The best mixes I've heard in 2013

I’ve been behind in listening to new music lately. I thought I’d take the easy way out for my first music list post in a few years.

Poolside mixes

Downside is no tracklist, upsides are dance, dance, dance, and downloadable! One features a great mix of Sade’s "When am I going to make a living" (free download)

• Night Mix by Poolside


• Day Mix by Poolside

Solé Fixtape #15 by French Horn Rebellion

Haven’t listened to anything by French Horn Rebellion since 2009, but this mix (accompanied by a tracklist and downloadable!), is solid throughout. Solé Fixtapes are quite amazing - I definitely have been listening to a few of them on loop, including Yuksek - #17), Breakbot - #19 (which features Look Straight Ahead by the Nick Straker Band), Bixel Boys - #20, and Tropicool - #1. It’s always interesting to see how independent brands build up loyalty and ‘trend’ factor with potential customers. Getting custom mixtapes by popular DJs that are free for download at the cost of a like is definitely a great way. Like their Facebook Page, and all mixes are downloadable.

LeBron - all mixtapes

I just can’t decide which one is best. His dedication mixes to Breakbot are non-stop dancing, but to be frank, I have not been disappointed with any of his mixes. Many of these are downloadable and feature tracklists, so head on over to his soundcloud page.

Flight Facilities Decade Mixes

What a brilliant idea. Flight Facilities starts the decade mixes from 1972. There are four mixes in total. This was part of a residency they took part in for triple J - you can read about the process and development of these mixtapes on their blog. I also love how for the 2002-2012 edition, Flight Facilities did not use any of those annoying pop tracks you hear these days but songs I listened to over and over. All mixes, along with tracklists, are on the soundcloud page.

Despite the fact that I still have over 10 I want to put in this post, that’s already over 15+ hours of mixtapes! Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Les Auteurs of Christmas

Four Grounds Media imagines Christmas through the eyes of famous film directors in “Les Auteurs of Christmas” [via]

Yolanda Be Cool

Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool return with All That She Wants featuring vocalists SYF and Fritz Helder formerly of Azari & III – their first piece of work since the Canadian outfit recently disbanded. This collaboration between four of the brightest minds in electronic music today resurrects the Ace Of Base ‘90s pop classic in a cool, brooding, chugging fashion. The two-part remix EP releasing on Dim Mak Records February 4 and February 18 respectively, includes the original version from Yolanda Be Cool and features remixes from a cast of rising producers including Human Life, Walker & Royce, Plastic Plates, Wordlife, and Go Freek.

Portfolio

Portfolio

Although there’s still more work to do, I’ve finally gotten around to updating my portfolio and adding some new work. Check it out by clicking on the portfolio link up top!

Probe into theatre ceiling collapse

Probe into theatre ceiling collapse

Last night, while watching Jude Law in Henry V at Noel Coward Theatre, and I kept thinking about how scary it would be if anything happened, since the top balcony is built on an extremely vertical angle. While watching the play, the roof at the Apollo Theatre, literally around the corner from Noel Coward, collapsed.

The literature review: Local

The last of the literature review (localism, institutions, cultural industries), and some Fry for the polishing of the design lit review. Part I of II of invading the library before the holidays.

Canadian Ash Wood Toboggan | Lagom Design

Canadian Ash Wood Toboggan | Lagom Design

Well, we haven’t been hit by any snow storms here in London, or any snow at all for that matter. The weather has been quite nice - not too cold. I’m not wishing for any cold weather, but I secretly want this toboggan, to find a mountain of snow, and  to revive memories of my childhood on les tapis magigue ou volant (basically plastic sheets you’d slide on - icier the better).

My talk at Nuqat 2013

Last month, I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at Nuqat - a creative conference that takes place every year in Kuwait. Think of it as something that has the potential to become like the Creative Time of the Arab World, or overall Middle East I should say. This year’s theme was “Executing Culture Shock.”

The organisers did a wonderful job, and were extremely quick at posting all the lectures online, as well as updating the social media sites with photos and other content.

This is the full video of my talk (skip the first 2-3 minutes which actually shows me having technical difficulties!).

I can’t thank the entire Nuqat team enough for their hospitality and amazing work!

