"Ilulwana", performance in New York

Athi-Patra Ruga is one of South Africa’s most renowned performance artists. He has performed and exhibited in many places around the world including London, Buenos Aires, Milan, China and most recently, New York.

Ruga debuted in New York with Ilulwane, “a synchronized-swimming performance originally inspired by Alvin Baltrop’s 1970s and ’80s photographs. It reflects on the passage of time in both New York and in the artists own Xhosa culture, drawing on themes of masculinity, traditional initiation ceremonies and the AIDS crisis”.

Ilulwane was shown as part of Performa 11 – the fourth edition of the internationally acclaimed biennial of new visual art performance held in New York city from 1st to 21st of November 2011. Performa magazine billed the event as “a showcase of over one hundred of the most exciting artists working today”, a testament to Ruga’s ascendancy in the last few years.

Ruga’s prolific local and international art production/exhibition promises to bring Illulwane to South Africa. ” #Ilulwane South African premier in December” tweeted Ruga after his show. I wasn’t able to get to New York but I sure as hell wont miss this one!

Tokyo is an urban-dweller’s paradise.  It mixes the best of Montreal, London, and New York together with a dash of distinctly Japanese flavor.  Some key differences: you can leave your bag in a bar in Tokyo full of cash and nobody will touch it.  You can leave your bicycle outside a bar for hours unlocked and it will probably still be there when you come back at the end of the night.  And if you are (like me) a lost and wandering tourist desperately seeking a very specific address with no clue in hell as to how you might find it, who speaks a total of 3 words of Japanese, random strangers will approach you with good intentions, offering directional advice.

For the adventurous at heart, a few key locations not to be missed.

1) Shibuya - the busiest crossing in the world.  By day it is chock-full of ramen joints, fashion houses, girls wearing miniskirts and thigh-high socks, and slicked back young men carrying ubermodern leather attaches wearing suits with polo shirts.  By night it is a haven of nightclubs and Isakaya (Japanese pub food – yum!!).

The Neon Lights of Shimokitazawa

2) Shimokitazawa - Amid the smokey haze and the neon lights there lies many a delicious restaurant, cool cafe, or cozy indie rock bar.  Try Isakaya for a beer, some deep-fried shrimps dipped in a delicious mayonnaise sauce, raw mackerel sashimi seared fresh at your table with a  blow-torch, and a bowl of Oden (the Japanese equivalent of the French culinary classic, pot-au-feu, like a stew with meat and root vegetables and yummy miso broth).  After chowing down, head over to Heaven’s door for a pint of Guinness and some live music… and it you’re hungry after, grab an Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) topped with shrimp, avocado + cheese.  Many restaurants and bars keep serving til 5am.

3) Harajaku - This part of town has a reputation for its anime-extreme styled costumes worn by teenagers.  Futuristic punk-rock hair, mega eyeliner, fake eyelashes, sparkles, and Manga-esque outfits. Think Superhero ninjas from the future.

Fashion Extreme

Also – this is a rare part of town where you can order a hamburger and get it just like you like it back home – minus the fries – the Japanese like to serve mashed potatoes instead.  But the shopping alone is worth a visit.  Glittery specialty boutiques line the streets, salespeople primed and ready for your every need.  And English-speakers, no avail.  Everyone here is bilingual, so all you have to do is know what you like and what you want, and you will get.  Drop by on the weekends if you want to be a part of modern history and witness one of the burgeoning Anti-Nuclear Protest displays.  The Japanese traditionally do not engage in public demonstrations of discontent, but with the March 2011 Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster, times are changing.

4) Ginza - Tokyo’s high fashion district, with everything from Gucci to Chanel to Louis Vuitton and Yves St-Laurent, yet also home to a plethora of avant-garde privately run art galleries, this part of town is worth a stop whether you desire consumer bling, creative inspiration, or just want to take a peek at the amazing architecture in the Tokyo International Forum.

Tokyo International Forum

Other spots worth mentioning : Ebisu’s bustling restaurant-izakaya-nightlife culture, Roppongi’s eclectic late-night charms, and Electric Town’s crazy deals on all things electronic.

In the late 1970s, the “greatest city in the world” was teetering on the edge of total chaos. A failed economy, crime and en masse housing corruption gave way to a city in crisis. Yet, out of the economic and social strife that held the Big Apple hostage, a family of homegrown cultures that would forever change the world began to emerge. Downtown Calling not only documents, in detail, the evolution of New York City’s fertile music and art subculture during this period, but also how its collective output continues to play a prominent, driving role in the international fashion, art and music industries today.

Narrated by Debbie Harry!

View the trailer >>

During Winter in NY, everybody seems to disappear to either California or the Carribbean. I went to Miami last month and felt like a true New Yorker for a weekend. But to really be a New Yorker you have to go to Puerto Rico, Australia or somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Extra points if you or someone you know has a house that you go to with your successful friends. My facebook feed during winter is twice as likely to be filled with people on beaches as during summer. After 3 years I am starting to get it, and vow to never spend another February here again. It’s cold, the parties suck, and it’s still just as expensive.

