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Thursday, 08 January, 2009

PLANETNOTION TELEVISION!

CAMERA-FOLK AND FILM EDITORS WANTED!

Planet Notion is looking for guys and dolls to film and edit features for its new TV channel, PNTV. Accompanying Notion to artist interviews, gigs, fashion shows, festivals and international events, you will be skilled, passionate and full of ideas about how to produce shit-hot video content. Camera-folk will be experienced and ideally have their own equipment, or at least access to equipment, while editors must be able to turn projects around quickly, and with stylistic flare. If you can both film and edit content, we would especially like to hear from you! These casual, unpaid positions would be ideal for those looking to develop their showreels, and to get the chance to travel, film major artists and top events.

Please email lucy(at)musichqmedia
(dot)com if you’re interested in getting involved, cheers!

INFO

Do you have more than two brain cells? So do these people.

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Torture Garden

Flouting expectations and scorning boundaries since 1990, London fetish club Torture Garden is the biggest in the world. Still, strict rules apply: although clubbers are immersed in an arena of fantasy and temptation, touching anyone without permission is absolutely forbidden. The dress code excludes cotton trousers and encourages individual extremes: PVC tutus, Thunderbird suits, see-through suits, syringe decorated dresses and the mind boggles on. You’ll dance to anything from breaks and electro to classical and Vegas swing, but just who will you bump into?! Torture Garden’s themed fetish nights have included Crash, Circus, Japanese, Mid-Summer Nights Dream, Arabian Nights, Medical, James Bond, Heaven & Hell, Sci-fi, Jungle and Carnival. When the club took over Brixton Academy, a couple of consenting thrill seekers got involved with the 'Body Art' presentation, getting hung by their skin from a suspension attached to the venue’s ceiling in front of 2500 people. Here club founders David Wood and Alan Pelling allow Notion into their alternative world to enjoy some probing questions - we give as good as we get, believe! DAVE AND ALAN, IS FETISH CULTURE MOVING OVERGROUND? DAVE: Our birthday event at Ministry of Sound in 1994 earned us some good press, but before that the tabloids would slag us off, the police would make arrests and we got closed down a few times! We’re careful with publicity but obviously sexuality in the media has changed. Channel 4 now runs documentaries on dressing up and sexual experimentation. I think fetish is almost accepted now as a part of sexuality and of society, but still, it’s not for everyone. ALAN: We could have had the same conversation in 1995 when John Paul Gautier came up with kinky designs and there was some fetish in advertising. It seems to move in and out of the mainstream, just like we’re in and out of fashion. SO WOULD YOU STILL LABEL TORTURE GARDEN AS AN UNDERGROUND CLUB? DAVE: Yes, you know some of the visuals and the performances are quite extreme. But everyone who comes wants to be a little bit shocked. ALAN: The Internet made things a lot more accessible; in 1997 the only way to find out about this club was to know someone who had been or by picking up a flyer, but you’d have no knowledge about it. DO YOU EVER GET CRITICISED FOR THE WORK YOU DO? DAVE: I think my family was a bit prudish initially but now they’ve got used it. ALAN: My Mum takes all of our press into work! They accepted it and I’ve even had relatives come to the club! That’s a bit odd, and you know you generally just tell people that you’re a club promoter. IS SEX ENTERTAINMENT? DAVE: Torture Garden itself can be very serious, but after a while you’ve got to have a bit more fun – you always need to surprise yourself. British culture has always had the humour to take on sexuality and perhaps even has trouble taking it seriously at all. The fetish scene has a kind of sophisticated sexuality, sexuality with unlimited imagination, a little bit of experimentation and dressing up. ALAN: That’s the positive side, but there is also a negative side... DOES THE FETISH SCENE STILL THRILL YOU? DAVE: It’s normalised for us! We were more into fetish when we first started. I still love the club but I do envy a lot of people who come for the first time because it’s their fantasy, a big sort of trip! DO FETISH CLUBS ACT AS A VEHICLE FOR GETTING RID OF SOCIAL BOUNDARIES? ALAN: Clubbing in general opens up new situations and lets you experiment. DAVE: Torture Garden has always been a polysexual club, for anyone wanting to explore. A lot of gay people find gay clubs quite narrow and repressive, and dressing up liberates everyone. WOULD THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE IF EVERYONE VISITED A FETISH CLUB? ALAN: Ha! It’s vital not to confuse sex and love...But when people are frustrated and repressed, problems pass from sexuality to society; they can’t express it. DAVE: I think everyone should be allowed to go or have the possibility of going. A lot of couples have said that we’ve changed their lives, or that they met at the club, but it’s not always happy ever after! WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE FANTASY? ALAN: Four beautiful women and a big pile of cocaine! SO YOU’RE NO DIFFERENT FROM THE AVERAGE GUY ON THE STREET THEN?! DAVE: He’s just split up with his girlfriend... WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FETISH - WHAT’S PUSHING YOUR BUTTONS RIGHT NOW? DAVE: Last Valentine’s we did a ‘Love the animal within’ theme which was quite provocative! People dressed up in big fur animal suits, it gave a kind of weird twist that no one even knew existed! WAS THAT BUNNY SUIT YOUR MOST MEMORABLE OUTFIT? ALAN: Well I’m not a big fan of rubber... DAVE: I usually like to wear a uniform. IS SEX THE ULTIMATE FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION? ALAN: It’s like shitting, eating and farting; animalistic! DAVE: If you don’t enjoy sex you don’t enjoy life, and it’s good communication! HOW DO YOU KEEP UNDESIRABLE CLUB GOERS AWAY? DAVE: The name puts some people off! As does the dress code - geezers will try to get in wearing jeans! The punters police the events themselves, we have dungeon monitors and most women carry their own whips anyway! A fight might break out at the odd event but about a third of the crowd is regulars, some are one-timers; some come to three a year. We print banners and flyers with the club rules; we let the event go and when it gets too much, reign it back in. DO YOU THINK THAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC IS A SUITABLE SOUNDTRACK FOR FETISH? ALAN: Yeah it complements all of the synthetic clothes! Techno, hard house and drum n bass is all body-based stuff, but guitars just wouldn’t work! DAVE: We’ve experimented with swing bands before, the core music is obvious though, we use sexual sounds and visuals, everything is connected. DO YOU ONLY DRESS FETISH AT WEEKENDS? DAVE: I like dressing up at home! I like going out wearing a suit and bowler hat. ALAN: I don’t dress up so much these days. WHY IS TORTURE GARDEN THE KING OF FETISH CLUBS? ALAN: In the late 80s fetish clubs needed re-vamping – the energy was there but the music and the styling were all wrong. We’ve brought vision and professionalism to the scene, it’s in the experience and the way we treat our customers. Torture Garden has gone through so many phases – goth, techno, electro, lounge, rave – we borrow and improvise. We were the first fetish club to get a website and have an office, and the first to do burlesque in 1993. WILL THE SCENE EVER SURPASS ITS OWN LIMITS? ALAN: I think that we have! DAVE: We have to keep re-styling the night or we get bored; we’re our own worst critics and we also re-invent ourselves and our music constantly. The crowd, our designers and our DJs change so this new generation keeps updating it. ALAN: Every few years you wonder if you’re doing the right thing. Of course there are limits to what you can do in terms of venue and budget but it’s mainly all about getting the right crowd in. You have to get past clichés as well; people who invent their own costumes are the best. IS THE JAPANESE FETISH SCENE MORE ADVANCED THAN LONDON’S? DAVE: Japanese culture is naturally fetishistic – submissive! Their sense of wrong and right is completely removed from ours; they’ll tie a girl up in burning rags but won’t be allowed to show her pubes! The Japanese have a strong taste for visual imagery, which is a big part of fetish culture. Dressing up is also a lot more normal for them. Their costumes are, after London’s, the most creative and original. The energy is different there; you don’t get the sexual predators! In America there’s a hierarchy like at high school – who gets to touch who! London is definitely the world’s fetish capital. It’s a melting pot for all of the weirdos in Europe, fetish is just the British party instinct gone wild! IS THERE ANYTHING FETISHISTIC ABOUT EVERYDAY LIFE? DAVE: Being weird is now so normal for us that to go to the pub and be blokey is like a fetish! Life can be so strange when you scratch beneath the surface. There’s an underbelly of the world that you can see all of the time, and living around here (Hackney) there’s loads of weird shit. Outside a bar the other day, there were 7 dwarfs in lederhosen being looked after by a Polish art teacher! Read our review of Torture Garden's Valentine's Ball here

