Tuesday 27 September 2011

INTERVIEW: SWEDISH ILLUSTRATOR AMARA POR DIOS COMES TO CHAT WITH US

This'll be my first interview with someone who I've never seen before,
as well as my first one with a female! Two birds with one stone...

Amara Por Dios is a Swedish Illustrator who's work I discovered via a
friend liking her page over Facebook! Funnily enough they are both
trainer fanatics so I will be crediting my friend Jess for this, will be
putting her tumblr and website at the bottom!

Anyway back to Amara! Well tbh as I don't know her too well personally 
I think it'd be best if I shut up, and let the interview do the talking!



This is my first interview with someone who I haven't met face to face in 
London! Where exactly are you from and how many languages can you speak?



I'm born and raised in Sweden. My both parents are from Chile. So I’m Swedish with Chilean heritage. I'm from Stockholm but at the moment I live in Uppsala. I speak Swedish, English and I understand Spanish but I can't speak it fluently. I understand a little bit of French because I studied back at school but I never continued. I regret it now because I love Paris and I travel there a lot.




What I've gathered from your blog is that you're into your graffiti, trainers, stickers and dance. Your life basically seems to revolve around hip-hop! How much of an influence 
would you say it has on you?


I would say that hip-hop have been in my life as long I can remember. My big sister listened to hip-hop when I grew up. I had a freestyle with a recorded cassette with 2pac and mob deep when I was 8 years old. I remembered when I came home from school and my big sister screamed 2pac is dead 2pac is dead! I think she had a lot of influence on me.
Now she thinks I’m listening to too much hip-hop.


I wrote my first rap lyrics when I was 11 and I wanted to become a rapper. When I was 12 I began with breaking and at the same time I started with graffiti. My cousins are graffiti writers and I wanted to be like them. Breaking and graffiti were the only things I did for a few years. I gave up breaking when I was 16 and started with popping (electric boogaloo) instead. I also stopped with the graffiti because I got stuck and didn't get any inspiration. After I while I realized that I had to just paint and create from my own mind and not to try to be like anybody else. The last 
2 years I’ve been very creative. I have come up with a unique and different style and I think I have found my thing.




One cruel person (like myself) makes you pick between your 
loves that are paints and your trainers. Which one's it gonna be?



What a dilemma. Haha.

Sneakers are a huge part of me but art is everything I am. I can't live without it. 
I think I would get mentally mad if I couldn't paint, draw, design, and create.


Seriously I think sneakers are a drug and I’m addicted to them. It's hard to 
not get the sneakers I want sometimes but I can be without them for a while.




How would you describe your work? The abstract characters you use as well as the fact that you love your cans reminds me of the graffiti artists over here in London who'd rather paint pictures on walls rather than just their name.



Two artists from London that I love are INSA and Banksy. I get a lot of inspiration from them. I only used cans regularly for two years now. So I’m a beginner still. I think I’ve 
only done around 15 pieces. I really want to learn more and develop my skills.


My grandmother was an artist. I spend a lot of time in her studio when I was little. We painted a lot together. I was a tomboy growing up I loved monsters and slime. I always drew characters with their tongue out and crazy eyes. When I got older I drew a lot of faces. Now I paint a lot of patterns and characters in bright colours. I think I get inspiration subconsciously from the Inca/Aztec culture. A lot of people think my work reminds them of Indian artwork. I understand their point of view and I see similarities. Now I’m interested in getting influences from the Asian and African culture.
 

What's the illustration scene like in Sweden? I'm not even sure if any of the Swede's I know can draw so I am pretty clueless as to what it's like over there!



I think it's quite big here. There’s a lot of great artist in Sweden. 
My personal favourite I would say is FINSTA.




What's the likelihood of seeing your work in London? I'm pretty sure it'd go down pretty well! You got any exhibitions abroad planned?



Actually I tried to find some art galleries in London couple of months ago. I would 
love to have a show there. So if you know any place please let me know.


In December I will have a show in Sweden with Infamous JeanClaude from the US. I'm 
very exited and it's his first international show. I hope I will have my first 
international exhibition soon as well.


You won a t-shirt competition for Flying Lotus who you're a fan I believe, which saw your designs sell out when he toured Japan! Also more recently I noticed that your tumblr got posted up by non other than the official Nike Women's facebook page! What other proud moments have you had?



Yes I still can't believe it. It means a lot to me.

