EDITOR’S LETTER
In this issue of Muve Magazine we discuss Steam Punk with Chuck Coleman, talk philanthropy with The Dahlias, connect with Maralen while on tour, discuss the origins of DnB with Krispe and talk house music with one of Canada’s House Music movers and shakers, Demuir.
As always, Read. Enjoy. Share.
Andre LaMont, Editor
MUVEMAG.COM
EDITOR: ANDRE LAMONT
PRODUCTION MANAGER: POLO CONWAY
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: DAVEN TREAGUE
WRITERS: EDNA TOMAL ANDRE LAMONT
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: CHUCK COLEMAN SANDRA J K PAGAN ANDRE LAMONT
HAIR AND MAKE UP: MURQUREE OF STARLITE SALON
Muve Magazine is published by Muve Media. All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of Muve Mag. While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which Muve Media LLC holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributers do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Muve Mag or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions.
CULTURETHE DAHLIAS
THE ARTSCHUCK COLEMAN MUSICDEMUIR
THE DAHLIAS
From aiding with efforts to fight cancer to rallying in support of the MS foundation, The Dahlias possess a keen desire to ignite positive change in our community. Charasmatic, passionate and driven we are elated to introduce you to, THE DAHLIAS.
MURQUREE
One quote comes to mind when I think about why I wanted to be a Dahlia. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” I wanna make a difference in others lives and leave a positive mark on the world.
CULTURE
DEDRA
My inspiration to become a Dahlia was to represent the alternative culture in a positive way. We are all hardworking, smart, strong-willed, and caring and as a group, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to.
NICOLE
I believe that there is more to it than just wanting change. You have to make change happen.
MARILYN
Being a part of a group of women who want to make a change is empowering. I am for feminism and breaking stereotypes of tattoos and taboos. The Dahlias is a no-brainer.
TOPPAZ
I’ve never believed more in a way to not just talk about change, but to make a real difference. With a platform shared by inspiring and amazing women, we have a chance to do something great for the best reasons!!!
FULL STEAM AHEAD
When it comes to alluring and captivating photography, Chuck Coleman delivers dynamic images time after time. Armed with years of experience in his craft, Chuck has carved out a form of expression in photography that is all his own.
We are elated that we had the opportunity to chat with Coleman about his art endeavors alongside his passion for Steam Punk.
THE ARTS
I got started in photography back in 1985. I was in the military at the time, in light of that I was station in Germany. I recall the very moment that my curiosity about photographer ignited. The plane had just landed in Germany. The cars were brilliant and the taxis were Mercedes. That alongside the architure intrigued me to no end . As a kid this was something that I didn’t want
to forget so I went to a store, bought a camera and then started my process.
In 1985, I took some classes as well. To really hone my photography skills. I took tours of Germany as well. Germany is about the size of Utah. It would take me about 4 and half hours to drive to Paris, France and 5 and half hours to drive to Milan, Italy and I captured pic-
tures all the way and in-between the trip. I wore that country out. The biggest thing for me is how manicured the country was. I have albums full of 35mm film from that time period.
I came back in 1996. My wife is actually from Poland and she just so happens to be Miss Poland 1996. My photography continued because people would ask me for portraits and things of that nature. I then moved on to the lifestyle of the biker by taking photos of Harley Davidson enthusiast . Which lead into wanting to be a fashion photographer. I started trying to do fashion and it’s difficult. Everyone has their own look that they are looking for. You have to follow certain standards, its hard pressed if you have your own style because everyone is kind of looking for the same thing. So then I got into events. I wanted to make an awareness of who I was as a photographer. I soon learned that the industry is just overly populated with a lot of people doing a lot of free work. Free work does not constitute a good business plan. The value of a photographer has changed since the rise of the digital market. An indi-
vidual thinks that they can go out and buy a $300 set up and they are good now. Photography is the capture of the ever illusive emotion. If you are not an emotional person and you don’t have apathy, it’s going to make it very difficult for a person to capture emotions. Looking at myself as a emotional person, I believe I’m able to hone that experience in every shoot.
People often ask me to edit a certain
way. Remove this or don’t use that. What they are asking me to do is be like them. That puts me in a crowd with every body else. If I’m in a crowd with everyone else how are we going to make money? That’s the total definition of our industry right now. Everyone is following and doing the same thing. So I will step outside the box and do my own thing, my own editing. I like to create a lot of drama in my photography.
