenging, they have now managed to reign in their creative forces, and fused their myriad ideas into an accessible musical form without compromise. GGD are without doubt one of the most and interesting and exciting bands on the planet right now.

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O N E S T O WAT C H

Duke Dumont He may be irritatingly touted as the next Mylo. He may have come from nowhere to become one of the major label’s most in demand remixers. He may even be the unlikely link connecting nu rave, booty bass and the Panorama Bar but if truth be told Duke Dumont would rather be an A&R than one of the UK’s hottest new producers. A decade before he won Diesel’s prestigious U Music New Producer award (previous winners include DJ Yoda, the Infadels and Mylo) while other music industry hopefuls might have been dreaming about backstage partying or trashing hotel rooms, aka Adam Dyment imagined a perfect life scouring the music industry to release his brand of music. “I still think I’m a stronger A&R than a producer,” he says. Strange talk for an artist who in just a short two years has chalked up an impressive remix discography jammed with jobs for high profile stars like Missy Elliot, Mekon and the Mystery Jets. But don’t think for a second that he’s not in love with his game. Since discovering making beats thanks to a copy of Playstation’s Music, Adam has lived his life consumed by a relentless obsession with production. A twenty six year old child of 1990s London, his music could only have been fashioned by growing up in a city obsessed with homegrown bass obsessed genres like garage, drum ’n’ bass and dubstep. Although pegged to a different BPM his music pays a nod to all three and his productions have so far been championed by a diverse set of DJs including Erol Alkan, Switch or Jesse Rose. Tracks like ‘Hoy’ or ‘Feltham (the Borstal Beat)’ display a Timbaland style guile for chopping samples into block rocking party arrangements. His forthcoming debut album is hotly tipped to become one of 2009’s electronic music talking points even if he resents the pressure he’s been put under by being linked with MYLO [the Scottish electo star’s debut album was a hit in the US and UK]. “It’s’going to be my album [not Mylo 2].,” he says, “[the comparison] is awful, there are so many previous winners of the Diesel award who’ve won nothing but they never get mentioned.” Although his arrival onto electronic music’s main stage might seem quite sudden, it’s been a long time coming and one fraught with more than its fair share of hard knocks. Adam began his search for a job in the music industry at the age of 18 by buying a music industry contacts book and writing to every single record company in the UK to ask for an internship. None replied and when he failed his end of school exams, he took a course in audio technology before studying sonic art at Middlesex university.

“It was bullshit,” he says. “I studied for three years and learned nothing useful so I dropped out with six months to go.” Although a DJ from the age of 14, he couldn’t afford to buy expensive Technics so he bought a laptop, and inspired by garage classic, Roy Davis Jnr’s ‘Gabrielle,’ began making beats instead. Making tunes at home rapidly consumed his social life but after a year as a holiday rep in Greece to rethink his strategy he finally blagged a job in the industry on his return home. Working as an assistant for UK website Drum’n’ Bass Arena, he found himself in the offices of parent company, Ministry of Sound but was made redundant in 2006. “It was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” he says defiantly. “The problem with the music industry is it’s all based on exploitation. Companies bring in young enthusiastic people, pay them pennies and then replace them after a couple of years.” He didn’t remain downtrodden for long. A month later he won the Diesel New Producer’s award, an accolade he’s in two minds about. “Diesel don’t make the artists but they do press fast forward,” he says, “People, agents, mangers start to invest time in you, but that’s all it does.” In Adam’s case, the award lead to securing good management thanks to a run of top level remixes that have earned him his reputation and his growing ranks of tastemaking fans. His top three moments this year are when Laurent Garnier, one of his idols, raving about his Mystery Jets remix, Gilles Peterson, another idol played his track ‘Hoy’ and when a girl bared her breasts to the crowd at one of his gigs in London. As a DJ he’s been booked to play Fabric’s electro/booty friendly Friday night parties, as well as the Panorama Bar, but he counts a gig at the Manchester Warehouse Project as his favourite set so far. “It was a rare full on warehouse rave,” he says. “That experience was all the rage 20 years ago but now there aren’t really any proper raves now. The whole nu rave thing is all bullshit; a term coined by media twats.” For all the ups and downs he’s had trying to make it as a producer, he says the most important thing he’s learned is getting any further in his art is all about surrounding himself by real people. “There are certain people who work in the music industry so they can brag to their friend and guys and then there are people who work in supermarkets who can quote you person to person, record for record the history of house music in a couple of hours,” he says. “I don’t think I’ve got a love and hate relationship with the music industry, I’m just wise to the bullshit that goes with it.” TEXT

G a v i n H erlih y

I M AG E

R i c hard Kelly

»BACK TO BASICS«

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»BACK TO BASICS«

T O U G H AT T H E T O P

Derrick Carter TEXT

S ere n a K u t c hi n s k y

Derrick Carter is a true dance music icon. Credited with taking Chicago house global in the mid-nineties, he will be forever associated with a label called Classic and a sound called ‘boompty bomp’. Classic was founded in 1995 by Carter and his partner in vinyl crime, the London-based legend Luke Solomon.

Their mission back then was simple – to create a platform to promote their music and, hopefully, put out a few decent records. Starting their catalogue numbering system at 100, they aimed to work their way down to zero. Ten years and a slew of dancef loor classics later, including the likes of Isolée’s anthemic ‘Beau Mot Plage’, Carter and Solomon ran triumphantly out of catalogue numbers. Unfortunately by this point they’d also run out of cash, filesharing was rife and vinyl sales collapsed. A Classic era was over. Three years passed and Carter continued to play out all over the world, even finding time to put out the odd mix. But the fans wanted more, and so it seems did Derrick and Luke because Classic is back in a digital only format with a series of back catalogue remixes by new generation electronic producers. We caught up with the house master to find out what prompted him to give the legendary label a new lease of life.

W ha t i s your a l l t i me favour i t e C l a s s i c re cord a nd why?

H ow did yo u f eel whe n Cla ssic wa s shut d own in 2 0 0 5 ?

D o you eve r get t i re d a nd t hi nk you'l l s t op DJi ng?

I was relieved! I didn't want to have to deal with any more drama or hysterical industry demise type bullshit. I was kind of hoping that it would never be resurrected.

I’m always tired, but it’s not from DJing. I always say that the DJing I’d do for free, but the travel and time away from home is what you have to pay me for.

Who wa s behind t he decision t o br ing it back a s a d i g i t a l o nly label?

W ha t have b e e n your ca re e r hi g hs a nd l ows ?

Technically, Classic never left but if we want to assign blame then I’d say Luke. Though we both knew that putting out loads of vinyl was old hat. It was partly a financial decision and partly an awareness of where the industry is headed. Last time we got burned by distributors, shops and exporters. Not to mention the office costs and staffing difficulties. This way is much easier. Wh at' s yo ur favo ur it e n ew re m ix t hat Cla ssic is put t i ng out ?

I really dig my remix of 3rd Face’s Canto Della Liberta. It’s a classic boompty dub track. I s t h ere a new vision for t he labe l?

Make it good and make it hot, maybe? It’s the same old vision really - to put out records we like and not worry about what the rest of the world is doing.

I like them all, obviously, but my artist albums occupy a special place in my heart, especially ‘Squaredancing in a Round House’ (2002). Can we look forward to some new Classic parties around the world?

We’re working on a few bits and pieces. I can’t drop any info in print just yet. H ow h a s t h e re l a t i o n s h i p b et we e n yo u a n d Lu ke evo lve d ove r t he l a s t 1 4 ye a r s , a re you s t i l l f r i e nds ?

Well, on our first meeting I left him passed out in the toilets of this club in Chicago. We’ve come pretty far from that. I’d consider him a good friend. D oe s get t i ng ol de r give you a di f f e re nt pe r s pe ct ive o n p a r t y cul t ure ?

It has turned me into a jaded old man. I’m still pretty good at it though.

There are so many highs - getting to tour all over the world, making music and meeting interesting people. I guess the lows have been watching industry figures I’d grown to love pass away and losing friends because of my career. How doe s i t f e e l t o b e cons i de re d a da nce mus i c i c o n ?

Is that really how people see me? In that case I guess it feels a bit like being a big brother or a scout leader. Moments of pride interspersed with worry and concern. W ha t woul d you l i ke your epi t a ph t o b e ?

I don’t even care about shit like that. Put whatever you want on my tombstone or write whatever you feel in my guestbook. I live now. After that, who cares?

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A WO R D F RO M T H E W I S E

Heidi Is the Canadian born, now Berlin based DJ who likes to make people bounce around on dancef loors across the globe. She has recently become the host of her own show on Radio1 called ‘In New DJs We Trust’ spreading her musical taste to an even wider audience.

First and foremost I would like to quote my mother and most mothers around the world I think by saying “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. If you are standing on a dancef loor not moving with a frown upon your face you should go home and leave the fun for others to be had.

Canadians don’t really have a national food dish besides pizza, poutine (french fries with cheese curds and gravy) and chicken wings....oh yeah and mozzarella sticks. I’m holding a cook off next year to try and fix this problem. It’s sad when people ask me what Canadian food is like. It’s no wonder I’m obsessed with cheese.

When something is too good to be true it usually is.

On a non-dance music tip I would highly recommend listening to the band Deerhunter and their new album Microcastles I’m in love with it and you should be tooooooo.

It’s always good to have yourself a little hiphop party after a night of listening to house and techno music. If you haven’t tried it i’ll come to your house and hook you up with some serious old school jams free of charge.

If you find something that moves you in some way, share it with somebody. Its great to put smiles on other peoples faces.

Drinking straight vodka always seems like a good idea at the time: less calories but severe memory loss accompanied by black and blue bruises ususally ensues.

Not seeing the sun for two weeks starts to make people go insane. This winter take a short visit to your local wellness center. Go swimming, steam yourself until you can’t breath and bake yourself in a sauna. It will make you forget that it gets dark at 3pm at least for a little while.

Cheese is not made from the milk of cows or sheep or goats, it was sent down from heaven on a big cracker of love. Try as many dance moves as humanly possible until you find one that suits you. Everyone should have a move...mine is the pop pop lock. I could demonstrate it for you if this was a video interview. Going out with your mates and breaking a sweat whilst dancing to some serious grooves is the best medicine around. You just have to make sure that when 8am rolls around that you have someone to drag your ass back home and not to some hole in the wall, because that’s when pleasure becomes more pleasure and eventually pleasure’s friend PAIN shows up and smacks you upside your head.

Try and get as much sleep as you can. I’ve realized over the past three years that I have probably aged myself quicker than the average human. Trust me when I say when those lines start appearing you can’t erase them. Red wine makes everything look a lot nicer. Everyone who is a red wine drinker will hear where I’m coming from and if you’re not, try it, and you’ll see. Last, but not least, I’m going to give you someone elses wise quote because i thought it a great one to end on. Its by a man named Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it, boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

w w w . w ildeboo k i n gs . c om | w w w . p h y si c al- m u si c . c om

»BACK TO BASICS«

A YEAR OF FESTIVALS

Peaches Postbahnhof Berlin

Peaches

I don’t know about you guys, but we are all pretty exhausted! 2008 has been a monster year for Electronic Beats festivals, which have taken place across Europe in Bonn, Graz, Bratislava, Vienna, Prague and Berlin. Every single festival was completely sold-out and we think the artists and bands that played did themselves and us proud - the performance level was incredible this year! Whether it was Peaches or Santogold absolutely blowing everyone away in Berlin, or Booka Shade whipping the crowds into a frenzy in Vienna or Roísín Murphy shaking her thing in Prague. And judging by the feedback from the fans we’ve had so far, a lot of music lovers were made happy, so we’re feeling a little proud of ourselves too!

H e rc u l e s a n d Lov e A f fa i r

Santogold

We have just had our grand finale at the infamous Postbahnhof in Berlin on November 20 with an amazing line-up that included Peaches, Santogold, Hercules and Love Affair, Munk, MixHell, Missill and a special DJ set from members of Late of the Pier. A sold-out crowd of more than 1,800 music-loving fans packed the multi-level venue that included lounge and main-stage areas for dancing, chilling or soaking up the live performances. This was the first Electronic Beats Festival in Berlin and it proved to be the perfect place to finish off the festival series. Rookie DJ sessions in a lounge setting greeted fans upon arrival and warmed them up for a full night of live music and DJ sets. The Rookie Lounge was a special addition for the Berlin festival and where five up-and-coming DJs DSB, John Osborn, Paul Mogg, Elie Eidelmann and CDB played rocking beats in an intimate atmosphere. First on the main-stage was Munk, who performed for the first time with a band. The four-member ensemble played tracks from their last album Cloudbuster with the intention of warming up the crowd, which they more than achieved. Rising star Santogold was next on the line-up and jumped on stage to a roaring crowd. Outfitted in a vintage jumpsuit and gold Reeboks, she belted out tracks such as ‘L.E.S. Artistes’, ‘Lights Out’ and ‘I’m A Lady’ to her fans’ delight. Her on-stage presence really connected with the audience who sang and danced along with every song. The room was still pulsing when the highly anticipated Peaches came on-stage dressed in an over-sized bright pink jacket (one of many costumes she went through) and accompanied by a troupe of dancers plus her new band. With her face concealed in gold

M UN K

make-up and her hair sculpted into a high-top, she immediately launched into an amazing 19-song set that included hits such as ‘Set It Off ’ and ‘Fuck The Pain Away’. Residing in Berlin, Peaches commented before the show that the evening’s performance was a special one, “we have extra make-up, extra dancers and extra fun for tonight – because I really love Berlin and wanna do something special for you!” Peaches’ explosive performance was a hard act to follow but Hercules And Love Affair were up for the challenge and succeeded in keeping the crowds on their feet and the energy high. Performing for a second time on the Electronic Beats Festival line-up, their Berlin set was just as captivating as the first time in Prague with hits ‘You Belong’ and ‘Blind’ dramatically played out. Finishing their set with ‘Hercules Theme’, the curtain closed on the main-stage and the crowds moved downstairs to carry on the party with DJs Mixhell and Missill. Looking back on Vienna there were many highlights. It was our fourth EB festival there so it felt like very familiar territory and going back to see old friends! On October 18th over 1,500 fans packed out the gorgeous Museums Quarter – there to see Lo Fi Fnk, Whitest Boy Alive, Tricky, Bookashade, Gorillaz Sound System and DJ Observer. We loved it when Erland Øye (of WBA) came on stage and got the whole crowd to crouch down to the lowest position possible and then jump again. Bookashade were the stand-out stars and really delivered a stunning set, playing tracks from their new hit album The Sun and the Neon Light as well as classics from their debut, Movement.

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EB TUNE IN

In Prague on November 14th, over 3000 people managed to get themselves inside Prague's cavernous National Gallery. Local heroes Cartonnage took to the stage first with an energetic show of live electro, pop and guitars. By the time they had finished their 11-song set, and British funk outfit Red Snapper took to the stage the crowd was almost at capacity. As Red Snapper roamed the stage with their trademark blend of live double bass, hip-hop beats and a melodica the crowd began to swing and jump in anticipation for the headline acts. When Hercules And Love Affair took to the stage at just before 12, the party was in full swing, and after a rather natty improvised intro they were straight into the disco, with no let up from start to dramatic finish that had the crowd singing along. They even managed to fit in an inspired cover of ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’. Probably the only person on the bill that could top Hercules’ show was headliner Roísín Murphy (the breakout star from Moloko), and luckily she was on next. With three outfit changes by the second song, Roísín abandoned the slow numbers and went straight for the jugular with a riot of lasers, lights and electronics that had the crowds in awe (the lasers were an exciting new addition to the EB show – expect to see more of!) After a small break, it was time for The Orb to take to the stage with a whole new show that managed to be both danceable, and recall the classic chill-out sounds that they are known for. Finally, as the sun began to rise,

and the crowd had thinned a little, Mr Oizo took to the stage for a set of crazy electronics and techno that had the crowd dancing until the very last moment. So that’s it for this year. If you came to the Electronic Beats festivals, thanks so much for making them so very memorable. If you want to re-live the festivals and share your favourite moments with friends, then don’t forget to check out EB TV which is now online! At every festival we had our hardworking film crews there, capturing every moment as well as juicy interview footage from backstage and the fan madness from frontstage. We hope to see you all at the Electronic Beats festivals next year, which are promising to be bigger and better than ever! S ee i n di v id u al re v ie w s , films a n d p i c t u res of t he fes t i v als at t he bra n d s pa n k i n g n e w : w w w . ele c t ro n i c beat s . n e t TEXT

L I Z M C G R AT H

PHOTOS

Tobia S Kre u sler , O res t e S c haller , Tamas B ara k

Tricky

WhitesT Boy Alive

Roísín Murphy

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Ari elle de Pi nt o

QUEEN OF CROCH ET With an original approach to a traditional craft, 23-year old Arielle de Pinto has brought crochet well and truly out of cutesy or frumpy territory, and even made it art. Her unique jewellery designs have quickly become much coveted fashion items on both sides of the Atlantic, but the additional sensibility and unexpected nature of her work reveals her background in the Fine Arts. For this issue, the Canadian native â&#x20AC;&#x201C; now calling Brooklyn, NYC her home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; shares her considered thoughts on patience, modernity and the appeal of the grotesque. TEXT

Vik toria Pelles

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H ow, when, where and why did you lear n t o croch et i . e. wa s i t a c r af t yo u always pr actice d or som et hing you a ct ive ly l e ar ned t o c reat e t he j ewe lle r y and pie ce s for whi ch you’re n ow k now n?

