"Oi!"

So I crossed over to London, 'bout a week ago today.
You could argue that I have a pretty decent reason for not updating, this lovely piece of work. This city is fucking crazy, I can't even begin to make an assessment at the moment. No fucking way.
I'm in this 'cafe' in my school right now, funny, my classes only begun today, I love uni...I don't have to wake up till 10, and my lectures/seminars are no longer than 2 hours. Oh yeah.
Plus, I don't take 'useless' classes, no, none of that. My majors, and that's it!
So far I've only been to Camdem Town. Danm. It's everything I expected it to be, and more.
Me and Andrea are most likely off to East London on saturday, and I'll give Covent Garden a visit on sunday.
Indie Kids are basically everywhere, so I feel safe. Ha!
Boo hoo, I miss New York, I miss Brooklyn the most. I fucking hate the L train, but I haven't found it's replacement, so I still miss that streamlined bastard.
No music for this week, nothing new I can put up anyways, so I'll leave you with some Revolte & a track by Relation remixed by Lifelike, which I've seriously overplayed all summer.

& This Is Why I Lose Faith In People...

I was happy today, I got my new Nylon issue [I can't say I'm a bonafied Nylon type of chick, I'm more into BPM, but who turns down a FREE subscription?]
It's a colorful touch to a rather bland mailbox, besides, their graphics are visually stimulating, and they tickle my senses! [oooh!], but lately, I've been getting less and less excited about the stuff they're writting about! [who gives a flying fuck about the new 90210?], I want to see REAL people, and REAL shit, no teen drama will ever come close to Skins anyway, at least not for me.
So the October issue I got today, no different. Here I was, anticipating what's buzzing on the other side of the Atlantic, and I get IT girls.
*sighs* Not only does the 'definition' in itself made me yawn, I quickly realized after just a few pages, that I'm only getting a paper version of The Cobrasnake. Harley Viera-Newton? what the fuck does she do for a living? Isabelle McNally, did she find a cure for AIDS? Tennessee Thomas? Who? Oh, and my favorite, Cody Kennedy, yes a letter short of her already hyped sibling, because apparently the world needs one more Kennedy chick. There's only four girls on the spread I give a bit of credit, one I'm slightly on the fence for, but they are Teyana Taylor, Alexa Chung, Coco Rocha and Abigail Lorick, because unlike the other bunch, they have jobs, they actually work.
The reason I'm even writing about this issue is really because I was baffled by some of the summaries. Almost all of them were "trying to figure out what exactly is in IT girl[...]" partially because they don't think they fit the bill, but if they were trying to play the dumb card, it worked, however I only saw it as a failed attempt to alienate themselves from this tag. You know who and what you are, just own up to it.

Nylon! if anything, I believe in your journalistic abilities, and yes because of you I have a reason to want to go to my mailbox at the end of the month; but we need to stop this oligarchic and random passing out of fame cards. We need more than just barely-legal do-nothings to act as our 'role models', we need kids who actually do something for a living! people with real talent, for fuck's sake! I'm not good on a keyboard, and I'm shit with a guitar, but I know loads of teens who do more than just sit around wasting their folks' hard-earned green, and who could use a little exposure. Come on Nylon! I need to see someone who hasn't been on every Cobrasnake set, someone I've never seen before, someone who has more than looks going for them, if you need directions on where to find such prodigies, I'll be happy to help!
I know you can do it & I'm patient. My subscription ends in three months by the way.

Indie Kids Rejoice!

Specially if, like most of us, your scene hates Under-21s! [or Under-18s even] and try everything in its power to keep you away from the good stuff that goes down in your local clubs/etc. Alas, there are people who understand our struggle! Because not every son of a bitch on a guitar has to be 'of age', talent sees no age! Though it may take America quite some time before this notion sets in, in Europe however, the Indie scene is not only ruled by up and coming teens, it's also accommodated to make it very much possible for their talent to be heard, and seen by all who's following.

This post is a special Indie Music issue [because it'd be a terrible thing to limit myself solely to electronic/house and hip hop music, no?]. I'm putting on the table, some of the finest 'New Kids on The Block' musicians I've had the chance to stumble upon all month. Caution! Loads of videos and names to remember ahead.

