Fancy a backy?

Busses get gridlocked. Tube lines get closed. Boris Bikes are just bad. If you wanna beat the traffic, grab a backpack and hit the dirt track.

Cycling, skating and strolling is the swiftest way to avoid congestion and keep good time. Four London experts apply some pressure to their break pads and fill i-D online in on their preferred toe paths and backpacks.

From left:

Nehjat Ramoth, 35, Shoreditch, 1948 Store manager
What’s in your backpack?My laptop, a bottle of water, a notepad and hand cream (note: I hate dry hands). What was the last track you listened to?‘Don’t scandalize mine’, Sugar Bear (Dave Pearce, Best of Dance 1988 – 1992). What’s your favourite cycle route? I would say the canal path from Shoreditch to Camden.
Nehjat wears backpack Nike Cheyenne (RED) Edition.

Zainab Jama, 26 (Damn), London, Music promotion via writing, eventing and press
What’s your preferred mode of transport? Bike or Bus. Tube can jog on. I love the madness of the night bus especially with a good soundtrack. What’s in your backpack? Laptop, 8-hour cream (standard), bottle of water, pen, diary, Flaming Hot Monster Munch and a Pret Love Bar. Where’s good to go out around your ends? The charity shops around Pimlico are untapped gold, more for me. No nightlife here, its lovely. What was the last track you listened to? ‘Sink’, ZVA (Blacklabel).
Zainab wears Nicomede Talavera for Eastpak.

Nick Bam, 23, London, Consultant, writer and musician
What’s in your backpack?A change of clothes for tonight’s gig and my Macbook. Where’s good to go out around your ends?Yum Cha in Chalk Farm Rd for Dim Sum, Jazz Cafe for good music. What was the last track you listened to? ‘Oxy Music’ By Schoolboy Q. What did the last text message you receive say? It was from my Dad, asking me if I want to go the Baftas with him! Where are you off to now? I’m meeting my boys Nate & Motive to plan an event.
Nick wears backpackNike.

Alice (Moxie), 25, Kentish Town, DJ, Events promoter and graphic designer
What’s in your backpack?Standard stuff really, laptop, purse, notepad, bottle of water and my book ‘Howling At The Moon’ by Walter Yetnikoff. Where’s good to go out around your ends? I love this place called the Map Studio Cafe which is around the corner from me in Kentish Town. They serve really great food and put on loads of live music events. They also have a shop where you can buy records and have a recording studio at the back which the local kids use.
Alice wears backpackEastpak.

Text: Milly McMahon
Photography: Masha Mel

i-DJ: Vessel

 

House music maker Seb Gainsborough is doing for electronic music what Serge, his classical counterpart, did for French pop in the 60s

Signed to Tri-Angle Records, imprint of critically acclaimed artists Clams Casino, Balam Acab and Holy Other, Bristol based producer Seb, prefers to go by the moniker ‘Vessel’. Why? Nobody knows. Coming-up, part of The Young Echo collective, this twenty-two-year-old talent is incredibly intuitive and intelligent, that much is obvious from his production work. Sounding like the dark experiment of an incredibly creative mind, intrigued by its own capabilities; tempos, rhythms and levels are deliberately woven together to not fit in his music. Adhering to no rules, Seb names Vessels tracks as obscurely as the unnerving, synthesized noises he creates (James Dean and Wax Dance are highlights). New to the scene and already pioneering a whole new genre of house, Vessels’ potential to dramatically alter the electronic music climate is vast. Pushing boundaries and ignoring trends, Seb is making sounds he likes. The rest of us are an afterthought. i-D online caught-up with the brazen, knob-twiddling technician to find out about the positive movements happening in Bristol right now, that he thinks we should all get familiar with.
1. Young Echo Collective – An obvious choice, but there’s a huge amount to be excited about here for me. With the radio show starting to gain recognition and exciting releases lined-up for everyone, there’s no doubt that we’ll continue to develop and evolve as a group, and hopefully to create increasingly important and relevant music.
2. Idle Hands Record Shop – Although the prevalence of digitally available music no doubt dominates the market, I still feel that it’s a great thing to have records shops, especially in a city like Bristol. There’s nothing more to be said about the sad decline of physical stores that hasn’t been said already, but hopefully they’ll be around for a long time to come.
3. Idle Hands Records – In a relatively short time Idle Hands have made a strong statement about their sound and about creating a point of transition for sounds that have been building in Bristol for some time. That exchange between dubstep, techno, house etc, is represented in their releases in a really elegant way. Expect great things.
4. Punch Drunk – To my mind, a label that has been consistently excellent and relevant since its birth. When you’ve defined and shaped a unique sound like that I think the easy thing to do is to sit back and enjoy the tributes. Punch Drunk are always looking to evolve; they’re a classic label still actively redefining why they’re a classic label.
5. Gloucester Road/Stokes Croft – A controversial choice perhaps, considering the recent gentrification. Yes, there are more students, perhaps too many lensless glasses and charity shop jumpers for some, but there’s no doubt that the independent/subversive ethos is surviving well, and related scenes are doing well off of that energy. Bristol’s various underground artists thrive in that area, we’d be pretty fucked without it. Listen-up Council!
soundcloud.com/vessel
See our full i-DJ archive here.

