Shaped in Mexico

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Sarah Bacchus

Shaped In Mexico was a Pop Up Art Show that ran for 5 days over last weekend in London and we are hoping they are going to be bringing it back on a regular basis as it was one of the best events we have attended. The talented and Award winning artists, designers and musicians that are either from Mexico or have been inspired by the country all created a plethora of tantalising, exquisite and delightful art. With the origins of Mexican life intertwined within every artistic piece. Fashion is deep rooted in my background being a Fashion design student and personal stylist its easy to see the influences that had filtered through.

Maria Vogel an amazing designer on Mexico’s fashion scene. Her work and amazing attention to detail has won her huge acclaim. Not only are her designs truly incredible but they are also exceptionally well cut. The choice of fabrics really depict the Mexican heritage and style women desire.

She has featured in ELLE MEXICO, VOGUE, GLAMOUR, HARPER’S BAZAAR, and NYLON, among others. She has also been part of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Mexico many times.

The artists themselves where all either from the stunning country or where inspired by its beauty.

The Pop Up display combined visual arts, music, design, stunning fashion and delicious liquor. Its aim was to bring to like the real Mexico! We think it was a tremendous hit all round.

Then it was time to eat, drink and sample the Mexican night life! A truly amazing evening and we really hope this becomes a regular thing. Even if its just a few times a year we will be putting this in the diary and attending each and every one of them as it was spectacular.

Nip over to the Shaped in Mexico website to see more and read all about the concept and the artists.

Follow them on Twitter @shapedinmexico

Boy + Kite Are Back With Blueprint | Music News

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Frostie

Boy + Kite has opened up for acts such as Ume, An Horse, Quiet Company and The Toadies, as well as played at SXSW 2012 and the Center of the Universe Festival in Toronto, CA while hitting the Top 10 Charts on KUT 90.5 in Austin, TX. 2013’s We Can Go Anywhere I Want EP, which was recorded by Nada Surf’s Louie Lino at Resonate Studios, expanded on the bands knack for lo-fi ghost-pop. Their sound also landed them kudos from My Old Kentucky Blog, furthering their momentum as an emerging band…

Then, in December 2013, Darvin Jones suffered a traumatic head injury and spent a considerable amount of time hospitalized in critical condition with his synapsis in both ears broke and the left and right hemispheres of his brain severed as well as a fractured skull. Jones wasn’t sure he would ever play music again and the adversity only made Jones’ desire to play music stronger.

After a miraculous recovery, Boy + Kite was ready to fly again.

The newest three singles, collectively referred to as Blueprint, were a brutal and euphoric release for Jones and company, now consisting of Jones, Puorro, Giuseppe Ponti and Marc Henry. The songs were crafted in their practice space, which sits inside a massive film equipment warehouse, and were then taken to Public Hi-fi Studios in Austin (owned and operated by Jim Eno from Spoon) where tracking commenced. The resulting singles, “Either Way”, “Turned Sideways” and “Touching the Sun” showcase the most balanced work of Boy + Kites career.

The Art of Amputation: Distorted Pop Song | Music News

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Frostie

Ruby Music
17 November 2014
The Art of Amputation are an alternative five-piece from London who combine soaring melodies with experimental sounds and big fuzzy guitars to create soundscapes they claim will “hold your hand in dark times.”

The band consists of Freddy de Lord (Keyboards, Vocals and Saxophone), Hugh Fox (Drums, Drum-Loops/Programming and Percussion), Allan Harrod (Vocals, Guitar and Keyboards), Mark Hyden (Guitars and Vocals) and newly added member Tim Harrod (Vocals and Percussion).

The Art of Amputation began when Hugh and Allan got together as a duo after the break up of a previous band. The pair started writing and rehearsing together as a simple keys/guitar and a drummer outfit. Together they wrote and recorded most of their first EP, though it soon became clear that they needed to find an additional guitarist to attain the sound they wanted. Mark was recruited and the trio began rehearsing and writing based on a shared appreciation of an eclectic range of artists like Weezer, Pixies, The Beatles and Bowie. Time in the studio triggered an influx of ideas and the band needed another member in order to realise them. Freddy joined in a formative period for The Art of Amputation. Each member’s individual styles began to compliment the others and the result was the creation of some impressive and polished tracks.

