Monday 29 July 2013

Thank Funk It's Friday (Now Monday)...By Saul Wilks



Yeah yeah, I know it's now Monday and all but here's a full on 80s funk and boogie mix I slung together Friday just.

Save it, play it, listen to it - do whatever, there's some bangers in there so it might just get your through your week.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Ardour Brand update.... by Shaun and Saul


We are pretty busy at the moment putting the final touches (and stitches) onto the items we have in the pipeline.

First up will be some quality hand made and stitched leather wallets that we have designed.

There will be a run on this style of bi-fold wallet in various colours, but we are starting out with two options.
The first being a beautiful Ox-blood outer leather with tan leather interior (a glimpse below in the development stage) and also an equally easy on the eye Navy leather outer with tan leather interior, due for release via our website in the coming weeks.

ArdourBrand.com


Sunday 21 July 2013

Agitagueda... by Shaun Dangerfield

I have just plucked this from the Coggles newsletter.
I've not heard about it before but it looks great, there's not a lot of English translated information about it and is mostly in Portuguese but from what I can decipher it's a 23 day festival on the streets of Agueda in Portugal (about 35 miles from Porto) and is a collaboration between the bars, shops and local council to put on an arts festival called Agitagueda.
Part of the commissioning is this amazing street covered in umbrellas above, the photos are by Patricia Almeidaon....


Monday 15 July 2013

Ally Capellino Re-wax.... by Shaun Dangerfield

"I picked the bag up from the floor at the back of the decks on stage.  I was slightly wrecked so only glanced at it for a few seconds.... looks a bit dirty (now if I recognise this wrecked at 5am I know it's actually really filthy) but it's too late to think about it now the damage has been done"

I put my bag in the taxi and headed off to an after party not too far away.
I nestled into the apartment on arrival and threw it into the corner like the filthy bag deserved, used and abused everyone looking at it in disgust knowing full well it was an absolute filth bag, when they say dogs look like their owners I've never felt more twinned with something.  I couldn't even look at it.

All drama aside I've hammered this bag, it goes everywhere with me and over time it has turned into an unwaxed lemon tinted leather twisted mess, it was a big job but someone had to do it.

I'm only messin' it's what's supposed to happen to it, and as sad as this sounds I love the clean up operation and re-wax.  I know, mock me all you want, but I couldn't wait to get it in the bath, the filth bag.

A good wash later and a soak of the leather for straightening out and it was hung out to dry for 24 hours before I set upon it with a twitchy eye, a racing heart and a tin of Barbour wax.
I climaxed.

That's obviously a lie.

It was good though.  I was going to coat it twice to get rid of any patchiness but I like it just as it is.


Wednesday 10 July 2013

Breakbot Bedtime Stories mix.... by Shaun Dangerfield


He knows what he's doing and his song choices are always on point, various stompers in here from Raydio, Kerr, Larry Graham and Cherrelle to name a few.
Feel good sunshine disco and boogie, well worth a listen while sizzling your sausages later x

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Ardour Brand focus.... by Shaun and Saul

We are now fully functional online and would like to thank those who have ordered from us so far, this first week has been great.

As we continue to work on our future products we will be keeping you in the loop of whats going on.

I have taken 10 minutes out for some extra shots from our current range seeing as the sun is being so nice !

All products available at www.ardourbrand.com



Letterman Love...By Saul Wilks


It's been some time since I last posted something clothing related, especially where I'm talking about something I've recently purchased, so heed this novelty with great anticipation because it's been a long time coming.

I'm sure I don't have to point how just how busy both Shaun and I have been over the past few months and as a result of that sadly the posts have become less and less on here. The good news however is that, although we're still ball breakingly busy, we have got a little more time to fanny about posting pictures of clothes and record a few mixes etc...

So that's cool.

Moving onto the good stuff, I've always had a soft spot for classic American sportswear and the whole nostalgic vibe you get with vintage garments and I've always felt a certain fascination with the old Letterman sportswear.

Varsity, coach, college, baseball jackets and campus knits, whatever you want to label them as, they've always appealed, they hold a definitive charm for me - they hold history and stories - granted it was probably pre owned by a classic all American jock, who was most likely a complete tosser, who most likely bullied kids at school and what have you... although he probably scuttled a couple of cheer leaders in his time, so it's all swings and roundabouts and that all important history.


I've been looking for a decent fitting Letterman jacket for ages, they occasionally used to pop up at Spitalfields market on a Thursday morning but were either too small or ridiculously expensive, so I decided I'd take to the internet to track one down and track one down I did.

I managed to snare this original 1940's Nebraska example imported from the states and it's probably the most single killer piece of clothing I've ever bought. I don't care if it's cliché' for a white Welsh bloke to be talking about Letterman jackets and snap-back caps as dope, but that's exactly what these are, no question.


Being so old, the leather on the sleeves has worn to a beautiful softness and is a mosaic of wear patches and scuffs, which only makes it more ace in my eyes. The wool is in excellent condition for its age, coming in a deep crimson red - it contrasts with the off-tan leather quite perfectly.

