Style Society @ Orange Rooms, Sunday 14th March 2010

Southampton’s first fashion, design and music-specific event STYLE SOCIETY has tickets on sale now!

Plus, the lovely Hepwright’s, with its myriad of fabulous vintage fare are offering 20% discount to anyone who buys their STYLE SOCIETY ticket in advance, just take your receipt to the showroom!

Visit Orange Rooms website for advance tickets, and don’t forget to RSVP on the Facebook event page!

Just in case you’ve been living your life away from Style Files lately, here’s a little more info…

The blog, Sarah-Leigh’s Style Files, presents the first of its eponymous events STYLE SOCIETY. The party aims to bring Southampton’s (and beyond!) creative minds together for an evening of music, drinks, dancing, creativity and to raise some much needed cash for Oxfam.

From Solent’s Fashion and Design faculty, to our city’s designers, budding vintage enthusiasts and simply the downright trendy – all are welcome to Southampton’s very first fashion-dedicated evening.

There on the night:

• Live bands will keep us entertained, while later DJ Ryan B will be spinning a mixture of 80’s hip hop and funk

• An auction with a host of amazing gifts to aid Oxfam – Style Society aims to build a new classroom providing education to an under privileged community – look out for exclusive gifts from the likes of Reebok, Addict and Hepwrights

• Jam-packed gift bags for the ‘best dressed’ or ‘vintage fabulous’, to be awarded to one super-stylish guy, and one glamorous girl on the night

• A ‘surprise’ fashion extravaganza, courtesy of stylist Sophie Penn

• Resident photographers will be snapping your outfits and asking all about them around the bar and in our photobooth.

• An area of Orange Rooms gives way to the HEPWRIGHT’S VINTAGE LOUNGE – a chill out come dressing up area with the finest stock from Hepwright’s vintage emporium (store located on Queen’s Terrace, Southampton)

• Gallery areas and live art (from the likes of Iris Hill’s Lisa Jean) & DIY crafts, plus many an activity to get involved with! Not to mention a host of Oxfam’s vintage stock to rifle through!

For more info email stylesociety2010@gmail.com.

P.S. Pass on the time/date/place to your fabulous fashionista friends!

All design artwork done by me! Make sure you get down there, gonna be a big night.

James

The Renaissance of Colours

Born in Milan in 1976, Alberto Seveso is one of a rare breed of illustrators for whom classic drawing is impossible. Learning his craft solely in a digital format, Seveso describes his freehand drawing abilities as ‘ultra poor’, and yet he is responsible for some of the most intricate and elaborate artworks of recent years.

Seveso’s oeuvre involves a mixed-media approach to art, utilising black & white photography and vector art together to form beautifully vibrant and dynamic works. He began around 15 years ago with an Amiga 1200 and a copy of Deluxe Paint, until a friend introduced him to a PC and the virtues of Adobe Photoshop; he has never looked back.

His style embodies a subtle sexual reference; indeed, his individual style has been referred to as ‘sperm shaping’ due to the shapes of some of the vectors he uses. The way in which the photographs are stripped away to reveal energetic and multi-coloured shapes underneath shows the subject in an exposed and vulnerable light, almost likening the vector elements to muscle fibres.

Seveso has also done some exciting work with typography – his ‘Destructive TyPO’ pieces uses vintage colouring effects, similar to watercolours, alongside contemporary abstract letterforms to create a layered, almost textured piece that eschew legibility in favour of pure aesthetics.

View Seveso’s website here.

James

Threefold Media Update – February 2010

Already we are two months into a promising 2010. Where does the time go? Is time perception something that changes during puberty because time couldn’t pass quickly enough back then! Now weeks flash past in the blink of an eyelid and I feel like a perpetually startled deer. Oh dear.

Anyway, I would like to apologise on behalf of the team for the lack of updates over the past month. Before we broke up for Christmas, Threefold Media sat down over a few cold ones and thrashed out the action plan for the New Year. Therefore, when we reconvened – fat and full of Quality Street – we diverted most of our energy and attention into kick starting our business plans off.

And I am happy to say, so far so good!

2010, I can safely say, is going to be a big year for us. From humble beginnings as a shared ‘concept’ between three friends to a sharp, professional creative agency, Threefold Media is growing stronger everyday – making contacts and steering projects in the process.