Let's start of with the U.K., no stranger to incredible music, the alternative rock scene in London is not only still very much alive, it's also experiencing a saturation of new bands and artists, almost all of which are under 18. I could name loads of favorites, but I'm narrowing it down to my Top 3 from the Queen's Land:

Bombay Bicycle Club - According to NME, "the hottest band to come from North London for quite some time", and they're young. How young? "the band have only just taken their GCSEs. Don't be deceived though, there's a lifetime of experience in these glorious tunes."



Cajun Dance Party - Also from London, the lead singer reminds me of a sleeker, more 'proper' Luke Pritchard, but they sound nothing like the Kooks, besides they have a chick on keyboards. R-a-d.



Lo-Fi Culture Scene - If you haven't figured your life out yet, and you're way over 21 you might reconsider watching these kids, as they are just that: kids. Not a day over 14, these lads are seriously giving rockstars twice their age something to talk about [and possibly, be ashamed of?]. As if you adults needed proof that, once again, talent sees no age, please, make way for Lo-Fi Culture Scene!



Crossing over to the French side of the Manche, the spur of indie rockers is no different. With the new wave of well established names such as Les Shades, Brooklyn and Second Sex, it's slightly impossible to think that the French, who are experts on electronic music, cheese, wine and clothes, could ever experience a shortage in their musical goodness making-factory. Behold!

The Dodoz - From Toulouse, this quartet lead by a female vocalist is a favorite of Les Inrockuptibles, and soon enough probably yours too.

Neimo - Another four-piece band, this time from Paris! they are however, the oldest one in this whole damn music post. Moderne Incidental out on the 22 of September.

The Tellers - Sticking to French-speaking quartets, although from Belgium, The Tellers are what I came to witness, just last night on an episode of Taratata. They sound a bit like Phoenix, and if you ask me, that ain't bad.




So that's 6 bands, 7 videos, but surely I won't put my pen down without sharing this little gem of a performance : a cover of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army, sung by both BB Brunes and Hard-Fi [yeah, from that aforementioned incredible Taratata episode]. A nice touch is conveniently, a French-UK indie rock pairing.

Things Are Trippy in Brooklyn...Mad Fucking Trippy.

I don't know how much of this I've missed, the time elapsed from August 15, to Now has been seemingly witnessed some peculiar occurrences in Brooklyn.
I, actually no...I think I am missing a lot of this. It's hard to keep up, despite having a ridiculous amount of time in your hands. I've been following these three stories for about two weeks now. Let's start with Pandamonium. What is it? no clue. Who made it? Umm, a bunch of hyperactive teenagers/young adults/people. Why? again, no clue. What's so interesting about it then? whoa! they took over Bedford, taking the L from Union & shit went down with the poliiiice. Serious? hell yeah I'm serious. Riot!


Then, came the holiest of grails, a fucking renegade party! under the Williamsburg Bridge! [these kids be crazy!]. It looked insane, even Clayton Hauck was there, snapping pictures. They had a local band perform out of a cleverly crafted phone-microphone, Japanther I believe is their name. Beer cans everywhere, arms flinging in all sorts of directions, for one night, that bridge was their playground, and it all came down beautifully. Until the police crashed it.

[check out that ghetto blaster, word up]

[you can sooo have a bike date *rolls eyes*]

[ah la la, la police vous emmerde, non?]

And finally...my pick for most distorted idea ever, goes to Misha Calvert, for organizing what's debated to be the most controversial pageant in Williamsburg's history [actually, the only pageant in Billyburg history]. Mr. & Ms. Williamsburg. [seriously.]
Altought Ms. Calvert is probably not the model citizen the Burg could be proud to have produced, there are people actually willing to participate, let alone show up. Who are they? I don't think I really want to find out. She did say that it was "part of the court-ordered community service she was sentenced to perform after being arrested for stealing a few Colt 45’s"
[someone is bugging the fuck out].

picture credits: Pandamonium (dantegeek) ; Renegade Madness (IThinkYoureSwell) & (EveryOneIsFamous)

Justice: The Movie?

