We miss the guitar. Everywhere you look you can see evidence of it’s declining popularity in music today. Although it may be falling out of favor as the de facto gift for the kid who wants to start a band (replaced, most likely, by a computer with Ableton installed or an MPC), there is still some great guitar driven music being produced today.

COOLRUNNINGS is one such band and their new song Spirit of the High is sunny tune that’s helping satiate the air guitarist within us.

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DOWNLOAD: COOLRUNNINGS – Spirit of the High

This is the perfect companion post to our one yesterday about Ruddyp. XXYYXX is another producer making some of the most interesting and emotive beats out there. Today he released his collab with Ruddyp titled Eclipse that they self describe as “moonwave”. We imagine this sounds like something Lex Luger would make if he lived in the forest and had a spiritual awakening. It sure is puurty.

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DOWNLOAD: XXYYXX (feat. Ruddyp) – Eclipse

One of my favorite parts about being an American who moved to Canada during my teenage years was being exposed to an entirely new music scene. One of the first Canadian groups that I came across was Broken Social Scene, and a favorite song of theirs was “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl”.

Apparently, Ruddyp has similar sentiments and decided to update the song in a decidedly 2012 manner. Sounding like a combination of some of our favorite producers (Star Slinger, Baths, Dose, Giraffage, Expensive Looks, Sinjin Hawke), the song keeps it’s indie charm while getting a strong dose of bass and dizzying hip-hop inspired beat patterns.

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DOWNLOAD: Ruddyp – Sleep On The Floor, Dream About Me

BONUS: Ruddyp’s Soundcloud is full of gems available for download. Below is one of our other favorites.

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DOWNLOAD: Ruddyp – Addicted

DropxLife has been given production credits for both The Weeknd and Drake. A few days ago he released his latest mixtape Further. As you would expect, it’s full of spaced out after party beats. Below are our favorites and, if you like what you hear, you can download the whole thing for free.

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DOWNLOAD: DropxLife – STILLXSHOTS

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DOWNLOAD: DropxLife – TRIPXENT

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DOWNLOAD: DropxLife – FURTHUR

Dover Street Market is undoubtedly one of our favourite retailers in the world. Our trips to London never go without a visit to Comme Des Garçons’ exquisite department store. Beyond their amazing multi-brand selection and displays, DSM continues to expand their private label with a series of t-shirts, sweaters and button-ups.

One of their recent logos is one of what looks like a wise old man. They have featured it on v-neck sweaters, t-shirts as well as the cardigan pictured above. We’re a fan of the new design which is quite understated. Comme Des Garçons’ cardigans are very well cut for casual wear and this one makes for a nice new option alongside the PLAY and classic DSM Label version.

Available in store and online at Dover Street Market.

Remember when we told you about Svpply; the social shopping service that helps users discover new products by allowing people to tag products to a virtual wishlist/inspiration board? Well, it looks like they have some competition with a newer enhanced service going by the name of Nuji. On first glance, these two services look similar, however, Nuji has one hugely important difference. In addition to allowing you to save items you like from any store and follow people with similar taste, Nuji allows you to unlock rewards at some of the most respected retailers around the world.

We are happy to announce that HANDSOME has now been added to their illustrious list of participating retailers which includes Mr. Porter, A.P.C., Opening Ceremony, Oki-ni, Très Bien Shop, Acne, Need Supply Co., and Colette. Currently, Nuji is invite-only but we have a special invite for all you HANDSOME people out there that will grant you immediate access: just click HERE.

It’s pretty simple, all you have to do is add us on Nuji and tag our products. Each time you tag a product you earn 2 points, and each time someone retags that product you get 10 points.

All these points then add up to give you a discount off your entire HANDSOME Shop order. The points work like this:

10 to 100 points – 5% off
100 to 200 points – 10% off
200 to 300 points – 15% off
300 or more points – 20% off

Pretty amazing, right?

We had a chance to catch Demetri Martin’s latest act in Toronto over of the weekend and he put on an excellent show. Levi MacDougall opened up the show with his classic, intentionally awkward storytelling. Once we got over the fact that we recognized him from years of Rogers commercials playing the role of the chagrined non-Rogers customer, we thoroughly enjoyed his set. He did an excellent job warming up the crowd who consistently laughed out loud at his anecdotes and surprise story twists.

As the sound-man prepared the stage in between acts, Demetri Martin walked on quite casually in runners, jeans and a hoodie. Slightly startled by another man being on stage as he walked on, Demetri recovered quickly and went right into his solid material. Martin had the crowd roaring with laughter throughout his whole set. The show started off well as Demetri acknowledged the fact that the couple who had purchased seats in the center of the first row had decided to skip the show, leaving him with two empty seats in his field of vision for the next hour. Martin had some entertaining banter with the crowd including calling out several people in the show for recording him as well as texting and taking unnecessary bathroom breaks. He continued to entertain with his Large Pad drawings as well as musical bits which incorporated his guitar and harmonica into the show.

Overall, both Levi MacDougall and Demetri Martin performed excellent sets. If you have a chance to catch them in the remaining dates of Telling Jokes in Cold Places, we highly recommend making your way out.

MWC are a leading supplier, not just to the military but also to police forces, anti terrorist units, airlines, mining companies and a diverse variety of government agencies and departments. We are one of the largest specialist manufacturers of high performance military watches and produce a wide range of models either to customers specific design requirements or by tendering for contracts where quality, reliability and durability are of primary importance.

Military Watch Company’s “About Us” section is impressive enough, but beyond that their products remain quite appealing. Their Rolex-inspired Submariner pictured above is a favourite at $195USD. The timepiece features 21 Jewel Automatic movement, 200m water resistance and a screwdown crown. With function and performance in mind, the final product has an impeccable and classic look.

Available online at MWC.

Arktip has curated a phenomenal collaboration between Pendleton Woolen Mills and Dutch artist, Parra. Artktip is curating a series of art based designs for Pendleton of which the Parra option immediately caught our eye. The youthful design combines Parra’s colourful style with Pendleton’s history and quality. The throw is Made in USA and limited to 125 pieces.

“Being a fan of the issues and artists that Arkitip published before ever collaborating with them, I could always appreciate how they match artists to top quality products. Now after working with them for many years in various ways, this Pendleton blanket is another perfect example.” – Parra

Available online through Arktip.

Our friends over at Rebel tipped us on an exciting young act right in our own backyard by the name of Black Atlass. The act is fronted by 17-year-old Alex Flemming, an electronic producer hailing from London, Ontario. Our favorite song off his recently released Black Atlass EP is titled “Hills”; a production that balances menacing distorted synths with breathy & poetic vocals.

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DOWNLOAD: Black Atlass – Hills