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Fetish Britain

What with dreaded V-Day having burned a love shaped hole in the hearts of singletons and exciting couples to cream themselves even more than usual, we thought it best to present you with the perfect alternative to moonshine and roses: dungeon equipment and rubber! Celebrate fetish style this summer - could this become a mainstream craze? Did you know that it is terribly British to harbour a fetish? That London is the fetish club capital of the world? The term 'fetish' gets loosely tied to an entire subculture that is homegrown and thriving - there are more fetish clubs in the UK than ever before, with the scene being fuelled by electronic 'body music' and a passion for DIY fashion, as well as alternative sexual appetites. The dictionary low-down on 'fetish' is: 'a sexual interest in an object or a part of the body other than the sexual organs.' Or: 'an activity or object which you are so interested in that you spend an unreasonable amount of time thinking about it or doing it.' Apparently we are liable to latch onto anything in the outside world and attach erotic significance to it: farmyard animals, anyone? It might seem ridiculous, but we've all harboured quasi-sexual feelings at one irregular point or another that have made us question ourselves. At least that's what I tell myself when I remember being inexplicably excited by the roguish Jack Russell whilst watching Disney's 'Lady and the Tramp,' as a wide eyed school girl. And how about Russell Brand suggestively bantering with his right hand horse, or enshrining seemingly innocent articles like waffle irons and plastic figurines with an erotic charge on 'Big Brother's Big Mouth'? Good old Channel 4, so advanced! Rubber, medical paraphernalia, Japan, Hitler Youth, aeroplanes, wolves, pixies, cling film, Geisha girls, accordions, eye balls, anything red coloured, WWII, McDonald’s uniforms, electric fences... Watch out, dear reader, amid the flotsam of our history, culture and everyday lives, lurk objects that could just trigger your inner fetish - welcome to the club! Indeed everyone is welcome from technicoloureds to transsexuals, police officers to porn stars, but dressing up is essential. And don’t forget to arrive with your mind open and your sense of humour intact. British fetish clubs offer fully realised fantasy experiences; elaborate playgrounds for adult experimentation and individual expression. Central to fetish culture is the flouting of boundaries: these clubs drive you to test the limits of your tolerance and are designed to take you right out of your remit. While superclub Torture Garden can cater for up to 2500 people, there are countless smaller events happening all over the country - London's Club Rub is a good example - that have evolved their own communities, welcoming 1-300 fetish heads through the door for more private parties. And you thought that X-Factor was the ultimate in Saturday night entertainment! Like the promoters at fetish club Kashpoint insist: 'Leave those old thoughts behind! New sounds, new shapes, new minds!' Fetish clubs operate around an inflexible 'No Streetwear' policy, but if you’re stuck for an outfit and you're skint never fear, homespun creations are always rewarded. London also hosts a monthly fetish fair, where you can pick up anything from top to bottom rubbers, nipple clamps, pig masks and PVC platforms to leather erection covers - kiss my kinky boots! FETISH LINKS • WWW.LONDONFETISHSCENE.COM - CLUB LISTINGS FOR THE CAPITAL AND BEYOND • WWW.LONDONFETISHFAIR.CO.UK - HOW TO GET YOUR HANDS ON FETISH GEAR • http://WWW.FETISH-CHANNEL.CO.UK - WATCH CLIPS FROM THE COMMUNITY FETISH HEADS CONFESS MALE, ANONYMOUS WHAT MAKES A GOOD FETISH CLUB? Clientele, themes, environment , performances, exhibitors, aroma, voyeurism, temperatures, venues with a myriad of rooms and fresh running water. DO YOU HAVE A FETISH YOURSELF? That’s best shared in person! WHAT HAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE IN A FETISH CLUB BEEN? The power of anonymity... WHAT'S THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS OUTFIT YOU’VE WORN TO A FETISH NIGHT? One that made a girl come up to me and confess I made her look ugly! HAVE YOU EVER FELT THREATENED OR DISORIENTATED IN A FETISH CLUB? Yes, both. DO YOU THINK THAT FETISH CULTURE WILL ALWAYS BE UNDERGROUND? Life is cyclical and although fetish is currently enjoying a wave of commercial interest, what is fundamental to this scene are the people that wish to explore and express their individuality, however they see fit. This is not an ethos universally shared by the mainstream, so although it might be interesting and fashionable to charter a flight to the Andaman Islands, the question remains, do they really need the litter? WHY DO YOU LIKE GOING TO FETISH NIGHTS? To indulge the five senses I’ve been afforded WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE FANTASY? Delightfully wrapped without ever having to ask for it! FEMALE, ANONYMOUS WHAT MAKES A GOOD FETISH CLUB? Wet play DO YOU HAVE A FETISH YOURSELF? Medical uniform, black PVC, clowns WHAT HAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE IN A FETISH CLUB BEEN? Making out with a dwarf in the middle of the dancefloor! WHAT’S THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS OUTFIT YOU’VE WORN TO A FETISH NIGHT? A suit with the jacket open, to expose a plastic male torso HAVE YOU EVER FELT THREATENED OR DISORIENTATED IN A FETISH CLUB? I had a guy chucked out once, but generally I feel comfortable DO YOU THINK THAT FETISH CULTURE WILL ALWAYS BE UNDERGROUND? Yes, people who go to fetish clubs will keep it there, undiluted! WHY DO YOU LIKE GOING TO FETISH NIGHTS? To surprise myself WHAT'S YOUR ULTIMATE FANTASY? In the wet room with a doctor and a nurse... WORDS: LUCY WILSON