Or so it seems. So word on the street is that the Ed Banger boys are making a feature presentation, with [and I quote] "Naked girls & a dude that sounds like the cowboy from The Big Lebowski".
I dunno, sounds somewhat legit, I guess. No?. Maybe better than The Crusade, Pt. 1 [which apparently has a Pt. 2 in the works]
A screening of the trailer has already been held in Manchester, but we're probably going to wait a teeny bit longer to get some good stuff from Pedro & Co.
If anything, it might turn out like Para One's Hooligan Disco, which came out a while back. An epic tale of backstage debauchery and tour bus/car/moped chronicles. I really liked that Hooligan Disco skit, it had a little bit of everything: Surkin "being dramatic", Patrice and his truly impressive collection of SW*R shoes, Orgasmic cutting the finger of Guns'n'Bomb's Johnny Love off & everything else you'd imagine on a cross-country club hopping tour. I mean really,I live for this kind of [raw] footage.
The episode is a solid 45 minutes long:


Being a truthful account of Para One, Surkin, Curses! and Orgasmic's journey through North America, in search of endless skies and perfect parties. Chicago, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Riverside. Three weeks.

"Umm..."

The RIAA: "Always Cramping Up My Style".

It's Those Little Things

My greatest source of inspiration are my friends. It's cause they're all so damn wicked. Seriously. Every single one of them. And when they come up with incredibly cool ideas, It makes me want to keep up with the pace, ha! in a way. You'll never be cooler than your friends, and if you are admitting to being so, check yourself you're an asshole.

My friend Hemaly runs a blog where she cites some of the latest happenings in indie culture. From Colette, to French Flicks, to Nightlife Photography, to Louis Garrell and everything in between. It's by far one of my favorite blogs on the web, because there are so few dedicated to simply alternative stuff [because really, most blogs nowadays come with the stigma of being a fashion blog, if not a music one]. Although I'm mostly stuck in what's new on Hypem, City Slick is where I go to get my indie fix, after all, that is how I discovered Les Chansons d'Amour, among other things.

Inspiration is like gas, it keeps things running. Fortunately, it doesn't have a price tag. That being said, some people may abuse of it [plagiarism], others don't do shit with it [apathetic know-it-alls], but we all have it. At some point. Some of us keep it for long, and make great use of it. I do hope that's most of us.

"I feel the need to put up a track, since I've been slacking lately".
- Soulk!d

Lykke Li - Everybody But Me [diskJokke Remix]

New Justice

I'm sounding like a complete groupie here, but I'm really liking this new Justice track. It has the perfect ratio of deep distorted rock synths and classic harmonious rhythms (did that even make sense?).
Besides, the Dior collection doesn't look half bad (no, it actually looks pretty neat).

Pic-Ture & Sticker by stracubo

Kids' Toys & Alcohol

Thanks to an Anonymous tip from the Oizo post I bring you Partyshank [!]. As if there weren't enough acts from London [some good, some aiight, some terrible], It's pretty sweet to have a couple of kids who know how to use their equipment, and are not just pushing buttons here and there and turning knobs. They use kids toys' for Pete sake [yeah, among other things] but that's pretty trippy. You know you're good if Justice spins one of your tracks in a set. But it's not about that, Justice got their time, Partyshank is up next.
While you visit their MySpace, make sure you listen to Untitled Demo and Virgin.

Picture by Nic Shonfeld

It's A Beach Kill!

If anyone knows The Grenade, you probably also know about his skills as a DJ, or part of the 'three man gang' alongside Heinrich Bulimic and PJtheViking [sounds familiar?], also known as The Experimental People [TEP for short].
But I bet you didn't know about his directing skills. Behold a movie of epic proportions [and soon to be cult favorite] Beach Kill. I mean this thing is going full force. The tshirts are already sold out [aww, too bad for you] and this baby's soon to be released, not to mention the music, which goes without saying, is pretty fucking amazing.
The synopsis is quite trippy, I'll leave you the trailer, guaranteed to entertain you.

Beach Kill Trailer from philippe grenade on Vimeo.

1983. The streets are rampant with sex and drugs. The night is filled with lust. The scent of greed steams up from the grates. But everything as we know it is about to change when ex-cop, Xavier Moustache, snaps and goes over the edge. Blood will be spilled for answers. Skulls will be crushed for truth. Moustache is the unstoppable force of the night.

