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Paul Smith launches official Bowie t-shirts

 

British designer Paul Smith was invited by David Bowie to make the official T-shirt to “The Next Day”, the album to be released next week worldwide and which marks the return of the Thin White Duke after ten years of absence. According to Paul Smith himself, this will be the first of “some other great things coming up later in the year”, referring to other items related to David Bowie, a man who has “worn a lot of Paul Smith during his career”, the designer said.

In October 2012, Paul Smith had already held an exhibition of photographs of David Bowie taken by Masayoshi Sukita, shown at the Paul Smith’s store in Kyoto.

The official “The Next Day” t-shirt is available at www.paulsmith.co.uk/uk-en/shop/paul-smith-for-david-bowie-the-next-day-print-t-shirt.html

New Order's Blue Monday celebrates 30 years today

 

"Blue Monday" the powerful track by New Order celebrates 30 years today. This would be one of the best-selling 12" of all times and with this single New Order invaded the dancefloors around the globe with an extremely danceable track that pleased both rock and disco fans.

This somehow robotic track which was meant to be played on stage without instruments, if needed, marked the rise of New Order to stardom, after the end of Joy Division and a new beginning as New Order after the death of Ian Curtis. "Movement", the first album by the band was there to mark a turning point for the former Joy Division members and singles like "Ceremony" "Everything's Gone Green" and "Temptation" rejoiced the indie and alternative dance crowds.

But "Blue Monday" and later "Confusion" would reach a new and bigger audience. Both 12" inches were influenced by the sounds coming from the streets of America, when Chicago and New York met Düsseldof and the kling klangs of Kraftwerk.

30 years after the beats and melody of Blue Monday sound perfectly updated and to mark the occasion, John Digweed and Nick Muir have just released a new remix of this track.

Lineas Albies and Prin' Lá La storm Madrid

Busy day today in Madrid. Sensation band Lineas Albies return to their hometown and will be playing at Sala Scirocco at 8.P.M. A promising gig an a good opportunity to see them before they head back to Los Angeles where they currently live and where they recorded their Pink Album which they will be presenting in the Spanish capital.
After this at 10.30 P.M. another sensation band from Spain, Prin' Lá La will playing live their own particular soundtrack to Nosferatu at Cined Callao.
This band from Cordoba has recently launched the acclaimed album "Un Nuevo Orden" and has been touring Spain.

Lisbon Fashion Week Pop Up Concept Store

The 40th edition of Lisbon Fashion Week is there around the corner and promises three days of surprises both as far as the collections on the catwalk are concerned but also in the adjoining areas. One of the novelties in this edition is the hosting of a Pop Up Concept Store in the western tower of the square facing the river where Moda Lisboa is held.

Wonder Room is a pop-up store showing and selling items by brands, designers and projects such as Cardume, Rualidade, Rasto, Roda Gira, ELLG, Viiivelavie, Light Box Leal, Urso Tigre, Senhor Prudêncio, Common Cut, Catarina Ferreira, Ideal & Co and Dez/Dez. Streetwear, bikewear, shoes, gourmet products and designer clothing are some of the products on offer here.

Dez/Dez is a particularly interesting project which you can find in this Pop Up Concept Store. A group of fashion designers forming 31 d’Atalaia Association has set about to create garments which can be reproduced 10 times over in different sizes and colours. Each item is identified with a label stating who work on it, how many hours, materials and even a serial number.

The aim of this group is to constantly rethink the creative process and the way they work. All members of this group work on all the stages of creation of a garment from modeling to finishing, through to modeling, cut and sewing. The third edition of 10/10 focuses on geometry in general after having focused on squares, rectangles and curves in the previous editions.

The items by this group of designers and from the aforementioned brands will be available from Friday to Sunday in this area which will be open to the public during the three days of Lisbon Fashion Week.

Groove Armada's Andy Cato relases solo album

Andy Cato, the other half of Groove Armanda has just announced the release of his solo album "Times and Places, to be released on April 29. According to information provided by Groove Armanda's site, Andy has been writing this album "over the last 15 years...  on the road on tour with GA, from Airport Lounges / Hotel Rooms / Planes / Trains and an array of tour buses."

David Bowie joined by Tilda Swindon in new video

"The Stars (Are Around Tonight)" is Bowie's second single from the upcoming album "The Next Day", due to arrive in stores on the second week of March. The movie features the acclaimed british actress Tilda Swindon and in some parts it does bring us somehow to the imagery of "The Hunger", a movie directed by Tony Scott and starring also Catherine Deneuve. Some might say that Bowie too got entangled in the new vampiresque trend, but the man did venture in the world of vampires in 1983 with that French actress in what some claimed was the ideal vampire pair, perfectly fit for the role of a life hungry couple.
In this movie Swindon and Bowie play an older couple whose quiet life is disturbed by a young band formed by kids in typicall Bowie-fashionable attire. The video is a beautiful display of pop and fashion and aesthetic imagery. As for the music and despite the high expectactions, it does not bring us to closer to the universe of "Heroes" or "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" but rather to the sound of "Black Tie White Noise" or "Never Let Me Down", considered by many the least inspired of all Bowie albums.
While the first single was indeed a great song, the second single "The Stars (Are Around Tonight)" did not meet the expectations. We will have to wait for the whole album to confirm whether "The Next Day" marks indeed a great comeback.