Hollyoaks Hunk Alert!

Breaking hearts willy-nilly, Jonny Clarke (aka Bart McQueen) is Hollyoaks’ resident ladies man.

 

Drafted into the fictional Cheshire village in Summer 2010 to inject a heavy dose of testosterone into the town’s drama, he has been at the epicentre of stabbing and sex change stories ever since. Lad.
A proper lad, Jonny Clarke is not too dissimilar to the character he plays on screen. Into football, girls and getting messy, he lives in Manchester with some of his fellow Hollyoak-ers. Dreamy, dark and handsome, this charming, heartbreakingly hunky thespian harbours aspirations of one day appearing on the big screen with his name in bright lights. i-D online pinned down the pin-up for some serious one on one time.
When did you first get into acting? When I was about four. My parents took me to this stage school where my sisters went. There was singing, dancing, drama. I went for a taster day and ended up being cast in the play. But my Mum and Dad had to come at the end and say, “look he’s not going to this school at the minute, he’s too young. You can’t cast him.” And that’s how it all started…
How did you land the role in Hollyoaks? I basically was really bad at school, just got really bad grades. I knew I needed to earn a living and I knew I wanted to be an actor, but I wanted a certain skill so I could earn money whist I was doing it. I thought hair-dressing maybe. I went to my Dad who got me an agent and I got a job doing a viral thing for a university and then an audition came up for Hollyoaks a week later. I just went to audition and then on the drive back home with my Mum they said I got the part. I was like, chilling.
What happens on a typical day on set? We arrive about half seven in the morning. You go through make-up, the girls take longer in make-up, I just take like two seconds. Just a bit of base then you go up to costume, get your costume on for that episode and then straight to set. You have to know your lines, you learn them the night before or a few weeks before if you’re a swat. Then we do a line run-though, block rehearsal and then you go straight for it on camera…
How would you describe your character Bart McQueen? Bit of a Jack the lad, bit of a loveable rogue. He’s got a girlfriend now but before that he used to get with loads of girls so he’s a bit of a ladies’ man.
How do you react to seeing yourself on the TV? Hate it, hate it. It’s just weird seeing yourself, I’m a pretty self-conscious person. But you have to watch yourself back to improve on your acting. So I just force myself to sit and go ‘Arghh good, cringe, cringe, cringe.’
Where do your ambitions lie? I want to go to America and do a film. I wanna be in sort of mobster films. That’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was about eight.
What’s your favourite film? That is a hard question; I’ve got so many. I’m watching a TV series at the moment called ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and I’m loving that. Steven Graham, he was in ‘This Is England’, he plays Al Capone and he’s amazing.
Are there any relationships within the cast and crew? We’re got a few. Laurie’s going out with Lucy Dixon. Jamie’s is going out with Georgie Porter. I’m not meant to say this, but theres been a few break-ups, which is sort of awkward.
What’s next? I’ve got this big story line coming up in Hollyoaks, which should be exciting and quite controversial. I really can’t wait to nail the performance.

e4.com/hollyoaks
Text: Milly McMahon
Photography: George Harvey
Styling: John William
Grooming: Theresa Davies
From left. Look 1: Jonny wears shirt SAND and jacket Alexander McQueen. Look 2: Jacket and shorts Kenzo. Shirt Burberry. Sunglasses vintage Gianfranco Ferrè at The Eye Company. Look 3:: Jacket and trousers Kenzo. Shirt Marni.

