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We pick’n’mix the BEST in music/celebrity/style/art/fun for YOU!

Janelle Monae

Is protesting cool?

Is techno now retro?

Josh Weller

Is Grime Dead?

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swagger !!!

skins kaya!

will we all have hair in 2012?! how the collapse will save the world

– a modern prophet speaks

your guide to all things funky

SUPERSUPER CONTENTS

SUPER SLEBS Do you know the way to JANELLE MONAE 32 JOSH WELLER on marmite 34 Would you let CHARLIE

LE MINDU cut your hair? 38 FRASER CLARKE saves the world 78

Gettin down with VV BROWN 122 SLINKY SUNBEAM explains it all 60 The day TINCHY STRYDER got his mood on 62 EFFY’N ELL – Kaya’s growing up 36

SUPER STYLE

Mikey Maus loves Progressive German house and...? Find out who on 41

SUPER MUSIC

O.CHILDREN where art thou? We’re here on page –> 124 A hot date withRomance 126 TODDLA T, tOBY THE TRANCE TROWL + TOCAS MIRACLE 129 T2 on the North /South divide... BASSLINE style 128 pullin TEETH 126 NEW REVIEWS: TELEPATHE/DIPLO/ NASA/TEMPA T & many more +QUIZ 134 CLUBS – BILLA/NEEMO/DAVID RICHARDSON...HAVE YOU BEEN PAPPED?

Is it big? is it clever? is it happening more? yes... PROTEST? 10 slave to the RHYTHM...Indie style 12 DOWNSIZING & DIGITAL GRAFITTI 14 Retro love CASSETTES 16 Beads a go go! HIPPIE OVERLOAD! 17 Dont wash stuff, just turn it INSIDE OUT The return of the GIRL MCs 22 Not a lad nor a geezer THE NEW SOUL MAN aint no diva 22 Fingerless gloves? CREEPY HANDS 23

SUPER NEWS

IS GRIME DEAD? 62 HAIR TODAY, WHERE TOMORROW The state of a nations hair 66 Get down low with the FUNKY phenomena 74 Is techno the new retro? Nicky Carvell gives her thoughts 118 DEAR SUPERSUPER 9 8BIT ABOMINATION - STREET FIGHTER RETURNS 31

hello! SUPER ?

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SUPERSUPER #15 COVER: Art Direction SuperSteve, Model Marianne @ Select wearing cardigan by Lacoste Red, polo shirt by Lacoste, vintage glasses by RayBan, Photography by Billa, Hair by Charlie Le Mindu, Makeup by Melanie Szabousing MAC Pro, Retouching by George McLeod

Do you do Voodoo 102 ISSAC Y MANU... who? 44 WONKY? 84 MARK FAST & CRAIG LAWRENCE The Best of Knittish 100

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SUPER TRENDS

1 PRO

“It’s about doing something out of the ordinary that will remind people there’s more to life than getting up, going to work, watching TV and going to sleep,” – Caitlyn Spencer, 19, Silent Rave organiser

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statement: “U Gotta Fight For YR Right To PARRRTY!” trend info: From the occasional disgruntled neanderthal man through Jesus’s infamous ‘Temper in the Temple’ to Peta activists dumping an entire bag of flour over Lindsay Lohan’s head while shouting ‘fur hag’ in Paris recently, the history of protest is as old as humankind itself. Typically the British have been rather reserved on this front (“we’ve never had a bloody revolution you know!”) when compared to our European neighbours and others further afield, but this, like the times, are a’changing. Nowadays we have the full gamut, from the serious/classic approach (placards/unions/ bovril) to the modern/media approach (designer placards/catchy slogans/healthy sandwiches) to the futuristic/frivolous (designer headphones/ facebook group/vitamin water). There is no doubt that advances in technology have not only upped the game, but also laid it wide open for creative interpretation. While the 1950s had cultural “happenings”, put

on by those who believed art should occur spontaneously anywhere, the 2000s saw the birth of the Flash mob – the practical implementation of collective intelligence, fuelled by phones and computers, allowing groups to convene at a predetermined location, act and then bugger off quickly. These can be motivated by political protest, shared interest (eg a bunch of customers all wanting to buy the same thing, co-ordinating themselves to arrive at the store simultaneously, then negotiating a hefty bulk discount), through to the silent disco/fun/modern equivalent of the freedom to party gatherings of the early 90s. Now they’ve appeared in mainstream TV ads, you know this is one idea that has definitely arrived.

how to work the look: standfirst that briefly explains the Before you leave the house, it’s probably a good idea to do at least a modicum of research. trend explains the trend explains After all, there are two sides to every story, and given there’s always an outside chance of arrest, the last thing you wanna do is go down the trend explains the trend* for partaking in a Peace For Paedo’s rally by

mistake. If you’re going just for fun that’s ok

(they do cost less than clubs after all), just be a bit utilitarian about it and make sure your fun doesn’t equate directly to twenty thousand other people being pissed off/terminally inconvenienced. With your morals straight, you then have a stylistic choice to make between the classic/ bovril approach, or the modern/frivolous end. Naturally, we encourage swapping them around – go for the 1984 miners’ strike donkey jacket militant foaming-at-the-mouth look in a T-Mobile ad, or a gurning aussie stilt-walker in a clown suit at a Keep British Jobs British rally – that should spice things up a bit! As a failsafe, we recommend the snazzy red beret look as sported by French workers midRevolution circa 1789. lifespan: Forever. The level of protest is inversely proportional to human happiness, and as technology continues to advance the methods will get wierder/more creative and the lines between life-defining issue & leisurely lifestyle pursuit will get even more blurred. tally ho!

ROTEST

party

Words by Emma Dilemma, Dan Szor & SuperSteve

From highly targetted picket lines opposing scandalous bosses slashing already meagre wages, to Sarah & Jo egging on their mates from Halls to join in a little flashmobbing down the local train station, the rise in global turbulence, coinciding with the arrival of mass social networking, means more and more people are gathering in public places, united by a common cause. Whether you think it’s right, wrong, or even effective, as the whole world becomes one giant Speakers’ Corner, one thing’s for certain – now’s the time to decide...

TREND INFO: From indie to electro to fidget and the far out happenings of America’s West Coast, rhythm has returned with a bang! Gone are days of fey tapping, jazzy grooves and ‘shoop shoop’ skiffle beats of a post Libertines Britain – today it’s all about been heard rather than just ‘scene’. Bands such as the UK’s Banjo or Freakout or An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump right through to America’s Telepathe and Health have all embraced the beat and are causing mayhem in the usually ‘composed’ alternative scenes. Out on the dancefloor, tracks such as Duke Dumont’s ‘Hoy’ and FRE3 + P2J’s ‘Skank Calm Down’ have left us enslaved to the rhythm – meaning we’re more likely to take off our clothes and scream, rather than look in the mirror and preen. It’s time to get sweaty!

HOW TO WORK THE LOOK: The more definite you are wih this one means the easier it is to pull off. Dont walk down the street - stomp. Dont mumble your words – be clear. Everything should have a definite impact. Invest in some maracas or make ur own ‘shaker’ using a pringles tin and some dried rice. Make sure everyone knows you’re coming! LIFESPAN: The forseeable future. If it looks like we’re heading into a second dark age then we’d best prepare for it by getting a lot more tribal. MOTHER AFRICA TAKE ME NOW!

Slave to the rhythm !

nu indie beat 10

FORGET THE FAUX NOODLY JINGLY JANGLY INDIE OF YESTYEAR, NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT HEAVY RHYTHMS, DRUMS & UM, BONGOS!

Words by Dan Szor Photography by Billa

SUPERTRENDS

TREND STATEMENT: “Gimme some skin!”

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3 less is WAY more! SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL AS FAR AS THE NEXT WAVE OF GADGETRY IS CONCERNED

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FIRST WE HAD SPRAY CANS & TRAINS, THEN CAME STENCILS, STICKERS & THE LIKE, NOW GRAFFITI HAS GONE ALL FUTURISTIC & TECHNO

Statement: “Have your say the digital way” Trend Info: No one knows who did it first but the world of Google told us that some chap in the US tried it in 2000. A group called The Graffiti Research Lab, based in the US are the latest group of artists to take up the cause of the electronic graffiti movement and spread their innovations via the internet. Their invention ,the 'LED throwie', is a cute, fun, and easy to make LED light which you throw onto metal surfaces like road signs, metal sculptures or trams, it magnetically sticks to them and in large numbers creates instant urban Christmas trees. How to work the

look: The magnets are actually really strong and so can hold a reasonable amount of weight, so far we have managed to attach flyers, fanzines, mix CD's, ornaments (Street Earrings) and larger pieces of street art with several LED's, this way the LED acts as a non-damaging fix and also a beacon attracting attention to the installation. Try experimenting with making larger boards or circuits of LED's, creating simple screens that look like LED pixels to display animated or still graphics that light up and are visible at night. The Graffiti Research Lab have a great technique for this on their website, employing the use of a

telescopic pole to fix the LED tag to a high location where it's can't easily be looted by passersby's and do gooders. Remember though. This is a tool by which to further a thought a felling or a dream it aint a platform for childish ‘Your mamas so fat she...”. Use it wisely. Have your say and make them pay. Lifespan: Hmmm If this takes of it could be massive. Lets get the message across it’s can’t easily be looted by passersby’s and do gooders. Remember though. This is a tool by which to further a thought a felling or a dream it aint a platform for childish ‘Your mamas so fat she...”. Use it wisely. Have your say and make them pay. Lifespan: Hmmm If this takes of it could be massive. Lets get the message across Use it wisely. Have your say and make them pay. Lifespan: Hmmm If this takes of it could be massive. Let’s get the message across

TREND INFO: Face it, thinking big is over. After all, where’s the whole ‘bigger is better’ mantra got us anyway? Big investments have left our economy reeling, while super sized food portions have sent obesity levels through the roof. So…’what’s the solution?’ I hear you cry. Well, downsizing obviously! Thanks to the internet and the post-millennial communications boom the world is smaller than ever, and it’s essential that new innovations in technology and design stay in scale with our evershrinking global village. These days we demand to be able to keep our entire music collection, washing kit, phone and laptop in our back pocket and still have space to fit in change from a mini roll! Advances in manufacturing precision have allowed firms to truly put the micro into microchip and produce MP3 Players as thin as credit cards (iPod Nano) and laptops small enough to fit into school pencil cases (See the new Sony Vaio P Series with its 8 inch screen). And it’s not just computer chip technology that’s getting smaller either. This year male cosmetics giants Lynx released their new ‘bullet’ range of deodorant, whose pocket friendly canister size (which clocks in at an impressively miniature 8cm) means that guys no longer have any excuse for smelling like wastemen, even after a hasty dash to catch the 91 bus. And, of course, once you’ve made it onto the bus (and drawn for the deodorant can in the sock), the recent availability of tabloid sized editions of broadsheet papers (such as the Independent and The Times) means you can take in even the most brain boggling news material during transit without ever elbowing the guy/gal sat next to you! Even the fast food industry, longstanding champions of the ‘go large’ mentality have taken note. Burger King recently unveiled Burger Shots ™ range: Bitesized mini burgers bought in packs of 2 or 6 designed to promote less indulgent, more social eating via the burger equivalent of the cocktail sausage - for the first time ever, consumers are being positively encouraged to ‘super-shrink me!’ How to work the look: The big problem with the whole downsizing phenom is that it makes it a lot more difficult to floss high-spec, status technology items to draw choong guys/gals (or less preferably, muggers) when out and about. So what if you own the new micro iPod Nano minus-100 series? It aint gonna count for zip if noone can see that shiz. To counter this pitfall, why not try utilising these new miniature items as accessories? For example you could get ‘dirty south’ on things and have your micro mobile phone drilled into your teeth, or simply get your mp3 player encrusted onto an earring stud. Failing that, what could realistically illustrate your big time playa status more than an iBook pendant?! Lifespan: The smaller = cooler ethos is showing no signs of slacking and looks pretty likely to keep going til we have to use magnifying glasses to check our emails on pin-top computers. Mind you, that’s only if we haven’t already lost them down the back of the sofa, or inadvertently hoovered them up with our finger attachment edition Baby Dyson Hoover!

Micro Tech Trend Words by Katy Fancyfox Dgig Graff Trend Words by Buster Bennet

STATEMENT: “A little bit of what you fancy...!”

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SUPERTRENDS TREND STATEMENT: “(Press rewind) and come again!!!”

TREND INFO: In 09 there’s really only one musical media format worth parring with. Right now MP3s are getting air, and CDs are lucky to get a ‘LOL’. This season those that REALLY know the dutty are dealing with Tapes. Exclusively. Yeah that’s right, you heard; unless you wanna get left looking more dated than Mini Disk it’s time to get digging deep in the crates and bussin’ out those ol’ TDKs and C90s! It should come as no surprise really, the whole tape phenomenon has been floating around in the peripheral of our collective subconscious for a while now: the club Boombox, designer Carrie Cassetteplaya, bands like Weird Tapes etc have all utilised subtle and not so subtle means of suggestion to get our minds whirring like a Walkman and yearning for this bygone format of yore. For those with a savvy DIY ethic Tapes are simply the most cost effective way of duplicating your music for release on a mass scale, with batches of 1000 tapes barely costing more than a few bags of penny sweets. Not only do they look good, they also imbue even the most High Def recordings with an all important veneer of Lo-Fi cool too, even with Dolby noise reduction switched on. Who needs the crackle of Vinyl when you can have the hiss of Cassette??? London / Birmingham based label Stop Scratching are leading the way for the cassette revolution within Indie, having released tapes by some of London’s hippest bands, including Graffiti Island, Pens, Teeth and Chupacubra, all for the Crunch happy cost of £3-£4. Meanwhile Grime is undergoing a cassette revolution of itself right now, thanks in no small part to the ace new site Grimetapes.com. Grimetapes are collecting tapes of classic pirate radio sets recorded by grime devotees since the movements inception, ripping them to digital format and and upping them onto the site for download. It’s a comprehensive archive of various pieces of grime folklore which would otherwise have been lost forever or remained the stuff of urban legend. Highlights include a young Dizzee Rascal’s first appearance on Pirate Radio way back in 1999. HOW TO WORK THE LOOK: I’m pretty sure you can’t even buy Cassette players anymore so giving the look a retro twist to the look is unavoidable. SuperSuper recommends getting hold of a proper 80s boombox and resting it on your shoulder with one arm while bussin’ out tunes at bus stops or while walking down your local high street! LIFESPAN: Tapes are prone to getting tangled up and accidentally recorded over, so unfortunately this might be one with a limited shelf life : /

e m e p ta back

STATEMENT: Go Global, Live Local! TREND INFO: Whereas the Libertines era had its crucifixes & rosary beads, now we’re looking at a rise in tribal/ global/other cultural reference points – think MIA’s world music mash-up in necklace form. If we were to get philosophical about it, we could possibly say it has something to do with a search for new values, cultural influences, even a new spirtituality. From the hazy mazy hipsters on the West Coast of America (bands like Health, Lucky Dragons), the East Coast’s MGMT/Telepathe/ Leith to Empire of the Sun from waayyy down under in Perth to a rapidly increasing number of forward-thinking Brits, we’re seeing a rise in headbands, beads, bongos, feathers and other such hippy/’ethnic’ gear. While high fashion may have embraced a glossy form of tribalism, typically thru prints and colours, what we’re talking about here is a more street level/band-related and altogether more ‘earthy’, less polished and, dare we say, ‘real’ version. HOW TO WORK THE LOOK: We’re going for tokens/trophies of global authenticity here, like the contents of a Victorian gentleman explorer’s drawing room (minus the colonial exploitation of course!). Primarily worn as embellishments to your look, rather than headto-toe, think natural materials – wood, leather, feathers, stones, twine, etc. It also helps if they have a slightly worn-in look/feel, as if you really did acquire them firsthand in some remote country, although as they’re starting to crop up on the high street, more polished versions and western interpretations (eg modern colours, synthetic materials, etc) are also becoming incorporated. Naturally we advise going all out and seeing how many different cultural references you can fit into one look, and maybe considering a little henna embellishment to top it all off! LIFESPAN: As global travel becomes less affordable/eco desireable, this is the perfect way to show your status as a true citizen of the world. Likely to proliferate until the next economic boom, when power-dressing will become the order of the day once again!

Tape words by Billy iDle, Photography by The Cobra Snake Hippie words by Dan Szor & SuperSteve

HiPPiE OVERLOAD

This page: Vasilisa wears beads from Freedom at Topshop Photography by Billa Left: Hannah at D1 wears beads from Freedom at Topshop Photography by Vasilisa

Trend info: Hard times call for tough decisions... well actually this decision ain’t that tough – it’s rather fun. Washing your clothes can be quite boring, plus if you only own one suit then you’re left practically naked when it comes to wash day. (Trust us – we once spent a week in Blackpool with Mr Bean and after an incident involving a donkey, a toffee apple and a portion of cockles’n’mussels on the first day we were left with one heavily soiled suit – we honestly thought he would pack more!) This might not be the most hygenic of trends but it is rather practical. It can save you money, it’s ecological and most importantly it can save you the embarassment of going out and seeing someone wearing the same outfit as you – a quick nip to the toilet and hey presto! you’ve saved your skin and probably turned yourself into the most out-there dude or dudette at the party! (Note to us: never use that last line ever again!)

! #

Words by Dan Szor Photography by Billa

SUPERTRENDS

Statement: The Spice Girls got it wrong – it’s really ‘1 becomes 2’.

How to work the look: Remember the Simpsons episode where a toxic fog turned them inside out, well work it kind of like that. T shirts, jackets and trousers are the most obvious of things to apply this look to, but whilst big statements make big impacts, why not go down the more refined yet unusual ‘Antwerp Academy’ route: socks outside your trousers, caps inside out, etc. The smaller things in life can make the most impact, and it’s all in the styling. You creatives out there – why not paint, design, or even construct a whole new lining to your clothes?! :) Lifespan: Until both the outside and the inside become so dirty that you remind people of Fagin – on a bad day!

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2 looks for the price of 1 It’s the reversible revolution!

INSIDE OUT

where u at?

where u going?

After disappearing for maybe an eternity, Ms. Dy-na-mi-tee IS BACK! She is featured regularly on BBC Radio 1xtra and has returned to the studio to work on new material for 2009. Her latest track Bad Gyal produced by Sticky is already a guaranteed banger for the raving scene. It’s a concoction of classic 2-step and grime with the typical Dynamite energy and execution. It’s the first single off her forthcoming album, the name of which is yet to be revealed.

Ms. Dynamite is very often hailed as the most authentic British female rapper because of her naturally effortless delivery. Her fans therefore anticipate big things when the new album drops. I’m sure we can expect the familiar variety of subjects she spits about - from deeper social issues to feisty-rude-girl-catchy-clubchoruses. Either way the long awaited return of Ms. Dynamite will hopefully see her back as one of the most respected representatives of those artists that brought the underground, over-ground.

Sabrina Washington is the sassy songstress from the ghetto girl group Misteeq. She sang us love songs that were grittier than your average R’n’B anthems. The group had around nine top ten hits and two double platinum selling albums in the UK. This was the ideal starting point for the musical career Sabrina always wanted. “We had a really good run and so much fun. It was everything I imagined it to be and everything I could have wished for.”

We asked Sabrina what she’s up to these days. “What am I up to? What am I NOT up to should be the question! I’m doing everything,” she replied. Sabrina is reinventing her image and is also brushing up on her acting skills. After winning BBC THREE’s Celebrity Scissorhands at the end of last year she now spends most of her time in the studio writing and performing at venues all across the country. “The highlight of my career is EVERYTHING!”

With her new ultra cool and ultra chic look, Sabrina can’t wait for 2009. “I’ve got a new single out in the spring and my album will be released towards the end of the year on a major record label. Neither of then have names yet though,” she says. Musically she is working on upbeat dance tunes inspired by electro and funky rhythms. As well as this she has landed a role in a British film coming out next year.

Shystie

Shystie is a recording artist and actress from the coooolest part of London. Hackney of course. Her response to Dizzee Rascal’s 2003 hit, I Luv U is what first highlighted her musical talent. In 2004 she recorded two albums Diamond in the Dirt and Make it Easy. Towards the end of 2005 she landed the lead role in Dubplate Drama – an interactive television show based around a girl named Dionne desperate to make it in the music industry.

Whilst the plans for a third series of Dubplate Drama are in motion, Shystie’s main focus at the moment is on a new album release for 2009. The link between the show and her music career means she’s established and maintained connections with many of the most respected people in the underground scene, some of whom she may well be working with. She currently has two singles out Pull It, produced by bassline godfather Subzero and New Style featuring DJ Deekline.

As an actress and as an emcee Shystie remains loyal to the grime scene she came from. Her collaboration with Subzero however shows a more eclectic work style for her musical comeback. Although bassline is still not widely appreciated in Shystie’s original endz (aka the capital) where she draws most of her inspiration from, it shows that she’s working with what is hot OVERALL at the moment. Hopefully we can expect some more BRAPtastic collaborations on the new record.

Lady Sovereign, The Biggest Midget in the Game, has the cheekiest, most audacious lyrical style from our homegrown scene. Her earlier EP’s and singles were a mix of hip-hop, pop and grime and made her one of Britain’s most popular girls on the scene. As Sov puts it herself, “I’VE NEVER BEEN YOUR AVERAGE RAPPER.” She was the first British artist signed to DEF JAM Records in America and released her first album, Public Warning on the label in 2006..

Sov is busy working on the promotion of her new album Jigsaw set for release this April. “I’ve always felt I’m different to everyone else and I never approach things the way everyone else does. It’s without trying. I don’t understand it,” she says. Sov’s new single I Got You Dancing, which available free now, is another offspring of the electro grime love affair. It’s video is very Thriller-esque and involves her dancing around in a variety of interestingly weird costumes.

Listen up for a singing Sov on the new record. “I was seeing someone,’ she says. ‘It all fucked up and I just wanted to sing about it. I’m not the best singer in the world but you listen to it and definitely feel it.” Along with this we can look forward to some new quirky creations. “Like my first album, it’s not consistent but it works for me,” says Sov. “There are genres on there that ain’t even genres.”

Mz. Bratt began writing lyrics at 14years old. A few years later and she’s made her mark as an emcee in London’s grime world. She’s worked with many of the scene’s leaders including producer/manager Terror Danjah. She featured on T4’s reality show Musicool and has performed nationally and internationally. “Going on tour with the coolest guys in the UK, The Count & Sinden was HEAVY!” She’s focused and hardworking. “I don’t sleep much,” says Bratt. “Rest is for the rest!”

Bratt is busy in the studio working on her debut album Time of the Month. She’s now experimenting with singing as well as rapping. “I’m still learning how to use my voice but mc-ing is where I’m comfortable,” she says. Drop Bombs, a collaboration she did with Nasty Crew’s Griminal, is her fave track right now and may feature on the album. “It’s got a nice vibe to it,” says Bratt. “Griminal is extremely talented and fun to work with.”

Musically we can expect some more FRESHNESS from Mz. Bratt mainly because she doesn’t let other artists influence her own style. “I might appreciate other people’s work, rate their lyrical content but that motivates ME to work harder,” she says. Her new single Who Do You Think You Are lands very soon so look out for that. She also auditioned for a part in a film called Freestyle released next year, which she hopes might begin an acting career too.

Lele Speaks is a South London rapper who…speaks innit! Her songs talk about REAL things in life like vomit, sluts, thieving people and other things that happen around everyone’s local endz. She’s one of The Sick Kids with the other girls who also make music and design garmz. Her own style has a different edge than the rest. The blend of bouncy beats with moooooody subject matter is the essence of Lele’s SICKNESS. She describes her style as “Underdog Pop.”

Lele is busy working on new material and getting used to the lifestyle of the music industry. Although she’s loving most aspects, “The worst thing,” she says, “is interviews and photo shoots cos I’m rubbish at that!” Overall it’s the response from live performances that she loves more than anything, “I love making music but the best thing would have to be hearing that other people think it’s banging too. That’s amazing. Everyone should know by now I’m F*CKING SICK!!!!!!!!!!”

In 2009 Lele plans on continuing to be an all round SICKKKK young thing. She’ll be spittin’ sick barz, making sick tracks, and generally spreading her sickness faster than any kind of plague or rumor we’ve heard of thus far. Her trendy image, REAL talk and impudent way of expressing herself are what will expand her fan base this year. “All I can say is the album is coming out this year so start saving,” says Lele. See how Lele…SPEAKS!

Goldielocks is the musical Jackie of all trades. She’s a producer, an artist and a DJ. Originally from Croydon she left school at 16 and was quite content with a career at JD sports. When she discovered that she could actually get on a computer and make stuff that sounds really good, she found music to be her true vocation. The classic Goldielocks number Wasteman (with Boy Better Know’s Frisco) is probably her most well known song.

After recently releasing her latest EP Bear Safe, Goldielocks is still in the studio. She describes her music as “a bit of Electro, a bit of Grime, a bit of Dub, a bit of Garage, and a bit of Pop.” This is her recipe for creating remixes of other people’s tracks and new beats for herself. She’s also hosting a monthly skankfest called Hardknock Wife in Central London where she and her scene bredrins showcase the very best urban music.

Being the feisty, determined girl she is, it seems that Goldielocks cannot fail at anything she becomes involved in. There’s not much left for her to try her hand at in terms of music and she is set to bring us even bigger things in 2009. From her as an artist we can expect some more catchy tracks which will reach a more commercial audience as her name is becoming more and more widely known across the UK and Europe too.

Envy is a 21-year-old rapper from Manchester. Her music is a FASTFORWARD blend of many underground genres. ‘I emerged from the grime/garage scene when I started but my style became more hip-hop,” she says. Influenced by her experiences and the people she hearts most she says, “I’m inspired by everyday life. As good or as bad as it gets.” Tongue Twister her first single, showcased her SUUUUUPER speedy lyrical flow and ability to twist her tongue around tortuously tangled text.

Having recently graduated she’s now fully focused on her music career. “I’m working hard finishing my first album which is very nearly done. It’s a real mashup of musical influences and should be dropping around springtime. I’m also writing material for other artists,” says Envy. In between preparing for live gigs and deciding what festivals to spray-down this summer, she’s experimenting musically with other creative things. “I’m keeping them secret for a bit,” she says, “until the world’s ready!”

Envy’s Northerness has a different edge and rawness to the London grime kids we’re accustomed to. “Some of my fave artists are from London but up North we’ve definitely created our own scene,” says Envy. “When I go down South I find a lot of people are complacent and lazy. I don’t have time for that.” Her own hard work therefore should DEFFO yield success. “I have a feeling in my belly that 2009 is gonna be a good year!”

Envy

Goldielocks

Lele Speaks

Mz. Bratt

Sabrina

Ms Dynamite

where u been?

Ms. Dynamite is a North London MC whose garage anthem BOOOOOO still creates enough vibez to make everyone skank hard in a rave. She shot to fame as the garage scene became more established. Her music often had heavier bass and moodier beats than that of her contemporaries with her influences ranging from reggae to hip-hop. In 2002 her first album It Takes More reached the UK Top 10 and won the Mercury Prize for album of the year.

Lady Sov

Hey girl...

Re-e-wind back to 2001. That’s when UK Garage music first reached commercial charts. In doing so it unveiled a generation of female rappers whose style and flow expressed a fresh perspective of the underground music scene. Until then, grimey girls like these had little recognition but their breakthrough paved the way for the super-cool ladies of today. Many of these old-skool pioneers are set to come back and showerdown ’09 but how will they compare to their nu-fangled, nu-skool rivals?

Words by Loukia Constantinou

SUPERTRENDS

NU SKOOLV OLD SKOOL

thesupersuper.com

Words by Dan Szor & Billy iDle Photography by Billa Model Jacob at D1

SUPERTRENDS

the new soul boy

TREND INFO: Massive shout out to everyone who we met at Clothes Show!! Wayheyy! Trawling through thousands of photos of our beloved readers from up and down the country, we couldn’t help but notice the amount of hand action in photos. Not just your normal hand signs though; like the peace sign, v-sign (victory or f**k off!), middle finger (Eminem styles.. remember him?! Apparently he’s obese now!) There was one simple gesture, so popular amongst the kids dem, we had no choice but to write the trend. Where has this creepy epidemic of hand shapes come from? I hear you scream. Word on the street is that it has crossed over from the Goths dem, who regularly make claw gestures in school, on the bus, in the cinema, or whilst playing monopoly. Other people have argued that is a secret code amongst ‘My Pet Monster’ fans, a wonderful toy suitable for all ages. Maybe it gained popularity via pics seen on Facebook and Myspaz. Either way, it looks as though it’s here to stay!

forget the old skool lad/ new man/metrosexual – here come the new boys on the block

How to work the look: For boys, the key to this one is all about comfort. Not in the sense of wearing baggy clothes or velour tracksuits but rather to be relaxed in the eyeshot of the female gaze, and more importantly, comfortable within yourself – comfortable to be elegant, comfortable to dance, comfortable to cry, all without inhibition. Take something masculine and flip it on its head: for example a suit and wear it dishevelled and paired with something feminine, like a headband or an early nineties high waisted trouser. Basically, embrace being a boy without devolving yourself to become a man! Lifespan: We can predict and inspire trends but we can’t stand in the way of the seismic tidal waves of change. This trend looks like it’s here to stay as the line that divides the genders becomes increasingly irrelevant and we move towards becoming ‘one’ both individually and collectively!

Words by Emma Dilemma Photography by Andrew Berry Illustration by Liz Stott

Statement: “The boys are back in brown” Trend info: It seems that males have had a bad rep for a while now. Supposedly deemed the weaker of the sexes, should boys be deprived by birth right of the maturity and emotional sensitivity possessed by the female of the species for any longer?! We don’t think so. In our eyes here at SUPERSUPER we were all born equal – and boys, it’’s time for you to show that. Cursed by the dominant ‘lad culture’ of the nineties, it seemed for time that there would be no way out of the hyper-masculine, drink filled pit that stripped us of our dignity. Would we ultimately be able to swim to the shore, dry ourselves off and show that we are actually capable of establishing a bit of decorum? The answer right now, happily, seems to be a resounding yes! The distinction between the sexes is getting hazier by the day. Collectively we’re learning together to wrestle ourselves free from the pre-imposed gender shackles of generations past. Boys aren’t as scared to show their feminine side anymore and girls their macho side. You’re just as likely to see a guy holding a glass of rosé wine as you are a girl a pint of Irish stout. We’re a generation that has embraced the unisex toilet, the moisturising man and the get-money girl. Times are a-changing. We’re returning to real, proper values of equality, not via the burning of bras and dogmatic gender politics but by something altogether more natural, organic and playful.

STATEMENT: “I’m not deaf you know!”

HOW TO WORK THE LOOK: To achieve the creepy hand look successfully, there are a number of things to consider. Firstly, don’t do it whilst walking behind an old person whilst wearing a hoody, they might think you’re creeping up on them to rob their pension or Kit Kat. Don’t smile too much, you need to act the part, not look like a 1960’s children’s entertainer, or a pervert. If a teacher is telling you off in school, try the creepy move and see what happens. You may get a detention but it would be worth it. If you are running for the bus it might not work, they might drive away faster, mistaking you for a bat out of hell or nutter. We need to make this in to a trend that transcends the boundaries of the Facebook photo and burrows itself in society like a creepy hand in a bowl of jelly on Halloween. If you’re standing on the train (or tube) without a seat, try the creepy hand gesture – it might clear some space, you may even get a seat as people back away cautiously. LIFESPAN: It’s really very hard to say. It depends how many people read this page, or copy their friends, or naturally stumble upon the creepy hand move without anyone’s help or influence. Judging by the popularity at the Clothes Show, though, we’re guessing it’s well on the way to becoming the pose of choice.

OT09_Zodiac_supersuper-DPS.indd 1

9/2/09 10:34:11

SUPER SUPER FOUNDERS SuperSteve & Namalee CREATIVE & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR SuperSteve steve@thesupersuper.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Namalee namalee@thesupersuper.com ART DIRECTOR Dan Szor dan@thesupersuper.com EDITOR Emma Davies emma@thesupersuper.com

ISSUE #15 CONTRIBUTORS

Vasilisa Forbes Model, photographer, reporter and all round cool girl about town. You’re just as likely to see Vas (that’s what we like to call her) down the front at a Romance gig getting sweaty with the darkwave set as you are to see her out and about taking photos of men who work in kebab shops or protests on London’s Brick Lane. A general ‘Jill of all trades’, the girl’s heading for the big time in whatever she decides to do, and believe us, she’s got a lot of options! ; )

FEATURES EDITOR Will Wright will@thesupersuper.com FASHION DIRECTOR Hope Von Joel hope@thesupersuper.com ASSISTANT TO THE FASHION DIRECTOR Kate Kearney kate@thesupersuper.com BEAUTY EDITOR Laurie Hadleigh laurie@thesupersuper.com FASHION NEWS EDITOR Dominik E Riddler dom@thesupersuper.com FASHION CO-ORDINATOR Niyi Crown n.crown@thesupersuper.com SENIOR DESIGNER Stephen Williams design@thesupersuper.com

Charlie Le Mindu Celebrity hair stylist du jour Charlie has cut, crimped, snipped and shaved his way to the top of the of the pecking order when it comes to hair today... and he certainly won’t be gone tomorrow that’s for sure. With a list of clients that reads better than The Bible we were so excited when he agreed to do the hair for Marianne (this issue’s cover girl). What did he decide to do? A giant hi-top of course. We wouldn’t have expected anything less. We love you Charlie xxx

DESIGNER Chris Pollard design@thesupersuper.com CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITORS fashion@thesupersuper.com Basso and Brooke, Thomas Sels CONTRIBUTING MUSIC EDITORS music@thesupersuper.com Billy iDle, Buster Bennett, Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson EDITORIAL editorial@thesupersuper.com Liz Stott, Loukia Constantinou, Naida Alley, Vasilisa Forbes ARTS EDITOR Nicky Carvell nicky@thesupersuper.com CLUBS EDITOR JP jp@thesupersuper.com

Simon Smallbone One quarter of the expanding New Ears venture, Simon’s certainly in the know when it comes to snifﬁng out the next big thing on the indie, schmindie, certainly not grindie scene. An ofﬁce worker by day, by night he takes on the persona of a young Tony Wilson. Like a lion stalking its prey he’s on the hunt for burgeoning new talent. With an ear for the best and an eye on the rest we’d place our bets on him knowing about ‘it’ well before most.

FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Jessica Harvey jess@thesupersuper.com SCREEN EDITOR Shirani shirani@thesupersuper.com TECH EDITOR George Cook tech@thesupersuper.com ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Michelle Bryant michelle@thesupersuper.com +44 (0) 203 004 9770 PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Luc Le Corre luc@thesupersuper.com +44 (0) 203 004 9770 PUBLISHERS Luc Le Corre, Steve Slocombe, Namalee Bolle

SUPERSUPER 2nd Floor, 182 Commercial Road London E1 2JY United Kingdom Editorial: +44 (0) 203 002 7923 Commercial: +44 (0) 203 004 9770 General Enquiries: info@thesupersuper.com www.thesupersuper.com www.supersuper.tv facebook: supersuper myspace.com/thesupersuper youtube.com/supersupermagazine

SUPERSUPER Magazine is published 6 times per year by SuperSuper Ltd. Registered Company No 6035756. ISSN 1750-0648. Printing by PCP www.pcpltd.net Distribution by COMAG www.comag.co.uk © SUPERSUPER 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publishers. The views expressed in SUPERSUPER are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by SuperSuper Ltd and its staff and therefore these parties cannot be held responsible for them. All unsolicited material submitted for publication must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope if it is to be returned. SuperSuper Ltd do not accept any liability for material lost or any unsolicited material whatsoever.

Liz Stott Song to the siren, illustrator/designer and all around ace girl Liz was a blessing when she turned up at the ofﬁces of SUPERSUPER. Thrust into the thick of it on the last deadline, she got her head down and soon became an integral member of the team. A dab hand on the guitar, while not helping us out she’s out plying her trade around the bars of north London. We’ve got a sneaky feeling that she’ll hopefully soon be breaking out of Camden and serenading ermm....Canada?

SUPERSUPER CONTRIBUTORS Billa, Rebecca Pearson, Tim & Barry, Slinky Sunbeam, Paul Babycakes, Charlie Le Mindu, Jamie E-17, Megumi Matsuno, Amarpaul Kalirai, Chantelle Fiddy, Akio, Natalie ‘Esqueezy’ Esquire, The Murkage Cartel, Fiona Cartledge, Fraser Clarke, Jobot, Rat Scabies, Alexis Panayioutou, Neil Bennett, Daniel Stacey, Rebecca & Mike, Mark Moore, Alice Costelloe, KYM, Little Richard, Kayti Peschke, Kuni, Prof Julian Roberts, Tobias Jones, Motohiko Hasui, K-Tron, Dejan, The 3rd Earl of Kent, Ai, Robin Bharaj, Jayga, One Time, Karen Potter aka Handsome Dan, Kiki Hitomi, Neon Skullz, Katy Fancyfox, Soﬁ Donuts, Dan Glass, Pochomkin, Jack De Havas, Hayley Betts, Nasplasha, Davey Tyler, Simon Smallbone, Melanie Szabo, Dean Varoj, Jasoll Ell, Jose Quijano, Laura Dominique, Julia Kennedy, Kenneth So, Claire Rothstein, Sophia Melot, Karen Savage, The Cobra Snake, Kyle Ross, Kara, Fiona Cartledge, Neemo, Andrew Berry, Thomas De Kluyver, Dave Purgas, Alicia Samuels

STILL ROLLING Hey SUPERSUPER, How’s it hanging? I just wanted to know why you seem to have a very strange erotic/economic obsession with Sausage Rolls and behold the power to fortell the fate of the world through the way Tesco prices them. I quote: “these log shaped canoes of desire”. I’ve never understood the appeal of ‘rolling’ be it meat-based or vegetarian as personally I’m a fan of flans and quiches. Lorraine from Aberhyswith Hi Lorraine. I hope you’re feeling ‘flan-dabby-dosy’. Firstly, let’s get one thing straight, you quoted us wrong. It was Robert from Rhyl who mentioned the ‘canoes of desire’ – we merely endorsed the new Wall’s Stroller as the future of meat-based savoury hybrid snacks. You can’t have a go at us for liking something. You like flans and we like rolls – let’s not fall out about it. In answer to your question about the pricing, it’s basically just simple economics. When the price of a product goes up it’s called inflation and in general inflation usually spells trouble – we’re just informing you of how a fluctuating price structure can reflect a fluctuating time of prosperity. It’s all elementry my dear girl! PLANE SAILING Dear SUPERSUPER, Why does it seem to be that their have been more plane crashes recently? I don’t want to sound pessamistic and all that but there’s been at least two every week for the past month. I’m off to Gambia soon for one of those Bassline raves you reported on and I’m starting to get a bit worried. Can you offer me any advice? Jo from Rochdale Hey Jo (oooh it’s like the Jimi Hendrix song!) In answer to your first question we don’t honestly know but let’s just take this moment to praise the ‘Heroes of the Hudson’ who averted tragedy and landed safely in a river after a goose flew into the engine – that was some pretty damn good flying captain. The media have a tendency to spot

trends and run with them, just like us – it’s all part of the industry. You know what they say: one’s an example, two’s a trend and three, well... three plane crashes is pretty unlucky. Maybe you should give British Airways a ring as I’m sure they’ll be able to offer you more information on the subject matter than we can. We know people like to see us as the beholders of all the world’s knowledge, but we hate to disappoint and inform you that at the end of the day we’re really just a magazine. The best advice we can give you is don’t worry about it. You’ll be ﬁne, just keep thinking of the bassline and all the fun you’ll be having. Be sure to write back and tell us about the burgeoning Gambian Grime scene. Until then... Bon Voyage! SUPERSUPER @ THE CLOTHES SHOW LIVE SHABBA SUPERSUPER!!! How the devil are you? I saw you at the Clothes Show Live and would just like to say thank you for showing me and my mates an ace time and taking our pics! Hope to see you soon xxx Jemma from Coventry Dear SUPERSUPER. Thank you so much for bringing Paul Babycakes to CSL with you. He signed my arm and I’m never going to wash again! Ben from Kent Yo SUPERSUPER. Was really nice to meet you at the Clothes Show Live. I can’t believe you made me dress up as what can only be described as a glampunk-crunk-monk, but hey, I’ve been working the look back home up here in Leeds and I’m telling you guys... it’s catching on! You’ve shown us the way... Halleluja! Lucy from Dewberry AMEN to that Lucy. You’ll have to send us some photos of you and your mates working the look; we can’t wait to seem them. Glam-punk-crunk-monk (hmmm... strokes chin) you know what? that sounds like the most brilliant idea for a ﬁlm ever... wait a minute... OMG... you’ve decoded the secret of the lost Sister Act Three manuscript! Think about it? The glam, well that’s Whoopi of course. The punk, that’s the

kids they have to enlighten. The crunk, it’s set in Atlanta... and the monk... well they’re just there for the hunk factor. Anyway. Big shout out to all of you we met at the Clothes Show Live, it was an amazing experience and we enjoyed your company... well most of you LOL. Hopefully we’ll see you all next time round. Keep in touch y’all :) And Ben... we advise you to wash that arm, you don’t want to get an infection now do you? Make sure you check out Paul in the features section where he talks about hair... and Ben... don’t get any ideas!!! STUCK IN THE PAST Dear SUPERSUPER. I was reading the Cult Hero article in your last issue (Issue 14 to be exact) and was getting so inspired by the Sign Of the Times shop and Club and I just wanted to say thanks for informing me of something that I otherwise may have never known to exist. One thing I did take away from the article was a feeling of sadness as to how things like that don’t really happen anymore. Alternative culture, club culture and so on all seem to be have become so corrupted or jumped upon by this idea of commerce that I really think that we’ll ever see times like that again. Why couldn’t my time be their time?! :( Claire from West London Hey Claire how are you?! Don’t be down on yourself and the world you live in – remember that you can do anything that you want to and that the world is what YOU make of it. We went through a similar phase in the mid 90s when we became obsessed with ITV’s ‘Heartbeat’ series. It got so out of hand at one point in 1996 that we wore black for three months after ﬁctional character PC Nick Rowan’s (played by the lovable Nick Berry) wife Sally died...we still get ﬂashbacks now and that’s why unfortunately we’re not allowed to drive a forklift truck or any other heavy machinery! Anyway, back to the point. Some older people are obsessed with the 1960s, believing that everything was better back then, others with the 70s, 80s or 90s – they can’t all be right, can they?! What we’re trying to say is that your

time is what you make of it. If you sit around thinking and dreaming of a time that wasn’t rightfully yours to begin with, then you’re always going to be feeling dissapointed. The present is yours for the taking – and just remember that one day some kid will look back on your time with envious eyes. Keep your chin up! STUCK IN THE PAST Hi SUPERSUPER. It was great to see the article in your latest issue about Ketamine. I’m not condoning Ketamine use, but I thought that it was really good of you as a cultural commentator to highlight and raise awareness (be it good or bad) to a trend that seems to be increasing by the day. When I moved to uni in Manchester three years ago no one had heard of ‘K’ but now everyone seems to be talking about it. I’m glad you raised my awarness of this fact in an unbiased and thoughtful way. Thanks for educating me. Daniel from Manchester Hey Daniel. Thanks for getting in touch, it’s great to get some feedback on articles such as the Ketamine piece as we feel that it is our job to inform people about what’s going on out there. Ketamine is seemingly taking the nation by storm, and for some reason there has been very little mainstream attention given to its rise in popularity. From all the feedback we’ve had it seems to be a trend that is very much on the increase, yet there hasn’t really been much information about it up til now. GAGA FOR THE LADY Hey SUPERSUPER. Big thanks for introducing me to Lady GaGa – she’s everywhere now – but thx to you I knew about her before all my friends! ‘Just Dance’ is amazing and I love her style soo much! Geniveve, Switzerland Hey Geniveve, our pleasure! Not only is she now being hugely successful, she was also a really nice person when we met her, and that was before she was famous at all in the UK. (She played her ﬁrst UK gig at one of our parties.) And what’s more, she loves SuperSuper!

thesupersuper.com

get in touch via myspace.com/ thesupersuper or email us at: letters@thesupersuper.com

. . . r e p u s r dear supe

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LET’S GET DIGIREAL!

Telling the truth means something different now than it did awhile back, mainly thanks to t’internet. If you put that you’re 100 years old with an income of £250,000 and over on yr myspaz proﬁle, it’s not really a ‘lie’ in the old sense that your mum used to go on about when you were growing up, is it? We’ve always been excited about the creative possibilities offered by the blurring of fact n ﬁction, and it seems other people are getting that way, too. Take the Nokia Supernova campaign for their new 7610 handset – they’ve gone all David Lynch on us & got these gals & guys all over Facebook and stuff, and you can speak with them and text with them and everything and actually

SUPERNEWZ Going Up! WHSMITH

Ok, so maybe this is a tad self-indulgent but as from next issue (onsale April 11th) SUPERSUPER will be available from all WHSmith high st outlets across the UK. They’ve never had it so good, yagetme!

FANCY A DANCE?!

To celebrate the launch of the new Nokia 5800 touch screen handset. Nokia have teamed up with three up and coming breakthrough artists/comedians to entice us Brits back onto the dancefloor’! Tired of us Brits loitering around the edges of the dancefloor and get our ‘groove’ on. Nokia have enlisted the help of VV Brown, Keith Lemon and George Sampson who have put together a not to be missed step by step guide which will hopefully put us through our paces and back out into the limelight – all to the sound of Techtronics Pump up the Jam. They’ve even been kind enough to provide us with a space where we can put our new moves to the test in the form of the UK’s first touch activated dancefloor, which is currently doing a tour of the country’s nightclubs. Like the Nokia 5800 handset, each Nokia Tube Night will fuse light, sound and touch activated technology to create the ultimate dance experience. So before you pop your collar, strut your stuff and dazzle on the dancefloor, see how to do the Nokia Tube yourself, and visit www.nokiatubedance.com to find out when and where it will be appearing near you.

NU RAVE CRISPS ALERT! YES YES, we realise there’s probably a good chance you’re heard about, seen, or even tasted the new bonkers ﬂavours from Walkers. If not, there’s Cajun Squirrel (freaky but tasty), Fish & Chips (a safe bet but reminds us of batter, Chili and Chocolate (we knew this would work!) and more, all released for a limited time period as part of a competition in which the public made their suggestions and the ultimate winner gets loads of cash and their ﬂava stays on sale. However, if we ever get asked about New Rave (which we still do, would you believe) then from now on we’re just going to say it was like Cajun Squirrel/Chocolate & Chili but in music & fashion form. Probably the best explanation we’ve heard yet, anyway...

70s RWD

What’s that i hear? The sound of a distant union awaking after lying dormant following a period of relative calm. Are we expieriencing indian winter of discontent? Electricity bills going Wouldn’t it be great if you could actually vote through in proper the Yepone thats elections just by clicking on a pop-uproof. like this we right – athe 70’s We aremust coming came across the other day?! And get laptop! say, though, popping up all unexpectedly like that,expect it did to round again. make us think. Do we? Ummm... Would it make us more see bell bottoms, bowie or less likely to get a laptop if wemakeup, said yes? platform shoes and Progtastic 14 minTHE SECOND COMING ute epic guitar solos! Just when we thought the gods weren’t watching, plans are afoot to build two massive sculptures set to dominate the skylines of the world and put us back in our place. The Colossus in Rhodes was one of the 7 Wonders of the World before being toppled by an earthquake in 226 BC – now it’s set to be rebuilt. The message behind the sculptures will be the same – Peace, with part of the monument made from melted down weaapons. Elsewhere in the world a 17 storey ‘super temple’ topped by a 152 metre tall Maitreya has been proposed in India. The project is designed to last a thousand years without the need of renovation and once built will be three times the size of the Statue of Liberty.

FACEBOOK BACKLASH STARTS HERE

THE FUTURE! (100 YEARS ON) ‘We want no part in the past’ declared Filippo Tommaso Marinetti 100 years ago this month in his now almost biblical The Futurist Manifesto – the manifesto which would go on to shape and inspire a whole century. A century that moved much faster than those that had gone before and a century that didn’t dare to stop reaching. Artists, architects, designers - futurism was applied across mediums of art – with them all united under the same ethos – they saw futurism as their ticket to escape the confines of the past. Old values didn’t mean the same anymore, so therefore the futurist embraced new ones. Speed, technology youth and the triumph of man over nature were all admired. The futurists wanted change and they would not be satisfied until they got it. Some come celebrate 100 years of forward thinking as if it wasn’t for them, we’d all probably be riding penny farthings. To infinity and beyond.

So it’s useful and we don’t really have a choice (even writing on our ﬂatmates’ wall whilst we’re in the room next door!) but you mark our words, that copyright outrage was just the beginning...

NEW UK DANCES

Normally dancehall runs tings in this department, but now with Funky on the rise we got some homegrown moves goin on. Repeat after us, ladies: ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes...let me see you get down low’

LOCALISM

On the rise in both a good (community spirit) and bad way (‘bloody foreigners’). Let’s make it the former, shall we?!

EXPERTS

For a minute there – and armed with Wikipedia – we felt we knew all we needed. Now, well, does anyone know someone who really knows what’s going on?!

NU PSYCHEDELIA

Sufﬁce to say you’ll be hearing more from us on this one but for now keep your eyes out for all things cosmic, natural, tribal and, ideally, modern!

!!!!!!

WHAT DOES YOUR HAIR SAY ABOUT YOU?! 2 You just got a perm. This means you are: –84 years old –From Antwerp & waaayyy ahead of the curve –Representing Everton FC –A background dancer on Quiz Call on Wednesdays 3 What is the typical hairstyle on the dubstep scene? – Number 2 all over –The wobbly bob –The halfstep layered fringe –What u on about it’s not a scene it’s jus’ family vibes man... 4 Hair extensions originally come from... –Russian prisoners –Red Rum’s tail –Roadkill –Whitechapel market 5 Toni & Guy are... –The new Chuckle Bros –Understanding landlords –Recently engaged –The fabulous mascolo bros 6 ghd stands for... –gary’s happy diner –good hair day –good halal day –goats hate disco 7 “Maybe she’s born with it” is a tagline from... –Guy’s Hospital –Your nan –Maybelline –May Flanders: The Movie 8 You spend an hour a day straightening your hair. You are... 28

–Unemployed –Mick Hucknall –An emo –Finding Nemo

9 Eoin X Factor’s hair looked... –Lovely –Like it could do with more gel –Like it could be home to a family of sparrows –Sooo 2003! 10 You wash your hair once a month, this means... –You haven’t paid your water bill –You work in fashion –You dig up roads for a living –It’s actually a wig 11 Dreadlocks are... –Dread cool, geddit?! –Smelly –Like small logs of love –Making tights out of 12 Emos think... –The more hair the better –Nobody loves me –You just don’t undertsand –Poetry is the best art form 13 Skinheads are... –All racist and violent –Lovely on the inside, they just look a bit scary –Good for cleaning pipes –Shiny 14 Right Said Fred said... –I’m too sexy –I’m too shiny –I’m ready for me tea! –Can you pass me that hat please 15 What is the future of hair? –Long –This picture right here –As a daytime TV host – Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (bubbly bubbly).

“ by Chantelle Fiddy

COIFFURE COUTURE

TRYING TO SPOT A FELLOW SCENESTER VIA THEIR FASHION? FOR ALL YOU KNOW THAT CACK-HAIRED MULLET MAN COULD BE YOUR MICHAEL BOLTON LOVING DREAM COME TRUE...

(*What do you mean you need answers? – that’s what Google’s for!)

1 Your hair is shaved somewhere, this means you are... –Fashionable –Poor –A German anarchist –A monk

Back in the day it was pretty easy to identify potential man dem. If you were in to Indie you just looked out for the kid in shit clothes with holey sneakers. Preferred raving, and listened to jungle or hardcore? You were keeping it day glow, donning a workman’s jacket (and those bloody dummies which eventually went on sale in Clare’s Accessories for 50p). But back to the 0-mine, and it’s all become one and the same. Right about now we’re witnessing some serious crossing of borders where style is concerned. While we’ve seen rejections of heavy branded clothing in the past, most of us can’t remember a time when wearing name brands was less important. Thanks to the DIY ethos, that’s encouraged budding creatives to do it for themselves, we’re even ditching that one-a-way, ‘must have it cause it’s exclusive even though it’s nasty’ culture, in favour of real style. No longer can you expect the girl in the vintage dress, rocking white pumps to be into Anthony And The Johnsons. There’s every chance she’s spitting bars in her head to the sound of Ghetto. Take the hip-hop girls and you’ll ﬁnd it hard to tell a difference between them and the Girls Aloud loving popsters. As for the boys, you’ll be pushed to differentiate thug love from a hoodie clad electro man. So what’s one to do? There’s still a clue to be found in the hair. We all know we’re judged on initial appearances, so level of hair care provides a nice starting point. What you’ve got to do is learn to see the smaller details. Take my own barnet. For most of my years I’ve been blessed with long blonde hair, except for this one time, at band camp... I lie, it was at the hairdressers. I was 9. The bitch made me look like Sinead O’Connor. As I spiked up the one inch of tuft I had left up top I thought I was cool until a man said ‘excuse me son’. I have been traumatised since. Barring that, it only got exciting a year ago when I went brunette for the ﬁrst time and got my long locks cut off. I intend to suggest professionalism. I don’t want some people not to notice me. But, due to my well-thought out decision to keep the front layers much longer, it’s obvious Rihanna’s my girl, not Posh Spice. The only way I could get more Shoreditch is to shave half of it off. As for our very own Namalee, are you trying to tell me there’s a strong chance she’s a James Blunt fan? Forget her clothes. The attitude in the hair says it all. One look at Cheryl Cole and you think ‘R&B loving money bags who I’d lez it with if I was a lezza’ Maybe that’s just me... So it’s not foolproof judging by the barnet, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“

SUPERQUi Z

RETURNS

thesupersuper.com

WIN!!!

WIN SOME VINYL! You can now battle DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with Street Fighterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very own limited edition battle vinyl (only 500 copies pressed!!) including the fully-mastered Street Fighter II vocal, FX and music samples. Fancy winning one? Answer this question: Which one of these terms is an original Street Fighter move? a) Hurricane Kick b) Windy Punch c) A Rainy Slap d) Glasgow Kiss Email emma@thesupersuper.com with your answer!

READY...

FIGHT!!!

Street Fighter quite literally smacks it in the gaming world: its original 2D 8-bit charm has stood the test of time to be one of our most loved cult classics. It’s got its own lingo too- don’t make Ryu pull a meaty move on yo ass!! Respect the parry move… Hadoken! Street Fighter II was the first arcade game to have one-on-one fighting with a variety of characters, each of whom have their own style and around 30 moves. Street Fighter IV launches on the 20th Feb 09 – conceived as a direct sequel to the early Street Fighter II games (particularly Super Street Fighter II Turbo)- a must have for Xbox 360 and PS3 fans dem. Not only does it feature the return of the original twelve world warriors as well as recurring hidden character Akuma- it introduces us to four new characters. The storyline is set between SFII and SFIII and stays true to its classic 2D style, whilst having 3D graphics inspired by Japanese sumi-e paintings. If you can’t wait til the 20th – check out Hexstatic’s exclusive Street Fighter 8-bit kung-fu mash up at http://uk.youtube.com/ watch?v=fiilep_bgBQ .. dope!!

THE

FUTURE Having already been nominated for a Grammy, regularly called ‘the female Andre 3000’ (a fellow Atlanta, Georgia resident) and signed to P Diddy’s Bad Boy label, Janelle Monae is on the verge of greatness. Her sound is super-sophisticated, beautifully orchestrated retro-futuristic soul. Currently in the studio putting the ﬁnishing touches to her debut LP, Metropolis The Suite (Parts 2+3), she took a moment out to speak with Loukia Constantinou about Superheroes, the importance of imagination and, er, time travel...

SUPERSUPER: Hi Janelle how are you doing? JANELLE MONAE: I’m fantastic thank you! I am actually painting, looking outside my window. SS: Wow! So you’re into art and stuff then? JM: Absolutely! SS: We heart art too! Let’s talk about your album ﬁrst though. There are 4 parts to it aren’t there? JM: Suites 2+3 will be combined together as one album. I can’t say when it will be released. SS: But there’s a very fascinating concept behind it... JM: Sure. It’s a story that was sent to me to help me save our next generation and our future. My job is to deliver the story as it was told to me. Hopefully we’ll be inspired and learn life’s lessons from it and hear fantastic tunes. I don’t want to diminish how beautiful the story is by trying to sum it up. If you come to Wondaland I’d be

happy to show you some things so you can understand in more detail. SS: Wondaland is your record label, is that right? JM: The Wondaland Arts Society is a collective of artists who strongly believe in our imaginations. We want to alter history with our art. We strongly believe in art – we fight and stand up for it. SS: So it’s not only about music, it’s about the merging of many different art forms? JM: Absolutely. Not every art form, just ones we feel are motivational and that are needed. We also have a school where we design capes for superheroes who come to Wondaland for the winter. SS: SUPERHEROES?! So who’s your favourite? JM: I can’t say because they would get really jealous! SS: Well what qualities must one possess to be classed as a superhero? JM: First you have to be very fearless. Second you have to be able to eat fire. Third you have to be able to walk in a room and hypnotize by your presence. You have to be able to redefine stereotypes and make people see magic, see wonder and see your imagination. You must also be able to always hold in your prestige. You must be able to keep that secret and never tell anyone what that is. What I’ve told you really isn’t the truth either because I have to protect the prestige! SS: I can see how imagination is imperative! What is it that inspires your imagination? JM: I’m most inspired by knowing

...i’m an alien from outer space!

that I can travel to Mexico and see a dear friend of mine by the name of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a wonderful painter and he paints pretty much what he sees for my future. Every time I go there I get really excited because I want to know what my next mission is and Ezekiel always gives it to me. That’s very inspiring, to know that someone is taking care of me. I’m a time traveller. It’s a lot to take in, I know! SS: What d’you mean a time traveller? JM: I travel to different lands and I’m not always in the same time and I can’t get comfortable. The present is ok. The technology has advanced of course but it’s not as good as 2719, and the food isn’t as natural as it was in 1702. That’s pretty much all I can say right now. Some information is too much for people to take in! SS: We can certainly see what you mean about imagination! JM: I don’t categorize my art, of course. I was put here for a reason, I have a mission to accomplish and all of what you see is building up to one great thing. What that is I don’t know. SS: I don’t think your music can be categorized either... JM: People have very smart ears and I really wanna live up to how smart I think everyone is. They want clever music. I think that’s very important. By default I constantly feed myself with as much knowledge as possible. I think my mission is very thought out and all I have to do is continue to lead. This is my purpose as an artist, to continue to do exactly what it is I’m doing. SS: You’re also on P. Diddy’s label Bad Boy Records. Is it true he contacted you over Myspazz? JM: No actually he didn’t contact

“

i often travel into

me on MySpace. Big Boi (one half of Outkast) was the one who introduced us. Big Boi told me that Sean had tried lots of times to get in contact because he’d been really inspired by what he’d seen online.

SS: How does it feel to have so many of hip-hop’s biggest players backing you and your work? JM: I’m very appreciative of the knowledge that I get from Outkast and that I’ve gotten from Sean Combs. Also the many people that are supportive of this movement, of The Wondaland Arts Society. SS: Is new music important to you? JM: Absolutely. You have to make a very strong movement to make a deep impact on the listener. They have to be able to believe in something and sometimes it takes more than just yourself to make somebody believe. We’re looking to expand Wondaland as a company and we’re going to be adding on more artists to go out into the world and spit ﬁre as well. I’m just excited about some of the more underground artists.

SS: Your unique way of working also matches your individual look. How important is image to you? JM: I wear uniform. If you were to go into my closet there are uniforms there for each day. Black and white. I like staying very simple and classic and dedicating my time more towards art than anything else. I do see art in fashion. Walking art is something I consider myself to be. SS: You’re right, there’s ALOT to take in! When are you coming to Britain to share the story? JM: This year I’m sure that I’ll be over to visit you guys. I’ve not been there yet so it’ll be big. I’m so excited!

Janelle Monae

Opposite page: Video still from Janelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Many Moons short video

thesupersuper.com

www.jmonae.com

“MARMITE i’d rather be

Portrait by David Richardson

Josh Weller

SUPERSUPER: Hello Josh! We love your song ‘Circus’, and ‘Pretty Girls’ is up there too. We also love the fact you don’t beat around the bush lyrically. Are the days of the meandering metaphor over? JOSH WELLER: Well I think I’m about storytelling and I hate when you listen to some really great songs and you don’t know what they are talking about. I guess you could say that’s what makes them great, but sometimes there are so many horrible metaphors in music that it’s kind of shit. Why not just explain it to people?

than margarine!

“

Portrait by David Richardson

SS: So do you think that in the current climate it feels like people might be ready for some songs with a little more directness lyrically? JW: I just think that there are things that need to be told, and that’s important. I think it’s pretentious and I would hate to write a song and think ‘Ohh I want everyone to ‘get’ this’. Like if you listen to Coldplay’s lyrics – it’s a bit like when you read your horoscope and you think ‘oh yeah that is happening to me at the moment!’ It’s says something like “you will have romance problems” and you think “yeah! I could totally relate to that.” If you listen to Randy Newman, one of my favourite songwriters, his songs are straightforward. He wrote that song ‘You can leave your hat on’ which is about a guy who takes a prostitute back to his house and he just wants to dance, he doesn’t want to have sex with her... If there is something worth writing about then I think you should just write about it. Don’t cover it up and wonder if everyone’s going to get it. If you listen to ‘God only knows’ by the Beach Boys, which is like the perfect pop song in many respects, it’s so good because the words are so simple – it’s just about missing someone – straight to the point. SS: Do you think music has lost touch with this essence of directness in favour of stylistic indulgence? JW: Maybe. I think I make the kind of music that either people really like or they don’t, because of that directness. When I played at the Cannes ﬁlm festival I got invited to sit with Tim Robins, Edward Norton and Goldie Hawn afterwards(!) and Tim said “Can I give you some advice from director to director?” I was like “Er I’m not a director “ Then he said “Look you need to sing more metaphors maaaan. I mean if I had an affair people don’t wanna hear that shit.” I disagree. It’s better to be marmite that margarine! SS: So tell us about your background – it’s rather multicultural isn’t it? JW: My mum’s Mauritian and my dad is from London. I was born in London and moved to South East Asia when I was 5. And then I moved back here when I was

9 or 10. That’s why I started listening to music because I didn’t speak the language. I was in a Muslim country and I just remember hearing the prayer calls every day. My dad played in a folk band and stuff but I wasn’t really that into it then – I thought it was awful! My mum is really into glam rock like T Rex. My dad has quite a broad taste – Elton John and Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley, etc. And my sister was into Kylie Minogue and New Kids on the Block. I actually wrote a letter to Jim’ll Fix It when I was about 6 asking if I could meet the New Kids. SS: So I take it your dream didn’t come true? JW: No! I think at that point that maybe the show had ﬁnished. But I didn’t know cos I lived in Brunei and we were 5 years behind! I remember I drew a picture of him as well, but I never heard anything back. Jordan was my favourite one – he had a really high voice. SS: NKOTB had a big comeback recently didn’t they? JW: Yes I saw the footage on You Tube. It was kind of weird seeing these late 30s guys doing synchronised dance moves. And all their fans now are mums – it’s weird, a bit depressing. SS: Take That have made that transition really well. They embraced the fact that they are now a manband and no longer a boyband!! What do you think of them? JW: They’ve done it amazingly! It’s so funny how Barlow’s had the last laugh. Unless Robbie Williams has this big comeback. Cos when it started the whole band was assembled around Gary Barlow’s talent – he was 15 and he sent this demo off to a manager who called up and went “these songs are great, who wrote them?” And he was like... “me!”... so they made a band just for him! SS: You seem to be knowledgeable about mainstream pop – how do you deﬁne your taste in music? JW: I just think if it’s a good song, it’s a good song. Because behind every popstar with good songs there is a great team of songwriters and the only thing that changes is how it is delivered and marketed. Katy Perry recently had a great song that was marketed via her cleavage. I’m a big fan of old musicals – show tunes. Fred Astaire and Cole Porter, old jazz guys. It’s fun and the music is incredibly catchy but it isn’t moronic. And there is a really warm quality to the way all those songs were recorded. I think there’s a difference between comedy songwriting which can be quite awful, and bridging the gap between what’s funny and what’s tragic. SS: Sometimes credible musicians sign with majors and end up forgetting

everything that made them brilliant in the first place. You’re currently unsigned – what’s your stance on that side of things? JW: I don’t have a record deal but I quite like that. All the stuff that I’ve released has been on an indie label. I’ve played enough and toured enough to secure a nice fan base – it’s not huge but it’s loyal, and when I release my album my fans would probably buy it even if I had no press because they follow what I do. It’s nice to do it the DIY way. If I’d done a demo and sent it off to a label and been signed then I guess I would have had my rent paid for a couple of years but then again it could have all been taken away from me just as quickly. I have a lot more control working my way up slowly. Not just in regards to songwriting but also in terms of the people who are involved with your career – finding the right manager etc. This way you can assemble a team of people that you trust. A career is 30-40 years as far as I’m concerned! SS: You are an impeccably dressed gentlemen who looks like he knows about good clothes? Are you a fashion man? JW: I didn’t really know what fashion was til I was like 15. At 12 I went to the school disco in a shell suit. I thought I was fucking cool but because I’d grown up in south east Asia I was really unaware of trends – like I’d be watching Ghostbusters and I didn’t know it was 20 years old! It was the same with clothes – I was confused. You only live once and I think you might as well look exactly how you want to look. If my music had clothes, these would be them. Whenever you watch an old Fred Astaire film there’s just something so fly about the way he looks and it’s so effortless – just an undone bowtie, some well cut trousers and some shiny shoes. I’m just kind of copying him really. SS: Obama is dapper and and effective communicator – what’s your take on the new President? JW: Politics is still entertainment because politicians become celebrities. George Bush is famous. Tony Blair is famous and everything you do whether you are a musician or a politician or an actor or you are in the Big Brother house – everything you do as a public person is like a PR exercise. And I can’t figure out whether Obama has just discovered the best PR angle ever. When his daughter was photographing him just on her own, I was thinking ‘has she been told to do that?’ I don’t want to feel like I’ve been completely fooled by it, but equally it could well be that that it’s just this immense fear of hope. And that’s maybe what’s cool – there’s that fear. What I find really amazing is that I’ve never known England to care so much about American politics. It’s good to see so many people so politically enthused.

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myspace.com/joshweller

In many ways Josh Weller is SUPERSUPER’s ideal pop star – catchy sing-along tunes with lyrics penned by his own hand that are thoughtprovoking and hilariously witty while his dress sense is unbelievably dapper. He possesses a ye olde world dreamboat innocence whilst simultaneously delivering wisdom worthy of an elderly war veteran. And then there’s THAT iconic haircut! He’s almost too good to be true! With no stylist and no support from a big label, the half Mauritian folky crooner talks with Namalee Bolle about Obama, the ‘lost’ art of song-writing and the importance of keeping artistic control in the music industry.