Girls got kicks just released. It's a sneaker documentary book about girls who 
have a lot of sneakers. And I’m in it. I haven't seen it yet, I can't wait to see it.

I'm also in a Swedish documentary film about sneaker collectors in Sweden. 
The documentary are still in process and it will be finished in a couple of months. 


Finally is there anybody out there that you think the whole world should get to know?



Check out Infamous JeanClaude I’m having the art show with.


Amara also left us with a video if her images weren't enough for you!

Amara @ AOTS 2011 from Leif Egnell on Vimeo.

Big thanks to Amara for doing this interview, and also thanks to Jess
(she doesn't even know she's helped me yet!) for helping me stumble upon her!
Please look bellow at the links for the both of them!

AMARA ON:

 BLOGSPOT 
 
FACEBOOK

TUMBLR

JESS ON:

TUMBLR

WHAT SEEMS TO BE HER WEBSITE
(it's a website for people with small feel (s1-7) who have a hard time getting good kicks)

yes I know I just did brackets within brackets. and what?

WHAT SEEMS TO BE HER WEBSITE'S FACEBOOK

WHAT SEEMS TO BE HER WEBSITE'S TWITTER

PS
Amongst all this trainer luvin I may as well say I got me somenew kicks. It's normally 
such a pain buying trainers when you have size 12 feet as stores normally go up to 11
  and run out of size 12s quickly.I do like my trainers but I only ever have 3 pairs of foot wear at a time. Smart shoes, football studs and trainers. I'm poor and unfussy like that. When I get my trainers the first thing I do is redo the laces, takes hour but it's worth it!


hate it when the laces go all lopsided...

ANYWAY THAT'S ENOUGH CHAT, BYE!


 

Monday 26 September 2011

SATURDAY MORNINGS, DUB ALL OR NOTHING STYLE!

My set getting the thumbs up of approval!

Had a great reception for my 5-6am slot at Cable on Friday night or to be
precise, Saturday morning! Big shouts to Dub All Or Nothing for giving me the 
slot in the main room after coming runner up in their dubstep competition!
 
 my entry

Also an even bigger shout to everybody who stayed behind and showed me
some love and support during my set! Very much appreciated! I also took a
few pics which you can take a look at (links at the bottom). Also going to update
my events page, although I think I'm going to have to pay a bit more attention to uni 
as I should be going back soon, been a cool gap year but now it's back to Goldsmiths!


Anyway that's all for now, check the links bellow for :


DUB ALL OR NOTHING
(keep up with these guys, they are going on strong!)


PICS


ADD ME
(so you can tag yourselves)

Wednesday 21 September 2011

KHRIS WITHIN KINGSTON: FINAL PRACTICE SHOOT

just born for eachover...

Went down to Kingston to take some shots of my old friend Reagan Bradley as well 
as her boyfriend Alex Clarke who I've also known for quite a while now!They were 
both pretty fun to shoot with, despite the fun usually being at someone's expense, 
but that's just how we roll.

Was a pretty good shoot, but I probs need to get better at editing...
First we got our badass selves kicked off a roof we trespassed onto
which forced us to get some excersize via going all the way to the top
of a parking lot. Was a blessing in disguise though as what was looking
like a second rate replacement gave us a much better view 'n' shizz,
so it was quite the blessing in disguise!
Anyway that's enough chatter, click on the link bellow to take a look!
Bye!

Monday 19 September 2011

BRICK LANE FESTIVAL @ 1001!


After another sick night at Merk Chicken I went down to Cafe 1001
as it was Brick Lane Music Festival and they had opened up their amazing
warehouse space again! I also went back for more the following evening and
it was still going strong! Almost fucked it as for the first time ever I forgot to
charge up my battery and I didn't bring my charger! No worries though as I
still got enough decent shots of both nights which I'm pretty sure you will enjoy!

Look bellow for the pics, my facebook account so you can tag yourselves
and also Cafe 1001's facebook account as they are definitely worth keeping an eye on!



ADD ME TO TAG YOURSELVES

Sunday 18 September 2011

BURNING CALORIES AT MERK CHICKEN RIOT RELIEF!


Ahhhhh Merk Chicken didn't stop till the bone marrow was thoroughly digested!
Was another great night full of some awesome garage music as per usual with
every dj absolutely smacking it! Not one set disappointed even in the slightest!

I was there flailing my slr about almost as much as I was flailing my legs about!
So yeah, for pics, and how to keep up to date with Merk Chicken, take a look bellow!