Nicki Minaj - Stupid Hoe

Maxxi Soundsystem: Exclusive Mix

Maxxi disco track DJ Sam Watts makes beautifully melodious mixes out of samples, using a laptop and a record deck. Alone he is Maxxi Soundsystem.

i-D Online Exclusive Mix: Maxxi Soundsystem by i-D online
Heavily influenced by the dirty, raw sounds and scenes Brighton boasts, wayward spirit Sam Watts is still trying to establish what kind of music he makes. Sam began making a name for himself a few years back, throwing various parties and club nights about his seaside hometown. Hosting events in dive bars and on beaches, the kind of get-togethers he organized were fully focused on who was behind the booth: music loving nights for real music lovers. Fast-forward to 2012 and Maxxi Soundsystem is set to release tracks via progressive Bristol based imprint Futureboogie and continuing to collaborate with Nervous Records, the label that discovered and signed him. Splicing together elements of house, disco and R & B, the USP of his sound-system is the instant likeability factor; the undeniably infectious tempos and steady pulsing anthem-like rhythms that command crowds when cranked up high.
Quite the maverick, his fully flavoured and fine tunes should be filed somewhere between Azari & III and Pillowtalk. Listening to hip-hop and drum and bass as a kid, Sam now cites everything from Street Sound’s electro series, to The Fatback Band and even his Dad’s saxophone practicing as influences on his trademark techniques. i-D online bowed down to the Brighton based boy and maxed out to his latest and exclusive i-D Online mix.
Your background is in events, what kind of parties did you put on? The main night I put on with my friends in Brighton is schtumm. We used to keep the venue and guests a secret. I remember once we had Radio Slave play to about 40 people in a tiny basement under a Moroccan restaurant. We are just about to get a regular slot at Audio in Brighton. Recently we’ve had some big names like Jamie Jones, Art Dept, Danny Daze and Tensnake so it’s a proper club party now.
What nights do you regularly attend? In Brighton I spend rather a lot of my evenings in the studio but I’ll always check a party that involves Wolf Music (who are local) in London. There’s plenty – Disco Bloodbath is always good fun.
How did you first come to be involved with Thomas Gandey? I booked him to play at my party, it was just before he really blew up with Cagedbaby. Been friends ever since.
How has the London nightlife changed since those early days, when you first began DJ’ing? My first trips to London clubs were to go to drum and bass events, which were mostly really scary. I think I liked the edginess of it though. I remember each DJ would play almost the same set. There is so much better dance music now that it’s far more common to hear lots of different music in one night. I think London has always been a really exciting place to go out, I just know where to find the good parties now. When I started I didn’t have a clue.
Who are you listening to right now? A DJ mix by Christophe.
Catch Maxxi at the Nest this Friday from 10pm
soundcloud.com/maxxisoundsystem

Text: Milly McMahon

iLL Manors

Award winning British actor Riz Ahmed (Four Lions) stars in iLL Manors – the directorial debut by pioneering British music artist Ben Drew (aka Plan B).

A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, iLL Manors follows six disparate lives, all struggling to survive the circles of violence that engulf them.

Visually stunning and laced with street-wise humour, iLL Manors is narratively linked through original music from Plan B's highly anticipated follow up album to The Defamation of Strickland Banks.

Ground-breaking in its approach, iLL Manors is fast becoming one of the must-see films of 2012.

i-DJ: Gilles Peterson

Masterful music has mood changing powers and Gilles Peterson has the ability to make the sun shine on a rainy day.

