I spent 00.36.00 of my life staring at this last night!

I spent 00.36.00 of my life staring at this last night! Its just a screensaver but using heavy Helvetica numbers dropping into water to form a clock, just about the most entertaining thing ever!
Its a bit of a beast of a file but worth it for procrastintation: http://scr.sc/products/dropclock/

BANKSY USAINIT

Here are some of the shots of banksys new work as he ponders around the south of america:

It began in africaaaaaaaaaaaa

Billed as South Africa's answer to Baile Funk, Kwaito meshes the syncopated sound of House music with local rhythms, this time with an African tribal slant. You'll probably soon be hearing him all over the adverts so much so that Warp Records are jumping headfirst on to the Kwaito bandwagon by releasing a record by J Burg's DJ Mujava.

mouthing metallica

So i saw metallica 2003 reading and they were pretty tame compared to this one which sux for me but i did get to watch them in the luxurary of my arm chair this time around
which was nice
but one thing i did noitice is how many of the little bastards were trying to sing along to most of the songs without knowing the bloody lyrics!

blue nude

Same guy who did the cut chemist video, but this one is definatley more suited to the music.
Kyle Ruddick and Cari Ann Shim Sham's video for ambient Ohio band, Low in the Sky's "Are You for Real" is a much better music video then his more recents ventures(cut chemist). The use of colour(or non-use), minimal dance, and effects work much better with the Low in the Sky's music.

'DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?'

YEAH YOU DO!
'Do you want fries with that?' is a creative pot of illustrators and graphic designers selling their souls for the price of a burger with a side order of live DJs and of course a bar to wash it all down with!
This is Middle Boop's first venture into the real world so we would really appreciate your support and plus its in scene country
BRICK LANE MASSIVE!
plus it comletley FREE!
www.93feeteast.co.uk
www.myspace.com/laserfingers
www.dontpaniconline.com
www.ycnonline.com
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=511054386&k=Y4EUXZU6V33MZBFGUG6YU
MYSPAZZ:
www.myspace.com/middleboop

Control

This film is a benchmark in British cinema. Its one of the only indie films I have been able to talk about with people who don't know or care about cinema or Joy Division. When I found out it was shot in black and white I thought "here's another cliche wannabe film to add to the genre." but it really sets the scene of a gloomy working class town in the 70's. Shot by Anton Corbijn, the man behind a few of thier original videos as well as a huge variety of films, music videos, album designs and even logos. The man is creatively a legend and this film adds to his already astounding resume.

It Never ENDS!

click
click
click
click
http://aintlifegrand.co.uk/panic.html

360 turn-tablest!

Apparently this is the first music video to use this new 360 degree panoramic lens. Not the greatest video ever I'm afraid and not the greatest song either, you know Cut Chemist is usually capable of better! But this technology is gonna get massive, think the new apple advert with loads of dancers or daft punk reworking 'around the world' with this!
Dir. Kyle Ruddick

Fun with balloons

Might start doing this to speed cameras!

Check this guy out, he's a lot of fun:
http://www.williamlamson.com

Shoreditch Vampires

I say Ooh La La say soom
I say Ooh La La say soom
I say Ooh La La say soom
Did you ever here that track? You know the one by the Wiseguys a nineties classic! Well one of the mateys from them and another from the band Simian have got together in Shoreditch to take over this combination of electo-indie, and its
Pretty
Pretty
Good



Black Ghosts have produced a mixtape giving a insight into their own tracks – where lead vocals; Simon Lord (Justice vocals fame) sounds a good part indie – and their remixing skills – where DJ Touché (Wiseguys fame) sounds a good part electro scene.
Highlights include ‘Something New’ a emotionally effecting 90s synth track and their re-work of The Gossip’s ‘Listen Up’. But also some good GOOD club beats from the likes of Boy 8-Bit’s ‘Fog Bank’ and ‘Proper Villain’s ‘Trick Baby’ that would even find a suitable home on the Camberley high street circuit! BRAP!
All and all it’s a good inslight into the cross comtamination between indie and club music that has been taking over but with some fun added in for good measure, not to mention their stella artworks:





http://www.myspace.com/blackghosts

Flying Shite!

This is brilliant!

From AFP:

"GENEVA (AFP) — A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again, the museum said Monday.

The art work, titled "Complex Shit", is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner.

