Katey D.

Uhum!

Tuna of the Day!

Video Artist Extraordinaire

About 9 years ago i first saw the video for Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" and i still remember how that disturbing image of those little girls with Richard James' face running around had stuck in my head for a long long time. It was around that time when i had first discovered Warp Records and that whole new experimental sound was like finding gold. So as i started to dig on the label's sound and artists, i found out that the guy who directed the Aphex Twin video had already worked with Autechre, one of the label's biggest names. His name was Chris Cunningham a Brit from Reading who has done pretty much everything from music videos and advertisments for well known brands, to short films and music production. The most striking discovery i did was that his early work was apparently so influential that even the great Stanley Kubrick wanted, and finally got to recruit him, for his own final movie called Artificial Intelligence. As talented as he was Cunningham quickly became the next big thing in different areas such as photography and producing as well as film making. In 2005 he created two short films. The first one, called Rubber Johny, was filmed entirely in night vision and had its soundtrack written by Aphex Twin himself, and the second one which he did for Warp Films and remains unreleased until today was edited to music by Squarepusher. In 2008, Cunningham produced a fashion shoot for Dazed & Confused magazine in which he picked singer Grace Jones to be his model in order to create "Nubian versions" of Rubber Johnny. Except the videos he directed for Aphex Twin he also responsible for the amazing video of Bjork's "All is full of Love" which has won numerous awards, for which he also created the photography and cover artwork, like he had already done for the "Come to Daddy" and "Windolicker" videos. Until this day he has created videos for a series of artists such as Portishead, Leftfield and Madonna. After finishing off the short films Cunningham turned towards music production and although he was very enthousiastic about it, his first attempt was left unfinished due to the fact that he was already working on a film script before and he did not have enough time to work on two projects at the same time. He did though manage to play a gig in Japan where he combined sound and image using other artists' material blended with videos of his own

Innocent purple & deep yellow.

A Message from the Crew

So today is my birthday...every year this day when i look back to what ive done i have to admit that as im slowly entering the 4th decade of my life, im more than grateful for all the things i got the chance to experience, the people ive met and the places ive been in my life up to this day. I know ive let some people down in one way or another over these past years but im doing my best to be the best person that i can. Remember to hold on to these few in your life who you call friends and try to make the best out of every day. Spread the knowledge y'all. See you out there

Alexis Shoubilicious

An interview with Dj Static.

As most of you know the duo Professor Groove and DJ Static, owners of "We Funk Radio", since 1996 are serving the scene with quality hip-hop, funk & soul. 
I was diggin on my wallet a few days ago and I found a business card from Dj Static, from that incredible night in Athens a few months ago. I decided it was the right time to get in contact with him and ask him a few questions regarding Hip-Hop and his relation to it. (..but not only!) Enjoy and learn!

What's the first hip hop you purchased?

I remember buying cassette tapes in the late 80s, from groups like Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Boogie Down Productions, etc. No one around really knew much about the music so I would try to catch clues from reading liner notes and seeing what other groups they shout out.


Which record is an all time classic for you?

It’s hard to pin it down to just one record, but Nas’s Illmatic comes pretty close.


How do you see the hip-hop industry at the moment? 

There’s a general lack of creativity because everyone’s sticking to the same formula.  But there’s also a vibrant underground scene.  The internet is a great equalizer because it gives quality artists a chance to succeed without major label support. 


List favourite film/s.

I love a lot of  70s movies with Al Pacino.  He injects so much fire and grit into his movies.  Dog Day Afternoon is a standout.


Hip-Hop or Funky or Both?


I started with hip-hop and branched out into a lot of other music.  But hip-hop will always be #1.

Sneakers, flip flops or barefoot.

Sneakers are cool ‘cause there’s a whole subculture around it.


70's, 80's or 90's?

I always dug the 70's and 90's.  Took me longer to get into the 80's but now I really appreciate it, especially 80's funk that takes 70's sounds but synth-ed it out and made it bounce!


Graffiti or Sticker Bombing?

Graffiti. Stickers seem too easy... like iPod DJ battles.


Peaceful Hip-Hop or Gangster Rap?

It’d be boring if I had to listen to one thing all the time. I have different tracks for  different moods.