“GROWING UP SUPERSUPER first met Kaya when we did a photoshoot with her for the cover of Issue 11. It was at a studio in a leafy corner of North London, and she popped along on foot from her family home just around the corner. Being only 15 at the time, her mum (a Brazilian ex-model) was accompanying her, as she did on any of the public/media appearances that Kaya was actually old enough to be allowed to attend. Polite, well mannered and quietly confident, she was quite unlike the riotous stereotype of the ‘Skins generation’ playing out in the nation’s consciousness at the time. Fast forward to early 2009, however, and it is a different Kaya who strolls into the swanky No 5 Cavendish Square private members club in London’s West End. This time she is accompanied not by her mum, but by her personal agent, and rather than strolling from her home around the corner, has come direct from the studios of Radio 1, the latest stop in a seemingly endless media merry go round. She’s all smiles, however, and greets us with a hug and air kisses. SUPERSUPER: Hello again Kaya, how are you?! KAYA: I’m good, thanks – it’s been, aww, a little while now since we last met. SS: Yes, the last time was when you were modelling for us in the SuperSuper fashion show at London Fashion Week. K: Yes, that was fun, I really enjoyed it. Thanks for asking me to do it! SS: No problem! So, quite a lot’s been happening with you since then. Firstly, how did it feel turning 16, and how’s that affected your lifestyle? K: It’s not been that big a deal really. It does mean I can go out to a few more events now, and my mum doesn’t have to come with me to everything any more. I finished school as well since I last saw you, which means I don’t have to do my studies on top of everything to do with the show, which is nice. I can’t go out to everything though, cos of course I’m still not old enough to drink, but I don’t mind, I like going to gigs mainly anyway. SS: What kind of stuff are you into now? K: Lots of different things, really. I just went to see Foals the other night, I like them. I met Yannis when they played a Skins party awhile back, so that was cool.

SS: They played an All Ages gig we put on wayyy back – they’re very polite, nice boys! So, what’s your daily life like at the moment, apart from hanging out with indie popstars?! K: It’s pretty much been all about Skins, really. We were shooting the new series the end of last year, and now I’m doing promotion and stuff for it. SS: How are you finding the whole media/public side of it? Are you keen to be a sleb, splashed all over the pages of Heat falling out of clubs?! K: No, not at all! I realise that the public side of it comes with the territory, but I’m not into it just for the sake of it – I’m much more interested in the work itself. There’s soo much I want to do now! SS: Like what? K: I’m really keen to do some theatre soon, for example. SS: What about films? I heard you’re in a sci fi one called Moon that’s coming out fairly soon... K: Yes, I did that last year. It’s only a smallish part though. It’s out later this year. SS: What about Dev? The whole Slumdog thing has gone bonkers. K: It’s amazing, isn’t it. Me and everyone who’s on Skins are soo happy for him. It’s great like that – we’re all really supportive of each other and get along really well. SS: How was it when they did the cull? Were you shocked, suprised or relieved? K: We didn’t know til quite late, really. I think it was probably quite a good idea, it definitely keeps the show fresh. It’s been great for me, obviously, as the new series centres around my new group of friends. SS: You’re pretty synonymous with it now, are you worried about being too strongly linked with it, or will you carry on doing it – presuming you don’t get culled sometime soon as well?! K: I love doing it, it’s been a big part of my life so far and I’d be happy to carry on doing it for a while yet. SS: Have you seen those Youtubes of you, where people comp together all your bits from it and set it to music? Do you find them just a little bit creepy? They’re just a little bit stalkerish, no? K: I don’t mind at all. I think it’s just fans of

now, particularly as Obama got elected

the show, really – it does get a lot of fans. SS: Do you get a lot of people coming up to you in the street then? K: It’s getting more as it goes along. Everyone’s been really nice, actually. The funniest is when we go out in Bristol [where Skins is set] as a group. Then we get quite a lot of attention. The boys especially love it, particularly if there are groups of girls screaming at them! SS: So, any romance for you with any of the cast yet?! K: No, we’re all just good mates, really. When you spend so much time with everyone, you quickly see what they’re really like! SS: Any non-Skins romance then?! K: Not at the moment, I don’t have time! I’m going out and doing quite a lot of auditions, just focusing on work, really. SS: What sort of preparation do you do? K: There’s nothing wierd or special, just learning my lines! SS: Obviously everything’s going well for you right now, so it probably hasn’t affected you directly, but what do you make of the state of the world right now? K: It does seem pretty bad, but like you say, things are going well for me so hopefully it won’t affect me too much. I’m really happy about Obama though. I think it’s great, and I’m sure that when I’m older and look back on it I’ll be really proud to say that I was 16 when he got elected. I think there’s a lot of hope because of that, and hopefully things will get better soon...

e4.com/skins

Best known as Effy from Skins, Kaya Scodelario has gone from playing the little sister who rarely uttered a word in Series 1, to the central character whom the show revolves around in the latest, third series. Mirroring her onscreen development, Kaya has now turned 16, been snapped up by a modelling agency, appeared in her first film role and stepped fully into the glare of the media spotlight. SuperSteve caught up with her to find out how she was coping with all the fabulousness!

“

it’s good to be

thesupersuper.com

Portrait by David Richardson

Kaya Scodelario

“ STRONG i love

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Having developed his unique hair design skills on the danceﬂoor of clubs like Rio in Berlin and Smash n Grab in London, 23 year-old Bergerac born Charlie Le Mindu has carved himself a special position inventing haircuts in daring clubland whilst gathering up an impressive client list ranging from punk queen of the underground music scene Peaches, to Texan opera singer Diamonda Gallas, 60s supermodel veteran Veruschka, not to mention everybody’s fave drag queen Jodie Harsh. At the time of going to press he’s excited about giving model du jour Daisy Lowe one of his infamous coneheads for Dazed & Confused Japan. And the hair show that he is about to showcase at London Fashion Week, not to mention the salon he has just opened...

SS: So true, but hair extensions are very popular these days, maybe because they are a bit like having plastic surgery on your hair. So what’s the Charlie Le Mindu verdict on them? C: Errrrr. No I’m not really into it. They very rarely look good quality. Even the really expensive ones look sooo cheap. Wigs are much more about fantasy and dreaming to me. At least plastic surgery is supposed to be permanent whereas extensions are something trying to look real that is very temporary and quick ﬁx. It seems like so much effort and that isn’t very sexy. The worst thing is that they are so expensive, sometimes £1000 a time. And for what? Even Victoria Beckham’s looked shit and she’s got money. But on the other hand you have Celine Dion whose extensions are highly commendable.

SUPERSUPER: Hello Charlie! Loving your work! The main difference between you and some of the more old school hairdressers is that you seem to be more about encouraging unashamed hair fantasy. Explain to us how you think this is going to catch on in the ‘real world’, so to speak! CHARLIE: People are starting to wear wigs again now which is really good, because for a long time it’s been about hair extensions. The beauty of wigs is that I really don’t like girls with hair colour – I much prefer when they are natural and when it’s in really good condition, really shiny. What I love about wigs is you can change everyday and have crazy colours or funny styles and then keep your real hair too. I don’t like fucking up people’s natural hair with colouring and bleaching. There is no point when you can wear a wig.

SS: Haha! Big up Celine Dion! You’ve just opened your ﬁrst hair salon. But it’s like a bit of a hipster secret, and it’s not open all the time. How does that work and how do your clients hear about you? How do you advertise yourself? C: My salon is open all day every day, even on Christmas day! I am available all the time! If you call me on a holiday I will come and open up my salon for you! I cut people’s hair all the time any place anywhere anyhow so why should my salon be different? Clients hear about me through word of mouth. Because I do hair in clubs, sometimes people see something they like on someone and then they want the same. When I came to London I started doing similar stuff at Smash n Grab and although some of the clubbers there thought I was a bit weird, I’m sure it got people talking about me. Doing hair in clubs is cool

women with big hair!

because when people get drunk I can do whatever I want. They lose their inhibitions! [laughs] SS: Cutting drunk people’s hair sounds like a dangerous mission! Have you ever have any bad experiences ? C: Yes of course! This one time in Berlin there was this girl who was reeeeaaallly drunk and usually I won’t cut people’s hair who are blatantly out of it, but she kept asking so I was like ‘ok’, but I really didn’t realise quite how drunk she was, and she asked me to do a fringe. Then she started falling asleep and sliding off the chair, flopping her head forward. It was terrible and I ended up cutting her eyelid!! It wasn’t my fault at all. She was bleeding all over the floor so I called security!! SS; OMG! Was she pissed off when she sobered up? C: No not at all. She really liked what I did with her hair even though it wasn’t my best work. How could it be in those circumstances?! SS: Doing people’s hair in clubland is only the tip on the iceberg for you, isn’t it? Tell us about your background and how you got into hairdressing? C: I was born in Bergerac which was awful and grew up in Bordeaux which was much nicer. I started hairdressing when I was 13 so I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. I worked in a few salons in France and one of them was really hardcore punk and I had a lot of freedom. My mother has been a big influence – she always bought me Barbies and I would cut their hair in strange ways, like you do as a child. I was allowed to wear whatever I wanted. I remember when I was about

“

Meet hairworld’s new ‘it boy’, whose pulling power has secured Cher for the front row of his first – and the first ever by anyone – hair catwalk show at London Fashion Week later this month. If the late 20th century gave us power brands Nicky Clarke and Kate Moss’s bessie mate James Brown, the future surely lies in Charlie Le Mindu and his visionary wig designs – ‘Coneheads,’ ‘Plonk-ons’ and ‘Wonky wigs’ galore. SUPERSUPER’s Namalee went wig shopping in his new London salon to find out more...

12 or 13 my mum really wanted me to be gay so she dressed me in cow print trousers and crossed her fingers! She was a stripper in the bar and clubs and really into extravagant stars like Cher. She wore amazing clothes like Cher – shiny see-thru fishnet bodysuits, tight leather trousers and stilettos, with cheap red highlights in her hair! SS: So did you listen to music a lot at home? C: Just Cher! ‘If I could turn back time’ on repeat!! I am getting a tattoo of her face on my leg! SS: Wow! We love Cher too! Is she a kind of muse to you? C: Yes I love her! Her look is incredible – she knows how to wear a wig. But she is also very talented not only as a singer but also as an actress. Her style is trashy and she knows it, that’s just her. I love diva women – strong women with big hair!! She is going to be on the front row of my show this fashion week. Sssh it’s a secret!! SS: So apart from the astonishing wonder of Cher’s presence what else can we expect from your London fashion week show? C: You know these people who do a theme for a collection? I find it so boring. Everyone kept saying to me the pieces all need to be linked and there needs to be a ‘theme.’ I don’t think so. I don’t really care about putting celebrities in my catwalk show either. That will take the attention away from my work and I want my work to speak for itself. There will be plenty of baroque and medieval references and clothing made from hair as well, as well as the wigs. And expect collaborations with the brilliant designer Gemma Slack.

Portrait by KYM

Charlie Le Mindu

SUPERSTYLiN SUPERSTYL ’

“WAHEY! It’s a Sprouse Mouse!”

Going Up! SMART BOYS

Think suits, shoes, highwaisted trousers, braces, undercut hair, etc etc – basically how your grandad dressed circa 1937

SPROUSEMANIA

Legendary NY designer given a posthumous lease of life once again courtesy of Marc Jacobs for Vuitton. Big prints, even bigger demand!

LFW

Okay so it’s lost a day and sponsorship may be a tad thinner on the ground, but aren’t such difﬁcult times traditionally when London’s next wave of creativity starts rising back up?

KLING BY KLING

Our fave Swedish designer makes a welcome return to London Fashion Week

FEATHERS

Call it a return to tribalism, psychedelia, or just an excuse to get close to a bit of nature. See also Empire of the Sun & suchlike

PADDED TROUSERS

Admittedly a bit of a niche/ longshot this one, but have been spotted on a handful of the most bleeding-edge fashionistas. Practical if it snows, too

KNITTING

See craft revival and other popular hard times hobbies

STEPHEN JONES

Look out for cult LDN label EiO (Excess is OK) who are ﬁrmly on the up’n’up – and this month sees them throw one of their one-off London parties. Check www.eioclothing.com for more info

The best & nicest milliner ever continues his time in the sun with a big hatfest at London’s V&A museum this spring – a must see! 41

thesupersuper.com

NEW! LACOSTE RED !

Inspired by the Mods of London and the Warhol gang of New York, Lacoste Red! is the freshfaced lil’ sister of its historic big bro. This new diffusion line is aimed at a fashion-conscious market, boasting quirky pieces and innovative design. Mary Quant style dresses for the ladies and sharp blazers for the gent’s feature alongside chequered windcheaters and sleeveless rollnecks: an array of styles will rock these instant classics. Even the original polo has been altered, by making the collar smaller, extending the tail and narrower placket with original two buttons, updating and tweaking to ﬁt with today’s yout’.

www.lacostered.com

! 42

Words Dominik E Riddler

SUPER STYLE

We’re charmed by

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“ 44

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NEW ART FASHION DUO TALENT ALERT !

discotheque culture, lasers, prisms, the great city, dreams, Nike, Dunkin Donuts, Hong Kong, the Olympics, Macs, bleached eyebrows, glaciers, ice, the bottom of the sea .

www.isacymanu.com

“

SUPERSUPER: When did you two first meet? ISAACYMANU: 2003, in Madrid. Those were very funny days – we had mutual friends, studying fashion and the arts. We haven’t separated since! SS: Who were your favourite designers? IYM: Firstly: Raf Simons, Bernard Willhelm, Margiela (Antwerp school); and for the second: Prada, Jil Sander, Lanvin, Marni. We love the crazy style, colours and forms of the first, mixed with the sobriety and well-done style of the second. SS: Your current collection, Pour d’autres, is fantastic! What made you guys want to create these abstract designs? IYM: We create from abstract concepts that materialize in garments, and music is very important in our work. And the internet, architecture, mathematics, physics, the universe... ISAACYMANU is a parallel world to the reality saturated by the same thoughts and elements repeating again and again until these stop making sense. It represents the attitude of a person who is different but who doesn’t feel it; who lives according to his own reality. SS: You create these oversized t-shirts and slim fit jumpers, would you be happy to describe you clothing as unisex? IYM: Yes!! We made clothes that can be worn by both men and women. It depends on each person of course, we don’t put barriers – you choose! SS: What inspires you? IYM: We’re charmed with discotheque culture, lasers, prisms, the great city, dreams, Nike, Dunkin Donuts, Hong Kong, the Olympics, Macs, bleached eyebrows, glaciers, ice, the bottom of the sea. We’re interested in the human being in its entirety: its bones, its muscles, or even its hairdo, it’s ideologies, social movements and groups... Look at a human being – it’s amazing to think it’s all connected and inseparable. We choose it all, nobody tells us what to do! We open our minds and let out our thoughts and feelings, it’s fantastic!! SS: You moved from Madrid to Paris in 2007, was it a natural progression for you, as designers, to end up in the ‘fashion capital’? IYM: To tell you the truth it wasn’t anything so well-considered. It was an impulse, we needed to get out of Madrid, and we chose Paris. Now we’re glad to have done it, the life has changed us. As soon as we can, we want to move to London, we loved it there, it’s a wonderful city. SS: What else can we expect in the future? IYM: Everything is possible! Our Winter 2009 collection is called “Sous le Prisme” (Under the Prism). For it we thought about the effects of light when it passes through a crystal prism, the water of the ocean or the ice of a glacier. Our aim in future is to create our own universe, our own language. For this summer we are preparing a non-commercial collection; we have realized a photographic investigation on fragility; very soon we will do the presentation on the web... :)

Interview Dominik E Riddler Artwork Chris Pollard

ISAAC Y MANU

SUPER STYLE

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD PURSE Look after your pennies in this tri-fold purse with signature Westwood harlequin print. Stash your cash in a bit of fash! From viviennewestwood. co.uk, £105

YES/NO/ MAYBE NEW ERA FEZ A deﬁnite YES to this ingenious design! Feel like an avant-garde Aladdin in this luxurious red velour New Era, with twizzly bit! From yesnomaybe. co.uk, £33.99

BANDIT NECKLACE One of the most iconic mask designs in history has been immortalised by accessory genius’ Lady Luck. As worn by catburglars, Highwaymen, Superheroes – and now you, just not on your face! From ladyluckrules.com, Small £5/Large £8

HACKETT UNDIES With a history of catering for the gentlemen, Hackett have spared no effort, supplying the softest cotton jersey for the ﬁnest lords of all the land! From hackett.com, £30

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SUMMER ‘ATS This hat demands attention with its ‘trippy’ monochrome print and size, pair with over-sized sunny’s for Jackie Kennedy effect! From roxy.com, £25

PERFECTLY FLAWED Perfect artistry from the wonderful Karl Slater, a man who’s future is very bright! Whether he’s covering trackie b’s in gold leaf or creating intricate illustrations to print upon an array of tees, everything is individually printed, making it that lil’ bit more spesh! From perfectlyﬂawed. co.uk £35

BAG MAD! This orange mirage is an unusually practical tote from our friends at Red or Dead. Your dossiers are kept safe and transported in radiant design! From redordead.com, £60

$$$$$$$$ Levi’s acknowledge our need of the green stuff with this dollar bill scarf. We may not have much of it, but it sure makes for nice decoration :) levi.com, £48

RUN IT UR WAY LOOK Smiley, smiley! Nature-inspired optimism from Walter Van Beirendonck! Info: waltervanbeirendonck. com

SIZE MATTERS Indeed, but especially in the jewel department. Mawi acknowledged this fact and produced this mammoth cocktail ring (that pretty much guarantees compliments at every social occasion!). From brownsfashion. com, £203

CANDY BLUE HL Jeans Co.’s basics are a must. Adding and C.P tweaking where they see ﬁt, COMPANY BAG but never over complicating. Escaping for the Grab this sky blue hoodie to weekend? Well pack complete your preppy look those possessions in this this spring. hold-all, ﬁt for jet-setters hl-jeans.com, £65 and style seekers alike! :) From cpcompany. co.uk, £550

HERITAGE Everybody is rocking quilted jackets right now, due to their warmth and ability to match any ones style! Pick up this classic Liddesdale Barbour jacket with crest detail. From barbour.com, £99.95 PURPLE BEAR Embrace your grizzly side with this Penfield tee! Approach with caution but wear with confidence! From penfieldusa.com, £25

TOPSHOP T Our favourite piece from the tribal inspired Topshop range for Spring. Get this extralong tee before it sells out, because like many amazing things, it will! From topshop. com, £22

SMELLS LIKE NYC! DKNYMEN is Donna’s ode to New York, embodying the city’s spirit in one hit. Expect notes of bergamot and mandarin to hit you in an instant, but once matured you will be freshened with the scent of juniper and patchouli. Stockist info: 0870 034 2566. 20 ml £24.49

na’s bodying it. Expect mandarin but once eshened per and info: 20

PUNKY PINS NECKLACE We predict many will be rocking this Minnie Mouse-esque necklace in pretty pink! From punkypins.co.uk, £25

CHARMING! Animals have become a real theme in many accessories recently! But forget lions and tigers, nothings cuter than this dear fawn! :) From augustinaboutiques. com, £175

LEG IT Nike threw a splash of colour on standard staples this spring, from neon green Air Max’s to these acid pink leggings! From nike.com, £15

ARM CANDY Literally the most ﬂy watch on the market right now, chunky design with Swarovski and rhinestone detailing, shimmering style from our friends at Ecko! Stockist Info: 01604679245, £155

Compiled by Dominik E Riddler Artwork by Chris Pollard

BBC GOLD BAG Few words can describe our lust for this bag! A few things we love- Its an old school satchel design, its embossed with diamonds and dollars and its entirely gold! Baggage has become a somewhat pleasant notion! From bbcicream.com, £745

SUPER STYLE

PETER JENSEN x FRED PERRY The second ‘Blank Canvas’ project from Jensen focused on the modernising and re-design of the famous Harrington jacket. The result is a more tailored and detailed jacket (including enlarged Laurel motif) that stays true to the original aesthetic of the jacket. Available in 3 coloursRed, black and blue gingham. Stockist Info: 020 7632 2800, £200

PIXEL BAG This cheeky tote bag, emblazoned with rainbow pixels, was created by leather goods pro’s Longchamp! 60 years young and still top of the game! From 28 New Bond St, London, W1, £180

ARORA RUNWAY Manish presented models in visions of vivid fantasy for SS09! Info: manisharora.ws

BANANAS! Fruit is good for your health and now your look! To illustrate this fact why not donn this fruity scarf, a la Amy Winehouse! Stockist Info: 0207 833 2141, £45

BASSO & BROOKE x CONVERSE (RED) Our favourite duo joined the ever-growing list of industry legends and created a converse for the 1HUND(RED) project. Classic Chuck shape adorned with lucid illustrations in pastel, perfect for this seasons colour combos! From converse. com, £59.99

EXO-FIT Silver sneaks for spring time shenanigans, these shoes are favoured by those who desire comfort and style, a combination often hard to ﬁnd! From reebok. com, £60

VAGABOND BLUE MID-TOPS Summertime vibes with canvas footwear! Sapphire blue 16 hole mid-tops with suede and leather accents, cheeky checkerboard print on the sole and all for just 50 smackers! From vagabond.com, £50

SUPER STYLE

camper.com totemfashion.com Sandals £158

BERNHARD WILLHELM >> CAMPER <<

TOPSHOP TRIBAL

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Stephen Sprouse last created prints for Louis Vuitton back in 2001. Sadly, Sprouse passed away in 2004. In 2006 Marc Jacobs created a collection using one of Sprouse’s leopard print motifs, which sold out instantly. This month sees the launch of the VUITTON TRIBUTE collection, with sunglasses, bags, shoes, underwear and leggings all adorned with Sprouse’s pink grafﬁti rose and iconic text. Btw this skateboard, one of a handful made to celebrate the launch in New York, sold for $8,250.00!!!

This season it seems we have landed in a safari, a techno-urban one at that, where African tribal prints are stretched and pixellated; denims look as if they’ve been blasted by desert sands for 20 odd years; and accessories are thick with embellishments and fringing! It’s the wild west with an African twist this season at Topshop – shapes and colour are all maximized through clever tailoring, tops are cut long with wide neck lines which sit perfectly with the cropped denim jackets and outlandish leggings! Get your tribal on and ﬁx up! Words by Dominik E Riddler Main photography by David Richardson Model Natty Valentino All clothes by Topshop

SPROUSE VUITTON

www.topshop.com

Bernard Willhelm brings his ‘Chaos is beauty’ approach to this new collection for Camper. Taking inspiration from nature, the shoes he created were a manifestation of his ethical style, always with an ethnic edge but forever future thinking. The sandals, our favourites, are handcrafted using recycled materials and old school techniques.

welovesprouse.com louisvuitton.com

SUPERLOVES! SUPER

COLLABORATING WITH CHIVAS, AKA DELICIOUS, SUPERKOOL DESIGNER TODD LYNN HAS DESIGNED THIS HIP (LITERALLY) FLASK TO CELEBRATE THE OPENING OF THE CHIVAS STUDIO IN LONDON

STYLE

TODD LYNN >> CHIVAS <<

6876 + LYNX BULLET Contemporary menswear label 6876 has taken drastic steps to save the modern man! Men are changing, carrying more, pockets are good but things fall out! 6876 created the perfect solution in which you can put all your belongings, in the shape of this leather case. Store your phone, cards, dollar and the new Lynx bullet sprays, which ﬁts into a sneaky inner-holder! Only 200 cases will be available, so get clicking! Case available at www.sixeightsevensix.com Priced £29.99 Bullets available at Boots, Priced 99p–£2.99

COUTURE CREPS

These stylish sneaks were created by none other than Christian Lacroix, Parisian couturier better known for his extravagant dresses than his ‘cool kicks’. Using one of his signature patterns, the ‘Torero Cape’, was the perfect way to give a chic twist to Gola’s classic footwear designs. Having free reign to embellish, emboss and embroider wherever he saw ﬁt made these shoes in turn a piece of couture, the detail is extensive and the over all effect is exclusive. Lacroix understood that today your shoes often represent who you are and are a clear self-expression, so giving us a selection of colours and shapes was important to him. Tipped to be collectors items as soon as they are on sale, there is no time to waste! Price: £140-£165 www.golaclassics.com www.christian-lacroix.fr

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Since assisting Roland Mouret fresh out of CSM, Todd Lynn proceeded to style the Rock n Roll elite, launch his own collection and repeatedly win Topshop’s New Generation Award (4 times to be exact). SS caught up with him to chat about his most recent project – designing a limited edition hipﬂask in collaboration with Scottish whisky brand Chivas Regal... THE HIP FLASK IS VERY MYTHICAL LOOKING. WAS IT THE GOTHIC ELEMENTS TO YOUR WORK THAT PROMPTED YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT? I like to think of my work as more Rock and Roll and if that gives it a gothic edge then so be it. I think that I was asked as a new design label in London and they needed a product that could be appreciated for men and women. That rock and roll androgyny that I love is evident with the design of the ﬂask, and there was always bound to be a dark side to it as well. Were you given free reign in the design process? Chivas wanted something that tied in the elements of chivalry; honour, virtue, brotherhood – these are close to me as well so I was comfortable and thrilled to incorporate them. Apart from this consideration, I pretty much had free reign over the design.

‘We make the little shit better’ is the phrase to which future-thinking Californian brand Nixon often IS ACCESSORY DESIGN SOMETHING YOU WANT TO work. The bits and bobs of your FOCUS ON IN THE FUTURE IN YOUR COLLECTIONS? day-to-day routine are constantly Most definitely! I love metal work and the use of being updated to sci-fi looking precious stones. Accessories are the parts of a pieces of art. Take these watches collection that complete it and are crucial in any for example. Just reading the fashion brand. I have several friends who make technical spec leaves one feeling amazing accessory collections and would love to equally amazed and bewildered collaborate in the future. – polyurethane wrist-band and TELL US MORE ABOUT THE AREAS OF RESEARCH? To start with I wanted to look at Scottish mythology, mineral crystal and triple gasket crown (twizzly bit at the side) as Chivas is a Scottish brand of a very traditional make these watches very Star Trek. Scottish product. I discovered the Usige (waterIntense pinks, royal blues, combihorse) and I thought that this was very fitting for colour zebra prints for the ladies the product. Anyone coming into contact with the and dusty blues, fern greens and Water Horse’s skin would become unable to free fire engine reds for the boys – these themselves. The creature would be able to feed on are just a choice few from a long the flesh, leaving only the liver behind to be washed list! Coming from the view that we up on the shore. YIKES! WILL YOU BE ARCHIVING YOUR RESEARCH FOR should never preconceive anything is the basis for the creation of all of FUTURE DESIGN INSPIRATION? I’ll definitely be holding onto the research. It’s a great these gizmos, it’s a better quality theme and fits in with my aesthetic. So if you see the because time has been spent from Water Horse turn up in a future collection, you know design to production. It’s a team effort, with a dope outcome. where it came from!

The hip ﬂask will be available from March, priced £350 exclusively at www.toddlynn.com

available at www.asos.com, £50 www.nixonnow.com

Todd Lynn Interview by Helena Hamilton All other words by Dominik E Riddler

NIXON TIMETELLER

GET MY LOOK

starring... This yellow shoulder pad jacket was purchased in my fav fashion haven outside of Zone 4 in LDN. Car boot sales are the best for eye piercingly bright clothing disaster/miracles. I bought this jacket for 10p. The stall holder’s daughter said - ‘See Mum - I told you SOMEONE would buy it!’.. This dress (£1.75) is another product of the delicious Vintage Pick N Mix. As a four-eyed accessory junkie I was glad when Specsavers told me I needed glasses! They’re from klasik. org- ultra classic Cazals. Luckily, my health care plan covered them so they were free!!

An ode to a band that helped me to hold my head high as a lone misfit in my Canadian High School, my Sonic Youth shirt was a gift from a fellow music geek. The technicolour denim jacket was the booty in a treasure hunt at my fav Berlin based charity shop, Humana. It cost 4 Euro! My green underwear slip comes from Shepherd’s Bush Market (£1.99) and my leggings are from Primark (thanks Mum!) My bike, Milo, was £74.00 and she wears stickers that were made by one of my best friends, Will as well as stickers from my friend’s label, WASTED BERLIN YOUTH. My helmet was £29.00 and I bought ALL the stickers it has at the Woolworths closing down sale for 49p! Oh and my Kath & Kim earrings are made via shrinky dink - YES the same ones you used to shrink crisp packets with!!! Being a native of Da Bush (Shepherd’s Bush that is!), I’m lucky enough to be able to stroll its markets on my lunch. I often close my eyes in its multi coloured recesses finding myself whisked away to hotter climates and the land of the Chiquita Banana lady - another of my style heroines and a primary inspiration behind this starry number I bought for £3.99 from the market, which matches SO well with my Emma Bell Food Cardigan (which is probably the ONLY label I carry in my closet this piece cost me £35.00). Rocking my re-issued yellow Reeboks with this outfit (which were a STEAL at £25.99!!!) just wraps up my homage to ms.chiquita perfectly :)

My tattoos are all themed on female cartoon superheroines! Noodle, the Powerpuff Girls and Rainbow Brite (my BIGGEST inspiration!). My wrist tattoo is of a pocket calculator saying ‘Jobot’. This is a homage to my fav band ever, KRAFTWERK and was drawn by Will!

Meet Jobot…well if you haven’t met her, then you’ve either seen her or heard her. She is the definition of urban camouflage gone array with MEGA LOLZ flare. Jobot is the product of an experiment in which riot girl bravado was mixed with rave freedom. The Rainbow Bright of the alternative. The Captain Planet of counter cultureless. If Jobot ruled the world it would be a much better place. Can you match that?

jobot! 53

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My prime source of fashion tippage comes via cult Australian comedy, Kath & Kim. Hoofed from one of the AMAZING Vintage Pic N Mix Sales at the Vintage Store at the top of Brick Lane in LDN (thanks Flick!) The colourful Lea Stein foxy badge on its lapel was a present from my best friend, Harry, and the extra colourful rainbow broach was made by one of my fav riot grrrl mcs, UltraViolet MC. I can barely walk in these shoes, made my Irregular Choice, they were a gift from a very special cartoon character! This whole outfit cost me less than a sandwich from Marks and Spencers - actually - my eyelashes from Charles Fox’s in Covent Garden were probably THE hardest on my pocket totalling £4.99!!!

SUPERSTYLiN SUPERSTYL ’

“WAHEY! It’s a Sprouse Mouse!”

Going Up! SMART BOYS

Think suits, shoes, highwaisted trousers, braces, undercut hair, etc etc – basically how your grandad dressed circa 1937

SPROUSEMANIA

Legendary NY designer given a posthumous lease of life once again courtesy of Marc Jacobs for Vuitton. Big prints, even bigger demand!

LFW

Okay so it’s lost a day and sponsorship may be a tad thinner on the ground, but aren’t such difﬁcult times traditionally when London’s next wave of creativity starts rising back up?

KLING BY KLING

Our fave Swedish designer makes a welcome return to London Fashion Week

FEATHERS

Call it a return to tribalism, psychedelia, or just an excuse to get close to a bit of nature. See also Empire of the Sun & suchlike

PADDED TROUSERS

Admittedly a bit of a niche/ longshot this one, but have been spotted on a handful of the most bleeding-edge fashionistas. Practical if it snows, too

KNITTING

See craft revival and other popular hard times hobbies

STEPHEN JONES

Look out for cult LDN label EiO (Excess is OK) who are ﬁrmly on the up’n’up – and this month sees them throw one of their one-off London parties. Check www.eioclothing.com for more info

The best & nicest milliner ever continues his time in the sun with a big hatfest at London’s V&A museum this spring – a must see! 41

SUPER STYLE

DIG YOUR HEELS IN!

IRREGULAR CHOICE HITS LONDON

Irregular Choice has ofﬁcially landed its multi-coloured discotech-mirror-ball shoe space in London’s Carnaby Street, to much celebration! With the launch of the shop including performances from our very own Namalee and Superstar DJ Jodie Harsh, this shop is bound to keep the party spirit alive. “At present a lot of stores across the UK are playing it safe, I would rather make a fun statement!”, explained Danny Sullivan, founder and designer of the brand currently taking footwear to the next platform! 39 Carnaby St, London, W1F 7DT www.irregularchoice.co.uk

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Tina, Elvis, Erika and Raymond are the names of Swarovki’s latest USB buddies. With a 2 GB (in human terms that’s 500 songs or 2000 photos) memory and LED lights as ears that light up when you start transfereing info, they are the perfect ofﬁce partners untrusted with your most important data! For those of you who just want another accesory, coz you can never have to many, they are encrusted with Swarovski crystals cut in the ‘pointiage’ style, which basically means they blind upon contact with light! Swarovski 2 in 1, small but mighty!