We continue to make moves in the Grime scene, a genre we are all huge fans of, and have a number of new media projects that we hope to start later in the year. Working with Dirtee Stank, Tim & Barry, Logan Sama, Butterz, No Hats No Hoods, MSM Studios and various MC’s, producers and DJ’s, we feel confident that we, and indeed Grime, will achieve new successes this year and that our shared cultural and financial capital will grow stronger.

To achieve this we will be stepping away from traditional Grime representations and stereotypes and promoting something fresh and original, that is still true to Grime’s roots, artists and fans. No more alleyways or paint splatters please! As a genre that’s often at the mercy of advertising companies and brands looking for a cheap way to ‘buy’ sub-cultural cool, we hope to demonstrate that Grime is a forward-thinking, innovative movement that deserves dignity and above all respect.

In fashion, another passion of ours, we have a number of projects and collaborations coming up, working specifically with young, fresh and talented designers and labels from both Southampton and London. In collaboration with Mpdclick Managing Editor Sarah Leigh, we are helping host a trend-setting fashion-themed event in March that will be the first of its kind in Southampton and promises to be a great success, building on the city’s growing reputation as a burgeoning cultural centre. More details on that soon!

The popularity of our interview with Logan Sama, as well as the growing demand for the visual medium, has led us to the conclusion that video is the way forward. Therefore we will be investing in video equipment this year – not only will this add further depth to our repertoire, but it will allow us to develop other avenues of creativity.

Having spent the past couple of years photographing and documenting our city, and working with a multitude of local council bodies, event staff and media outlets, I now have enough material to build my own exhibition. Scheduled for the latter half of the year, the exhibition will be called ‘Capturing Southampton’ and will feature Southampton citizens from all walks of life in their magnificent glory! As a passionate photojournalist, this is one project I am especially looking forward to!

As well as all this, we continue to photograph, design, write and publish work for clients looking for a new creative direction. We are releasing a PDF soon, profiling examples of our best work. If you would like a copy or simply talk further about our projects, message me on twitter (@threefoldmedia) or email me at Kristian at threefoldmedia dot co dot uk.

Here’s to a prosperous new year!

Regards,

Kristian on behalf of Threefold Media

Logan Sama Interview

Host of the only legal Grime radio show in the world, record label owner AND a regular Jim’ll Fix It to Grime MC’s and producers, Logan Sama is Grime’s go to guy. The last quarter of 2009 unfortunately saw his KISS show cut by an hour, in line with the stations’ desire for more playlist airtime.

But it seems even pluralizing radio bosses can’t hold the Essex selector back, as he embarks on some new, exciting projects he hopes will rejuvenate the scene and provide fans with much needed coverage.

We caught up with him for a chat.

Logan, what was your highlight of 2009?

The best thing about 2009 was people being consistent over a long period of time. In a music sense, people were getting music made and getting it released.

Do you think this increase in work rate reflected the audiences’ renewed interest in music?

Yeah I think MC’s have been meeting the demand.

2009 was a year that heralded great commercial success for a handful of Grime MC’s, yet they achieved this without making Grime music. What does this mean for Grime going forward?

In a positive sense you get more people finding out about these artists, where they have come from and what they have previously done. Then, hopefully, you get a trickle-down effect [into the scene] However, there is the other side of it whereby you have weak-minded artists that think the only path they can take towards success is in making stuff [that’s currently popular] that they weren’t making in the first place.

Do you think this reduces longevity and, in some cases, cheapens the ‘worth’ of the Grime scene?

Yeah I think it’s got low longevity to be honest, especially the stuff out now because it’s not particularly adventurous – artistically or musically.

Whilst major label interest continues to influence what music Grime artists’ record, there is an equal reaction fighting it’s allure. What hope do these acts have in reintroducing and popularising the fundamental principles of Grime; hype, innovation and attitude?

I don’t think that the worlds ready to hear their shit to be honest and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

What can you envisage happening then?

[Formulation of] a self sufficient industry that’s independent of the mainstream but people can still make a living from. You can make D‘n’B records without sounding like DJ Marky & LK’s ‘I like it’ and go round the world and make a good living. We have equally qualified artists who have taken years to build up their expertise and their craft.

Who do you see as leading the way against the pull of the mainstream?

Jamie because he has absolutely no fucking interest in it whatsoever. He’s not done any of it and he really doesn’t want to. Everyone else is just focusing on their music.

