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i-ntroducing Alex Clare

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Internet sensation Alex Clare is the fresh faced new prodigal project of Diplo and Switch, recently signed to Island Records.



Recording his debut single 'Up All Night' in New Orleans amongst the pre-Spring mayhem of Mardi Gras, South East London born Alex has created a stand-alone anthem with a contagiously dirty beat and meaty guitar riff. Working closely with Glasser producer Ariel Richsteid, Diplo and Switch were quicky enrolled to down tune the track's electronic bass and elevate the original lyrics and beat. The result is just under three minutes of exciting, infused beats which feel reminiscent of electronic-rock territories that have, until now, laid dormant. Describing 'Up All Night' as completely different from any other track on his forthcoming album, Alex describes his sound as "mostly down-tempo, there are only two or three songs on the album that are up there. 'Up All Night' grabs peoples' ears, it has an unusual sound". The highly anticipated debut album is a conglomeration of live, synthesised electric elements, a direction which immediately distinguishes and creates an identity for the former bedroom DJ's music.

Involved in many different bands over the years, playing instruments, providing backing vocals and writing lyrics, Alex only recently took the brave decision to break free and go it alone with this new solo project. i-D Online caught up with the upcoming artist ahead of his single's release to find out how it's all happened.

Listen to 'Up All Night' here.

www.myspace.com/alexclare

Text Milly McMahon

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i-D Online: Stalley

i-ntroducing Stalley
Stalley is the self-professed 'Bruce Springsteen Of Rap', the bearded New York artist creating deep beats about the streets.

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Honing his clean, effortless, classic style down to a fine art, Stalley's aesthetic mirrors his sound. Describing his "classy, sophisticated, and militant" manner as his purpose, the Massillon-born musician's deep-seeded love of music and personal aspirations to be a great American writer drove his ambition and ascent to the now acclaimed title under which he is celebrated. Stalley, aka Kyle Myricks, is shortening of the MC's street-name 'Stallion', an extension of his reputation branding him an individual of grit and determination; qualities which are prominent within the lyrics forming the backbone on his tracks. Feeling like a stream of consciousness played out retrospectively, Stalley’s spitting offers an insight into the moral mind of his everyday movements. Generating an exciting buzz at this year’s 2010 SXSW festival, the 25-year-old Williamsburg-based musician was also the official partner of the Nike Destroy To Create launch party, which took place earlier this month. Originally selecting Stalley to represent the sports brand because of his bold persona, Nike branded him an “influencer”, creating a symbiotic relationship that creatively unites both brand and man. i-D Online caught up with Stalley to find out what makes him tick.

What is your background within music? My grandmother, who was Sicilian, listened to Country music all the time. I stayed with her as a child, and WTIG, our radio station in Massillon, was always on. I listened to Garth Brooks and Reba, both great storytellers. That is how I fell in love with music.

What inspires you to write new material? Anything can, really. A good book - I've been reading Hunter S. Thompson. Things that happen in every day life. My 85 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. I'm a writer and find stories around every corner.

What are your tracks most typically about? Well, my new track Hercules is about being the best rapper in the world. But, generally my music is about Midwestern blue-collar hard work. Being classy, sophisticated and militant; being a regular every day man with purpose.

Tell us more about the beard? I started growing my beard at the same time as I began my rap career, three years ago. I wanted something physical I could see progress as I progressed as an artist.

How does your religion play a part in your music/sound? Religion plays a role by providing a solid ethical and moral grounding.

What do you see yourself in 5 years time? On an Ohio farm, making classic music. I also plan on expanding on my charity work - I've been working with Writopia, a literacy workshop for kids in New York that aspire to be authors and poets.

Where can we catch you playing next? After Columbus, finishing up a quick swing through North Carolina, then I'm headed to China at the end of week. Never imagined I'd ever perform in Beijing.


myspace.com/madstalley

Text Milly McMahon

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Young Writers

Young Writers

Under 25 and opinionated, i-D profiles four new London writers busy carving a career for themselves both online and in print. Listen up; they have something to say.

