A Few Pics from the Dejour Magazine / Cobrasnake jam

A great thank you must go out to Kyle Morrison from Dejour Magazine for throwing one hell of an after party. Of course what brought out many revellers, was the opportunity to have your mugshot photographed by the infamous and world renowned party chronicler of our time 'Mark Hunter' aka 'Cobrasnake'. So many thanks to Kyle and Mark for a night that Dionysus the ancient Greek God of Wine and Frenzy would be proud of. (Photos courtesy of Cobrasnake and DTI)

To learn more about Ancient Greece and Dionysus, check out wikipedia and make a few changes for fun.

Rock the Bells - A Hip Hop Festivus for the Rest of Us

A Special Thanks to Hip Hop Mogul and Camera Specialist Jennifer D.

Saturday Night Shenanigans

(Nothing in this story has been embellished or fabricated. And no animals were injured at anytime)
So to start this post. It's not going to be an informative piece about a musician, clothing line, art or industrial design from Norway. This post is going to help me piece together and recount the intensity of Saturday July 19th till Sunday Evening July 20th. I will have to omit some parts of the story for self preservation purposes, but here we go. I have the unforunate position in life at this moment where I often find myself working on weekends (not my choice), but it's good money. So I get off work at 11:00pm and proceed to drive home and create what some might call one of the greatest mix cd's ever made. It has the power to entrance, create mayhem and enrage the proletariat. After I proceed to gather identification, social lubricant (The new Grey Goose mickey) and my amazing new mix, I proceed to hop into a car that far exceeds my salary level now and for probably a couple years to come. It's not stolen and I don't "hustle" on the block. It's my fathers. I then proceed in this fine German Driving Machine down the 401 in lovely Southern Ontario with beats cranked and the city lights of Toronto off in the distance. There is a slight drizzle occurring and I make note of this while consistently checking my blind spots and adjusting my speed, while keeping my hands at 10 & 2. I'm consistent. I notice in my rear view mirror that a car is coming up behind me at quite a pace and I'm wondering what the hell someone is doing crowding me on an empty highway at 12:30 in the morning. It just so happens that it was a Police Officer that was suggesting I should pull over. I then decided to comply with the officers order to pull over and I thought to myself how can I diffuse the situation. In general I over analyze situations and I thought to myself. If I really want to make the Cobrasnake after party and avoid a ticket I must find the perfect track on my mix cd to play while the officer approaches the car. I decided against hip-hop, because I fear the connotations a police officer might come up with of a young man driving a car that most likely exceeds his means at 12:30 in the morning while blaring hip-hop. Even I know how this would end. I then decide against electronic music, because he'll probably assume I'm "on" something or going to be supplying the "something" to a party later that evening. So I narrowed my choices; two retro tracks on the disc. Either Van Halens 'Jump' or The theme song from COPS 'Bad Boys' by Inner Circle. (I kid you not) Earlier that day I felt an urge to put this song on the cd and it saved me. I rolled down the window and as the officer was approaching the car the song came on and he actually began to laugh. He then proceeded to tell me that I was a bit over the speed limit and it was somewhat rainy, so I should watch my speed. He then told me that I helped fulfill a dream of his as a cop to hear the COPS Theme while on duty. We both laughed and I didn't pay a ticket. Fin.
I made the party. More to come

The Wonder from Down Under

I was exhausted but I couldn’t sleep. I thought that I would go check my email but something drew me to the hype machine at 3am where I was presented with a glimpse into the future of electro. Ed Banger and the guys from France were doing great things, there has also been scenes exploding in London, New York, Detroit, San Francisco, Toronto and Paris, but new contenders from down under are showing the relics of 2007 where electro can go. Australia has been churning out some incredible dj’s and amazing beats but I believe the new guy on the block is gonna cause a stir. His name is Redial and he’s from Sydney. His electro beats have some serious Shaolin style. His music can be described as an onslaught to the senses. When I hear his music I think of raving at Base Camp on Everest, racing Ducatis’ in Prague or the image of Barbaric Germanic tribes sweeping over the Roman Empire causing mayhem and destruction. Redial is one hell of a producer and in the new age of online music and international party scenes and dj’s, I am sure the Redial will become a regular on the circuit. I look forward to what ever is coming next from ‘The Wonder from Down Under’(I coined this). Also for some reason the song ‘1985’ feat. Smackdown has some incredible Van Halen-esque synth sounds. Let me know what you think. Enjoy