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK! December was a grey month for UK Bape lovers alike, with the famous London ﬂagship store closing it was becoming nigh on impossible to get hold of the clothing. But Nigo, legend that he is, decided to pop-up-shop in the fabulous Dover Street Market, home of boundary pushing brands. Under the banner NOWHERE, the shop-in-a-shop will stock the very best pieces from Bape’s spring collection and eventually NOWHERE products. NOWHERE x DSM is open for 6 months. 17-18 Dover Street Market, London, W1S 4LT

Words by Dominik E Riddler

SWAROVSKI USB

www.swarovski.com, £103

www.bape.com www.doverstreetmarket.com

SUPER STYLE

nike takes liberties

THIS SPRING sees the release of Nike’s collaboration with Liberty of London, after raiding their fabric collection for the second time! The iconic Blazer, a shoe that revolutionised basketball footwear and has since become a skaters best friend, has been given a very feminine twist. The two ﬂoral prints used are Nina (the blue print) and Pheobe (the orange), with the elongated swoosh correlating with the print itself. The mix of classic and contemporary is what makes this collaboration; Liberty’s prints are renowned for being intricate and some date back hundreds of years and Nike has 36 years of experience in the ﬁeld of footwear! Available at Dover Street Market, LDN, £85

Words by Dominik E Riddler

www.nike.com www.liberty.co.uk

SUPERSUPER model Wei sporting one of our exclusive bags

SUPERSUPER at

Clothes Show Live

Well! What a hoot Clothes Show Live 2008 was. Celebrating its 20th birthday – this surely was the fashion event of the year! Where else could you get 500 independent and established brands, a catwalk and a host of celebs all under one roof! Being media partners in the Offbeat Boutique area meant that the SUPERSUPER zone was the best, brightest place to be (unless of course it was Dave Berry at one o’clock on the catwalk!) It was amazing to be part of… it felt a bit like we were starting a cult, with Super Stefan stickers being found in the oddest locations around the NEC. People would follow his little benevolent neon face in the hope of bagging a free one for themselves until finally they were confronted with our eyedazzling area with its veritable cornucopia of snazz, including magazines, giant posters and goodie bags. We were also giving style makeovers to anyone who dared, with some getting decked out in Babycakes Ts, others in Burtons skiwear (which oddly seemed to have been made for giants) and the rest being put in the maddest cartoon couture from Red Mutha and Philip Normal. Then of course came the accessorising with Minnie Mouse ears/light-up swords/New Era hats/bright Reebok hi-tops/ski goggles – you name it we probably had it. When Paul Griffiths – the baby face behind Babycakes – made his prearranged guest appearance at the SUPERSUPER area, OMG, the place went mental. Keep hold of your autographed copies guys as we’ve got a sneaky feeling they’ll be worth something one day! If all that wasn’t enough, the catwalk show in the Fashion Theatre was pretty unbelievable too – a neon extravaganza celebrating youth, colour and light that was not to be missed. If you can’t wait til next year then make sure you check out the inaugural Clothes Show London which runs from the 29-31st of May 09. Where else can you mix with world class fashion models, celebs and industry experts, eh? For tickets or more info visit: www.clothesshowlondon.com words by Rebecca Pearson

Slinky Sunbeam S Wondering what adventures that lovable scamp/man-about-town/ The More Assured bassist Mr Slinky Sunbeam has been up to lately?? Then READ ON to find out!!!

an-tent

Unfortunately Slinkyville is a one-m inside my mind.

Monday February 2nd 2009 Hello. Happy new year. Nice to see you. What did you get for Christmas? I got a £10 gift voucher for Peacocks, which apparently makes me a 40% stakeholder in the company. And then the weather closed in around us, didn’t it? Worst snow in 18 years. Due to adverse weather conditions most of us decided not to go to work/school, even though we probably could have if we had actually wanted to. I, however, was all alone and frightened; doing work experience in a lighthhouse when the blizzard hit. A ship’s captain radioed in to me. SHIPS CAPTAIN: “Admiral to lighthouse. Please could you spell out your weather report?” ME: “W-E-T-H-O-R R-E-P-O-R-T.” SHIPS CAPTAIN: “My God. That is the worst spell of weather I’ve heard in a long time.”

This scared me, so I switched off the light (to save energy), and rambled into town. That’s when I came across a rustic gentleman standing in a pig pen holding a length of rope. “What are you up to?” said I. “Tis an old farmers’ way of tellin’ thar Glossy love weather,” said he. She responded strangely “Oh, and how does it work?” I asked amiably. to my overtures of love. “Well,” said the farm dweller, “When the ropes gets wet it’s raining, and if it blows out of your Spot the member of Girls Aloud, and hand then it’s windy.” win the lot. I feel like his whole life is about as pointless as handing your CV into Zavvi, but probably more fun than the recent Woolworths Xmas party.

thesupersuper.com

No Vacancies

Uncle Frank and Slinky (Aged 10) Thanks for the help sir.

I’ve also become obsessed with trying to find out why the 26th of December is called Boxing Day. I’ve managed to narrow it down to three possible options which are as follows: 1) The day in which the masters would pack up unwanted presents and give them to their servants. 2) Frank Bruno’s birthday 3) The Victorian tradition of arranging a fight with the relative that annoyed you most the previous day. It’s hard to believe the answer is number 2.* *Special thanks to the former WBC world champion for helping me with my column.

Tuesday February 3rd 2009 I’ve just been to a Russian version of KFC. It’s called KGB, everything costs polonium - 2.10, and the mayonnaise tastes of cyanide. However, this was a far nicer experience than the restaurant I have just come home from. I took a girl on a date to the Ritz, and hired a fancy suit for the occasion. (Unfortunately whenever I wear expensive clothes it looks as if I’ve stolen them, so I may as well not have bothered.) I sauntered up to the waiter and asked him if he had anything cheap. He held a mirror up to my face. I asked him if he had anything else, and he handed me a photo of my mum. Despite these minor complications, the date actually went rather well. The lass seems nice enough, and she has no major drawbacks, like feathers or a beak. Normally my own personality is such a strong contraceptive that I don’t get as far as exchanging words with the opposite sex, but I am pleased to announce that Lorena is my new girlfriend! I am so happy. I just hope she doesn’t find out I’m a complete idiot. Wednesday February 4th 2009 Right. Today I went to a dinner party with the newly acquainted love of my little life. Thirty of her friends and family were going to be there, and I was keen to make a good impression. Unfortunately I got a bit nervous and carried away... Here is an extract from the night… Gf’s friend: ”God, its nippy in ‘ere ain’t it?” Slinky: “Yeah it is! When was it last this cold?” (everyone ignores me) Gf’s friend 2: “Its right chilly, yeh.” Slinky: “I think it will be warm tomorrow” (people talk over me) Gf’s friend 3: “Ooooh, my hands are like fridges” Slinky: “Haha. I’ve got a fridge!” (people raise their voice to drown out mine) Gf’s friend 4: “It is frosty” Slinky: “YEHHHH! ITS COLDER THAN THE F***KING COLD WAR!...(whole room goes instantly silent, and stares at me)....but then the cold war wasn’t actually cold (nervously backtracking, conscious that all eyes are on me)....it was just a metaphorical name given to the state of political hostility

l u f r e d n o W that existed between the Soviet Bloc countries and the US-led Western powers during the period of time between 1945 and 1990 (over the top awkward laughter).hahah...bi-polar superpower confrontation! Who’d have em? aye?...aye?...ay..(I sigh deeply and turn to my girlfriend) Will you call me a cab?” Gf: “Yes. but not a handsome one” (Slap). And now I am single. Thursday February 5h 2009 I’ve never felt so dejected. Last night I drowned all my sorrows with rich foods and cheap wine. I just did a Half-Elvis (thats when you fall asleep on the toilet...but don’t expire). I have been pondering ‘How young can you die of old age?’ I am going to go and make up some jokes with Alex Badger. That’ll cheer me right up. I’ll stick them in when they are done. HERE WE ARE - AL AND SLINKY’S THIGH SLAPPERS 1) So I went to the shop. I said, “Have you got any quick boxes?” he said, “No, but I’ve got a briefcase.” 2) So I went into a supermarket. I said, “Have you got anything I can eat with a spoon?” he said, “Mousse.” I said, “but what will I do with the antlers?” 3) So I saw a smartly dressed rudeboy. That’s a waste-coat. 4) So I was reading the bible, and I thought, “Jesus Christ.” 5) So I was working in a pub and an archer walked in. I said “Strong bow?” 6) So I got to the airline. He said “Passport?” I said, “What is this, a departure lounge or a wine shop?” 7) So I was in a band. I said to the lead singer, “Can i make a big call?” he said, “Sorry, but I’ve only got a micro-phone.” 8) So I dropped my drink and got scared. I said, “I’ve lost my bottle.” 9) So I stripped a soft toy... I said, “There’s a teddy bear.” 10) So I was in a restaurant. I ordered too many steaks and got a bit nervous. I said, “Sorry, I’ve got a lot on my plate.” 11) So I was looking at a rudeboy’s sadomasochistic piece of art and I said, “What is it?” and he said, “It’s a pain-ting.” I still felt a bit down when I got in, so I decided to give Barndog Barry a call. I’ve not seen him since I left school, but he has a talent for making people feel better, and I’m sure he won’t have changed much since the halcyon days of woodwork class.

d l r o W

RING RING “’Allo. Barndog Barry speaking.” “Heyyy Barrry it’s Slinky! How you doing man?! Still hanging out and playing Nintendo?” “To be honest mate, I’m bored. In fact, I’m so f**king bored, that I can barely be bothered to move my f**king head. Do you know what that feels like, mate? “No.” “Do you know what I do on days like this? … I put on my Wallace & Gromit tie and go and start on people in the street ... because when you’re wearing novelty neckwear no one expects you to cause any trouble.” “Thanks Barry.” “F**k off.” And so to bed. Friday February 6th 2009 I bought an edible chess set this morning. When i bit into it, it tasted awfull. So I took it over to the M&S complaints department and I said “Thats Stalemate” he said “Are you sure?” I said “Check mate”

think that Tommy (The Put your hands up if you Kimberley (The Pink and ger) Ran er Pow en Gre to be together. nt mea ays alw e wer Ranger)

Cantona, a cat called Oedipus, and we called the dog Tax, so that whenever we open the door... in come Tax. And on that bombshell I bid you so long, farewell Auf Weidersehn Goodbye. If brains were dynamite - I wouldn’t have enough to blow my nose at night. Lots of Love and fire trucks.

slinknybeam. Su xxx

He told me that he was sorry I felt the way I did and offered me some velcro in exchange. Velcro?! What a rip-off. If it wasn’t for my Christian upbringing then I would have had an unholy thought. Alas, I was raised as a Methodist, studied as a Catholic, and

Our dog 'Tax' at work with the lads. From the walls of 'The Dignity' pub in Finchely.

eventually turned to Atheism due to it being the only non-prophet organisation. I pottered back to my abode in disarray. My flat’s a bit old-fashioned. In fact it looks a lot like a scene from Beauty and the Beast. Last night I caught my 74 year old flat mate arguing with the teapot: “Why won’t you boil? I don’t understand why you would do this to me.” I live in Room 1. Alex Badger’s in Room 2 and Jeremy O’ Trafford the septuagenarian lives in room 3. We also have three animals. (one for each room). We have a hamster called

“2009 is 2000 & Grime!! by

“

With an ever changing scene and veterans of the genre finding chart topping success through more mainstream avenues, Butterz sits us down and explains once and for all why grime is not dead.

With his partner in grime Skilliam, Elijah holds it down as a TRUE grime kid. Closely tracking the developments of the grime scene through his much hyped blog butterz.co.uk he and Skilliam can also be heard reppin the grime community through their DJ sets, including Rinse fm takeovers.

Over the past 2 years Grime music has changed a lot, we have seen lots of producers and DJs leave the scene in search of success elsewhere in Funky or Dubstep, nights close down because of ignorant policing and a massive shift from a vinyl DJ orientated culture to a mixtape culture. For those that thought it was dead, here are a few reasons why 2009 is 2000 & Grime. Lately, there has been a radio resurgence for Grime. This is because this is the only opportunity to hear Grime in its raw form, as there are next to no events any more. But check out Spyro Saturdays 7-9 and Vectra 11pm-1am on Fridays both on the legendary Rinse FM. If you miss them you can grab them on the podcast by going to www.rinse.fm. Spyros compilation ‘Rinse 07’ is out now. If you want to check out some upcoming talent go to Urbanfmtv.com online radio. It is definitely worth listening in the evenings, especially if you have a bit of insomnia. The best shows are presented by DJs Spooky & Score 5, expect fresh beats and hungry young Mcs. Grimeforum.com is the premier online community for fans of the Grime scene. It is only a year old and is the biggest Grime website in the world. It is the first point of

call if you need to find out about releases, events or radio show downloads. All the producers and Djs from the scene are on there so it is a good place to get heard if your making the music yourself. Check out their podcast on iTunes If you want to reminisce about your favourite sets from the past, the only place to go is Grimetapes.com. It is the most extensive collection of Grime sets ever. But it is the compilations you need to look out for, they are like cut and paste moments from the best radio sets ever mashed up together into one mixtape. There have been editions from Wiley, Slew Dem, D Double E and Wheel is a compilation of wicked moments that would have been lost without people doing the thankless task of recording and sharing sets. Look out for new editions this year from Nasty Crew and Roll Deep. For those into the instrumental side theres good news for you, this year will see instrumentals out in all formats, vinyl, mp3 and CD. The premier label to check out for Grime is Logan Sama’s Earth 616 Label who have releases coming from Maniac, Wiley, J.Sweet, Davinche and more with vinyl first with digital releases later. The ultimate site for legal Grime MP3s is Dubplate.net, with exclusive stuff

from the top Grime producers as well as Dubstep and Funky favourites. The latest instrumental CD out is by Nocturnal the producer of Ghettos latest single ‘Don’t Phone Me’ and with that instrumental on there, it is an essential purchase! You can grab that now @ Ukrecorshop.com. If you still think Grime is Dead there will be some big Grime albums that you need to look out for from familiar names such as the Newham Generals – Generally Speaking album which is coming out on Dizzee Rascals label Dirtee Stank. Check out the video for ‘Bell Dem Slags’ on Youtube now. The Godfather of Grime Wiley is also readying ‘Race Against Time’ with one of the most popular songs around now ‘Wheres my brother’ making a lot of noise. Finally Skepta is preparing the long awaited ‘Microphone Champion’ with grimy hits such has ‘Dark’ ,‘Nokia Charger Wire and ‘Over The Top’ featured. There’s plenty more coming from top names such as Lethal B, Ghetto, Durrty Goodz and Terror Danjah, You can grab my 2000 & Grime Mix for free on Butterz.co.uk, which features some of the people I think, will be big this year such as DVA, Nocturnal, Royal T, Griminal, DOK and Joker.

Illustration by Stephen Williams

Elijah Butterz

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Visit Mr Wingate on Sundays at the Backyard Market, Brick Lane, E1 or visit www.wingateprint.com. Contact mail@wingateprint.com for more info. Photographs by Harry Sewell.

“Freedom of speech, we fought From the club to the streets, people want to be heard. Protesting is the new rave, so if your names not down, make your own way in…

“

for it so lets use it!!

Fiddy (not 50) is the authoritative grime journalist. A regular SUPERSUPER contributor, she’s also written for loads of impressive mags & papers, has her own blog (chantellefiddy. blogspot.com) and Is now Editor of Ctrl+Alt+Shift, the Christian Aid-backed youth project raising awareness of global development issues.

CHANTELLE FIDDY

thesupersuper.com

In Britain, politicians like David Cameron and Gordon Brown can but dream of having Jay-Z, Ludacris and co penning tracks in their favour. Obama just had to brush the dirt off his shoulder, bust a skank on Ellen’s show and show the nation that it ain’t a thing. Not only was such backing a big look for the now president, but no one can deny the influence such lyrical outbursts have on the unsuspecting consumer. Spurred by these messages of hope, fired from various angles and juxtaposed positions, young people the country over are seeing the coolness to be had in believing in something with real meaning, and making your voice heard. If you haven’t formed your own opinions, whinge about your level of brassness when much of the world is living on under $1 a day, or buying new garms is your biggest problem when there’s wars going on and babies getting slaughtered just for being born female, you’re totally not down. A few years ago, I too was turning a blind eye. But when you live a life of conformity, and the closest thing you get to crime is Police Interceptors or repeating old Dizzee Rascal lyrics, there’s a level of satisfaction to be gained from giving a shit and getting vocal about it. To legally be allowed to voice your

opinion, albeit over a club getting threatened with closure or the atrocities in Gaza, it’s something we all too often take for granted. Let us not forget that we, unlike many people across the ocean, have this thing called freedom of speech. We fought for it, so let’s use it. And it’s not like protesting doesn’t get you somewhere. In Thailand, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who were fighting against electoral fraud, won the support of the army, got the three ruling parties dissolved and the prime minister banned from politics for five years, then cleaned up the airport before returning home with a sweet victory under their belts. Back on home soil, teens the country-over have made their stance on knife crime perfectly clear. Ben Kinsella’s murder last year saw teens amass overnight, utilising Facebook and MySpace to ensure there was volume in numbers at a march the following day. The controversy caused by risk assessment form 696, which requests information about performers and audience members from licensees, and is due to be rolled out this year, has caused major concern among the clubbing fraternity. The four page document, approved by all 21 London councils, demands every performer’s name, address, date of birth and phone number. Failure to submit this

could result in six months in jail or a £20,000 fine. Unsurprisingly, concern mounted given that one question on form 696 suggested it was being used to racially profile audiences “Is there a particular ethnic group attending? If ‘yes’, please state group.” As Feargal Sharkey, CEO of UK Music, the musician’s rights body, told the Guardian: “I’ve got a nagging suspicion that ‘Irish’ was not the answer they were looking for.” But musicians aren’t just fighting for their living and freedom to wax lyrical at a club near you. Grime prince Tinchy Stryder showed his support, joining a protest outside the Russian embassy, hosted by Ctrl.Alt. Shift, a movement aimed at mobilising 18-25 year olds around global issues, to speak out against the treatment of people with HIV. “When they first spoke to me about it, I was interested straightaway. You know, that people aren’t allowed to get into some countries if they have HIV? I was thinking about it, and I thought it was wrong, so I got involved...” said the Ruff Squad MC. “It was a good thing to be a part of, and anything I can do to make my people aware of what’s going on in the world is positive.” So whatever you’re fighting for, put those fists in the air and wave them like you really do care.

��

HAIR TODAY A SuperSuper survey by Billy iDle

? w o r r o m where to

Marianne @ Select wears cardigan by Lacoste Red, polo by Lacoste, vintage glasses by Ray-Ban. Photography by Billa, Make-up by Melanie Szabo using MAC Pro

MANY ERAS IN THE 1900S HAVE BEEN DEFINED BY THEIR HAIRCUTS – the hairsprayed helmets and crew cuts of the 50s, the bobs and fringes of the 60s, the overﬂowing locks of the 70s, the teasing and blowdrying of the 80s, and the ‘Anistons’ and short spikes of the 1990s. The 60s was the time when hair really came into it’s own, being used as a social signal and a measuring stick. It was known that you could tell how long someone had been into the scene by how long they had been growing their hair for, the longer it was the cooler they were. This lead into a little too long in the 70s and the reactionary kick against hippies of the punk movement. Suddenly, hair took on a whole new meaning again. Wild colours, shaved, spiked and of course the legendary king of ridiculous hair styles... the mohawk. The outlandish hairstyles of the punks helped deﬁne them, in conjunction with their clothing (perhaps even more than their music), as wholly outside of the mainstream...

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Marianne’s hair is styled by Charlie Le Mindu

SO WHAT DOES OUR HAIR SAY ABOUT OUR GENERATION THEN?! These post-millennial years are defined by ostentatious, straightened and backcombed hair styles, with dramatic fringes, undercuts and gravity defying, ozone busting, hairspray happy, unisex looks prevalent all over the high street. As hair stylist Declan Sheils puts it: “90s simplicity was a reaction to 80s big hair and power dressing. This last few years the pendulum swung the other way and hair has become more interesting and experimental again. There’ve been a lot of 80s influences in fashion and hair (eg Agyness Deyn, Alice Dellal), and also from the 60s because of what’s happening in pop music with Winehouse, Duffy etc” In 2009 we seem to be hitting an apex in terms of extreme and experimental styles occurring within the confines of the mainstream. The importance of hair in defining our look and identity these days cannot be underestimated, and retailers have responded accordingly. “To say drastic hair is commonplace on the high street would be correct” says UK fashion stylist Alexis Knox. “It can be seen in the fact that, for example, Topshop’s store on Oxford Street, and other clothing retail companies such as River Island now feature amazing wigs on their mannequins; very elaborate, over the top, innovative styles. The principle function of a mannequin is supposed to be as a three dimensional clothes hanger, but giving them dramatic hair has become an essential part of presenting the clothes with the right aspirational image – to the extent that the clothes are almost a secondary entity!” I guess it’s hardly surprising that hair is so tangled up in our era’s cultural fabric. Most of us might have now sold out and got on the Facebook bandwagon, but we’re still children of a generation raised on Myspace, a site where around 60% of the visual information communicated in the average profile picture is hair. In a time where most of us have the attention span of a couple of mouse clicks, first impressions count for everything, so the importance of having a striking ‘do’ can’t be underestimated when attempting to procure both real life and online popularity. Indeed, the archetypical Myspace photo (camera held a forearm’s length up and away from the head, face looking up at an angle) is positively designed to accentuate the hair above everything else, inviting us to judge whether or not we want to be ‘friends’ with someone principally on the basis of their hair alone. As 15 year old social networking user Trudy Skadelig puts it: “When you ‘meet’ someone on MySpace or whatever the first feature you see is their profile picture and consequently their hairrrrrr, which forms your opinion of them.” Musician Anthony Moonchild elaborates, talking about the trends in people that ‘add’ him relative to his profile picture: “I find that when I have my hair in a really funky style I generally draw more creative people to me” he says. “Likewise, when I have a plain hair style I attract your kind of ‘normal’, everyday people.” This criteria of attraction established online is something which seems to have become readily transferable to the ‘real world’. “Nowadays I ALWAYS look at lads hair, it can make or break a look – bloody divine or utterly dire!” says Trudy. Mitch from the Australian band All Of Our Lives reckons he places even greater importance on good hair in terms of judging whether or not he finds someone attractive in the real world, partly as a result of the aesthetic values he’s established online “It’s probably the most important factor right now really” he says. “Let’s face it. It’s a big deal. A big fucking deal.” The post-millennial boom in Social Networking shared an easy synchronicity with a certain then-ascendant movement which has come to define the more experimental side of mainstream youth hair of our era – Emo. The Emo look scarcely needs an introduction, the heavily fringed elaborate black style synonymous with the culture can be seen across the pages of mainstream press (the Daily Mail’s infamously misjudged ‘Emo’ article which labelled anyone with black hair and a fringe a depressed self harmer springs to mind), across town centres on any given Saturday afternoon, and of course these days no ‘youth’ soap/drama is complete without a generic ‘Emo’ character (Newt in Holyoaks anyone?). Despite the relative lack of precedent for these hairstyles the Emo look is not by any means an original one. The styles which make up the blueprint for ‘Emo hair’ were originally derived from the overblown

looks of Japanese Manga comic book characters, which were in turn themselves inspired by the hair of 80s Japanese Punk kids. Before the look and even to an extent the sound that we come to associate with modern Emo was formed, hardcore kids immersed themselves in a culture which fetishised anything remotely geeky, with particular regard paid to comic books and Manga in particular. The half back-combed, half straightened and dyed black style of Emo initially emerged as a synthetic attempt amongst the alt. and Hardcore kids to recreate the natural straightness and black tone of grown out Asian hair. Of course neither the dramatic scene styles prevalent on Myspace or the dramatic do’s of Emo would be possible without the boom in affordable hair straightening tongs which has occurred over the last decade. GHD is widely regarded as being the market leader in straightening products today, with its classic ceramic straightening tongs being the most recognisable and widely imitated in the field. The company launched in 2001 and by 2003 had an annual turnover of £12 million. Fast forward to these current post-Myspace years and profits for their hair straighters are turning over to the tune of £115 million at the close of the last financial year. You don’t need to a PHD to do the math on those figures and work out the impact that such a growth in the accessibility of styling tools has had on the kind of styles we rock today. Still, despite such a dramatic surge in popularity over this short period, straighteners are not without a history that can be traced back as far as 100 years, with the first ones thought to have been invented by a French guy called Marcel Grateu in 1872. Marcel’s hair straightening equipment and methods were not actually so different from the kind we use today, combining as they did heated rods with various chemical lotions as to give hair a straightened finish. However, the experimental nature of Mr Grateu’s methods meant that his customers were risking a lot more than a dodgy cut and many left with burnt scalps and damaged hair as a result of the chemicals used! Luckily for us a Scottish heiress called Lady Jennifer Bell Schofield refined his methods and created the hinged, two plated heated iron we know today, in 1912. Her designs were a big improvement on those which they followed as their hot metal plates slid easily through the hair. Yet despite these developments made 100 years ago, the availability of striaghteners outside of Salons is something which has only occurred over the past ten years or so – it seems hard to imagine now but up until the tail end of the 90s it was necessary to take an ordinary domestic iron to hair in order to create straight styles such as 60s bobs! “I started ironing my hair back then, and it took a really long time cause you had to stoop, put your head down below the ironing board and flip your hair up onto it and iron it – blind!’ Tara Thralls (hip 60s chick and the mother of a good friend of mine!) told me. “If you think it’s hard to get close to your scalp without burning it with a hair straightener – try doing it with an iron on an ironing board!” A perk of the commercial growth and availability of Hair Strengtheners and other heating products is that we can now sculpt elaborate styles with relative ease, empowering us to become our own personal stylists. This has itself allowed high street Salons to push the envelope ever further in terms of cuts which mirror the dramatic styles of the catwalk, comfortable in the knowledge that, with the right equipment, we will be able to recreate and restyle them back home. Toni & Guy is a ubiquitous presence on the high street, with roughly 300 Salons nationwide. As Topshop do with clothes, Toni & Guy and other larger Salon companies have artistic and session teams who tap into what’s happening on the catwalk and translate them into trends that are adaptable to a global public. As a company Toni & Guy attract a mixed reception – to many the Salons are still all too easily identified with heavily feathered, early millennial styles, with ‘Toni & Guy’ almost becoming a look in itself. Yet the level at which they operate means the Salon’s influence is undeniable. Hair stylist Declan Sheils tells us “Companies like Toni & Guy have a massive influence on hair in the mainstream simply because of the scale at which they operate and the amount of money they can invest in advertising/sponsorship/education.” Yet not everyone sees this ubiquity as a positive thing. “For me it’s like Hello Kitty – everyone has it and it’s boring” says celebrity snipper Charlie Le Mindu. “I think it’s fine for kids who like to spend money for nothing, but now everyone is doing Toni & Guy I don’t think it’s as original as it was before...though having said that I did like some of their last collection!”

PAUL GRIFFITHS, FOUNDER OF BABYCAKES How do u describe yr current hairstyle? Amazing, fantastic, beautiful, stunning, heart warming, super. The colour; as black as the blackest night. To touch, softer than the fur on Bambi’s back. How/why did u get it – eg was it gradual, a quick change, something u saw elsewhere & liked, an original creation? I googled ‘the most amazing hair ever’, printed it off and took it to the hairdressers. Now if you google ‘the most amazing hair ever’ a picture of me comes up. How much work is it to keep it in top shape/what’s yer ‘routine’/ what products do u use? I start off with a few star jumps to get the blood pumping, move on to a few bench presses and a cartwheel. I also have a team of stylists and advisors, they recommend I use Joel’s hairdryer and that Foz does the back. I then ﬁnish off with lots Boots hairspray. Hair – the bigger the better. Discuss! After a long winded discussion with my management, I felt the only way to answer this question is with this line graph.

What other haircuts/styles do you like/have you had/would you like to have? I’m really keen on the word wedge. Sometimes I want a wedge. How much do u judge people (friends/work people/girlfriends/ potential girlfriends) on their hair? I don’t judge people on their hair. I have a friend that doesn’t have any hair at all. Honest to God! As for potential girlfriends... ‘no wedge no widge’. What’s the worst hairstyle to have? Ginger. What hairstyle do u think you’ll have when you’re old?! I’m up for shaving the strip from the front to the crown, I’ve seen a lot of old people rocking this style. It seems to be ‘very in’.

HAIR TODAY continued . . .

Hairdresser Rebecca Leather has owned her own salon in Bolton for the last 15 years and seen first hand the changes in customer expectations that have run parallel Toni & Guy’s rise to prominence on the high street. “These days customers are much more demanding and their expectations much higher” she says. “Independent hairdressers are under huge pressure to keep up with the latest techniques and trends – despite not having access to anywhere near the same level of training as the franchised salons.” So having embraced a demanding ‘more is more’ approach to our hair styles, where do we go from here? Have we reached a terminal velocity in terms of follicle flamboyance, or can the envelope be pushed even further? If wild styles really are so commonplace today then has the unthinkable happened and made the ‘short back and sides’ the most rebellious style statement we could possible make? Is it time to ditch the archly artificial looks in favour of something more natural? And what of the dreaded credit crunch – if we have less disposable income to spend on ourselves then what will the knock on effect on hair be? Declan Sheils is already beginning to notice the changes at ground level in his salon. “With the current economic climate I think there is a feeling of getting back to basics. My clients are looking for longevity with their cuts and colours and opting for more classic natural styles,” he says. “On the other hand recession always makes people think more creatively, and forces them to solve problems they would not usually encounter. I think with limited finances people will start experimenting with cutting their own hair again. Techniques like ‘ragging’ were invented by people doing their hair at home as opposed to visiting a salon.” Some people are already feeling the benefits of taking a more economic approach to hair. German Dori Anush recently moved to London and opted for a dramatic change of image to accompany her geographical shift. “I always found it difficult to get a good hairdresser in Germany (Salons catering for Afro Hair over there are extremely rare) so I was tired of having to make do with ugly weaves, weird braids and so on. As soon as I moved to London I cut my hair off (new town, new hair!). I love it – I think it really makes me stand out and I’ve never had so many compliments. People keep telling me it was the best idea I ever had!” So, while many of us might be headed for shorter budgets and even shorter barnets, there will always be those who spit in the face of such thinking; those to whom being broke is merely a state of mind. These are the people who will likely take hair to the next level and perhaps ultimately its logical conclusion. If the envelope has been pushed to the limit on styles then there’s only one option left – to start pushing the limits of accessorising hair, or even making hair into an accessory itself! Experiments are already underway: “I creative directed Emma Bell’s last LFW show,” recalls stylist Alexis Knox. “We commissioned Charlie Le Mindu to turn one of the model’s hair into a sausage dog – Emma knitted the sausage and Charlie turned the boy’s hair into a bap for the sausage! The opening model had Mr Whippy-inspired hair with a chocolate flake sticking out, as food was a big theme! I myself was wearing a box of popcorn on my head with the hair shaped and fixed as if it were popcorn spilling out the top!!” Japanese artist and director Nagi Noda took the accessorising of hair a step further (before his untimely death last year aged 35) by turning hair into the accessory itself. Nagi sculpted elaborate headpieces (in the shapes of trees, animals and birdsnests) by using his subject’s hair as the principle means of construction. So there you have it. We’re the generation that has defined hair as the ultimate means of defining our look, but we have reached a crossroads. Exciting, creative styles have become so commonplace that it’s now become impossible to tell who’s the imitator and who’s an innovator. These days if you really want to stand out you can go one of two ways. You can either go back to basics, or you best start thinking waaaaaaaay outside the box. A straightened fringe, some nice textured layers and a little bit of backcombing just isn’t enough to at a time when even shop mannequins are rocking your ‘individual’ cut. I’ll leave you to think about it. Me? I’m off to get these diamond encrusted LED’s woven into my barnet......

“ABOUT A YEAR AGO I was at this point where I didn’t have any money so I cut my own hair. One day I just cut of all the sides. And then I just thought – I don’t know why but why don’t I wear it ‘UP’?! I went to my friends house party and it was the ﬁrst time he saw me with my hair ‘UP’ and he was like ‘ahhh that is kinda cool.’ Since then I just kept growing it ‘UP’. I haven’t cut it except the sides. When I was about 10 I used to get Smash Hits magazine. And there was an amazing poster that my sister had on her wall of Peter Andre and he was topless lying on the sofa, upside down, and his hair was so gelled that his curtains were solid and I remember looking at that thinking ‘now that is weird.’ My sister didn’t notice it and when I pointed it out to her she took the poster down.” – Josh Weller (above), Musician

Charlie Le Mindu, above, and his work, right. Below: Singer Peaches styled by Charlie

Nagi Noda, hair hats

Tempa T photo by Tim & Barry

TEMPA T MC “The reason I decided to get a high top fade was because I liked the cut itself and I wanted my own look. Even though it was an 80’s Afro-Caribbean hairstyle, I felt I could make it my own. There was no-one I wanted to look like speciﬁcally, I just wanted to get the cut and make it work. It doesn’t take too much work to keep it in top shape. All I use is an an Afro comb, maybe a little good old hair grease and get it trimmed every two weeks. Fresh box, box fresh... LOL! Tempa T ‘Next Hype’, Single out March 2nd myspace.com/tempztempz

! R I A H R YOU

We asked you to send us your pics & tell us your hair stories. We got loads! So Big Thx to everyone who did : ) & to those we couldn’t ﬁt in – soz but double thx anyways!

