Posted by Danni Le Toullec on July 27, 2010
With the sun clinging to the horizon, the speakers started to shake and just like any young ’un celebrating their 16th birthday, FIB Heineken’s Benicassim was anything but sweet.
As crowds scoffed paella and guzzled Heinekens over four days, the young bloods of the festival (Kasbian, Temper Trap, Vampire Weekend, Foals, Hot Chip, Calvin Harris, Two Door Cinema Club) worked their magic. Yet the more enthralling acts were from those that have been kicking it for more than 10 or 20 years.
The Prodigy prevailed with one of the best performances of the festival. Boundless energy and manic antics left the crowd eating out of their hands. Instructed to “Get the f*** down”, more than 60,000 people crouched down before jumping into an explosive wave.
English rock legend Ian Brown’s hollow-cheeked swagger and marching dance moves were as seductive now as they were in the ‘80s, as he belted out The Stone Roses classic track ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ along with tracks from his 2009 album My Way. Goldfrapp lured people in with their synthy beats and anthem inspiring tracks like ‘Rocket’. Relentless in his delivery, Boys Noize flaunted a gritty, raw manipulation of sound that had people dancing for hours.More...
spain, benicassim, dizzee rascal, ian brown, foals, midnight juggernauts, de la soul, goldfrapp
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on July 1, 2010
With a venue that stretches to 130 000 square meters, Benicassim will lure you in with its seductive Spanish charm, and draw-dropping coastline.
For the most part of the year, Benicassim is a small, quiet Spanish town but for a week every July hordes of festival goers make their pilgrimage to Spain's most loved music festival.
Celebrating 16 years of supplying music lovers with a beach-side haven, this years line up includes Kasabian, Vampire Weekend, The Temper Trap, Hot Chip, Gorillaz, The Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal, Lily Allen, The Klaxons, Cut Copy, Goldfrapp, Mumford & Sons...drooling yet?
Completing the circle of cultural enrichment, there will be areas dedicated to theatre, fashion, dance and art. A particular highlight this year is The Short Film Festival, which will include activities that work in unison with the musical line up.
The festival will take place from 15th – 18th July, with camping open from 13th - 20th July.
benicassim, kasabian, goldfrapp, mumford and sons, vampire weekend, the temper trap, hot chip, gorillaz, the prodigy, dizzee rascal, lily allen, the klaxons, cut copy
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on June 8, 2010
Kluster has been venturing out into the wilds of the world again. Where to this week? The picturesque lakeside town of Neuchatel, Switzerland for Festi'Neuch 10th anniversary celebrations.
The three day open-air festival lured the masses with performances from the likes of Cypress Hill, Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, Birdy Nam Nam, Hocus Pocus, Saez, My Heart Belongs to Cecilia Winter and many more.
Miss Platnum was a crowd favourite, with her glittery ensemble and easy to mimic dance moves.
Bloody Beetroots lived up to their reputation with a high-energy, manic and entertaining set. Surrounded by hazy smoke, they wore black spiderman masks and tore up the stage with a vengance, climbling the metal structures that held up the tent. The atmosphere was nothing short of electric. The mosh, not for the faint hearted. The audience displayed their dedication via a range of imitation masks, although a couple of boys branched out and wore farm animal masks above bare chests.
Hot sugary churros in hand, we headed to the aptly named afterparty, 'Happy End'.
festi'neuch, neuchatel, cypress hill, bloody beetroots death crew 77, birdy nam nam, hocus pocus, saez, my heart belongs to cecilia winter
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on June 2, 2010
Los Angeles curated bookstore, Family is a place where records lay beside art books and magazines. Roll over in the bed and you will find that DVDs, clothing and posters have also taken up residence. Joining forces with Absolut Vodka and Spike Jones, Family recently ran Thirty Days NY.
We chatted with David about his opinion of transgressive sex books, Shana Moulton's performance piece and Albert Maysles on-stage presence.
Danni Le Toullec: How did the idea for Thirty Days NY come about?
David Jacob Kramer: Absolut Vodka worked with Spike Jonze on a short film called I'm Here. They wanted to follow that up with a temporary creative space in New York, so Spike set up a meeting and we all got along. We worked with some of the artists involved with that film like Aska Matsumiya who composed the soundtrack, and Meryl Smith whose sculptures were featured in the film.