Elijah and Skilliam are championing a new outlook in Grime, focusing on DJ’s and producers rather than MC’s, who often let their ego muddy the music. Do you welcome this move?

Yeah, they show a different side of Grime and put their personal stamp on what they play as DJ’s, which I think is very important. It’s important because it gives a breadth to the appeal of Grime, especially to people that don’t like MC’s, but appreciate the beats and mixing.

To be honest, the more DJ’s we have representing different sounds and working with producers that they like, the better. Terror Danjah and Swindle hadn’t put out a tremendous amount of beats and music in 2009 and audiences weren’t really hearing a lot of their stuff. However, working with Butterz has opened doors for them because as producers, they are getting highlighted whereas in my show for example, they get lost in the mix.

I have a show which has to cover across the board and my main aim to play the most popular stuff alongside the most appealing stuff. DJ’s on the pirate circuit can focus on one avenue of Grime, which is healthy for the scene.

Some argue that Grime is dead and that the music made during Grime’s ‘golden era’ is not being made now. Is it evolution, or is it economics?

I don’t think the sound has changed, it has just widened. Music as an entity changes based on the questions asked of it by the consumer. If it was still rewarding to make beats and spit over them on radio, not just financially but status-wise, then people would be doing that a lot more. But, the focus has come away from that now.

That is one of the main reasons as to why there aren’t many Grime DJ’s anymore -it’s just not rewarding enough, and people think Grime DJ’s are somehow lesser than other DJ’s who may even be technically inferior.

Is that something you have faced?

I see a lot of guys getting bookings, from other scenes. When I got my KISS show, my vision as a professional DJ was based upon going to raves where you’d have Tim Westwood playing hiphop and Double D or Goldfinger playing dancehall. I would therefore, in the same way, go to those events and play a Grime set. That’s how I imagined it.

Obviously that never really materialised even though this genre of music is still going strong in terms of producing well-known artists and well known tracks. Instead, we’ve seen a rise in budget DJ’s that play everything but stand for nothing and that’s across the board – generic urban nights to trendy Shoreditch nights, where people are the flavour of the fucking month playing uninspired selections.

Going back to the evolution of the Grime sound, you said earlier that the consumer dictates where the sound goes. Therefore, in your opinion, was it ever a conscious decision by producers and MC’s that saw what was going on Stateside, to adapt their sound and tie in with that market?

I think it’s subtle and slow. If you are an MC with a microphone, you will want to say more stuff and work on your technical ability to ensure you’re better than the other MC’s out there. That became quite important in 2005 – 2006 whereby flows and lyricism became prominent and guys spitting for reloads were looked down upon a bit.

At the same time, when the mixtape thing became popular, there was a big lack of live events. Now, live events are restricted to people turning up and doing P.A’s of their singles. So, like I said, the reward for some of the skills people had and practiced, is not there anymore.

The five MC’s that are rated for reloads now are the ones that were doing it back then. D Double E is the reload guy and will always be rated for that. But for new guys coming through, I don’t really see the recognition or reward for having that sort of live element. Now, it’s all based around singles which is a wider-based thing. Guys like Chipmunk for example, who have never been involved with that live element, are taking the culture with them [into the mainstream] and I think it’s good. I really do. In Chipmunk’s case he is a positive young man and works hard.

As a Grime MC, those live skills are not respected by wider audiences, and I don’t know why that is. It might be fault of our own because we’ve not let people understand how important those things are and allowed them to die but, at the end of the day, guys like Spyro who are fantastic technical DJ’s are not getting the rewards for their skill.

Which is crazy when you consider how many parallels there are between Grime and Dancehall. In Jamaica they have festivals with massive crowds…

Yeah, but that is the cultural backbone which has taken many years to develop. You have to remember Grime is only 6-7 years old.

Over those 6-7 years do you feel the press has represented Grime fairly?

I don’t think the press has made enough of it. Elijah and I had an amusing conversation about this the other day concerning Grime DJ’s in the press. Look at any other scene and the press will write about anyone if they are flavour of the month.

When you try and get something about Grime into a publication they’re like ‘What’s the catch? What’s the story?’ and it’s hypocritical. What’s the story about Ibiza this year? Or another DJ that’s playing the same tunes in Shoreditch or Yo-Yo’s that everyone else is playing already?