i-DJ: Gilles Peterson Cuba Mix by i-D online
After attending a nappy night disco for underages at his local church hall, music oracle and superstar DJ Gilles Peterson began harbouring burning ambitions to become Lord of the Dance. Today he is the wildly acclaimed private eye of prefect beats, broadcasting ground breaking radio shows and pod-casts, DJ’ing and event organising internationally, on a one man mission to keep every genre of music, no matter how bizarre, unusual or outrageous, current and heard. Gilles’ only criteria is that his turntables represent hench talent from all four corners of the planet. i-D got five on it with the Michael Flatley of the new music sphere to chat MC’s, Facebook and Southern Freeze.
Do you remember the first cassette you ever brought? ELO – Out of the blue.
What music do you remember your parents listening to when you were growing up? Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot.
What is your most treasured vinyl? Terry Callier – What colour is Love (original acetate double album version that never came out).
Where is your favourite record shop in the world? Cosmos – Toronto.
How has the world of new music changed since Twitter, Facebook and Soundcloud have become so popular? Are you open to all the new avenues or do you think it makes things a bit too complicated? I love it – you now have a choice of how you want your music – quick time or old school physical with heavy vinyl and thick cardboard sleeve notes and booklets – I’ll be sad when there is no physical whatsoever… tip to future collectors – buy the vinyls being made today – they’ll soon be very rare.
What elements of working with music do you enjoy the most: scouting, presenting, mixing or DJ’ing? DJ’ing probably – nothing better than an 8 hour set on a great sound system.
Which person, artist or band has had the biggest influence upon your taste in music? Earl Zinger aka my mate from across the road has constant left turns to take me down and is a pretty mad MC too. I’ve been listening to a lot of doo wop recently.
I read your first radio show was broadcast between a tree and a phone box, what was that like? Do you remember what you played? I remember playing ‘souther freeze’ by freeze a lot – it was freezing too – I remember the first phone call that came through to the phone box – someone was listening in Croydon and I thought I’d invented the internet!
What are your creative processes when piecing together a mix? Don’t spend too much time on it – allow the natural momentum to carry you through – if you over think you pay for it – and mixing takes many different variations – doesn’t always have to be beat perfect – nothing better than a short gap every now and then!
To date, what achievement are you the most proud of? Finishing the London marathon in 2011!
What ambitions do you have yet to fulfil? Finishing Tokyo marathon and then doing a 5 hour set at Air in 2012.
What was the last great party or gig you went to? The Block in Tel Aviv was unreal recently, what a venue.
What was the class talent of 2011? Sbtrkt, Kiwanuka, Thundercat, Julio Bashmore, Liz Green and Objekt.
And who are your ones to watch for 2012? You’ll just have to listen to my radio show for that!
What exciting projects have you got lined up over the next few months? WW awards Jan 21st, Japan Feb, Philippines, Vietnam, Martinique March, WW Festival July.
What do you get up to when you aren’t working? I stalk footballers.
Where are you off to now? Searching for truffles in London Fields.
gillespetersonworldwide.com
havanacultura.com
See our full i-DJ archive here.

Text: Milly McMahon
Photography: Fergus McDonald

Stay+: Exclusive Mix

Immerse your head in water, turn the radio up loud, tune into some late night dance, feel the blood pulse around your body to the rhythm of your heartbeat, listen to the surround sounds warp, disjointedly. Download.3D. This is Stay+.

i-D Online Exclusive Mix: Stay+ by i-D online

The efforts of two, semi-purposefully anonymous Mancunian musicians Stay+, (pronounced Stay Positive) are Christopher Poole and Matt Farthing. Great admirers of David Lynch and Kraftwerk, the boys make difficult, sketchy and indescribable music and set it to complicated, abstract videos. Confusing, provocative and deeply affective, their intention is to make an impact on listeners so significant, a trance like state is evoked. Creating a rhythmic soundtrack to the inner movements and workings of a human body, the pulsating, steady beating of Stay+’s rushing musical movements is wholly engrossing.
Revealing very little about themselves in interviews, the formerly titled ‘Christian Aids’ prefer to answer questions with YouTube videos and conduct radio broadcasts using live visuals. Cleverly fabricating an ulterior universe, Stay Positive produce evocative sounds, ebbing, flowing and blending chords like feelings, Chris and Matt are mellowing out to a movement all of their own. Stay+ got behind the wheel and took i-D online on a journey through time and space, via their five favourite night time road trips everyone should endeavor to take before they die. Download the exclusive mix here and remember hit 3D for the full experience!

Year: 2007. Car: Convertible Jeep. Journey: Las Vegas Strip to Grand Canyon VIllage. Company: Old uni mates. Soundtrack: Kid A / Dark Side Of The Moon.
An obvious choice but nothing says “America” quite like cruising down Route  66 at sunset with the roof down. And then, when it’s dark, flicking the headlights off for 10 seconds and thinking you’re going to die.