Allan’s keen ear for melody has been the main catalyst for the creation of each of the band’ compositions with other members working together until the song as a whole falls into place. The bands last writing tool is always the studio. They have big ideas and working with producer Steve Honest in Hackney Road Studios has ensured the creative process progresses seamlessly. Allan’s brother Tim recently completed the band’s line up, joining The Art of Amputation on vocals and percussion for their live shows.

Their new single ‘Distorted Pop Song’ is a stunning and intricately layered composition that channels the influences of The Flaming Lips and The Big Pink with its infectious, uplifting melody climaxing in a Spector-esque Wall of Sound.

Gigs:
17th October – Headline show at Camden Barfly

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red by Margaret Graham

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Margaret Graham

Yesterday, on a brilliant clear October morning two of the granny administrators of Words for the Wounded, Jan Speedie and Margaret Graham, arrived at the Tower of London to view the art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.

The art installation commemorates Britain’s involvement in the First World War, a war to which so many marched in the early days, certain that it would ‘be over by Christmas’. It was not to be, of course. The war ended four years later at 11.00 am on the 11 day of the 11 month of 1918.

One of those who went early to war, was a Derbyshire man who died in Flanders. He wrote in his will, knowing that everyone was dead and he was surrounded by blood, The Blood Swept lands and seas of red, where angels fear to tread. It is these words that inspired ceramic artist Paul Cummins’s design.

In those trenches, classes mixed for the first time, barriers were broken, lives were destroyed. ((888,246 British and Colonial dead) many many others were injured, mentally and physically . It was a defining moment in our history, if you could call such relentless effort and sacrifice a moment.

The setting was designed by stage designer Tom Piper. In total, 888,246 ceramic poppies will progressively fill the iconic Tower’s moat over the summer. One for every single man who was lost. Volunteers fix the stems and plant out the poppies, for sale for £25. In due course, the poppies will be packaged and posted to the purchasers, again by the volunteers. Bravo the volunteers.

By yesterday the tide of poppies had extended in some areas to the edge of the moat, and in others, were lapping towards the walls, but there is room and time for more, just as there was, sadly, time for more in that First World War.

It is a heart stopping vision, one that promotes a moment of deep reflection, of commemoration, and for the grannies a determination to continue with our voluntary work – raising funds for the recovery of injured troops, so on with the mail shots for our fundraising writing competitions opening on 11^th November.

I believe the last poppy will be planted on the cusp of 11 November.

The Tower of London website says ‘We are hoping to sell all of the poppies that make up the installation and, in doing so, raise millions of pounds which will be shared equally amongst six service charities.’

I would love to know exactly how much is distributed as our servicemen, and ex-servicemen are still sorely in need.

Pictures courtesy of Susan Atkins and Margaret Graham

www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk

Influencers Attend The Leading Culture Destination Awards

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Frostie

On Friday 10th October, Museum Directors, Artists, Art Patrons and Creative Industry Leaders graced the red carpet at the luxurious Jumeirah Carlton Tower to celebrate the World’s Best Visual Art Institutions. The Leading Culture Destinations Awards is the first and only international awards to celebrate the best non-for-profit visual arts institutions around the world.

The eclectic guest list included Radio & TV presenter George Lamb, Countess Nathalie v Bismarck, Suede band member and Arts Editor Mat Osman, make-up artist Daniel Sandler, model Oooota Adepo, artist Antony Micallef, actor Neil Stuke and fashion designer twins Felder Felder. Cultural institutions in cities as far and wide as Paris, New York, Miami, Shanghai, Oslo and Berlin, were among those competing to win awards at the event with London scooping the prize for “Best Culture Destination.”

Is Generation Z The Most Ambitious Generation Ever?

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Frostie

New youth report reveals today’s 16-25 year-olds as aspirational creators

Three in five young people want to run their own business

‘Freedom to achieve my goals’ valued more highly than money

Two in five place ‘failure’ as their biggest fear

An in-depth report commissioned by Lucozade Energy has uncovered the UK’s youth to be a pioneering generation of self-driven entrepreneurs, despite the uphill struggle they face with securing a job after education.