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Hawk Krall

Philadelphia based illustrator Hawk Krall works in a world full of bright colour, bad attitude and buxom women. His cartoons feature a huge cast of characters ranging from Paris Hilton to larger than life American stereotypes, whilst his illustrations have accompanied articles, CDs and hot dog stands. Notion caught up with the man himself for an insight into his off the wall imagination... WHEN DID YOU REALISE THAT YOU WANTED TO MAKE A CAREER OUT OF DRAWING? Well, pretty much as long as I can remember. As a kid I was always drawing nasty pictures of the teacher in the back of the classroom, making my own garbage pail kids (illustrated trading cards of messed up kids, popular in 1980's America) and selling them to my friends. When I was about 11 I decided I wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist and started drawing comics about aliens and gladiators. My parents are both artists themselves so were always supportive. My mother teaches and does photorealistic watercolours of amusement park midways, whilst my father is a gag cartoonist and worked as an Art Director for years. HOW HARD WAS IT TO GET RECOGNISED AS AN ESTABLISHED ARTIST? It was rough in the beginning, especially being an illustrator when you're blindly sending work to art directors who have no idea who you are. It's a matter of getting your work to the right people who will publish it, show it, buy it, talk about it, and enjoy it. I still work in a kitchen forty hours a week (think Gordon Ramsey on crack), it keeps the rent paid and is great material for comics. WHAT DO YOU COUNT AS MAJOR INSPIRATIONS? Everyday life, the crazy people I work with, walking down the street, people watching, old signs, small towns, Coney Island, old amusement parks... As far as art goes I'd have to say Red Grooms, George Grosz, obviously comics, especially Joe Matt and Peter Bagge because some of their stories are so close to my own life. Also old illustration, Mexican hand painted lettering, cheap design... I could go on forever. The passion that many of my friends and fellow Philadelphia artists have for what they're doing is a huge inspiration. IS THERE A SPECIFIC FEATURE THAT YOU FOCUS ON WHEN YOU START TO DRAW A CHARACTER? I've never thought about this before but I always start with the nose! HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ROLE OF COLOUR IN YOUR WORK? Pretty damn important! It helps to get the mood across in an illustration and I love working in colour, although the limitations of black and white can be terrific sometimes. WHO IS THE HARDEST CELEBRITY TO DRAW? It took me two weeks to get a likeness of Paris Hilton. I always have a hard time drawing female celebrities, especially sex symbols. They work hard to have almost no lines in their face, so there’s nothing to draw but lips and boobs. Drawing Ian McShane (Al Swearengen from Deadwood) was a lot of fun. People with wild unique features like Osama Bin Laden and Conan O’Brian are usually pretty easy to draw. MOST OF THE FEMALES IN YOUR WORK ARE QUITE LARGE. WHY IS THIS? To combat the insane, disgusting standard of beauty forced upon the world by the fashion industry and people who don't like to eat. Mostly I just love to draw boobs and butts and I have lots of inspiration for this on the streets of Philadelphia where there are big, loud, confident women strolling down the block in skin tight jeans. WHAT DO YOU FEEL HAS BEEN YOUR BEST PROJECT SO FAR? Illustrating Steven Wells' column for Philadelphia Weekly has been great. It's given me a chance to hone my celebrity drawing skills and publish a ridiculous, sarcastic illustration each week. It's also great to work with a writer whose sense of humour rivals my own. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE? I've got a six page comic in Typhon #1 and a collection of comics edited by Danny Hellman, which is due out later this year. I'm also working on continuing some of my stories, hopefully to graphic novel length. I'd like to explore gallery work as well, maybe build a small scale city street and paint the whole thing, life size big booty girls and all. www.hawkkrall.net