All they have over us is the right press officer [but] if you are good at what you do, people will want to read about it! That’s how music journalism should work. Your ‘story’ has nothing to do with your talent and it’s up to the journalist to find it.

You’ve said that Grime is a real meritocracy in that there are no proven ‘formulas’ and that experimentation within the scene is always high – in both music and media. You think this is still the case?

If you are hot, people will discover you. People talk about knowing this person or that person, or being in certain circles, but really, if you get into the real world of music, because it’s all so structured and there is a network there, it is all about talent.

Try and become a big D‘n’B MC without being brought in by the three main big promoters and five big DJ’s co-signing you. It’s really locked down tight! Whereas if you do Grime music, people gravitate towards you – no one gives a shit where anybody’s from. If you’re doing stuff people like, then you’ll get noticed. I think Grime is THE most open genre at the moment.

How did you take the news when KISS first announced the 1 hour cut to your show?

You can’t do anything about it so I immediately thought about what I could do to make things work, rather than getting pissed off about it. It was a wake-up call for me because I had become a bit complacent – happy to do my radio show and not any other stuff that I could have been doing.

Were you surprised with the amount of support you received?

Yeah man, all the people online got noticed by the management and it was discussed. It was great, but the seeds had already been planted. We’ll see what happens going forwards.

Last year you debated with MistaJam over Twitter, concerning Grime’s lack of coverage and reference on mainstream radio and other media channels. Could you clarify what you said for those that missed it because I think it was an interesting point…

I think there are numerous platforms, not just 1xtra, where people could be made more aware of the fact that these stars are coming from Grime. I felt that 1xtra was one of the places where Grime wasn’t being promoted. It’s subtle and I don’t think it was intentional on their behalf, but they had a jingle on [Mista Jam’s] radio show where it said what music he played and that didn’t include ‘Grime’ – even though the jingles were Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk.

That’s important because it erases ‘Grime’ from the subconscious of people listening to it. If it’s not there, it’s easy to forget it.

Trim said in an interview a while ago that even the word ‘Grime’ registers negative expectations and it’s hard for artists to rise above them. Do you think there is any truth in that?

I don’t think that’s true because so many people have come from it and have done really well. But like I said, achievements in Grime are looked down upon and not really acknowledged. It’s like ‘ok you’ve done that, now come and do some real stuff.’

What do you think is the cause for that lack of respect?

The music and the image we put out isn’t professional – all that cussin’, bickering, misbehaving and unreliability undermines the huge amounts of creativity and hard work people in this scene put in. We fail on a bunch of superficial principles that the rest of the music industry base themselves on.

Your label Earth 616 has gone rather quiet recently, after releasing three vinyl EP’s last year. What happened and will we see more releases this year?

They didn’t sell a lot of units and cost me a shit load of money – so much so that it took four months for me to recover my costs. Financially it was unstable. I will be putting out more stuff in the next couple of months but it will be based on an entirely different business model. I’m still trying to confirm artists for that, but [in the meantime] I’m doing a couple of digital releases, both of which are vocal cuts.

What projects you are working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m working on getting the Sharky Major and the B-Live & Spyda tunes out because they’re hot tunes and I want to see them out before they disappear off the face of the Earth. Both are likely to be released at the start of March.

I’m also working with some of the lesser known artists who can’t get their stuff out properly and end up giving it away for free. I want to help those people.

The last mix you made available for download was your birthday one, which was very well received by fans. Have you got any more up your sleeve?

I’m going to try and do a bi-monthly mix that people can buy on iTunes, if I can sort out the legalities of it. It won’t be free, but it will be a Logan mixtape available for a couple of quid featuring exclusive freestyles and what’s hot at the moment.

Any plans for another Nike One Away project?

Not at this moment in time. I’d love to do that again but it means going into the studio and holding everyone at gunpoint until they finish their bars!

Break down what that whole recording process was like…

I spent a lot of time – about two weeks in total – sitting in studios with people until they did their tune.

Name a personal highlight from that time?

I wrote Skeptas’ ‘I Spy’ dubplate which was cool! And getting a Newham Generals dub is always fun too…

What was your favourite dub on there?

Erm…Murked again. That was sick. Battle riddim was also…

Listening back to your old mixes you used to drop a fair bit of Dancehall in there, but not so much anymore. Why?

My attention has just drifted away and I’ve not noticed as many big records as I had done. I’m a bit out of touch now.

