Chinatown Soccer Club Tees

by Wendy Dembo

Chinatown Soccer Club (CSC) T-shirts. CSC, a loose group of players, was formed during the 2002 World Cup. They meet mornings year-round in Chinatown to play soccer. Most of the members are supercreative types. Photographer Gerhard Stochl and photographer and documentary filmmaker Peter Sutherland have joined forces to share the CSC soccer community with others. CSC member Justin Fines of Demo Design came up with the logo and both Gerhard and Peter have taken photos for the site and gave out shirts and stickers at the World Cup this year in Germany. And now CSC is available in NYC at the aNYthing Gangstore. If you are not in NYC you can email about buying them. Look for more gear in the future.

Spain is Different

by Ami Kealoha

Splashes of Flamenco, golden beaches, sunshine, siestas and fiestas...Fortunately, the clichés about Spain also apply to some of the best indie music currently coming out of the country. Starting with a compilation of the newest and best Spanish music, here are a few CH picks to see you through the last days of summer in Spanish style.

Spain is Different, vol. 2
Like seeing a dream line-up at one of Spain's outdoor summer music fests, Spain is Different, vol. 2 features 10 previously unreleased tracks from the likes of Gecko Turner, JP Duet, and that range from afrobeat to reggae and blues to flamenco. the eclectic sounds are perfect for beachside lounging. Get it from Soulseduction.

Madrid de Los Austrias: ¡Más Amor!
Infused with flamenco's passion set to jazzy rhythms and breakbeats, it's a testament to European cross-culturalism that Austrian DJ Heinz Tronigger (also Sunshine Records' co-founder) and Austrian instrumentalist Pogo are behind Madrid de Los Austrias. Their 2004 album Más Amor stands out as an ideal choice for a spontaneous cocktail hour on the veranda or any other situation that requires a dreamy soundtrack. This year's remix album Grand Slam is a crowd-pleaser as well. Download Más Amor from Sunshine or buy from Amazon.

Christina Georgina
An established architect and designer/illustrator, the singer for Las Escarlatinas and Mate singer Almudena López goes undercover as Christina Georgina in mapa mundi, newly out on Siesta Records. Dreamy, charming, sweet, yet somehow saccharine-free, Christina Georgina invites comparisons to Isobel Campbell/The Gentle Waves, Ephemera, Coralie Clement, Nico, and Go- Betweens, proving her ability to craft warm indie pop harmonies. Under the production of indie-pop blue-bloods Ramón Leal and Mateo Guiscafré (Siesta co-founder) and with the collaboration of members of Mate, Plastic D'amour, and Los Brujos among others, Christina Georgina's one to watch. Pick up mapa mundi from Siesta.

Gecko Turner: Toda Mojaíta
The latest single from Gecko Turner, Spain's "Afrobeatnik" is a rich, joyful mix of Cuban salsa that's sure to get feet moving and hands in the air. Though it's not yet released in the U.S., you can find "Toda Mojaíta" on Turner's recent album Chandalismo Ilustrado, which is available from Lovemonk or by preorder from Amazon.

Marula Soul, vol. 2
Culled from the music of Marula Café, Madrid's underground electronic soul and funk venue, Marula Soul, vol. 2 is a jazzy compilation that seamlessly mixes tracks incorporating hip-hop, house, and even doses of bangra. The two-disc set includes a companion unmixed bonus CD with source tracks like Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks." Pick it up from Lovemonk.

BAP Lab Part 2: Bushwick Art Projects

by m ss ng p eces

An independent festival of new media art and electronic music now in its second year, Buswick Art Project was inspired by the pioneering community of artists living in the industrial park neighborhood of Bushwick. Where BAP Lab Part 1 was a glimpse of the ingenuity and creativity at this year's event, BAP Lab Part 2 traces the project from its humble beginnings to the first BAP that was held 12 November 2005, and comes full circle with more highlights from the 2006 artistic celebration. Co-founders RJ Valejo, an electronic musician, and Ruth Garon, who organizes events, explain how they created an opportunity to present the work of the painters, filmmakers, sculptors, musicians and new media artists that inhabit Bushwick. From behind-the-scenes footage to the phenomenal success of BAP Lab this year, the 45th episode of Cool Hunting Video is the story of a burgeoning creative movement.

Eva Zeisel: Eva Kettle and Pinnacle Tea Set

by Evan Orensten

This fall Eva Zeisel will celebrate her 100th birthday by introducing her first tea kettle design and reissuing her classic Pinnacle Tea Set, designed in 1985 for International China.

As usual her design is ergonomic, graceful, timeless and functional. The stainless steel kettle features a wide base to decrease boiling time, a tilted and curved stay-cool silicone handle, and a seam free body. Collectors take note: The first 550 tea kettles will be numbered.

The Pinnacle Tea Set is as fresh today as it was when it was created in the 1950s. Curvy, sensual and refined, it's available in classic white and, for the first time, in black.

The Eva Kettle and Pinnacle Tea Set from Chantal will be available exclusively at Bloomingdale's in September 2006. The kettle is $80, the tea pot $40, and the sugar and cremer set are $30.

For more information on Eva Zeisel, check out the Eva Zeisel Forum.

The Pratt Institute Gallery will be honoring Eva's 100th birthday with a retrospective in Fall 2006. Keep reading CH for details.

Also on CH: Eva Zeisel: The Playful Search for Beauty

John Varvatos Converse "Crazy Laces"

by Josh Rubin

For their first collaboration John Varvatos and Converse brought you the slip-on Chuck—summer's perfect shoe. Now it's slightly Goth fall brother has dropped and is quite a sight. As seen in the pic above provided so kindly by UNDFTD, there are 19 eyelets on either side of the shoe but the black canvas, eyelets and laces balance chaos with simplicity. And those laces are elastic which means you can still just slip em on.

Varvatos has also teamed up with Converse to create a full clothing line. The Fall 2006 look book is here.