Click here to view the embedded video.

“I’ve been listening to chicago trax, dance mania, ghetto tech all that for 15 years or so. Rashad is taking it up a level and reaching escape velocity, its more like Jungle in the way it floats. Really this stuff is practically Jungle but its totally Chicago. Juke has arrived” – Timeblind via Google+

He said it, I don’t have much to add expect that this shit is fuckin dope. The drop at around 2:03 really proves his point. I get that warm fuzzy I’m back in my jungle-raving-youth feeling. I saw Rashad on new year’s eve here in Brooklyn and he killed it. A really fun set. Overall a fun party actually, grimy warehouse illegal vibes in Bushwick. Shout out to Mike Q, Lit City, Whore House and Cunt Mafia for that. I danced my ass off.

WE TRYED TO GET ON SOUNDTRACK OF THIS BUT THEY SAID OUR MUSIC “WASN’T GOOD ENOUGH”

T: You grew up in Jersey going to Punk shows and talk about how you see band shirts as this kind of holy grail of authenticity for design- how did band shirts inform your work with D T.

A: My initial interest in wanting to learn screen print and make shirts was born from my love of record and t-shirt art, and I think my idea of what makes a good shirt design is still largely based off that. A good band shirt is not just a random t-shirt with an image on it, it shows your musical taste and interest in a larger subculture, almost like wearing gang colors.

T: Whether it’s Japanese/Kanji characters that say Fuck Pigs, or your iconic Endless War Posters- you seem to hit an angle that’s 50/50 gothic vibes and anti-authoritarian anarchy. Is there any particular message that defines the brand?

A: I guess, as you said, “anti-authoritarian” sums it up pretty well. I’m not trying to spread a political message or anything, but I feel pretty angry about the state of the country and the world right now, and that works it’s way into my designs. I use the Anarchy symbol in the same way I use 666, I’m not a card carrying Anarchist or Satanist, but their symbols are a way to show what I am not.

T: While the 80 dollar t-shirt kids are gonna be happy to cop your gear at Mishka- you don’t go to trade shows or play the street-wear game- who’s your ideal audience for this stuff?

A: An army of leather clad rockers wandering the wasteland in search of food and water.

T: Do you have any fashion inspiration in terms of brands? What music or other design is most inspiring?

A: Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren had a store in London in the 70s called a variety of things..Let It Rock/Sex/Seditionaries. They designed a lot of the clothes the first wave UK punks wore and it was the biggest influence to me when I first thought about designing clothing. Alexander McQueen, who’s work I also really admire, definitely took a lot from them.
Nowadays I get a lot of inspiration from old occult and religious art, Japanese woodcuts, horror movies posters. I saw a show of old CRASS zines and flyers from their personal collection a few months ago…that was really inspiring and contributed a lot to the way the most recent designs have looked.

T: Can you talk about your process a little bit- your screen are everywhere around the house and most of your gear is there well- can you talk about hand printing all of your own work.

A: Once I finish a design and am ready to release it, I will shoot the screen and print a few samples to shoot on a model for the website. I keep a stock of screens of all my current available designs, and for the most part custom print every order as I get it.

T: Since images can move so easily between mediums- from stickers, to shirts, to bags, to textiles to whatever- how do you think about not overwhelming your customers.

A: I design the graphics specifically for each piece…An image might look great on a shirt, but not necessarily work as a patch or sticker. I re use a lot of the same imagery…skulls, kanji, swords, etc…but will do a different composition depending on what I’m going to print on. Less is more very often…I prefer to only release a handful of shirts and a few other items every season The artwork is very personal to me, so I would rather have a smaller amount of consistent, quality work then a ton of mediocre items.

T: you started doing these amazing varsity jackets- can you talk about your more indepth approach on that process.

A: I was lucky enough to link up with a tailor here in NYC that helping me through the process of of getting these jackets made. I initially was getting them from China, but once I stumbled upon this opportunity to have the jackets made here I leaped on it. I get to choose all the materials myself, from the wool and sleeve fabric to the lining and snaps, and the overall quality is much higher. Of course the costs to produce the jackets is much more than if I had them made in China, but I think people will appreciate the quality and the fact that they are made in the USA.

T: Beyond the clothing line, can you talk about the label a little bit and your other screen printing work and how you manage the balance.

A: Besides Death/Traitors, I do commercial screen printing for other people under the name Funbot Press. The nice thing about working for yourself is you get to set your own hours and make your own schedule, but it also means you never really stop working. Unless I’m at a show or hanging out with friends outside my apartment, I’m always working on SOME thing, be it printing, designing for D/T, or making other artwork or music. Every day is different, but it usually is a combination of everything. I love what I do, at least most aspects of it, and I enjoy being constantly busy.

T: Anything else you want to include?

A: I will be showing some new pieces in a group art show entitled Input/Output opening Sat, Jan. 28 at Booklyn, 37 Greenpoint Avenue 4th Floor. booklyn.org And I will be showing more work at the Mishka Store, 350 Broadway, BK, on Friday, April 6.

Steve CHLLNGR showed me this way back when we were in Tejas for some music festival. He was excited about it. Even then the animated sci-fi music video in its embyonic stage looked like an incredible visual story. SKIP TO THE NOW >> Last week, the video was premiered in Wired, and right NOW it’s all up on Vimeo HD Channel. Oh, by the way… if you still like music, Steve’s debut album Haven is out as well.

