The xx played Massey Hall last night where they impressed the sold out crowd with an hour-long set that redefined the young concert experience. The seated heritage venue seemed appropriate for the set, which provided a catalyst for seated introspection. For majority of the show the band and audience were equally calm. The band didn’t ask the audience to stand up nor did the audience ask the power trio for a more aerobic set.
The stage was littered with cables that wrapped around the contour of the stage, creating a boundary the band members never broke. Equally important to the music, were the well-timed, mood-inducing lights. Visually, the lights played along to the songs and created silhouettes on stage to compliment the music.
Towards the latter end of the set, a three antsy fans made their way out of their seats and began a movement in the serene venue. The lighting was meant for them. Their silhouettes swayed at the base of the stage; the flash of the lights keeping their movement in slow motion. More bodies filled the space infront of the stage as Crystalised built up the room’s energy. Eventually, the ground floor of the venue was out of their seats; each silhouette came together for some calm, communal dancing.
The band played an amazing and unique set. They removed the sweat, aggression and collisions that seemed commonplace at concerts without downgrading the experience. It was a great, calm, multi-dimensional, thought-provoking, positive energy evening for all.
“Shot outside the country town of Mildura, 500 odd kilometres from Melbourne, the “Lucidity” video was a leap into the unknown, a series of experiments and blind faith launches into the final frontier, involving cameras being launched into space inside weather balloons, tracking all that went on below, including Tame Impala ripping through ‘Lucidity’.”
Felix Cartal, one of our favorite Canadian DJs/Producers, released a new mixtape yesterday. It’s a 90 minute mix that includes some unreleased tracks by Felix, all 4 new tracks that he’s done with Keatch, and also includes the Green Velvet remix of his newest track ‘Love’. It is full of massive tunes and tons of energy thanks to the harder edged electro that Mr. Cartal champions. Some notable artists on the mix include Harvard Bass, Tiga, Geht’s Noch?, Sebastien Leger, and Style of Eye.
André Obin is a musician and producer from Cambridge, MA who creates alluring and ethereal electronic pop music with techno leanings. His live performance has earned him opening spots for artists such as The Field, M83, Phantogram, Telepathe and School of Seven Bells. Good company to keep. A veteran of numerous rock and electronic bands as well as possessing an Electroacoustic Composition degree, Obin pens proper songs containing lush synthesizers, arpeggiated sequences and air-tight beat programming.
According to his press, “he has been called a modern day crooner – a romantic fully engaged with the tools of today’s technology.” If you listen to the song below I think you’ll agree this description is apt.
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A pair of high ankled Chuck Taylor’s are the pinnacle of design in casual sneakers. They’re versatile, the silhouette has been copied by an endless supply of designers, and you can get a pair for only $50.
For Peanuts 60th Anniversary, they’ve teamed up with a handful of brands including Converse. The resulting collaboration is noteworthy in that it keeps with the simplicity and wear-ability of the Chuck Taylor combined with some Peanuts playfulness.
You can pick them up at Colette while supplies last.
M0851 has been one of our favourite Canadian brands for years. They’re the ones making super soft Italian leather goods with minimalist details and branding. You’ll find great luggage, leather jackets, accessories and even some clothing basics in their shops that are popping up around the world; now including Toronto, Montreal, New York City, Vancouver, Paris, Antwerp and Taipei.
One of our favourite pieces from them is their Tennis bag. It’s a great shape, super soft and the perfect size for a weekend away. We even had the chance to check out some of their bags that have been used for 10+ years old and they’re still in great shape with leather that is now softer than we could comprehend.
Handsome is celebrating the retirement of The Outer Space Series in the Handsome Online Shop. The shirts are going to be 40% off for 2 weeks after which The Outer Space Series will be retired.
There’s limited quantities left so grab whatever you haven’t yet. The tees and sweatshirts will be available for purchase until October 10th.
We saw this weekender bag from Pendleton drop last season and we were pretty excited about it. Soon after the release it seemed to disappear from the shelves of our favourite retailers. There’s good news – the bag is now available for the new season at the Opening Ceremony Online Shop.
The bag looks great with it’s classic Pendleton pattern in virgin wool combined with a full grain leather trim. You can also grab it in an alternate colourway.
As a possible love note to his (deservedly) growing fan base, Shinichi Osawa has made a gem of a song simply titled ‘Thank You For Your Love’. It’s a slow burning number that’s reminiscent of Star Slinger and similar acts, yet still very Shinichi. It’s nearly 6 minutes so it’s a good break from the usual pop tune out there as well.
While we have your attention, we would also like to thank every person who has shared in our dream; whether it be by purchasing our clothing, sending messages of support, or simply stopping by the site every now and then. Thank you.
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This month Seiko announced their Active Matrix EPD watch. The specs on it are mostly impressive and partly incomprehensible. It looks as people from the past imagined the present. It’s a step forward and a first in wrist technology.
Some of the innovative features include a 300dpi high resolution display which displays time that is received from the world’s atomic clocks through radio wave. This is a new standard in accurate time on watches; the atomic clocks are accurate to one second in every 30 million years. Also impressive, the watch runs on solar power and can keep accurate time on standby with no light source for more than three years.