“Wash and condition it, Towel dry it then blow dry it. Straighten it. Brush it. Hairspray. Spike it up at the back (when it’s short enough). Straighten again. Hairspray again. Takes about half an hour.” –Alex Stewart

“If you have afrooo hurr and want superlong extensions but you can’t ﬁnd any that match, the trick is to section it off before bed and braid it together so the curl-types meet in the middle. Then in the morning, undo the plaits and dutty wine (for volume), Sort out the huge fringe, throw on some black’n’sassy, then kill the ozone layer with hairspray. If I wasn’t so drag I’d have Audrey Kitching hair.” –Chani Layzell

“Normally, I only comb it in the shower while it’s wet, then I spray some conditioning spray by Enjoy while scrunching the curls, and lastly I use Silk Therapy by Biosilk and/or Brilliant by Aveda to tame the frizz. I definitely think my hair makes me who I am. I find that other people who have cool, healthy hair are fifty times more sexy as well!” –Myra Hongola

“I think messy hair is the sexiest... my mother does not agree... oh yeah and I normally only brush it about once a month. fuck... that’s only like 12 times a year hahahah rank bastard huh yup.” –Lynsey Pagan

“I think that this is the way to decide what hairstyle to get: ﬁrst, imagine yourself as a superhero/ rock star. then dress/cut hair accordingly.” –Catherine Grose

“I don’t spend any money on my hair because my friend does it for me in his bathroom with scissors and a shaver. =] =] =] I look at there hair ﬁrst cause you can tell usually what they are like from it. But sometimes people might be just having a badddd hair day.” –Daisy Eve Louise Hartman Davidson, 16

“I roll out of the tent, rub any liquids I can ﬁnd into my hair (morning dew, tree sap) and then perform my ritual scream at the rising sun.” –Lester Smiley

“I’ve stopped dying it because I want to donate it to a charity (called Little Princesses) when it’s long enough - they use hair donations to make wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy.” –Lani Irving

“I like my hair even though some people think I’m a girl.” –Patrick Challenor

“I’ve got loads and loads of hair so I style it once a week when it turns into a big matted dreadlock, then it takes me forever to brush out the knots, slap on some Soft and Free hair cream from Pak in Finsbury Park and that’s me...” –Kate Dressekie

“When my natural hair was black it let the world know I was getting laid by one person (which many times meant just lovin’ myself), and blonde meant action a plenty.” –Margot Keith

“I even buy most of my accessories, makeup and clothes to match my current colour.” –Christiane

“In a good month I’d say I spend about £70, in a bad month closer to £130. My hair is essential to my look, I have never (and would never) cut back on my hair care to cut costs.” –Claire Pursglove

“I think my hair pretty much is my look. It’s like my trademark, and you get known as the girl with the red or orange hair... I would rather have a fucking great colour of hair than like nice quality, natural and all that shit! I’ll tell u who loves it the most – old grannies, they fucking cant get enough of it! I think its coz they have an objective insight into what’s really important in life!” –Lynsey Pagan

for more hair visit myspace.com /thesupersuper

F-U-N IT’S TIME To Get . . .

thesupersuper.com

THE UK UNDERGROUND music/club scene periodically fragments into a number of different genres & subgenres, before coalescing again around some dominant sounds, themes or scenes. Right now that’s happening again, and BASS and HAVING A GOOD TIME are where it’s at. FUNKY has both of these in abundance, and is most deﬁnitely on the rise. Like Bassline before, its inﬂuence is spreading from the ‘smart dress essential’ type clubs (Patrick Cox loafers), across into more fashionable/crossover venues (New Era’s allowed). Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson gives us the LOW LOW LOWDOWN . . .

FIRSTLY, it’s important to note that what we’re talking about here is Funky – as opposed to Funky House. Say ‘Funky House’ and you might think of something Ministry of Sounds’ Hed Kandi might promote, which is the more, shall we say commercial/cheesier side of the sound – with most of their productions sounding more like straightforward Dance and House music with little or no bass. Since it has been taken over by the underground scene however, it has been revamped with producers adding much more bass and electronic sounds, which is why there are so many similarities to Garage music, but with the added African tribal sounds from bongo drums to tambourine and maracas, making it new and particularly unique. “It came from the fall of the Garage and Grime scene nearly two years ago,’’ says Funky kingpin Marcus Nasty “and a need to find something new and as exciting to listen to. At which point everybody jumped onto the Funky House scene, which from where I was standing seemed a bit too soft and not entirely my thing. So I started asking the Garage and Grime producers who I knew if they had tried to make Funky House themselves. Some of them had but were not sure or confident with their end product, so I asked to listen to them and I haven’t looked back since.’’ Says Marcus: “It is not actually ‘Funky House’ and I still don’t understand why promoters and DJ’s alike still persist in labelling it as such. Although it did evolve from Funky/Tribal House it now has Grime, Garage, Dubstep, Bassline and even Bashment influences. It has been called UK Funky, UK House or, more and more, simply Funky.” This year it seems as if every Grime and Dubstep DJ has fallen in love with the Funky sound, whether it’s dropping the odd tune in a set or actually becoming a Funky DJ full stop – such as Nasty Crew’s DJs Mak

Marcus Nasty

10 and Perempay (previously known under the name DJ Bossman, of Grime outfit Essentials). Roska is a Funky producer tipped for big things in ’09, and has already contributed widely to the development of the movement with the circulation of his productions and mixes. Asked what this rise of Funky has to do with what was going on in the Garage and Grime scenes, he says: “It’s a cross between Garage House and Broken Beats with a Tribal influence. As far as Grime goes, it shows people wanting to jump on to something with a feel good vibe, and the vibe it brings to raves is so far very positive.” Originally Funky House tended to attract the a slightly older, more mid 20s raver wearing ‘smarter’ gear – dresses/trousers/shirts/shoes – a far cry from the typical Nike Tracky and 110’s of the Grime scene, but as the sound has shifted, a new audience has gravitated towards it. Now you’ll also find a contingent present from the Dubstep scene – Kode 9 has been heavily pushing the sound in his recent sets, and has received valuable support online from Dubstepforum’s Boomnoise and blogger Blackdown amongst others. “The UK has put our own twist on it with this sound. A lot of House music tracks that are being made now are very influenced by it” he says. Part of the beauty of Funky right now is the fact that the sound itself is not yet set in stone. And given how amenable the basic 4/4 nature of the music is to having other influences brought into it, it’s full of possibilities for interesting/unusual directions. For a good example of the key elements of Funky’s appeal – good time vibes/booming bass/quirky percussion – check out Fr3e+P2J’s ‘Skank Calm Down’ on YouTube: fresh sounding & complete with a dance you can learn/make a fool of yourself trying!

FUNKY ALL TIME TOP 10 LIL SILVA Funky Flex LIL SILVA Seasons D MALICE Gabryelle reﬁx PALEFACE ft KYLA Do You Mind DONAEO African Warrior (instr & vocal) HARD HOUSE BANTON Sirens LIL SILVA Tribal Land DEF 1 ft PRINCESS Frontline APPLE Segalizer (2 yrs strong) GEENUS ft KATY B As I & Yellow Tail Compiled by Marcus Nasty

myspace.com/marcusnasty

www.myspace.com/ukkyla

N-K-Y Name: KYLA Occupation: VOCALIST Best known for: ‘DO YOU MIND’

HOW DID U GET STARTED? Oh god, I’ve been into music since I was about 3, but I got properly into it from the age of 10. I started taking it seriously and doing little performances in the local clubs in my town, got into the studio a couple of times and made a few songs and things

started to progress from there. I’ve always loved music YOUR INSPIRATION? My dad, he used to be a DJ and would always play his vinyl in the house. He used to listen to people like Roberta Flack, Bob Marley, Dionne Warwick and people like that. WHY DO U LIKE FUNKY? Dunno, the way I saw it, it was something new and fresh which people were going out to. I’ll be real, I’m from Huntingdon and where I’m from not that many people knew about the Funky

Kyla

House music so I just embraced it as a new music what I love. PLANS FOR 2009? Working on an album and preparing the next single “Daydreaming” which is coming out in April. I’ve just been booked to sing in Dubai which I can’t believe, so I’m well chuffed about that. Hopefully do a few collaborations with a couple of artists and just carry on singing. You can check out a couple of new tracks that are up on my MySpace, as well as loads of other stuff too.

F-U-N-K-Y – what the playaz say . . .

DJ NG SUPERSUPER: So when did you ﬁrst get into music? DJNG: Well, Funky has only recently established itself around the last year or two, but I suppose before this it was Funky, Deep, Soulful & Tribal house that I started to get into at some point during 2005.

SS: Who inspired you to get into music? DJNG: I had a few friends from back home that kept going on about the music and were always raving on the House scene.. It was through following them to these specialist and underground ‘dances’ that it really opened my eyes... ...and saw and felt the vibes ﬁrst hand. The music and vibes was AMAZING! This kinda eliminated all the previous stigmas I had of ‘House’ music as a young kid growing up during his early teens, like it being ‘white’, ‘monotonous’ & ‘boring’ music that had little appeal to me. I now realised that the music had a strong and vibrant culture around it. To the places I went to, there was a strong ‘urban’ edge to it aswell through the general make up of ravers in the room. There was a lot of ‘bling bling’ culture and alongside sleek and sexyness! – pure Champs aswell! SS: Do you think the scene will last long? DJNG: I believe anything is possible with this Funky music, thus its so unpredictable now. For example 6 years ago, this MC thing or spitting lyrics with House was unheard of, let alone accepted. But it’s like since I made ‘Tell Me’ that featured an MC, it has kind of eased in this MC thing to the point that we now have MCs making full MC tracks and it’s more or less accepted by the current main fraternity (ie both DJs and ravers) of this scene.

SS: How have producers been making house sound ‘new’ – or is it just different? DJNG: It’s weird cos outta this rich and diverse music they call HOUSE, we’ve made this new sound and club scene called ‘Funky’. But now, it looks like the music has evolved beyond ‘funky’ into this new ‘street’/’ ‘grimey’ sounding music that kids relate to and make in their bedroom that is highly dependent on MCs! A strong part of the scene evolves around the clubs. Pirate radio & what DJs play and buy, partly evolve around the clubs as well. SS: We’ve seen a lot of genres come and go in recent months, what do you think will help sustain this new movement? DJNG: In the long term, the future to scene is quite dependent on a healthy and vibrant, safe and sexy club scene that is more DJ focused rather than MC-focused. As long as people are dancing and there is sex appeal in the music, all should be cool....:) Without the ingredients said above (ie a healthy club scene) then the scene may not last long.

SS: What plans do you have for 2009 & beyond? DJNG: Well basically, concentrating on the follow up to my last single (and ﬁrst ever record that I had ever put out) that got signed to Ministry of Sound. The follow up will be two records which will be released in sync. The A side is on a similar tip to Tell Me and the B-side is more of a radio type of track rather than a club banger. I also want to carry on strengthening my popular radio show (‘The Journey’) that I present with MC Versatile on www.Rinse.fm (100.4FM London) every Friday 5-7. Also, I’m working on the promotion of 3 club nights that we have done in the past year or two. Firstly, ‘Work’ meets ‘Future Sundays’ a weekly club night that currently takes place every Sunday at the infamous ‘Plan B’ in Brixton SW London. Secondly, ‘The Journey’, which was a strong club night we were running last year at Bar Rumba in the West End and thirdly, the return of ‘Superstar Funk’ (a ram-jammed event that showcased the ﬁnest House & Funky DJ’s in the scene). Keep your eyes and ears open to www.DJNG.com for further info.

CRAZY COUSINS

(aka Paleface)

Occupation: Producer Best known for: ‘Do You Mind’, ‘Bongo Jam’

YOUR START IN MUSIC? I got into music from a very young age, like about 3. I used to play the keyboards and moved on to other forms of basic programming later on. I mean seriously, I was on it from an early age, I could still probably sing back to you the ﬁrst song I wrote when I was 5. Music has been the strongest inﬂuence in my life, in school I was in the Jazz band and the concert band. I had a brief time where I was rapping (spittin wasn’t invented then) and then got into Garage about 97 and have been doing what I do since then. YOUR MUSICAL INSPIRATION? From an early age I’ve been listening to my Dad compose and write tracks. He plays in numerous bands ranging from Osibisa and Steel Pulse to Incognito. I got a solid upbringing on what music is all about, like he taught me how to play keyboards properly, and I reckon what he used to listen to has had a major impact on the way I think and make my own music. He never had any love for DJs though, he always used to say “how come you’re so quick to run out and play other people’s music when you should be making your own?” So he never really agreed with the DJing, but I can see he had his valid reasons. YOUR ATTRACTION TO FUNKY? I’ve loved House music from back in the day, I used to play Masters At Work when I was playing tunes like Pulse X. People call it Funky now, but to me it’s just House music. I think personally I started to produce more Funky when I went through a mental block with the Bassline stuff: whereas Bassline is proper hard with wobbly bits in, I was going through a tranquil period and felt like making something a bit more mellow. I think with Funky it works cos it has good songs and girls can dance and sing along to it. FUNKY’S LONGEVITY? House will always be there. In regards to the music that is playing in UK commercial clubs now, I’m not so sure. The industry I think sees the scene as a fad, but hopefully the music will keep progressing under the same name and not get branded as something different like when Garage turned into Grime. But seriously I have no idea. Fingers crossed ay?! 2009 & BEYOND? Loads of remixes (Hot Like Fire – Sticky feat Ms Dynamite); loads of new tunes (Daydreaming – Kyla); developing the label Northern Line to be a strong independent in the UK; putting out a range of music. On top of doing that, I’ll be all over the place DJing and doing my thing. Check out my MySpace to hear the tunes fresh off Logic and also see where I’ll be playing at! myspace.com/mrpaleface myspace.com/crazicousinz

ILL BLU

Producers, J Reel & Def 1 Best known for ‘Frontline’

YOUR START? About 3 years ago. We started working together doing mainly Hip Hop & R’n’B through a group called G*fam. Producing Funky really came out of the blue, but ‘Frontline’ was made and Ill Blu was born. YOUR INSPIRATION? J Reel: Rodney Darkchild Jerkins big boy producer Def 1: I was inspired by the jungle era such as MC Det, Skibadee, DJ Brokie and Hyper D. They were the guys that got me feeling music in general. YOUR ATTRACTION? The whole vibe, the fact you can dance and have fun with the music rather then getting all deep and serious like you have to do with other genres.

LONGEVITY? Yes I believe the scene has some longevity as it has so much variety and commercial appeal. It appeals to those that like that dark, bass heavy kind of funky like Hard House Banton’s ‘Sirens’, and for the listener who prefers a more vocal and soulful sound there are tracks like DJ Perempay’s ‘In the air’ – there’s something for everybody. 2009 & BEYOND? We have a few remixes coming out this year. Shystie’s ‘Pull it’, Kris Baya ‘Heatbreaker’, Selah ‘I should have known’ and Young Nate ‘I Wonder’ to name a few. We’re also working on our album which will be out when the time is right, and putting the ﬁnishing touches to Princess Nyah’s album. Alongside that we are holding regular Funky events in London and also DJing up and down the country.

PRINCESS NYAH

Vocalist, Best known for: ‘Frontline’

THE START? I got into Music around 2004 and started taking it seriously. But I have been into music since I was really young, always doing talent shows and performing at school cabarets. INSPIRATION? When I was really young I had two uncles that did music: one of them used to chat to Bashment beats and the one other rapped. I remember being about 8 and thinking I can do that. So they were an inspiration and also Def1 from ill Blu was a big inspiration – he taught me how to write my ﬁrst 16bar! Lol ATTRACTION? I’m drawn to Funky because I can relate to it. You can make it your own! That’s what I like about Funky. There are no rules – just do you! LONGEVITY? The scene is bigger than the UK! It’s not about how long the will scene last? It’s about where next can we take it. My cousins just come over from Australia and they where telling me house is massive over there, their version of Funky is call Fidget... So imagine the scope to take what we are doing over there or anywhere else in the world. 2009 & BEYOND? Well I’m working on my album at the moment with ill Blu, I have plans to release Frontline 2/03/09 Digitally then start moving with my second single!!! I have so many more tracks to give to the movement! Frontline out 2nd March 2009 myspace.com/illblue www.princessnyah.com

CULT HERO

“

I always wanted to go straight to heaven

fraser clarke THE LAST EVER INTERVIEW WITH A MODERN PROPHET To those that knew him, Fraser Clarke was a higly respected agent provocateur, a subcultural icon and a visionary.

For these reasons, SUPERSUPER went to meet him. Sadly – although he was a shining example to all in the face of death – this interview turned out to be his last

Es si

As we made our way down the corridor, she gently pushed open the door to the front sitting room ahead. A cloud of hashish smoke gently escaped its confines and penetrated my nostrils, impregnating my brain with a sense of anticipation as my synapses kicked into full gear as a smirk drew across my face. The word ‘hippy’ immediately sprung to mind, but that was just me. I was just about to enter into a night of conversation that would wholeheartedly change my life and shape the way I viewed culture, subculture and all who sail between these most parallel of ships. “Sit down. Pull up a cushion,” stated a soft-spoken yet somehow slightly stern voice from an armchair residing by the window. We had entered Fraser’s domain. We were now in his presence. Fraser, a small figure with long wispy hair, sat unmoved as we made our way in and sat down. Residing on the sofa opposite was James. James was one of Fraser’s closest and long standing friends – he’d been there by his side since the 60s and you could tell. These two embodied the true sense of friendship that one can only imagine in these fast fast days of myspace and facebook, where it seems it more important to have 8000 friends than it is to have one true friend that you know you can always turn to. They’d been on this trip we call life together and they were still going strong. There was no fussing or none of that false double kissing action that seems to have descended on the UK (well London especially – you don’t get none of that oop north where I’m from!) like a plague of insincerity. After a few minutes of pleasantries broken only by the rattling of a tray of tea and coffee we were ready to begin. I nervously placed the tape recorder as close as I could to Fraser without being intrusive and pressed record – apprehensive that it wouldn’t record, I armed myself with a trusty notepad and pen and we began...

As the black cab pulled up in front of the set back row of Georgian houses I knew I was in for something special. As my eyes worked their way up the drab Dickensian brickwork – a testament to the age of the building, but also a testament to this most polluted of cities – something caught my eye. There in the top floor window was what looked like a tree. I had to double-take – it was a tree and it was massive. “Yep, that must be Fraser’s place,” stated Fiona as she slammed the taxi door that subsequently drove off into the London fog on this bitter December night. Fiona and her shop/club night ‘Sign of the Times’ were the subject of our last Cult Hero piece. She had lovingly arranged to set up this interview and brought along photographer Nick to capture it. We were all just as intrigued as each other to meet this true hero of the underground. So underground, in fact, that I, maybe through naivety, hadn’t even heard of Fraser Clarke, his magazine and his clubs. In all honesty I thought I was pretty clued up, maybe a bit pompous in fact when it came to my knowledge of subculture – but after my meeting this night I came to realise just how naïve and undereducated I was. You see, to truly commentate on ‘the underground’, you have to live it, and the person I was about to interview was the living embodiment of that. After being buzzed into the building and making our way to the second floor we were greeted at the door by a small woman decked out in a knitted jumper and woolly hat combo. Resembling Mrs. Doyle of Father Ted fame (if she had been one of the protesters at Greenham Common back in the 80s, that is) she invited us in: “Tea, coffee... green tea?” she asked politely. The flat was much smaller than I had expected, but hey this was London, and after being inside Leigh Bowery’s former 13th floor council flat I realised that this was what I kind of, should have, come to expect. As Gordon Brown once stated back in his chancellor days: “There’s no money in the British underground.” Plus, I questioned myself – do you really have to be wealthy in order to change the way the person next to you thinks?

“

His achievements – establishing Encyclopaedia Psychedelica magazine (that foresaw the existence of and helped pave the way for the Acid House generation); founding the hugely successful and influential Megatripolis clubnight (a ‘Festival within a club’); and his efforts to develop the internet in its earliest incarnations (he ran the world’s most popular website in the mid 90s) – are only part of the story; the man himself, his teachings and his approach to life being equally inspirational for many across generations.

Words by Dan Szor

Dan: So how did it all start then? Your story, your involvement in counterculture?

Fraser: Well, I’m Scottish. My whole life has been informed by this. I’ll always see myself as being Scottish but I’d rather see myself as a true citizen of the world. I went to University and did an honours degree in Sociology at Glasgow University. The trouble was I was in a room with thirteen other spotty 22 year-olds still living at home who were going to go and sort out other people’s problems. People who were going on to try and decipher why we live like we do, and I thought, these people are going to go out and help the people. Well we all get tempted by the prospect of 20 grand a year, but there was something sinister about their motives – so I hit the road and became a hippy. I thought I’d give it ten years and then come back and I’d be ready to try again but you know, things change when we begin to see things are not all black and white. Dan: What year was this? Fraser: It was 1965 when I went to university, the same year I went off to Ibiza as a baby hippy to find myself. Well, to a little island just off Ibiza. Fiona: Did you know James then? Fraser: No, I believe it was a year after that, 1966.

James: Haha! 1966, a long long time ago... Fraser: Yeah, Ibiza changed my life. I did my ﬁrst acid in Ibiza. You could buy it in the chemist in those days. It wasn’t illegal at that point – did you know that? It was called ‘Deseryl’ and was manufactured by Sandoz. It said on the side, which I still for the life of me don’t get, that it was prescribed for Schizophrenia – LSD was at that point in time being used as a cure for Schizophrenia. There were 25 golden pills in the bottle. We took about half of them for a full full-on pure acid trip. We were taking about 12 and it said on the side that you were only meant to take 5 a day. Ha-ha just under half a trip a day and you’re cured of Schizophrenia.

Dan: Why did you take LSD – what drew you to it? Fraser: Back then the whole climate was like you’ve got to try everything at least once. To be honest, when I took it I’d never heard of LSD before. I got it from a friend. James: It was coming through the music with The Beatles, and then when Timothy Leary came on the scene, it just blew up. Fraser: You were getting all these Californian hippies who all looked like you actually Dan – neat little

moustache, short hair and smart clothes. They were actually travelling the globe in order to expand themselves. Hippies came a lot later, you know, the archetypal hippy – the ones with longer hair, beards and the age-old image of free love. I met this painter and me, him and his wife and had a great conversation about sociology. And we kept having arguments but that stopped as soon as it went onto the subject of acid and ﬁnally his wife said “Brian you got to get me some!” Fiona: Don’t you think it has a lot to do with where you do it and who you do it with? Fraser: Depends how you do it. If you do 250 micrograms, it basically means you isolate yourself for 48 hours and allow yourself to really get into it. But I don’t know. We were very repressed back then. You don’t have that condition, largely thanks to people like Fiona and me who softened the culture and pissed away all that mediaeval shit. And in a way you don’t need it. It’s still a valid experience to do it properly. James: I mean nowadays people do it in clubs, but dancing in the dark at night. Fraser: Clubs are a great place to take E’s nowadays, but I’m not sure about acid. Nick: Ecstasy’s great just for the movement and the music. To me that’s what the club experience is about. It’s about the music. Fraser: If you took 250 micrograms then you’d be getting down, you’d be taking your clothes off, you’d be crying, you’d be hugging people, you’d be paranoid. Nick: I had it once and it worked like that. It was in my bedroom. I was trashing about thinking I was part of some other world.

James: That does happen. You can get to nirvana. You can get to look into Buddha’s eyes and see that you’re an enlightened being. That’s a proper trip. When we were young we’d call that blowing our minds and we really did. It was a mega powerful. You came back and you just wanted to get everybody involved, spread it about and give the world a supply, turn people on, liberate your brother, that was the only way. Fiona: The world was different then, it was so repressed – I remember from my childhood. Fraser: And we thought I’ll take it, then turn my friend on and they’ll turn their friend on and in the end we’d all roll up to the president of America and that would be it. We’d have changed the world. Peter: We were very naive. Fraser: We believed that anything was possible. Fiona: Didn’t that happen to a certain degree until all the authorities freaked out?

Peter: It took a little longer than we thought, I mean at the time I thought it was gonna happen next week.

Nick: Do you think it had to be more about an evolution rather than a revolution? Fraser: Yes. The hippies were the evolution. It’s all about knowing yourself. James: We were the evolution in terms that we were the point when the planet became one. The west went east and subsequently the east went west. There was a kind of fusion and we became aware that the planet had a conscience. If you wanted answers then you had to look inside yourself and see your own universe before you could decipher the one we all inhabit. We were the first notch on the rung of what now has become known as alternative culture, but to be honest, it’s not alternative. It’s the most organic and selfless culture around, but maybe that’s changed. Dan: From what I gather it has changed. Everyone’s switched on to this idea of celebrity culture more so than they are about knowing who they truly are. Hopefully that’s about to change though. Fraser: It’s got to. We’re all at the last hurdle. Don’t worry, it’s already over due to the likes of you who are willing to listen and take on board the knowledge of those who have seen it happen. Just remember, we’re constantly

standing and staring into the eternal dawn of the future. Dan: So you two became friends, then what happened? Fraser: When I got back to London the whole acid thing had hit the UK.

Dan: How did you make money? Fraser: Haha! If people become a hippy they always ask you that. A lot of us used to deal a little bit of dope on the side. Remember; wherever you are you always know someone that’s trying to get something. I mean I never used to make a lot of money doing it, but it got me by. Basically, of the 20 years I used to come to London I’d work for a couple of months and make enough money to go to India for a couple of years. I’d make it last as long as possible before I’d have to repeat the cycle. Dan: When you traveled where did you go? Fraser: India, South America, Africa – the world basically.

Dan: What was the best thing you took from your travelling? Fraser: Oh India. You get a lot from that place.

James: India stands out definitely. Fraser: Yeah, I’d like to go back to India sometime. You ﬁnd all different cultures along the way, and another way of looking at life. You come back here and you see it with different eyes. Travelling is important. Dan: Then which did you do ﬁrst, the magazine or the club? Fraser: The magazine was before the club.

Dan: How would you say that whole thing inﬂuenced rave culture? Could you see it was brewing? Fraser: Yeah, I was writing the magazine predicting it and I had a break of consciousness and I thought to myself ‘I’ve seen this scene which was so important I cannot believe it disappeared’, therefore I knew it must be about to come back again. Fiona: What was it like to see it disappear; it must have been quite a shock?

James: Oh yeah, it was a massive shock. Remember, we thought we were on the cusp of universal change.

Fraser: I’ll tell you a terriﬁc story about when I came back from travelling and the whole thing had taken off. We went to this party the two of us, and 10 years before this, every time two hippies appeared at a party a buzz of excitement would go around the party. It would mean drunkenness, excitement and the idea of free love. It was like wow, hippies are here! But we walked into this party and someone said “What? Not hippies!” – we were now mixing with the next generation. It was all about to happen again. Dan: Was it true that punks didn’t like hippies because they saw it as if the hippies had failed in terms of what you were predicting or trying to achieve never happened. Yet punk tried to do exactly the same but in a different way? Fraser: I’d agree with that except I don’t think they tried to do it at all. They were deﬁnitely not part of an official cult, they had no kind of ambition to change. Fiona: I think Britain was such an angry place at that time. There was unemployment, recession, people being thrown out of work. Britain was breaking down. Interest rates were at a huge amount and there was a three-day week. The IRF had to basically come and rescue Britain as we became smothered, literally, in our own rubbish. I remember being at school and having candles as we only had electricity for three days a week. At the time, being young, we thought it was really fun but for those older than me with more responsibility it must’ve been a nightmare. Dan: So you missed out on that whole punk scene? Fraser: Pretty much. I wasn’t deliberately trying to get away from it, I was just really into my travelling and always kind of have been. I mean I’d always come back at some point in the year. Dan: So why did you want to start a magazine – you weren’t obviously inspired by the likes of ‘Sniffing Glue’ (punk fanzine) as you were away at that time?

“

And we thought I’ll take it, then turn my friend on and they’ll turn their friend on and in the end we’d all roll up to the President of America and that would be it. We’d have changed the world!

“

People ﬁnd it scary but if y o lived at the bottom then yo u Fraser: Because I knew this was all coming about again and it was the only hope. The world was a mess, angry.... punk. I just felt it was time to. I mean every magazine we’d put out we would get half a dozen letters saying how glad they were that we were there and that we had changed their life, and I would often get a tear in my eye as I knew we were needed. Fiona: Where did you sell the magazine? James: We started at festivals back in 84. One of the northern fairs. All the hippies would come by and you never really saw hippies around at this point. I’m afraid I’m a hippy for life! We stuck out like a sore thumb, but something felt right.

Fiona: Would you say you were swimming against the tide? Fraser: Oh yeah, hippies were trying to lose that image. You couldn’t be a hippy in those days. We couldn’t even get a decent house. Dan: Do you get pissed off when people say ‘oh, just a bunch of hippies’?

Fraser: A little bit pissed off yeah... James: There is a real misrepresentation because every hippy that I’ve ever known is out there doing things, striving for change. Fraser: There is this stereotype fucking image of this hippy guy smoking a joint, but it’s the total opposite.

Dan: You chose to go about your life in a different way, do you think by doing this so blatantly it somehow hindered your cause? Fraser: People always ridicule what they don’t understand or what they’re frightened of. It’s ironic that all the so called hippy bands took their money and ran off to their big houses in the country and thought that was the end of it – they never had it in the ﬁrst place. Fiona: When I was going to the Roxy in 77, it was all about rebelling against Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin as it was felt that they had lost touch totally with the youth. Dan: Talking of Pink Floyd. Syd Barrett, didn’t he go mental due to LSD – was there a downside to the dream?

James: Yeah he overdosed. He was a big acid taker. Every day in fact. My friend Neil was spiked him by him. He had a heaven and hell trip. Barrett spiked him by putting it in his orange juice. He did the light shows for the Floyd and he was walking down the road and he got the horror. That was actually pretty unfair. Fraser: I remember reading some newspaper report and it said that someone spiked a bottle of milk on somebody’s doorstep, a perfectly ordinary household. Dan: Would you say stuff like that hinders what you were actually trying to achieve?! Fraser: Oh yeah deﬁnitely! It gives a bad story to the press, doesn’t it. You know the whole ‘Think you can Fly’ thing? How the fuck would anyone know, if the person’s dead, what they were thinking.

Fiona: So when did you come up with the zippy thing? Fraser: When did I ﬁrst start writing it? Oh it was the 80s. I came back from my travelling and I needed to settle down in London and be based in the city, and the only way

“

y ou’ve prepared yourself, or o u ain’t gonna feel a thing I could make it and keep sane year by year, was to go on with this. I was having a kind of identity crisis. I realised I’m not a hippy and I’m not a techno person. I’m a fucking zippy. What I want to do is experience both these worlds, go from one to the other and somehow get a balance between them. Fiona: So what is the deﬁnition of a zippy? Fraser: A person who embraces technology but doesn’t forget the reason why and how that technology was achieved. Dan: How did you see technology in 1983-84?

Fraser: Well at that time, all the hippies were pretty much against technology as they seaw it as damaging. We were the only ones. Dan: Did you use computers? Fraser: Oh yeah. Well I didn’t really get into it. I used technology for communication but when we did the zippy tour in America, we were the most visited site that year. Dan: When was that? Fraser: Must have been 1995.

Dan: So you were embracing the Internet right in its infancy? Fraser: Oh yeah, we used it as the main tool for communicating the whole zippy manifesto.

Dan: So you started your magazine ‘Encyclopedia Psychedelica’ as a tool to inﬂuence people? Fraser: Yeah, absolutely. The thing is that the way people got ideas then wasn’t on the TV or the internet. The only way you got ideas was through underground magazines. Underground magazines were huge, that’s how people got their information.

Dan: And now how often did the issues come out? Fraser: Quarterly. Yet we only actually did 15 as we were doing other things in-between.

Dan: So you went to Shoom! (legendary Acid House club) for the ﬁrst time, what did think when you ﬁrst walked in?

Fraser: Like oh my god – it’s arrived. Everyone was dressed in gowns, they weren’t punk and they weren’t posing. They weren’t just dancing, they were really dancing. And I thought to myself this is it, this is what I’ve been predicting for the last few years now in the magazine. The difference between me and the regular ones is they all thought it would be over by the summer and I said no this is here to stay. Dan: There was this scene called ‘new rave’ recently but at the end of the day the true message became lost as it really just became about what people were wearing. What is your whole take on that whole thing and club culture as it stands in 2009?

Fraser: It has changed. Money became involved. Don’t be down on it though. With the economy collapsing, I don’t think people realise what’s going on. People talking about how long the recession will last, saying maybe 2 or 3 years... hopefully. To be honest I don’t think it’s going to get back to the way it was. I think it’s over. And people need to realise we fucking need that. It’s the only thing that will save the planet. It’s about bringing everyone down to the same level and then growing again in a healthy sensible way. My guess is the system we have now cannot

continue, it just can’t. My dream is that all the endangered species are having a party right now as hopefully they’re gonna be safe.

Dan: Don’t you think it’s pretty scary though? Fraser: People ﬁnd it scary but if you’ve prepared yourself, or lived at the bottom then you ain’t gonna feel a thing. The only difference we will really see is all these fat greedy bastards start crashing onto the pavement in front of us just like they did in 1929. Dan: I’m 23 and I’m scared but only because it’s the only thing I’ve ever known, and when I see it affecting those closest to me, it’s bound to fill me with some kind of worry. Fraser: I’m not saying that you are wrong to be a bit scared but take a tip from somebody who has really been in quite a lot of debt and seen that there is nothing to be scared of. It’s not going to be amazing but I’ll tell you what’s going to happen right now. The collapse, in my eyes has only just begun. Then we’ve got to get through the depression. No money, people unemployed, all this stuff is coming big time. All the global connections and money and transport, they are all going to breakdown and go bankrupt. The real threat is that the whole global chain is collapsing. Dan: Maybe, but what are the obvious good things that will come out of it?

Fraser: Oh yeah yeah, take one example, you don’t see it quite so clearly in London but look at Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and all the other cities. There are so many bankrupt building sites across the UK. Look at the cranes – they aren’t active, they don’t move because they are bankrupt. The fucking company is bankrupt, the builders aren’t getting paid and they can’t afford to move the cranes back so they leave them. And in all these cities there are dozens and dozens of square miles of free space appearing. They’re locked up at the moment but I see in the next 20 years that we will slowly roll in and have many warehouses and square miles of space at our disposal. Your office could be a whole ﬂoor. We could do anything. Raves, markets – you name it. At ﬁrst the councils might try and stop it but what’s the point in stopping it if they’ve got no money anyway? Nobody can afford to protect it, nobody’s got security money... in come the squatters who can look after it. Then the straight people will come as they’ll have no money to flash about in fancy bars and they’ll think, hold on a minute, this is the new society. They’ll take on our ideas and then that’s it, we will have achieved social change. The dawning of a new age. And that’s not just here. It will be a global dawn. We’ll be forced to start learning again, it will be an educational journey of evolution. We’ll have to invent new ways, currencies and ideas. The old way will become obsolete. Dan: I said before that I was scared, but now someone’s took the time to explain their view, it’s kind of filled me with hope. Fraser: If I wasn’t dying of this fucking cancer I’d be writing a 50-page guide to you, be perfect for your magazine. This is what I’ve been praying for, for 20 years, looking forward to the future you know.