THE ARTS
I believe that there are two versions of sexy. There is the male version. Then there is the female version. The male version is very simple, they like skin, they want something that exemplifies that fact. Where as a woman has more apathy, more emotion, and so on. I believe there are a lot of things that women look for in photography but men write the rules. I think that in today’s photography landscape so many photographers capture women through their perspective. Without al-
lowing for the natural nature of things to shine through. My target range for models is from 30 to whatever, because I believe that there is beauty in all women. People say “well what are you going to do with those women. Industry only wants 24.” I’ll create my own avenues. What I like to do is create an environment that is conducive to the needs of the older woman.
I believe I’m good at giving direction. I’m trying to create an industry that
actually has teeth. Because no one else is really doing anything to create monetary value in the business. I’m doing so by going a whole different route by myself. And I wholeheartedly believe that you can’t do it for free. Because then your work has no value. If every model in the nation stated that they would no longer do free shoots. I think that the very next day their income would rise. Because they are needed. Self esteem is the biggest thing in this industry. The woman with the most beautiful looks has the most self-esteem issues because all of her life she had to say no. She never really had to work at anything. So the model that doesn’t look that great but turns out great images and works for it. This is the model that intrigues me more than any one else. Because she is going to be there, she is going to be on time, and she is going to work hard.
What is Steampunk?
Steampunk is basically the meeting of 18th century and new age
THE ARTS
technology. It is a scenario that if in the 18th century we would have not resorted to fossil fuels and stayed with coal and steam. Most of our textiles are made with petroleum based products, so therefore our clothing would have stayed 18th century but we would have advanced in technology. So all of our synthetics would be non-existent because of the lack of petroleum. We would still design clothing like we would have in the victorian period. An execellent example is Robert Conrad “The Wild Wild West” . He was a cowboy with interesting gadgets and older attire.
People love steampunk but they aren’t sure what to call it. I was that way as well at one point. You can take one of the most famous designers in the world, Alexander Mcqueen, when he was living he was the king, because he took an old, radical, punky, gothic look and made it elegant. That was his claim to fame he kind of stood out. My version of steampunk is a little twist between what Alexander was doing and flare of my own. I think that a lot people take what I do as costuming. All of the Europian countries are utilizing this form of style in one way or another in marketing campaigns and
such. Eventually it will trickle on over to the US. It will be here.
My philosophy is that, it doesn’t really matter where the message is coming from are you able to get the message. And the message that I’m putting out is that there is something here that is respectful for the mature woman who has her life in order and I’m giving her a place to go play with her girlfriends. Ultimately that is Steam Punk Chuck.
My goal now is to get more into the video side of things. My artwork is so illusive and involving I think that people may miss exactly what I do. They lump me in a category of other photographers. I believe I’m more of a therapist than anything else. I sell an emotion I sell an experience. Most people see me as a photographer who takes a bunch of pics of models. But most of my photos are everyday moms. It is an overwhelming experience for those moms to see the final product. It really does something for their esteem, because every woman dreams of having that and I usually make that happen in one day.
CANADA’S HOUSE MUSIC TASTEMAKER: DEMUIR
Inquisitive minds want to know. How is the Canadian House Music Scene?
I’d say the Canadian House music scene is very much alive, vibrant and kicking. No matter what city you are in, no matter if it’s as far west as Vancouver going to into Montreal House music is very predominate. The great thing about house music is that we all know that there are many facets of the genre . Living in Canada I can easily say that I want to go to deep house party or that I want to go to a jacking bass heavy or tech house
party. While there is unity and life for house music across the board depending on the type of house your are into you can find yourself in any of those areas at any point in time. I would say Montreal does it big. I would say
Are you a Ontario Native?
Yes, I am. I’m pretty much born and raised here. I get inspired just by living here. Toronto is a great place there is nothing like it.
Your latest track “ Dragon Breath” was listed on Traxsource’s Jacking House essentials as number 7 just days after it was released. What was the inspiration behind that track?
I think that the reason that “Dragon Breathe” is doing so well is because it connects with people at that level of recognition. Everyone unfortunately has had a situation that they have come into contact with someone else stupidity and the quality of their actions. It’s something that has happened to me. It’s really about
a person making assumptions about me as an individual and my character. and sharing that with other people that I care about without even having a conversation with me. As unfortunate as that was, it inspired great music that people can relate to and at the same time bounce with.
What motivated you to become a house producer.
I would say that production came naturally after DJing. Being a DJ and playing these records that evoke certain emotions you start to become
MUSIC
genuinely curious about certain sounds and about how these records were developed. That’s what took me on my journey on to production. I was curious about those sounds and the art of sampling. After building several songs I quickly began to realize that much of the same techniques utilized in house production are also used in hip hop.