Vinyl or Digital?

I don’t hate digital as much as some people. Things change. You can say digital killed vinyl, but you can also say vinyl killed live music back in the day!


Edited or Un-cut?

Edited tracks are cool ‘cause they’re more tailored to today’s audience, but I like to challenge myself by playing mostly originals. Originals have a certain purity that gets lost with edits, remixes and mashups.


Nature or Urban?

I’ve always been a city guy. But Vancouver is slowly turning me around because the nature here is so amazing.


Beach or Mountain?

Beach if i’m feeling social. Mountain if i want to get away.


Coffee or tea?

Tea with dim sum.  Coffee to stay up.


Gazongas or boo-tays?

2 orders of gazongas plus a side of boo-tay!


Listen to WE FUNK RADIO!
Big up Mr. Static.

He's got the steeze!

He's got the steeze! from AlexanderBakayannis on Vimeo.

Tuna of the Day!

Its All Gone

All Gone, the book is an all around documentation of the finest items and happenings of today's street culture. It was first published in 2006 in France. This year the book celebrates it’s 5th anniversary and in those five years that have gone by since its first publication, it has featured releases from brands like Nike, BAPE, BBC, Adidas, New Balance, Supreme and much more. This year's launch of the 2010 edition takes place in a bunch of different locations around the globe from Europe to the United States such as in the UNDFTD store in Los Angeles all the way to MADE in Berlin. As limited as the pieces in the book, All Gone is an essential of any streetwear fanatic

Tuna of the Day!

Ari Marcopoulos Paved the Way

The World's Biggest Sneaker Show

Sneaker Pimps (not to be confused with the trip hop band from Hartlepool) is a show touring all around the globe which features more than 1500 sneakers including rare and limited edition kicks, celebrity signed and artists collaboration, as well as a collection of other forms of art work such as fashion and photography inspired solely by the sneaker culture. It was founded in Sydney, Australia by Peter Fahey and and has put on over 200 shows since 2003. As you realize we're talking about the biggest sneaker and street art exhibition of the planet that has made a stop at countries such as Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Belgium and is moving constantly. The show's visitors also get to witness all kinds of events from live hip hop and beat-boxing shows with the likes of Dr Octagon, Kid Koala and the Beatnuts already performing there, to skateboarding and free running competitions. The main attraction though is the sneaker customization competition that takes place in every stop of the show. Some of the biggest names in the history of street art including Stash, Mr Cartoon and Kaws have been featured in this event. The show is currently on a tour around Asia

Maxi got shoubied!

Untitled from AlexanderBakayannis on Vimeo.

Tuna of the Day!

Maestro knows.

Maestro Knows - Special Edition (Levi Maestro) from Maestro Knows on Vimeo.

Turntablism 101

Mixtape of the Month!

Jazzy ways mixtape vol 2 by jazzy ways


by ATARI

Zaza off the wall.

Bristol's finest

Mr Jago is an artist residing in Bristol that does everything from painting and illustration to graphic and fashion design. Spending most of his childhood years in a non urban environment that offered very little opportunity for taking his drawing talent to the streets, he decided to exercise his skill in his sketchbooks instead, filling them with countless doodles that most of the time where just him improvising on paper like a rapper on an mc battle, eventually creating his own unique style of characters. Heavily influenced by graffiti, comic books and the hip hop culture Jago studied graphic design in Bristol where he met Will Barras the two of them described by many as the doodle school pioneers and founding members along with Ric Blackshaw and Steff Plaetz of the Scrawl Collective, an agency/collective of artists stationed in London home to some of the most talented artists around the UK such as French and PhlAsh. Compared to other artists of his kind Jago never felt as some sort of outlaw trying to keep his anonimity by letting his designs speak for themselves, so by the time his craft started to get noticed he went after a commercial career doing commissions for various companies, designing pretty much everything from clothes to ski equipment. Nike, Puma, Xbox, Yohji Yamamoto & Boxfresh are just a few of the brands he has collaborated with until today. His latest work is for Addict Clothing for which not only has he created a toy but he's also a regular in their artists t-shirt series since he is the one responsible for the camo pattern design on their latest fabric.