W ha t ca n you s ay a b out t he i ns pi r a t i on for your wo rk? Th e c ro ch et t e ch n i q u e o r t h e ch a i n m a i l i n s p i re d g ot h i c m a s k s – t o me – s ugge s t a not i on of nos t a l gi a , a re t he re p a r t i c u l a r e r a s or hi s t or i c pr a ct i ce s t ha t fa s ci na t e you?

I learned to crochet a few years ago, (2003, maybe?) on a night where I just could not sleep from a Susan Bates learn to crochet guide, and a couple of tips from a friend of mine. I knew how to knit before that and have always worked with that sort of thing; macramé, friendship bracelets. It wasn’t too difficult for me to pick up. It was at a time when I had just started some fibre arts classes at Concordia University in Montreal. I learned how to weave, embroider, and we focused on crochet. Between those classes and a means to occupy myself for the long winters of Montreal, I never put the stuff down, kept learning from books, and I got really fast.

Anyone that remains loyal to handwork is inherently nostalgic, no matter what the finished product looks like. I definitely admire the amount of time that goes into handwork, and think that there is just something so special about it, but I am not a purist, and as much as I might covet traditional methods of creation, I am always open to new techniques, and am intrigued by technology. It pisses me off when I hear people who complain about how music will never be the same, etc. Even if I am not personally into T-pain, I think he is definitely a product of our culture. I just find hand techniques way more enjoyable than making a sketch of something and sending it out to be made, I like to be able to observe every step of creation. Before I was making jewellery, I was obsessed with printmaking, both from hand-drawn and digital techniques, but always with hand-made element.

What can you t ell us about t he crochet process i t s e l f ? I s i t m erely a means t o an e nd (t he f inishe d pie ce ) or i s t he re s omet hing about t he handiwork itself t hat you va l u e /a re i nsp ired by?

For a long time it was really about keeping my hands busy, and an effort to stay productive. I was working a lot in my classes, especially once I got really sick of school. By my last year of school, the one that was most difficult to focus on, I had already developed the technique of crocheting with chain, and had started selling some necklaces. Most of my classes were studio classes so nobody ever disapproved of my working. Now, I have become pretty sick of the technique. It’s not easy to do, as chain is a very unforgiving material, it has no give as most other fibres do so your hands and body have to compensate the tension. It does not happen easily, it is a constant struggle, and my body has taken a toll from that. On the other hand it has taught me an enormous amount of patience. I think in the beginning I stuck with it because I found the results so gorgeous, it made everything worth it. Now there are other aspects of this project that are challenging me, but I still enjoy the process of making the jewellery. T he int eg r atio n of opposit e s in you r d e signs (t r a di t i ona l t e ch nique/mo der n approach, d e licat e appe ar an ce /we i ght y f eel etc) – a deliber at e plan or somet hing t hat e m e r ge d i n t he p ro c ess?

I don’t consider the approach to be modern, I think it’s existed for a long time, I heard that you can by swatches of knitted silver chain at tiffany’s and people have told me of handbags from the 20’s that were made of crocheted chain. If I had deliberately making doilies and lace, and marketing the line to an extremely feminine crowd, I am not sure if anyone would be calling my approach “modern”. There is definitely a sense of age to my work, but it is ambiguous. As for the integration of opposites, that is more to challenge myself than anything, to try not to succumb to the obvious.

A s we l l a s huma n count e na nce, t he ma s k s have a l s o a n a n i ma l expre s s i on, whi ch a ga i n pre s e nt s a n i nt e re s t i n g i ro ny – t he i de a t o di s gui s e one s e l f a s more s ava ge r a t h e r t h a n civi l i z e d or re f i ne d. D o you s t r ive for s omet hi ng m o re p u re / re a l t hroug h your de s i g ns or pe r s ona l ly ?

I actually get fed up quite easily if I am making something and I feel like it is taking too long. The savageness that is in the masks in part just comes from the rejection of perfection, and my general reluctance to make a pattern of something, or even to plan it out before I make it. Sometimes I do go for a likeness of someone, but my perseverance of that is another story. I started working on a Trent Reznor mask but got bored with it, and now I am dragging around his hawk-nose and eyebrows everywhere I go. It is definitely the more grotesque aspects of people’s faces that attract me, and if I am attracted enough by one’s features enough to try to do a portrait out of it, the general sloppiness of the material itself will always emphasize anomalies. As for the notion of disguising oneself as less refined, isn’t that just more fun? There is so much pressure on people I think to have a clean and perfect appearance, and I understand where that comes from but it’s really boring. www.arielledepinto.com T H ANKS TO w w w . a g e n t u r v. d e

M OD E R N H A NDI C R A F T

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M OD E R N H A NDI C R A F T

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MYKI TA’S MA STER - CL A SS Whether it’s sunglasses or reading glasses, Mykita is the new hot label coming out of Berlin that is making a splash in the eyewear scene. With every stylish pair of glasses individually hand-crafted, it’s easy to see why. Get your glasses on!

M OD E R N H A NDI C R A F T

If you are a fan of luxury eyewear and haven’t heard of Mykita before, then consider yourselves introduced to the masters. They are Berlin-based but are appreciated worldwide by those in-the-know (that means Brangelina are fans!). What sets Mykita apart is highly innovative design teamed with oh-so-stylish shapes and colours. They have a remarkable technique for making their glasses - all of which are hand made - using simple plug connections instead of complex soldered joints and screws, while the frames are cut out of sheets of stainless steel and are then folded into form. For the acetate collection, the different pieces get milled out from the raw material (acetate) by hand, and then grinded down and polished, and then assembled. As a result, the glasses are featherlight. This winter sees the young company’s fifth birthday and to mark the occasion they have invited five artists to present their interpretation

of the brand. The illustrator Tina Berning, the artist David Krippendorff and photographers Florian Kolmer, Peter Lange and Otello Annigoni all put together artworks that were exhibited in Paris in November. Mykita are releasing a 150 piece limited edition collection called Platinum Pilots (using the ever-popular unisex aviator, coated in platinum) and every frame comes with a copy of the birthday book ‘5’. Mykita is available in carefully selected opticians and fashion stores - for further info check out w w w . m y k i ta . c o m .

A R T WO R K

Get ready t o go back - Daniel Wes t t akes us on a sar t or ial jour ney t hrough time and explains jus t why pigging out on fa s t-fa shion is so over! Kevin Br addock ha s t he ultimat e gentleman’s guide t o London shopping - f rom t he hand- cr af t ed umbrella and t he per sonalised s t ationar y t o t he t ailored suit and per fectly made shoes - for chaps wit h ser ious s tyle sav v y, we have spoiled you t his time! For even more quality don’t m iss Johannes Bonke’s fa scinating int er view wit h screen legend Dennis Hopper - on t he good old days of Ea sy Rider and why t he dr ugs don’t work. Enjoy going back t o ba sics wit h t his special Focus!

LISA BORGES

Fo c u s

»BACK TO BASICS«

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james smith & SONS

EB FOCUS

»BACK TO BASICS«

A Gentlemen’s Guide to London Text

KEVIN BRADDOCK

PHOTOS

DAV I D C A N N I N G

London is a shopper’s paradise, but some of the best shops don't happen to be the biggest. Instead, the oldfashioned little ones selling high-quality shoes, shirts, suits, boots and cheese (and even fried breakfasts) situated on odd, out-of-the-way places like Jermyn Street, Savile Row, The Pavement and Bethnal Green road are the real gems in London’s retail crown. Some of them have been doing what they do for hundreds of years – producing the best and usually the longest-lasting items according to traditions that stretch back many years. Brand like Trickers, John Lobb, Huntsman and Barbour have seen fashions come and go. They’re weathered boom and busts, wars and panics, and seen off the Swinging Sixties, Yuppie Eighties and the Hipster Nineties for one simple reason: they’re about style instead of fashion, and while fashion is transient, style is timeless. It doesn’t change, and that’s what’s good about it. It makes sense to spend your money on one item that works well and will last you a lifetime instead of ten that last a couple of months before falling apart. The boom in fast fashion means we can get catwalk looks on the high street three weeks after they appeared for a fraction of the designer price. But rather like fast food, bingeing on fast fashion rarely leaves you feeling satisfied. Stuff you can buy from these shops, on the other hand, will keep going as long as you do.

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paxton & whitfield

huntsman

Paxton & Whitf ield

Situated on Jermyn Street between shoe shops and shirt emporia, Paxton & Whitfield often seems incongruously located. But this traditional supplier of cheese, fine foods and hampers has always known that delicacies are as important to a man’s sense of happiness as the brogues on his feet and the shirt on his back. As Winston Churchill said, “a gentleman only buys his cheese from Paxton & Whitfield”.

paxton & whitfield

barbour

huntsman

Barbour

The timeless British rainwear brand has – literally – weathered the vagaries of fashion, survived the Sloane Ranger era and now shows signs of a resurgence among smart urban types who prefer understated quality to f lamboyance. Savvy chaps opt for the four-pocket International Jacket – perfectly suited for motorcycling, though it was originally designed for submariners. 123 Sydney St, London SW3 6NR. 0207 626 2924. www.barbour.com

93 Jermyn Street / SW1Y 6JE / +44(0)20 7930 0259 / www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

Huntsman

The rejuvenated Kilgour may grab more headlines, but the grandest and sportiest of Savile Row tailors remains Henry Hunstman. Established in 1849, it has dressed notables including Dirk Bogard, Peter Sellars and England’s 1996 World Cup squad. Huntsman remains the world’s best hunting and shooting tailor. 11 Savile Row, London W1S 3PS. 0207 734 7441. www.h-huntsman.com

E . Pe l l i c c i

Few of London’s great postwar Italian cafés remain, but E. Pellicci, halfway down Bethnal Green Road in the East End, is a classic of its kind. Visitors can enjoy the Grade II listed interior décor and marvel at the faultless service at the same time as feasting on the best fried breakfasts in the capital, if not the world. 332 Bethnal Green Road / London E2 / +44(0)20 7739 4873

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MOEN & SONS

TRICKERS

Trickers

If you can judge a man by his shoes, then few other brands make quite the right kind of impression as RE Tricker’s classic country Bourtons: heavy black, oxblood or tan calf leather brogues that shout substance and gravity, add a spring to your step and an inch and half to your height. Visiting Trickers’ Jermyn Street store is a step on the road to enlightenment for any man.

TRICKERS

MOEN & SONS

M. Moen & Sons

One of the key quality independent butchers leading the fightback against chain store domination, Moen & Sons is as much as deli as a traditional butcher. Sloane Rangers from across south London f lock here for organic meat and vegetables, cheeses, cold cuts and delicacies from the store’s weekly imports from France. 24 The Pavement, Clapham Common / SW4 0JA. 020 7622 1624 / www.moen.co.uk

67 Jermyn Street/ SW1Y 6NY / +44(0)20 7930 6395 / www.trickers.com

Smythson

Trumpers

Every bachelor needs a little black book, and Smythson’s range of luxury stationery offers a notebook for every mindset and occasion: consider the ‘Top Secret’, ‘Profound Thoughts’ and ‘Cellar Notes’ editions. Those wishing to make a real impression commission personalised correspondence stationery.

Recognised as the finest traditional barber shop in London, Geo F. Trumper Mayfair’s Curzon Street remains luxurious, refined and effortlessly charming. Aficionados recommend the wet shave service, though the salon is also reputed for its head massages, facials and manicures, but don’t leave without picking up some of Trumpers’ own splendid hair and skin products.

40 New Bond Street / W1S 2DE / +44(0)20 7629 8558 / www.smythson.com

9 Curzon Street / London / W1J 5HQ / +44(0)20 7499 1850 / www.trumpers.com

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butcher of distinction

A Butcher Of Distinction

A menswear boutique masquerading as high-class butchers, complete with tiled walls, meat hooks and chopping blocks? Exactly. Matt Paton’s store in East London’s Truman Brewery is as much as piece of retail art as it is a destination for acquisitive fellows on the hunt for Raf Simons, Margaret Howell, Baracuta, YMC, 6876, Ralph Lauren and more.

butcher of distinction

james smith & SONS

James Smith & Sons Ltd

Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery / E1 6QL / +44(0)20 7770 6111

The changeable British climate demands that no man about town should be without a decent umbrella, which is why the James Smith & Sons have remained the premier supplier of brollies, canes and stick in London since 1857. The Bloomsbury shop’s original Victorian frontage is an experience in itself, while inside the emporium is a matchless collection of beautifully made umbrellas and accessories.

www.myspace.com/butcherofdistinction

Hazelwood House, 53 New Oxford Street / WC1A 1BL / +44(0)20 7836 4731 www.james-smith.co.uk

Hunter

Alongside the boom in festival-going, the sturdy, functional gumboot has become something of an unlikely fetish item in the last few years. But the serious urban outdoors man would only opt for venerable Scottish brand Hunter in his choice of ‘wellies’. With a heritage stretching from hunting and shoot to showjumping, Hunter boots make a hero of every wearer. Hunter / 73-77 Regent Street / WIB 4EF /+44 (0)207 434 0880/ www.hunter-boot.com

John Lobb

Made-to-measure shoes may seem an extravagance in these austere times, but fans of John Lobb Ltd won’t hear a word against the world’s finest bootmaker. You’ll pay a pretty penny for a pair Oxfords or Brogues, but at least you’ll be in safe company: Caruso, Sinatra and Dean Martin all frequented John Lobb. John Lobb, 9 St. James’s Street / SW1A 1EF / +44(0)20 7930 3664 www.johnlobbltd.co.uk

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turnbull and asser

murdock

velorution

Ve l o r u t i o n (& Pa shley Bikes)

As London’s bike boom continues apace, Velorution has emerged as the place to buy classical, quirky and eccentric models from all round the world, including Brompton, Pedersen, and Riese & Muller. For gents with a need for speed, one model stands out: the Pashley Guv’nor, featuring three-speed Sturmey Archer gears and Brooks saddle. 18 Great Titchfield St / W1W 8BD / +44(0)20 7637 4004 / www.velorution.biz

Turnbull & Asser

Stepping into bespoke shirtmaker Turnbull & Asser is like travelling 100 years back in time while walking a kaleidoscope. Traditional City shirts, ties, cuff links, scarves, knits, dressing gowns and other dandy attire are displayed in such a profusion and intensity of colour that you might find yourself reaching for your sunglasses. It takes a man totally secure in his masculinity to wear clothes as gay as these. 71-72 Jermyn Street / SW1Y 6PF. +44(0)20 78083000 / www.turnbullandasser.com

Murdock

Leading the wave of MonTra (modern-traditional) luxury grooming salons in London, Murdock is fast become the place for a wet shave, beard-reshaping or haircut. It’s situated right on the carbon monoxide-choked stretch of Old Street, but through the doors you find a chappish haven of friendly staff and vintage mags with a well-sourced product portfolio including rare Santa Maria Novella cologne. Ask for Raymond when you book. 340 Old Street / +44(0)20 77292288 / www.murdocklondon.com

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Catwalk- Cr unch: changing fa shion for changing times Text

DANIEL WEST

I llustration

L eona L is t

“Fashion is a form of ugliness so unbearable we have to change it every six months,” quipped Oscar Wilde. This perpetual mutation that Wilde speaks of is driven by one simple thing: trends. They f low from catwalks down to the high street – or more recently the other way – with Utility replacing Goth replacing Bohemian. This obsession with newness and aesthetically-driven consumption might seem at odds with traditional manufacturing methods and eco-lifestyles, but new hybrids of sartorialism and sustainability are emerging. Brits are mad for clothes-swapping parties. Yanks are buying ethical goods en masse. Granny hobbies like knitting, darning and charity shopping have been re-discovered by the young, hip and fashion-forward. Out of all our consumptions, fashion most faithfully ref lects the wearer’s ideologies. Whether it’s Dior’s ‘New Look’ of the 1950s, the power-dressing suits of the 1980s, punk in the eighties or where we are now with Lanvin’s ‘austere’ A/W 08 collection – what you wear and how you wear it says more about the values you share and class you inhabit (or aspire to) than food, music or art. Even anti-capitalist movements like the Iranian revolution had a dress code: conformist men wore untucked shirts and beards, while rebels sported ‘decadent’ ties and the occasional moustache.