Saturday 17 September 2011

BIG CHILL BAR


Another fun night down at Big Chill Bar! Was filled with fun people, friendly people
and groovy beats as per usual! Once again I had some fun prancing around with my massive
camera and intimidating flashgun peskering for people to pose, unless I shot without a warning! Also did my bestest to not get in the way of the bar staff whilst taking shots behind the bar! It's pretty narrow as you can imagine, I should do more for agility training...

Anyway, pics are in the link bellow and I hope you enjoy them, to get yourselves
tagged make sure you like the Big Chill Bar's Facebook page, they'll upload the pics
on Monday at the latest, hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, bye!

Thursday 15 September 2011

POPPIN' OFF SHOTS IN NEW CROSS


Was down in New Cross last week with my friend Jessica Woodward from Goldsmiths
taking some shots in New Cross! Was another practice shoot which went down ok, 
just got one more shoot to edit now, then some projects next month I hope!

However back to the present! Yeah, just strolled around looking around for somewhere
to start snappin'. We found a fairly good table and door among other things in a alleyway, then went to the park for a few more whilst eavesdropping on some Jamaican mothers!

Anyway, less babble and more pictures! Big thanks also to Amy for coming down
and helping us out too, as well as thanks to Minnie Kate Holden Casey for doing her hair
Links for the pics, and you can also follow Jess on Tumblr.
bye!

Monday 12 September 2011

FREE NEW MUSIC+PHOTOSHOOT+INTERVIEW: STUPIDRICKIDZ

I know the pose and bike is as hipster as it gets, and the grafiti 
background is pretty tacky, but I still quite like this picture!
(Just be happy it's not the one with his sunglasses!)
Click on the picture to see some other shots I took of him!

Sup? Been a while since my last interview, but I'm back with another one, and this one has more goodies than the other ones ever did! Firstly it's got piercing questions with answers that give you an insight into the life of house DJ/producer Lukas Lyrestam, better known as Stupidrichkidz. He's also given us a new free tune to download and dance to! Last goodie is he's done a photoshoot with me. Anyway that's enough chatter from me. Well apart from the when I ask the questions...


So are you really stupid and rich? How did stupidrichkidz start?

The name really should be stupid poor kids, as I never seem to have any money. The name is reflective of the music I play, which is all about indulging yourself without having to worry about careers, money etc. Stupid rich kids just have it too easy!

You seem a bit dare-devil-ish. Most stupid thing you've ever done at a gig?

Two years ago I was playing a new years gig in the Phillipines. At the stroke of midnight a gorgeous french girl snuck into the DJ Booth and gave me a proper snog. The stupid thing about it was probably not finding her afterwards and giving her my number.

What's your musical background and which artists/genres 
do you gain your inspiration from?

I've been involved with music from a very early age. At school I was very involved with musicals and all sorts of performance related material. It soon led to me pursuing a vocal career singing with the local jazz band/choirs and even a singing competition in Holland. I've been playing guitar for about 8 years now and played in a large number of bands when I was younger. I was a real guitar wanker but couldn't pull off a career in the heavy metal scene with my generic Swedish curls. Recently I've found myself admiring the work of 80's outfits such as The Police, Prince, and Simply Red.  

I would describe your music as funky chords with punchy kicks which gives it a really nice, very danceable balance! Is that what you would say you intend to do with your music or am I putting words in your mouth?

That's one way of describing the sort of stuff I do. I fell in love with dance music because of electro but the longer I keep doing it, it becomes more and more important for me that the music is groovy and forward thinking. I love a bit of bang but I'm not going to sacrifice dance-ability for noise. Coming from a deeply harmonic musical background I'm also a big fan of chords, it's the sort of thing that gets the hairs on your neck standing up.   

Is there any sort of feeling or 'journey' (as all the djs on the essential mix seem to put it) you want the people on the dance floor to be going through when you play out?

There's a lot of very good music out but often people are too lazy to search for it or don't know where to find it. I feel it's my job to educate these people and show them what they are missing, to stop them polluting their ears with meaningless GaGa Guetta shit. Feeling the general atmosphere of the night I try and push the boundaries of what people know, without alienating the vibe or killing the groove. I'm always keeping an eye on the floor because at the end of the day, dance music is all about enjoying yourself and forgetting about everyday life. 