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Jason Brooks

Jason Brooks was born in London, but spent most of his childhood in Brighton on the south coast of England. From an early age he drew and painted avidly and first received freelance commissions in his early teens. He studied graphic design and illustration at St Martin's School of Art and followed this up after a travelling stint by attending the Royal College of Art to study for a Masters in illustration. In 1992, he won the prestigious Vogue/Sotheby's Cecil Beaton Award for fashion illustration. Brooks created an identity through posters andpromotional material for Pushca, the legendary London club of the 90s. He was one of the firstillustrators to adapt to the new medium ofcomputers. This, combined with his love of drawing, helped to pioneer the new medium and bring abouta revolution in the world of illustration as well as a rebirth of what had previously been seen by some as a disappearing art form. In 1999, Brooks began a series of CD covers for Hed Kandi which went on to sell over four millionalbums worldwide. After 50 illustrated covers, in 2005 he decided it was time to move on and nowcreates music artwork exclusively for the new label Fierce Angel distributed by Universal music.In 2000 he joined forces with FOLIO, the leading London illustration agency who still representhim worldwide. www.folioart.com A range of Jason Brooks products are available under his own label through licensing agreements with BRB in Spain and with Mark's Inc in Japan wh oin 2007 will be launching his Jil & Jet character range of stationery and calendars. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2007? This week I'm drawing different sets of twins wearing lingerie for Neiman Marcus - the American department store. I’m also working on new artwork for 'Digital Angel' a forthcoming album which will only be released online. I am also very excited about all the new work coming up with Fierce Angels - we have some great albums scheduled to come out in the spring and early summer next year. As well as this I’m in talks on another very exciting project which could take my work in a whole new direction in 2008 so to risk a cliché, please watch this space! ARE THERE ANY MUSICAL ARTISTS/BANDS YOU ARE A FAN AND WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH? One would have to be The Killers. I think their whole Las Vegasy rock image is really inspiring and I see so many pictures in my mind when I listen to their stuff. I'd also like to draw Pete Doherty as there is undoubtedly something weirdly fascinating about him. I think his own particular brand of rock and roll squalor would translate brilliantly into very black and white graphic images and underneath it all he's also incredibly talented musically. I'd also work for free on anything with Madonna or David Bowie. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU COLLECT OBSESSIVELY? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING YOU HAVE COLLECTED? As a child I was obsessed with American comics. There was a great shop in Brighton called Vortex books which I used to go to every Saturday morning and buy old 60s and early 70s DC titles like The Flash, Green Lantern and Batman. There were a huge influence on my drawing and as a boy also pretty much taught me to read. Now I have a very modest art collection and I also collect Murano and Scandinavian glass - but only in smoke blue. It always seems a good idea to keep collections under control otherwise they can take over your life. If I had the money I would definitely become a serious art collector. It is the passion of my life and how wonderful would it be to live with a Matisse painting or the odd Warhol drawing? DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PROJECTS YOU’VE WORKED ON OR CLIENTS YOU’VE WORKED WITH? Drawing at the Couture fashion shows in Paris with The Independent newspaper was a fabulous job although it was always hard at the time to come back to London and being a penniless artist in Portobello after so much unremitting glamour and luxury. I also enjoyed working on an animation project In Australia a few years ago advertising Finlandia vodka which took me back and forth to Sydney a few times which is a great city. But I have to say all the work I've done with Mark Doyle both at Hed Kandi and now at Fierce Angel has been the most fun and rewarding. WHO DO YOU SEE AS YOUR CONTEMPORARIES AND WHO DO YOU RATE? I really like the Spanish illustrator Jordi Labanda's sense of style and humour and I know how technically difficult it is to effortlessly paint the way he does. I also really admire David Downton's completely brilliant technique and he's also a lovely chap. Tyler Brulee, the founder of Wallpaper, has also been an inspiration among my contemporaries although not as an illustrator more for his sense of style and particular aesthetic sensibility which I relate to. His years at Wallpaper were massively influential on so many areas of design and certainly had an effect on my work too. www.jason-brooks.com / www.fierceangels.com