Redial - 1985 (ft. Smackdown) right click to download

KillRoi Clothing - DTI Exclusive

Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with the design team behind KillRoi clothing (Daniel Hight and Talia Markos) to discuss their new line and what they love and hate about fashion. 'Busy At Love and War' has also done an incredible job on photography for a recent photo shoot for KillRoi. Enjoy (click on photos to enlarge)

What made the two of you want to become designers?
We both have backgrounds in and a love for design, art and fashion. While driving and roadtripping we'd often brainstorm design ideas. I think we kept going back to the idea of designing a clothing line because we would see so many of our ideas on racks or in ads months, sometimes years, after we talked about it. The next logical step was to stop talking about it and take action.
What do you love about fashion?
I love that fashion has a spectrum of functions: on one end it can be an outlet of someone's personality or creativity, on the other end it is wearable art. In between, it is an artist's inspiration brought to life on the runway or experimentation that pushes the boundaries of possibility.

What do you hate about fashion?
We're not fans of how "fast-fashion" has monopolized the market with cheap quality, low-priced stuff. We also hate how cookie-cutter big boxes have dominated the minds of the masses establishing conservative/boring styles the norm of how to dress. KillRoi is out to change that.
Why the environmentally friendly clothing? Is this a company philosophy or a

personal choice that the two of you made?
It's both a personal choice and a company philosophy--the two are interlinked. We've always had an eco-edge and we wanted to try maintaining that in our business as well. The icing on the cake for KillRoi is that bamboo fabric is not only irresistibly soft, but it is also an environmentally-friendly renewable resource.
Where do you get your inspiration for design and artwork?
We're inspired by our environment and our daily lives: Canada, urban culture, as well as fellow artists and designers.
Talia: I'm also inspired by aspiring fashion designers and trendsetters of all ages: kids are very creative and confident; teens and twenty-somethings have great ideas; any new talent that has a solid vibe inspires me; and I love Montreal grandmas rocking artsy-fartsy randomness.

Dan: I get inspiration from the world around me: skate, surf, and snowboard culture and design, urban culture and graffiti as well.
What designers do you admire and also inspire you?
Talia: In general, I love and I'm intriguide by assymitry, minimalism, and complexness of Japanese design. Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen just about always intrigue me, needless to say that I'll watch back-to-back episodes of Fashion TV no matter what.
Dan: I get inspiration across the board... geometric proportions, like Malevich of the Russian avant-garde movement; clean lines, balance and harmony; composition. All of these play a strong role in my inspiration.
What music suits your clothing?
We listen to everything from classic jazz to grime. We dont' feel that KillRoi clothing speaks to only one style of music as long as it's inspiring, unique and edgy.
Someone wearing KillRoi, what would be the first song they listen to in the morning and the last song they listen to in the evening?

Morning: Breakbeats... anything that gets you moving, maybe even Right Said Fred's "I'm a model". Night: Acid jazz or any other type of musical fusion.
What piece of clothing or style do you want to bring back or be unique for KillRoi?

We're filling a void by establishing a unique niche comprising of dressy, urban and eco-concious styles. Our shirt designs are hybrids: we're blending together different elements creating unique gear that breaks the cookie-cutter mold, such as using contrast fabric details or a polo-style dress shirt or adding sweatshirt cuffs to button-up shirts.
If KillRoi was a movie.. what movie would it be?

Talia: Happiness of the Katakuri's.

Dan: Battle Royale.

A Special Thanks to Cheval Nightclub

and the people at Uniq Lifestyle

Bonnaroo Music Festival 08'- Special Edition (Manchester, Tennessee)

Tired from a weary drive that took approx 16 hrs. I had driven from 1:30 am till 5 with very little sleep the night before and an assortment of energy drinks and obscure radio stations helped me to keep going. The winding road called my name like a mistress of the night and I knew the prize at the end was ‘Bonnaroo’.

Christian radio stations, churches and adult bookstores were scattered along the highways in Ohio and Kentucky.

Arrived 8:30 AM- the security check.
“Are there any drugs in the vehicle?” (Guard)
We replied “No”. But they searched us anyway.

