Strange combination, you might agree. But it’s a fair one when describing the work of Willy Moon, a Kiwi singer/songwriter in his early 20s.

I hadn’t heard any of his work until I saw a recent TV promo for Hollyoaks (early evening British soap opera for our overseas readers) that featured his song ‘She Loves Me’. A bit of investigation into his sound reveals a beguiling mixture of 50s jive and heavy, percussive hip-hop style beats.

There’s not much else to say really – just check these songs out and see for yourself. Gotta love the cheesy dancemoves too – straight off the dancefloor at Jackrabbit Slim’s.

With summer just around the corner, I think now is probably a good time to think about a simple garment that many of you are probably wearing as you read this. The humble t-shirt.

Originally conceived in the 19^th Century when some bright spark decided to separate the popular one-piece ‘union suit’ undergarment into a top and bottoms, the tee continued to be worn as a convenient covering for manual workers and as an undershirt for soldiers through the 20^th Century.

There is much debate about the exact origin of the t-shirt we know today, but it almost certainly has a military influence. World War II, surprisingly enough, did much to promote the homogeneity of Western fashion across Europe – by this point both the US Army and Navy were issuing t-shirts as underwear and after the war, it was common for American veterans to wear the t-shirt and trousers from their uniform in a casual context.

In much the same way as denim jeans, the t-shirt underwent a phase of counter-culture rebellion in the 1950s; featuring in films such as ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, worn by James Dean and Marlon Brando respectively, it became an iconic image of anti-establishment style. Nowadays t-shirts are everywhere; every possible colour combination, graphic style and shape are accounted for, making it the ideal catch-all garment.

James Dean in ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ helped make the plain white t-shirt a cultural icon

However, despite their apparent simplicity, choosing the right t-shirt can still take a fair amount of knowledge. So what should you be looking for when buying them?

In much the same way as denim jeans, the t-shirt underwent a phase of counter-culture rebellion in the 1950s

Fit – Unfortunately, the t-shirts you find at a lot of High Street stores fit horribly. Lay them out flat and see – they’re wide, boxy and will end up being loose and unflattering, especially after a couple of washes. You should aim for a t-shirt to be as fitted as you’re comfortable with; you’re not looking for something ‘sprayed on’ but nor should it be hanging off you. Obviously shape plays a big part here, so look for something that tapers in a bit around the middle. Lengthwise, you want it to cover the beltline but no further.

Neckline– you have a number of different options here:

• Crewneck – just your standard round neck. Nothing special here, but that’s not always a bad thing.
• V-neck – Front of the neck comes together in a ‘V’ shape. Depth is the key variable here; there seems to be a trend of late whereby the neck has a very deep plunge, designed to show off the chest. It’s not my inclination to make judgments on the sorts of people who wear these tops, so I’ll allow this image to do it for me.
  
• Polo – A t-shirt shape, often in soft pique cotton, with a 2-3 button placket and a soft collar. The polo shirt was originally invented in the 1920s by Rene Lacoste, a French tennis player who did so to provide an alternative to the cumbersome and restrictive tennis attire that was popular at the time. Polos have a rich history indeed and are so ubiquitous that they almost deserve an article of their own, but I’m not one for splitting hairs.
• Henley – A Henley top is a t-shirt with a small buttoned placket – essentially, a polo shirt without the collar. These can be good for those who want a t-shirt but with the option of extra ventilation down the front.

Graphics/Prints – T-shirts are very suited to graphic and print designs – the idea dates back to 1961 when a Californian surfboard salesman named Floyd Smith offered logo screenprints to surfers who brought plain tees to his shop.

Since companies discovered the rather sizable marketing potential in printing logos on t-shirts, it is very easy to get caught up in buying tops with conspicuous branding across them – don’t do it. There is no sense in spending your own money to walk around as an advert for some brand. In fact, for anyone in their mid-20s and over, large graphics should be approached with caution.

That’s not to say ‘don’t do it’ but in my opinion, factors like colour and fit create a far better look than a top with the words ‘HUGO BOSS’ splashed across the front. Keep branding/logos minimal, and ensure that graphics use decent imagery, nice typography, or at least something that makes them visually enticing. On that note, placement of graphics is also very important. Slapping a graphic ‘front and centre’ on the chest is pretty unoriginal; look for designs on the back, down the side, across a shoulder… just something a bit different.

Photography is becoming more popular in t-shirt prints, particularly with vintage-style colour effects like this tee from Supremebeing at Asos.

Adornments/embellishments – By this I mean things that are ‘stuck on’ to the t-shirt – applique elements, buttons, patches, studs, diamantes. Simply, don’t even think about it. You’ll look like a teenager.

So there we have it – the T-Shirt. Cultural icon, fashion staple, utilitarian champion of the masses.

James

Just a little bit of a tune… shame they didn’t get Chris Rock to do his bit too.

