NewCityMovement

In City Weekly’s May 31 Five Spot, Utah Pride Festival Director Terry Mitchell Nani talked about “the little festival that could” (June 1-3 at Washington & Library Square, schedule at UtahPride.org). Here is the entire conversation.

Richard James Fragrance Expands

Saville Row's Richard James is to launch the Richard James Cologne Collection. The collection consists of 2006's Richard James Cologne, and three new fragrances which are based on key notes from that fragrance: Lavender, Vetiver and Pink Pepper & Cardamom.

“We wanted to create a collection perfect for every man, which captures the traditional colognes of the past, but with an added uniqueness to inspire today’s modern tastes. Vetiver – truly masculine, refreshing and woody, Pink Pepper and Cardamom  -  exhilarating with a touch of spice and Lavender – a smooth classic, the British scent” said Richard James.

The Collection consists of the following scents: Cologne Original, Lavender, Pink Pepper and Cardamom & Vetiver. Available from Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nichols , House of Fraser and Richard James at a price of £34 for 100ml Eau de Toilette. All four can be bought as a set for £130. [Via: Basenotes]

Gran Columna 2, 2005, photograph by José Manuel Ballester. [Via: Art Forum]

Dubstep.

Pop Cling

Pop Cling makes adhesive-backed art that you can peel off and stick to any smooth surface.  Some people stick their prints on concrete floors, or on sliding glass doors leading to balconies, or right on the walls behind couches. You don’t need a frame, you just need a blank space and voila, you have fresh pop art on your wall from cutting edge artists.

Sergeant: "Now, 95 Percent Of My Platoon" Wants To Get Out Of Iraq.

Utah Based Producers Remixing Worldwide

People in Utah's club scene are familiar with the meteoric rise to fame of former SLC house dj/producer Ryan Raddon better known now as Kaskade, as well as the sporadic success had by other local DJ's including deep trance creators Dan Morris & Shylock who released on Fade Records and subsequently Bedrock in 2002. But did you know there are more music producers on the electronic Wasatch front who are making names for themselves today?

Through their connection to Kaskade's studio in Provo, Josh Max and Saint Even of Vuetone were picked to remix his latest single "Sorry" on Ultra Records and our own DJ Flatcracker has just provided an electro tinged mix of "Up To You" for U.K. deep house group The Rurals which was released digitally on major download sites just this week.

Outside of the House music scene, we have more experimental electronics being self published by my favorite duo Pelpp and A. Vanvranken and beat/sample products by Clayton Carr who are part of the long running Audioflo crew who I've played with off and on over the years.

There's probably more determined producers working out here that I don't know about and if so, post a comment here to let NCM readers know about them. It just makes me happy knowing that people are out here are making electronic music that's getting attention.

NCM Recommended New Music - Spring/Summer

This is the short list of audio recordings I am currently recommending:

    * Matthew Dear: Asa Breed (Ghostly)
    * The Chemical Brothers: We Are The Night (Astralwerks)
    * DJ Kriek: Tresor Mix Vol. 1 (Tresor)
    * Toy: Toy (Smalltown Supersound)
    * VA: M.A.N.D.Y. At The Controls (Resist)
    * Chromeo: Fancy Footwork (Last Gang)
    * Patton Oswalt: Werewolves & Lollipops (Sub Pop)
    * VA: Ed Rec, Vol. 2 (Ed Banger Paris)
    * Alexander Robotnick: My La(te)st Album (Hot Elephant Music)
    * The Rosebuds: Night Of The Furies (Merge Records)
    * Black Devil Disco Club: Black Devil Disco Club In Dub (Rephlex)
    * Kathy Diamond: Miss Diamond To You (Permanent Vacation)
    * TBA Empty: Stupid Rotation (Max Ernst)
    * VA: Royksopp, Back to Mine (Back To Mine)
    * Ulrich Schnauss: Goodbye (Independiente)
    * Apparat: Walls (Shitkatapult)
    * The Field: From Here We Go To Sublime (Kompakt Germany)
    * VA: Groundrhythm II by Karou Inoue (Rush Production Japan)   
    * Herb Alpert : Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped (Shout Factory)
    * VA: Body Language Vol. 4 by DJ Dixon (Get Physical)

Don't Miss The PRISM Closing Party with JOJO FLORES

Calling all dancefloor dons and digital divas!