Dan: But what would you say to someone who’s just been made unemployed and your life as you knew it just ended? Fraser: Well what does being unemployed mean? It means you’re no longer busting your gut, totally under

stress, stretching your credit to the fucking limit: now you’re suddenly not doing that. You are stuck at home, but then you take a walk in the woods, start up again, do more reading on the internet, and you will at worst end up a better person. Why do we have to be corporate minded? Dan: Fraser, tell us more about Megatripolis! Fraser: We started at the Marquee club back in June 1993. We had all these speakers come and give talks – the learning experience was always there from the start. I wanted people to come away from there feeling enlightened. One of the speakers was Terence McKenna. He wrote ‘Food of the Gods’ and ‘The Archaic Revival’ which were about psychedelic plants. We also had Alexander Shulgin speaking – he was the guy that popularised MDMA and was a catalyst to everything that was going on in the late 80s club scene. Our time at the Marquee club was amazing, but I always wanted more – we never looked back.

Fiona: When did you decide to move to Heaven and when you did, did it have a concept change from when it was at the Marquee club?

Fraser: The only reason was that it was bigger so we could accommodate more people – we had big ambitions. I always wanted to go straight to Heaven, I was just biding my time until I could get there. I never had any doubt that it wouldn’t be a massive success. We had the main room where you had the DJs then smaller rooms offering different things – stalls, speakers, chillout rooms. The music policy was not super cool, we really played on this idea of people coming along and having a good time. We didn’t want to exclude anyone by being too pretentious with our policies. The club opened quite early, with most of the hippies coming earlier on in order to get the full experience. It was like a mini festival that happened indoors for a period of four years every Thursday. We were even mentioned on Absolutely Fabulous [a hit BBC comedy show at the time] twice.

Dan: Do you think your club turned more people onto the ideas of counterculture and new ways of thinking, partying and generally offered them an alternative to the life they had somehow been forced to live by?

Fraser: Yeah. I mean you’d go to a club and you’d see your friends and they say what was it like and you’d be like...what can I say... ‘The DJ’s playing’. There isn’t much else you can say. We wanted to provide more. Then you can tell your friends about it and there is a story and of course that will make people want to come. Fraser: It was all ages too. We were not exclusive with our door policy. All we asked was that you came with an open mind – that was seen as quite radical. James: A cross-generational mix, which would normally happen at festivals but not at clubs. Dan: How come I had never heard of Megatripolis, yet clubs like the Haçienda in Manchester are known worldwide? Fraser: We were the underground and the underground is one of the few things that can exist without the world’s glare. It’s like plants need the sun to survive. Photosynthesis. We were the soil that the plants sprouted from and that’s why you didn’t know about us. But we were just as vital, if not more so, than the sunlight.

! eace ! 12

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APRIL 2009

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CRAIG LAWRENCE

100

Ipswich, Christmas decorations, cocktails and Felixstowe’s amusement arcades are Craig Lawrence’s inspirations, and he’s the boy wonder whose unique, proportion-challenging knitwear has been an integral part of several of Gareth Pugh’s influential collections. Having also worked for Levi’s and garnering media attention and industry support from the likes of Italian Vogue no less, he’s now all set to go over the top with his first solo collection being shown at this season’s London Fashion Week. SUPERSUPER’s Hope Von Joel met up with this rising star to find out more . . .

SUPERSUPER: So what made you choose Central Saint Martins as your study base? CRAIG: I heard Central Saint Martins was one of the most creative and well established places to study fashion and only a few people got in so quite inquisetvlay i gave it a go to see how far I got. SS: You spent your childhood in Ipswich and now live in London, are there any childhood memories of your home-town that influence you today? C: Yes there’s a few. I love visiting Felixstowe with its pier and little amusement arcades. There’s also a really good market there on a Sunday where you can pick up lots of snazzy knick knacks. Great Yarmouth’s great as well with the amazing Louis Tussaud Waxworks Museum where you get to see the sunken and droopy faces of lots of the great stars. SS: Since London is such an architecturally stunning city, has architecture influenced the construction and form that your garments take? C: Not really, I’m more drawn to the architecture of smaller more sparkly bits and pieces, like Christmas and cocktail decorations. I like finding inspiration from things I can play with in my hand. SS: Your approach to knitwear has been described as ‘extreme and revolutionary’, who have been your primary influences? C: Performance artist such as Andrei Bartenev and Leigh Bowery for their exploration of shape, form and their explosive use of colour. SS: You have worked with high profile collaborations such as Gareth Pugh and Levi’s, pretty impressive names. How did you find those experiences? C: Levis was fun as I was/am one of their originals. We took friends into the shop to collect free stuff, and for that I was rewarded a box of expensive yarn that I’m using for my collection that I’m knitting now. SS: Who is your favourite current fashion designer? C: My favourite designer at the minute is is Sandra Backlund. SS: If you had to describe your current collection in one just word, what would it be? C: Cocktails. SS: What is your favourite film and book of all time? C: ‘Stand By Me’ is my favourite film ever. I wish was a part of their gang. My favourite book would be Martin Parr’s Seaside Town photography book – I swear I was just out of shot in a few of his photographs. SS: Do you worry at all – and if so about what? C: Yes I do worry. I worry about a lot of things but mostly about what I’m knitting. When I’m knitting, worry goes around and around and round in my head all day long! SS: What would be the answer to your dreams career-wise? C: My dreams are coming true. Im livin’ it and lovin’ it!

NEXTGEN

MARK FAST MARK FAST’S DEBUT S/S 09 SHOW IS ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED EVENTS OF LONDON FASHION WEEK. Only one year after graduating from Central St Martin’s, Mark has already made waves within the industry with his innovative and complex knits rightfully causing quite a stir amongst the experts – especially the jury of last year’s ITS competition. Showing at On/ Off alongside Alexander Koutny and Rozalb de Mura, his collection was certainly the highlight of the show. The remarkable thing about Mark’s clothes are the techniques he uses – the fine mix of Lycra and viscose threads interwoven with holes and knitted fringes epitomise the grungy yet sophisticated looks he creates. Kept within a strict palette of white, red, black and blue, the clothes had a couture-like quality, skimming the body like intricate elastic cobwebs. “I design for a woman who knows what she wants and what she’s getting herself into” said Mark after the show, with confidence being high on the agenda of the criteria a girl needs to pull off his dark, body conscious creations. The show left hordes of girls lusting after Mark’s work, including ‘it’ girl Peaches Geldof who personally came to congratulate him in the shows wake. Mark began to study fashion at Seneca College in Toronto, Canada and at the time he had never heard of Central St. Martins. Luckily for him (and for us) he befriended a tutor who opened his eyes and mind to the limitless and exciting range of possibilities and opportunities that only London could provide. Application forms filled out, acceptance notices received and bags packed Marks journey was about to begin. That was five years ago, and Mark has never looked back since as it was very early on upon his arrival in London that he would discover the tool that he would shape his creative career and leave us basking the awe of his talent. “At Seneca I had studied flat patterning, and thought that this was really it for me. But then one day I was walking down Well Street, in Hackney, and I found the most amazing domestic knitting machine at a charity shop. It was about a week before they were going out of business, and I couldn’t imagine why they had this massive sewing machine and what they were going to do with it. I almost didn’t buy it because I didn’t know how to use it, but luckily i did. I taught myself the basics, working my around this new found tool and ever since then it is the only machine that I have used.” With a little luck, a lot of perseverance Mark Fast has become a bonafied genius of knits. Wielding a complex yet intricate arsenal of stitches to exalt and enhance the female form. Yet while his technical skill is far reaching, his methodology is remarkably basic. “I always start with the body and the extensions off the body. I get inspired by the severity of stitches as they expand and contrast across the body’s curves, creating an interesting interplay with revealing and concealing elements. I am also inspired by the astounding range of possibilities that the various stitch patterns provide.” It was this concentrated approach and distinctive sense of style that has already won him a great deal of recognition – and this is only the start of his career. His graduation collection won him the i-D styling

award at the prestigious ITS#7 Fashion Festival in Trieste, and he was recently selected by ON|OFF to present his ﬁrst professional collection on the runway during London Fashion Week. He has also had the opportunity to work with successful designers such as Bora Atsu and Elber Albaz for Lanvin. The experience of working alongside some of the best in the business has been formative for Fast, as they provided him with an entirely new perspective on his work; “Bora Atsu is such an amazing person and free spirit. I worked with him for a couple of seasons, and he became such a major mentor for me. I gained so much knowledge and experience there. It was very nurturing. Then I worked for Elber Albaz on a project. Just being in his presence for a short time was truly inspirational. Learning how he works really changed me. He saw my work from a completely different perspective - for him it was like tribal jewellery.” Fast used these experiences to clarify his vision and gain spurred him on to continue with his work and his own determined vision. Mark has come to realise that it is the meticulous care and hands-on quality of his production that makes his designs so valuable and unique particularly in an industry bent rather worryingly on speed and trends; “Really, there is so much fast fashion out there. I want to create pieces that are different from everything else. Pieces that focus on the craftsmanship and the artistry behind them. The fact that I use a mechanical knitting machine means that each piece requires a substantial time of investment. For me, this slowness is important, because it gives each piece a special quality that cannot be massproduced. I’m creating an elegance that is unique and can survive the test of time. There is nothing disposable about my work. I focus on the beauty of the woman’s body, not layering it with so many unnecessary accoutrements and bulk.” The key for Fast is to never stray far from the source, be that in terms of inspiration or the tools and materials he uses, often returning to Canada regularly to visit family yet also to escape the hectic London lifestyle that while inspirational, can also have a diminishing effect on creative talent. “When I go back to Canada, it’s like a refreshing breeze. It is the best time to think, because going along the highway and wandering through vast ﬁelds there is little to distract me: just the peacefulness of space itself. There is nothing like the quiet and natural beauty of being in a forest after the rain. My SS09 collection was inspired by the ritual eagle sun dance of the Ojibwa natives of Canada. Witnessing one of their dances is just so profoundly amazing to experience. The dance is all about the movement of the spirit, something which i try to incorporate into the way I work subsequently into the pieces I design.”

Art Direction and Styling by Jamie E17 Photography by Kim Jakobsen To Hair by Charlie Le Mindu using Fudge for www.charlielemindu.com Make up by Thomas De Kluyver using NARS Models Gui Carotti, Marc Jorden

Voo

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U DO

102

Marc wears Hat by Manish Arora American football harness by Petra Storrs Swimwear by Speedo Leggings by KTZ Socks by Topshop

Gui wears Rhino bumbag by Marjan Pejoski Neckalce by Smiffyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bubble wig by Charlie Le Mindu

d o o

o o

o Marc wears Shirt by Makin Jan Ma Fringed cap by Ryan Styles Mouse Brooch by Adele Mosses

o Gui wears Jumpsuit by Dharma Taylor Denim jacket by Komakino Skull wig by Charlie Le Mindu

Marc wears Jewelled cap by KTZ Galaxy shirt by Makin Jan Ma Shorts by Komakino

Marc wears Bowler hat from the Electric Ballroom T-shirt by Dharma Taylor Jersey jacket by Dharma Taylor Gloves by KTZ

thesupersuper.com

108

L to R: Louis wears jeans by ACNE, shirt by EROTOKRITOS, visor by HUSAM EL ODEH @ FANNY AND THE CAVE Alison wears dress by H&M, jacket by VIVIENNE WESTWOOD @ FANNY AND THE CAVE, bracelet by TOMMY HILFIGER Louis wears shirts and shorts by TOMMY HILFIGER, sunglasses by ELEY KISHIMOTO

Fashion by Thomas Sels

all blues

L to R: Alison wears shorts and top by CACHAREL, hat by FANNY AND THE CAVE Alison wears coat and swim-combo by ACNE, tights by ELEY KISHIMOTO, shoes by ASLAN TURK Louis wears shirt, t-shirt and jeans by ACNE, shoes by POINTER Louis wears polo-shirt by SATYENKUMAR hat by TOMMY HILFIGER, jeans by ACNE

LOOK OF TH N O M E H T

Bobbi Brown Brights You need this palette in your life. Neons, pastels and blocks all live in perfect colour harmony, in this exquisite set from Bobbi Brown. £49, bobbibrown.co.uk

Fendi Nails Oh no you di-unt! Take a look at these manicurial masterpieces, yours in a couple of clicks at ioffer.com

Anatomicals Kiss Artist This trio of treats will make your mouth and your loved one very happy. Anatomicals Kiss Artist set contains a juicy lip balm, mints and breath spray. Mwah! £5.50, asos.com

Make-up artist extraordinaire, Pat McGrath, waves her magic blush brush once again to create this perfect look, backstage at the SS09 John Galliano show.

As an Arabian princess, appearance is everything. Firstly, I keep my raven locks looking hot-to-death with TRESemme’s Smooth Memory Straightening Spray. My almonds eyes are courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent’s curltastic Effet Faux Cils mascara. Just a touch of Jelly Pong Pong’s Chic Shine on the cheeks and a slick of Korres lip butter on my regal pout, means my Aladdin doesn’t even think of looking at another girl!

SUPERHERO BEAUTY SECRETS Princess Jasmine

y k e e ch heats c Green Tea

Blotchy skin? Dunk a bag of green tea in hot water for a minute, let it cool down, and dab it over your face. The antioxidants in the tea take down inflammation. Genius.

Powdered Milk

Asses milk is so hard to come by since all the EU regulations came into force (can’t even get a bottle of gold top round my way) so for Cleopatra-soft skin, try adding powdered milk to your bath and soak like an Egyptian.

Preparation H

Widely used for, erm, bum problems, Prep H works wonders on puffy eyes and is renowned for reducing lines in the peeper area.

L to R: Alison wears top & shoes by ASLAN TURK, dress by COOPERATIVEDESIGNS, tights by ELEY KISHIMOTO Louis wears jacket by DAVIDDAVID, t-shirt by ACNE, trousers by H&M, belt by TOMMY HILFIGER, shoes by POINTER Alison wears trousers by ARMAND BASI ONE, jacket by THOMAS SELS, top by ACNE, hat by FANNY AND THE CAVE Alison wears jumper-dress, foulard and bracelet by TOMMY HILFIGER

SUPERBEAUTY

Hey chicas es chicos! It’s springtime and momma’s gonna make you look real pretty! We’re channelling Persia something rotten this issue. Think warm golds, sunset oranges, rose petal pinks and freshly mown greens detailed with midnight black and royal blue.

Plus, we’ve rounded up the best beauty bits your cashola can buy...

Bulgari Bulgari’s new springtime scent is a joy to behold. Fresh White Peony, Pear Blossom and Jasmine give their top notes to this jade fragrance. And your dressing table is just crying out for that bottle, baby! Prices start at £25.00.

Agent Provocateur Crème d’Amour Sexy Agent Provocateur have created a sexy, soufflé-light body crème. The sumptuous pink moisturiser captures Saffron oil from India, Egyptian Jasmine and Vetivert from Haiti. £38, agentprovocateur.com Call 0845 688 3343 for stockists.

Phytospecific Simply put, Phytospecific’s growth serum is nothing short of a modern miracle. Use twice a week and you’ll be giving Rapunzel a run for her money. £35 phytospecific.com

Step 3

Amazin ya done!! Now go clubbing with ya sexy hair but don’t get too trashed otherwise you won’t look so classy anymore, but like a freak with a giant pineapple on the head!

Step 7 HAIR : CHARLIE LE MINDU USING FUDGE FOR WWW.CHARLIELEMINDU.COM MAKE UP : THOMAS DE KLUYVER using NARS Cosmetics//Pics: K-Y-M

Strickly for the fellas, Billy Jealousy’s White Knight Gentle Daily Facial Cleanser should replace that shrunken scrap of Imperial Leather you’ve been using since Bush was in power. £18.50 billyjealousy.co.uk Available at ASOS.com Oh my dizzaze! Those geniuses at MAC have hooked up with the friendliest of felines to create the must have Hello Kitty collection. Smashing. Prices start at £9, maccosmetics.co.uk

SUPER MAKE-OVER Step 2

Billy Jealousy

MAC Hello Kitty

RMK Translucent Eyes These new Anemone cheek and eye colours from RMK, encapsulate this season’s hottest colours in a neat compact. £30, call 0207 318 3538 or hit: rmkrmk.com/global

Step 1

Going Up!

Paul & Joe Disney Bambi Face Powder

We loves it! Design duo Paul and Joe made a call and two twos, Bambi became the face of their new face powder – Tremendous! £17.75, asos.com

Rihanna

Hot darn girl! As if your fineness wasn’t killing us enough already, you go and smash up the dancehall with your Smiley nails. Frikkin fabulous.

Ebony Garwood Before hair and make up. Sexy but need a little something don’t u think?

Step 4

Now wet your hair babe! Use just a water spray, But make it REALLY wet.

Step 5

Root Juice from Fudge... It’s the best product for this hairstyle. apply lots of mousse on your roots!

Step 6

You need to pay a visit to hair magician, Ebony Garwood. This fine young thang can turn the hayiest of hair into flaxen gold. Get an appointment at the Adee Phelan salon, 29 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden, London, 0207 240 3777.

Virgin Skin Smoothie

Comb everything in the direction of ya bangs into a really tight ponytail!

Get ya Dalston extentions, make some plates and tighten them around the ponytail really tight! Attach the plattes with pins.

Dry the top of the ponytail, put some hardcore hairspray on and Remenber the tighter the better! SEXY INNIT!

Virgin’s new Skin Smoothie is choc full of raspberries, pomegranate and almonds, leaving one’s body looking well buff. £10, virginvieathome.com

FASHION DIRECTION Thomas Sels PHOTOGRAPHY Dave Purgas HAIR Matsushita Hiroshi using Bumble&Bumble MAKE UP Alicia Samuels using M.A.C. PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSISTANCE Hannah Logic STYLING ASSISTANCE Ruqy Mian MODELS Louis @ D1, Alison @ Premier Special thanks to “Fanny and the Cave”

LOOK OF TH N O M E H T

Bobbi Brown Brights You need this palette in your life. Neons, pastels and blocks all live in perfect colour harmony, in this exquisite set from Bobbi Brown. £49, bobbibrown.co.uk

Fendi Nails Oh no you di-unt! Take a look at these manicurial masterpieces, yours in a couple of clicks at ioffer.com

Anatomicals Kiss Artist This trio of treats will make your mouth and your loved one very happy. Anatomicals Kiss Artist set contains a juicy lip balm, mints and breath spray. Mwah! £5.50, asos.com

Make-up artist extraordinaire, Pat McGrath, waves her magic blush brush once again to create this perfect look, backstage at the SS09 John Galliano show.

SUPERHERO BEAUTY SECRETS Princess Jasmine

y k e e ch heats c Green Tea

Blotchy skin? Dunk a bag of green tea in hot water for a minute, let it cool down, and dab it over your face. The antioxidants in the tea take down inflammation. Genius.

Powdered Milk

Preparation H

Widely used for, erm, bum problems, Prep H works wonders on puffy eyes and is renowned for reducing lines in the peeper area.

SUPERBEAUTY

Hey chicas es chicos! It’s springtime and momma’s gonna make you look real pretty!

with Laurie Hadleigh laurie@thesupersuper.com

We’re channelling Persia something rotten this issue. Think warm golds, sunset oranges, rose petal pinks and freshly mown greens detailed with midnight black and royal blue. Plus, we’ve rounded up the best beauty bits your cashola can buy...

Phytospecific Simply put, Phytospecific’s growth serum is nothing short of a modern miracle. Use twice a week and you’ll be giving Rapunzel a run for her money. £35 phytospecific.com

Going Up! Billy Jealousy

MAC Hello Kitty

Oh my dizzaze! Those geniuses at MAC have hooked up with the friendliest of felines to create the must have Hello Kitty collection. Smashing. Prices start at £9, maccosmetics.co.uk RMK Translucent Eyes These new Anemone cheek and eye colours from RMK, encapsulate this season’s hottest colours in a neat compact. £30, call 0207 318 3538 or hit: rmkrmk.com/global

SUPER MAKEOVER #1

with CHARLIE LE MINDU

Paul & Joe Disney Bambi Face Powder

We loves it! Design duo Paul and Joe made a call and two twos, Bambi became the face of their new face powder – Tremendous! £17.75, asos.com

Rihanna

HAIR : CHARLIE LE MINDU USING FUDGE FOR WWW.CHARLIELEMINDU.COM MAKE UP : THOMAS DE KLUYVER using NARS Cosmetics//Pics: K-Y-M

Hot darn girl! As if your fineness wasn’t killing us enough already, you go and smash up the dancehall with your Smiley nails. Frikkin fabulous.

Ebony Garwood STEP 1: Before hair and make up. Sexy but need a little something don’t u think?

STEP 2: Now wet your hair babe! Use just a water spray, But make it REALLY wet.

STEP 3: Root Juice from Fudge... It’s the best product for this hairstyle. Apply lots of mousse on your roots!

Virgin Skin Smoothie

STEP 4: Comb everything in the direction of ya bangs into a really tight ponytail!

STEP 5: Get some extentions, make some plaits & tighten them around the ponytail really tight! Attach the plaits with pins.

STEP 6: Dry the top of the ponytail, put some hardcore hairspray on and Remenber the tighter the better! SEXY INNIT!

Amazin – ya done!! Now go clubbing with ya sexy hair but don’t get too trashed otherwise you won’t look so classy anymore, but like a freak with a giant pineapple on your head!

Virgin’s new Skin Smoothie is choc full of raspberries, pomegranate and almonds, leaving one’s body looking well buff. £10, virginvieathome.com

#15

G Girl Gang www.girlgang.co.uk Gola www.golaclassics.com H H&M www.hm.com Hackett www.hackett.com Hederus www.juliahederus.com Husam el Odeh www.fannyandthecave.com I Ice Cream www.bbcicream.com Inbar Spector www.inbarspector.com Isaacymanu www.isaacymanu.com J Jamie Bruski Tetsill www.jamiebruskitetsill.com Jean Charles de Castelbajac www.jc-de-castelbajac.com Jean Pierre Braganza www.jeanpierrebraganza.com JoJo&Malou www.jojoandmalou.com Junk Food www.junkfoodclothing.com K Komakino www.komakinodesign.com KTZ www.kokontozai.co.uk L Lacoste www.lacoste.com Lightnin Jim www.withoutbackbones.com Lonchamp www.longchamp.com Louis Vuitton www.louisvuitton.com Lulu Guinness www.luluguinness.com

B Babycakes www.bbycks.com Basso & Brooke www. bassoandbrooke.net Barbour www.barbour.com Bench www.bench.co.uk Bernard Chandran www. bernardchandran.com Beyond Retro www.beyondretro.com

C Cacharel www.net-a-porter.com Camper www.camper.com Cooperative Designs www. cooperative-designs.com Converse www.converse.com C.P Company www.cpcompany.co.uk D D&G www.davidclulow.co.uk Daviddavid www.daviddavid.co.uk DKNY www.dkny.com Dharma Taylor www.dharmataylor.com Disney Couture www.asos.com E Ecko 01604679245 Eley Kishimoto www.eleykishimoto.com Eroto Kritos www.erotokritos.com F Fanny and the Cave www.fannyandthecave.com Firetrap www.ﬁretrap.com Fred Perry www.fredperry.com

R Reebok www.reebok.com Red or Dead www.redordead.com Rock Smith www.rocksmithtokyo.com Roxy www.roxy.com Ryan Styles www.ryanstyles.com S SatyanKumar www.satyenkumar.co.uk Smiffys www.smiffys.com Sohos Retail www.sohos.co.uk Speedo www.speedo.com Stamp’d LA www.stampdla.com Swarovski www.swarovski.com T The Electric Ballroom www.electric-ballroom.co.uk Thomas Sels www.myspace.com/hausse_skyy T Magic www.tmagicworld.com Tommy Hilﬁger www.TommyHilﬁger.co.uk Topshop www.topshop.com T Vagabond www.vagabond.com Vivienne Westwood www. viviennewestwood.co.uk W Walter Van Bierendonck www.waltervanbeirendonck.com Wolford www.wolford.com Y YES/NO/MAYBE www.yesnomaybe.co.uk

SUPER STOCKISTS

N Nike www.nike.com Nixon www.nixonnow.com O Onitsuka Tiger www.onitsukatiger.co.uk

(All contributors credits as ‘Wonky’ story on p82)

A ACNE shop.acnestudios.com Agent Provoccateur www. agentprovocateur.com Alex Mattsson www.myspace.com/vonﬁstlip American Apparel www. americanapparel.net Antoni & Alison +44 (0) 207 833 2141 Armand Basi www.armandbasi.com AslanTurk www.aslanturk.eu Augustina Charms www. augustinaboutiques.com Avsh Alom Gur www.avshalomgur.com

Billionaire Boys Club www.bbcicream.com

This page: Top by PPQ Head scarf from Beyond Retro Leggings by Topshop Shoes (with tights over them) Stylist’s own Tights (cut off into socks) by H&M

>> 55DSL www.55dsl.com 6876 www.seveneightsevensix.com

M Makin Jan Ma www.makinjanma.com Manish Arora www.manisharora.ws Marjan Pejoski www.marjanpejoski.com Mawi www.brownsfashion.com Mindless Mammals www.myspace. com/mindlessmammals Moschino www.moschino.com Mr Wingate www.wingateprint.com Myla www.myla.com

P Penfield www.penfieldusa.com Perfectly Flawed www.perfectlyflawed.co.uk Petra Storrs www.petrastorrs.com Piers Atkinson www.piersatkinson.com Pointer www.pointerfootwear.com PPQ www.ppqclothing.com Projekt NYC www.projektsnyc.com Punky Pins www.punkypins.co.uk

S C

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“SUPERART”

SUPERART With Nicky Carvell nicky@thesupersuper.com

LOOK OUT FOR

header

Willingness for the Moment (2008) (Taxidermied arctic fox, UV fluorescent tubes, glass, electronic ballasts + wire)

SUPERSUPER caught up with young Canadian born artist Steve Bishop to talk titles, fur and what it is like to graduate as an artist in uncertain times!

STEVE BISHOP

SUPERSUPER: Hi Steve! I recently saw your final show at the Royal College and was struck by the elegant yet eerie presence of your work. How was your experience studying there? Steve: Hi Nicky! The Royal College was a great environment to be in, purely because you are surrounded by really aspirational people all involved in their own ideas. It makes you work hard. SS: Do you like Josephine Meckseper’s work at all? She addresses notions of the beauty industry much like your concrete perfume bottles do - the aesthetic of her work is also highly polished. S: I’m not too familiar with her work but I’m sure we both share a love of early Koons. With the perfume bottle and animal pieces, I was really interested in the joins, of where the two objects meet and overlap. I wanted them to attempt to occupy the same space; to induce the reading of the two together. It was really a tangle of charged erotic and exoticism, luxury and beauty meeting. SS: Titles such as ‘Christian Dior J’adore (Mountain Goat)’ directly allude to the content of your work, but others such as ‘Willingness for the Moment’ are far more poetic. Are there different ambitions involved between these pieces? S: I made text-based work when I was starting out in college, and so have a soft spot for the potential poeticism of short phrases. The title ‘Willingness for the Moment’ referred to the way in which you could/couldn’t try to see the work as an image. With the ‘Christian Dior...’ title, I felt the piece was loaded enough with the reference,

118

that simply juxtaposing the titles of the components (brand & animal) brought up enough image and confusion in the mind. SS: How do you see your work developing from this? S: After completing these works, I found my interest with fur, at least, lay in the visceral and sensual combination of fur meeting something. I recently completed a series of works for a show that used stretched fur rugs as the basis for collages made up of torn up cosmetic adverts. I wanted to strip the fur of its figuration. Partly as a reaction to the reading of the previous works, but also as it can be seen more for what it really is. SS: The piece ‘Staring at Cat Staring at Cat Staring’ evokes a sci-fi laser vision kind of absurdity-where do you think humour fits into your work? S: Its a tough one to talk or think about. If there is an element of it there, it would be something that came out naturally. Once you analyse a joke it stops being funny anyway. SS: There seems to be a proliferation of works being made by young artists about mysticism and spirituality right now. Is your work concerned with these notions at all? S: I don’t think so. At least not directly. I think proliferation like this come from the mass social conscience of artists figuring out a way in which to make an art object, and to justify a reason for it to be there. If it occurs enough, it becomes a trend. SS: Do you have any advice for younger artists emerging at the moment, especially with the unpredictable financial climate? S: Work hard! Some Thing to Believe in - Pianissimo, Milan runs until 21st Feb 2009. Unheimlich - The Nunnery, London opens 30th January and runs until 14th Feb 2009.

Up and coming events you should check out

1. Simon Bedwell - The Asphalt World, Studio Voltaire, London until 15th Feb. Throughout the 90’s Bedwell was part of the group Bank, most famous for their ‘Fax back’service to galleries, slagging them off in a juvenile yet indisputable manner. In this latest solo show Bedwell presents his found posters, defacing the pouting advertisements with dripping paint in morose colours creating an atmosphere of restrained melancholy. Let’s hope he doesn’t get his hands on Super Super! www.studiovoltaire.org 2. Boo Saville - Butter Sunk, Trolley Gallery, London 29th Jan - 14th March. Taking a captivating look at decaying corpses, the intensity of Boo Saville’s drawings hinges on their meticulous detail and the rendering of such abhorrent subject matter in such an intimate way. Her paintings concentrate more on the fleshing out of the figure yet still retain a sense of the uncanny. myspace.com/boosaville

3. Ben Jones - The New Dark Age, Deitch Projects, New York. 5th Feb - 28th Feb. You may have already guessed that I consider Paper Rad to indeed be RAD! In this show at Deitch’s Grand Street location, one of their main protagonists Ben Jones promises such delights as ‘Neon Organic Aztec Spandex’ and endeavours to “bring a blinding glimpse at darkly comic heart of the internet generation gone wild.” I can’t wait for this Super Spectacle and the dawn of the New Dark Age! www.deitch.com

4. Jonathan Meese -CASINOZ BABYMETABOLISMN, Modern Art, London. 15th Jan - 21st Feb. Meese Gets messy again in the latest show at the Modern Art’s west end space. Scarlet Johannson is cut out and smeared with a gluey substance whilst weighty Germanic bronze sculptures defiantly occupy their luxurious plinths. A fluffy toy unicorn is splattered with red paint and the windows plastered with self-defaced digital prints. www.modernart.net

5. Tate Triennial - Altermodern. Tate Britain - 3rd Feb-26th April. Presenting an overview of rising young artists in Britain today, Tate’s latest Triennial aims to discuss the end of Postmodernism with the concept of the ‘Altermodern’ as globalisation is encouraged by the internet and increased travel. Artists include Spartacus Chetwynd, Matthew Darbyshire and Bob and Roberta Smith. www.tate.org.uk/britain 6. Cult of the Artist. Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, until 22nd Feb 2009. Stretching through a series of halls in one of the main art museums in Berlin, this show endeavours to deconstruct the myth of the Artist. Ugo Rondinone’s piece ‘Where do we go from here?’ is exhibited in a wooden hut detached from the rest of the show; four large projections of semi conscious slumping clowns surround you creating a an atmosphere of moving absurdity. www.hamburgerbahnhof.de 7. Wallis dies and goes to Paradise, Paradise Row, London. 17th Jan -15th Feb 2009. “It was amazing. There was puke on the stairs.” This show in East London presents the work of seventeen young artists, paying homage to the artists-run space The Wallis Gallery which existed in Hackney Wick between 2007 and 2008. The work varies between paintings to floor based work through to video and is described as a heartfelt tribute. www.paradiserow.com

IS TECHNO THE NEW RETRO

aRE we NOW aT THE POINT AT WHICH ‘MODERN’ TECHNOLOGY HAS BECOME KITSCH? Words by Nicky Carvell I had a strange experience whilst walking around a show recently; it was almost as if I was watching myself in a film - John Malkovich style. The show was Mail Order Monsters at Max Wigram’s project space and the floor was an eye popping acid green. As soon as I entered the gallery I forgot the gritty London streets outside and every other sensibility I possessed disappeared except for my vision which was incisively seduced. Ultimately, I felt like I had been absorbed into an idealistic realm of vibrant colour and form. This may sound absolutely lovely, however another sense then came into play weighing down the initial dazzle. This was one of deja-vu, of a sinister familiarity awakened by the imagery I was sure I had encountered this situation before? The answer is that I probably had; much of the work’s impact hinged on popular imagery, of

a shared public vocabulary of Americanised trashy B-movie imagery and 80’s/90’s colour combos of flamingo pink, snot green and seafoam turquoise. I adore these formal relationships; I genuinely get turned on when green slime gloops over a purple prism or a monster munches on some fluorescent pixels, and from this show I could see that I was not alone. So where does this desire for this lo-fi/horror movie/Super Mario aesthetic emerge from, and where is it heading to? Paper Rad are a West-Coast American Artist collective who are seriously psychedelic, not in a stoned 70’s hippy way but in a more technologically plugged in format. Producing animations, music, performances and publications, they embrace collaborative cultural output and take it onto a idealised level of fantasy. Enjoying the simple things in life such as pizza and computer games, it is as though they are still bouncing off their adolescent bedroom walls, existing between the innocent rapture of childhood and the responsible output that adulthood brings with it. The work exudes serious fun and produces

Dearraindrop ‘Hidden In’ @ V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark Photography by Christopher Kucinski

an infectious sense of optimism through it. Dearraindrop are an American collective 5 artists strong and WOW! everything about them is overwhelmingly strong intensified colours encased by thick liquorice lines, dilated gaping eyeballs (some of their characters must be related to our Stefan!) and a riot of unadulterated colours lead to a futuristic vision through chaotic yet harmonic means. Show titles such as ‘The Wet Rainbow” and “Magic Brain” encapsulate their unabashed love of all things fantastical; who else would dream to build a massive psychedelic sphinx with flashing graphics on TV monitors for eyes? This is what is so endearing about them. Even though all of the work is produced to idealised levels, it never loses its humanity due to simplistic armature of chunky cut out shapes indulged to the point of excess- think Tetris smeared with Ghostbusters Ecto Plazm. The curator of Mail Order Monsters Kathy Grayson comments; “But the real excitement of all this monstering is that it is true pop alchemy: artists capture

the state of the figure today by blending this crappy, boring, depressing shitstorm of visual culture with their own version of Art history and their own style to make something compelling. Tired of being ruled by the ingrained system, these artists are getting together, making their own shows and responding with their own monstrous form of Post Pop. This transatlantic influence indicates where a lot of art in London is now heading; humanised abstraction, nostalgic futurism and excessive dynamism. Grabbing everything from the pick‘n’mix of imagery available on the net and consuming it all at once! Proceed, consume, react. We are the future!

