Been in LA for the past couple of days, catching up with contributors and visiting my "friend" who is organizing the art gallery portion of Manifest Equality. I stopped by the space yesterday afternoon, and stole a few pictures from her camera. I don't know everything in the shots, but that is Swoon above. 

The Stussy x J Dilla documentary that the fashion brand has been releasing in segments all around their J Dilla Day on February 13th have been a really insightful on one of the most influential and forward-thinking artists of the past 25 years in music (my opinion, and the opinion of others). Dilla passed away in 2006. I have been bugging out on the Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw, Madlib, and Beat Junkies behind-the-scenes interviews about someone who has always had a little shadow of intrigue around him... it wasn't like J Dilla was on the cover of Rolling Stone.

In the midst of writing a short, short piece on Ryan McGinley, and in doing some inspirational research, I found this clip... trying to draw connections, context, mood... etc, etc, etc.... 

I do in fact listen to the category one would call "New Music," but usually if its not 100% catching on after one listen, it takes awhile to become a permanent fixture in the office playlist. And maybe I should clarify, I share an office with one other, so don't judge the others if you don't care for the music. (As for last week's comment about no punk music on my list, well, I'm not 16, and listening to punk is not really the best "reading and writing music," therefore its not going on the office playlist. Not that punk is for 16 year-olds, but that was the last time I listened to anything considered punk. Is Les Savy Fav punk?). This week has been productive, as we are very much nearing a deadline, so music was sort of just getting scrambled around. Did anyone else hear the Beatles / Wu Tang mash mixtape... I really was into it, and now the site is down... 

1) "Save My Dear" from Beatles x Wu Tang mixtape.

Personally, and I don't think I'm going out on some undiscovered or any limb on this one, Band of Outsiders is one of the best men's and women's labels out there. Get yourself a Band of Outsider oxford, and you have the only shirt you need. Good to go.  And they take these Polaroid shots on their blog with celebrities and randoms to encapsulate an entire season, and it is just a brilliant look, really fits the mood of the brand. And Marisa Tomei is a good Italian girl. You can spend a lot of time to scanning all the shots... its like Mad Men 2010.