Last but by no means least do you have any tips for this year?

Producer wise – J Beatz and Nuklea. MC wise I’d like to see Scruface do stuff this year.

Kristian

Oliver Peoples x Balmain Sunglasses

Have you walked down a High Street recently and seen a fashionable young woman walking around with big shoulder pads like something from the 1980’s? If so, then you can blame Balmain. Their structured jackets from the fall/winter 2009 ready-to-wear show formed a major jumpoff point for ‘power shoulders’ some months ago (can’t say I see the appeal myself – yet another example of fashion for irony than aesthetics, but I digress.)

This is their latest project, a collaboration with eyewear brand Oliver Peoples. Now I’m not normally a sunglasses man – crazily scared of getting panda eyes – but these I like. One of two limited-edition styles, the classic aviator look is not something that everyone can pull off but when you can…

These will retail for $595, available from March/April, so keep ‘em peeled.

James

No Hats No Hoods Showcase – January 2010

No Hats No Hoods showcase @ Tim & Barry’s studio, featuring P Money, Blacks, Royal T, Magic, DJ JJ, Rude Kid, Hammer and the Don’t Watch That team.

Big up to all those involved! Set soon come!

For photos contact me on twitter @threefoldmedia

Kristian

DJ Jayceeoh Presents Super 7 Volume 3

Less than one year after volume 2, Jayceeoh is back with the the highly anticipated release of Super 7 Volume 3. The All-Star line-up this time around is made up of DJ Scene (Las Vegas), Spryte (LA), Team Canada (Grandtheft & Dr-1) (Montreal), Klutch (NYC), M.O.S. (NYC), and Risk One (Seattle). For those unfamiliar with the Super 7 series, the format is 7 DJ’s, 10 minutes per set, any genre or style, with the main criteria focusing on making a creative and action packed mix. The DJs on this series are of the highest caliber.

Download here.

JAYCEEOH (NYC)

1. Super 7 Intro
2. Madlib feat Guilty Simpson – Kill Em
3. JayCeeOh – Reign On Top
4. Jay-Z – I Wanna Rock
5. High Caliber – Pistol Whip (Paul Anthony & ZXX Remix) (JayCeeOh Edit)
6. Kid Kaio vs Gucci Mane- We Don’t Give A (JayCeeOh Edit)
7. Jesse Rose – Well Now (Savage Skulls Remix)
8. A1 Bassline – Here Come Da (JayCeeOh Edit)
9. Caligula – The MainLine (JayCeeOh Edit)
10. Donae’o – Riot Music (JayCeeOh Edit)
(myspace.com/jayceeoh , jayceeoh@gmail.com)

TEAM CANADA (Grandtheft & Dr-1) (Montreal)

11. Intro
12. Soulwax- Krack
13. Grandtheft – The Power
14. Grandmaster Flash – White Lines (Grandtheft Remix)
15. Mr. Oizo – Cut Dick (Interlude)
16. LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great
17. The Units – High Pressure Days (Grandtheft Remix)
myspace.com/teamcanadadjs, booking@ehteamdjs

SPRYTE (LA)

18. Chicago Style – Molemen (Spryte Cut Intro)
19. B-boy Bonus #1 Instrumental (Spryte Juggle) – Rasco
20. Broken Tape Decks Instrumental – LA Symphony Vs. 1,2, Pass It Acapella – D&D Allstars (Spryte Live Mix)
21. Can’t Stop The Prophet Instrumental – Jeru (Spryte Interlude)
22. It’s The Nuts Instrumental – Beatnuts Vs. Swizz Beats
23. So What Cha Sayin Instrumental – EPMD Vs. Swizz Beats
24. Family Reunion – Kid Sister ft. David Banner (L.O.T.U. Intro)
25. A Brazilian DJ Saved Me – Indeep Vs. Earth Wind & Fire (2nd Nature Edit)
26. Colours – Calvin Harris
27. Earthquake (Treasure Fingers RMX) Instrumental – Little Boots (Spryte Party Cross the Dancefloor Edit)
28. Free Control (Hood Internet Edit) – Kid sister Vs. Phonat
29. Strutel Strut – Future Sound Primitive Vs. Don’t Call Me Baby – Madison Avenue (Spryte Live Mix)
30. Underwear Funk – Will Bailey
31. Seven (The Twelves Remix) – Fever Ray Vs. Calle Ocho – Pitbull (Spryte Live Mix)
32. Not From France (Louis La Roche Remix) – Don Diablo (Spryte Fancier Footwork Edit)
(myspace.com/spryte1 , djspryte@gmail.com)