Fancy yourself as the next Damien Hirst? Then do your research first by reading this engaging & highly insightful book. Packed with insider info, and amusing anecdotes, it charts the rise of the YBAs and the times they inhabited. Essential reading! Lucky Kunst by Gregor Muir is out now Published by Aurum Press £14.99

www.sohosclothing.com

ONLY ANARCHISTS ARE PRETTY TOP £11.99 HELL BUNNY DARKO STRETCH SKINNY JEANS £14.99

E L A S E L A S E L A S

SUPERmusik!

Let’s get back

BACK ..TO BASICS

If 2008 was a year of unfulfilled promise and well, not enough tunes, 2009 is already looking to be an altogether brighter proposition! Billy iDle explains...

“

Yo! What’s popping peeps?? Is it just me or was 2008 a bit of a strange year in music? Somewhere down the line it seemed to me like actual MUSIC (you know, that magical combination of notes and rhythms) drifted to the background in a lot of scenes.

Don’t get me wrong, I was going out and enjoying myself as much as the next man, but I got the feeling more than ever that in 08 music faded to become some sort of sonic chewing gum, taking a back seat to certain other things. I’m not even talking about one specific genre either. Indie, Dubstep, Venezuelan Flute Music, you name it, I don’t think I felt compelled to bound over to a DJ booth to ask exactly what the hell the tune they were playing was called once!! But still…Bun dat! This is SuperSuper and we’re all about the Optimism, and as disappointed as I may have been by last year, I am way more excited about what 09 has in store for us… This is partly because everyone seems to be getting back to basics and in touch with the pure essence of what ignited our passions for various genres (and non genre’s!) in the first place. Take Diplo’s new protégé Rye Rye for example. Her tune ‘Shake it To the Ground’ might not be the most sophisticated or polished production going, but it has a stripped back, unapologetic rawness that makes it sound soooo fresh and compelling. In grime, after a year of artists desperately embracing polished electro as a means of fast tracking themselves to a appearance on T4, MC’s like Griminal, Tempa T, Jendor and Ghetts are finally bringing back that original sense of energy and edge to the genre and getting people excited about it all over again. Likewise, this whole ‘Funky’ sound that’s clogging up the pirate radio frequencies right now is all about mashing up the primal percussive elements of various street music styles to create something new and undeniable. Who needs melodies when you’ve got rhythms like these?! There are no pretensions here, just ‘dance’ music in the purest sense of the world. Further a field in indie, Grunge-noir/Darkwavers Experiment On a Bird in An Air Pump are ploughing their own deceptively similar path. They might be utilising howling feedback and real instruments to sculpt their rhythmic racket but the sentiment remains, it’s all about harnessing that raw, instinctive creative spark and serving it up with the magic still intact, something which these girls are masters of.

So, if this year’s gonna prove anything what’s it gonna be? Well basically that simple IS clever, and in 09 archly polished artifice will never be a match for raw, untamed attitude and passion with a good idea to back it up. I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna be a good one!! Words: Billy Idle Art: Dan Szor

RY E

let me see you go down low...

! p U g n i o G NASA Hip Hop’s most talked about project of 2008 are about to drop there debut album. Expect colabs with MIA, Santogold, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This is gonna blast off bigtime! GIRL DRUMMERS 2009 is all about having a bit of ‘chic’ behind those skins. BALTIMORE Forget Brooklyn and make a B line to Baltimore. URBAN HIPPIES Wear a flower in your hair, get on the tube and take a trip. NEW EARS Manchester blog and forthcoming label tell us how it is. PUNKS IN PRADA Europes answer to Boombox? SUICIDE Alan Vega’s seminal punk/post punk/no wave band seem to be the refrence point for the dark wave set. FAULT LINE (DEMO) O.Childrens get all sentimental on us. Ace tune alert.

V.V Brown’s debut single ‘Crying Blood’ could be mistaken for a rather messy affair. The musical equivalent of an emo bloodbath perhaps? In fact, it

couldn’t be further from the truth. V.V’s not the sort to feel sorry for herself. If she’s not off touring Lagos with Damon Albarn or touring with The Ting Tings she’s off performing catchy indie-doo-wop ditties on the likes of Jools Holland, and all this at the tender age of only 24. SUPERSUPER caught up with VV to talk love, Tina Turner and errrrm...bangers and mash :)?

SS: How's it going? VV: Yeah good...i'm stuffed though. Just had lunch and I'm completely not conforming to my diet... SS: Ah yeah, I hate when you make a conscious effort to eat better and because you've done that you end up eating worse. Did you have a good Xmas and New year? VV:Yeah I did. It was really good. Really beautiful. I spent it with my family in Northampton. SS: What's it like there? VV: Umm small..everyone knows each other, very down to earth. Completely different from London. SS: Do you think growing up in Northampton was better for you musically? In terms of it being less about the idea of 'fame' perhaps, and more about cultivating a sound? VV: Yeah I think being in a small town you get a clearer sense of reality. But I don't know, for me it was just lots of different experiences. Living in London, Northampton, LA, New York...it was a collective thing aswell. I guess it's all about the individual. SS:You went touring in Tokyo when you were 15 right? VV: Yeah when I was fifteen - that was an experience. I got lost trying to get back to the train station from the hotel and noone spoke english, the only word I knew was 'arigato' which is thank you...that didn't really help though lol. SS: Who were you touring with? VV: I was singing in a gospel group. I think that was one of my first ever touring gigs and it was crazy! We were only a small group and these Japanese fans were like backstage chasing us!! It was mad. SS: You sang with your church choir as well didn't you? VV: Yeah, I kind of grew up in church so that kind of gradually happened. Have you seen Tina Turner the film? There's a scene where she's a little girl singing 'This little light of mine' in church, it was like me. I was eight years old in the choir and I remember people saying I had a really big voice. That encouragement kind of made me want to keep singing. SS:So if you hadn't had that experience in church, would you be where you are now? VV: I don't think I would. Church was a massive, massive influence on me

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VV BROWN ?

rather than resigning myself to it, I musically. It also helped me play a lot of thought I’d make something of it. instruments...the piano, the organ, the SS: Was there an element of trumpet. It encourages you to be a multi instrumentalist. empowerment in choosing to juxtapose SS: You've been in the music business the two conflicting ideas perhaps? VV: Well when I wrote it I was like 'wow,' as it were for quite some time...I mean you were a session singer for Madonna because it was definately a way of getting over that period. I think listening to it and Westlife right? What's that like as well, the melody is a sense of hope and what does it involve? VV: It's very...clinical. It paid the rent. around the actual pain of being broken You sort of go in, do your thing, do your hearted. SS: Is the whole album based on this vocals and go home. I never got to meet the artists or anything...some of the break-up? VV: Yeah...I wrote the album in seven songs, you don't even know what songs days. I was just so in love and just like, your singing on. It was just like ' ok, can you sing this..right it's been an hour, you being in L.A - everything was so false and contrived so it didnt hit me until I can go.' got back to the UK. Being home, having SS: So lets talk about your music. You obviously write your own stuff... bangers and mash and just being able to be myself...everything just went like you're quite well-known for standing "BLAAARGH' and came flooding out. up to the big LA bosses and saying SS:I say, it's one of my all time 'NO I don't wanna do that, I want to Word by have NaidatoAlly fantasies, when things don't work out make MY kind of music.' Obviously with someone, to think 'it's fine cos it's worked out now, but I mean at the I'm gonna use this experience and time, was there a period where you did make something out of it.' Sort of like stop and think 'have I really made the revenge through catharsis, to take the right decision?' hurt or whatever and transform it into VV: Oh my god yeah. I actually left LA because of it, and came home and all my success. VV: Yeah, you know he came to one of mates had left university and had salary paid jobs. I was broke and not knowing our gigs! He lives in LA and he came to a gig in Camden. It was really weird. I where my life was going so there were loads of times where I was seriously was just about to sing 'Leave!' which I thinking 'have I really done the right always introduce as ' this next song is about my ex-boyfriend who's a complete thing?' But then you just start making music again and it feels right so you keep arse-hole.' and he literally just walks in on going. to this relatively small un-flashy place, all the way from L.A...and there he is. I just SS: What was your reasoning behind combining such an upbeat melody wet myself..I was so overwhelmed with laughter! in 'Crying blood' with such painful lyrics? You don't really get that a lot.. SS: Lol..were you able to carry on at that point? mostly if a song's about a tragic breakup it's VV: Put it this way - if my record accompanied by, you know, minor company had walked in on that gig I probably wouldn't have got signed chords... because I was actually pissing myself VV: Well I remember at college we started studying Kandinsky. This is gonna with laughter. Just the irony of it all. He sound really nerdy, but at that time he looked really hot though... SS: God don't you hate that though? wasn't allowed to make the kind of art that he wanted. The kind of music he I'd rather they looked really rough. VV: Well he's balding... wanted to make was really groundbreaking but Stalin only wanted SS: Ah that's good Lol. VV: I like that though ;) sort of Russian folk made. So then SS: Do you speak to him? anything he wanted to express, he put underneath the folk - it was his way of VV: We're friends now. It's been like a putting out his feelings and creating the year and a half. We're good. I've had view he wanted to make. That kinda made boyfriends since then. SS: I guess in a way you should thank me think that I want to do something like that. I just thought 'right, him because you got the material for i'm feeling really shitty right now,' so an album out of it?

VV: Haha yeah 'thanks for being a dick...’ lol! SS: So why V.V Brown and not Vanessa? VV: V.V's the nickname my friends gave me. I guess I wanted to be myself, to present myself as the real me, the me that my friends know. I don't want to be one of those people detached from reality that you can't have a conversation with. SS: Do you not worry that by doing that and not having a separate persona for the public that you'll have no privacy? V.V: There is a slight worry of that, but I think it's how you manage it. I think there's lots of artists though who have their privacy but make really good music - Corinne Bailey Rae, The Ting Tings... you can be in the public eye and successful and down to earth and still maintain a certain level of privacy. It can be a bit daunting though, the media. Yesterday I went to the BRITs launch and it was mad when all the paps were there. One of them shouted 'V.V, we heard your favourite colour's green, how do you feel about that??' and I was like 'how do you know my favourite colour?' That was a bit scary, but it comes with the territory. As long as I have my friends and family, and eventually some hot nerdy boyfriend I’ll be alright. SS: Is it true that you're influenced by Ruth Brown and Elvis Presley? VV: Yeah love them both. SS: So is the majority of music you listen to quite old? VV: Yeah I guess. I bought an old record player when I was in Nigeria so I've got a lot of old vinyl that I play on there...but I'm also a huge fan of modern sounds and computer game music. S.S- Is Ruth Brown any relation... seems as you share the same surname? V.V- That'd be amazing. I might find that out. That'd be weird, like some cosmic connection. S.S- In terms of individuality, what would you advise to anyone torn between being what society might 'expect' of them and who they feel they should be? V.V- I would say, always trust your instincts, get to know who you are as a person and always stay true to that. I think once you do that then you'll always be happy about the decisions you make in life. Know yourself, follow your instincts...and just be HAPPY!!!!

Words: Naida Alley

So who is...

“

Being home, having bangers’n’mash and just being able to be myself... then everything just went ‘BLAAARGH’ and came flooding out!

HEADER

O Children seem like smart guys! They’ve clocked that contrary to what you may have heard, the best pop songs aren’t about holding hands and walking into the sunset, but rather lust, murder and dead disco dancers. SuperSuper pulled up a chair with O. Children’s guttural voiced frontman Tobias to chat prison, putting a donk on it and er…ace breasts!!

SS: A lot of your songs have a real strong sense of narrative running through them. Where are you drawing inspiration for these stories from? Are they based on personal experience or drawn from external sources ( books, films etc)? OC: Well, we spend most of our time telling stories. I guess when we play we are telling a slightly overexaggerated account of our personal experiences. Aside from that we also draw a lot of inspiration from iconic western imagery - the desert, gun-slinging, Cowboys and Indians, mirages, Horses etc.

Next Big Thing!

SS:…But then again you have a song called ‘Ace Breast’s’ - is the song meant to be taken as literally as it’s title suggests?? OC: That song can be seen on many different levels. On one hand it could be seen as a celebration of womanhood. As the saying goes, ‘behind every man is a great woman.’…On the other it could be seen as a party song. Something for you to move to. SS: The rest of your music also has a real lustful undercurrent to it (albeit not quite as overt as on ‘Ace Breasts’). Is that representative of you in real life or is it a kind of projection/persona? Basically, what I’m getting at is, are you sex pests?! OC:The answer to that question changes depending on who you ask, but I’d say we’re more or less grounded. If

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you’re turned on by our sound then this is a good thing. Sex Pests? Probably not, but we do alright. SS: Moving on, I couldn’t help but notice via your myspace blog that you got arrested not so long ago. What was that all that about? Nothing to do with the murderous inclinations of your lyrics I hope? OC:Nothing of the sort! It was actually a really boring reason, I just happened to stay in jail for 4 days over a technicality. The most pointless 4 days of my life. SS:A lot of the bands based in and around East London these days are often able to artfully represent the contents of their record collection but never really seem to transcend them. How do you feel you differ from this? You seem a lot more song based for one... OC: Thank you. We try to make sure we write a good song first and foremost. It’s easy enough to be inspired by your favourite records but it’s a lot more fun when you take bits from all your influences and try and make something with an edge. We write memorable songs. We have fun with it. That’s the difference. SS: OK keeping things London themed how important do you feel the environment in which you exist is to the music you make? Do you draw a lot of inspiration, musically or otherwise, from your surroundings? Would O Children be the same band if you were based in, say, Birmingham?

Words by Billy Idle

OC: If we were based in Birmingham we would just put a donk on it.....! No, it helps being in London. Alhough we are not all that inspired by London itself, the scene is great and there’s always something different around every corner. In every alleyway…It’s a trip.

OC: We’re in the studio recording our debut release at the moment (Deadeye Lover// Disco Dancer – that is your SuperSuper exclusive!). It should be out around March//April time depending on who we release with. We can’t really go into much detail but we’ll keep you posted…

SS: Many readers will recognise some members of the band from a certain previous band (Bono Must Die). Other than receiving cease and desist emails from layers affiliated to the man on which the name was based, what inspired the shift in creative direction towards a more classical song format? Would you say O Children represents a more wilfully ‘mature’ sound? OC: Boredom, mainly. As we got older we got wiser and realised that looped lyrics such as ‘I hate the nightbus. It is a disgrace’, although especially catchy, wasn’t really where our heart was. O Children is just another transition in our lives and it feels good. So, yes. O Children is a more mature sound - a mature sound that will hopefully take over your life.

SS: Your name always seems to crop up in ‘most likely too’ and ‘tipped for 09’ kinda conversations. Are you actually signed yet or planning to release anything? Any exclusive news for us?

OC: Harry is from Durham so we’re pretty sure he had some epic cuts back in the day. Apart from that we’re pretty standard when it comes to hair I’m afraid.

“

SS: It can be easy for bands in London to fall into a comfort zone and just play gigs in the city to a guaranteed audience. Do you get much chance to gig further afield and do you like steping outside of your comfort zone generally with gigs? OC: We should be going on tour pretty soon. We’ve done a few shows outside London and they have been a blast so it will be good to take it to the next level. All of us cramped in bus. Not eating for days. Living the dream. We can’t wait.

SS: OK, sound! We’re doing a big feature on ‘hair’ for the new issue. What’s your worst hair cut?

I just happened to stay in jail for 4 days over a technicality. The most pointless 4 days of my life

“

.CHILDREN

LUCKY DRAGON

The future of live music is somewhat of a leaky vessel amongst the unpleasantness of 2009’s economic doom mongering. All the more Manchester based Meet london’s latest addition to the reason to tell you about blog, record label and all L.A.’s Lucky Dragons’ darkwave set... around musical entrepreneurs NEW forthcoming UK tour, EARS give us a TOP TEN of what’s who, through electronic exciting their ears right now: and acoustic experimenta1 Wavves: So Bored tion, create dreamy trance The new age steppers were 2 Telepathe: So Fine littered with blips and a post punk dub funk super Having been together no more than a month 3 Citizens: We’ve Read The Books glitches and shorn of elecgroup which over time would Romance are fresh on the music scene, their 4 Egyptian Hip Hop: Rad Pitt tronica’s usual precision see members include Ari Up first gig saw a packed out venue and an 5 Future Islands: Old Dreamer (Pictureplane Remix) and coldness. When the from the Slits, Mark Stewart enthusiastic crowd, and it’s just the beginning. 6 Diagram Brothers: Those Men In White Coats duo, Luke Fischbeck and of the Pop Group and also a Reviews are hailing Romance as mainplayers 7 Graffiti Island: Headhunters Sarah Rara, play live anyoung Neneh Cherry who at on “East London’s new dark wave” but Joe, 8 V.E.G.A.S Whores: Blind Attic other dimension is added to the time was performing with David and Jamie are bored of the scene labelling 9 Stay High: Real Slime their tracks; they sit amongst the band Rip Rig and Panic. and pigeonholing that London bands are facing 10 N.a.s.t.y Crew: Take You Out the crowd and use instruTaking influence from the dub at the moment. They are against the scene wave, ments fed through effects music that heavily inspired the (Skepta Remix) they’re different, and they are seriously loud! newearsmanchester.blogspot.com boards handed to audience punk scene due to dj’s such SUPERSUPER went down to their rehearsal in members, encouraging paras the legendery Don Letts Wimbledon to get to know the guys a bit better, ticipation and technological they set along on their musical and hear them make some noise. wonderment in the most free quest to find Zion. From 1981 and uncontrived sense. It’s - 83 they would release three SUPERSUPER: So...where are all you guys from? all about inspiring the kind of highly influential albums that Jamie: Well I’m from Jersey but live in Bethnal, David’s positivity of community feeling seem even more relevent as from Wimbledon and Joe’s from Acton, West London. found at a Women’s Institute they increase with age. These We are pretty much from all the corners of London put and Scouts meet and greet. But steppers were pioneers that together. in a good way. And minus the deserve remembering. Ari Up SS: Cool, how did you all meet each blue rinse and woggles. and invest in these albums! other then, did you play separately in other bands before? myspace.com/luckydragons D: We all dj’d a bit so that’s mainly how we got together, but we did all play Leap up lame-toothed man! in other bands before, Joe played in a Simon L and his band of band called ‘Speak and the Spells’. synth-punks, Teeth!!!, have J: They were massive lol! run us thru numbers 1-5 in SS: What do u feel about the current bands starting their dental chart of heaven. out right now? Are there any you are loving or hating? Now back in Dalston after Found 200 miles south of New York, Baltimore in J: I won’t admit who I’m hating, but I touring the West Coast, Maryland, has arguably the most innovative music like Ulterior, and we’re great supporters Simon told us “it was good to scene and worst neighbourhoods (see cult TV of The Birds and V.E.G.A.S Whores. hangout with so many emshow ‘The Wire’) in the U.S. right now. Go them! SS: There’s a lot of labelling going on bracing people, London can The green shoots of awesome acts like Animal at the moment though, do you think be so negative sometimes, Collective, Dan Deacon, videohippos, Ponytail and bands are being labelled by their people are always critical, Future Islands all sprung out of these mean streets. image more than anything? L.A. seems so nurturing to Lo-fi synth pop three piece, Baby Venom, are BJ: It’s mainly older journalists young people, bands and more’s latest and greatest, they filled us in on their that come to gigs and don’t really band and their hood: art.” Clearly inspired, Teeth!!! understand the vibe, and feel the need The city? are wasting no time in 2009 to put labels on the bands. Its not really Nathan: A small city with lots of vacancy. with a heap of live shows, about the image though, no one really has a ‘look’, gigs Dave: Some of the worst crime stats, but some of a side project with lo-fi pophave become more like social events and the crowd just the best hospitals. A lot of people in bands relocate pers, Pens, a release through looks like the band onstage. here for school and to pursue their art in a city with super cool tape label, Stop a relatively low cost of living. This also might be the SS: Is there anywhere you guys would like to play to Scratching, and a DVD with best dive-bar-of-a-city to slum it in before moving avoid that? illustrator, Arran Ridley. Their to Brooklyn. D: Big venues in London, not too much in the same places chart takes us from 90s Sarah: It’s America’s filthy asshole. but to broaden our audience. piano house to Harlem yoof The scene? J: Like Shepherds Bush rap through to electro-grime D: It’s cool that Wham City [notorious art collecEmpire!! (Pictureplane). Seek these tive] keep creating new venues in likely but unlikely J: I wana play in Italy, it tracks out! spots. Whartscape Music Festival keeps getting looks fun! And Berlin. better each year. SS: Coke or Pepsi? Ultracynic – ‘Nothing N: Why so many bands? I don’t know. There are no J: Coke Is Forever’ expectations when you live here. D: Pepsi all the way, full fat! Dolby Anol – ‘Single S: I guess it’s just the charms of charm city. SS: Eastenders or Corrie? Ladys - Beyonce RMX The venom? All: Eastenders of course!! & Use N: We formed in 2007, messed around with differSS: Best kids cartoon? ent set-ups and equipment for six months or so Somebody RMX’ J: Arthur and then finally made an appearance in front of our Lil Mama – ‘Lip Gloss’ friends. J: Totally odd parents Gamers In Exile – ‘My D: My mantra has always been “never play it the D: Hey Arnold and Mona the Vampire Robotic same way twice”. SS: Briefs or Boxers? Skills Have S: It feels like we showed up at a party and then J: Briefs... they hold you better. Failed’ out of the blue, we’re onstage and entertaining. PictureWe’re a little campy, a little goofy, but we do play plane Look out for the new 7” release from Romance, and our songs well. For our influences, you’ll have to – ‘Gang catch them live at Nowhere to Run club in Feb! ask the man who ghost-writes my songs. I’m just Signs’ myspace.com/isthisromance here for my looks.

ROMANCE

RETRO TIP

NEW AGE STEPPERS

On why Baltimore is the place to be!

BABY VENOM

Indie / Folk / PostPostPunk

MORE BALTI

sir?

Words for Baby Venom, Lucky Dragons and Teeth by Simon Smallbone

DENTAL

Island Discs

Words and photos by Vasilisa Forbes

IS IT DEAD?

How to be a...

Pop / Dubstep / Misc

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Pinball Akira Kiteshi Blackacre Records One hell of a noise, nuff said, seriously. Polizia RMX Noah D Dreadlok Thanks to Noah’s rolling low range frequencies I’m sporting a semi. Breathe (NumberNin6 Remix) The Prodigy White label Rusko managed to load this remix into his hefty Essential session, good job too. 3K Lane Jakes & Joker H.E.N.C.H Bristol’s Dubstep scene is kicking and screaming - this as proof. Counteraction MRK 1 Contagious Recordings Wob wob wob, wobble wobble wobble wobble. Cheers. Midnight Bar 9 Audio Freaks Bar 9 keeps us guessing, Midnight’s intro offers no indication of the madness that ensues. Rockers Delight / Shot Like This OSC Steps In Time Recordings 1 part sub bass brilliance, 3 parts dubby loveliness Pissed Off Kromestar Dubstar Records Kromestar shits out tunes like these in his sleep... jealous? Get out.

T2 ! BREAKIN OUT OF BASSLINE

UPDATE

‘09. The beauty of the dubstep evolution means that there’s more chance of it stayin fresh.. the hip hop influenced cross over (Rustie’s aqua crunk, I’m not going to say wonky) together with artists such as Bristol’s Joker and Philly’s Starkey (who sounds more gully/straight up gyangstuh than your average). Starkey happens to be a personal fave of mine at the mo, maybe because of my misspent youth listening to Jim Jones, Lil Wayne & Lil Scrappy, and the time I grinded on the dance floor with Tim Westwood (aged 17, it was all over so quickly). Whatever bit takes your fancy, shout out to those peeps up & down the country pushing tings forward: The Hessle Audio camp (LEEDS!) H.E.N.C.H (BRISTOL!) Numbers (GLASGOW!) & Clandestine Cultivations (Brighton!)

There’s been a few things overshadowing the dubstep world (notice I didn’t say ‘scene’) as of late – but let’s not play about. Independent labels are pushing their own take on the umbrella sound, such as Bristol based Soul Motive Records: championing future bass heavy music with PLENTY of soul, & releasing tunes by artists such as Forsaken, Joker and TRG. Whilst Caspa and Rusko seem to be holdin’ down the newly enfranchised student crowd as wobble mania sweeps the middle classes- the dubstep oldies have something to get excited about: as some producers bring back the old school vibe- check out Pinch’s ‘Midnight Oil’ to see what I’m talking about. Skream’s forthcoming remix of La Roux – ‘In for the Kill’ has given us a tasty preview of what kind of new grooves we can expect in

TIME TO EVOLVE with chimpo

Oop North things are not as primative as they may seem...

Words by Emma Dilemma

JP:What got you into music? TK: I have always been music orientated, from a young age I was brought up around all different types of music. My stepdad plays bass guitar and has done work in the past on Salt n Pepa’s UK tour and with Hot Chocolate – and is still to this day touring with their front man Errol Brown. He used to sit me down and attempt to teach me how to play the drums but as I went on he realized I was the type that was destined to take centre stage as a vocalist. JP: Did you spit on Grime first or go straight into Bassline? TK: I never really paid much attention to Grime as it wasn’t my scene but when I first heard the Dizzee Rascal and Wiley Sidewinder tape that’s when it hit me and this was something that got me excited. MC’s doing something that reps the UK sound felt realer to me than Hip Hop as it was a style I could relate to so obviously I started to do my thing with that. I then went on to put together a Grime collective from Sheffield called S.C.U.M (Sheffield City Underground Movement). Being from the North we were virtually ignored by the Grime scene regardless of our exceptional skill and talents. It made me realize that there was little hope for anyone to break into London’s tight circle of artists and industry proceedings without knowing the right guys. Even though I was making Grime music it was never something I was a true fan of and I was going to raves in Sheffield at a spot called NICHE. I went there for years and being that it was more a Speed Garage spot there was never actually any artists producing music over this genre as far as MC’s go. Being the type that likes to do what I feel is realer to myself, I took up an experiment and made a tune along with T2 over a Niche style beat and then it took off! JP: Would you consider yourself Grime or Bassline MC, when I’ve asked other MC’s this they have always hesitant to answer? TK: I have no hesitations when answering this question – I am a Bassline artist. You get some people that want to try stay loyal by denying the fact it was Bassline that finally got them some sort of recognition. People are using Bassline as a platform to get themselves heard because they cannot get anywhere in Grime. JP: How did you get into the Bassline game? TK: As far as MCing over Bassline goes I will tell you straight. Before I was here I didn’t see anyone else doing it. I was on the Niche scene as a youth, jacking man for there bud and pills to sell on in niche; I’m not going to lie. I’m the original Bassline MC and no one can argue with that, NO ONE. I was just doing my thing an now look (laughs). JP: Do you think Grime is DEAD? TK: I could never say Grime was dead really bcause down in London it’s a culture people live, so Grime could never die. As for the way it looks as a scene, I think the clashing stuff made it all about the man dem and kind of spoilt the vibes, which is why I don’t condone any form of MC clashing on Bassline, it’s not worth it, and no one cares. Just do your thing and if someone wants to bar it out, then get a camera out and play a track and see what is really good. Ladies aren’t dressing up and looking sexy to hear some ugly weird guy cussing a next mans mum. JP:What plans do you have for the year to come and beyond? TK: I just plan to keep doing what I do regardless, I never had a plan with this and I only plan when making buisness decisions. With the music it could go anywhere, I do this cos’ it’s who I am not because it’s what their doing and I would still be doing the same thing if people were listening or not. www.myspace.com/trblmekka

End Dub (DZ RMX) Woogie Aufect Recordings No doubt this head banger will be doing its rounds in the coming months.

DUBSTEP

Everythings live. It’s in a very healthy state and its getting more and more popular. The only thing dubstep needs, in my opinion, is a seminal album in the same way that jungle had ‘Timeless’ by Goldie. Burials albums are wicked but I’d call that dark garage rather than dubstep. I’d like to be the one who makes that seminal dubstep album.

Post-Joy Division/Smiths/ Hacienda Manchester - can’t the Cottonopolis-comeCosmopolitanopolis move on. Flip reverse it and bring the change... Chimpo. Think big bass, think skank out, think dancehall/hiphop refixes that could even get the original version sweating at the collar. No, not from Croydon, London, or even the South but... Chorlton, South Manchester Esqueezy caught up with the man to find out if 09 is in fact the year ofthe Chimp.... How would you describe your ‘sound?’ What are your main influences? I have many styles and they are all deadly. My primary style is that of the monkey. I’ve got loads of different types of tracks but they’re probrably all influenced by the music I listen to which is mostly reggae, soul, hip hop, garage and old skool jungle. How do you feel about dubstep right now? What’s going to happen?

top

CHIMPO’S 5 SNOOP DOG SEXUAL SEDUCTION LOMAX&FOCUS 5WEEKS MOVADO IM SO SPECIAL COTTI FEAT DOCTOR CALM DOWN CHASE & STATUS EASTERN JAM

they have a sound to call their own, so with T2 moving to London which is now known as the Funky capital surely he must miss the scene from which he made his mark in? “I miss the Bassline scene badly, but I guess sometimes you just have to move T2 from Leeds made a massive on, I do still make Bassline tunes impact over a year ago with his but now I just send it to the key DJ’s. Bassline anthem and Ayia Napa and Funky House is good, I might dabble Malia theme tune Heartbroken, with with that a bit more because girls like all the popularity T2 quickly became it, (laughs). The funny thing is I’ve always made House, I just never put a household name with everyone aged 7 to 50 blurring his track as a it out, for example my next release Come Over featuring Michelle was ringtone on their mobile phone. The Bassline scene in the North is a made the week Heartbroken came out and I’ve just been holding on big deal the people up there feel as if to it. I have a lot to show and that’s

Words by Natalie Esquire

Tez Scar Fizza aka Tez Kidd has been on the Bassline scene since its roots. Back in the day when Niche Nightclub was the UK's Baseline mecca, he was one of the first guys to be spitting over its beats. JP caught up with Tez Scar Fizza to talk Grime, Bassline and why cussing other MC's aint gonna impress the ladies?

In The Death Car EP 16 Bit Boka Records Very rarely does a EP hit the shelves without a dud track. This is all out filth.

what used to get to me when people thought I only made Bassline music and I’m thinking to myself Bassline hasn’t even been around as long as I’ve been making music, I didn’t start Bassline either. My main focus now is my new sound, T2 music - the kind of sound you can’t pigeon hole. I got the first single from that sound, Come Over dropping in March as the introduction. 2009 has me setting the level up a notch in music creation within the UK.’’

“I miss the Bassline scene badly...sometimes you just gotta move on

Words by JP

HOBO Gives Us 10

“

TEZZ

BASSLINE’S NUMBER ONE?

Bristols

For those of you who like to cover yoursleves in glitter and roll around on the floor in a manner of narcssistic ecstacy and excess with the power to make even Leigh Bowery blush, you’ve got a new home because at Beach Blanket Babylon decadence truly lasts forever. BBB East (as it is affectionately known) plays host to such night as ‘Slave to Fashion’, ‘Crazy Horse’ and AA (Artists Annonymous) – and it’s at these nights that you’re just as likely to bump into an old friend as you are a 8ft inflatable tranny head to toe in Versace! Not only offering a glimpse into some of the most alternative nightlife that London has to offer, you can also relax and spend an evening dining out here or visiting the gallery upstairs: BBB has something for everyone... well, maybe except children! For more information visit beachblanket.co.uk

Slave to Fashion Beach Blanket Babylon London Photography by Billa

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“Yeh people get it twisted n think I’m a bashment head.. I’m not.. I love dancehall as much as I do house, garage, hip hop whatever.. I’ve got access too amazing dancehall vocalists, luckily, so that brings out that side fa’sure. My albums all over the place though you’ll see. I just love off beats whether its bashment, 2 step whatever.” “My neighbours are Jamaican, British white, and an Asian kid. I want it to represent that.”

Toddla’s even been working with Ross Orton who produced ‘Galang’ on M.I.A’s first album ‘Arular.’ And according to Toddla ‘gave her a sound that he never really got the props for’. Has M.I.A been cheating us this whole time? Who knows, but there is one thing that obviously differs from M.I.A and Toddla (apart from meat and two veg) and that’s vocals something which Toddla has always brought in other artists to do. His latest import is his cousin ‘T Willy’ whom he tells us looks and sounds just like himself.

Electro / Fidget / Misc

Currently Toddla is working hard on his debut album, with the likes of eminent artists and producers Roots Manuva, Joe Goddard, Matt Helders, Tinchy Styder, Benjamin Zephaniah, Mr. Versatile, Trigganom, Serocee, T Willy, Siobahn Gallagher & of course, the man with his fingers in all pies, Herve. Toddla tells us ‘I really wanna work with Ms Dynamite, that new tune with Sticky is incredible’ and nods towards Trojan Soundsystem and the new ‘funky’ trend. Maybe with all these hook-ups and collaborations the question we should be asking is ‘Is Toddla T the new Herve!?’ Toddla’s been spinning the wheels of steel since he was 12, and has been making tunes at home on ‘Bleep Street’ (no joke!) since the early age of 16, so this clearly shows that he’s not just the latest trend or mag-fad which is something he is keen to avoid in dealings with the press. In fact, he promises in a salute to Sheffield, “I’m definitely staying here, it’s grim(e) up north.” TODDLA T: SKANKY SKANKY – Released May 2009 on 1965 RECORDS

RETRO TIP

Kwame

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Theres a lot of K in town these days. From Kanye to Kano we just can’t get enough. Let’s rewind a few years though... At just sixteen, KWAME started out young. Keeping it spottier than Minnie Mouse in his trademark polka dotted garms he was one of the original cartoon rappers. Check out Hai Love!!! We salute you Kwame!