We've wanted Family to do something in NY for a while and this thing was really satisfying because we had the resources to do it on a much grander scale than our spot in LA. Family LA is about the size of a bus, with limited budget and the NY spot was 4200 sq feet and we were able to construct stuff like a psychedelic light theatre with Joshua White (who basically invented the psychedelic light show in the 60s for people like Hendrix and the Grateful Dead). Ben Jones of Paper Rad built these amazing bookshelves too. And there was a whole team helping construct them. We weren't used to an idea being manifested so quickly and easily and so well. More...
david kramer, thirtydaysny, family, family bookstore
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on June 1, 2010
A celebration of the sung and unsung creative heroes we adore the guts out of. David Jacob Kramer as recommended by favourite folk #2 Kris Moyes.
Co-founder of Los Angeles curated bookstore, Family, David Jacob Kramer found a way to step away from your typical mainstream, faceless book retailer.
Says David, “We didn't want people to walk past the store and feel like they knew what would be inside… We don't carry any books on tattoos, anarchist philosophy,bongs, transgressive sex stuff, graffiti etc. That shit is gross.”
Taking the opportunity to scour the market for the most stimulating material, Family is committed to bringing its customers stimulating reading matter that will keep them coming back for more.
The beauty of Family lies in its ability to bring together disparate items that somehow complement each other. Seeing a DVD alongside a certain record or a comic that has inspired a poster design, enables you to absorb the material through a different lens.
Joining forces earlier this month with Absolut Vodka and Spike Jones, Family curated Thirty Days NY from april 7 – may 7. The month-long event was an explosion of art and culture that saw a New York warehouse transform into a live gallery space. The event was a huge success.
Says David, “We've wanted Family to do something in NY for a while and this thing was really satisfying because we had the resources to do it on a much grander scale than our spot in LA."
Photo by Cali Thornhill Dewitt
david kramer, family, family bookstore, thirty days ny, absolut vodka
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 25, 2010
After taking a giant leap of faith and leaving jobs at MTV that they both loved, Matt Fayle and Pip Jamieson have successfully launched The Loop.
Helping to connect creatives and extend the benefits of word-of-mouth that the industry relies on, The Loop is opening the pages of notebooks, the doors of studios and darkrooms and providing a stage for individuals to showcase their talents.
We sat down with Pip to discuss the journey of The Loop, how to get a foot in the door of a tough industry and the benefits of taking a risk.
Danni Le Toullec: What motivated the creation of The Loop?
Pip Jamieson: Both me and my partner in crime, Matt, used to work at MTV; Matt in Digital and me in marketing. The idea for The Loop was born out of my frustration in finding fresh creative talent - we were overly dependent on word of mouth, and incredible people were slipping through the net. On the flip side Matt, being the "digital guy", was constantly being asked by creative friends & colleagues for advice on the best way to build their own websites to showcase their work online and promote themselves to potential employers and clients.
We brought these two frustrations together and The Loop was born.
DL: Can you explain The Loop to our readers who have not had the opportunity to visit the site yet?
PJ: THE LOOP is an Australian-based folio-building & networking site for creative professionals. Creatives can promote themselves online by creating a FREE online profile; including portfolio, showreel and resume and gain access to tons of industry jobs. One way to think of it is as Seek, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube all in one place. More...
mtv, pip jamieson, matt fayle, the loop
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 18, 2010
Photo by Andrew Meredith
What do Hot Chip, Florence and the Machine, Dizzee Rascal, The XX, Marina and the Diamonds and Charlotte Gainsbourg have in common?
Well, aside from being international music superstars (and in the case of Gainsbourg, music and film), they are all a part of Selfridges new set of window displays, titled 'Sounds of Mind'.
Andrew snapped this shot of Hot Chip's 'I Feel Better' window display at Selfridges on Oxford Street, London. The display was designed by the band and Pete Fowler. It will feature for the next 6 weeks.
hot chip, florence and the machine, dizzee rascal, the xx, marina and the diamonds, charlotte gainsbourg, selfridges
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 18, 2010
Matt Jackson from Drawing Book dropped this David James gem into our inbox today and we were so taken by it we had to share it with you.
We all had a secret addiction to Sailor Moon during the 90s, and David is bringing her back in a way that you've never seen before.
Despite the entrails leaking from her stomach, gnarled gappy teeth and grey skin, we still think she looks pretty fly.
sailor moon, matt jackson, david james, drawing book
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 17, 2010
Ernest Ellis and his band have been a busy bunch of late. In preperation of the release of their debut album Hunting, out on June 18th this year, they have been bouncing around regional NSW laying down some pretty awesome tracks. The album is not ready for public consumption just yet but the band recently let us sneak a listen of a few of the tracks appearing on the new release.
Hunting's 'Valley Song' puts Ernests' soft croon to good use and dreamy guitar riffs seal the deal. This is laid back, folk nostalgia at its best. Perfect for road trips, campfires and lazy afternoons. Other stand out tracks include 'Loveless' and 'Heading for the Cold'.
Touring with Old Man River throughout May, Ernest Ellis is gearing up for the Come Together Festival in June and Splendour in the Grass in July. Before that, they will be dropping into the Oxford Art Factory for a gig with The Holidays on the 27th May.
Joining the likes of Sarah Blasko, Mumford & Sons and Bernard Fanning on the Dew Process label, Ernest Ellis is set to make quite an impression.
ernest ellis, old man river, come together festival, splendour in the grass, loveless, heading for the cold
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 11, 2010
Oasis frontman, Liam Gallagher’s newly formed company In 1 Productions has acquired the cinematic rights to the book The Longest Cocktail Party, which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the Beatles' Apple Corps.
Tracking the highs and lows of the Beatles’ eminent record label, this feature film is sure to tap into the massive international fanbase of Oasis and The Beatles combined.
"This will be a film with humor and affection providing an insider's look at what it meant to be a young man caught up in the wild swirl of the music business, celebrities and the tail end of the swinging Sixties' in London," reads a statement from Gallagher's company.
No release date has been set for the feature as yet.
oasis, the beatles, liam gallagher, in 1 productions, the longest cocktail party
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 11, 2010
Gen Art, a long standing supporter of emerging designers, filmmakers and musicans, has been forced to close its doors this week after 16 years.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we are are posting this. After struggling for the past 18 months since the economic crisis, Gen Art has finally succumbed to the recession,” Gen Art Founders Ian and Stefan Gerard wrote on the organization’s website.
Gen Art afforded countless creatives the opportunity to showcase their work including Zac Posen, Kevin Bacon, Adrien Brody, MGMT, DMN of Run DMC, Rebecca Taylor, Tanner Hall and Whitney Port.
Here’s to Gen Art, we here at Kluster will continue to carry the torch and give a voice to emerging talent around the world.
gen art, emerging designers, emerging filmmakers, zac posen, mgmt, adrien brody
Posted by Danni Le Toullec on May 4, 2010
The first few moments of Honour give a literal meaning to the age-old saying ‘love is blind’, as the Sydney Opera House’s Drama Theatre was plunged into complete darkness. It is not bound by reality or responsibility. It suffices as an excuse for any kind of behaviour or acts of recklessness. It can provide reason to turn your world upside down and inside out, in a moment.
Joanna Murray-Smith’s Honour breathes life into the well-told tale of adultery and marriage breakdown. When Claudia, a young ambitious journalist, embarks on a profile of George, a well-known literary figure, it doesn’t take long for his gaze to wander from Honour, his wife of thirty-two years.
Directed by Lee Lewis, this play consistently questions the ideals of passion, sacrifice and persistence. William Zappa and Wendy Hughes are flawless in their depiction of a husband and wife, forced to realise that we are all at the mercy of love.
They say that illusion is the first of all pleasures: An affair is undoubtedly the best example of that. Reflected in Claudia’s admiring eyes, George is once again, in his prime. Disguised as love, this is one man grasping for freedom, from a life that he sees as pre-determined.
Designer Michael Scott-Mitchell’s set of curved, vertical wooden beams is minimalist and pulls the focus toward the actors without the distraction of a household setup.
Since the play’s debut in 1995, it has been produced in three dozen countries, travelling to London’s West End and Broadway, making stops from Brazil to Croatia. It will be setting up shop in Sydney until the May 29.
honour, sydney theatre company, sydney opera house, wendy hughes, william zappa