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Peter Robinson

Believe what the interminable array of unsigned artists, would-be A&R men and high profile sponsors have to say about the MySpace phenomenon, and you'd be forgiven for believing their claims that MySpace, and the succession of copycat sites hoping to get some traffic as they hop aboard the unsigned slipstream, have levelled music for everyone. They've provided an even playing field so that some kid in his or her bedroom can gain as much exposure as whichever "new James Blunt" the labels are chucking our way. It's everything punk promised but never delivered. Unfortunately this is largely bollocks because most unsigned music is utterly terrible (to be fair there is a strong hint to this conclusion in the term unsigned) and most MySpace punters quite rightly approve or deny new friend requests from bands based on utterly superficial - if completely valid - reasons such as haircuts, band names and song titles. The last thing to load on a MySpace page is the music, and by the time it connects you have already gone a long way to making your mind up about the band. This effect creeps in slowly. In the early days of your MySpace life, when you are still adding your real-life friends and have yet to begin stalking your friends' more attractive friends (this period lasts for about four hours), a new friend request from a band can seem like an exciting prospect. It's everything that was missing from your teenage years: a band actually wanting to be your friend! Before you can say 'OMG THERE GOES THE FOURTH WALL!!!!!!!', the tables have turned and the music fan is in the position of power. Approve or deny? Yes, Justin Timberlake, you may be my friend. No, The Body Rockers, I do not "like the way you move", and you may therefore not be my mate. And who are the unsigned acts who want to be your friend? You have only been on MySpace for two days and already 'Simon Hatch: folk singersongwriter' has tracked you down. He wants to be your friend. Approve or deny? The whole experience is so new that you click their picture to find out more. Once the pimped-out band page loads (this customisation tends to amount to somehow making the page completely un-navigable, along with the addition of interesting FLASHING GIF ANIMATIONS), it all looks a little suspect. They are called something deep 'n' meaningful like "Willpower Of The Night", The music description is pop/powerpop/rock, although the music actually sounds more like The Mission. Track two does not improve and track three - a b-side from their first EP - sounds like a foal in a bear-trap. You read their blog and look at their friends. This is not for you and is, in fact, terrible. As I say, this only ever happens in the early stages of your MySpacing career. After a week, you begin approving anybody who will want to be your friend. Their profile could list interests as chess, birdwatching, paedophilia and you would never know because you'd clicked 'approve' underneath the words 'Cliff wants to be your friend'. But after two weeks, you become selective. This band has a crap name - you know they're goth/electronica - deny. That band clearly had their photo taken by the bins of their local leisure centre - deny. It is not long before the haircut rules supreme in your MySpace preferences. So this should be regarded as an open letter to musicians on MySpace. Be creative with your 90x130 pixel image. No, it's not too small to look good - amazing Number One singles sound great as ringtones, and brilliant album artwork works brilliantly on a 5" CD sleeve. Buy yourself a new shirt for your photo shoot. Comb your hair or ask a good-barnetted friend for their advice. Think carefully about your band name and what your band name says about you. Then, perhaps, you might trick somebody onto your MySpace page when you attempt to add them as a friend. Your terrible, un-listenable music will be your undoing, of course, but at a time when idiot A&R types are still making their decisions on the volume of profile views, track plays and network lists, you need all the friends you can get. POP! JUSTICE, 100% SOLID POP MUSIC IS AVAILABLE NOW. WWW.POPJUSTICE.COM/ALBUM

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Designersblock

In 1998, Piers Roberts and Rory Dodd set up SAME, the first contemporary design retailer on Brick Lane in East London, selling UK and Scandinavian designs ranging from furniture to lighting. Later that year, they set up Designersblock, a creative enterprise that curates design shows in innovative architectural sites, and acts as a platform for designers both new and established to showcase their work. When Designersblock launched in London, it brought together work by 35 companies from eight countries, gained a massive following and whipped up a media frenzy. Since 2000, they have been taking Designersblock far and wide, producing and curating shows in cities across the globe, often providing a fresh and well-acclaimed alternative to major design events and trade shows. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON RECENTLY ANDWHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF 2006/2007? We've been doing shows all over this year; we did ashow in the streets of the Meat packing district in New York, we've also been in Frankfurt and Milan,and we launched Designersblock Istanbul during their Design Week out there. In September, we launched the Designersblock club in Shoreditch,which saw 15 bands, loads of DJs, and a lot ofdancing over a five-night stretch. Yr Mum ya Dadand Princess Julia DJ-ed, and Cantankerous and Paris Motel performed, who were all brilliant. We also showcased a singer called David Sugar, who'snot famous yet, but really ought to be. He doesloads of back flips and plays the Gameboy! More music-based events are definitely on the cards forus, and we'll hopefully make that a monthly event next year. We've just got back from Japan, where we have been doing shows for the past six years,and which is always incredible. Tokyo is so whatwe're about; anything and everything is possibleout there. Its so cutting edge, and we always lovefinding out what people over there are seeing,doing, and wearing, because it's just so different and amazing. As for the rest of the year and into 2007, it'll be ever more shows, ever more countries to branch out into and celebrate. ARE THERE ANY MUSICAL ARTISTS OR BANDS YOU ARE A FAN OF AND WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH? We have good connections with the music business, and we know loads of bands on the brink of massive success. We love the idea of having more bands play at our creative events. Bands love performing in unusual venues, which is essentially what we are about. We want to work with The Noisettes, and although we haven't managed to see them yet, I imagine they'd be incredible in one of our spaces. Their singer Shingai Shoniwa has got a wicked voice, and they're berserk. We also really want to work with The Mystery Jets; we very nearly had them and Amy Winehouse playing at one of our events in September, which we would've loved,but unfortunately they'd been touring for ages and needed to take a night off. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU COLLECT OBSESSIVELY? We try not to collect things too obsessively. We get as much pleasure out of throwing things away as keeping them. But if I had to say one thing, I'd say Designersblock t-shirts! DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PROJECTS YOU’VE WORKED ON OR FAVOURITE COUNTRIES YOU’VE WORKED IN? Our project in Selfridge's in 2002 was amazing. We worked with loads of designers and did installations for all 17 of their front windows, so we had our very own little Designersblock on Oxford Street. More recently, we loved working in Turkey, and look forward to doing more shows out there. Istanbul is such a vibrant city, and so geopolitically interesting, situated as it is on the brink of both Europe and Asia. Because of its situation, it’s also a place of fascinating crossover in terms of creative impulse and direction. We'd really like to do more projects in Korea, which is almost madder than Japan in a way. It's really rough around the edges, which makes for fascinating designers and shows. WHO DO YOU SEE AS YOUR CONTEMPORARIES AND WHO DO YOU RATE? There isn't really anybody else doing what we're doing. We rate anyone who tends towards creating ore exciting environments in which to promote, showcase and celebrate creativity. www.designersblock.org.uk WORDS: KATE ABBOTT