Come show your support for great house music ONE LAST TIME at the PRISM Closing Party this Friday, May 25th with guest DJ JOJOFLORES (Montreal). Step with us into a mesmerizing musical heaven, a place we create together - and kick off your holiday weekend with style.

JOJOFLORES is infamous for his Garage, Deep House and Afro-Latin rhythms. His signature sound resonates sweet, soulful melodies and a profound jazzy vibe. An original B-Boy and a fan of street & dance culture, he is blessed with the versatility to play old school Hip Hop, Funk, and Soul from the early 80's. After 24 years of devotion to the underground music industry, he was awarded New York City's Best International DJ 3 years in a row [2002, 2003 & 2004] by Undaground Archives. Jojoflores' hometown recognized the boundlessness of his skills with Montreal's 1998 Best Club DJ Sounds of Blackness Award and has been rated one of Montreal's Top 3 DJ's for three years in a row.

As CEO/A&R of Gotsoul Recordings, and the man behind the underground promo label Jamsteady, Jojoflores is one of Canada's leading ambassadors for soulful music. Gotsoul was recently awarded Montreal's number one independent record label in Summer 2004 as well as Best International Independent Label 2003 by NYC's Underground Archives. He has toured North America with Osunlade of Yoruba Records and has established honorary residencies in the cities of New York [Bang The Party], Chicago [3¾], San Francisco [Taboo], Los Angeles [Deep], Singapore [Rouge], Manila [Beach House], Athens [Home] and Toronto & Miami [Therapy]. Jojoflores' sound is deeply blissful, reminding us that life should be true, loving and joyful, embarking us on a journey that oozes all that is wonderful.

He is the innovator and founder of internationally renowned Therapy night, now in its 8th year of operation, and voted Montreal's Best Club Night and Toronto's Best Party 2003. This is one of Canada's longest running and most successful weekly Garage Deep House soirée. Therapy recently expanded to Miami, Athens and Cape Town.

The challenge of never knowing what to expect from a crowd is what drives jojoflores to consistently provide a solid groove. He has been booked for high profile events presented by Roots, M.A.C., The Montreal Jazz Festival of Lights, The Toronto Jazz Festival, Toronto & Montreal International Film Festival, NYC's Pablo de Ritis of Wallpaper Magazine, Phat Farm, Bacardi, Cadillac, Red Bull, Hugo Boss, Perry Ellis, Vanity Fair, Miami's Art Basel Week, and French Photo Magazine. You can also add Fashion Week in New York, Montreal & Toronto to his list of gigs. He's played along side heavyweight DJs Jazzy Jeff, Louie Vega, Kenny Dope, Blaze, Derrick Carter; artists Wyclef Jean, Jody Watley, k-os and even designers D Squared.

The reason for jojoflores' success is a simple ricochet effect: the love and support he receives keeps him going strong. jojoflores keeps the vibe alive with determination, passion, and the upstanding mission to touch the heart of the ones who love music as much as he does. In times of war, disarray and disillusion, jojoflores provides solace and, from the four corners of the globe, re-ignites our purpose and our reason. His sound is now.

The short list of clubs JOJO has graced:

Stereo [Montreal]
Time Supper Club [Montreal]
La Suite [Paris]
Home [Athens]
Lotus One[Dubai]
Black Cat [Cape Town]
115 [Johannesburg]
Cielo [NYC]
APT [NYC]
Avalon [NYC]
Centro Fly [NYC]
Nocturnal [Miami]
Shine [Miami]
Boom Box [Miami]
Deep at Vanguard [Los Angeles]
Pink [San Francisco]
Mighty [San Franciso]
End Up [San Francisco]
Sound Bar [Chicago]
Wet [Chicago]
Soul Revival [Boston]
Shine [Vancouver]