The Literature Review: Local//Global

Localism, locality, alternative localism readings

Look straight ahead

This one has been trapped in my head from the moment I heard Breakbot’s mix for Solé Bicycles.

Cold Clam

Been listening to a lot of Letherette lately. “Cold Clam” has to be one of my favourite tracks.

https://soundcloud.com/letherette/cold-clam?in=letherette/sets/letherette-album

Song on repeat

Song on repeat, and such a cool video.

In the City

The design and sound art exhibition I’m organising In the City, opens on 26 September at P21 Gallery in London. The Private View takes place on 25 September from 18.30-20.30. Details of the private view and exhibition available at kalimatmagazine.com/inthecity

Yeah…that’s exactly how I feel about my research right now.

Brown Skin, White Masks

"[The Typical Narrative Informant …] can feign authority while telling their conquerors not what they need to know but what they want to hear. (In return, American and European liberals call them “voices of dissent”.) Faced with the Islamophobic conditions of their new homes, they have learned the art of simultaneously acknowledging and denying their Muslim origins. They speak English with an accent that confirms their authenticity to their white interlocutors. The recent incidents of urban terrorism have been so good for their business that they have had to hire PR firms (such as Benador
Associates) to negotiate their speaking fees and manage their media appearances."

Brown Skin, White Masks by Hamid Dabashi (2011)

Whereas Dabashi’s thesis focuses on the intellectual as “narrative informant” (Rushdie, Nafisi, Warraq, Manji, Hirsi Ali, and Ajami), it seems a new form of “narrative informant” is among us, one that isn’t only confined to academic circles, but rather within the creative/cultural space - the pseudo intellectual cultural practitioner.

Riders of the London Underground

Photographer Bob Mazzer captured Tube riders during the 1970s and 80s. This series is really interesting to see. It feels as though the Tube had a much more eclectic demographic because it was much more accessible years ago. I wish the names of the stations were included though.

35 Clueless quotes

35 Clueless Quotes that Make Everyday Life Worth Living

4. Tai: Why should I listen to you, anyway? You’re a virgin who can’t drive. Cher: That was way harsh, Tai.

Happy 18th birthday to one of the most brilliant films of the 90s - Clueless. It never ages.

Preparing the literature review

This is exactly how I feel about my research right now - dipping into one too many topics.

Fantastic Man vs. Adam Levant

A few months back, I found myself in a waiting area sitting next to a famous graphic designer. This designer, who was formerly a big magazine collector, told me that he hates magazines because, “they all look like, or try to look like, Fantastic Man to me.”

While looking through Antoine bookshop in Beirut last week, I stumbled on “Adam Levant,” a magazine “for the man of the Middle East.” I snapped this shot to show you just how much this attempts to look like Fantastic Man, in both design and concept…guess the magazine cynic was right.

The Literature Review: Colonialism, nationalism, and education

The next set of readings

The Full McBain Movie Hidden Throughout Simpsons Episodes

The Full McBain Movie Hidden Throughout Simpsons Episodes

http://gawker.com/5750211/the-full-mcbain-movie-hidden-throughout-simpsons-epsiodes

!!!

!!!

Why The Simpsons is one of the most amazing TV shows

The history of typography

Great video on the History of Typography by Ben Barrett-Forrest. Apparently, it took 140 hours of work, 2,454 pictures, and 291 paper cut outs for the 5 minute animation.

Biennales on the Edge

"[…] the Indonesian city of Bandung, which — again, auspiciously, in 1955 — held the conference at which Asian and African countries that were not aligned with either the US-led capitalist ‘First World’ or the U.S.S.R.-backed communist ‘Second World’ sought an alternative, transversal community of so-called ‘non-aligned’ nations. This was the birth of the ‘Third World’ not as a racialized category of poverty or under-development, as it would become in the First World’s hierarchical imagination, but as a critical geopolitical entity, one based less on explicit ties of solidarity than on shared experiences of decolonization and an insistence on independence from the Russo-American binaries of the Cold War."

Biennales on the Edge, or, a View of Biennales from Southern Perspectives - Anthony Gardner 

This is what happens to diagrams after a 3 hour supervisory meeting.

Clients From Hell: Editor’s Note: This story was submitted with theclient comments in...