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Fashion’s development over the last decade says as much about macro-economics as it does about fabrics. Cheap credit and cheaper clothes fuelled a fashion revolution. Market stalls overf lowed with counterfeit tote bags. H&M invented now-or-never capsule collections that sold out in hours. Once no-no stores like Primark and Topshop were f looded with Givenchy and Gucci ripoffs at a tenth of the price. Skirts were so cheap you could buy them on the off-chance they might be worn. The encouragement to shop beyond your means came from all sides, under the banner of fashion ‘democratisation’. Catwalk outfits had never been so affordable; street style never so cool. Clothing had been transformed from a basic human need to a truly disposable commodity. Constant consumption was now your constitutional right.

“Now big spending carries more stigma t h a n b i n g e d r i n k i n g .” Rocketing sales were mirrored by a surge in anti-capitalism and environmental lobbying. Websites and citizen journalists exposed child labour for Levi’s, Nike and The Gap. Carbonconscious shoppers minimised their ecological footprints by not buying shoes. For the anti-conformists, non-stop shopping was replaced by ‘conspicuous abstention’, according to trends analyst Chris Sanderson of The Future Laboratory. These movements have been catalysed by the current credit crunch. As Western economies veer into the abyss there’s an everyday reminder to save cash. Credit card sprees were once confessed to friends with equal guilt and glee; now big spending carries more stigma than binge drinking. Going into the red is so last season – now glossie mags are running admiring articles on ‘women who live credit-free’ and how they manage it – back to basics in every sense! Hard-liners have rejected fashion wholesale, but more mainstream consumers have recalibrated their wardrobes without kicking the habit. British charity shops are booming as their winwin-win formula of ethical, green and cheap clothing attracts hard-up fashionistas. Profits at The Salvation Army surged by 64 per cent in 2008, and Oxfam raked in 21 million pounds. The Red Cross announced a five-year £12m retail investment strategy, with plans to open 20 new shops each year until 2012 and refit 140 existing outlets. The growth of charity shopping marks a curious role-reversal for city centres. These spendthrift Aladdin’s Caves once heralded the terminal decline of market towns. Like medieval doors daubed with crosses, they signalled the spread of a pandemic: malls. Bluewaters and Lakesides were to local businesses what

the Plague was to peasants: terrifying, unstoppable and deadly. But family firms, like charity shops, are back from the grave. As shoppers have tired of ubiquitous globalised wares, they’ve begun hunting for individuality. Traditional British companies like Smythson, Barbour and Trickers are enjoying a renaissance. Patronising a cherished stalwart of establishment style is less likely to prompt buyers remorse than a trip to Tesco. You’re supporting diversity, it seems, not just consuming. America’s shopping heritage is younger than Savile Row – and less blue-blooded – so activist consumers there are expressing themselves in a more populist, contemporary manner. Carrotmob are an embryonic San Francisco collective that rewards businesses which agree to go green. In March, its members stormed an off-licence, after it promised to invest 22 per cent of the shopping session’s revenue into energy-saving measures. The store won a bidding war to host Carrotmob, against competitor businesses that had each upped the eco ante. Attendees came dressed as hip-hop video extras and partied afterward in a nearby park, drunk on the alcohol they bought and the event’s success. Carrotmob’s next campaign has asked San Francisco cafés to make a video explaining why they deserve the ‘carrot’, and what they’ll do if they get it. An international web poll will determine the winner.

“A s s h o p p e r s h a v e tired of ubiquitous globalised wares, they’ve begun hunting f o r i n d i v i d u a l i t y.” Though Carrotmob haven’t yet bought apparel, their antics show how consumers are moving from an atomised mass to conscious, self-organising entities. Interventionism of this type is likely to remain a fringe activity, but it formalises a broader shift in consumer attitudes. Shopping is now seen as a way to enact and express your ethics, not just your aesthetics. It’s capitalism at its most democratic. Londoners are attempting to go one step better by removing the shops from the system. Clothes-swapping has popped-up in many forms, from invite-only friends parties to a weekly public club night at Shoreditch bar, Favela. Visa credit card company even opened a two-day swap boutique on posh Brompton Road, in a faintly duplicitous ploy to encourage fiscally responsible shopping.

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These different f lavours of activist shopping have been coupled with a rebirth of craft. In the early noughties, Naomi Klein’s No Logo book led to a trend of ripping labels off jeans. Now ripping has been replaced with sewing, as former customers turn seamstresses. Customising bought goods has been trumped by making them entirely yourself. Global knitting clubs like Stitch & Bitch have made the activity social and global, boasting chapters from Costa Rica to Singapore. Even ivory tower academics have jumped on the bandwagon: Richard Sennett called for a society-wide celebration of craft in his latest book The Craftsman. As well as making new clothes, it’s ever more popular to fix old ones. Products that age visibly are cherished rather than replaced in an increasingly virtual world. Young Berliners are sourcing heirlooms from grandparents, giving access to oldworld glamour and decades of personal meaning. Confronted with mass-desertion, the most progressive shops now brand themselves as activist retailers. American Apparel trumpets its downtown LA manufacturing and reasonable wages. Last summer it went one step further by opening branches of California Vintage – a new chain selling second-hand clothes from the USA. Filippa K followed suit soon after, though the paper-thin green credentials of both ventures are rubbished by the shipping involved. Even Vogue, that paragon of sartorialism, has recommended its readers buy one or two key pieces a season to keep forever. High fashion houses are banking this investment in quality, which mirrors the art market’s ‘f light to quality’ and the brokers’ ‘f light to gold’, will soften the impact of global recession. Prudence might be novel for the offspring of baby boomers, but it’s old news for the fashion industry. In 1940s Britain, ‘mend and make do’ was the mantra for women short on replacement garments. This spring, austerity returned to the haute couture lexicon. Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière used the word

to summarise his 2008 autumn/winter collection. One tier down in the fashion hierarchy, smaller labels such as Acne and A.P.C have enjoyed success of late with their unremarkable jeans, sweaters and cotton twill jackets. This may be mirrored more widely on the streets with a rise in plain, understated outfits. Fluorescent New Rave jumpsuits may have reached their sell-by date, but don’t throw out those plimsolls just yet.

“ E v e n Vo g u e , t h a t p a r agon of sartorialism, has recommended its readers buy one or two key pieces a sea son t o k e e p f o r e v e r.” Fashion is a wonderfully malleable system. Polycentric in nature, it adjusts and amends itself to unfavourable economic climates. Subcultures blossom and wilt as their trends percolate through society – the one constant is change. This time however, the change is practical and ideological, as well as aesthetic. Shoppers aren’t just updating outfits, they’re thinking long and hard about their own actions, and in some cases reversing their habits. It is probable that a decline in materialism, prompted by economic concerns, will find superficial aesthetic expression. What’s possible, and more exciting, is the prospect that materialism will remain at lowered levels once (if ?) the current recession ends. Shoppers buying clothes they needed, rather than fashion they wanted, would truly be back to basics.

Dennis Hopper

BALL AD OF AN EA SY RI DER Text

JOHANNES BONKE

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The s t at ement ‘Back t o t he Ba sics’ can be int er preted in many ways. But t here is one sure t hing in t his whole discussion: almos t nobody lived and breat hed t hat s t at ement more t han Holly wood movie legend Dennis Hopper, who dis t anced himself (and a whole ar mada of lat er al t hinker s) in 1969 wit h his g roundbreaking f ilm Ea sy Rider f rom t he petty, f lippant s tudio sys t em of t he f if ties where millions of dollar s were bur nt for s tupid, dull mains tream movies. While def ining what we call ‘independent f ilmmaking’ t oday, he discovered t he mir acle of t he essential ba sics also in hi s pr ivat e life; af t er decades of hardcore dr ug abuse, he f inally found t he ultimat e plea sure in somet hing he had always refused: a normal life wit hout extremes. We t alked wit h t h e 72 year- old legend in Cannes af t er t he world premier e of his new movie Paler mo Shooting, about new conser vative trends in o ur moder n society, t he wild old days and why he now consider s t he dr ugs of t oday way mo re dangerous t han t he s tuf f he snor t ed and swallowed back in t he day.

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M r. Hopper, how do you look back on Ea sy Ride r, a m ov i e t hat ch anged t h e whole f ilm ind us tr y at t he e n d of t he s i xt i es? Do you t hink we are maybe lacking ‘Ea sy Rid e r s ’ i n t h e m ovie t h eatres now?

It’s a hard thing nowadays for industry to entertain and still get a message across. There is a fine balance between making people laugh and making people cry. Hopefully, you have room for both. Because life has both. When you just mostly have one kind of track, it doesn’t really entertain. And Easy Rider entertains, because it’s funny and yet it’s serious. And the music... The story is really told through the music in Easy Rider, more than almost anything else. The music and the ride. The rest of it is pretty simplistic. Scores and drugs. You get on a couple of motor cycles, go across the country, meet a farmer and his family, meet some hippies, pick up a guy who is a lawyer as you get thrown in jail, because you’re marching without a permit on a parade. Take him along, come into the South and they beat you up because you have long hair, and they kill the young lawyer. And then eventually you go and have some acid with some prostitutes and so on in a cemetery and have a religious experience. And then the next day you die. It’s pretty simplistic. ‘Born To Be Wild’ and ‘Goddamn The Pusher Man’ is the music that goes through the film. C a n yo u ref lec t a little bit on how t he f ilm bu s i ne s s ha s changed sinc e Ea sy Rid e r ? Wou ld Ea sy Rid e r b e pos s i b l e t oday? Wo uld a f il m s tud io accept it?

The film business hasn’t changed at all. The only thing is that nowadays everybody is trying to make the big weekend numbers. If you don’t make the expected gross on the first weekend, they just pull it out of the theatres. But the movie business itself hasn’t changed. When I went on contract to Warner Brothers in January 1955, at that time we had a moral code that if you had a bedroom scene, you had to have both the man’s feet on the f loor. He couldn’t lay on the bed. If you had bad guys on your picture, you had to kill them at the end. So I covered all that in Easy Rider. There is no cussword in Easy Rider. We never say fuck, shit, hell or damn. But it seems like it and we’re playing bikers. And since we are the bad guys, our death at the end saved us from many kinds of problems – something has to happen to them, because they are drug dealers. We have all sorts of restrictions nowadays, but it is basically the same kind of code that we had in those days. But on the other hand I sometimes think that the sixties have never happened. We’ve gotten so conservative in the United States. It seems really strange to me. Janet Jackson during the Super Bowl is dancing with Timberlake and her nipple falls out. Nobody probably saw it on the Super Bowl at all. Now, the press all point it out, and it’s suddenly a big hysterical thing, that children may have seen ‘the nipple’. I mean, what are we talking about? It’s totally crazy at that level. I find the new Conservatives very, very strange people.

“I really enjoy being sober and being conscious and not living in some sort of oblivion. I prefer a conscious world. Not a n u n c o n s c i o u s o n e .” H ow d o yo u get a l o n g w i t h t h e i n d u s t r y n owa d ays a n d a l s o your col l e a gue s ? I me a n, I have n’t b e e n t he re, b u t I h e a rd t ha t t we nt y, t hi r t y ye a r s a g o i n C a nne s you we re h av i n g dr i nk s w i t h Ja ck N i chol s on a t t he b a r. T he re we re s o m e j o u r n a l i s t s a n d i t wa s a l l m i xe d u p. A n d n ow i t’s 4 0 0 0 j o u r n a l i s t s , t h e re i s I n d i a n a Jo n e s a dve r t i s i n g a l l ove r t h e C ro i s et t e. H ow d i d t h e i n t e r a c t i o n b et we e n yo u a n d t h e a ct or s cha nge ?

Things have gotten bigger. There is more press. The intention and the feeling of Cannes is still the same. I mean, it’s just bigger. I don’t find it any different. Except in 1968 when the students closed down the whole festival. But in sixty-nine we had Easy Rider here. I remember that Pablo Picasso came, dressed in a leopard outfit with a big paw. They refused to let him into the palais, because he wasn’t in black tie. I thought, man, that is ridiculous. But he got a lot of publicity. (laughs) Yo u a l s o g ot a l ot o f h e a d l i n e s b a ck i n t h o s e d ays , f o r b e i n g a f u l l - o n d r u g a d d i c t . I n 1 9 7 7 yo u s h ot T h e A m e r i c a n F r i e nd’w i t h Wi m We nde r s , a nd r umour s s ay t ha t h e s ave d your l i f e by he l pi ng you t o s t ep away f rom dr ug s . Is t h a t p a r t of t he re a s on why you de ci de d t o work w i t h hi m a ga i n o n h i s new movi e Pa l e r mo S hoot i ng ?

Well, certainly that’s not the reason why I came back. I came back because he is a lovely friend of mine and a great film director. But back in the days... I came from ‘Apocalypse Now’ to do The American Friend. And when I came out of the jungles in the Philippines, Wim described me as having jungle sores all over my body. So he gave me a hair cut and put me into Hamburg. It was like being in a blizzard, you’re lost, you’re going to die, and suddenly this Saint Bernard dog called Wim comes with cognac around his neck and saves your life. And that’s the way I felt about the situation at the time. B e hone s t : how l os t we re you a t t ha t t i me ?

First of all, let me just say, I haven’t had any alcohol or any hard narcotics in twenty-five years. But at that time, I was doing prob-

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ably three grams of cocaine a day and half a gallon of rum and twenty-eight beers. And I had a thrift of rum on the side in case I ran out. (laughs) So I started drinking beer all day long and I would drink mixed drinks, thinking I could get through the day. Then I would do coke so I could drink more. I was really out on the edge. W h a t wa s t h e t u r n i n g p o i n t t h e n ? Wa s i t m e et i n g Wi m Wender s? I n fac t, t he re are quit e a few repor t e d dr ug i nci dents af t er yo u shot t hat m ovie wit h him .

The turning point came some time later in my life, when my father died. I lost someone. That changed me. H ow do you look back on t hose wild year s? Do you s ay t h e re were go o d and b ad expe r ie n ce s, bu t I le ar n e d s omet hi ng f ro m it? Or do yo u say : oh my God , it wa sn’t ne ce s s a r y ?

Of course you learn something from all experiences. But it was certainly a wasted time in my opinion, now, when I think about it. I lost a lot of work and a lot of opportunities because of the drugs and alcohol. Do yo u h ave per son al re g rets, actually ? Or d o you s ay : I di d i t my way?

No, I did it. (laughs) I got through it. But it’s nothing that I’m proud of and it’s nothing that I feel regretful about. I don’t live in the past, and I do not live in the future. I try really to live in the moment. It’s pretty difficult to do that in these days with our cell phones and computers. I think we are living in some sort of cyberspace and not in the moment at all. But it has always been my attempt to live in the moment. I didn’t think of my life as being bad when I was snorting coke and drinking. I just thought it was out of control. I mean, when you wake up in blackouts and you don’t remember what you’ve done, that’s not a good sign. My life has become a lot easier, a lot more rewarding. I really enjoy being sober and being conscious and not living in some sort of oblivion. I prefer a conscious world. Not an unconscious one. Yo u lear ned yo ur le sson , bu t d r ugs are s till ve r y popul a r a mongs t young people. Can you compare t he old t i m e s w i t h what is h appening at t he m om e nt?

You know, people today – where we stopped taking drugs is where they start. I mean there are drugs on the market now that we never even heard of. I just have two young friends in mind, twenty-three years old in Toronto, they went out one night, they both went to their separate apartments – and they never woke up again. They got beat on some exotic new kind of drug. They weren’t suicidal, they were young guys. They are not doing it because they want to die, they do it because they want to have a good time. It is a tragedy. You know, I always felt that the government should legalise drugs, decriminalise drugs, so at least they can watch what people are getting and what they are doing and whatever. Because if people wanna take drugs, they take drugs.

This war against drugs is naive to me. They spend billions of dollars to fight something, it would be a lot better to just watch it on another level. They should certainly decriminalise marijuana, that’s ridiculous. That shouldn’t be classified as a drug as far as I am concerned. But heroine also is becoming stronger and stronger nowadays. It is a tragedy in general. It is an epidemic. It is all over the United States, not just in selected cities. It is everywhere. Wha t he l ps you t o s t ay i n t he mome nt t he s e days ?

I have a five year-old daughter. It’s really a pleasure to be able to see her, watch her. That gives me great pleasure. I have a wonderful wife. And all my children live in Los Angeles at the moment. Today I am bit more grown up. In my naive kind of way, I thought as a young man that the artist had the right to drink and use drugs and to experiment and live a life that embraces that kind of experience. Because reading wasn’t enough for me, I wanted to experience things. I wanted to know what van Gogh felt when he cut his ear off. I wanted to know what those things, those intense kind of extremes were like. And I found out. Fortunately. And they are extreme. But I’ve been sober for twenty-five years and I have a wonderful life now.

I N DEFENCE OF TH E EIGHTI ES “ T h e y P u t M e A g a i n s t T h e Wa l l . D e n y O r Yo u D i e .” ( Talking D r u m s | C o u rage | 1 9 8 3 )

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The eighties are often seen as the decade that style and taste forgot, with a soundtrack of some amazing pop and a lot of disposable crap. The era of big hair, shoulder pads, yuppies and cocaine. Huey Lewis And The News, Queen, Midnight Star and Jason Donovan clogging up the charts. For some people the eighties are a source of fascination. For others they are the years of hideous excess best left forgotten. Eighties’ fashions have been popular for the last few years - high top trainers, lurid colours, and leggings for example. Unashamedly eighties ‘sounding’ music has been in and out of fashion for even longer. No party is complete without every other song being an eighties pop gem. Rick Astley now has an ironic / guilty pleasure popularity that he would have killed a man for in his heyday. Every popular song of the eighties, ever, has been covered. There is a saturation of revivalism which often reduces the decade to cultural shorthand for naff cool. But scratch below the surface of this day glow beast and lots of credible things begin to appear.

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G are t h owen

OK, I admit it; I have always had an odd fascination with music from the decade of my childhood. But I love music of all types, from most eras. I love electronic music, music new and old. I love music full stop. But I also like diversity. And the most consistently interesting period, the one with the greatest amount of discoveries and interesting stuff for my inner geek? It is still the eighties. I don’t go home and listen to Dead Or Alive or Duran Duran. I don’t even listen to music from the eighties that often. I mostly listen to new music – it comes with the job, and I like that. But people can get very sniffy about music from the eighties. Or worse, they love it, “because it’s so cheesy!” All ‘Knock On Wood’ by Ami Stewart and ‘It’s Raining Men’ by the Weather Girls. Both of these viewpoints depress me slightly. Kenny Loggins, or God forbid Debbie Gibson will always have a novelty cultural value. But as long as they remain figureheads for what was eighties music, then so much other great music will be overlooked. So, as you see, the eighties can be a bit passé. On the whole the sixties and seventies are seen as a golden age in music, the nineties saw the rise of electronic dance music in the mainstream , but what about the eighties? There are loads of amazing bands that came of age in the eighties like Depeche Mode, or The Smiths or the mega pop of Michael Jackson and Madonna, but somehow they manage to eclipse their biggest decade with an enduring popularity. Clubbing and DJ culture, though not born in the eighties, certainly came of age at this time. Repetitive electronic music was first starting to appear in clubs, and many examples have stood the test of time musically and culturally. OK, there was some very bad pop music near the end, but club music from the eighties doesn’t deserve a bad reputation. House, techno, hip-hop, italo and electro. Types of music that

I llustration

L eona L is t

are now more popular than ever, 25 years after their creation. And what about all of the other weird stuff that people were making in the eighties? This was the decade where musically, there was not much need for revivalism. The growing popularity of dance culture and sampling in America and parts of Europe led to new sounds, new approaches and new ways of interpreting the past. A new musical culture with the result that fresh music was being created all the time. Now people are catching on. Attitudes to this enormous theological problem are starting to change. The popularity of people like Dirty Sound System and Greg Wilson, the return of ‘cosmic disco’ and the spread of edits in DJ sets, are all examples of how people are becoming more interested in mining the club culture of the early eighties, not just the music, but the whole approach. From the fifties through to the seventies, music was a slowly evolving beast, with everyone recycling and modifying ideas from before. Although a separate music underground first started to evolve in the sixties, with beat music, and then hippies, their instrumentation was largely the same as everyone else’s. In the early eighties the use of electronic instruments became much more widespread. Everyone from New York MCs to pop producers, to bored punks and out of work disco musicians had the opportunity to make music in a new way relatively cheaply. It also meant established artists experimenting with new, electronic instruments - Herb Alpert going sample crazy with Keep Your Eye On Me for example. This collision of artists, technology and ideas led to a glut of exciting new music in nightclubs. Yellow Magic Orchestra, Yello, Talking Heads, Allez Allez, The Cure, Cabaret Voltaire, The Human League, The Slits, Gino Soccio, Bobby O, Suicide and

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ESG. The list goes on. These artists were all making music that was markedly different to almost everything that had come before, creating genres in their wake. From this melting pot, in clubs, the repetitive elements grew into the early house and techno, first popularised in America by DJs like Ron Hardy - one of the first DJs to use loop ‘tracks’. There were warehouse parties going on in both London and the north of England in the mid eighties. House music was first played regularly in Sheffield in 1985. In Manchester, Greg Wilson was breaking electro from America mixing it up with early house, funk, and disco. Diversity was the key. However these eclectic times were not to continue. By the end of the decade, in the UK at least nightclubbing had again become tribal in nature, with divisions along the lines of race and music. It was as a reaction to this, that when house music and ecstasy combined the effect was so big. It completely changed the culture of nightclubbing, what was niche was now mainstream. And, in the process everything that had come before was promptly forgotten. As far as most people of my age at least were concerned, when it came to ‘dance’ culture and music, it just didn’t exist before the early nineties. In the UK, house music was king, starting with acid and Balearic, morphing into its many ecstasy fuelled sub genres. More dance music like jungle, and drum and bass came and went, and came again. Dance music occasionally lost out in the popularity stakes to guitar bands like Blur or arch revivalists Oasis, but it was always part of the culture. It just went through periods of being more or less underground, more or less aligned to guitar music. Techno further developed in Germany, centred on Berlin, where it became a force, which helped to cross the cultural divide opened up by the fall of the Berlin wall. The last 20 years have seen dance music evolve as a major cultural force. What were once separate underground dance music scenes in different countries is now a global industry. For better or worse, it’s the new rock music. Not always in the charts, but what most people listen to when they go out. In 2008, club music in popular culture, based on a repetitive 4/4 beat is nearing an age of nearly twenty-five years. A young pup by rock and roll standards, but still quite mature. Following the rampant experimentation within house and techno in the nineties producers now follow ever more rigid paths, marked by micro trends, and a short window of popularity. Whilst this can be interesting and exciting, some people are starting to look once again to the past for inspiration, looking at the other directions that electronic music could have taken. Almost all of the music that actually makes me want to dance at the moment is heavily connected to the past. There is loads of new music that I love, but not a lot that makes me want to dance so much.

The so-called disco revival is to me a much broader revival of sounds, ideas and attitudes from the eighties, not the disco loving seventies. It’s not revival for the sake of it, or for nostalgia, but as a reaction to what can be a sectarian club culture, where something from the past offers something at least as interesting as the present. Greg Wilson has said himself of his second wave of popularity that he only came back because he believes there was a desire from club goers for a more varied sound. Music from all periods can be made to sound fresh and exciting, highlighting the link between the past and the future. This is not about nostalgia, this is about ‘music is music’. This attitude ref lects how club culture was in the early eighties, and this is feeding back into club culture now, with nights that are beginning to have a much more varied mix of artists, DJs and live acts, benefitting from a very loose interpretation of the word disco. Some of the more interesting new bands don’t sound that much like the eighties, but they are taking ideas from the decade and further working them into new types of dance music that is neither house, nor disco, nor anything else. It’s a bit of them all, and something else entirely crafted into proper songs. People like Late Of The Pier, Mock N Tooth, Woolfy, Crazy P and Faze Action. The latest instalment of the Fabric Mix series has been compiled by eighties lovers Metro Area, and it sounds as it should, completely contemporary. Except hardly any of the tracks are from later than 1986. There will always be revivalism in music – unless someone invents some new notes. I just think that the eighties deserve a bit more credit than they have been getting. The inf luence of this sometimes-misunderstood decade is far-reaching and long lasting. Like the worlds oil supply though, the world revival is one of diminishing returns. I just happen to think that the eighties still have healthy reserves, in attitude and ideas, if nothing else.

Further Listening Check these songs for a different view of the Eighties: Aural Exciters - Spooks In Space Fad Gadget – Love Parasite Cajmere – Percolator Xxx – It Takes Courage Universal Robot Band – Barely Breaking Even Atmosphere - Atmosphere Unknown Mix – The Siren (Losouls Hot Edit) Talking Heads – Moon Rocks Q – The Voice Of Q

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WE DON’T ASK FOR MUCH... P h o t o g r a p h e r At t i l a H a r t w i g Production Sandra Liermann

Ring and bracelet with cubes Felicious, www.felicious.com C a n d l e ‘ N o e l’ b y A n n i c k G o u ta l S c e n t ‘ M u s c N o m a d e ’ b y A n n i c k G o u ta l H a n d c r e a m ‘ H a n d R e l i e f ’ by Av e da C l u t c h b y A n g e l J a c k s o n s e e n at G a l e r i e s L a f ay e t t e B e r l i n L i p B a l m ‘ # 1 ’ b y K i e h l’ s Mascara ‘L ash Queen’ by Helena Rubinstein C o n c e a l e r ‘ T o u c h e É c l at ’ b y Y v e s S a i n t L a u r e n t Nail care ‘Creme Abricot’ by Dior R i n g ‘ R i n g o f l o v e ’ b y S a b r i n a D e h o ff N e c k l a c e ‘ P e a c o c k C o n c i n n i t y ’ b y S a b r i n a D e h o ff w w w . s a b r i n a d e h o ff. c o m P o w d e r ‘ M at t a n d R a d i a n t p r e ss e d P o w d e r b y Y v e s S a i n t L a u r e n t G lov e s by Ro e c k l Bl ackberry ‘Bold 9000’ by Bl ackberry

A R T WO R K

Join us a s we go back t o ba sics wit h one t he or iginal pioneer s of machine music; Wolfgang Fl端r of Kr af twerk gives us an insight int o t he workings of one of t he mos t inf luential electronic bands ever. We catch up wit h Cr azy P who are about t o explode like a disco bomb wit h t heir live boogie -funk get up having been bubbling jus t under t he sur face for t he la s t few year s a s t he ultimat e word of mout h band. And f inally, ma s t er of t he slowed down disco g roove Woolf y is on hand t o t ell us about Califor nian Sushi and Sarca stic Disco par ties.

LISA BORGES

Inter views

»AND THE GEEK SHALL I NHERIT THE EARTH«

Cr azy P

BL AM E IT ON TH E BOOGI E TEXT

G are t h O w e n

»AND THE GEEK SHALL I NHERIT THE EARTH«

If James Brown is (ok, was) the hardest working man in show business, then Crazy P must surely be the hardest working band. Playing their tight mix of live disco funk all over the world for what seems like forever, they have made asses shake to the boogie everywhere from Dublin’s tiny Sugar Club to huge arenas supporting the dance band your mum quite likes: Faithless. With three albums under their belt, a Fabric mix and all those gigs, they have managed to build themselves, quite rightly, a cult following. Now, having signed to Leeds’ frankly brilliant 2020Vision, and the critical reappraisal of disco era sounds complete, perhaps it’s time for them to get the wider recognition that they deserve with their superb new album, Stop Space Return. Tim, their bass player, was kind enough to step in on the band’s behalf to answer my geeky questions.

G reat new album! Really enjoyed it. I have been a fa n s i n c e yo u did o ne o f t h e f ir s t Fabr ic Mixe s.

Thanks! H ow did t h e band get t oget he r or iginally ?

The project started originally with Jim and Chris. They met in Nottingham around 1996 and started making house records together; you know the kind of thing, a couple of wonky old records and a sampler. The whole band situation grew steadily out of that really, with demands for live performances. Our first live show was just Jim, Chris and I in a little bar in Manchester called Cyberia and we virtually took the whole studio along including an Atari and an Akai. Wh at were yo u doin g be fore ?

I’ve had various rubbish jobs over the years. I used to work in a photo lab developing other peoples holidays snaps, which was tedious but slightly voyeuristic at the same time! Danni used to work for Adidas, which I think was quite a good job, and Matt used to work at a backline hire company in London for a long time. We were all doing various bits of music whilst working, but with the demands of touring it became increasingly difficult for any of us to hold down firstly the full time jobs, then the parttime. We’ve left some fairly irate employers behind us, but the chance of playing music full time was always going to be a big draw. So, a couple of years ago we all took the plunge and made music our full time job despite the drop in wages! S o h ow did yo u jo in t he ban d ?

I knew Jim and Chris as friends before joining the band, so I think it made sense for the guys to use the people they already knew to help take the project onto the stage. It also meant that the relationship between all of us was already established before we got on the musical rollercoaster, which can be a real test. We’ve had our moments, but sticking together through the highs and lows is half the battle.

W he re wa s t he a l b um re corde d?

We’ve been lucky enough to have our own studio for the last five or six years, it’s not very glamorous but it allows us to take control of the recording and production process without incurring a large bill. So all of the recording was done there. There’s also a good community of musicians and producers in the building which helps when the ears are tired and the equipment is falling apart. I guess in total it took about a year to complete but we continued to do live shows whilst recording the album, which meant a lot of unplugging equipment and then setting it back up. There were a lot of late nights, especially for Jim and Chris on the production and mixing side. D o you have a s i mi l a r s et up t o whe n you pl ay l ive?

Yes, and no. We have a lot more toys available to us in the studio but basically what you see on stage is what is used in the studio. We would take it all if we could but the van isn’t big enough and we have to carry it all! I a m g ue s s i ng – do you us e a l ot of a na l ogue e q ui p m e n t ?

Oh yes, Jim has a nice collection of old synths. The Juno and the mighty Moog Voyager have a depth of sound to them, which can’t quite be replicated. The bones of a lot of the new tracks were recorded with all of us playing at the same time. Real amps and guitars, real drums all mixed together with the digital bits. We had a lot of help from Ric Peet, who is also our live engineer. He got us all excited with boxes of strange pedals and pre-amps to try and capture some of the live energy. There’s something really satisfying about analogue gear. There’s nothing quite like being faced with a huge desk with lots of knobs and faders. Danielle’s voice is also completely analogue. How do you ke ep goi ng w i t h a l l of t he t our i ng you d o ?

This week, Turkish coffee helped us after being up for 24 hours before going on stage! We were in Istanbul for an MTV aftershow party and the coffee was a very welcome replacement for Red

Bull. It’s become a bit of a pre-show favourite when we play in Turkey, which we’ve been lucky enough to do about four times now. I would never moan about being tired through touring as I think we are quite privileged as a group to have been to as many countries and cities around the world as we have.

nearly 100 years of DJ experience and loads of records and stuff. Matt and I do have some records but trust me, you won’t want to hear most of them on a dancef loor.

Wh at are t h e dif f ere n ce s for you betwe e n lar ge r a nd s ma l l e r venues?

