Shabazz Palaces

I went to see Shabazz Palaces live at the Jazz Cafe in London two nights ago and boy oh boy was it an amazing show! Support came from the brilliant Seattle MC duo of Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White aka THEESatisfaction who also joined Shabazz Palaces on stage toward the end of their set. In case you're not familiar with Shabazz Palaces yet they are a hip hop collective fronted by Ishmael Butler, previously of seminal hip hop group Digable Planets, and multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire. Their debut album Black Up just dropped on Sub Pop and I can't say enough good things about them. Please do listen to Black Up and spread the Shabazz love. Check out some photos and a video I took at the Jazz Cafe gig plus listen to one of their EP tracks as well:

What Lies Beneath, Mert & Marcus for LOVE Magazine

Mostly known for their portraits of sophisticated, powerful women, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott's photos typically lend an air of grace and unmistakable perfection to advertising. Their shoot for the latest issue of LOVE caught my eye as it veers away from their usual style, equal parts beautiful and disturbing it recreates Jeff Bark's 2007 series Woodpecker and reminds me a little of Gregory Crewdson's Beneath the Roses (2003-2005), with models bound & gagged and floating lifeless in water wearing Converse and the odd piece by Charles Anastase or Marc Jacobs. It also reminds me of the scene in Sam Raimi's The Gift where Katie Holmes' dead body gets dragged out of the lake, remember that? Anyway, I really like this editorial and so I thought I'd share it, check it out:


Here are two shots from Jeff Bark's Woodpecker series and below that is one from Gregory Crewdson's Beneath The Roses:


The latest issue of LOVE is out now with 6 different cover stars. Lara Stone was out of stock so I picked up Elle Fanning.

Lovebox Sunday 2011

"Doing away with the tribal boundaries of music genres and defying broader social conventions, Lovebox is now a swelling and unifying three day hedonistic wonderland that contains just as much lust as it does love" SUBBA CULTCHA

Eight years old, Lovebox has become a must do event on the bristling summer social calendar. Held annually in East London in the city's oldest public park, Lovebox is a flamboyant and dazzlingly eclectic celebration. Last year I had a blast attending and this year, on the Sunday (always my favorite day of the festival!) I DJ'd for Jodie Harsh's This Is Circus, for which I'm a resident. I had a great time DJing and really enjoyed the rest of the day. Highlights for me included the colorful performance by Azari & III, their mix of deep-house and soul getting the crowd going early, Kelis' energetic set and of course everything Circus-related! See you next year Lovebox!

Myself with Jodie Harsh, DJing for This Is Circus

Azari & III take to the stage

Cedric from Azari & III shares his tequila

Backstage with Beth Ditto

Ingrid Vlasov AW 11/12

I was chosen to do the soundtrack for Romanian designer Ingrid Vlasov's AW 11/12 show for Paris Fashion week. The show took place at the Westin Paris, Vendome, on Tuesday the 8th of March. Vlasov recently garnered an influx of attention when Lady Gaga was photographed wearing the finale dress from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Below you can see a video of the AW 11/12 show with my soundtrack and a backstage video from the day, as well as a photo of Lady Gaga wearing the aforementioned dress. For more information and to view previous collections head over to the official Ingrid Vlasov website.

Kele Live At Claridges For Mulberry AW 11

Me and Emmanuel were in attendance at the Mulberry AW 2011 afterparty in London where our old pal Kele was performing live. Check out my video of On The Lam below. Kele performed a selection of tracks from debut album The Boxer, Bloc Party track This Modern Love and a brilliant cover of Goodbye Horses. As we sipped cocktails and had our photos taken in the themed photo booth we also spotted Kirsten Dunst and Juliette Lewis mingling with the crowd. Fun!

The Curve Of Forgotten Things

You may or may not have recently caught wind of the 'controversy' surrounding the credit for the costume designs for Aronofsky's latest film, Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, and the fact that sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, founders of label Rodarte, weren't eligible for an Oscar for best costume design because they were not part of the Costume Designers Guild. Rodarte are getting some more press now due to having just released their own short film for their new line of womenswear in collaboration with director Todd Cole who previously worked with Charlotte Gainsbourg on her video for Time Of The Assassins. The film is called The Curve of Forgotten Things and features young star Elle Fanning, whose performance I raved about in my review of Sofia Copolla's Somewhere, discovering gold as she wanders through dusty North California oilfields, an empty house and eventually a barn containing a mysterious glowing ball of light, showcasing the collection as her character's outfits suddenly change with the surroundings. The ambient score was provided by indie band Deerhunter, and just in case you didn't know their latest album, Halcyon Digest, was one of last year's most acclaimed releases. Cole says the title of the piece comes from a poem by Richard Brautigan. "The poem and the film are about forgotten things—circles and the curve of time." Check out The Curve of Forgotten Things below and see what you think:

Take a look at Deerhunter's latest video for Halcyon Digest's track Helicopter: