We love supporting local Toronto acts and after our friends at The Docking Station let us know about John Roman, we’re jumping on the bandwagon.
I’m not sure what it is about Toronto but it is certainly blessed with not only talented DJs but also exciting producers. John Roman continues the tradition of the hard hitting electro/house/ghettotech sharing some but not too many similarities to other local acts such as Barletta, Gingy, and Pilotpriest. The great thing about Mr. Roman is he makes songs that are strictly meant for dancefloor insanity. He’s not trying to make you think, he’s trying to make you dance.
I’ve collected a few of my favorite John Roman songs. Be warned these tunes may result in increased heart rate, the inability to control the volume of your voice, and bleeding from the ears.
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BONUS: Barletta makes an absolutely devastating edit of Wreck The Discotek. I’m sorry John but I think I’m digging this more than the original.
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Why is there a picture of Alice Cooper for this post? Well, because I saw him on a little shopping excursion today, and I think its great seeing aging rockers who used to wear make up hobble around and try on clothes like us normal folk.
Anyways, I bought some rad shit today and in the spirit of our little fashion/music/art/lifestyle blog I thought I would share.
2. Altru Helvetica Tee (As a huge Metallica fan who does graphic design, this shirt was a must)
3. byCORPUS Striped Tank (since posting this I have received a few strong comments as to how much this tank top sucks including my own brother telling me to jump off a cliff and die for purchasing this. While I find such comments more interesting than hurtful I still stand by my position. It’s hot as hell in southern AZ and sometimes I don’t want to “pit out” [the act of getting pit stains] every one of my t-shirts in 115 degree weather.)
I guess it’s so limited that they didn’t even put a picture of it on their site. C’est la vie. Trust me it’s legit.
For the ladies out there my girlfriend picked up the kicks below and if you want to grab some attention from the opposite sex I suggest you do the same. Hype.
“RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH A time machine was sent back to just before all the dinosaurs went BOOOOOOOM!!! and died. horribly. and they said “RRAAAGH listen up future kids. we got the big tunes.” and they sorted us out with a few dubplates. prehistoric dubplates made of granite. using the latest in free software the “big tunes” have begun to be uncovered and are ready for your listening. listen.”
I’m a sucker for groups that have a concept and any concept that revolves around dinosaurs is cool with me. Now a concept alone can’t hold a group together but, luckily for us, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs have the songs to back it up.
I was worried with a name like that they might just make throw away songs but each tune is a legit dance number that has some fun and original elements weaved in to give it that TEED touch. They have an EP dropping soon so get the song (a mean and fun bassline tune), watch the video (awesomely weird), and keep your eyes out for these guys. Shouldn’t be too hard, they’re totally enormous. Officially set to blow up.
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Handsome Clothing was featured on fashion blog myfashioneyes.com. You can check out the interview that reveals some insight into Handsome’s conception, inspiration and a look into the future. MFE is a Canadian fashion blog that covers aspiring designers as well as founder Daniela Gysler’s perspective on Style, Life and People.
I remember the first time I went to the ALIFE store in New York. It was one of those defining retail experiences that only a handful of stores have been able to match since (Bodega, Opening Ceremony, Dover Street Market). I found the storefront on Rivington Street among no other retailers. There was a lineup at the door, which usually you need to get buzzed into, but today stood a bouncer controlling the excess of patrons. Once getting in I was in awe of rich hardwood floors and shelving that made the kicks look like they were being showcased in a museum as opposed to a store. The back of the store was an open courtyard with shoe-lined walls, people hanging out and a DJ spinning on the roof. It was magical.
Today things have changed and many of our favourite exclusive retailers have opened their doors to the world via the interweb. Luckily, ALIFE is now one of those. Their online store is now open which gives us all access to their kicks, collaboration pieces as well as some featured designers including CDG, Fred Perry and Canterbury. Yay for alternative means of increasing profits.
After a little break, it’s great to see our friends at Rollin’ & Scratchin’ back in the game and posting the hotness. This latest song is jacked from their blog as it is just way too good to not spread.
I’ve already made a bunch of post’s involving Miike Snow but until they stop making amazing tunes I’m going to keep pumping them up. If you haven’t checked out their album that came out a few weeks ago make sure to go buy that ASAP. You won’t be disappointed.
Personally, I love when they go on more of their electronic tip like they have on this particular song. They take Peter Bjorn & John’s “It Don’t Move Me” and energize it with wonderful trancey synths and a great synth solo towards the end of the song. Get this song.
Oh and if you’re in Toronto on June 5th, Miike Snow will be playing their first ever North American date at Craig’s Rollin’ & Scratchin’ party. Be there.
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BONUS: Grab the original below which is much more relaxed and spare.
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“Come for the ville, Stay for the boner”. This is one of the potential names for Blink-182′s reunion tour. I’m glad their minds are still in the same place.
Handsome’s conception was arguably dependent on two budding teens mutual appreciation for Blink-182 back in 2000 while bonding in an all boys school. Blink-182′s reunion is not being taken lightly at Handsome Headquarters. The band recently announced dates for their North American tour. They’re going to a neverending list of cities with support from a bunch of bands including Weezer and Taking Back Sunday who are two of the greatest live acts of all time. I hope everybody is lucky enough to have a second chance to relive their youth. Hopefully, ABBA will get their act together next.
Nixon‘s newest addition to their ever expanding line up is the Time Teller P. They look pretty sweet as a “I’m still in touch with my inner child and like to party” accessory. 13 sweet colourways, minimalist details and a slim silhouette make them a pretty solid choice. Plus they’re completely justified at $55 a piece for Japanese Quartz. This could be the wingman you’ve been looking for. Blue please.
Man jewelery is totally sweet. It’s not about liking other men, it’s about expressing oneself aesthetically. Handsome is always a fan of up and coming Canadian brands and Cement is one of those doing big things. They just dropped their Spring/Summer 2009 Line of polished and distressed necklaces. They’re pretty awesome, you can check my favourites below. Grab them through their online store for $75 a piece. A legit grab for handcrafted, Canadian made pieces. Fashion!
If you’re in Toronto, you can grab the entire collection at Nomad.
This song has been getting a lot of plays around here. As is wont to happen after I make a mix, I start searching for music that is a little slower and perhaps more melodic. I have found that perfect mix in The Big Pink‘s “Velvet”.
I just found out about this electro-rock group from London, England, but they have already won the NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act.
“Velvet” is a huge and enveloping song. It sounds like something that M83, Oasis, and …And You Will Know Us By the Trial of Dead would make if they were all locked in a room for a weekend watching movies from the 90s. Makes sense to me.
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BONUS: This Deloreon remix adds a bit of The Tough Alliance to that previous mixture of bands and any sound that can incorporate anything close to what The Tough Alliance sound like is a good thing to me. Expect less epic-ness and more dreaminess.
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