Deejays JOJO's shared bookings with:

Derrick Carter, Roland Clark, Bobby D'Ambrosio, Deep Dish, Fred Everything, David Harness, Marques Wyatt, Nick Holder, Jask, Karizma, Jon Howard, Steve 'Silk' Hurley, Slam Mode, Antonio Ocasio, Osunlad, Julius Papp, The Rurals, DJ Spen, Jerome Sydenham, Terence Toy, Ron Trent, Frankie Valentine, JoVonn, E-man & Lola, John Cutler, King Britt, Dj Smash, Blaze, Little Louie Vega, Kenny Dope Gonzales & Jazzy Jeff.

So there you have it. Hotness in the form of a vibe you won't get anywhere else, you dig?

Nick, Carly, Chris Howard, The Depot/Butterfly staff & myself want to thank everyone who has helped us bring PRISM to life each week. Our love for the music, the scene and our dear friends is why we do this stuff. That, and the memories...

Looking Forward,

Jesse Walker

Who's Up For Another Game Of RISK?

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell ABCNews.com. Following this, Nine U.S. warships enter Gulf for training. The assembly off Iran’s coast is largest since the 2003 Iraq war. [Via: Antiwar]

Reel To Reel

Handmade cardboard miniature models of antique sound equipment. Related: Analog audio tape cassette nostalgia. [Both via: Everyone Forever]

One of my favorite house producers/DJ Charles Webster has made a 3 cd compilation for release on Defected records. First disc is a club mix, second is a 'back to mine' style eclectic mix and the third is an unmixed selection of Charles' productions and remixes. Almost every track on cd 3 is an exclusive new mix. I usually don't go for the cheesy comps from Defected but this one might be worth a listen. [Via: Miso Records]

Fred Perry Blank Canvas

The latest addition to Fred Perry's ever growing back catalogue of collaborations is none other than Shoreditch's finest print mastermind David (David David) Saunders... David Saunders is a fine artist and former Chelsea graduate. He began his career as an assistant to celebrated artist Tracey Emin, specialising in graphic work before going on to design his own high end fashion menswear ranges, and his work sits in Dover Street Market. While David David's own line traditionally consists of hand-painted kaleidoscopic garments, for Fred Perry's Blank Canvas this is the first time he has used screen printing to produce the garments. The range will be stocked in Laurel shops and niche retailers globally from April 2007. [Via: DazedDigital]

Frank Dandy. Rebuilding Underwear Culture.

Tresor Classic Mix

Part of the Headquarters DJ team for many memorable years now, the searing sets by DJ Kriek have become some of the most talked-about underground techno gigs in Germany and in Europe. His nights in the Tresor dungeon are remembered as unforgettable and more and more techno purists are flocking to his gigs in the EU.

We've managed to tackle him down and create an exclusive mix for our MP3 shop, for a burning, underground experience in Tresor sound. The right amount of abstraction, the right amount of surprise, steering electronic rhythms on a techno razor’s edge – Kriek gets the Tresor vein pulsating right off the bat in this first instalment of Tresor classics mixed by Tresor artists and resident DJ’s. Available exclusively in our online MP3 shop, this mix is a blend of some of the most legendary tracks on our label: a finely-tuned serving of the Tresor sound as we know it. DJ Kriek has been an integral part of the Tresor Headquarters team since the mid-90’s: his Tresor Club basement sets are remembered seminally by his taste for no compromises in underground techno territory, critical balance in abstraction, connecting his own personal dots that spell… wicked. The mix’s spectrum radiates out from the UK nu-school techno clan but also gives sufficient nods to Detroit, New York and Japan. The international artists represented in his mix exist in Kriek’s personal tapestry of underground techno à la Tresor: a mixing master which has made him one of Berlin’s most exciting techno DJ’s and finest of the Tresor residents. Suffice it to say –feels feverish, feels right, sounds electrifying, very cool…

DJ Kriek (Tresor Headquarters) mixes Tresor classics: Tresor Mix Vol. 1 - exclusively available at the Tresor MP3 shop.