The inflatable turd broke the window at the children's home when it blew away on the night of July 31, Steiner said. The art work has a safety system which normally makes it deflate when there is a storm, but this did not work when it blew away.

Steiner said McCarthy had not yet been contacted and the museum was not sure if the piece would be put back on display."

Wolf Parade

Canadian alternative/ Indie is really starting to take off, with the likes of still up and coming bands Broken Social Scene, Do Make Say Think, Stars and Crystal Castles to bands that are now headlining festivals over here like the mighty Arcade Fire. Wolf Parade are another act that are genuinely talented but still manage to weave some pretty special pop hooks into the mix. Their latest album, At Mt Zoomer is a fine collection of songs which all have something different to give. From the energetic opener Soldiers Grin to the epic ten minute finale Kissing the Beehive these guys are definately worth checking out.

Middle Boop at the Tate and Brick Lane

Middle Boop and Brand Nu collaboration...Sort of

A little while ago Boop collaborator Gordon Reid was asked to model for a piece
of work designed by basically one of the biggest freelance designers outside of London Brand Nu and here it is.

Check it

Middle Boop work

Hi guys

here are a few new pieces of work.

Check it

Tate Graffiti

This was the first exhibition in a while that I have been to and actually wanted to leave pretty quickly. The pieces that were shown were really nothing different to the graffiti already surrounding the city, so much so in fact that we walked past a number of pieces. When I did find a piece I liked I asked the people at the information desk and they didn't even know who made it. The huge pieces on the front of the building are impressive. But on the whole if you wanted to see grafitti in London buy the Banksy book.

Justice at Oceana?!?

The Justice boys have done it again! This is their new video for 'DVNO" going back to the 80s with the animation, which has to be said again is excellent! According to band member Xavier de Rosnay DVNO stands for Divino de Rosnay states. In every suburb of the world, in every city, theres always a nightclub called El Divino, clubs where you have to like wear a white shirt to get in!
Whos coming down oceana then?

PROFILE... ds:ign - David Stevens Design Solutions

Fresh off the back of New Designers, David Stevens at ds:ign is a user-centered Product Designer, who has recently graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Sussex.

As a user-centered designer, David specialises in Emotional and Inclusive Design, with the aim to improve the quality of life for older generations and and our future selves as well as improving user-experiences throughout all areas of design.





His award-winning project 'Arthritic Solutions' uses these philosophies to eliminate the rotational wrist strength needed for people with arthritis to use dial and key-operated products. Over 200 million worldwide suffer from arthritic conditions, of whom, 81% are restricted by their condition in carrying out their daily routines.

With the collaboration of materials technology company, FormFormForm (www.formerol.com), David has secured the use of SUGRU, a soft-touch silicone, which allows the final user to form their own personalised grip on the Dial Turner and Key Turner. This not only increases functionality of the products, but also encourages positive emotional responses and reduces the stigma attached to products designed for disability.





Other products from ds:ign also include 'buMp', a user-centered kettle eliminating the need for (often redundant) water-level indicators, due its innovative 'bump chamber' - as the kettle is filled with water, bumps pass over the user's fingers, with one bump representing one cup of water. This revolutionary solution not only improves the user experience in an emotional context, but lends itself to the visually impaired, therefore keeping the design inclusive to society's changing needs.



David is currently working as a freelance designer and is available for commissions on product, furniture, graphics/layout and photography work. For more information email david@ds-ign.com or visit www.ds-ign.com .

Autechre oldy but a goody

This video is getting on a bit now but still freggin amazing work from director Alex Rutterford for Autechre's Gantz Graf! I also found this quote on the Warp records web site which has to be said is the best way of describing modern day motion graphics:
'particularly with software, you've got a minimum of five months to get used to software, then all of a sudden they change the interface all round. What the fuck have they done that for, I've got to relearn all this. It's a fucking conspiracy.' Alex Rutterford http://www.warprecords.com/news/?ti_id=512

Wrong Way Round Punk Zine Issue 2

Sneeky peek of issue two featuring; SNFU, Jawbreaker, NFG and Groezrock08!!!

Middle Boop goes rural

Check it out.

It came from the land down-under!