Text and Styling Milly McMahon
Photography Rebecca Thomas

Liam Tootill, 23

Where are you from? Born in the north. Bred in the south.
Describe yourself in 5 words… Friendly, inquisitive, energetic, enthusiastic, optimistic.
How long have you been writing for? Two years.
What was the first magazine you wrote for? RWD.
What publications do you now currently write for? i-D magazine and online.
What is you area of expertise? Music.
What was the last song you listened to on your iPod? 'Never Went To Church', The Streets.
What would be your dream publication to work with? Rolling Stone.
How would you describe your literary style? Colloquial but with a serious edge.
What other writers do you admire? In literature Martin Amis. In journalism Hattie Collins.
Tell us about a memorable interview experience? ? Interviewing Kevin Liles in Paris was pretty cool and I’d have to say some of my early phoners were pretty dull experiences!
Who would be the one person you would most like to interview in the future? Eminem.
Where does success lie for you? Hopefully it’s lying somewhere nearby.
What would you do if you were invisible for the day? I’d rather have Bernard’s watch than be invisible.

sbtv.co.uk

Isabella Burley, 19

Where are you from? My mother is from Germany and my father from New Zealand, but I was born in London.
What are you wearing head-to-toe? My skirt and bustier are by Hannah Marshall and my shoes by Gabriella Marina Gonzalez.
What was the first magazine you wrote for? It was for Tank, after running there blog for a few months I approached the editor with articles for the printed magazine.
What publications do you now currently write for? i-D online, Dazed Digital, Tank and Under/Current.
What is you area of expertise? Sexuality, youth culture, fashion and art.
What would be your dream publication to work with? Paradis.
What publications do you think are culturally important write now? Happy Hypocrite and FUN.
Tell us about a memorable interview experience? I interviewed Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle) for Tank, and she had stated in an old interview that she doesn’t get on well with women. She is such a strong character but we got on surprisingly well.
Who would be the one person you would most like to interview in the future? Marina Abromovic, Christiane F or Nan Goldin.
Where does success lie for you? When I finally feel content.

isabellaburley.tumblr.com

This is funny

P-Thugg Presents The Buisness Casual: i-D Online

Patrick Gemayel aka P-Thugg is one half of the world's most famous Canadian electronic funk duo Chromeo.

Meeting his music partner Dave 1, aka David Macklovitch, at the age of 15, each hip-hop enthusiast recognised a hidden penchant for the ridiculous within each other. Today Dave and P-Thugg collaboratively recreate and interpret their sketchy appreciation of funk through their bubble-gum synth anthems. Throwing down international club hits, which are created to make you nod your head, the couple's debut album She's in Control caused a serious stir within the world of dance music and a two-year sold out international tour quickly followed.

Inspired by the immediate success of their music, the Montreal born and based duo are now proud to announce their latest and highly anticipated release Business Casual. Produced by recent major label signing Atlantic, this ten-track album features a collaboration with British artist La Roux and mixes by Philippe Zdars. Effortlessly combining P-Thugg's talk-box one-liners with Dave 1's lady-killing lyrics the now more refined and polished sound of Chromeo is fresh and memorable. i-D Online caught up P-Thugg backstage ahead of Chromeo's latest gig at The Roundhouse.

Watch Online here

i-D Online: Hercules and The Love Affair Present Blue Songs:

Creatively professing their love of each other, individuality and good club music through the medium of music, Hercules and The Love Affair are the electronic musical project who champion authenticity and fun over all else.

Watch video here

Playing their highly-anticipated debut performance in Brooklyn four years ago, the five-piece dance-punk act sold all tickets for the event in minutes. Shortly after releasing their first single Blind the notoriously influential music blog Pitchfork dubbed the track 'Best Song of 2008' and the The New York Times named the self-titled album ‘Breakthrough Album of the Year’. Despite receiving the highest of critical acclaim, each artist within the band has remained reassuringly humble and unaffected, allowing their sound to remain directly representative of their personal journey. Creating music, which is alive with rhythm, energy and infectious beats, curator of the band Andrew Butler describes their sound as somewhere in between “a review, in the classic sense of the word, and a 90s techno PA”. Loving their own music as much as their fanatic crowds, who will queue, fight and spend whatever it takes to get their hands on tickets to each show, the atmosphere at each gig is charged. Singers Aerea Negrot, Kim Ann Foxman & Sean Wright interact with their audiences, inviting them in to each show to sing dance, let loose, have fun and "embrace your race".

Now signed to the entrepreneurial record label Moshi Moshi, Hercules and The Love Affair return with their new album, three years in the making. Blue Songs is scheduled for release on 31 January and showcases eleven fresh new tracks. Premiering their new material most recently at The Icelandic Airwaves Festival and London’s Frieze Art Fair, Andrew has taken the direction of their now more experimental sounding music further into fully blown let-your-hair-down-disco anthem territories. Fusing together their signature keyboard synced vocals and dragging a more ominous deep, dark and soulful feel from the sound they have become famous for, Andy calls the process of making the album as “a very colourful and interesting ride...I wanted to explore my voice as a songwriter and use different instruments; ones I wouldn’t have used on the first album, like a clarinet, or an acoustic guitar. There’s a very lyrical quality to a lot of the music on this record”.

i-D Online caught up with the Hercules crew to find out where the love is at.

myspace.com/herculesandloveaffair

Text Milly McMahon
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i-D Online: Mechanical Couture: Fashioning a New Order

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Exploring the diverse interpretation of technology within fashion, The Design Museum Holon in Tel Aviv exhibits four groups of cutting edge installations inspired by the concept of 'Mechanical Couture'.