But besides what’s keeping me all polyriddimic on the escalator out into time square every day- there has been some heavy drops in the last couple weeks of dope new free music. I’ve been trying to figure out for a long time just how free music works on the internet. Call yourself a net label and you risk failing b4 you even start. Give away free mp3s of pay to own releases that almost no one buys and suddenly you are a legit record label. Along with his dope fake NY-Times review Tracky Birthday also released a manifesto of sorts about net labels and free music… choice quote “Net Labels are Like Hookers, Only Cheaper.”

Body High just dropped a killer set of free edits which u should grab ASAP I screwed down the Game Over edit at Sweatlodge and it was NEXT.

The other freelease that I’m feeling comes from Austin (h/t to Wayne for the headsup) LOTIC MURDERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS listen 4 urself

Wills Glassspiegel sent me this after I ran into him on the street and remarked how much I enjoyed the radio broadcast he worked on for Afropop about the black American roots of house and techno here.

I’ll let him speak:

“Thought you and Dutty Artz might be interested in this interview tape I recorded in Chicago with Traxman, RP Boo, DJ Earl and Boylan.  I think everyone has been trying to describe “footwork” and no one quite gets to it like these guys.  In publishing this tape (which i did with their permsision), I was reminded of Lomax’s old oral history interviews with blues musicians.  So important for musicians to tell their own stories.”

Yup, I agree. I always prefer to listen to music talk about their own work and scenes as opposed to various usually distant journalistic interpreters. Listen, learn and enjoy.

 
Footwork Selects by longlooks

If Super Tight isn’t your favorite ersatz public access TV series yet, then u just wait. Puppets, gender melt, sketches… and, in this new episode, an interview that brings out my dark side.

screenshots followed by SUPER TIGHT: Hollow Weenies.

(What do normal people do in their spare time? I haven’t the slightest idea…)

and here’s a handy breakout video of the interview.

In it he breaks down such popular topics as:

1) Why economic power = political power

2) How financial regulations were systematically demolished in this country to benefit the 1% ending a ‘golden era’ of egalitarian prosperity

3) How Obama was bought by Wall Street and how he repaid them

He forgot his notes at the hotel and so it’s light on statistics and heaaaavy on truthy goodness.  Need to explain to your friends why the Occupy Wall St movement matters at your next cocktail party?  Start here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Big shout out to PDX Justice for filming and posting this on Vimeo, along with The Collins Distinguished Speaker Series and the Department of English of the University of Oregon at Eugene for holding the event.  If I get a free hour I’d like to rip the audio for this and encode it as a podcast.  If anyone else is motivated to do it first we’ll happily host and promote it here.  The fact that this thing is so relevant to the current conversation and only had 636 views when I found it is terrible.

>recent remixes from Dutty Artz stalwart Lamin Fofana.
_both remixes out now on Grizzly and Diskotopia

Jay Weed
On The Nile EP
GRIZZLY009
March 2011
http://bit.ly/nk6m5u

>

Visionist
Rock The Flock EP
DSK003
July 2011
http://bit.ly/nOX8Eh

#NYT #occupywallstreet #kettle #KoolAid

While we’re posting videos and big’n people up, big up Pepepiano on the audio and Proxy Dreams on the visual. From forthcoming cassette release, snatch the mp3 here.

Kendrick Lamar – Fuck Your Ethnicity

Kendrick Lamar – Rigamortus

Both tracks from Kendrick’s new album Section.80 out now on Top Dawg Entertainment, and it has been in heavy rotation for the couple of weeks. If you’re into rappidy rapps and don’t know who Kendrick Lamar is, please get familiar! Can’t believe this is his third album. He’s performing somewhere in the five boroughs this weekend!

Crafted in the depths of his basement studio in Highland Park, LA, Tek Support‘s Attack. Recharge. Attack., recently dropped onto the buyable interwebs. Expect robotic apocalypse, wailing sirens, and chiptune-esque geek-outs in the best sort of way.

After this release, Tek Support unleashed a string of covers and remixes ranging from 80′s metal Dio to K-Pop’s 2NE1. Grab dem gratis.

Tek Support-Mk V

Tek Support-Space Oddity (Bowie Cover)

Last year we dropped Chief Boima’s epic bay-centric refix ep “African By the Bay.” If you never got it- DL it for FREE here. On that release he took some of his favorite African riddims and laced already fire jams with them- my favorite was his 40-water sampling delight “Shake Them Dreads”- and while I was bummed we didn’t get a Boima once over on D-Lo or Sleepy D- I still can’t help but pull from this release nearly everytime I play out.  Since then- Boima has been producing killer tracks for Los Rakas, running rampant with his group Banana Clipz,  all while moving to New York, starting the legendary Made In Africa party with Lamin Fofana AND hitting the books. “African In New York” brings more next level production from B- sorting details now, but looks like we’ll be lacing y’all with vinyl and digital on this one.  If you don’t already know- he  just kicked off a new mix series for Okay Africa. It’s a great intro for the breadth of Boima’s DEEEP knowledge from the continent and ability to go transatlantic like it was nothing.

Chief Boima’s Okayafrica/Ghetto Palms Mixtap by The FADER
 

TWO WORDS: PERCOLATOR DECALE