Clients From Hell: Editor’s Note: This story was submitted with the client comments in...

clientsfromhell:

Editor’s Note: This story was submitted with the client comments in green comic sans, which was impressive to include, but something I don’t want to subject our readers to.

I work as a photographer in the Middle East, where aesthetic value is depressed across all industries. The demand…

Haha, reminds me of a recent blow up I had on a woman who thought all branding projects should be made into a student design competition so they can get the work free of charge.

Should social design be taught in the art college?

A question and a quote summarising my presentation. Looking forward to further developing this presentation into a more comprehensive research paper.

Damaged books

The Goldsmiths library has impressed me, but I’ve noticed the most haggled books happen to be related to post colonial studies, cultural imperialism (see above) and anything by Foucault, Barthes, Hall, Papanek, etc etc. The one I’m currently reading, a 1991 edition of Tomlinson’s Cultural Imperialism, contains highlighted passages, notes in pen and pencil, underlines and doodles (mostly flowers). It’s also falling apart (but not as bad as Design for the Real World, where I spent a good time reading and scotch taping the pages back in - unfortunately all three versions at the library had pages falling out.) But seriously, isn’t this cover awesome?

The ‘Good’ Design Brief: Examining the effects of social design projects on communities

I will be presenting my brief paper “The ‘Good’ Design Brief: Examining the effects of social design projects on communities” at the Goldsmiths Graduate Festival on the 30th of April at 11:30am.

The festival goes on for three weeks and features a wide array of performances, installations, papers and more by the Goldsmiths, University of London graduate community.

gold.ac.uk/graduate-school/goldsmithsgraduatefestival/

Coffee Shop Jams

I was digging through my Evernote notes and found this gem from May 2010 that I never published on my previous blog, so I’m doing it now!

—

Thanks to Starbucks, the company that is in the business of selling milk drinks not coffee, everyone now has that third place: the coffee shop. Here you can sit down, relax, study, read, etc, etc. Most of the time, there’s music playing in the background. This music can be a) really low b) just at the right volume or c) louder than the heavy metal they play at Chippy’s (Trinity Bellwoods location). 

After sitting in a variety of coffee shops, I assembled a list of jams you’re most likely to hear at those places.

Independent cafés

Usually, the staff is allowed to plug in their own iPod and play their tunes. This can be really bad or really good. And depending on when you go, it can be very repetitive (some employees put the same music week after week - Jimmy’s I’m looking in your direction!)

Jams you might spill your coffee too:

• "Age of Consent" - New Order (it’s the Tupac for hipsters, aiight?)
• The Smiths
• Cut Copy
• Junior Boys
• Toro Y Moi
• 700 other indie bands

Second Cup

This one alternates. Second Cup employees are required to play the music from the satellite radio, but they have a variety of channels to choose from. However, I’m sure anything with swear words or deemed inappropriate is deemed…inappropriate. 

Top 40

• This can range from Beyoncé to Nickelback to Lil’ Wayne (radio edit)
• Jazz
• Either Michael Bublé, Norah Jones or Christmas music

Coffee Culture

This place has terrible lattes and coffee (lunch isn’t bad), but I like the actual space itself because it’s good for working (outlets, tables, space!). They also play kicking jams…

Sippin’ on nostalgia

90s - alternative, grunge, classics

• The Cranberries
• Blind Melon
• Everything but the Girl
• Sade

Starbucks

You should already know by now I don’t go to Starbucks, I don’t think I’ve actually sat there since I was 13 except once for a meeting. So how would I know their music? I’ll leave you with this: don’t they have their own label?

Mainmise

Incroyable! 78 numéros publié entre 1970-1978. Archive de Mainmise - la nouvelle culture des années 70 au Québec.

http://mainmise.ca

thesmellofmypyjama:

Ghassan, Faiza & Marwan Kanafani

12 April 2013, the day Marty McFly arrives

Damn. And we still don’t have hoverboards.