The report, commissioned by the brand amongst 16-25 year olds, reveals that over half (62%) are interested in working for themselves or creating their own brand. The aptly named Gen-erators Z are a group of young people who have grown up in a world where technology exploded, making it more possible than ever for them to do what they want to; from publishing their own book, to being able to sell their products direct to consumers, they are now able to realise their dreams more than ever.

Hamish Stephenson, an 18 year-old filmmaker who chose to ‘invent’ his own career by making money from his passions, comments: “I have the attitude that I can do it, and nothing will stop me. Why not just do what you want to do, and what you are passionate about, instead of being stressed that you might not have enough money in the future, or you might not have a job.”

This emerging tribe of self-starters has clearly not developed without a catalyst; growing up in austerity Britain could be attributed to this rise in entrepreneurial spirit. Nearly three quarters (71%) admit to feeling under pressure because it is harder than ever to get a job and more than three in five (69%) feel they are under more pressure than their parents were at their age.

This sense of pressure can also be seen when considering young people’s biggest fears; almost two in five (38%) admit that failure is their biggest fear and 17% state that not having the energy or time to follow their passions and dreams would be the worst thing that could happen to them. It is clear that they are putting themselves under immense pressure to succeed on their own terms and they really want to make the most of every moment.

Despite this, today’s youth believe that society has a negative perception of them – considering them to be more interested in taking selfies than being a self-starter. 91% of 16-25-year-olds think other people, and society generally, has a bad opinion of young people today, with 36% of respondents thinking that people wrongly believe young adults are afraid of hard work. One in ten (10%) admits to spending nearly all of their spare time trying to further their career and more than a third of 16-25 year-olds questioned (36%) would say that their work/life split is around 75% work and 25% life.

Bejay Mulenga, a 20 year-old entrepreneur from London says, “My main goal is to keep on striving forward and to keep on being as efficient as I am now…anything I put my mind to, I just go out and get it. You don’t always get what you want, but if you put the work in, you kind of get it.”

This desire for career freedom amongst 16-25 year-olds could be seen as a rebellion against the restricting ‘job for life’ concept prevalent in their parents’ era. When given a list of 20 choices of life dreams, including making my parents proud (17%), owning my own home (22%) or earning good money (21%), the most popular aspiration was ‘to be able to live the life I want and have the money and freedom to achieve goals’ (29%). This ranked much higher than living debt-free (11%), which was significantly lower.

Dr Rupa Huq, Sociologist at Kingston University, comments: “The young people of today feel a need for the world to be a better place but also, one to have fun, and for that reason they are not that materialistic but seek a sense of satisfaction in what they do.”

Ed Hardy, 17 year-old founder of telecoms start-up Edge Mobile, believes it is all about prioritising happiness over boosting your bank balance: “Often people assume that if you’re a young entrepreneur you’re out for money. I think, actually, there is a change and money is no longer so important. Actually, happiness and doing a career that you enjoy (is) really fulfilling for you personally; it’s just so much more important now.”

www.generatorsz.tumblr.com

Kiev Remixes – New Album From Ummagma

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Frostie

Formed in Moscow in 2003, Canadian Shauna McLarnon and Ukrainian Alexx Kretov have been consistently writing and recording music whilst living between Ukraine and Canada. Shauna’s delicate airy gossamer-like vocals hold glimmers of Cocteau Twins, Stereolab, The Sundays, Curve, Lush, and Slowdive. Alexx’s guitar, vocals, synths, beats and programming create cinematic soundscapes with elements of Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Bill Nelson and Brian Eno, enabling the listener soar above the music.

Ummagma debuted with 2 simultaneous LPs (‘Antigravity’ and ‘Ummagma’) in 2012. They’ve built on the success of those records by collaborating with Moscow’s Sounds of Sputnik on their ‘New Born’ LP, which will be released by UK label Ear to Ear Records on November 21st 2014.

In 2013, Ummagma won the Alternative Eurovision, hosted by Amazing Radio, from 21 countries and repeated the feat in 2014 on Pure FM. They received 2 awards at the 2013 Australian Independent Music Video Awards, often feature in The Scottish New Music Chart, and landed a full-spread feature in Rolling Stone Russia. Ummagma has also caught the attention of Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) and Malcolm Holmes (OMD), who have remixed tracks for forthcoming release.