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Dougal Wilson

After studying Astro-physics at Durham University, Dougal joined the Leith Agency in Edinburgh as a copywriter. He wrote ads, won lots of awards and started to direct. Three years ago he joined Blink in London. His ascent has been nothing short of meteoric. He has won Best Music Video Director at the CADS for two years running. His eclectic slate of videos has included work for Dizzee Rascal, Will Young, The Streets, Basement Jaxx, Badly Drawn Boy and Benny Benassi through Colonel Blimp. The last year has also seen Dougal show the full range of his talents as a commercials director. His most recent work includes Becks (for Leo Burnett), Vodafone (for BBH), Amnesty International (for Mother) and Orange (for Fallon). He has recently featured in Shots, Creative Review, The Face, Dazed & Confused, Boards USA and Promo Magazine where his work made the front cover three times within the last year. Dougal's awards so far include numerous entries in the D&AD Annual, a nomination for Best New Director at the British Television Advertising Craft Awards, several CADS Awards and the Best Video at The Rushes Soho Shorts Festival for two years in a row. Dougal is the renaissance man of Blink. His work is always strongly idea driven. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF 2006? Well, I’ve only just finished two music videos - onefor Basement Jaxx - 'Take Me Back to Your House'and one for Badly Drawn Boy - 'Nothing's GonnaChange Your Mind'. I think they're just about togo on TV. The Basement Jaxx one has Cossackdancers in it, and the Badly Drawn Boy one has himdriving a car which has a piano keyboard insteadof a steering wheel. Colin MacIntyre from TheMull Historical Society kindly gave me the idea forthat one. Colin has a new album coming out soon,which everyone should buy. Now I’m "pitching"on some new jobs - a new music video, and someadverts. This involves me listening to a track andtrying to think of an idea for it, or getting an advertscript and deciding how I would film it. ARE THERE ANY MUSICAL ARTISTS/BANDS YOU ARE A FAN OF AND WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH? I've been listening to Midlake and would love to do a video for them. Would also like to do a Teenage Fanclub video. And Bjork. I think I'd be quite nervous making a video for a band I was a huge fan of, in case I messed it up and it ruined everything. I had a chance to do a Brian Wilson video once and I completely squandered it because I was so busy doing something else but also because I was so nervous. I'm not sure Brian was going to be in it though. The Durutti Column have always been one of my favourite bands, but I'm not sure they'd ever want a video. I’m a big fan of Tunnock's Caramel Wafers so I’d love to do a nice advert for them. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU COLLECT OBSESSIVELY? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING YOU HAVE COLLECTED? I'm not really much of a collector. I used to be very into old synthesizers - I had a Roland Juno 60, a Jen SX1000, a Realistic ConcertMoog, a Wurlitzer electric piano and a Roland SH-101. Quite a few. But they took up too much room, so I sold them all. I still have a Casio VL-tone which I've had since I was nine and is what Trio used on 'Da Da Da'. I take quite a lot of photos, so I suppose that's a bit of a collection. I've got quite a good collection of Joni Mitchell vinyl. One of my favourite things is The Durutti Column LP called 'Without Mercy', which has a beautiful cover. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PROJECTS YOU’VE WORKED ON OR CLIENTS YOU’VE WORKED WITH? I really enjoyed the video I did for Klonhertz (which no one has heard of). We made everything out of paper. I also enjoyed the Dizzee Rascal video shoot because the giant puppet costumes were quite amusing. One of my friends is pathologically scared of puppets and I would have loved her to be there. I really enjoyed the Basement Jaxx video because we shot it in Kiev (where the Cossack dancers were) which was very different and interesting. They had a real Soviet T-34 tank which we drove through the wall of the set. WHO DO YOU SEE AS YOUR CONTEMPORARIES AND WHO DO YOU RATE? I saw Matt Kirkby's new short - Hard to Swallow - the other night which I thought was great. I also really like Keith Bearden's short.

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Annie Mac

It's a dreary Monday morning and I'm trying to do a million things at once before I head to my best mate's wedding in Ireland and then to Ibiza for a week of partying (and DJing). Quite telling of me which one I put first there. This weekend was nice and relaxed which was needed as I've been away a lot and DJing loads. I took advantage of my free time and went shopping. Thinking about it now, I managed to purchase two rather conflicting things: a watering can and a CDJ. Yes, I think that reflects the dichotomous nature of my life at the moment. On one level I'm potting chrysanthemums and starting to collect Dulux colour cards and on the other hand I’m DJing and now, finally, I own two CDJs. I’ve been DJing with more and more CDs and less and less records lately... to the point where I’m getting cocky and seeing how small a DJ bag I can bring with me when I play overseas. It all ended badly recently in Derry recently when I ran out of records and had to play half an hour of indie classics which sounded slightly odd after an hour and a half of banging disco house music. I learnt my lesson fast. This week started in a studio in central London interviewing Basement Jaxx. They asked me to interview them for their website around their new album 'Crazy Itch Radio'. It was cool to finally meet and chat to them. I'm proud to say that for the first time in my life I’ve got my own album coming out! It's called The A-Z of Annie Mac and it’s coming out on the Sunday Best label. It's a double album with every track representing a letter from the alphabet, ie Q-Tip for Q, Royksopp for R, The Similou for S. It was very interesting putting it together. There were many sleepless nights involved, with letters and tunes flying around my head. Trying to fit the tracks in and around each other felt like doing some sort of music crossword but with no right or wrong answers at the end. Finally it's done and out this month. I'm doing a big DJ tour around the release called Annie Mac Presents... It involves getting all my favourite DJs into my favourite clubs and putting on big parties across the UK every weekend for about three months. I did the tour last year and it was such a success, we had Stuart Price playing on Boxing Day in Belfast with reindeer antlers on his head, Erol Alkan shaking the mixer over his head in the middle of a storming set at Chibuku Shake Shake in Liverpool and Mylo DJing in a full basketball kit for a dare in Fabric. I can't wait to get back out on the road again. This year it's more of the same. I've got Switch, Erol Alkan, Justice, High Contrast, Simian Mobile Disco, Andy C, Justice, Pendulum, Digitalism and many more playing alongside me all over the UK starting this month. You can check out all the dates on my myspace: www.myspace.com/anniemac16 I am completely addicted to myspace. When I can't sleep at night I get up, switch on my computer and get sucked into a vacuum. I pimp my page, nose around people's friends, check out music and come away three hours later wide eyed and sleep deprived wondering what happened. The only other thing left to talk about is BBC Radio 1. I've been given two new radio shows which both start at the end of September. The first is on Sundays at 9pm and is going to be a one stop shop for all things "youf" culture. The second is a Friday night party show, with me at the helm playing a mash up of dance music, from d&b to disco to breakbeat to bootybass to new rave to electro house. I love being on the radio. There's such a thrill when the on-air sign lights up and you know that hundreds of thousands of people are going about their business listening to the tunes you're playing. Roll on Friday nights! ANNIE MACMANUS / ANNIE MAC ON BBC RADIO 1 THURSDAY NIGHTS 9PM - 11PM A TO Z: ANNIE MAC IS RELEASED THROUGH SUNDAY BEST ON SEPTEMBER 11TH