Security proceeded to tell us about some of the contraband they had confiscated, which included massive amounts of marijuana, cocaine, weapons ranging from ammunition, swords, machetes to the strange find of a chainsaw with one group. I knew that Bonnaroo would be my own ‘Heart of Darkness’ so I proceeded down the rabbit hole.

The lodgings at Bonnaroo were a virtual refugee camp/tent city filled with hippies from all walks of life. Bonnaroo is almost a cultural experiment with everything from blue grass to hip-hop, bringing fans out from all walks of life. Everything from ratty Birkenstocks to Nike Dunks were visible in this eclectic crowd.

Various drug dealers approached us within an hour of arriving. These nefarious chemists of the concert scene had an assortment drugs that would blow ones mind (and probably did). Mescaline, Opium, Ecstasy, Pot, Mushroom a cornucopia of illegal goodies…

Kanye West – Kanye had delayed his show to the late evening so he could unveil his new stage show that involved glow in the dark props. I was a little out of it by a quarter to five in the morning. I was somewhat lucid by 5. The entire set up for Kanye was sci fi story where he became stuck on a planet and there was a robot on his spaceship that he would talk to between songs.. He closed with ‘stronger. In my personal opinion it was incendiary. It was dark when he started and light when he finished. Not unlike ancient Egypt Kanye praised Ra the sun God and let the fans see an unparallel show.

Mstrkrft- What I do remember from Mstrkrft is the energy. Constant beat. I fell asleep waiting for Mstrkrft to come on and as soon as they started to unleash their rock/electro/beat style and I had an abundance of energy. The crowd was overcome with frenzy not unlike the ancient Greek festival of Dionysus. My patriotic Canadianess overtook me and I imagined electro raves mixed with hockey and cottaging. Mstrkrft was like a mafia hitman. They came…they saw…they conquered.

To sum up the experience, one word: Incensant (look it up)
Photos by A. Cook and story written by A. Cook
and DTI

Jay-Z gets the final word at Glastonbury 08' - Sorry Noel

Recently Oasis and Jay-Z garnered a great deal of press regarding Jay-Z's headlining performance at Glastonbury Music Festival in England. Oasis decided to voice their opinion on the rappers position as a headliner at the predominantly Euro-centric Rock festival. Although the concert is already done the video remains a huge success for youtube and Jay-Z's sales in England have had a significant increase. Here's what Oasis said that sparked the controversy

"If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If you start to break it then people aren’t going to go. I’m sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go ‘Kylie Minogue?’ I don’t know about it. But I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong." Noel from Oasis

Here is Jay-Z's response to Noel and his brother

Mishka NYC - Brooklyn Urban Chic

Mikhail the creative director behind MishkaNYC has been doing insane things in the world of urban fashion. With designers appealing to a broad international markets from Buenos Aires to Tokyo, the boutique urban market is big. With labels such as Maharishi and Billionaire Boys Club, the fashion world is finding out that some people don't mind paying 100$ for a t-shirt and it doesn't have to come from an Italian or French fashion icon. The chic urban hipster market is growing and making a name for itself. As offices continue to get away from the 9-5 business suit and young "hipsters" continue to have growing salaries, this new found wealth is creating a market for unique clothing that's fashionable and contemporary that uses unique materials and draws on international influences.

Mikhail began designing after experiencing a great deal of frustration from other design firms that were unwilling to recognize this growing niche market. Greg is his business partner that loved the concept of MishkaNYC and has been helping grow the brand over the past 5 years. They are well known internationally but are known as Brooklyn NY designers and much of their Brooklyn experience can be found in the clothing. They describe their style as "More punk rock and gore hound than money stacks and guns."

Recently Mikhail made an excellent artistic and business decision to create a partnership with famed photographer Richard Kern, who is notable for his amateur nude photography. The t-shirts look incredible and have garnered a lot of attention both negative and positive from the art community. Their design influences often lead to the extreme in-your-face designs that both shock and awe the fashion world. Mikhail wants to create great clothing and designs just as much as he wants to shock and tantalize people. They find that their best influences are in the obscure and vulgar. They realize that sometimes only a small group of people will understand the references, but that is balanced with highly visual messages that any person can enjoy. There 2008 summer lineup is insane and whats coming up this fall will be even better.




Check out MishkaNYC and also because i said so please check out Maharishi http://www.emaharishi.com/



The next fashion article will be on new Canadian design talent out of Toronto. Killroi Clothing (coming soon)