It comes as no surprise that this purchase spurned me on to pick up the quality Ebbetts Field X Brooklyn Circus collaboration wool snap back in Burgundy - I've been known to sport a flat cap every now and then but caps and especially ball caps were never on my radar, but I honestly haven't had this off my nut since I picked it up last week in Brum, it's proper slick rick.

I'm not sure I'd wear the two together, that's maybe a little bit too street for my tastes, but what I love about both these pieces is that they are versatile in what I can wear them with - the Jacket goes beautifully with a button down Oxford and tasselled loafers, as does the cap go with the more cheeky hooded numbers lurking in my jacket wardrobe... mix and match innit!

Anyway, I promised myself when I started writing this that I wouldn't fill a whole page with good old Jonny Waffle, so I'll drop the shoulder here and leave you with some more snaps.

Enjoy.




Sunday 7 July 2013

Glastonbury 2013.... by Shaun Dangerfield

It was an absolute pleasure this year to get booked and DJ at Glastonbury in block 9.
There's good gigs, there's great gigs, and then there's a 5 day party in Somerset which held some of the greatest memories of my life.  Truly euphoric throughout from watching the sun set to the sun rise.

Musically it was an absolute treat.
I heard records that blew me away that I've never heard before, it was a crate diggers dream and if anything spurring me on to source more music knowing that in reality you've probably only scratched the surface.
The main bulk of Glastonbury isn't really for me, it's quite Ted central to be honest, but I wasn't there for that I was there for the nightlife.  So we napped during the day and abused the night.

Holding down in block 9 the camp was set out with 4 main areas, NYC Downlow, Genosys stage, London Underground and the vibrant Maceos club bar which was backstage and for crew members/DJ's etc.
It literally had everything we wanted, the Genosys stage was a celebration of electronic music past present and future and was a rather large industrial build, or in Block 9 words....

"Hovering in the shadows of an ancient industrial power facility, a towering concrete and glass structure lies dormant and overgrown," it reads....
"This is Genosys. Short for Generated Oxygen System, this epic, brutalist 'tree' was built to save the once poisoned planet. It nurtured and preserved plant life within its huge tanks and, as it drank in the excess atmospheric carbon, it poured out fresh oxygen. Lost and forgotten, Genosys has lain silent until now…"
Gene Hunt, Tyree Cooper, Luke Howard, Bicep, Dan Beaumont, Seth Troxler and Greg Wilson to name a few who created memorable moments in the Genosys stage.

Luke Howard of Horse Meat Disco was unbelievably good, he played a proto house set in the Genosys stage Friday night, I was just in my element, there were groups of teenagers there all waiting for Julio Bashmore and I watched the faces dropping wondering who was playing and what these records were, no hype, no talk, just getting down and watching others do the same not knowing who they were dancing to, it was beautiful.

London underground is built as a massive decaying block of flats with an underground tube train embedded into the 5th floor.
It was a showcase of London's musical underground each night a different theme, we ventured in during the future garage night and was impressed to say the least.
Up until 1am there were a lot of tourists walking in with a back pack on and leaving after 30 seconds but having to see what was going on inside, once the tourism had stopped and from around 1am on to 6am it was heaving with clubbers and music lovers alike who were there for one reason.

Over the road is where we were housed for pretty much the duration and also where we were playing Friday night / Saturday morning.... The NYC Downlow.
A film set replica of an 80's NYC street, beat up, ruined, vibrant and run by intergalactic trannies, with a New York yellow cab embedded into the outside wall just above from the porn kiosk where you had to purchase a moustache to gain entry, it was quite simply a sight to behold.
A resurrection of New Yorks golden age and from a time where it was just continuously exciting and always on the verge of something magical musically, Disco, Boogie, acid, Chicago, ProtoHouse, Soul and Funk and boy did it deliver.
The detail in the build is breath taking, all the way down to the Keith Haring replica graffiti.

Heading out of there at 6am after dancing away to Maurice Fulton, Luke howard, Rob Mellow & Luke Solomon and landing in Maceos was amazing and the blur of sunrise and onto Luke Howards 9:30am set of 2 step soul, disco, funk and sleaze was something I'll never forget.


Saturday 6 July 2013

Kevin Cummins 'Manchester & Liverpool'.... by Shaun Dangerfield

Kevin Cummins’ exquisite photographic record of the past 30 years captures the highs, the lows and the transcendent pop moments of Manchester and Liverpool’s most famous sons and daughters.
This box set contains a collection of photographic postcards by Kevin Cummins, featuring some of the key people of the post-punk Liverpool and Manchester music scenes.

The collection brings together a series of stunning photographs that capture the moods and people of the time. Ideal for those interested in music, photography, social history and image.

28 A6 postcards.

Featuring: Ian McCuloch, The La’s, Holly Johnson, Ian Broudie, Big in Japan, Wah! Heat, Julian Cope, Jayne Casey, OMD, The Farm, The Fall, The Stone Roses, Morrissey, The Smiths, Buzzcocks, Magazine, Happy Mondays, Tony Wilson, Peter Saville, Alan Erasmus, Joy Division, New Order, Bernard Sumner, Liam Gallagher and the The Haçienda.