Somewhere in the streets of Paris musicians are panicking (or at least the should be) it seems there could be a new nation ready to take over the throne of electro music, that nation is Australia.
From a nation that has previously given us AC/DC, The Vines, Wolfmother and Men at Work electro music wouldn’t be the immediate genre of music that would spring to mind.
Since the birth of the Modular label in 1998 Australian electro has gain in popularity and strength. The first big act to make an impression overseas from the Modular would be the sample-based band The Avalanches who scored big chart hits round the world.
In recent years, since the rise of nu-rave, it as if you can’t escape the influx of Aussie bands, indie electro band Cut Copy have managed to wow international audiences not only with their slightly bittersweet style of electro pop but also from their remixes of other Australian acts like Midnight Juggernauts and The Presets.
But if your taste is for things a bit more surreal then try PNAU whose music videos include children dressed as ghosts, vicious strawberries and lightning bolts running around all over the place. Despite some odd images they have a knack of making some catchy tunes which give no option but to dance. They are the next band from down under intent on making a name for themselves in the circuit, even working another newcomer on the circuit on their last album.
But there is more to it than this, this country is almost producing new talent by minute from the sleazy electro of The Presets and Midnight Juggernauts to the disco sounds of Sneaky Sound System this is a nation worth watching.

Check Out:

Sneaky Sound System – Pictures
Muscles – Sweaty
PNAU – Baby
Cut Copy – Fabric Live 29

Latitude Review

Latitude 2008 Review

With the heat-wave that was Glastonbury the festival season had to balance itself out by having at least one rainy festival, enter Latitude!
Despite the constant shift between sunny and monsoon weather it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. This festival was never going to be as wild as Reading or as surreal as Glastonbury but compensates by providing gorgeous scenery, lots of camping space and a Pimm’s island bar!
In terms of music you are not stuck for choice with a range of acts going from the established superstars like Franz Ferdinand to the up and coming, underground bands like Thomas Tantrum.
In the category of the up and coming is Errors (think Battles from Glasgow) who put on an impressive performance with boundless energy, mostly from the guitarist and the very chatty drummer. Definitely a band to watch out for in the future.
Unfortunately, The Go! Team didn’t have the same luck having played the majority of their set with singer Ninja’s microphone so quiet you could barely hear her. However, the rest of the band sounded marvellous with yet more boundless energy. Despite these technical problems they remained one of the best live bands that weekend.
The Saturday sees the turn of the bearded French electro hipster Sebastian Tellier to impress the Latitude with his sleek, and sometimes sexy, branded of guitar based electro. Tellier doesn’t say much and when he does its masked with a thick French accent which just makes him sound even cooler as he stands behind the mic stand with sunglasses permanently fixed to his face. He plays through his half hour with ease playing a varied selection of tracks from both his albums. Unfortunately his set was cut due to him losing track of time which didn’t please the crowd and there were calls for an encore but sadly he never reappeared.
For all those who think prog-rock is dead obviously haven't seen The Mars Volta whose hour and a half set consisted of just one song. Omar Rodriguez bounds about the stage, afro flying while Cedric Bixler noodles away on his guitar. You could almost compare this performance to that of a jazz band where each player gets a turn to show their skills (and they are all very skilled musicians).
Swedish youngsters Those Dancing Days managed to wow the crowd with their fun filled mix of guitar and synth based indie pop which you can’t help but dance to. Despite looking a bit nervous when the started their set once they relaxed it became a fun packed performance, complete with brightly coloured balls being thrown at the crowd for us to play with.
Grinderman puts on the best performance of the weekend thrashing their way through their set with Nick Cave striding about the stage like a bespoke menace while long time companion Warren Ellis beats the snot out of a hi-hat and wails on his mini guitar. Their set included a new song, Dreams, which sounds like My Bloody Valentine on an acid trip. Ending their set with a vicious performance of ‘No Pussy Blues’ where you can’t help but join in with all the on stage air kicking.

Midnight Juggernauts

These guys will probably get quite big. Sounding similar to Cut Copy and to a lesser extent Justice
its nothing new but it sounds great. Their live performances have an intensity which is rare in their genre with the drummer and the bassist leaping around the stage, switching instruments in the middle of songs and some pretty cool light shows. Their latest album Dystopia has a few fillers but the main tracks such as opener Ending of an Era will be filling floors in trendy Brick Lane bars before too long.
its a sound that has been done before. But Midnight Juggernauts do it well.

Filum Art

Inspired by the Wear It With Pride (brilliant web site! http://www.wearitwithpride.com) exhibtion "Now Showing" Exploring the Lost "Art" of the Film Poster. I decided to make a few, would be film posters, enjoi.si