Examining the lesser profiled driving forces behind creative processes and design constructs employed within fashion, this unique and groundbreaking exhibition features the work of world-renowned designers including Issey Miyake, Dai Fujiwara, Shelley Fox, Marloes ten Bohmer and Alyce Santoro. Curated by independent US-based design duo Curatorsquared, Mechanical Couture showcases specially commissioned works by international and local designers who have used the latest technology and machinery to explore and redefine our understanding of haute couture. This intelligent dissection offers an insightful and unprecedented behind-the-scenes peak into the prevalent notions of handwork and craftsmanship in fashion. i-D Online caught up with Texan-based Alyce Santoro, a conceptual sound artist and environmental social activist.

Describe your label in 5 words? Subtle reality attunement devices.

What is inspiring you this season? The industrialised nations' roll in the wanton destruction of the environment inspires me to create work that highlights our interconnectedness with one another and with the natural world of which we are a part.

How do you define and maintain the level of quality you work to? For me, quality depends on conceptual continuity. I do not differentiate between life and art; I use my life as a grand experiment to test the theories and concepts put forth in my work. I believe that everyone has an opportunity to contribute to the betterment of society through even the most routine, simple and seemingly minute personal actions.

How would you define haute couture? It implies high fashion that is exclusive and has little to no practical function in society. Truly beautiful and inspired fashion, in addition to form, must also take into account social and environmental responsibility. 



What inspired the specific designs you contributed to the initiative? The Voidness Dress and the Cacophony (Musical Score) Dress are made of fabric woven from audio-cassette tape that has been recorded with an intricate collage of sounds. The creation of Sonic Fabric itself was inspired by a theory in quantum physics that suggests that, at the most basic level, everything may be composed of little more than vibration. The style of the dresses is inspired by ritual garments worn by shamans and superheroes when they wish to access particular superpowers, subtle energies, or strengths.

What mechanical process do you personally instigate when creating? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe relied on a multi-sensory form of scientific investigation which allowed for the development of prolonged empathic relationships with his subjects. He called this form of inquiry "delicate empiricism". My own work stems from a similar process in which I engage a form of subtle hearing, or deep listening.

What machines do you rely on for manufacturing garments? Sonic Fabric is woven on a dobby loom at a family-operated textile mill in New England. The garments and other work that I create from it are fabricated using a solar powered sewing machine at my studio.

How do you think the level of mechanical developments have helped or hindered production within the fashion industry? Mechanical developments have certainly facilitated the kind of mass production that has allowed fashion to become a colossal global industry. In many cases, this has resulted in compromises in integrity of materials and manufacturing, as mechanised mass production almost always places its emphasis on maximising output and minimising cost without regard for the health and well-being of workers or the environment. It is, of course, possible to use machines effectively and efficiently while simultaneously considering environmental and social impact. It is only through the concerted effort of each and every one of us doing our parts to support sustainable production - not only in fashion, but in every industry - that we may have a chance at creating a healthier planet and future for all.

dmh.org.il

Text Milly McMahon
Images Dai Fujiwara

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Me and my mate Hazel 'Dj'd' @ i like girls at the weekend, heres a taster of the sumthin sumthin we played...

Neon Indian: i-D Online

Bambi eyed, Mexican-born bedroom DJ Neon Indian turns music upside down to create distorted electronic beats and rhythms, which sounds as if the world is underwater.

Watch the video here

Former founder of successful, niche synth projects Ghosthustler and Vega, 23-year-old gaming fanatic Alan Paloma is more commonly now known as Neon Indian. Describing the unique sound he has coined as "series of snapshots of pivotal moments in relationships that went completely awry", each unique technologically inspired track he creates weaves hazily into another. Revealing himself entirely through his sad, mournful lyrics, Alan’s voice is muffled throughout his music which creates an alternative, hyper-real-like universe crafted to allow the listener to swim melodically in and out of consciousness.

Now signed to forward-thinking record label Fader, the Brooklyn born accousmatic artist is touring America, just enjoying himself and accidentally happening upon incidental inspiration for new material. Alan is a happy-go-lucky lad that experiences every day life on a unique, low-key level, which is directly representative of his sound. It is as virtually impossible to not like Neon Indian as it is to get to grips with the complicated curation processes behind his signature weird synth tapestries, Alan’s work is the behaviour of an oddball, but more importantly, an original.

i-D Online recently caught up with Neon Indian to future plans and former victories.

myspace.com/neonindian

Text Milly McMahon
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