Along with producing solid house tunes, you also operate your own record label, Mikita Skyy. Any new releases coming soon?
I’m quite excited about a few actually. Right now we have Jared Letto’s “Nothing Left EP” and we also have a tech house release coming from Tomar’s. The other great thing about running Mikita Skyy, is that it allows me another platform to step out of certain genres that people would expect me to do.
What is your most utilized and essential production tool in your studio?
The most used tool in my studio is not any piece of high-tech gear. I wouldn’t say I spent thousands on it.
It’s really about the energy and the vibe that you bring into your space. I think that any producer or artists can relate to that. I think that it is absolutely the most important ingredient that any one that can have in there study. I think you’ve just got to feel it, believe it and make it happen.
What’s next on the horizon for Demuir?
I plan to continue to produce great music of course . I can say that over time, especially this last year it has been very fascinating to me how
people are connecting with my music. Even some people that I would say are at the upper echelon of production and DJing are doing really great in their careers production and DJing. People like Make Farina and Derrick Carter and other great names in house that have reached out to me directly and have completely surprised me. They have blown me away. I plan to keep doing things right on the production tip and I’d like to move into DJing at more of an international level.
GOING DEEPER WITH KRISPE
I was fan of Misfits and things of that nature. At about 13 or so I was attending the Wreckroom and a DJ there played what we called alternative. Some of the artist played were along the lines of The Cure, Depeche Mode and Erasure. And then the DJ would mix in acid house and forms of techno. Definitely many enjoyable nights were had there. Skipping a head a bit, later on in life I got into car audio. I favored the bass and turntablism that Magic Mike was doing at the time. I would test out audio kits with his mixes. It definitely intrigued me how he scratched over everything and dropped these amazing James Brown samples alongside electro. So my journey into the never ending search for
great dance music began. I also desired to create a bit a music of my own, so early in the 90’s I found some decks and began honing the craft of djing.
At the time I favored artist like Moving Shadow, Suburban Bass, Formation Records, Production House which eventually became Drum and Bass record labels. At the time the sound was very cutting edge and beyond what was currently relevant. I believe if we didn’t have the early forms of bass music, the dance music that we know today would not sound quite like it does. You can still hear DnB in current EDM. Some examples are Excision, Downlink, and Bro Safari. Most of their tracks are laden
with crisp snares and adequate breathing room for deep pulsating bass.
Speaking of current production Skrillex released a track on Recess called “Ragga Bomb”. The track definitely has some Drum Step/DnB elements flowing through it. What’s interesting is that I don’t always opt to play Skrillex but at times I like to utilize his tracks as a segway into deeper DnB. I think that it opens up the floods gate to deliver a little knowledge to the crowd about the DnB genre. My playlist for shows is usually comprised of tracks that run the gamut of DnB, from nuero funk to jungle. I favor producing Nuero Funk as well. The process involves an inordinate amount of resampling and tuning. To get gritty baselines, I usually utilize Massive alongside a detune saw wave. I’ll record a few bars of middle C, bounce it out to a sampler to add effects and automation. The process is never really done but I get it pretty close to what I’d like to hear from a DnB tune. I’ve got a few tracks that I’m utilizing those techniques on. One of which is a remix for DJ Love. That should be out sometime later this year.
#FRESH MUSIC
MARALEN DELIVERS FRESH AND INNOVATIVE MUSIC TO OUR DIVERSE MUSICAL LANDSCAPE. WE HAD THE CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH HER ON TOUR. CHECK OUT THE INTERVIEW AFTER THE JUMP.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I’ve always been a singer. I grew up singing in church. My parents were really into music as well. I find inspiration in the music of artists like MC Lyte, Eazy E and Mos Def. I favor the old school feel good music.
Describe your sound.
I can’t really compare myself to anyone. I don’t think I sound like any one ease. But if I had to sum myself up. I would say I’m a very positive artist. I think my music kinda goes against the grain. It’s a bit different that what is currently popular.
Where did you find yourself touring to?
This summer I was on tour in Dallas,
Kansas City, Atlanta, New York and Tulsa. I’m touring with DJ Nasty Nav. He is my DJ for the tour. My manager put this together and we are everywhere now. We are on a journey for exposure and to bring something new to people.
While on tour we went to several venues and say quite a few other artists. I personally try to learn and seek out a mental takeaway from each show I do. I feel as though perfecting your stage presence is essential to a performers show. One of the things I noticed about other artist is that their stage presence was lackluster. So obviously that brought to mind mine. I think artist should be proactive and bring something new to the table. I believe owning your originality is what being a performer is all about.