Name: Tommy Sparks, LDN, UK

Why: Produced by Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight & Foals) Tommy hit’s all the right disco punk skinny-jean buttons with ‘I’m A Rope’ his debut single put February 9th 2009.

“

I don’t think celebrity DJs have a lot of control

Raffertie recalls the fateful time he let the Queens of Noise drive him home

Name: Teen Symmetry – Bournemouth, UK

Why: He is a DJ/producer creating great dancey electro with remixes full of thrashing, experimental and energizing beats. Make sure to check out his remix of ‘Hearts Beats In Vancouver’ by Kylie Minogue.

Name: Rowdy Superstar – LDN, UK

Why: Weird-beats new dark prince, Rowdy Superstar is in hiding, working on his debut LP due to drop this year with a new band.

Name: MALK -Cologne, Germany.

Why: Germany’s youth answer to decades of minimal techno, the revolution, and the vocals start here.

TOP Three international Dj’s give us there 5 must hear tunes right now

Seb Chew – London, UK myspace.com/sebchew Lil Silva Funky Flex / Seasons Ms Dynamite Bad Gyal Special DJ Q Little Man La Roux In For The KILL SUPPA DEE Buss it

Paisley Dalton NYC USA www.myspace.com/zeitgeistworld Buraka Som Sistema Sound of Kuduro Bass Nectar Yo Trans X Living on Video Sweet Mercy Reach Out Royal We Wicked Game Kate Boss – Berlin, Germany www. myspace. com/ amphibianalphabet Joe And Will Ask? Claymore Lorenz Rhode Motor Cortex Herpes Neue Dresdener Schule The Golden Filter Solid Gold Antony and The Johnsons Shake That Devil

TOBY THE TRANCE TROWL‘s

Guide to

CUTTING IT FINE Raffertie, 21 currently residing in Birmingham, is a cut above the rest. He’s been slicing and dicing with music since his youth, he can play the piano and the trumpet, and to top it all off is studying classical musical composition at university. ‘Where is his photo?’ I hear you cry, well Raffertie, being the prodigy he is, has decided, and rightly so, that the centre of the attention should be the music, and not himself and his gargantuan hair. (Maybe that’s why his chosen mask/logo is a pair of scissors.)

THE FACES OF FRAGMA Toby our resident Trance Trowl “I don’t think celebrity DJ’s have a lot of guides us through the many different facial expressions that control, by being a brand or logo I can appear in the video for Fragmas concentrate on the music” most famous song Tocas’s Miracle Raffertie has delved into Trip-Hop, Bootlegs, Rave and now Dubstep to produce his most recent EP, ANTISOCIAL, which he tells us is closer to how he wanted his music to sound.

“what do you mean... DEAD”

“oooh lovely drapes”

“Oi...SLAG”

“Only in the last year I’ve started to incorporate my club music into my college music, I’ve toyed with the idea of using classical music but I’m far more interested in applying the harmonies and compositional influences of classical music rather than just dumping the orchestra bit onto a 4x4 repetitive dance track, that’s been done a million times before.” Raffertie, like many DJ’s, is leaving CDJ’s and Vinyl behind, working with a host of new software and a laptop, preferring to remix on-the-go. “Laptops are better than using CDJ’s because you can do so many things in such a short time, your only limited by the speed of your hands. I think that programs like Logic and Ableton have opened the door for people to make dance music more interesting, applying more harmonies and melodies, and ultimately slowly leaving dance music’s 4x4 repetitiveness behind” Catch Raffertie DJ at ‘Bigger Than Barry On Tour’ in Feb 09

“I’ll av half a shandy a packet of smokey bacon luv”

www.myspace.com/raffertie

All words on this page by Buster Bennet except for Toby

At 23 years old, Tom Bell aka Toddla T is Sheffield’s hottest DJ/producer table-ware. Fresh from the emergency exits of his music technology course at Leeds College of Music, he’s been crunkin’ up airwaves with his own northern twist on dancehall and third world beats. Every magazine this side of Babylon has jumped on him, his musical eclecticism, and his so called ‘Sheffield Sonix.’ SUPERSUPER caught up with him to ask the question, are you the next M.I.A?!! Okay, Toddla’s a guy, and even in comparison to M.I.A his sound is unique and incomparable but he is truly the newest bastion of the beat. Being a white boy from the north hasn’t stopped him venturing into the tropical climates of Reggae, Dancehall and Zulu House, and much like M.I.A Toddla has embraced multiculturalism in music head-on with Willy-Wonker fun and without a cliché in sight.

Why: Since working with in famous art duo YR MUM YA DAD and The Cocknbullkid The Aspirins for my Children have ventured into the world of high fashion providing the soundtrack for JCDC’s lego catwalk.

Kate Boss’ previous job was an armed robber

Toddla T: Sheffield’s answer to MIA ?

TO WATCH

“

mr t

Name: The Aspirins for my Children, LDN, UK

Up The Racket Manchester Photography by Neemo

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with JP

Last issue I was explaining how every now and then I appreciate some alternative acts and this band is definitely one of them. Boxing and weaving their way to the front of the London’s music elite, (1) The Clown Prince, an unsigned band formed in East London, have set their mark and want to become a part of it. Front man CHiF received critical acclaim with his debut EP ‘Soon Come’ and now cranks things up a notch with this his latest effort Put Em Up with sidekick The Wiz. Described as AfRaPunK, The Clown Prince blends punk rebellion with hip hop swagger. Put Em Up celebrates being young, going out with your mates and generally having a good time, with sing-a-long catchy choruses akin to an East End knees up in a pub in Hoxton. Having just completed a mini tour of the East Coast of the United States with a full band, recorded new songs and shot an exclusive video with Hip-Hop’s director of the moment Parrish (Goreela ) for their brand new single, Favourite Girl (out mid February). The Clown Prince are bringing the mad circus back to London town. Next up to keep

His first debut release “Word On The Street’’ which was a 44 track mixtape and cleverly retailed at £4.44, managed to sell 10,000 units ,all independently sold in a space of 6 months. At a time when Hip Hop / Grime was suffering due to poor sales, Random stuck out like a sore and quite rich thumb. The rapid success of the mixtape received a great deal of attention from DJ’s on pirate and legal radio stations alike, including the support from BBC radio/1xtra and Kiss 100. He then quickly began to work on more serious and creative songs that would become one of the most demanded and anticipated releases on the streets of London, the project known as “Full Metal Alchemist.” Full Metal Alchemist is a genre melting pot which includes everything from Grime and Hip Hop to Indie and Ska and it is something completely original to your typical Grime acts, dealing with issues concerning living in the streets of London to dealing with relationships and politics. Stick out tracks included “The Heroine” which refers to a young lady he knew on the drug and her difficulties, a thought provoking track Grindie in it’s style with hard hitting guitar strings and samples from The Vines. More recently Mr. Impulse went on a Nationwide radio tour alongside fellow Grime acts Jeeday Jaws, Hammer and Black The Ripper going on stations such as Kiss, BBC 1xtra, Rinse.FM and more, showcasing talent which some people may not have knew he had, it was a great project which engaged fans and critics alike. With all this under his belt, Random Impulse is off to a healthy start in the music game as his number of fans continue to grow, and sales continue to escalate, we can only sit back and watch as his journey continues.

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an eye out for is this Grime MC (2) Jeeday Jaws. Hailing from North London he has been getting his face out there, with a well received video Gettin Dat Paper under his belt, he has officially been put on the Grime radar. More recently Jeeday set up a Radio tour alongside fellow Grime acts Random Impulse, Black The Ripper and Hammer which saw the foursome go on various Radio stations including BBC 1xtra and Rinse.fm to name a few, getting on the M.I.C spitting as much bars as possible with a lot of passion and hunger which I think was the aim to show people how much he and his friends wanted to succeed in the Grime game. You will guarantee to see this guy a lot more on your screens and hear a lot in your ear drum via the radio airwaves in 2009.

?! A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF

22 year old Jovel Walker from North London has quickly become one of the Grime scene’s most recognisable lyricists with his influential and positive bars bursting with thoughtful content. Random Impulse has also been involved with a great deal of experimentation with other genres, he was one of the first Grime acts to do it and he has become distinctively recognised for it. He has gained a loyal army of fans spanning across a varied number of sub-cultures, everyone from street youth to skaters and indie kids, a big achievement for a Grime act, as few can be that accessible to other crowds barely down to their lyrical content and attitude.

Hip Hop / Grime / Bass

Photography: Robin Bharaj

‘Full Metal Alchemist’ - Out Now // myspace.com/randomimpulse1

completely Positive

A BUTTERZ DJ!!

Rinse DJ, Blogger, Forum Manager and all round underground socialite Elijah from DJ duo Butterz gives me a rundown on his busy life as a Grime boss man!

Monday: I go through my email sorting out all the new music I receive. I listen to all of the music that I get sent, as you never know who is going to make a banger. I also plan the week ahead as I have a strict University schedule. Tuesday: I am covering the 1-3 slot on www.Rinse.Fm, so I prepare my show burning all the music I want to play out and have a little practice mix before I leave the house. Wednesday: I need to update my blog www.Butterz.co.uk with yesterday’s radio set, and I have scheduled a filmed interview with Lethal B about his new album, which I will then later on edit myself in iMovie. Thursday: I meet Logan Sama to get the latest vinyl from his label

for the online store I help run, www.Grimestore.com. We sell only Grime releases for some of the best prices around. Friday: I co manage www. Grimeforum.com the leading Grime debate site, where people share their opinions on the latest music. I moderate all the discussion and lend my opinion on occasions. Saturday: I am playing out at Dirty Canvas the biggest Grime event in London for the first time, and I am making sure the record bag is fresh so we have the sounds of 2008 and 2009 for the rave, I keep the old skool music to a minimum. Sunday: Is recovery day, time to chill out and listen to Super Sunday on Rinse.fm Z.CO.UK BUTTER

TOP TRAXX!! GRIMETAPES.COM Grimetapes started up in 2008, a website aimed at pleasing Grime fans that wanted to reminisce about the the old skool Grime days, you know when you would put on a pirate radio station and hear Slew Dem b2b Newham Generals on Rinse and Roll Deep on Deja Vu days. The website has been a hit with journalists who write for The Guardian and NME and bloggers alike, which was a great look for the owner of the website Paul Lynch. The recognition wouldn’t have really happened without the help of Hij’s Grime website ‘grimeforum’, which really got the Grime fanatics talking about it and creating a buzz.

JP gives us his top tracks right now

Ghetto ft Griminal Don’t Phone Me Ghetto Sing For Me Remix Asher D ft Mutya Buena With You Wiley, Kano & Ghetto She Glows Remix Tempa T Next Hype Skepta Sunglasses At Night Subzero ft Shystie Pull It DJ Total Bassline Mixes Newham Generals Bell Dem Slags K.I.G / Mile Records Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

THE GRIMEY

BLONDE “

“

up&coming!

I was never Lauren Mason... I was that girl with bleached hair that sang on Grime

Lauren Mason is unique when it comes to Grime, with her striking image and soulful sound she has switched up the stereotype of the shouting Grime MC that rocks, New Era caps, Nike tracksuit and 110’s. I caught up with her to talk Grime, Bassline and Blonde Hair?

SS-Lauren where are from where did you grow up? I’m from Woodford, for people that don’t know where that is, it’s in Essex. Growing up what music did you listen to, what was the family banging out? My music taste has always been mental and I blame my fam for that. My Dad listens to all the oldies but goodies like Sinatra and Elvis, my Mum likes all the dance music from the 90’s like Livin Joy etc. My 2 older brothers are huge Rap fans, that’s probably why I’m so outspoken as a songwriter. SS-So when did you decide you wanted to be a singer? I started singing a few years ago as a hobby, I never thought that I would actually be heard by people and that people would actually like what I do but I enjoyed going to the studio and being creative. SS-When and why did you feel that Grime was the music you wanted to do? It’s the music that I enjoy and had listened to for years, the more Grimey it was the more I liked it. I got to work with some of the best Grime producers from the start and that was a massive result for me. SS-How did you go about getting the best Grime beats around? Working with Bless Beats at first was such a good look for me, doing tunes like Don’t Cry and PS really opened the doors for me to work with people like Scorcher, Swindle, Lewi White etc! So the ‘Blonde Grime’ slogan, what is that about and how do you feel you fit in the Grime scene being a female in a male orientated genre? Blonde Grime was meant as a piss take, I think I said it once on my MySpace and then it kind of stuck. At first I was never Lauren Mason I was that girl with bleached hair that sang on Grime, so that was the reason for naming my album Keepin It Blonde. I don’t know if I fit in or not (laugh), but what I do know is, we need more Grime singers! SS-The up north Bassline scene has been showing a lot of love to you with the Wittyboy remix of PS, how has that been for you? That was mental for me, I had no idea that the PS remix was so popular in the Midlands. The Bassline scene is amazing and has a huge following and I’m grateful that I got the chance to be part of it. The ravers up there are heavy and to them it’s all about good vibes. Performing at the Bassline Ball in Birmingham was one of my favourite gigs of 08! SS-Your mixtape ‘Keeping it blonde’ was well received by fans and critics alike, how did that project go for you? If I’m being honest the whole project was a massive challenge for me, an independent label picked it up in Jan 08 and wanted to put it out as an album. I am massively proud of the CD, but due to lack of promotion I feel like it let me down a bit. Nevertheless I have learnt a lot from the experience and it has made me a lot more determined! SS-Where do you see Grime going in 2009? I’m not sure where it is heading but what I do know is Grime is no longer a genre that is under rated. People like Wiley, Chipmunk and Ironik are no longer Grime MC’s, they are household names. I’m sure that there will be more stars born in 09. SS-What are your plans for the year ahead? This year I’m putting my work rate into 5th gear, my second album will be released and a few videos will hit the telly. Everything that I did wrong in 08 will be put right in 09, but actions speak louder than words, (laughs)... ‘Keepin It Blonde’ Out Now // myspace.com/laurenmason1

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SUPERSUPER are looking for club photos for a forthcoming feature. Can you help? If so get in touch via facebook / myspace or email: editorial@thesupersuper.com

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Pick of the Month TELEPATHE Dancemother v2

Brooklyn process pop duo Telepathe’s debut LP is undoubtedly one of the years most anticipated releases here at SuperSuper towers. However after listening to the album I feel a warning is necessary: Those expecting an album full of process pop hit singles in the vein of last years ‘Chrome’s On It’ might well be disappointed by what ‘Dance Mother’ has to offer. On the other hand those looking for forward thinking sounds dripping with sensuality and otherworldly atmospherics will be roundly rewarded. With ‘Dance Mother’ Telepathe prove themselves a band wholly unafraid of pushing the limits of their sound via elaborate orchestration, choral twists and turns, shimmering synth lines, and dense, textured production. That’s not to say it’s without its singles: Opener ‘So Fine’ is a hit in waiting, but ultimately the tracks contained within are best looked at as pieces of fabric which ultimately weave together to form the technicolour dreamcoat that is the album as a whole. Put it on late at night and it creates a mood all of its own! WW

DIPLO & BLAQSTARR Get Off 12” Mad Decent

GLASS CANDY Deep Gems Italians Do It Better

Rumoured to be co produced with Switch, Diplo and Blaqstarr provide us with another slice of Bmore heaven. Diplo provides the juttery electro foundations while Blaqstarr provides his trademark ‘sexed up’ vocals. For some bizzare reason this track reminds me of Eurhythmics ‘Sweet dreams’ if it had been raised under a bridge somewhere in Americas Midwest and had been forced to watch porn 24 hours a day. Limited to 2000 copies worldwide on special pink vinyl, we recommend that you snap one up pronto. DS

Label du jour ‘Italians Do It Better’ pushes out the rare and hard to find singles and rarities by Glass Candy. Hold on a bit longer for their new album! In the meantime, listen to these 12 beauties of after-hours new-disco. Crafted by Johnny Jewel and vocalized by Ida No between March 2006 and October 2008, most of these have never been released or even heard before (how’s that for rare!). ‘Feeling without touch’, ‘Animal imagination’ and ‘Something stirring in Space’ are my favourites. TS

The BRAN FLAKES I HAVE HANDS Illegal Art

NASA The Spirit of Apollo Epitaph

HORSE MEAT DISCO EP 1 12” Horse Meat Disco

v/a Pyramid Drift 12” Dial

The Bran Flakes, aka Otis Fodder and Mildred Pitt have built up quite a cult following since their formation in 1992. Obviously we love their mash up style- no one else could quite get away with mixing beat boxing alongside announcements from 1950s presenters, Bollywood, disco and broken beats galore. The cover of this delightful release lovingly reminds us of the good times, such as watching TV whilst eating strawberry laces, going to the corner shop to get an Iron Brew bar, and asking the ice cream man for a screwball with ‘everyfin on it’. Bloody great times, maybe we shouldn’t have peaked so early. Check out ‘Stumble out of bed’ which somehow mixes Dolly Partons ‘9-5’ with the baseline to ‘Eye of the tiger’ by Survivor - crazy stuff indeed. ED

Whats going on dudes? How come theres so many top notch albums coming out so early into the new year - if things carry on the way they are, it looks like 09 is gonna be a vintage year. Take one pro-skater/producer, renowned film and music video director Spike Jonze’s lil’ brother, throw in a host of the music industries brightest talents, a vested interest in creating dope music and you get one of the most exciting projects to hit sound waves in well… light-years. Ladies and gentlemen N.A.S.A has landed. 17 tracks of ultimate sonic bliss featuring the likes of Kanye West, Tom Waits, Santogold, MIA, Chuck D, The Cool Kids, Spank Rock and John Frusciante, to name a few. Six years in the making this labour of love boasts is destined to be the most engaging releases of the year. SW

London institution Horse Meat Disco have finally taken the next step in their quest global disco domination. The two edits on their debut ep do not fail to please and have the power to make any non believer (who probably has a self repressed soft spot for ABBA) close their eyes, dream they were on the dancefloor at Paradise Garage and get on down in ‘gay’ abandon. On one side, Dusty Blue takes us on a journey of extended chorous’s that falls just short of funky. Turn over and definitely heed their advice - whatever you do, ‘Dont go in the bushes’ - you’ve been warned. DS

EMMY THE GREAT First Love LP Close Harbour Mmmm - just what we needed. As the snow starts to melt and we pick ourselves up, wipe the sleep out of our eyes and brace ourselves for spring - this is the perfect soundtrack to the countless musings and endless thoughts that the season somehow seems to bestow on us. Exams and love troubles - Emmy is the antidote. Just like Patrick Wolf, this is a shining example of the UK’s talent to breed and nurture eccentric beauty but without coming accross as pretentious. One to listen to whilst basking in the orange glow of sunset over a lonely metropolis. DS

Wow – We were’nt expecting this one. In a wierd time where we seem to be teetering on the edge of the world as we formally knew it - maybe it’s time to reflect about what exactly is ‘on’ the other side? Those expecting a selection of trance treats usually released on Dial are in for a shock. This four track 12” brings together ambiant monolougues mixed with waves of unsettling, haunting yet somehow comforting synths. Dripping with unease yet awkwardly optimistic, this is essential listening for a sunday stroll through Hades - just don’t look back. DS

LILY ALLEN The Fear

ACTRESS Hazyville LP Werk Discs

JUDGE A CD

BY ITS COVER Apparently you should never judge a book by its cover... but no-one ever mentioned cd’s! :)

‘Mum it’s making me eyes go funny like!’

v/a Protected Massive Samples LP Fat Mute Records A rare indulgence for Massive Attack fans everywhere. A conglomeration of the original classics that provoked some of their finest work. A toe-wiggling, foot-skanking collection of primarily mellow funk and reggae...jah, but with some of the more eclectic wonders thrown. Through Rufus and Chaka, Al Green and Jmaes Brown to the more adventurous mania of Billy Cobham. This is a journey of sorts through the creative minds it inspired. A masterful spin off to a wonderfully inventive career, add it to your collection. LS

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino

Epileptics beware! Arriving amongst a tsunami of critical acclaim, Animal Collective’s eighth studio album is one of those rare finds, an album worthy of the hype. Elbow this ain’t. In fact, it may well be that by the end of 2009 people will be able to legally tar and feather you in the street if you don’t own a copy. Trimmed to a three piece (Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist), the band have kept their lush melodies and psychedelia but ditched the guitar in favour of samplers and pounding low end bass. The result is bewildering electronic pop, scaling rave highs and blissed-out lows, similar in pitch to Panda Bear’s solo work. P.S - I reckon we run a whole page of this artwork next time. SS

Love her or hate her, she’s one for the classic lines such as ‘you must be joking me if you think that you’ll be poking me’. Something we can all relate to, no? And so, here she is .. back again with the first single off her new album. To state the obvious, it’s a different vibe to her older stuff, but still bringing the truth to the ‘yout’ about how you shouldn’t take your clothes off to be famous. It’s a poppy number, something you can imagine being played whilst browsing the sale rack in New Look (hard times a gwan n all). We think it’s rather good. ED

This long awaited release does not disappoint. It’s synthy charm is music to our electro neon robot like ears. There’s so many levels to this release it’s hard to describe it without sounding like a pretentious mug – someone you’d want to slap across the face with a sock full of wet sand. 2009 belongs to those who push boundaries and create the unexpected – after all, when nothing is certain, we don’t want our tunes to be. Actress’ release is sprinkled with Fly Lo style dope ass organised chaos and housey vibes throughout, an earful of crackly magic needs you to hear it. G

BanJO OR FREAKOUT Mr No 7” No Pain in Pop

This debut double A-side from Banjo Or Freakout exhibits his heady, kooky and blurry beats in Mr No. On the flip-side an even more downbeat and painfully heartbreaking version of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Someone Great’. Mr No has a wonderful dream-like quality, it’s airy vocals carry you through the song like you’re swimming underwater. Yet it has a dark underlying tone, reminiscent of Joy Division and leaves you feeling like you are eavesdropping on heartbreak. Truly atmospheric this song is ace if you want to escape for a few minutes! LS

QUIZ!

WILEY She Glows AATW Records

The Father of Grime is back with this medley of christmas sounding jingles in the production with bars talking about ladies glowing, something we wouldn’t usually hear together on a Grime tune, it also features fellow Grimesters, Kano and Ghetts which makes this even bigger. JP

James YUILL No Suprise Moshi Moshi ElECTRICITY IN OUR HOMES Gymnastics/Motorbike 4AD Much like Fern Britton, Electricity In Our Homes slimmed down to 3/4 of their previous size during 2008. Ditching their old material, this release marks a line in the sand moment for the band, but thankfully not in a sonic sense. Continuing to revel in thrillingly jerky discordant stop-start no wave, the A side tells the tale of beam work at the gym with the strangely not annoying complaining refrain of “ooohh...bends my back”. On the flipside, an ace Beach Boys cover is cunningly disguised by jarring rhythmic spasms. Limited to 500 copies so get one quick. SS

Reissue of James Yuill’s debut single that came out on Chess Club last year. Like a modern version of Paul Simons ‘Call me Al’ if you were sitting in a bubble and had just fallen in love. DS

Tempa T Next Hype No hats no hoods

Tempa T has made himself known by internet hype alone without any releases or official videos, that is until now. His first official release Next Hype is a mix of his angry bars and energy over one of the best Grimey Dubstep beats to touch in a long time. JP

The only ones The Only Ones LP Columbia

Reissue of The Only Ones debut Lp. Featuring the classic single ‘Another Girl Another Planet’. With all the eccentric charm of a glam, punk of an English Beach Boys. It sadly all ended in a drug addled mist. Essential. DS

GHETTS Sing for me (Remix) AATW Records

Ghetts (formerly known as Ghetto) declares that you can make good Electro/Grime tracks. This remix is a mix of Ghetts’ fire bars and flow which he is well known for over a hardcore electro production and it was made a hit by Rude Kid and Tamzin on the original version. JP

LUKID Foma Werk Discs Subeena Subeena EP 12” Imminent Subeena hits us with another heavyweight banger in the shape of Boksd – which surely has to be a contender for release of the year. We had this tune on our myspaz for a bit – it’s a crackin’ mix of 80’s style drums, a rollin’ bassline n a beautiful futuristic floaty melody which, quite frankly, makes a welcome change in direction for a scene which has it’s fair share of macho agro, ball ache and wobble. ‘09 is hers for the taking. Also includes Znare, 2080 and an exclusive remix of a Pepepe tune. Gwan gurlll! ED

Six organs of admittance RTZ LP Drag City

Six organs of Admittance give us a glimpse into their early years in the colossal form of RTZ (Return to Zero - a button on the famous Tascam 484 portastudio) Gathering together the veritable lost children of his ultra rare singles and back catalogue, we are treated to a mélange of primarily guitar driven pieces, spliced with eastern influences and something that seems to approximate a sitar being stabbed repeatedly, before gently being coaxed into deliciously melancholic folk of the highest order. LS

Here we have a collection of heavy bass /instrumental / hip hop/ ambient /wonky /afro beat / minimal / hippityhop-space-ship-snap-crackle-and-pop step, not without an element of Hud Mo’s polyfolk vibe. Reppin South London strong, Lukid has provided us with a perfect soundtrack for chillin’ out max n’ relaxin all cool.

V/A Counterculture 2008 Rough Trade

What can one say - they’ve done it again. Their annual ‘best of’ compilation gathers together a host of known and unknown delights from the previous year. 44 tracks over the space of 2cd’s your spoilt for choice. Check out Palmitos Park by Guincho. DS

SUPER-cuts

What we’re listening to

LUCKY DRAGONS - NEW MEN SLOW Down-trodden yet somehow upliffting wierdness from Lucky Dragons Young Jeezy ft nas and jay z - my president Obama = President of the USA Jay Z = President of Hip Hop FAKE MALE VOICE - OMG!!!FMV!!! If prince did gospel music in a church on mars this is what it would sound like FEVER RAY - IF I HAD A HEART (FUCK KNOBS REMIX) Doom laden optimism from the Knife frontwomans solo project

YOUTUBE chart

CALM DOWN SKANK Hold your horses and get on down to the skank thats sweeping the nation. HEAD SHOULDERS KNEES AND TOES It dont get more primative and fun than this. Get on down with the kids - funky is devolving! SOULJA BOY - TURN MY SWAG ON Get your swag on bigtime - this tune is MASSIVE. Also we really like his hat. BALINESE GAMELAN MUSIC After a heavy time swaggin and skanking - why not relax with a bit of world music GIGGS & DUBZ FREESTYLE ON 1XTRA The start to this is immense - makes the hairs stand up on the back of me neck like. The UK is back on the hip hop map

1. Which former SUPERSUPER cover star had a number 1 single with ‘Just Dance’ Nina Nana Lady Gaga Radio Gaga Kajagoogoo gaga

12. The best film ever has recently been turned into a musical. What film is this? Schindlers list Sister Act Cocoon 2 My own private Idaho ‘Whoopi watchin’

2. MIA is engaged too... Baby Cham Stella Artois Abbots Ale Benjamin Brewer

13. In which country is Eurovision being held this year France Malta Botswana Russia Tesco

3. Which French duo just designed a bottle for Coca Cola? Air Justice The Sarkozys Zig et Zig 4. Akon had to seek shelter in ..... after allegedly being mobbed by fans while trying to film a fight on his mobile phone in London. An Oak Tree Burger King SUPERSUPER HQ Finsbury Park Mosque 5. By the rivers of Babylon, where we... Sat Down Played the lute Tried to dispose of a body Questioned the true meaning of life 6. Bee Bop Bap Bado Bo, I’m a... Batman Skat man Bap man (as opposed to bread rolls) Fat man - but please dont judge me :( 7. The lead singer from O.Children spent four days in jail due to? Stealing a hot air baloon Mistaken identity Pension Fraud Dressing up as spiderman and scaling Big Ben in aid of fathers for justice, even though, to our knowledge, he is not a father. 8. What Seatlle based grunge band are reportedly going to reissue their 1991 album ‘Ten’? Robinsons Jam We’re Jammin Pearl Jam Jam or Ham - a deli dilemma 9. VV Brown’s first name is...? Virgil Vanessa Valerie Victor 10. Which britpop band are rumoured to be headlining Glastonbury? Androgyness Auntie Gay Dad Lesbo Mum Blur 11. Who let the dogs out? The Baha Men Laurence the local loner Our Trev Mrs Mitchell - the village gossip.

14. Horse Meat Disco recently released their debut EP on their self titled label. On the subject of meat. Which of these meats are not kosher? Lamb shank Bush Meat Pork Teddy Bear Ham Luncheon Meat 15. Apperently there are big divisions between the genres of Dubstep and...? Cobble Wobble Hobble Bagpipe Bangra 16. Bassline number 1 (Tezz Kids) Dad played drums in which chart topping band...? Cold Coffee Hot Chocolate Earl’s Gay...getaway! Eggs and Esspresso - A tribute to Cher 17. Which of these people is featured in this issues people section? David Mellor Paul Weller Helen Keller Josh Weller 18. Which male musician apparently got beat up and handcuffed by security guards at a Maddonna gig last year? Patrick Wolf Luther Vandross Iggy Pop Robbie Williams 19. Head, Shoulders, Knees and...? Crows Bows Toes I think you know the answer, but whatever you do, dont do the action as theres a very strange balding man with a goatee standing behind you waiting for you to do it! 20. Former SUPERSUPER cover girl Santogold has recently officially changed her name to......? SanPerdoGold SantanaGold SanjayGold SantiGold

! billa

Out and about on the London club scene 136

Bronze Club London Photography by David Richardson

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IS THE ERA OF ‘COOL’ OVER NOW? AND THE RETURN OF MY OWN INNER OBAMA! 138

NAMAZONIA

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT IN MY SHORT LIFETIME I have always felt that politics was a world full of dull men in dull suits with even duller motives who haven’t really got a lot in common with me and my idealistic rainbow vision. My memories of British politicians are cartoonish – I vaguely remember Margaret Thatcher as a creaky blue matron with enormous iron hair that never moved. I remember she wore massive pussy bow-ties and stole milk away from children in schools; like the kind of lady whose own boob milk would contain testosterone, and taste like metallic mothballs. Then there was John Major who passed me by like a grey murmuring blip with a slit in his face, but no actual lips. His face always seemed to resemble a post box for tiny microscopic snail letters. And then New Labour’s Tony the Tiger, who seemed like an alright geezer, pretty feisty and go-getting and that, but somehow too obsessed with wanting to be ‘cool’ and down with the kids – like when he invited hip rockstars to hang out at his new house at the peak of ‘Cool Britannia’. In many ways the 90s ‘Cool Brittania’ set the tone for the next decade’s surface obsession with, and insatiable desire for, all things ‘cool’.

.com/nam

alee

The quest for ‘cool’ became the driving force for all and sundry, from celebrities to ordinary folk. ‘Cool’ New Labour; ‘cool’ lists; ‘cool’ styling makeover TV shows; ‘cool’ rebranding to make your brand even ‘cooler’. I mean c’mon blud! Any genuinely ‘cool’ person worth their intergrity will tell you that they don’t care how cool you think they are because caring about being cool is the very antithesis of actual cool. And so what is now left of this cutting-edge, hip-replacingly cool reign? Tony the Tiger’s crunchy credit and the frostiest winter for 18 years! Grrreeeat! Okay so the dire weather is not actually his fault, but cut to Gordon Brown’s dawning of the doomtime and now it seems that we are in for a recession so severe they are calling it a ‘depression’ – Oh happy days ahead indeed....! It’s not so much that I’m not interested in politics than I feel there’s so much that I don’t relate to that it makes me feel like an autistic alien, and I wouldn’t know where to start explaining myself to men who are admittedly far more ‘educated’ and ‘conventionally sensible’, but seemingly far less in touch with the real world than I. Can you imagine me talking to a politician? “Well Mr Brown, it seems to me that the solution to the recession would be that we should all start using monopoly money as it is brightly coloured and readily available to all households who own the board game. And I’ve bought you a feather duster to tickle out any sleaze in parliament – kind of like friendly torture, yeah?! Now let’s start building houses for everyone who doesn’t have one and give them to people for free....” No, me neither. I’ve always been under the belief that I am all too female, too earthy, too wild, too optimistic, too multicultural and too human for politics to make any sense to me, or me to it. And then the impossible happened. OBAMA! Landing from Outer Space like a nu rave presidential martian with his glowing technicolour family; genuine stories of inner conflict – which of course he bravely fought through; anti-heroic charm with his arm firmly around the waist of his sexy vibrant dancing wife, he embodies what we had all wished for in our wildest most insane glitter-fuelled dreams: a 21st century man who seems to be genuinely upstanding in an old fashioned values kind of way but with the future in his multi-racial all-seeing vision. A political leader who seems to have blood running through his veins rather than oil, Coca Cola and diluted wee. A husband who can kiss his wife in public without, it seems, fearing his ‘story’ will be splashed across the front pages exposing an S&M gang bang with a gaggle of wild geese. To be honest, for all my relentless optimism, my first thought was that I had made Obama up in a daydream, much like Mr Googood who lives in Namazonia and runs the local ‘Lovely Party’. As his name may indicate, Mr Googood is a good man who wants to do good things for the sake of good. No hidden agendas. He just wants to sort out the world and make sure it’s the best it can be. He realises that lots of things in the world are pretty fucked, and so would like to change those things and make it better for the future. As with Obama, you should not misunderstand Googood’s optimism for a lack of realism. Obama is terrifyingly refreshing because he is so much at odds with everything we’ve grown up believing is actually truly possible – regardless of the quick fix get-richand-die-trying celebrity achievements that are held in such high regard, and, more importantly, as an intelligent, sincere, well meaning, warm-blooded human being.

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