Fools Gold

Layout ideas for spreads in Kalimat Issue 08

Layout ideas for spreads in Kalimat Issue 08

When I was young and didn’t know any better…

When I was young and didn’t know any better…
Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin, in their book Pick Me: Breaking into Advertising and Staying There, discussed the pain that someone goes through when looking at work from the very early stages of their practice. A few months ago, I remembered the show I helped put together while a member of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights in university. I almost forgot how much effort we put into this exhibition (‘Understanding Conflict Through Art’) at the Saw Gallery in Ottawa to commemorate 20 years since Naji Al-Ali’s passing, until I saw the photos. It’s hard to believe that Summer 2012 marked twenty-five years since Naji Al-Ali’s death and five years since we put this show together - probably the most successful event in my two or so years working with the group.

The images were collected from a book I found at home featuring most of Naji Al-Ali’s cartoons which were then scanned and printed at U of O’s infamous/unofficial print guy on Laurier St. (sad to see he has gotten rid of the slick car background and drop shadow infused logo). Looking back, I cringe at the labels (hand written!), the typefaces, and decorative elements I used. Frankly, at the entire aesthetic, and quoting Descartes? The advice I would have for 21 year old me! I literally had zero design experience/skills at the time - the U of O Communications programme trained us on some Photoshop but mostly focused on Flash (little did they know it would become obsolete a year later) - but I consider it to be one of my first steps into the realm of visual communication.

design imperialism

Writing a paper on design imperialism means carrying these out of the library.

The 25 Least Visited Countries in the World

The 25 Least Visited Countries in the World

Errday I'm curatin'

Latest work - now that this has been gifted, it can be made public! A take on the word “curator” and its misuse nowadays.

Size : A2 printed on uncoated matte 180gsm

Freire told me personally about his indignation because of the delegation’s suggestions. He invited them to go back to the US, and once they had solved the problems of North American education they could come back and talk to him about education in São Paulo. After this meeting Paulo Freire told the Mayor of the city, Luiza Erundina, that if the World Bank’s loans were approved by the city, he would renounce his position (Torres, 1995, p. 131).

Torres, C. (1995). ‘Estado, privatização e política educacional. Elementos para uma crítica do neoliberalismo’, in Gentili, P. (ed.), Pedagogia da Exclusão: Crítica ao Neoliberalismo em Educação. Petrópolis: Editora Vozes.

NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star

The NYC 1993: EXPERIMENTAL JET SET, TRASH AND NO STAR exhibition at the New Museum looks brilliant - the pay phone as a time machine concept makes me wish I was in NY for this.

Tim Noakes' bookshelf

Editor-in-Chief at Dazed & Confused shows his bookshelf to It’s Nice That.

Brixton Market, 1972

myvintagelondon:

Brixton Market. 19 magazine, 1972

natgeofound:

Motorcycle club members wear studded leather jackets and rakish caps in London, England, June 1966.
Photograph by James P. Blair, National Geographic

natgeofound:

Reading the news in France.
Photograph by Maynard Owen Williams, National Geographic

Babylon Chronicle: Forbidden museum: Iraqis cannot visit their nationalmuseum

Babylon Chronicle: Forbidden museum: Iraqis cannot visit their national museum

tammuz:

March 4, 2013

In a detailed article published today in Al-Sharq Al-Wasat, one of the most prominent newspapers in the Middle East, Iraqi archeologist Dr. Lamia Al-Gailani described the tragic looting of the National Museum of Iraq in 2003. The first female archeologist of Iraq, a University of…

I only said

The opener to My Bloody Valentine’s concert at Hammersmith Apollo on Tuesday - I Only Said (by bnugia2)

After Hours

unlikecityguides:

A fair amount of films have tried to capture the essence of Berlin’s anything-goes party culture. Most have failed, and not least ‘cos of the city’s prevalent no-cameras-allowed policy. That’s until two plucky filmmakers managed to crack open the toughest of nuts: Berghain. It’s an after-hour like you’ve never seen. Steffen Köhn and Phillip Kaminiak released wild animals to explore the confines of the empty former power station; their natural inquisitiveness throwing the brutal architecture into some seriously stark relief. This upside-down short film premieres tonight from 7pm, as part of the Kultur: Stadt exhibition.

After Hours | Kultur: Stadt | Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg | 15 March - 26 May

Typography Beard Guide

I don’t know…Bodoni is much more of a 5 o’clock shadow to me…

chicagopast:

More information

David Booth, 1987 [via: étapes]

Nerbo

youresographic:

augusto arduini pour nerbo. trouvé via digital abstracts.