RISK ONE (Seattle)

33. Risk One – Drizzy Drake Intro
34. Claire Hux – Light Skinndeded (feat David Rush)
35. Dario Nunez – Da Hasta (original mix)
36. Last Japan – Jungle Warrior (Audiofun Remix) R1 edit
37. The Partysquad – Murderer (original mix)
38. Nick Bridges – Underneath My Skin (S-Man Fire Mix) R1 edit
39. Noisettes – Sometimes I’m Heartless (Apple Juice & 6th Sense Remix)
40. Jay-z ft. Rihanna – Run This Town (Wise Guise Remix)
(djriskone.com, twitter.com/riskone)

DJ SCENE (Las Vegas)

41. Scene intro
42. Beatnuts “You Get Props”
43. Nas “Halftime”
44. Nas “It Aint Hard To Tell” (Scene blend)
45. Marinate Scratch
46. Artifacts – Wrong Side Of The Tracks (Juggle)
47. Audio Two “Top Billin” (Scene blend)
48. Wu Tang “C.R.E.A.M.” (Scene blend)
49. Biggie “Hypnotized” (Scene blend)
50. Gang Starr “Check The Technique” (juggle)
51. LL Cool J “Mama Said Knock You Out” (Scene blend)
52. Police scratch
53. 2pac “Hit Em Up” (Scene blend)
54. Method Man “METHOD MAN” (Scene blend)
55. Bass Scratch
(dj-scene.com, myspace.com/djscene)

DJ MOS (NYC)

56. DJ M.O.S. Intro / Nu Shooz – Point Of No Return
57. Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud – Super Casanova
58. Eazy E. – No Questions (M.O.S. Edit)
59. The Bar-Kays – Let’s Have Some Fun
60. Phoenix – Lisztomania (Holy Ghost Remix) (M.O.S. Edit)
61. Phoenix – LIsztomania (Classixx Remix)
62. Wham – Young Guns
63. BB & Q Band – Imagination
64. Chromeo – Opening Up
65. Kraftwerk vs. M.I.A. – Robots Phone Home Interlude (M.O.S. Mix)
66. Big Daddy Kane – Nuff Respect
(iamdjmos.com, freshistheword.blogspot.com )

DJ KLUTCH (NYC)

67. Phoenix Feat Purple Ribbon Allstars – Dj Klutch’s 1901 Kryptonite
68. Bloc Party – Banquet
69. Moxy – Step Down
70. T.I. – What You Know About Klutch
(myspace.com/djsalklutch , twitter.com/djklutch)

BONUS
71. Jayceeoh – Go Off! feat Scratch (Of The Roots), Skratch Bastid, Shiftee, Hedspin, Dopey, Mat The Alien, Marvel, I-Dee, Spryte, Excel, and Wundrkut

via High Snobiety.

James

Bi Polar Reviews: Ninja Assassin

Long overdue and suffering from the recession (damn you Cyclops). I present the revitalised Bi-Polar Reviews for 2010. I say revitalised, basically part one and two will be posted together. I’ve had thousands of emails asking how to use that elusive left click. Pingbacks are our bread and butter after all. So I thought i’d save you the trouble and put one and two in a post.

If you missed how this works. Part One good, Part Two bad. Its early years as the Manic Depressive reviews didn’t catch on for some reason.

This week we have Ninja Assassin. Here is Part One.

Ninja Assassin is the latest offering from James McTeigue. You know, the man who directed V for Vendetta. Still nothing? I only say this because in the advertising spots he has become the creator of The Matrix trilogy. They said that for V for Vendetta and they are pitching it again with Ninja Assassin. Marketing this as a film by the creators of the Matrix trilogy implies the Wachowski’s are in control of said project. Quick question, what is more appealing:

The man who directed V for Vendetta?
Or
The duo who directed the Matrix and inexorably fudged the next two?

Ergo, they sucked. So why taint a promising sequence director with a good eye for the fantabulous?

So, plot…we’ll get to that in the second half. Let focus on where Ninja Assassin excels, those fight sequences. If you were going to be honest with yourself, you didn’t pay to see a film titled Ninja Assassin for its eloquence. A blade in the gizzards, put simply, says more than words ever could.