It is easy to get lost in Montreal’s Playground.  By day, by dusk, or in the darkness of night, there is a special niche for almost every style of music and art you can imagine, with a crowd and many hidden spaces to accommodate its host of fans.  From noise and freejazz by the likes of Matana Roberts, Gambletron at L’Envers, 60-second film festivals and experimental modern dance, or funky beats by The Goods at Sala Rossa, or Casa Del Poppolo to techno of the uberminimal variety by Musique Risquee‘s Vincent Lemieux and prestigious guests like Mike Shannon and Bruno Pronsato in the brick-laid dungeon of Old Montreal’s Velvet or the bouncy dance-studio turned dance party spot Salon Daome, to indie rock, electro and gypsy funk at the Belmont, you can find almost any style of music, no matter how eclectic it may be, with a crowd of devout fans listening and dancing, almost any night of the week.  Some people say it’s because Montrealers don’t have to work that much that they can afford to go out late on a Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday.  That could be.  The rents here are cheaper than any other city in Canada, and you can easily eat for 10 dollars a day, and bike around 6 months of the year almost anywhere you need to get to.  But this unique lifestyle equation goes much deeper than mere economics.  It reflects a certain freedom of spirit and joie de vivre that comes together under a certain special set of conditions.  I have seen and felt it in Berlin and New York.  It seems to exist in Tokyo, and Rio de Janiero, but it is indeed a rare and special thing that gives Montreal a special kind of magic that simply does not exist almost anywhere else.

Matana Roberts

Randy Evaluates Sweden was aired for the first time at the Peace&Love Festival in Borlänge on June, 30 2010. Also, the end of the movie was shot during the festival since Randy played with his new band (musicians from Borlänge) at the festival.

Randy Evaluates Sweden by Ahang Bashi and Mattias Olsson see the trailer here.

Though it took me until it was released on DVD to check it out, I finally got around to seeing The Hurt Locker — a day before it was nominated for Best Picture for this year’s Academy Awards.I had read on blogs after it was released in theaters that it was a great film. I read reviews from critics I trust like Roger Ebert, who raved about it. Then after Avatar came out, it seemed like everyone started talking again on blogs and in Tweets about The Hurt Locker and how the two would likely be going head-to-head with Avatar in a David vs. Goliath-like battle. They were right.

The Hurt Locker is a beautiful piece of film. I’m a big fan of the war film genre because it’s so hard to get right. But when it’s done right, it is done right. I don’t really want to get too deep into the glorifying war vs. anti-war film debate, but The Hurt Locker is simultaneously a great commentary on the current wars we are fighting and a flat-out great action movie. The suspense in the film is palpable. I don’t think I have been as physically involved and on the edge of my seat during a film since Paul Greengrass’ United 93. Director Kathryn Bigelow does a great job of letting you feel the suspense that these soldiers must be going through every time they leave the wire. Nevermind the fact that they are defusing a bomb and never know when it might go off, but you also never know when a sniper is going to fire on you, or someone is going to pop around out of an alley an point an AK-47 in your face.

I’m not a member of the Academy, but it has my vote.

For the past year I’ve been waiting for the release of Empire after seeing its initial teaser. It’s a film about having fun on fixed-gear bicycles by a group of friends in New York City. There are a bunch of films out there on the internet generally about the same thing, but the guys at Empire have done a great job teasing the film by running a blog about it is and releasing these short trailers. I’ve found that for me, nothing really gets me more motivated to get out and ride than watching cycling videos, especially during the winter months. I can’t wait for the full-length version to be released.

Weekly, daily, every hour, new information is posted on fashion blogs. Every morning you have instant access to a new collection, a new item, a new collaboration or a new designer. The reactivity of the media, the open spirit, the “access everywhere” seems to kill the fashion magazine.

Not to much talk , just focus on the product…

Fashion blogs also allow a great measure of international creativity: no need to be based in Paris, Milano or London to have access to a large audience. Street wear, créateurs, haute couture, cheap items- the revenge of street culture on the fashion magazine dictatorship

Paper magazines are handcuffed by advertising and their timing is too slow. A new generation of journalist, younger and faster, are changing the rules.

This is surely a great chance for new creators and new brands

Some of my favorites:

High Snobiety

Hypebeast

Tavi\’blog

New single on Gomma Dance Track!

The KDMS. London’s Soul Diva KATHY DIAMOND and 20 year old disco honcho MAXIMILIAN SKIBA from Warsaw have joined forces and started this new band. This first single features a remix by New York City’s legendary Disco DJ NICKY SIANO. Formerly DJ partner of LARRY LEVAN and resident at clubs such as Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. Future classic! Plus the Munk club edit and the banging Jaguar Remix by NICKY SIANO and TELONIUS.

Maximilian Skiba is a Polish producer. His tracks are well known in the electronic scene and have been played by many DJs in the clubs and on festivals worldwide. His first ep “Rendez Vous over Mars” has landed in the legendary CBS top 100. Warm chords, funky melodies, think bass and guitars by Chic meeting a string section by Beethoven.  With a hint of italo-disco and almost flamenco-like soul. Yay.

It seems like the garage rock revival has no end in sight. Bands like Vivian Girls, Ty Segall, Girls and Jay Reatard are all people are talking about these days. And it seems that San Francisco — and girls — are representing. This video from Girls captures the sort of dreamy nostalgia that this band evokes. Randomly, it appears to have been filmed in the penthouse of my friend’s apartment.

I have also been really into Grooms’ new album Rejoicer, full of moody, strange rock songs reminiscent of Pavement, Sonic Youth and Polvo.

Grooms