How much have you got? I know them so I can get them cheap if you like. I only take 10% commission and if we do it for cash, the taxman doesn’t have to know. The sound system show is made up of Jim, Chris and Danni DJ’ing with the added bonus of Danni doing some live PAs of some Crazy P tracks. It works really well in clubs that maybe aren’t quite set up to take the full live show and the three of them work well together as DJs. I’m not gonna big it up anymore than that as Matt and I start to feel left out. You can’t beat live bass and drums!

The support slot with Faithless was really great experience for us, but at the moment I think our music is more suited to the smaller venues. You get better interaction with the crowd and it becomes a more intense experience. One of the best venues we’ve played at recently has been The Deaf Institute in Manchester for our album launch show. It only holds about 300, but has a great stage and sound system and a kind of terraced standing area at the back, which means that even the shortest people get a good view! Having said that, we also love playing festivals, especially if we get to stick around for the weekend and roll about in fields, and it’s also a great chance to see other bands. Wh at’s been yo ur m os t m e m or able live show?

So far I think it has to be headlining the Castle stage at the Big Chill in 2007 in front of about 5000 people. We were last on stage on the Saturday night and everyone was well up for a party. Some of the shows in Australia have also been real corkers….. and I can’t forget the Sugar Club in Dublin... Ah, there’s been so many! What is it like working wit h 2020Vision? Are t here a re p l a n s fo r c o l l a b o r a t i o n s w i t h 2 0 2 0 S o u n d Sys t e m … t h a t wo u l d so und g reat!

They’ve been really good. It’s great to find some like-minded people with ideas and drive who are also keen to listen to our ideas. I think also as a live band we provide a bit of diversification for them. We haven’t talked about collaborations yet but you never know, we’re pretty much up for anything. Musically that is, although I personally steer clear of show tunes, and I’m still unsure what emo is. I just know it involves make up. H ow did yo u c o me t o be on t he labe l?

They gave us a million quid. Not true. We know quite a few of the Leeds lot, mainly through the guys and Danielle DJ’ing and playing live at places like Hi-Fi club and The Faversham, so there was already a relationship there. It felt more comfortable to be with a strong independent label, compared to some of the other offers we had. I h eard a Cr az y P sou nd sys t e m m ix t ape. It ha d a l ot of b oogie, David Joseph and s tuf f on it. Who did t ha t ? Wa s i t a band ef fo r t?

The DJs are Jim, Chris and Danni, who between them have

S o I g ue s s t ha t’s t he ‘ C r a z y P S ound Sys t e m’ I wa s j u s t g o i n g t o a s k a b out ! Wha t’s t he de a l t he re ?

I f you we re on a de s e r t i s l a nd w i t h only t hre e re c o rd s , a n d one pe r s on, who a nd wha t woul d you choos e ?

It would have to be Ray Mears, not really for conversation ’cause I’ve seen him interviewed and he’s a bit boring, but at least I could be assured of a nice fire and some food. As for records I can only speak for myself, so: Marvin Gaye, Inner City Blues. I could listen to that all day. Moodyman, Small Black Church. To evoke the sweaty disco memories. Lie Lost. By us. Just to remind me of my mates! You mus t get a s ke d a l ot of s i mi l a r q ue s t i ons - i f yo u c o u l d us e t hi s i nt e r vi ew t o s ay a ny one t hi ng a b out C r a zy P, wh a t woul d i t b e ?

Yes, we used to be called Crazy Penis but I have no amusing story to tell you about how and why. L o v e O n T h e L i n e is a v ailable n o w o n 2 0 2 0 Visio n R e c or d i n gs .

Woolf y

DANCI NG WITH WOLVES TEXT

G are t h O w e n

»AND THE GEEK SHALL I NHERIT THE EARTH«

This was one of those interviews organised at the last minute, as Woolfy, or Simon James in real life, happened to be staying in Berlin whilst on a whirlwind mini tour of Europe. Having just reviewed his latest album, The Astral Projections Of Starlight, an ethereal masterpiece of cosmic textures and opiate beats, I was eager to grab the opportunity find out some more about the man they call Woolfy. I arrange to meet Simon in local café where I once worked. It is also handily just across the road from where he is sofa surfing. Having played the night before at the recently opened Badlands club, and preparing to play again tomorrow, he has some free time. So, a mutual friend hooks us up for an afternoon of beers, some record shops, and hopefully an interview. Simon arrives right on time, and I instantly form the impression that he is Australian, both from the way he looks and his oddly accented English. He is a fair bit taller than me, with curly sun bleached hair and a healthy fisherman’s beard. Dressed in leather jacket and black jeans, with a dandyish scarf, he look’s every inch an early seventies rock star. Not someone who makes music and whose biggest inf luence is d.i.s.c.o. With regards to the accent, I am completely wrong. Simon is in fact English. He was born in Chelmsford and lived there until the age of 12, when his dad, who was in Scottish glam rock band Marmalade moved the family to Los Angeles through his job at Geffen managing eighties mega bands, “if we’re ever having a pint I’ll tell you all about Keith Moon, Thin Lizzy and the rest of it…!” After retiring from the music business, his dad invested in a pub called The Scotland Yard. A pub that Simon now runs. It was also one of the first pubs in the area to have a DJ. “Yeah, The Scotland Yard was the first bar in the mid to late 1990’s to bring DJs to the San Fernando Valley. We’d have a 40 minute wait to get in on a Tuesday night, breaking circles, the whole bit, it was quite the time for the Valley! But, as a DJ, I refrain from playing the pub. It’s my business.” We grab a beer, and sit down. As we chat about Berlin and his gig

at Badlands, he tells me he is pretty glad to be out of the house having just been bumming around. He is eager to have a drink and a chat, and we decide that it would be much more fun, to have some beers, go for a wander round some record shops, and do the details later. One of the most surprising things about Simon is the fact that he is married, has young baby daughter, and seems, in essence a happy family man. He often talks to about his young family, and the pub back home. In fact we talk about that more than anything else, and it is clear that although music is his passion in life, it is not his only one. He lives a rewarding life outside of nightclubs and music studios. First of all, let’s clear up what the deal is with Projections: “Projections is a project I share with my mate Dan Hastie. We had an LP out on Guidance Recordings back in the day, and we have a new LP on the way that Sunshine is going to put out.” “As well as the new release on Permanent Vacation as Woolfy Vs. Projections?” I ask. “Yeah, and then I have a Woolfy album coming out in January on Rong/DFA.” I must look lost. “I know it can get confusing!” Yes, very! And to make things even more complicated, Dan is also a full time session and tour band keys player who is “awesome”. But, that is a double-edged sword. It means he is always in demand by well-paying clients, so his time to spend on the Projections project is slimmer than Simons, hence the Vs Woolfy album. With that cleared up, we finish our drinks and venture into a rapidly darkening afternoon. We head to the U Bahn, and catch a train to a run of record shops that are all handily located on one street. Conveniently, it is also where Simon needs to meet his Berlin booker. On the train, we somehow get talking about Sushi.

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It turns out Simon is somewhat of a connoisseur, although generally speaking, a vegetarian. “Except when I am on tour!” He tells me about sushi in California, and how there is one type of fish that contains so much protein, that you “get a kind of high when you eat it.” Apparently, Berlin Sushi is not really up to scratch. I guess I would have to agree. As well as being a DJ, producer, and landlord, Simon is also involved with the Sarcastic Disco parties. “Sarcastic Disco is one of the things that keeps us all going in Los Angeles!” he tells me as we try to stay upright on an unusually busy train. “It’s thrown by Paul T, Junior, Warren and of course DJ Harvey, with Harvey on the decks from open to close. It’s all there- the vibe, the sounds, the mystic, the music... dope shit, no one misses them. It’s church!” He also tells me that DJ Harvey played at his wedding, which sounds like a very cool wedding party… By the time we reach our destination it is both dark, and cold. I wonder what it was like growing up with a dad in the music business. Did it help? “Well, I know the first concert my parents took me to was Abba, you can really fuck a kid up that way! Oh yeah, and we lived next to the Bee Gees.” Thankfully Simon has taken a tougher disco path to the show tunes of Abba and the Bee Gees. “We also had a piano and guitars in the house that came in quite handy during those turbulent teen years. And uhh, turbulent young adult years as well!” After a quick browse in the record shop, we have a geeky conversation about whether to buy a whole album for one drum break. All be it a good one. But Simon’s mind was made up “man, my wife is not going to be happy if I come home with MORE records haha!” With that settled, we head for another beer, but as soon as we do, Simon’s booker rings. So, we change beers for tea, coffee and cake. Once inside the warm café Simon is delighted to find his booker Oliver, is accompanied by his baby daughter. It seems Simon is missing his own bambino as he makes coochy faces and gurgling noises, much to the baby’s amusement. After enjoying a respite from the cold with coffee and cake, and agreeing to meet again the following day. I head off home and leave Simon to play happy families. I come with a friend to see Simon DJ. It is the one-year anniversary of the Mirage disco party crew and inside Picknick the party is in full swing. The small but enthusiastic crowd are letting rip, bumping and grinding to the classic disco of the Mirage residents. Although it is a weeknight, you wouldn’t know it from looking around. Most people have ultra violet paint on their faces and the UV light makes those dressed in black look like they either have a serious case of dandruff or a serious drug problem.

When Woolfy eventually takes to the decks at about 3 am the crowd has thinned a little, but the dancef loor is still moving at a steady pace. His first song is ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ by the Stones, perhaps a not so subtle nod to the fact that the club could have been a bit busier. But, as everyone knows, lots of people doesn’t always mean a good party, and the people here are definitely having a lot of fun. After a semi drunken shuff le on the dance f loor I head off in search of cigarettes. When I return Simon had switched gear to deep disco, and it was clear that as well as being a very talented producer, he is also very good on the decks. The dancers were moving with all the abandon of people who don’t have to work the next day happy to enjoy such an intimate set with such a good DJ. Unlike me unfortunately. So after one more drink, and a quick goodbye to everyone it was off home to bed, as we left Simon mixing up his dubby disco funk to the lucky few.

ARTICLE1Al l human beings are and born in dignityand rights

e e r f

equal

D U R H

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UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS Sixty years ago, on 10 December 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The preamble recognised the inherent dignity and ‘the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world’

ARTICLE 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind ARTICLE 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person ARTICLE 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude. Slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms ARTICLE 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ARTICLE 6 Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law ARTICLE 7 All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law ARTICLE 8 Everyone has the right to an effective legal remedy if their rights are not respected ARTICLE 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile ARTICLE 10 Everyone charged with a crime is entitled equally to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal ARTICLE 11 Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law ARTICLE 12 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with their privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor suffer attacks on their reputation ARTICLE 13 Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state, and the right to leave or return to their country ARTICLE 14 Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution ARTICLE 15 Everyone has the right to a nationality ARTICLE 16 Men and women of full age have the right to marry and found a family, with free and full consent, and equal rights during or after marriage ARTICLE 17 Everyone has the right to own property ARTICLE 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion ARTICLE 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers ARTICLE 20 Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association ARTICLE 21 Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country. The will of the people expressed through elections shall be the basis of the authority of government ARTICLE 22 Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to realise the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for their dignity ARTICLE 23 Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to fair and equal pay, and to form and to join trade unions ARTICLE 24 Everyone has the right to rest and leisure ARTICLE 25 Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for their health and well-being especially mothers and children ARTICLE 26 Everyone has the right to education, including free and compulsory primary education ARTICLE 27 Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and benefits of scientific advancement, and to have their moral and material interests protected for their own creative work ARTICLE 28 Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which all these rights and freedoms are protected ARTICLE 29 Everyone has duties to the community: the state may only limit someone’s rights to ensure respect for the rights and freedoms of others ARTICLE 30 No governments, groups or individuals should destroy any of these rights and freedoms. Amnesty International www.amnesty.org.uk 020 7033 1500

This is a shortened version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For the full version go to www.amnesty.org.uk/thearticles

W O L F G A N G F L Ü R 2 0 0 6 ( B y M i c h ael K ro n e n berg ) / 1 9 8 1 ( u n k n o w n p h o t ogra p h er )

Wolfgang Flür

CONVERSATIONS WITH AN ORIGI NAL ROBO T Kraftwerk were the masters of futuristic retro. Seen as the godfathers of electronic music, they were innovative and highly original. Their inf luences have even been cited as an essential ingredient in the birth of hip hop. It would seem that never before has a band existed that even the latest music journalist struggles to pigeon hole. At one particular show in Detroit, opposing breakdance crews gathered, lined the f loors with cardboard, and body-popped their way through the band’s entire performance - all before throwing rolled up one dollar bills on stage as a sign of gratitude.

»AND THE GEEK SHALL I NHERIT THE EARTH«

One of the four that were Kraftwerk back in those days was Wolfgang Flür. Wolfgang joined Kraftwerk in 1973 and went on to build most of the unique instruments that were used in the original recordings and on stage which would aid in giving the band their signature sound for which they will forever be known. After leaving Kraftwerk, Wolfgang went on to form YAMO and release an album in collaboration with fellow Düsseldorf residents, Mouse On Mars, called ‘Time Pie’. Flür then put out 12” remixes of the track, ‘I Was a Robot’, and climbed to number six in the German club charts. Currently aged 61, Wolfgang has written an autobiography (titled using his coin phrase ‘I Was a Robot’) and is touring the globe with his ELEKTRAWOLF project formed alongside Marc Almond’s own Anni Hogan. In this exclusive interview with Wolfgang, he talks openly about what retro musicians he thinks are deserving of a revival, his own legendary status, and what key things that exist now would have made his life as a robot much easier... back in the day... H ow do yo u f eel a bou t be ing haile d a s a le ge nd ?

Legend - hmm - it seems true, yes, to be a historical figure these days. Can I live with that? Can I enjoy this? I can. I had a chance, I had a vision, I took the chance. My vision was confirmed to be the right one to pursue. But - I can’t believe how fast this all took its way through music history… What do you t hink about ever yone revisiting K r a f t we rk ’s s ounds and using t he ins tr uments t hat you had a h a n d i n c reating?

I like the idea of helping to push developments. We / I had ideas for instruments and devices that no one else had at that time in the seventies and eighties. The world’s first electric drum pads board that I created was seemingly the most important invention in our Kraftwerk times. It led to many other devices we used for our minimalistic sounds adding with the first step-sequencer we had commissioned to be built by capable electronic engineers like Matten & Wiechers from Bonn. Others currently using Kraftwerk sounds in their production make me proud of my achievements as a musician. Our time was not in vain! S e eing a s Kr af twe rk we re always ahe ad of t he ga me, do you f e el any added pressure t o cre at e som et hing ‘new ’ ?

I don’t feel so. We had our time - a very privileged time. For around 16 - 18 years we delivered so many new sounds, themes, designs, visions, that I don’t think it is necessary to deliver more. We have a new youth and generation of artists. They’ll find new themes and a new sound to create. H ow much fait h do you have in t he cu r re nt/n ew mus i c s ce ne a nd wh o amo ngs t t he n ewbie s are your favou r it e s ?

There is a list of artists I like very much. They have shown that there is an electronic music life after Kraftwerk, as I’ve shown with YAMO. Mouse On Mars do their own thing completely,

as do Mylo, Royksopp and The Timewriter. Stefan Lindlahr / Sonicfield Studio, Console, Funk D’Void, Reinhard Voigt, Guy Gerber, Phil Fuldner are all current favourites of mine. Wha t ret ro a r t i s t s do you f e e l a re s t i l l ma k i ng t he s a m e q u a l i t y mus i c t hey we re ma k i ng b a ck i n t he i r pr i me ? A re a ny o f t he m ma k i ng b et t e r mus i c now t ha t t hey a re ol de r ?

I don’t think so. Retro artists are growing older, and if they only reuse their old stuff it cannot be presented with such enthusiasm as in their starting / prime time. There is no one I could name, not even Kraftwerk, who are any better now than they were when they started. I n your opi ni on, wha t ret ro a r t i s t s de s e r ve a reviva l ?

Can, NEU! Wolfgang Riechmann, Fleetwood Mac (hehe), King Crimson, Der Plan, and Cabaret Voltaire. Whi l s t w i t h K r a f t we rk, you s pe nt a l ot of your t i m e fo r m u l a t i ng i de a s for new i ns t r ume nt s a nd cre a t i ng t he m . Lo o ki n g b a ck, wh a t e q u i p m e n t f ro m t o d ay wo u l d h ave h e l p e d yo u b a ck t he n whe n you we re a s s e mb l i ng t he m?