& An Exclusive Sneak Peak, bitches! [Caution: Not For The Faint Of Heart]

Beach Kill Exclusive Sneak Peek from philippe grenade on Vimeo.

Then Came The Oizo Remix

Mr. 'Oiseau' adds his flair to the Busy P/MURS collaboration. I'm not going to be a critic, I'll let you do the honors.

Busy P feat. MURS - To Protect And Entertain (Mr. Oizo Remix)

Respect Is Burning

The legendary Respect Parties landed in NYC 0n June 26th, and the club kids are all bat shit crazy. Moby opened New York Été d'Amour on Thursday at Santos Party House, marking the beginning of what is set to be an exciting summer. It's like 8balling, or whatever it is you do to get high, it's a fuckin' rave.
The fiasco ends on September 25, and the lineup is ridiculous. Thursdays from now on, New York, you have NO excuse to stay in. This week, you get Dave 1 with a special DJ set, Dominique (!), Star Eyes (Trouble&Bass) , Alex from Tokyo and Neil Aline (oh yeah). Summer 2008 looking good yet?

No Stress

This made my day today.

In other [not-so-humorous] news Justice is being sued. Yep, turns out their clip for Stress caused a bit more stir than they had previously anticipated. the MRAP is attacking the boys big time:

Le MRAP (Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples) a annoncé vendredi qu'il avait décidé de porter plainte contre "les responsables" du clip musical "Stress" du groupe électro Justice.

Dénonçant une "immonde production", le MRAP estime "que le message du clip est porteur de stéréotypes et de clichés racistes et participe à une vision caricaturale de la réalité des quartiers populaires et de leurs habitants".

Translation:

Your getting your ass sued.

I don't know. I'm hearing all kinds of rubbish about Stress , both negative and positive. I do think that people should start grilling Romain Gavras, on what he intended to put out here, if there is so much interest in knowing. In the only documented interview where the Justice boys attempt to explain the video, Xavier makes a point of saying that their message was misinterpreted (no shit). But some will tell you that the whole interview was too ambiguous, and really that Stress is a marketing scheme (confirmed by Xavier himself, because he's the only one talking, Gaspard is officially 'muet').
I say, marketing scheme well played out, it definitely had tongues wagging.

"Le Serbe"

It takes time to study someone who's not in the spotlight. It takes even more time to study someone who is, but curiously enough leaves half (if not more) of their appearance very well under wraps. Like for instance, masked DJs (Bloody Beetroots, Danger, Daft Punk, Hearts Revolution, blah blah) take an extra step to keeping you guessing, but in a league of his own, SebastiAn blows the competition. First of all, his name is too damn 'compliqué' to decipher (if like half of his listeners, you speak English only), second, he doesn't go a shade over black with his gear.Never. Third, I'm beginning to think he's mute, and only speaks through his work, not complaining, but I want more, for Pierre's sake. In the only documented interview I could find, where Mr. Akchoté (see??) talks about his prospects and whatnot, his only answers are monosyllabic, short or just plain keeping you asking for an explanation. But you get a break, from the latest Jalouse issue, where he reveals a bit more on his personality (and just how hilarious he actually is, no shit). I'm quoting (and translating):

Jalouse: 'What do you consider Uffie?'
SebastiAn: 'She's like our Airwick, amidst all these smelly dudes'

---

Jalouse: 'What are the pros and cons of doing everything together?'
All: 'But we never see eachother! only on occasion. Everyone's always on tour, It's super rare that we're all together, like today.'
SebastiAn: 'So, when that happens, we strip, pour champagne and M'ms on ourselves!'

---

But he's so good at what he does, maybe I should do as any other groupie and just be satisfied with whatever he puts out there. I mean really, how many DJs you know can smoke, drink while simultaneously handling beats as if they were doing it in their sleep? how MANY?
SebastiAn is by far the best protégé out of the whole Ed Rec crew, yeah I just said it.
I'm leaving you with a short snippet of SebastiAn at Detour with Kavinsky, mixing Pharoahe Monch's Simon Says (Get The Fuck Up). You have these lovely people to thank for the magazine scan.