Where would you say the house scene is at right now? As diverse as it is and can be, it doesn't really seem to be catering for people on the heavier end of the bass scale (I personally, am still waiting for a fidget house comeback...) at the moment

Over the last year in particular house music is slowly reinventing itself and drawing influence from soul, jazz, and hip-hop rather then indie, punk, or metal. The large influx of banger inspired music since the rise of electro around 2007/2008 saturated the sound and gave rise to a large number of sub-standard impersonators. Personally I feel America in particular killed electro. Banger fixated culture has slowly made it more important how loud and dirty a track rather than it's general musicality. If you listen to the fathers of the banger sound (Justice, Daft Punk, Digitalism etc) the songwriting comes first, and the bass second. This an aesthetic that I wish more producers would adopt. When people start realizing this we will see a return to high quality bass music.

Another similar development has occured in dubstep. The deep and absorbing sounds of Skream's earlier work and Burials first and second album show a great modesty and acceptability, which is a shame since an exposure to the mainstream has warped dubstep into a noise oriented beast. Characters like Skrillex (whom I'm not a very great fan of) have butchered the original aesthetics of dance music and ruined it's enjoyability by making it a business and not an art.

House, Disco, and Techno in particular are having such a resurgence at the moment because people are rejecting the plastic and often forced sounds of Skrillex, Magnetic Man, Etc. What I personally see happening is labels like Sound Pellegrino, Made To Play and Turbo embracing the best bits of house and disco with elements of the heavier end of the bass scale. This is a movement of which I completely agree with and strive to be part of. Have a listen to my British Summer Mixtape to get what I'm talking about.


How do you know the guys from not nice?

During my gap year I spent about 3 or 4 months living in Beijing. After a few pilled up and regrettable nights out I started making buddies with the local dancing music crews. I originally met Tom's sister Alice first but after realizing that we were both DJ's it was love at first sight. I booked him to play Ministry of Sound last September and noticed we are all about that heart-breaker sound.

And finally are there any artists you'd like to introduce to us that deserve the exposure?

Nu-Disco and Future Garage has been making some serious appearances in my cd-case as of late. I'd advise you to check out the warped sounds of Canblaster and the post-dub hype of Evil Nine. But I couldn't end this interview without bigging up the most underrated artist of all time, Siriusmo. This guy makes the most heartfelt and fulfilling music ever.



Big thanks to Stupid Rich Kids for being up for this! Make sure you look at the links bellow for the photoshoot, free music from Stupid Rich Kids as well as his deets especially if you're that gorgeous French that girl he met in the Phillipines!





ciao

Sunday 11 September 2011

DESTROY CULTURE


Quite literally took only a few pictures at destroy culture,
after eventually finding the venue after I left big chill bar by foot.
I was too busy talking shit and doing whatever it was I was doing to take more.

oh well...

There's still some good'uns though
check the links bellow for the pictures and their blog, 
which probably has more pictures from somebody else.
Strongly recommended for you 'fancy' dress types!


BIG CHILL BAR


Was down in Brick Lane, as per usual, taking some pictures, 
as per fucking usual, at The Big Chill Bar (not the same as 

Had a pretty fun time with the fun bar staff and the fun 
people who came to pack out the fun venue in one of 
my favourite areas to go out and party in East London!


I then went onto destroy culture, which you can read about here.
Even more good fun, main difference being I wasn't sober when I got there...

Anyway, pictures and info bellow, enjoy!




Saturday 3 September 2011

BIG CHILL HOUSE!


Went up north yesterday!
Well not too far, only went up to King's Cross!
Was taking pics at two clubs with Big Chill House first,
and moved on to Egg for Not Nice (Click here to read about that!)

Was a good night at a roomy venue (hadn't been to big chill kings cross before!)
with a fun crowd, who I followed around the dancefloor with my lense of course.
Look bellow for all the relevant links, one of which leads to the pics I took and other info!





WATEVS

ciao

NOT NICE

despite the thumb up and toothy smile, he is still not nice

Made a late appearance after taking snaps at Big Chill House (deets fo' that are here)
to take even more pictures in the King's Cross area down at Egg for bass night Not Nice!

It was pretty rampant and messy as you'd expect, they don't call it Not Nice for cool points.
Well, I guess the music was good so not entirely anyways...

Anyway was a great night and I stayed till I got tired which was a bit late but not too late. 
I'd began taking intoxicating substances before I'd even left South London so yeah,
my time had come...

Still was the long enough to take some bangin' photos
to see all that shit and keep up with all my shit and well as Not Nice's shit check:





cya!