A better electronic drum pads board which could be played dynamically in volume when beating the pads would have been helpful as would smaller sequencers. All of these things would have proven to be much cheaper as Kraftwerk had to pay for completely new instruments to be developed. Midi technique and digital sampling would also have been useful– all systems which are standard in today’s music studios. Wa s t h e re a ret ro i n s t r u m e n t yo u u s e d t h a t i s n o l o n ge r ava i l a b l e a nd t ha t you w i s he d wa s s t i l l a round?

Karl Bartos’ electronic vibraphone and my hand-made drum cage which we used in Liverpool in 1975 and some gigs afterwards in France would both be great to still have around. How di d you b e come i nvolve d w i t h Mous e O n Ma r s a n d c a n we expe ct a ny more YA MO re l e a s e s ?

I met Andy Toma by chance in a Düsseldorf music studio (Rheinklang) to copy some songs on their 24-track recording machine. We became friends immediately and did some demo tracks together which appeared on YAMO’s debut album ‘Time Pie’. I have a new YAMO album nearly finished, including a sequel to Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’, titled ‘Cover Girl’. I play the remixed version of the track in my ELEKTRAWOLF performances - the dance project I’ve formed with Anni Hogan. See and hear it on www.myspace.com/elektrawolf. w w w . yamom u si c . d e w w w . m y s pa c e . c om / elek t ra w olf

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» A N D T H E GEE K S H A L L I N H ER I T T H E E A RT H «

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TYROL

Tirol TI M E T O GET ELEM ENTAL BY SANDRA LIERMANN, VIK TORIA PELLES, LISA BORGES

EB JETSETTING

At its best city life with its steady f low of creativity, parties, and eccentric characters energises and inspires us. Eventually though, we all hit saturation point, and you’re just one more dodgy hors d’ouevre, traffic jam or unfriendly waiter away from completely snapping. It’s time to recharge your wearied mind and body and there are few places better suited than the pure, fresh and downright wholesome Austrian region of north Tirol. Whether summer, winter or the seasons in between, Tirol is all about the four essential elements. Pure oxygen-rich air and famously clean water present a genuine luxury to the urban smog-breathing waterbottle brigade and endless earth trails and alpine pistes are much more pleasant places to f lex your muscles than loud gyms. That the best things in life are free certainly rings true for Tirol. Most therapeutic perhaps is the simple action of resting your eyes on the surrounding mountain peaks or the ever-present open fires. Although traditions are well nurtured in the region – prepare to see more dirndl and trachtenwear than you ever have before! – true-blue urbanites need not fear having to subsist in a fuddy-duddy world of ill-designed clumpy wood furnishings and yellowed doilies on a stodgy menu of potatoes and sausage; contemporary design and a varied kitchen is high on the agenda of many hotels and restaurants. The real diamonds in the gastronomy and accommodation landscape are however those places with a long local tradition and the befitting timeless and unpretentious aesthetic and kitchen. The region itself is wealthy (largely due to the steady f low of visitors), a fact well mirrored in the absolutely spick and span condition of all buildings and streets. Need any more reasons to escape the big city smoke and grit?

F riedri c h S c h midt PHOTO

Ski area s

On The Pis t e ZILLERTAL Along with your skis or walking boots make sure you pack your dirndl and/or lederhosen for even in these turbulent modern times, tradition runs rife in the Zillertal (Ziller Valley) and downto-earth locals celebrate their heritage with unabashed enthusiasm. After you’ve witnessed the idyllic setting, nestled between the Tuxer and Kitzbüheler Alpen, and the picturesque landscape with its fertile farmland and glimpses of snowy peaks, you’ll soon understand the patriotism though. And don’t worry if you haven’t yet the right outfit, you’ll find all you need at Zillertal’s gigantic Trachtenwelt with one thousand square metres of traditional costume! SÖLDEN This is Austria’s only ski-region with three mountains higher than 3000 metres that are accessible by gondola. Sölden offers a lot more than heavenly skiing, and by that we’re not referring to the 45 various bars and nightclubs that make up the lively nightlife, there is a multitude of summer sports like wildwater rafting, canyoning, paragliding, skate and fun parks also available. And for those who hanker back to the innocent days of snow igloo building – relive the moment with much greater luxury at the ‘Igloo Village’ located in the heart of the Rettenbach glacier.

ISCHGL With the arrival of the first snow, the alpine village of Ischgl goes from something of a ghost town to a ski paradise where powder is aplenty and the après-ski scene is second to none. The resort’s nightlife boldly combines log-chalets and lap-dancing bars, folk music and techno, something which may not be in everyone’s taste, and so we recommend low-key alpine enthusiasts to leave the area to the no-holds-barred party professionals. ST. ANTON AM ARLBERG The off-piste terrain of St. Anton is the true hero of the Arlberg with endless bowls, descents and itineraries. It’s the ideal place for strong skiers to hire a guide; one of the most iconic descents is that of the Valluga Mountain, to which access is only allowed with a guide. St. Anton also has a notorious après-ski scene, and the party gets started early with the terraces of some of the most well-known bars in Tirol packed with up-for-it revellers by 3pm. MAYRHOFEN This snowboard-oriented village features one of Europe’s finest funparks sponsored by Burton, and also hosts the increasingly popular SnowBombing music festival each spring. In the offseason the village comes off as – albeit beautiful - Tirolean cliché with alpine dairies, crystal-clear lakes and winding mountain trails. But when the après-ski season rolls around, this resort keeps up with the best of them with slick bars and a very cool igloo!

T irolean Highlights

T r adition & T rends

VILLA RASILLA

ADDIS ABBEBA(R)

POSt gASTHOF GEMSE

ADDIS ABEBA(R) Addis Abbeba (r) is a ski lodge with a difference. This sleek and modern joint built by Swiss architects Ventira exudes cool into the mountain air. The hottest place for après-ski in all of the Alps. 6563 Galtür | Tel. +43 0664 3941638 | www.addis-abebar.at se.at

POST GASTHOF GEMSE – ERBHOF & PENSION HAUEIS On the way from the Ötz valley to Arlberg/St. Anton or Silvretta/Ischgl lies this traditional, family-run inn that was first referred to in the year 726 and has been in the same family, Fam. Haueis, since 1726. The building is heritage listed and maintained with a lot of love. The kitchen is equally rooted in history placing great importance on using local produce – also from their own production – in age-old farm and monastery recipes. You can’t get much more ‘the real deal’ than this!

VILLA RASILLA Located near Serfaus, the Villa Rasilla is one cool holiday home. At 1400m it offers stunning views over the Inntal and the surrounding mountains. The place holds eight people is fully equipped and stylishly laid out. Anti-allergic linen, natural materials, such as wood and schist, the clear and reduced design of the furniture and a natural ventilation system and a fire place help you towards a comfortable stay. We love the terrace and the panoramic sauna.

Hauptplatz 1/ Zams / +43 (0)5442 62478/ www.postgasthof-gem

Lourdes 15 / Serfaus / Tel. +43 (0 664-4242314 / www.rasilla.sidecube.at

TYROL

STATION HUNGERBURG

HUNGERBURGBAHN Innsbruck is probably the only town in the world where you can jump on the trains like getting on the subway but emerge 20 minutes later at an altitude of 2256 metres. The Hungerburgbahn is a funicular linking Innsbruck to the Hungerburg plateau (857m). Famed architect Zaha Hadid, already responsible for the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s striking ski-jump once again delivered with the design of the new railway stations. The outcome is an impressive futuristic looking glass something. See for yourself!

ARLBERG WELL

Rennweg 41 / Talstation Hungerburgbahn / Innsbruck / Tel. +43 (0)

ARLBERG WELL An architectural delight, the Arlberg Well offers everything a wellness centre should, and more! Here you can ice-skate, play tennis, swim, use the gym, sauna or steam bath, be massaged, the list is endless. The perfect place when the weather is not playing along.

512 58 6158

Hannes Schneider Weg 11 / St. Anton am Arlberg /

RESTAURANT NEUWIRT The Neuwirt restaurant has been around for 150 years and in 1986 it became integrated into the Hotel Schwarzer Adler. The upmarket eatery is one of the finest in town and head chef Stefan Hofer has a Micheline star and two Gault Millau toques up his sleeve. The interiors are elegant yet unpretentious, traditional with a contemporary feel. Dishes such as spring chicken with shittake mushrooms and hazelnuts, or jellied elder soup with white chocolate truff les are a feast for eyes and palate alike.

TEL. +43 (0)5446 4000/ www.arlberg-well.com

Beim Hotel Schwarzer Adler / Florianigasse 15 / KitzbĂźhel / +43 (0) 5356 6911-58 www.restaurant-neuwirt.at

Innsbr uck

Urban Panor ama KATZUNG The ancient building front belies a modern interior and the clientele is equally mixed. It’s the sort of place you could easily some spend many hours. The coffee is great, the meals light and varied, and breakfast is available from 8am to midnight! Herzog Friedrich Strasse 31 / +43 (0)512 560175 www.cafe-katzung.at

PAVILLON Centrally situated in front of the state theatre and the imperial palace Hof burg, the Pavillon is one of the top restaurants in Austria. The restaurant may be outside of most people’s budget, but a coffee in the adjoining café entirely affordable while not losing much of the location’s ambiance. Rennweg 4, Am Landestheater Platz / Tel. +43 (0)512 908288 / www.der-pavillon.at

SITZWOHL & FEINKOSTLADEN GEISLEREI A varied menu with Mediterranean as well as local f lavour served in a modern yet entirely cosy and comfortable environment. Take the gourmet experience home with you in the shape of wonderfully packaged deliacies from fine food store next door. Stadtforum / Tel. +43 (0)512 562888 / www.restaurantsitzwohl.at

TIROLER HEIMATWERK There are plenty of kitsch gift stores scattered around, but Heimatwerk does handcrafted Tirolean items like pewter, textiles, woolen goods and lace much better justice. Ambitious do-it-yourselfers can

The capital of Tirol may be the only place you could squeeze in a few skiruns between breakfast and going to your office job. Beautifully nestled between mountain peaks with the teal coloured Wipptal (the Sill river) running through it, you can be looking out over it all after a short 20 minute ride with the Nordpark cable railway leaving from the city centre. Aside from the impressive location, Innsbruck’s history has bestowed it with a great deal of renaissance charm, and recent architectural highlights like the Bergisel Stadion designed by visionary, and controversial, British/Iragi architect Zaha Hadid add to the particular aesthetics of this alpine city.

buy regional fabrics and dress patterns, and whip up their own dirndl. The store's elegant decor includes ancient stone columns and vaulted ceilings. Meranerstrasse 2-4 / +43 (0)512 582320

THE PENZ HOTEL Behind a modern glass facade in the city centre you'll find the Penz Hotel - a firm favourite among business travellers. The rooms have a contemporary look with splashes of wood for a comfortable feel. There are two sheltered rooftop terraces to enjoy breakfast or a drink at sundown, and the bar on the fifth f loor is another popular hang out with a view.

CULINARIUM No visit to Tirol would be complete without having partaken of the locally distilled fruit schnaps, and this specialist store is just the place to find your particular favourite and pick up a bottle – or ten – for home. s’Culinarium in der Altstadt Pfarrgasse 1 / Tel. +43 (0)512 574903

Adolf-Pichler-Platz 3 / Tel. +43 512 57 56 57 0

S’SPECKLADELE HERBY SIGNOR Run by the same people as the Culinarium, this is definitely not the place for vegetarians, but paradise for carnivores, who like their meats wild and smoked and aren’t opposed to the odd rare sausage or special hams.

www.the-penz.com

Stiftgasse 4 / TEL.+43 (0)512 588816

WOLKE7 A mere 15-minute from Innsbruck centre via the Nordpark cable railway is this sweet café with panoramic views of the city and a great selection of seriously yum strudel and Kaiserschmarrn. A roof-top is in the works, which can only strengthen its reputation as a happening nightspot.

DENGG A chic café and restaurant, Dengg offers an ambitious menu with international f lair. If that sounds pretentious, that is not the intention. The food is simply excellent with elegant service and surroundings. Riesengasse 11-13 / www.dengg.co.at

Höhenstrasse 147 / Hungerburg / Tel. +43 (0)512 273617

LICHTBLICK & 360° This bar and restaurant wouldn’t be out of place in any European metropolis with its sleek interior and contemporary kitchen. The difference here of course are the stunning views over Innsbruck and the surrounding mountains, as well as an extensive selection of Austrian fine wines. Rathaus – Maria Theresienstrasse 18/ 7th floor Tel. +43 (0) 512 566550 www.restaurant-lichtblick.at / www.360-grad.at

JIMMYS A former snowboarder hangout, Jimmys still attracts a young crowd, who come here for an early or late-night cocktail. There’s a changing DJ line-up and though there is no official dancef loor, guests aren’t averse to moving and grooving. Wilhelm Greil Strasse 17 / www.jimmys.at

PHOTO

BERGISEL SCHANZE

THE PENZ

WOLKE 7

DENGG PHOTO

PAVILLION

GEISLEREI

CENTRAL

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Kitzbühel

Wint er y Glamour

This beautiful city (pop. 8400) is situated on a stretched out hill and has retained much of its medieval structure. It’s not only a Mecca for winter sports, there are walking and climbing trails aplenty. Socially, there are two faces to Kitzbühel: on the one hand, a sweet, wholesome alpine town done good, and on the other, the chichi winter playground of a very wealthy in-crowd.

SONNBÜHEL

FRAUENSCHUH

Oberaigenweg 103 / Kitzbühel / Tel. +43 (0)5356 64652

Fam. Aufschnaiter / Bärenbichlweg 35 / Jochberg

www.sonnbergstuben.at

+43 (0)5355 5347 / www.baerenbichl.at

HELMUT EDER You’re in Kitzbühel but you want to shop it up as though in Paris or New York. At Helmut Eder, which stocks labels like Balmain, Dries van Noten, Chloe, Stella McCartney, Superfine, Martin Margiela, Prada and so on, you’ll come very close.

WIRTSHAUS ZUM REHKITZ This beautifully restored farmhouse from the 1600s is lovingly looked after and could almost border on kitsch if it wasn’t so homely and sincere. The menu changes weekly and there is a fine selection of wine from Austria and the rest of the world.

Sterzingerplatz 3 / KitzbühEl / +43 (0)5356 62656

Fam. Reiter / Am Rehbühel 30/ Kitzbühel/

www.helmuteder.com

+43 (0)5356 66122 / www.rehkitz.aT

FRAUENSCHUH Beautiful selection of designer women’s wear as well as their own collection of Frauenschuh Sportswear, all produced in Austria. Josef-Herold-Strasse 13-15 / KitzbühEl / +43 (0)5356 64288 / www.frauenschuh.com

SONNBÜHEL Build in 1926 this guesthouse is a Kitzbühel institution. It holds ten rooms to rent and is reached by the Hahnenkammbahn only. When the sun comes out the beautiful terrace is packed with the well-heeled Kitzbühel clientel. Hahnenkamm 11 / Kitzbühel / Tel +43(0) (5356) 62776

TAKE FIVE CLUB Hottest club in town, not in an underground kind-of-way though. Hinterstadt 22 / 6370 Kitzbühel / Tel. +43(0) 71300

albin niederstrasser

GASTHAUS BÄRENBICHL A little way out of Kitzbühel this family run restaurant is well worth the drive. The menu offers Tirolean goodies like spätzl, schlipf krapferl, knödel and kaiserschmarrn (their schlipf krapferl and kaiserschmarrn were the favourites on the Electronic Beats Tirol tour). Bärenbichl also offer their own distilled schnaps and smoked meats. Very lovely service too.

fotos 1 + 2

ROSI’S SONNBERGSTUBEN Rosi’s is something like the shining beacon of Kitzbühel après-ski, and the singing inn-keeper, Rosi Schipf linger is a cult-figure in her own right, who hangs out with Jack White and family amongst others. It’s not for nothing though that Rosi’s is so popular, boasting as it does one of the most beautiful sun-terraces 400 metres over Kitzbühel.

