Farewell Bryant Park. It’s an end of an era for New York Fashion Week under Midtown Manhattan’s tree-lined square. Starting next Thursday (February 11th) Lincoln Center becomes the new home to next season’s style trends. The new digs are bigger, and better, offering more space in the city’s hub for classical music. Does that mean that music will play a more important role this year? Maybe a show or two might ditch the DJ for a symphony. My post for AFINGO.COM this week takes a retrospective look at DJs and their playlists impacting New York Fashion Week.
When I leave for the UK next week, the road becomes my second home. Planes, trains, and automobiles (car and bus) will carry me and Theophilus London through the city with the same name as my co-travller. Making rounds through the UK is routine for Theo, whose overseas presence multiplies with a stop in a new city every night. The shows are that damn good. Ask Jack Penate, who we opened for during our last run. Here we go again scheduled to make appearances at Gilles Peterson’s World Wide Awards, and at that club that’s pretty much a DJ’s wet dream—Fabric London. See the flyers below. Keep reading →
Music blogs are like reality TV shows, everyone’s got one, or has one in the works. While the music coverage on DJTREATS.COM is pretty scant, it’s because the website is deeper than rap. My new column though for the new fashion lifestyle site, AFINGO.COM is where you can get a preview of the type of music coverage you can soon expect here, along with more lists, weekly franchises, and LOL anecdotes. Click here to visit this week’s retrospect of Gorillaz album art in a new recurring feature called “Hip To Be Squared.” Get it? Four sides, square, style, art…I’ve said too much. Keep reading →
Normally, words like “shenanigans” and “tomfoolery” are best used to describe a night of music with yours truly. My friend Luna Vega though, chose to be more socially conscious by mentioning Haiti in her blog post for next week’s party. So I say that to say this, use the philanthropic bones in your fingers by texting HAITI to 90999. Your $10 donation will go to the American Red Cross aiding in Haiti’s relief. Click here for more info on how you can help.
As far as New York’s art scene goes, Todd James puts the “big” in the Big Apple. Prestigious tags like that come from damn-near a lifetime of work during New York’s golden era of graffiti—the ’80s. REAS’ rep is also rooted in signature characters like the apple-bottomed big girls featured in some his best commercial work (i.e. Supreme’s sloppy girl T-shirt from the ‘04). Real classy! Having graduated from having his alias “REAS” seen across the city, his cartoon-inspired style has been immortalized commercially in streetwear, TV shows, and music.
REAS’ work is everywhere—San Francisco, Philadelphia, Tokyo; hence REAS International. He’s back in NYC this week hosting his first solo exhibit at the Gering & Lopez gallery in midtown. The display is titled “Make My Burden Lighter” which will show his series of artwork blurring the lines between politics, and media contrasted by his colorful, beady-eyed illustrations of girls, and skeletons. Before the exhibit opens on Friday, here are ten great commercial projects by Todd James. Keep reading →
One of the most crippling statistics to date was the unemployment rate of November 2009. 10% of the U.S. workforce is out of work. A whopping number like that almost takes the heat off of crime rates which aren’t as stagnant.
To find my next career path, applying online with varied versions of cover letters and concise résumés yield no results. For someone like me who chases an interview record like Charlie Rose’s can’t even land a sit-down to discuss “being an asset to a company.” If employers of the MTV, Fuse, E! ilk don’t read what they require from a potential hire, then this short demo reel of my career accomplishments should show them what I’m made of.
I don’t bleed when I shave. No razor bumps, or other uninvited guests show up on my grill from trimming. Maybe I’m lucky because I use a good razor. I never have, probably never will have a bad shave as long as I stick with a 5 o’clock shadow. It’s just convenient to limit daily tasks at the sink to teeth brushing, and face washing. The close shave takes too long for sticklers like me who aim for perfection. I guess that’s why I was a good candidate for Gillette’s new Fusion Power ads running now on Complex.com. Click here to view Gillette’s new line for of battery-powered razors.
Today is January 4th, 2010. To mark the start of the new week, in a new decade, Roy Lichtenstein’s 2010 wall calendar would help me remember that it’s not 2009 anymore; just in case of any slips when dating checks. Calendars with pin-up girls always work too, but few are tasteful enough to hang around company. That’s why a collection of Lichtenstein’s comic book-styled prints are a great upgrade. See the 12 months laid out on the back cover below. Click here to buy the calendar on Amazon. Keep reading →
Whenever I have a gig, one of the most frequently asked questions that I hear is, “Can you teach me how to DJ.” The answer is never as pretty as the eager face making the inquiry. Practice makes perfect, and a diverse music library (vinyl, son) are a good start, but step-by-step-for-dummies guides are probably the last source aspiring deejays are probably looking to get schooled. Everything You Need to Know About DJ’ing & Success is one of the latest books doling out the secrets to DJ Danny Rampling’s success. The cover prominently boasts Rampling’s 20-year legacy. That’s the trick though—he’s 20 years deep where newbies are not. Keep reading →
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center