James

Ok, Ok, so this FACT mix may have been around for a hot minute, but I don’t care. The internet moves so fast these days that people rarely give new music a chance to sink in before they’re onto the next thing.

I have been listening to this mix nigh on every day for the past two weeks and can say with confidence that it’s one of the best I’ve heard in recent times.

J Sweet & Alias are Grime veterans responsible for some of the most memorable Grime instrumentals ever made; tracks like ‘Kerb’ ‘Gutter’ and ‘Warrior’ have never failed to raise the blood pressure on DJ sets and could be seen as reference tones for some classic Grime moments.

Having kept a low profile in years gone by (as rap-influenced Grime took prominence), the shadowy pair have been the subject of renued interest as demand for new 8-bar Grime tunes continues to grow. This 8-bar movement, triggered by the deadpan productions of Spooky which decimated 2010 (Spartan, Top 3 Selected Remix), celebrates the simplistic, primal elements of Grime; switch-ups, sparse drums, claps, and bass. Lots and lots of bass.

The ‘MarxAlias E.P’ released on Logan Sama’s Earth 616 label, has helped bring J Sweet & Alias back to the producers’ fore. Tracks ‘Joker’ and ‘No Dream’ are my personal favourites from the package – their brash mixdowns and adrenaline-pumping drops sounding fresh yet classic at the same time. Perhaps a little repetitive for the casual listener, the ‘Marxalias E.P’ serves as a reminder of how forward thinking Grime was when it was first forged all those years ago.

Back to the FACT mix then, it’s comprised mostly of J Sweet & Alias tunes and hits you very, very hard. Thankfully little has changed in terms of their production methods and sounds, and so those trademark J Sweet & Alias industrial brasses, basslines and eerie vocal samples are all present and correct. Music genres are cyclical, and personally I’m glad that these two have ignored Grime’s internal pressures to ‘stay current.’

As J Sweet said on Twitter yesterday:

Download the mix here

J Sweet on Twitter
Alias on Twitter

Kristian

Here is what we came up with. Big up Dimples!

Kristian

Kristian

The mix is my vibe, the Brenmar aesthetic put into a mix. House, hip-hop, R&B, bass music, and regional club styles (Bmore, Jersey club, footwork) all on the same mix. A lot of new young US producers on this one and some of my current UK favs. I try to strike a balance between a certain level of accessibility and fun while still pushing new sounds and ideas. I love new music. Can’t forget about the girls either, it always comes back to them. Cause if they ain’t having fun…we ain’t having fun.

Brenmar, Gold Bricks FADER Mix by The FADER

1. Brenmar – Stash In The Dash Intro
2. Ashanti – Fancy (Brenmar Remix)
3. Timbaland – Give It To Me Instrumental
4. Boyz II Men – If I Had One (Brenmar Edit)
5. Dj Pierre and TT The Artist – U Don’t Bang Wit Me
6. Dubbel Dutch – Fem Pressure
7. Jim-E Stack – Lemme
8. Brenmar – If U Want Me
9. Richelle – I Think Before I Act
10. Boody B – Swift
11. R Kelly – Make It Rain Remix
12. Venice Calypso – Drifting
13. Champion – Lighter (VIP Mix)
14. Brenmar – Let’s Pretend
15. T. Williams – 30 Degree
16. Cedaa – Freon
17. Brenmar – So High
18. Dark Sky – High Rise
19. Destinys Child vs. Craig David – What’s My Name
20. Getem – Get It In
21. Dj YayYay – Micro-Chips Instrumental
22. Brenmar – Waiting On
23. Jim Jones – Getting To The Money
24. Kelly Rowland – Motivation Instrumental

via The Fader. Click the down arrow on the right of the Soundcloud bar for a free download link.

James

Flava D is one of my favourite Grime producers right now. Although she has been around for a little while, producing music for high-calibre MC’s such as Maxsta, Black the Ripper and Wiley, it’s her recent collaborative work with Dimples and Merky Ace that has really got me hooked:

A member of Wiley’s shadowy ‘Eskibeat Recordings’ camp, Flava D has maintained an equally dim profile despite her astonishingly high workrate. Her website is full to bursting with beats for sale and a quick glance at her Twitter feed suggests we can look forward to link-ups with Wiley, Frisco, Desperado and Kid Bookie in the near future.

Flava has a hard, fluid sound upon which MC’s feel right at home. At times its evocative of Wiley’s production, in particular his synth and percussion. However, she takes those eski-references – the one drops, the arching strings, the shuffling hats – and stretches them across varying tempos and textures. It is at once adrenaline-fuelled and intelligent.

DJ JJ has compiled an excellent mix of Flava D instrumentals, available for free download here. Although there are a couple of vocal cuts in there, it’s Flava D that commands the listeners’ attention throughout.

Check Flava’s Twitter here. Thanks to JJ and Flava D for the mix!

Kristian

Had this one for a while – I can see this tune getting rinsed this summer.

James