Despite heavy turmoil in Ukraine, Ummagma are showing a solid footing, looking forward to a brighter future for Eastern Europe. In ‘Kiev’, this Canadian-Ukrainian team celebrates their freedoms, exploring the root of today’s problems to create beauty in the face of hostility.

‘Kiev’ is the capital of Ukraine and the epicenter of massive civil unrest this year, but with this release of the same name, Ummagma rise above the decay and mayhem encountered in that country to embrace diversity and beauty, while taking their music in new directions. ‘Kiev’ is a essentially message of hope.

This release is an impressive package featuring the original track ‘Kiev’ plus 9 remixes from 9 fantastic artists from nearly as many countries, celebrating the splendor of the original composition in their own unique styles.

Auxiliary tha Masterfader transforms the duo’s work into an Italoesque electro-disco-pop gem. A Copycat’s handclap-dream-pop version is tender as a peach skin with a retro summer groove factor. Statickman’s synths shoot like laser guns into the retro-synth future. A Copy For Collapse goes for a more experimental, industrial approach, while David Garcet’s trippy chillwave edit brings downtempo bliss. Mikael Fas dishes up a beautiful trance-imbued deep house version. Celebrated Japanese chillwave artist Haioka takes everything to the next level with sounds reminiscent of an angelic playground. Sounds of Sputnik presents a stripped-down 90s indie version laced with synth-guitar harmony. Brazilian electro-child Mind Movies delivers a fragmented, dubby and loud breakbeat adaptation that probably comes closest to the actual state of mankind if we could listen to its rhythm.

The outcome shows that what is the end for one person may be the start for another. Even more important, it shows that beauty can blossom even in the midst of ugliness.

Emerald & Doreen Recordings is a German boutique record label for futuristic indie, chill & dance music, curated by dedicated audiophile music makers and lovers who pride themselves on selecting the most exciting original material they can find, engaging the services of the most innovative remixers. Emerald & Doreen Recordings released Ummagma’s ‘Rotation/Live and Let Die’ single in December 2013, followed by the ‘Lama’ extended EP in late May 2014.

RIYL: Stereolab, Curve, Cocteau Twins, Broadcast, Everything But The Girl, Dubstar

Released 31 October 2014

The Society Islands, The Big Sleep | Music News

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Frostie

Band/Artist: The Society Islands
Location: Cologne, Germany
Styles: Indie Pop, Neo Folk, Dream Pop
Similar to/RIYL: Tame Impala, Grizzly Bear, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Porcupine Tree, Brian Eno
CD: The Big Sleep
Release date: September 26 (digital), November 14 (CD)
Members/Instruments: Boris Rogowski (vocals, guitars, bass, keys, woodwinds, percussion, drums), Moishe Lichtfuss (Saxophone), Benedikt Filleboeck (Trumpet), Isabelle Holder (vocals), Eva Bardo (vocals)
Production: Boris Rogowski

Bio:

The Society Islands is the solo project of the Cologne, Germany based singer and multi-instrumentalist Boris Rogowski whose other musical ventures include work as composer, studio and live musician for domestic bands and artists like Klee and Gentleman. He is also a founding member of the psycho pop quintet DIE SONNE.

His music as The Society Islands oscillates between neo-folk, dream pop and indie rock and is further characterized by unconventional stylistic shifts, ominous undertones and its creator’s firm belief that there is no such thing as bad influence.

“The Big Sleep” opens with the monologue of a person in a drug-induced state of wonder whose discovery that she “can’t use colour” only leads her to the conclusion that she “can do everything” – an adequate way of introducing an album full of musical and lyrical arrangements that never feel contrived or formulaic, but rather like something discovered by chance – in a state of somnambulistic certainty. The songs manage to conjure up musical and emotional landscapes which are as engrossing as they are hard to pinpoint; like dreamscapes, they tend to shift, blur and bleed into each other.

“The Big Sleep” as a whole can be read as a meditation on impossibilities: There is no way to start over with a clean slate, to change who you are or to make beauty – or even happiness – last forever. It would be a depressing sentiment, were it not coupled with the one good reason to keep trying: the endless creative power of discontent.

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