25 September 2012

18 Years of Rinse - Give Up Art

Leading up to Rinse FM's 18th birthday, a series of videos have been put together with individuals/associates reflecting on their relationship with the radio station (and its record label). This instalment features Give Up Art: the brilliantly inventive studio that has come to define Rinse's visual communication.

5 September 2012

Mala In Cuba artwork by &A&K and Teddy Fitzhugh

Link: &A&K
Link: Teddy Fitzhugh
Link: Brownswood Recordings

Following his exploits on the Talkin' Loud label (where he signed a diverse array of artists including 4Hero, Galliano, Reprazent and Nu Yorican Soul), Gilles Peterson more recently dispatched Digital Mystikz's Mala to Havana so that he could collaborate with a selection of Cuban musicians. This has been documented as Mala In Cuba: a project that, marking its landmark status, will be getting the lavish box set treatment.

A four vinyl release on 180g vinyl (plus download code) will come packaged with artwork designed by &A&K [who previously handled the beautiful sleeve of 2010's Return II Space]. The evocative photography by Teddy Fitzhugh helps give a sense of Mala's journey and capably moves dubstep away from the old gritty aesthetic associated with nocturnal London to something that's a bit more Buena Vista Social Club.
 



3 September 2012

Illum Sphere - 'Birthday/808ER' sleeve by ARPA/Roger Ballen

Link: Roger Ballen
Link: Illum Sphere
Link: Young Turks
Link: Hoya Hoya

Out today on digital and later this month as just 500 12" copies is the new offering from Illum Sphere a.k.a. Hoya:Hoya's Ryan Hunn. If you happen to live in Manchester, then you might be more aware than most of this producer's long-standing interest in the combination of music and art - given that, prior to his more recent activities, he was found at the helm of its Sketch City nights. This latest work subsequently builds on that plus the Young Turks label's commitment to quality vinyl manufacturing to deliver a sleeve with "interchangeable artwork". Presented in collaboration with ARPA Design and respected South Africa-based photographer Roger Ballen, there is said to be no heirarchy between the two images - reflecting the release's lack of an A or B side. Both, like Hunn's idiosyncratic output, are totally intriguing.