The portrait is something that we’re all familiar with, from the annual school photograph to the self portrait number that may graces your Bookface account. However when we’re not taking pics of ourselves it is usually an interpretation by some extent of the artist or photographer.
Dan tells stories of redundancy and demise of a town in Papiers Gaspesia, the frailty beauty of the human condition through distressed surfaces for the Face of the City, while the striking Regents Park project features local social housing residents using the estate as the canvas.
Making larger than life portraits that hang in a billboard fashion around in his homeland Canada,Dan Bergeron is able to make statements about culture, environment and the personal - which my old uni lecturer Sandy Brewer taught me is always political.
NTS: a new community radio station based in Dalston, launched in April this year. The community in this instance is the bubbling sub-culture of electronic music influenced by a staple of soul, funk and jazz amongst others.
Their recent short gives you a glimpse into the beginnings of the station, their developing culture and a five-a-side football team. Que Umbro’s involvement and the second reason for my musings.
Umbro having taken tips from Adidas and Puma, have been quietly repositioning the traditional football gear company as a lifestyle brand, producing content featuring musicians Chase & Status, Liam Gallagher and Murkage and other sports stars.
En route to embedding themselves in pop culture, the Umbro Industries campaign focuses on supporting fledgling creative entrepeneurs in Manchester with £10k bursaries.
The trend of courting creative communities looks like one that will last for a while for culture savvy brands, ensuring buy in from taste makers and all that goes with it. Thus giving creatives alternative forms of investment from financial to profile raising.
It’s been no secret that the music industry has been put through it’s paces over recent years, with the internet forcing the industry re-evalute it’s business model and marketing strategies.
One thing that small independent labels have as an advantage over the large corporations is the ‘niche’. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, independents use selective tastes and underground relevance to be perceptive as well as receptive to changes in audiences tastes. One such movement that looks like it could be on to something is the Independent Label Market.
Last May saw the launch of the initiative on Berwick Street where independent label bosses from labels such as XL, Rough Trade and Mute set up stall and quite simply flogged their gear, which included back catalogues and limited editions and the odd pop star like Jarvis Cocker making an appearance.
In marketing speak, we would call this experiential; bringing the brand to the audience. On October 8th ILM go Stateside, setting up shop at Brooklyn Flea with MTV Hive and The Daily Swarm as partners. As a concept it creates a sense of exclusivity that indulges the senses of avid music fans while at the same time continuing a sense of community. Niche in this instance equals community building, which any brand worth their stock value are trying to invest in.
You may be familiar with Natty’s 2008 pop hits Bedroom Eyes, July and Badman, however you might not know of Natty the activist. Teaming up with friends and some like minded folk Vibes & Pressure was born – an event that mixes music, art and activism.
Tonight at Passing Clouds, Vibes & Pressure present Steppin Raiser – a chance to debate the recent UK Riots with young people, community leaders and musicians. As well as food for thought there will also some for the belly, plus live music.
For more information please visit the FB page here.
It’s Bank Holiday Weekend! If you’re in London for the weekend we have two hot spots for the diary.
This Sunday Earnest Endeavours, Black Atlantic and Dante Fried Chickenteam up to bring you Ride or Fryan alternative carnival cook up. DJ’s include Alexander Nut and Fatima, Jon Phonics and more. What started as the KFC R.I.P. loft jams in New York almost a decade ago comes to Mare Street, Hackney. Good music and music come as standard, so do like me and start making room in your belly now.
On Bank Holiday Monday, The Insomniaxwill be hosting an After Carnival Party Special at Life on Old Street,with DJ’s Rapzcallion (Blacktronica) and Dan Anderson (A2B Records), not to mention a live performance of material from The Insomniax’s forthcoming Love She Wants EP, and live radio broadcast on Nasty.fmfrom 12-2AM.
Grace Hawthorne is taking it back, way back like playschool with her Paper Punks – do it yourself – paper models.
A great example of how the simplest ideas can be the best, the flat pack kits come with instructions and stickers to make your own 3D robot, dog or car, the kit is based upon geometric shapes to build and create.
It’s an educational tool that will hopefuly get kids using their dexterity and imagination particularly at a time where moving the Wii console is considered as a form of exercise.
I’ve spotted Paper Punks on a few design blogs so it seems to be attracting big and little kids alike.
Keeping things on the other worldly tip, Björk has graced us with her musical presence once again.
As an artist Björk always seeks to tread on new creative ground and can never be accused of being either never boring or predictable.
I haven’t checked out any of the apps created for the album (The Guardian swears it will change the way we ‘consume’ music) however I do like the new video directed by Michel Gondry (who also directed one of my fav films ever – Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind).
If you’re an avid culture vulture then you’ll know that art, music and style are cyclical: the old becomes new, and the new inevitably becomes the old.
Whether any of the above are in sync with ‘now’ or not has little bearing on the notion of something actually being good or not. Having said all that, I do love to spot a trend or two. And one bubbling under the radar is the returning influence of reggae and dancehall culture.
Maybe it has been the impact of Dubstep that has seduced audiences into the heavy bass lines, but another thing I’ve noticed and been quite happy about is the resurgence of Reggae & Dancehall legend DJ David Rodigan. Recently I can’t turn for the mentions of ol’ DR’s upcoming gigs and features. Whether it be with Urban Nerds, Giles Peterson or his upcoming show that starts this week Thursday on BBC Radio 2 as part of a ten part special on the origins and current stars of Reggae music.
So why am I excited? Because Rodigan was one of the first DJ’s I followed as a kid. My fingers were always on standby to press play & record on the tape deck whilst listening to his evening time slots on stations such as Capital and Kiss. Later on I would go on to hear his live sets at sound clashes and at parties I probably shouldn’t have been at (sorry Dad!).
Looking like a cross between an accountant and a trendy granddad, when he gets on the turntables his skilful selection and feisty wit going toe to toe with the dancehall establishment is a sight to behold.
With a career that has spanned over the last three decades, what has made Rodigan an enduring force within music is his palatable energy, knowledge and enthusiasm for the music he so dearly loves. Here’s hoping that it will keep him going a few decades more. We salute you David Rodigan!
If you’re regular – and I hope there’s a few of you – you’ll know that we’ve been working on the Greens Stories project for Affinity Sutton since October last year. We are really, really pleased to say that the final part of the project – the films – are in the can and on YouTube. You can vote for your favourite on the Affinity Sutton website.
Of course we’re totally impartial and without sounding like a swarmy game show host, all the competition winners were top folk and dead lovely to work with.
On July 20th Affinity Sutton will be screening the films and announcing the final winner of the competition. The prize is a weeks holiday at the Eden Project.
They were all an inspiring bunch who are the real faces of everyday activism. People creating changes in their lives and their communities; it’s heart warming stuff y’know.