Hans F r auens chuh

Buck skin In Style

Towns in Tirol are all about the family-run businesses. Each clan seems to have a speciality too; the Lindmayrs own all the cafés, the Schnitzls run the lifts, the Schwanerls have the shoe shops, and so on. Well, in Kitzbühel the family name Frauenschuh is virtually synonymous with style, quality and honest luxury. Most noticeable are the deluxe fashion and sportswear stores carrying fine selections from labels like Acne, Burberry, Golden Goose, Prada, Miu Miu, Missoni or Diane von Fürstenberg, but for out-of-towners who are after something really special it’s the original store and workshop on a Kitzbühel side street that really impresses. Now in his late eighties, Hans Frauenschuh started a tannery business with his wife Anna 58 years ago. The business is still in the family and has benefited from the modern techniques and fresh direction of a new generation without ever losing touch with traditions or original craft. The resulting products in finest chamois buckskin (so soft and pliable you’d it’s cashmere) are true luxury items with a quality and level of modernity that will outlive and outlast many a ‘new-seasonmust-have’. Along with a unique leatherwear collection, which eschews popular vintage designs and washings in favour of an up-to-date interpretation of Alpine roots in top-quality leather with open edges and timeless cuts, the collection of buckskin leather wallets and purses, bags in all sizes (the weekender-bag is available at Berlin style-temple Kostas Murkudis) and – the

pièce de résistance – a double bedspread in leather and cashmere could just as well carry a Hermès logo. The big difference though is here you are certainly not paying for a label and any abstract associations to it, for though the Frauenschuh items, which are predominately made in Austria (some processing in Italy), are not cheap you feel the prices are completely appropriate and you that get what you pay for. Frauenschuh also have no serious plans for expansion as it would inevitably mean giving up some production control, and the owners are more interested in hitting a chord with individuals who share the longing for something real, honest and continuous rather than fashion industry acclaim. With this approach however they will – perhaps unwittingly – do both. Im Gries 39 / Kitzbühl/ +43 (0)5356 64337/ www.hansfrauenschuh.at

Delights à la T irolienne

Nockerl, Kipferl, Knöderl

Think of Tirolean cuisine and hearty, rustic – though certainly mouth-watering – meals spring to mind. Already in Renaissance times, however, the Tirolean cuisine was considered one of the finest and most elegant in all of Europe. Mostly due to a non-Tirolean lady, Philippine Welser, a patrician daughter from Augsburg who was secretly married to Habsburgs archduke Ferdinand II in 1567. Not at all secret was the opulent way Lady Philippine held court at castle Ambras, or the way she indulged in being cooked for. She was also the one to put together one of the most important cookbooks of culinary history: 651 recipes some of which were even of a dietary nature. Lady Philippine’s cooking skills quickly gained a reputation and it became a special distinction among the travelling high nobility of the time to be invited to her table in Innsbruck. Philippine was also very open about her recipes and so the greatness of Tirolean cuisine was spreading. Even until today dishes like ‘foie à la Tyrolienne’ or ‘Sauce Tyrolienne’ are fixed entries in the culinary arts encyclopaedia. Tirol’s location at the centre of Europe means the kitchen combines inf luences of Vienna and Naples, as well as Puszta and Po. And although of noble origins it has still remained a rural and down-home cuisine after all. The unchallenged icon of Tyrolean food is definitely the Knödel, yes – the dumpling! The first dumpling was spotted on a fresco from the 12th century so don’t doubt the Tiroleans in their claim to have invented the Knödel that now comes in all sorts of tastes and guises. The basic concept is a combination of bread and potato, to which variations of herbs, cheese and meats are added. How about ‘gamsknödel’, for example? - With thin slices of the local wild chamois goat!

We met Florian Brüggel (25), a Tyrolean native in heart and soul, at the hotel Kitzhof, Kitzbühel where he is the sous-chef. This is his suggestion for a typical Tirolian menu: AS A STARTER Schlutzkrapfen tossed in brown butter with a green salad Schlutzkrapfen or Schlipf krapferl are as delicious as they are difficult to pronounce, but the idea is simple. Little pasta pockets a variety of fillers (like ravioli maybe), traditionally with cheese, curd, meat and herbs, but a modern take uses spinach or cheese, which are infinitely lighter but no less delicious. FOR THE MAIN Tyrolean farmers duck with Brezenknödel (pretzel instead of breadcrumbs are used for the dumpling) and red cabbage with apple. FOR DESSERT Kaiserschmarrn with apple sauce Kaiserschmarrn (literal meaning is something like Emperormishmash) is like a mashed up ever so slightly caramelized pancake served with different fruit jams. Guten Appetit!

Rochelt

The Fer r ar i of Schnaps Alcohol can be distilled from anything with sugar content and so the source of a particular area’s schnaps provides much insight into the natural resources. In Russia and northern Europe there’s a lot of grain, in Mexico you’ll find cacti and in Italy a lot of leftover grape stems. Befitting the fairytale landscape of Tirol there’s an abundance of fruit trees resulting in a multitude of distilleries. While not illegal, unlicensed home distillers may only use fruit from their own trees and not brew more than a certain amount. A good quality fruit schnaps is defined by its high alcohol content and intense aroma, a fact you can learn and have verified at Rochelt, a family run distillery about a ten-minute drive out of Innsbruck, which produces the veritable Ferrari of schnapses. The business was founded in 1989 by a Tirolean, who was distilling his own schnaps just like everyone else. His was just clearly superior and eventually his contacts in gastronomy had him convinced to turn his hobby into a professional venture.

The key to quality is the fruit, and the passion the Rochelt manager displays on the subject is enough to move you to tears: “The fruit doesn’t have to be beautiful. When it comes to the Mirabellen [apricots] we like the ones that are ready and fall on their own and are already. On the ground, this is how they are perfect, ripe, full of sugar and aromatic.” Rochelt are in close relationship and co-operation with their growers and a representative is always on site for the harvest. This extraordinary attention to detail runs throughout every aspect of the business and is particularly well ref lected in the very special bottle – the calling card for this company which doesn’t have a fancy name, doesn’t advertise or attend shows – a traditional Tirolean pincer bottle with decorative silver bottle stoppers. This quality naturally has a price, with the wild raspberry variety topping the bill, but the Rochelts remain unapologetic. This schnaps is for true connoisseurs and they currently produce less than they can sell. Expansion, which would inevitably mean loss of the rigorous quality control, is naturally out of the question. I nnstrasse 2 / F rit z ens / + 4 3 ( 0 ) 5 2 2 4 5 2 4 6 2 / w w w . ro c h elt. c om

Hot els

Cosy Retreats

MOHRLIFE RESORT Set movie-like at the foot of the mighty Zugspitze in the charming village of Leermoos, the Mohr Life Resort opened the modern addition to its old quarters in 2007. The views make up for funny interior choices like crystal f lowing lights, and a sometimes bizarre choice of sculpture. If you can, splash out on the grand mega suite with its modern style, a panoramic bathtub and its own well, incomparison the older rooms come across a little ordinary. The spa is a relaxing and stylish affair boasting a panorama indoor pool with a large glass structure facade bathed in modern RGB light and f loating birds’ nests on top. There are additional havens like the outdoor brine pool, an inhalation grotto, saunas and steambath, a f loating recliner as well as numerous treatments (St. Bath products) and applications, spread over 1800 m². Try to avoid school free times. Innsbruckerstr. 40 | 6631 Lermoos | Tel. +43 56732362 www.mohr-life-resort.at

SCHWARZER ADLER Representing the finest in country-chic, this hotspot boasts the ultimate in sophistication, dining, décor and relaxation. Nestled in the middle of Kitzbühel, the Schwarzer Adler offers the ultimate in après-ski indulgence, namely the Black Spa that offers a pool with underwater music, plenty of saunas and steam bath, as well as laconium and rasul. Since May 2008 there is also an outdoor pool on the roof with 360 degree mountain vistas. Florianigasse 15 | Kitzbühel | Tel +43(0) 53 56 69 11 www.adlerkitz.at

KITZHOF Conveniently located at the city-entrance, the Hotel Kitzhof is a sure favourite in Kitzbühel! The interior is modern but soothing with sprinkled alpine detailing and a lodgy feel, especially in the comfortable rooms. In the lobby area, deep- seated sofas group around a fireplace where an après-ski drink is enlightened by views of Kitzbühel rooftops and the surrounding mountains. Relax, rejuvenate and detoxify in 600 sleek square metres of pool, sauna and steam bath and a comprehensive treatment menu. SchwarzseestraSSe 8-10 A | 6370 Kitzbühel Tel. +43 5356 632 11-0 | www.hotel-kitzhof.com

HOTEL MADLEIN For those who can’t abstain from sleek modern settings even within mountain range the Hotel Madlein in Ischgl is the place to come to. Here Zen rules over rustic alpine settings from the rooms, which are still quite comfortable, to the public areas and the truly wonderful spa. The interior’s minimalist design blends glass, dark slate and indirect lighting, and all is topped off with nice panoramic views. Located right at the slopes of the Silvretta Ski-Arena the Madlein also boasts extended night-life temptations like the in-house Pacha club and the Coyote Ugly and best of all you can even rent your very own icon of great taste and environmentalism, the hummer stretch limo! Madleinweg 2 |6561 Ischgl | Tel. +43 (0) 5444/5226 www.madlein.com

RAFFL’S ST. ANTONER HOF The Raff l’s has a refreshing take on Alpine resorts, successfully mixing contemporary and classic styles. The suites and rooms are carefully decorated with fun touches that merge with the typically Tirolean. There is an almost private feel to the public areas which makes a big charm of the place. Naturally no self-respecting 5 star venue could do without a spa. This one comes with an indoor pool, a Finnish sauna, a Turkish steam bath and lots of treatments. A-6580 St. Anton am Arlberg | +43(0)54462910 | www.antonerhof.at

NATURHOTEL WALDKLAUSE In the middle of the Oetztal you find the eco hotel Waldklause, a holistic affair for body and mind. The place is decked out in lots of wood and although the choice of colouring and decoration can be reminiscent of IKEA the atmosphere is truly comforting. Each room features an own energized spring water fountain with the best tasting water (ever!), the beds are metal free and the stone pine around slows your heartbeat. To say we slept well would be a bold understatement. One downer is the immediate surroundings of the Waldklause like the sports centre or the Therme Längenfeld, which you should avoid unless you have kids to entertain. The hotel’s restaurant is impeccable both in service and gustatory satisfaction. Unterlängenfeld 190 |6444 Längenfeld |Tel. +43 (0)5253 5455| www.waldklause.at

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THE

R’S CTO E L COL UIDE G

Retroism TO

Tex t

Gareth Owen

I llustration

Leona List

MUSIC REVIEWS

After a long hard day listening to music from the cutting edge, our music editor sometimes needs to go back to basics and listen to music that evokes a different age. When the Live Aid DVD no longer does the trick, when re-runs of Top Of The Pops and and Old Grey Whistle test no longer f loat his boat, he fires up his walkman, sticks in a tdk 90 and goes for a stroll. Apparently this is his play list.

AMY WINEHOUSE

PUPPINI SISTERS

‘Back To Black ’ Everything about her is from another time. The tattoos, the hair, the music, the voice. Not the crack though. That’s very ‘now’. Amy Winehouse has been transported kicking and screaming into the 21st century from a previous life as a sultry bar singer in some smoky film noir.

‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ 1940s harmonised songs that sound like they are advertising soap ”it-makes your husband cleeeeeeeeean”. The Puppini Sisters are the ultimate retro quartet. They look and sound like they have stepped from straight out of 1947, except their frocks are bright happy yellow and not misery grey.

JEAN JAQUES PERRY

STRAY CATS

‘EVA’ Perfect for evoking a picture of late sixties, LSD weird. This song was completely futuristic at the time, but like most futuristic things, ended up being completely retro. Also see Roy Budd.

‘Rock This Town’ The Edwardian Teddy boy gone even badder. The Stray Cats were Americans, but obsessed with English youth sub cultures of the past. They dressed like Mad Max would if he patrolled 1950s Brighton. They played double bass, and sported quiffs whilst everyone else was driving Capris and playing keytars.

BASSLINE A whole musical movement based around old skool garage, old skool funky house and jungle basslines. Unsurprisingly, only enjoyed by teenagers and people who carry knives if you believe what you read in the Daily Mail.

RESERVOIR DOGS SOUNDTRACK Retro. Cool. Cliché. Old. Retro. I can’t believe how retro this sounded when I heard for the first time in years recently. I was unwillingly, hopelessly, gut wrenchingly, 14 again. I wont be listening again.

CHROMATICS ‘Nightdrive’ The Chromatics manage to make music that sounds even more sleazy 1980s disco, than sleazy 1980s disco music. This song conjures up memories I am not actually sure I even have.

OASIS ‘Wonderwall’ Has there ever been a band more slavishly dedicated to the past? Filtered through a broken sepia filter, Oasis manage to make music that sounds like your boring uncle reminiscing on his hooligan days. Pointless, dull and tiring. Perhaps they should rerelease Wonderwall and be even MORE retro.

CHAZ JANKEL ‘Get Yourself Together’ With his club releases he enjoyed cult underground success in America. He then stopped making music, and became a normal south London dad, until a couple of years ago when he started making music again. It sounds exactly like what he was doing 25 years ago.

KITTY DAISY AND LEWIS ROY BUDD ‘Theme From Get Carter’ See Jean Jaques Perry. Only this time it’s sixties gangsters and smart suits.

‘Mean Son Of A Gun’ The oldest member is 17 and wears spats. They dress like vintage Cuban gangsters/molls and make crackly music that sounds like it was made in 1950s Alabama, but written in 1930s Wichita. They cut 78rpm records for fun.

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MUSIC REVI EWS

OUR TE RI VO U

REVIEWS

G a r e t h O w e n / N e a lE Ly t oll i s

METRO AREA Fabric 43

FUJIYA & MIYAGI Lightbulbs

D.LAZARUS /SCI-FI-LO-FI Night Of The Dark Machines

THREATMANTICS Upbeat Love

(Fabric Recordings)

(Grönland)

(Soma)

(Domino)

I can’t believe it has taken until now for Metro Area to be asked to take part in the DJ love-in that is the Fabric mix series. Gary’s Gang suddenly become the original masters of hypnotic electro, Heaven 17 have never sounded better and there are hidden gems at every turn. And basically, that is what this mix is about. Taking a period of musical history tainted by a high disposability factor and showing that actually there is a huge amount of amazing music still to be unearthed. OK, I am biased ’cause I love this kind of stuff, but I am also right. This mix is magic. GO

Third LP from Brighton boys Fujiya & Miyagi kicks off in style with some slick beats and smooth vocal work and before you’re three seconds in they’re singing about ‘knickerbocker glory’ and nothing less than ‘the ghost of Lena Zavaroni’. Genius. Perhaps the lyrical combination of a sickly-syrupy ice cream dessert and a child actress who died of anorexia was a little insensitive, while some would argue that it doesn’t take too much brains to actually eat something. NL

Volume two of Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi, mixed by Damian Lazarus, is one of those mixes that manages to combine many disparate elements to form one cohesive statement, that is greater than the sum of its essential parts. Or alternatively it’s a bloody good mix. Starting out with the atmospherics of Andy Weatherall and Burial, before sliding into some very deep dub disco. From there on in it’s an opiate infused journey through the worlds of time, space, bass and machines to a place where things happen very quickly, but feel like they are actually happening in slow motion. GO

Domino’s latest signing, Threatmantics, hail from Cardiff and do a nice line in garagey rock and raspy, vocal rough-housing. Maybe it’s just my blinkered view of things, but it seems ‘Upbeat Love’ is something that seldom happens. Or maybe I’m just bizarrely attracted to the kind of love that makes you feel like a worthless and unnecessary nuisance. “It takes a big, strong man to break a young girl’s heart,” sing Threatmantics, and although I ain’t no girl, they may just be right. NL

MUSIC REVIEWS

DAVE AJU Open Wide

LEE JONES Electronic Frank

MICHNA Magic Monday

(Circus Company)

(Aus Music)

(Ghostly International)

Everyone (if you believe what you read in magazines) is chattering like there is no tomorrow about the state of things in 2008. Forget all that. Stick on Dave Aju’s latest album, Open Wide and realise that whatever is written about music, none of it really matters. Talking about music is what you do when you are waiting for something good to come along. This bomb of a house album, contains lots of weird sounds, and grooves that meanders from low slung to jump-up, but the thing about it that makes you go WHOAH, is the fact that no instruments were used, just Dave Aju’s mouth. OK, he’s not the first, but it’s the best I have heard, and the only one that makes me want to dance around the office. If this album doesn’t sum up why there is nothing worth stressing about in 2008, I don’t know what does. GO