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Izzie Klingels

Izzie Klingels studied Fine Art at Chelsea and founded Lazy Eye shortly after graduating in 1993. Lazy Eye created films for numerous clubs and record labels including the Heavenly Social and toured worldwide with bands as diverse as Death in Vegas, The Aloof and Beth Orton. In 2002, Izzie co-founded Hey Ladies fanzine and began to illustrate around the same time. Her work has appeared in Dazed and Confused, Nylon, Elle, Carlos, Stand Off and Creative Review, and she has been featured in British Vogue. She has also been profiled in books including 'Hand to Eye' (Laurence King Publishing) a book on contemporary illustration, and the accompanying Magma exhibition. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF 2006? I've just finished an album cover for Garden, which is one of the current projects of Simon Lord from Simian. I’m currently directing a video project for Topshop and Topman, doing the sleeve art for the Ping Pong Bitches forthcoming album and making illustrations for an animated commercial. I'm also trying to find the time (and discipline) to keep working on a series of drawings that will eventually become my second solo exhibition (the first was at The Social in December 2005). At the moment I’m experimenting with technique, trying to think more about the way I draw rather than what I draw. My drawings are very labour intensive. I worked out that there are between 100,000 and half a million dots in each image. My ambition for 2006 is to pass the million mark. ARE THERE ANY MUSICAL ARTISTS/BANDS YOU ARE A FAN OF AND WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH? If I could have been around to do something withThe Velvet Underground I could have died happy. At the moment I really like the new record by The Knife and I want to work with a new band called The Black Ghosts. I also want to do the sleeve for my 15 year old niece's band called The Lipstick Killers. Her name is Sophie and I've already drawn her (the girl in stars n' stripes). She's a very cool young lady. I just saw The Horrors and I think they are the most perfect looking band I’ve ever seen. Beauty such as theirs deserves to be photographed but I’d like to draw what they’re thinking about when they're dancing. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU COLLECT OBSESSIVELY? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING YOU HAVE COLLECTED? I don't really collect anything obsessively, but I do have a lot of books and shoes. I really like old Penguin books, especially the Penguin Classic series from the 60s. My favourite is a 60s edition of Iron in the Soul by Sartre. The cover is a detail of Picasso's The War and the book is about the point in the Second World War when France falls to the Nazis. It’s a brilliant book and a beautiful cover. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PROJECTS YOU’VE WORKED ON OR CLIENTS YOU’VE WORKED WITH? I recently designed some masks for Coco De Mer. They are basically masks for people to have sex in, which in itself is pretty cool. One is made of printed moulded leather and the other is screen printed, embroidered and beaded silk. It was amazing to see my drawings applied to something 3D and I really like the way the finished products look. I like to think that they’ve given some people a lot of pleasure. WHO DO YOU SEE AS YOUR CONTEMPORARIES AND WHO DO YOU RATE? Lizzie Finn, Nina Chakrabarti, Giovanna Cellini, Will Sweeney, Susumu Mukai, Fergadelic, Parra, David Foldvari and Cecilia Carlstedt are all illustrators that I respect and admire. WWW.PCP-AGENCY.COM

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James Joyce

James Joyce is an artist/designer living and working in Central London. He founded his own studio One Fine Day at the start of this year and recently held an exhibition of his work at the Carhartt flagship store in Central London (which ran from February to May) as well as being part of other group shows. He has produced work for a variety of clients as well as producing his own limited edition artworks. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF 2006? I'm working on an animated music promo for a track by Revlon called 'Someone Like You' (Deven Miles Edit) due to be ready at the start of August. I had this idea for a music video from a drawing I did a while ago, my friend David Oscroft is animating it with me. I'm also working on a range of T-shirts for Carhartt and am in the process of designing my website. As for the rest of the year, I'd like to have another solo exhibition of new work somewhere and continue to work on a variety of interesting projects. ARE THERE ANY MUSICAL ARTISTS/BANDS YOU ARE A FAN AND WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH? I'd love to work with artists/bands that are up for doing something creative, unusual and challenging. It’d be great to produce a classic album sleeve. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU COLLECT OBSESSIVELY? I'm not really a big collector but I do have a thing for chairs. I have two Eames chairs, not exactly a collection. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PROJECTS YOU’VE WORKED ON OR CLIENTS YOU’VE WORKED WITH? I'd have to say the artwork I produce for a monthly party called It's Bigger Than at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane. I’ve been producing flyers and visuals for this for almost three years now on a monthly basis and have amassed quite a body of work for it in that time. I have the complete freedom to come up with whatever enters my brain on a month to month basis, although having no brief as such is often difficult as the possibilities are endless. I also really enjoyed working with Carhartt earlier this year. WHO DO YOU SEE AS YOUR CONTEMPORARIES AND WHO DO YOU RATE? There are some very talented people around right now but I have a lot of respect for artists such as Anthony Burrill and Parra. It's not easy to cultivate your own unique style and these two definitely have. WWW.ONE-FINE-DAY.CO.UK