Put a knife on a chain in any movie and I think you’ll find an audience. Add some throwing stars into the mix and you got yourself Citizen Kane minus a sledge. This is an unashamed B movie, looking at it from any other angle will leave you squirming for its 99 minutes. Watching the film with this in mind and I promise, you will have an enjoyable time. Killing is this films business, and business is certainly thriving. If you think of blood as its plot, this is the War and Peace we have been waiting for. All in all, you should have a bloody good time (sorry).

Ninja Gaiden The Movie, the film you have all been waiting for.

“Looks like another empty room”
Bam, ninja!

Part Two

So there’s these assassinations occurring but nobody knows whose doing it. This one Interpol agent gets the idea that it might be ninja’s. But nobody believes her because there’s no such thing as ninja’s. Except there is such a thing as ninja’s and now the ninja’s want to kill her. So she teams up with the good ninja, played by Korean pop sensation Rain, who helps her seek revenge on the evil ninja’s, who happen to be his former clan. There’s some pretty nifty fight scenes along the way, and that wispy CGI that makes everything appear slightly supernatural. It also has its fair share of ninja blood. Ultimately, whether or not you will like it will largely depend on how fond of ninja’s you are to begin with.

The End

Erm.

Oh. Did you ever notice how ninja’s get less powerful the more of them you put together? One ninja is usually this unstoppable force, their always the baddest ass in the room, secret weapon, secret style, secret hat. But put more than three of them in a room together and they suddenly get performance anxiety. Rule of thumb, if a movie has an army of ninjas, then you can be pretty sure our protagonist is going to breeze through them like [insert loathed chubby] and a hammock of profiteroles. Now since there is not a ninja cliché that Ninja Assassin doesn’t indulge in, you can bet that this one made it into the final edit.

On the one hand part of me loves seeing cheesy martial arts clichés like this still kicking around. On the other hand they lose a lot of their charm when the authenticity is completely removed. When Bruce or Jackie flicked, twisted, kicked and screamed we had a static camera and the proof of physical exertion. Ninja Assassin simply looks too expensive for its own good. Believe me when I say I am not trying to sound like a Chinese proverb, but most of the films strengths are also its biggest weaknesses. From the cool, stoic delivery of our protagonist Raizo, to the legend that is Sho Kosugi and his earnest recital of every ninja villain stock line in the book. Both are acceptable traits within this genre, but could quite easily grunt throughout the movie and provide more weight to their roles.

Speaking of stock lines, let’s see how many pretentious critical clichés I can fit into one paragraph. Story formulaic, the dialogue wooden, almost Ikea (slot ninja B into ninja B), acting woeful, even for a movie with the word ninja in the title. I would say that the film appeared to work on several levels without actually addressing six of them. Some have suggested 36, but The Abbott has been slipping recently so we forgive him for that last effort.

Dré

Mood Swings

In a time where conventional retail practice is coming under fire for being inefficient, costly and outdated, one store in Moscow has taken its interior design and turned it into a visual spectacle all of its own.

Designed in a collaborative effort between Swedish agency Boys Don’t Cry and Cyril Duval, a French artist, the interior is split into four separate spaces which each represent a part of a woman’s daily mood cycle.

Labelled ‘Avant-garde’, ‘Classic’, ‘Minimalistic’ and ‘Funny Girls’, each space contributes to a free-flowing, narrative experience that entices visitors with a truly original concept. However, it is not just the decor that attracts shoppers – Mood Swings stocks items by the likes of LIMI Feu, Bernhard Wilhelm and Minä Perhonen.

In order to fight against dwindling retail figures, innovation and conceptual thinking such as this will ensure that consumers keep returning. People’s perception of what is worth paying for has shifted away from simple material goods to intangible experiences; buying a CD is perhaps not worth it, but tickets to a festival are.

Retail spaces such as Mood Swings help to blur the boundaries between retail and entertainment, ensuring that customers return to partake in the store’s theatrical and original experience.

James

Karate Kid Trailer

I mentioned this title last year among a horde of upcoming remakes.

A story so good they had to tell it twice – kind of. This time round we have Lil Will aka Jaden Smith aka the other Dre taking the lead with Jackie Chan as the ever present fly catching, waxing groomer.

Here’s the trailer:

Dré