“It’s great to see a creative master both form and function, combining interesting & thoughtful writing with an impeccable sense of typography.” Can’t be more honoured.

Where to be born

Graphic Design Criticism as a Spectator Sport

Graphic Design Criticism as a Spectator Sport

”[…]people prefer the thing they’re used to rather than whatever new thing you’re foisting on them.” Couldn’t be more true.

The Art of Packing from Louis Vuitton

The Art of Packing from Louis Vuitton

How I use Evernote for my research

Evernote is one software I don’t think I’ve gone more than two days without using since I signed up many moons ago to “see what it’s about.” It’s incredibly useful, especially as a religious note taker/notebook hoarder.

As a first year research student, I find it interesting to find out how people use specific softwares to manage their work. I’ve found some posts about citation software vs other citation software, journals to keep track of thoughts, voice memos, and some on Evernote.

I use Evernote for everything: putting together every issue of my magazine, job searching, trip planning, design ideas, recipes and more. For this post, I thought it would be interesting to share my personal process of how my trusty Evernote helps me handle my research ideas, citations, and much more.

PS all diagrams are made with Skitch, another app that works seamlessly with Evernote

PPS Click all images to view larger

1) Citations

After experimenting with EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero, I’ve settled on Zotero. EndNote doesn’t work as a desktop application on my Mac, Mendeley has too many constraints, and Zotero was just working. I always make sure to have everything in two places in case anything fails. I write everything in Evernote first then transfer it since everything is automatically saved and synched.

• I tag it with the name of the book, the chapter in the book, editor(s) or author(s) of the book and the chapter, as well as keywords
• The name of the document is always “Name of Chapter by Author”
• I rewrite that information again along with page numbers, place of publishing, year, and all that.
• Then I copy paste that, alongside all the citations, into Zotero.

2) Grants

As a research student, a huge chunk of your time is spent writing grant applications. Unfortunately, you don’t develop magical powers that generate instant personal statements. I have a separate notebook for grants.

• Evernote Web Clipper clips the entire webpage and the URL - this helps when reviewing the guidelines as opposed to having to review the PDF/Word document
• I attach the application and other pertinent information to the note
• I make sure to tag the grant name and the date it is due as a constant reminder
• I first write all personal statements and research proposals in Evernote before transferring them to the official application. They can be used for future reference when writing other grants. Personal statement’s are tagged with “personal statement”, proposals are tagged with “research proposal” and other keywords related to the grant
• I also use the Evernote email tool to send any confirmation emails I received upon submitting the grant to have it for future reference
• I clip or paste any samples of successful grants for reference
• Sometimes I create lists of what I need to submit for this grant and check them once complete

3) General research/writing

I’m a practice-based research student whose practice is in both writing and graphic design. I collect many images, draw a lot of the artworks I see, and begin writing down my thoughts that will (hopefully) form chapters. I use the “Research” notebook to collect clippings of interesting articles, photographs for inspiration as well as photographs of my drawings, collection of notes on a specific place I’m researching, and pictures of objects/text that are relevant. In the example below, I took photos of the curatorial text around the V&A as some of it was relevant to what I was researching.

• Make sure to tag the museum (London has many, it’s easy to get lost)
• I include the section of the museum as well
• I write down my thoughts (literature reviews, critiques) and paste all the ideas I collected from that notebook (with proper tags). Then I assemble it to make it a piece of writing and move the almost final version into Word.
• If I am writing a critique, I tag everything with the title I am giving my critique to find it more easily
• If I come across many names (artists, writers, researchers and so on), I write down every name with a checkbox in order to search them. Once I have, I check the box!

And there you have it! There are endless ways to use Evernote, it’s just a matter of finding that way. I hope this post has helped you by giving you insight on my personal process.

What Design Can Do book PDF is available online!

What Design Can Do book PDF is available online!

Editors and designers worked on the spot to compile the 2012 publication that was printed on site as well. Including essays, interviews, the conclusions of the lectures, break outs, brainstorms and the best ideas from the wall, the book reads as a call for action. The book was presented at the end of the conference in a fun and festive setting. 

Such a great track. On repeat for over a month.

No matter how many electronic to do lists I have, I always rely on my good old Leuchtturm1917 agenda.