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David Guetta

We started off the year with our annual F*** Me I'm Famous party at the Miami Winter Music Conference which is where I first test-drived my upcoming release, 'Love Don’t Let Me Go (Walking Away).' It's a mash-up of the Tocadisco remix of The Egg's 'Walking Away' and my own 'Love Don't Let Me Go.' At first I was just using it as a DJ tool, but it became a favourite with a lot of people and it was then that I thought we might have something special. It's been played every week on Pete Tong's show and there was such a mix of DJs feeling it, from Deep Dish to Erick Morillo, and I really think that is a good sign. Next up was the Cannes Film Festival: we've thrown so many parties there in the past but this year was one of my happiest. Pedro Almodovar is one of my favourite directors and he was showcasing 'Volver' (starring Penelope Cruz) there this year, after the premiere he turned up at our party and I was absolutely overwhelmed. It was such an honour to have him there and appreciating what we were trying to do. The F*** Me I'm Famous parties were initially started in Ibiza, then as both myself and my wife Cathy are from France we thought we should probably put one on there. After that we moved on to Miami, New York and Monaco and now we're planning on taking them to Barcelona and Brazil. It's a really exciting time for us: last year we did our first ever London party that was totally road-blocked at Ministry of Sound and this year we took it to Café de Paris. What can I say? - it's very Parisian in there and I like the intimacy and the little corners. Earlier this summer I played at Space's opening party in Ibiza: which was amazing, I've never played the opening before and I couldn't believe the electric atmosphere. I think I was on for the last few hours outside on the terrace whilst Carl Cox was inside and people were still going crazy, refusing to leave the dancefloor. We've also had the release of the 'F*** Me I'm Famous: International' album, I think it really represents the type of set you could expect to hear me play out. There’s the Bob Sinclar track on there mixed up with a Bloc Party remix, an Arnaud Rebotini remix of Blackstrobe, then Chocolate Puma, I thrive off putting tracks together that maybe you wouldn't automatically think work. Last week was our first party at Pacha this year and we've got another three lined up with the likes of Subliminal, Pure Pacha and Def Mix. Last week was a Bastille Day celebration with the French boys, I was playing with Bob Sinclar and I'm still in shock at how busy it was. I've never seen Ibiza like that in July. There were about 3,000 people still waiting outside to get in at 4am. Throughout July I've got 28 gigs in total and they're all over the world at various festivals, big clubs, small venues. I like the idea of mixing it all up like that, it excites me more than sticking to just one type of club and having a home there. I love the danger element of playing a really underground track in a big club and vice versa. Above all I try to have an open mind, I want to try and change things and play different styles of music to as many people as possible. After their release of the single, I'm mainly going to be in the studio. I've been working on my second artist album for the past year and think I've still probably got around another six months left on it. And then I've got next year to look forward to, my wife Cathy and I have this concept going on at the moment with regards to our parties: 2006 is the year of sex and then next year is the year of love because we will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. It's a very special time for us. 'F*** ME I'M FAMOUS: INTERNATIONAL' IS OUT NOW THROUGH MINISTRY OF SOUND RECORDINGS. DAVID GUETTA VS THE EGG - 'LOVE DON'T LET ME GO (WALKING AWAY)' IS OUT ON 14TH AUGUST THROUGH GUSTO RECORDS

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Maxwell Paternoster

Maxwell Paternoster

Maxwell Paternoster studied art at Suffolk College in Ipswich on Saturdays during high school. After graduating high school he went on to do a full time national diploma art course at the same place. Having completed the course he was then accepted on the illustration degree course at the University of Westminster where he completed the three year degree course. During the course he became involved in animation, murals, painting, and video and illustrated the university magazine. Since leaving university, Maxwell has become involved in a range of projects including a double wall mural for the children at a primary school and customising trainers, which are available at Urban Species in Camden. Maxwell has created and self published a range of small press comics, which were sold at various comic shops in London. What are you currently working on and what are your plans for the rest of 2006? I am doing a few collaborative projects at the moment. I created a robot for the One Hand Art show in May and I am hoping to create another, more powerful and advanced artificial intelligence creature that is interactive or something. Other than that I could be doing any number of things. When a project materialises I commence to do it. Maybe I will do another comic as well. Are there any musical artists/bands you are a fan of and would love to work with? It would be great to find out what happened to folk rock duo Zager and Evans, they had a hit in 1969 with 'In the year 2525' I like that song loads. I saw the video of them performing it on TV and it influenced my art. Also the guys at Tone Control that would be good, and there is a couple of guys called Cat nine & Genie who do some excellent stuff. Another group called Heavy also Acoustic Ladyland. Pity Thelonious Monk isn't around anymore I would like to do something with that dude. There's also a good folk/blues guitarist and singer called Paul Pena who would warrant working with. Is there anything you collect obsessively? What is your favourite thing you have collected? I have a selection of half arsed incomplete collections. Some of the things I have collected are as follows: calculators, small musical keyboards, Sega master system and Mega drive games, records, clipper lighters, Atari vcs 2600 games, pong consoles, vintage bike magazines, and when I was a kid - Zoids. Do you have any favourite projects you've worked on or clients you’ve worked with? I like all projects an equal amount. Actually I did a Sketchel (original artwork made into a bag) for the Australian person/company Jeremyville. I liked doing that a lot because I have been looking at all the other sketchels on his online store for ages, and I am a fan of his work and all the other artists involved. Who do you see as your contemporaries and who do you rate? There are so many artists with excellent work right now. A few examples that I like are Jeremyville, Thinkmule, Luke Ramsey, too many to list. WWW.MAXWELLP.CO.UK

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