You know that scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey where the dude in the spaceship slips through that timewarp thingy and is sucked through into an alternative version of the future, but along the way he sees all those f lashing lights, pulses of energy, he feels disconnected from his body before being reassembled in an alternative universe? Well, if Lee Jones had been around back when the movie was made, this would’ve been the soundtrack. NL

How apt. As I write this review I realise it is Monday. Not quite a magic Monday, but not a manic one either. Having produced the likes of Diplo and Bonde Do Role, I was curious to see what kind of album he would deliver. Is a New York Mr Scruff taking things too far? I think not. However, while Mr Scruff can get a bit too cutesy after not so many lessons, I have listened to this about ten times in the last couple of weeks, and so far, it’s not annoying me. Low tempo beats in the main, humorous but not overdone vocal samples and a general feeling of jazzy dreaminess woven in amongst beats that veer from crunchy to cuddly. I guess the main difference is that Mr Scruff lives in Brighton, and MICHNA probably lives in Hell’s Kitchen. GO

PAN/TONE Skip the Foreplay (Cereal/Killers)

Imagine your minimal techno records took a break and went to Studio 54, over-indulged on the white stuff and weren’t off the dancef loor for ten hours or so, then by the time they made it back into your record bag they’d be all re-jigged and sound something like this. Skip the foreplay indeed (yawn) just dive right in for the screw and so long as this is playing in your head you’ve got nothing to worry about. NL

Giles SMITH & James PRIESTLY Secretsundaze Vol.2 (Secretsundaye Music)

Secretsundaze are somewhat of an institution in London, famed for ‘all dayers’ of the highest calibre with the nicest crowds (which is often very difficult for after-hours) and the most cutting edge music. Residents James and Giles take us on two pretty different journeys on this CD. Giles has taken the more textured, slow burning approach whilst James injects things with a bit more bump and bounce. Although not exactly chock full of rarities, these two mixes are of the highest order, summing up the sound of their parties perfectly. GO

GOLDEN BUG Hot Robot (Gomma)

This winter seems to be the season for bright, eye-catching cover art, yet if we were to award a ‘Worst Cover of the Month’ prize then this new Gomma release is probably going to win it hands down and I would whole-heartedly agree with the Grand Jury’s decision. But hey, don’t be so bally shallow; buy the record, throw the awful sleeve in the trash and dive in and enjoy another gem from one of Germany’s finest labels; it’s discofunkelectrotrash all the way. NL

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VARIOUS ARTISTS Kitsuné Maison Compilation 6 – The Melodic One

PIGEON FUNK The Largest Bird In History Of The World Ever

(Kitsuné)

(Musique Risquee)

The Maison series from the Parisian masters of cool has quickly established a reputation as being as instantly recognisable and reliable as a dear old friend. While the jacket for Vol. 6 might be creeping just onto the wrong side of gaudy, the music, as always, speaks for itself; Lo-FiFnk, Digitalism, autoKratz, Fischerspooner, The Shoes, Streetlife DJs… stick this on your list to Santa and have a very Merry Christmas! NL

Insane. Musique Risquee do a line in house that leads right up my street. Although verging on the challenging in places, especially on little headphones (this is one of those albums that makes a lot more sense when you can really feel the bass), there is enough funk squelching around on The Largest Bird In History Of The World Ever to make me a very happy man. Although the beats are of the highly cut up variety and are as sharp as nails, there is a moistness that f lows over all of the tracks like a sticky slime. The best way I can describe it is as the musical interpretation of when Luke, Chewy et al are trapped in the garbage crusher in The Empire Strikes Back. The slimy and the sharp all held together by a humorous tension. GO

CLP - CHRIS DE LUCA vs. PHON.O Supercontinental (Shitkatapult)

There are those who view hiphop as vulgar, gun-obsessed silliness which serves only as a platform for 18-tonne tubs of lard to cavort with size eight bikini lovelies. Yet hip-hop is not entirely without its merits and when it’s done right it can be fucking good as CLP admirably prove on this comp which should inspire even the most devout hater of the genre to dress in basketball gear fourteen sizes too big and drop in the occasional “Yo, nigga” to their mates. Well, I almost did. NL

STEREOLAB Chemical Chords (4AD)

Looking at it from a music business point of view, Stereolab have been around forever. Fans of the London-based outfit will be pleased to hear on their forthcoming ninth studio LP, their first in four years, that they’ve lost none of their ability to experiment and to surprise. Wacky electronics combine with orchestral strings and nursery-room xylophonics to create an album that’s as much refreshingly naïve as it is astutely self-assured. NL

SKATEBÅRD Kosmos (Kompakt)

Somehow, this nearly, almost, passed by. Thank God it didn’t. I have picked up a few Skatebård 12"s before, and although they sounded OK, I didn’t end up buying them. Not enough going on, and no connection felt. So I wasn’t overly excited about their album, entitled ‘Kosmos’. I rather stupidly thought, “I know, more second rate cosmic disco…”. Stupid. Silly. Boy. This is easily my favourite album for a while. I was a quite a late starter with clubbing, and all of its associated devilry. When I think back on the time in my life when I truly discovered the connection between ecstasy and music and being with friends you loved at a time when your life is really changing (God, someone pass the bucket), there is a soundtrack of certain sounds and chords that always come to me, like musical feelings inside my head. When I listened to ‘Kosmos’ through the headphones, early one morning after coming home from playing a gig, memories of those years hit me with such force, that I had to stop listening. It was one of the most emotional and personal experiences I have had with music for a very long time. I didn’t actually plan to write that, but it’s the truth. I have since got a grip on myself, and enjoyed it many times over, and you should too. GO

MUSIC REVIEWS

CRAZY P Stop Space Return (2020Vision)

YO MAJEST Y Futuristically Speaking... Never Be Afraid (Domino)

Crazy P, the biggest band you’ve never heard of. Or the biggest band you have heard of but never listened to. The Manchester quartet have recently moved to Leeds’ 2020Vision, and things are all the better for it. Their live reputation is formidable, easily one of the best live disco/funk outfits going, and the fact they have been going for the best part of ten years means they bring a depth of experience that NME feted disco acts sorely lack. However, larger mainstream success has evaded them thus far, perhaps because, whilst listening back to some of their previous stuff, I reckon the fat warm funk sound of their live get-up has not been fully recreated on record. Until now. Title track and album opener ‘Stop Space Return’ takes a muscular acid bass line and fuses it to a lazy house beat, 0synth stabs and electronic handclaps which match perfectly with Danielle’s vocals. And from there on in, things just get better. It’s like the best parts of boogie, disco, funk and house have been forced together to make the ultimate pop-dance record. GO

I used to be occasionally swayed by what was ‘fashionable’ or ‘cool’ in music. I still had my true loves, but occasionally my judgement could be clouded, and I would believe that the Count & Sinden really did represent an exciting new direction for dance music. Nearly two years later, and listening to Yo Majesty’s long awaited debut album FSNBA, I am surprised at how much of it I like (and not that surprised at how much is bad). They have made a smart number of choices in production, though by working with everyone who is ‘hot’ they ended up basting themselves with the hipster brush. In spite of this, their rhymes are at times infectious, and the beats, in places, are inspired. There is even a relatively credible ‘ballad’. However, despite, or perhaps even because all of that, I still can’t escape feeling like a bald, self-facilitating media drone, sporting a New Era cap and clinging to my youth. Vice magazine has a lot to answer for. GO

LITTLE JOY Little Joy (Beggars Group)

There seems to be a bit of lack of inspiration in The Strokes camp if their last releases are anything to go by, yet drummer Fab Moretti proves that all is not lost with his side project, Little Joy. Disjointed drumming, plinky guitar strumming and wistful Farfisa organ abuse are pretty much all you need to throw into a recording studio for boys and girls the world over to start wetting their pants and falling in love with rock stars all over again. NL

BUTCH Papillon (Great Stuff Records)

If 17 year-olds de-politicised themselves and stopped bleating about the war in Iraq, nuclear disarmament and gay rights and instead only cared about shoes, chocolate and parties, wouldn’t we all be much happier? This shiny double LP – half original tracks and half remixes – of slicky glossy, wet electro funk might be a good place to start in the attempt to convince all those kids to just chill the fuck out. NL

9 6

EB HEAR THIS

WOOLFY vs PROJECTIONS The Astral Projections Of Starlight (Permanent Vacation)

ANNE CLARK The Smallest Acts of Kindness (netMusicZone)

It’s been too long since Anne Clark’s last LP and here she is shimmering back into the musical consciousness with her first record in twelve years. Her impassioned, social/political sloganeering is all present and correct, backed up by acoustic guitar and banging techno beats in equal measure. Expect some shiny new remixes courtesy of Mark Reeder to pop up in the near future; proof, if any were needed, that pessimism never made you feel so good. NL

Now that’s a title that needs to have some good music behind it, if it’s not going to be laughed off the shelves by the other CDs. WOOLFY always stuck out to me as someone that didn’t belong in the dirty world of genres, happily switching between slo-mo disco and sleazy electro. This albnum, under his Vs Projections moniker, with Dan Hastie, is definitely on a more cosmic bent. Where I would have been a bit more ruthless with eliminating the Spanish guitars, on the whole The Astral Projections Of Starlight is in places a pretty deep and emotional experience, that like a fine wine gets better over time. It’s the deeper, more ethereal tracks like ‘Absynth’ and ‘Starlight’ that I will be going back to. GO

SCSI-9 Easy As Down

MATTHEW DEAR Body Language Volume 7

(Kompakt)

(Get Physical)

If you are not a computer geek, I will enlighten you. A ‘SCSI-9’ is a nine-pin computer interface, used in the connection of high performance hard disk drives. SCSI-9 the artist(s) have been around for a while now, though not as long as the connector. With releases on Swiss label Morris Audio, Trapez and Kompakt, Anton & Maxim, who hail from Russia, have been slowly but surely building a fan base for their atmospheric take on techno. Easy As Down is their third album, and it is quite different from their first two. With a more soulful approach to their sound palette and the addition of a vocalist – Ryba, on ‘Nothing Will Change It’ – they certainly offer a lot more depth and personality than before. The beats in places could maybe be a bit fatter for my liking, but on the whole there are a lots of interesting sounds and textures to hold my attention. It’s home techno in the main, and that’s as descriptive as I feel I could, or should be. Have a listen. It’s super nice in places. GO

I LOVE Matthew Dear. No, not like that, but I love his music. Asa Breed is one of my favourite albums from a contemporary electronic producer in recent times, and his labels Spectral Sound and Ghostly International consistently release excellent, forward thinking music. So, as you can probably imagine, I was quite excited to receive the latest instalment of Get Physical’s Body Language mix series, mixed by Mr Dear himself. In a nutshell, it’s great. It’s super. It’s an ace sequenced mix that starts off slowly and atmospherically, lulling you into a relaxed state of mind before dropping the booty bombs. Kid Sublime, with the excellent ‘Basement Works Vol 1’ is up first, before we are off on a journey that takes in Johnny D, DJ Koze and man of the moment, Seth Troxler. Dear manages to take a wide variety of producers and find within them a sound that is actually more him than them. GO

MUSIC REVIEWS

NIGHTMARES ON WAX thought so…

WHITE DENIM Workout Holiday

(Warp)

(PIAS Recordings)

Nightmares on Wax head boy George Evelyn has been doing his thing for what seems like a lifetime now, but mercifully he’s showing no signs of running out of steam just yet. Once the rigours of the club are behind you and you’re coming to the end of your clichéd ‘Drei Tage Wach’ nonsense, then these smooth reggae tinged, hip-hop infused comedowners could be just the medicine you need to ease you back into the real world. NL

Self-released singles and EPs always make me warm to a band so White Denim are off to a f lying start already before I even start wanking about the shouty, jagged tracks on here – it’s spikier than a bunch of hedgehogs crawling through a pencil sharpener and about as raucous as Brits on holiday which is a rather pleasing combination. NL

WINDSURF Coastline (Internasjonal)

ECHOKRANK Echokrank (Gagarin Records)

Echokrank and their saucy brand of pins and needles electronics and dripping-insex vocal deliveries are pretty bloody good, and fans of the type of music which sounds as though you’ve put every electronic FX into a blender and then poured it into an album will be especially delighted with this. However, coming from Berlin is all too obvious; if they came from some shit-hole nowhere like Bischofswerda that’d make them extra specially cool. Listen up guys and move house now! NL

Much of this album is very nice. Some of it is even great. Pocket Check and Windsurf are well thought out excursions into mid tempo Balearic electronica. Future Warriors is retrofuturist electro, from a place in time that is as much 2022 as it is 1982. But elsewhere, the vocals don’t gel with me. I am not a huge fan of vocal driven electronic tracks, unless their lyrical content is along the lines of ‘jack’, ‘get down’, or some other nonsense,.Or they are made by Matthew Dear. But, that’s just my opinion – what has me reaching for ‘skip’ may have you reaching for the volume. And, out of ten tracks, only three or four have vocals. So, this is all a roundabout way of saying that this album, with the exception of a couple of bits not to my taste, manages to be both a step outside the definitions of a genre and a defining example of the very same thing. GO

9 8

EB HEAR THIS

Rat Scabies I nterview

Joanne Croxford

FOTo

MY SIC MU T MEN MO

R at S c a b i e s 2 0 0 7

DIY is thrown around carelessly in today’s failing music industry. The ‘biz’ adds the term to press releases to coin up street cred for the band they are marketing. Looking closely at the act’s overproduced musical by-product usually shows no indication of the labour intensive meaning of what ‘Doing It Yourself ’ actually means. The three letters stand for taking a risk - truly creating something from noth ing. One DIY pioneer was Rat Scabies, who with Brian James formed The Damned - a seventees p henomenon whose DIY ethics would go onto spawn movements in punk, goth and electro. A band whose ‘Do It Yourself ’ attitude resulted in their being an act that would forever inspire. My music moment surged into my veins via adrenaline the first time I saw a drum kit played on TV at the young age of eight. The drummer, Eric Delany was performing on the BBC and from each note that he played on his massive drum kit, I was overwhelmed by watching someone who was so confident in their highly original performance style. The feeling was so intense that it was from that moment on I was determined to replicate it throughout my life. The next few months of endless parental nagging resulted in being gifted with a toy kit, which had the life span of an hour, before waiting two years to get a sparkly pair of the real things. From there I tirelessly rehearsed (we didn't have Playstations back then to keep us from boredom! ) and taught myself how to play, developing my own drum-smacking style. After endless months of marathon bedroom percussion sessions, I became a drummer in the local Pantomime production of Puss In Boots, and played two shows a day, seven days a week. Little did I know that such an opportunity would give me the experience that I would need to help me to take my biggest leap of faith. The leap was in the form of an advert in Melody Maker that I had mustered up the courage to answer. The ad was placed by a band requiring a drummer and it was from there that I went on to meet guitarist Brian James. From the instant we met we vowed to start a band that would really shake things up - and from that - The Damned were born! I have always been grateful to have been given the

break that allowed me to form a band, record music, release the very first punk single, not to mention playing our debut gig supporting The Sex Pistols at the Punk mecca, the 100 Club. I still ref lect on Delany’s performance as the revelation it was. His attitude really taught me that your own sense of style is SO important. That’s one of the biggest things missing in music today - people are too obsessed with perfection. We as humans like laser beams and bubbles because they are perfect and we seek comfort in that because we ourselves are not perfect. Back in Eric’s day, things were so underdeveloped musically that musicians were forced to be innovative and strive for new sounds on their own accord and in doing that, developing their own sense of style. This is another reason why I think the ‘retro’ way of making music was so much more true to life as it’s creation required such large degrees of personal attention and more emotion than what music does now. When will people wake up to the fact that these factory generated bands that look and sound good, usually equate to 99.9% polish? Delany never looked more than a well dressed gentlemen - but without him I wouldn’t be where I am now and there’ s no way that my life would have taken the path it did. Substance and style will always prevail over polish in my musical moment. w w w . m y s pa c e . c o m / r at s c a b i e s g r a i l h u n t e r