Cool Hunting
| 02 June 2006view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Max Sedgley: From The Roots To The Shoots
by SummerSeventySix
With its urgent bassline and sample from the soundtrack of the cult movie The Taking of Pelham 123, Max Sedgley's Happy became an instant house classic when it was first spun in clubs a few summers ago. The original (and rare) Italian 12" also included the excellent Slowly, marking the multi-talented Englishman as one to keep a close eye on.
And then nothing.
After turning in the odd remix, it wasn't until last year that Sedgley resurfaced with the Lalo Schifrin-sampling Devil Inside. Although it wasn't quite up to his previous tunes—how could it be?—at least it meant he was still making records. Now though, his debut album is on the horizon, and a copy of From The Roots To The Shoots has landed in my lap.
Happy sounds as insistent as ever, and dropped at the right moment, would still no doubt fill a dancefloor this summer. The languid, head-nodding groove of Slowly has also aged really well; so much so that it's getting its own re-release as a single this month. Elsewhere, Celebrity could be Mylo given an Acid House remix, and Set It Free is reminiscent of the future-funk of Crazy P. The pervading feel of dance music from earlier times is encapsulated by the Orbital-inspired closer Ego Spiritual.
Not an immediate record in any way, From The Roots To The Shoots is still wide and varied enough to be pretty satisfying, with its knowing little nods to dancefloors of the past. Shame it took so long to arrive.
From The Roots To The Shoots is released by British label Sunday Best on 17 July 2006 and can be ordered from Amazon UK.
51 Things
by Ami Kealoha
Phurniture (one of New York' most lauded destinations for 20th century art and design) 51 Things collects some of the rarest and most significant furniture, lighting, sculptures and decorative objects from the past 60 years under one vacant Toronto warehouse roof. Opening next week on 7 June 2006 and running through 15 July 2006, the 51 pieces in the show include works by such luminaries as Frank Lloyd Wright, George Nelson, and Carlo Mollino (his chairs are pictured above), as well as items by lesser-known artists and designers like Dennis Byng, Joe D'Urso, and Paul Evans. See works by these and other designers, along with a flyer and more info, after the jump.
Autoban
by Ami Kealoha
With the founding of a national design council in 2004 and home to a design week in its third year, Istanbul is gaining recognition as a minor design capital. Founded in 2002, the firm Autoban, is helping the city's reputation along. Making their debut at New York's ICFF this year, their appropriated street sign logo and this wood (down to the lampshade) "King" lamp, made from lacquered beech and oak, caught our eye. The prolific company has also applied their warm modernism to other furniture and a number of interiors, redefining Turkish design beyond fezzes and kilims.
Ultra Electro
by Ami Kealoha
Ultra Records compilations, if you can get past Ultra Electro's cover art, you'll find a never-boring mix of dance music and club hits. On the heels of its successful multi-volume predecessors Gorillaz, Depeche Mode, New Order, Ladytron, Moby, Goldfrapp, and N.E.R.D. get redone by the likes of Soulwax, DFA, and Tommie Sunshine. Pick Ultra Electro up from Ultra Records or Amazon.
Daisuke Sakaguchi Phone Accessories
by Josh Rubin
New from London-based design group oki-ni and world-famous Japanese graffiti artist Daisuke Sakaguchi, these street-lux mobile phone accessories are made from "hallmarked" sterling silver and attach with a plastic-coated stainless steel wire loop. Like Daisuke's jewelry and belts, the four designs (see more after the jump) look something like 3-D interpretations of the artist's graffiti—though these are a more pared-down, elegant gesture. Each piece comes with a one-of-a-kind display that features Daisuke's tag. Available exclusively from oki-ni, the accessories start at $168.