Year: 2011. Car: Rented Clio. Journey: Ibiza Airport to KM5Stay+ and the +WAGS. Soundtrack: Nicolas Jaar, ‘I Got A’.
The best part of arriving in Ibiza at night is the short drive from the airport to KM5. Probably advisable to avoid the ‘Es Vedra’ cocktails if your hotel is still far away though.

Year: 2012. Car: N47 Bus. Journey: London Bridge to Deptford. Company:Alone. Soundtrack: Stay+, Arem EP.
The new tracks sound best when you’re slightly pissed on a night bus.

Year: 2013. Car: Van. Journey: Tokyo. Company: Stay+. Soundtrack: The Jesus And Mary Chain, ‘Just Like Honey’.
We’re sure this one will happen but for now it is just a plan. Driving to our next gig in the dark in the rain drinking Kirin.

Year: 2207. Car: AG Systems. Journey: Anulpha Pass (Zone Mode). Company: Alone. Soundtrack: Modeselektor, ‘Body Language’.
A real recommendation for anyone with a PS3. Early Wipeout soundtracks got me into electronic music but now you can actually choose your own soundtrack to have an epileptic fit to.

Catch Stay+ at the GETME! 5th Birthday celebrations down at Corsica Studios this Friday.

stay.cx
thisisgetme.com

Ladyhawke Swoops Back Onto The Scene

Terrified of crowds, guitar wielding, pop-rock goddess Ladyhawke, is massively talented and painfully shy. Today she proudly announces the release of her second aptly titled album; ‘Anxiety’.

Fresh and rejuvenated from some downtime spent kicking back home in New Zealand, Pip Brown, stage name Ladyhawke, temporarily retired from the limelight to focus fully on the follow up to her massively successful debut, eponymous album. Discovering the direction this new material should take whilst travelling, recording and chilling out, Pip wanted to create a record that reflected how she has matured as an artist since her first single drop. Growing out her statement bangs but holding on to her signature plaid shirts, band tees, smokey eyeliner and well-worn jeans, the girl on stage remains the same, but the lyrical focus of her new music is more inward-looking, reflecting more on the way this accomplished singer/songwriter has learned to cope with life.

Getting to grips with being the centre of attention has proved to be the biggest obstacle the Island/Modular signed artist has had to overcome to realise the level of fame she enjoys today. Still a bag of nerves at gigs, Ladyhawke is a fragile performer and her music is all the better for it. Honest, raw, powerful, occasionally frail but always brilliant she is part lady, part bird of prey, an all killer, no filler artist with a mane of gold. i-D online got the exclusive lo down on what Ladyhawke will be getting her claws into in 2012.

Tell us about the name of the album ‘Anxiety’… I guess it was sort of a tongue in cheek poke at myself. For those who know me know that I have really annoying and unpredictable anxiety, it doesn’t really give me any warning when it’s going to rear it’s head, but when it does I’m not really much use to anyone! The whole process of making this record was filled with a lot of anxiety and pressure – mostly from myself – but it was all this pressure I put on myself that ended-up manifesting into what felt like a two year long anxiety attack! It wasn’t really as bad as that but at the end of the process I figured it was a perfect title for the album!

What makes you anxious? The list is massive! But I think one of the main things with my anxiety is I find it really hard to deal with the unpredictability of people and certain situations where there are heaps of them all together in one place, eg: an aeroplane, festivals, markets etc. It’s quite hard to explain that in more detail, I know it sounds really weird, but I find it to be like a sensory overload sometimes!

How has your sound evolved since your debut album? This one is definitely more guitar-driven. I wanted it to feel lo-fi at the same time as feeling big, so made sure that was reflected in the sound of the drums, and the fuzzed out guitars.

What were the musical inspirations and references when you were writing the new material? It varied massively on this record, everything from The Zombies, David Bowie to Nirvana, Joan Jett and the Dandy Warhols.

What is the standout track from the new album? I’m not sure what other people would say, everyone probably has their own favourite track, but I would say Cellophane.

Anxiety is released on 19th March on Modular Records through Island/Universal feast your eyes on the teaser here…

ladyhawkemusic.com

Text: Milly McMahonPhotography: Rebecca Thomas (originally appeared in The To Die For Issue, September 2008)