Billionaire Boys Club - May 2010 Store Releases

Billionaire Boys Club/Ice Cream have made a number of limited releases of items clothing for the month of May. There are some really cool pieces in the line, however a couple of parts disappointed me. I was once again impressed with the classic t-shirt with with BBC has become associated with, keeping true to its roots with the classic BBC/IC logo, the space age inspiration, brilliant graphics, cool colourings and use of fine materials. However, I felt let down by the polo t-shirts, as although they're well made, i can't help but think they lack a certain individuality or style with which BBC has become so distinctive. On the whole though, I feel this is a strong line, and one you will have to act quickly upon if you wish to find the items.

These releases can not be found online at present, with the only place getting the releases being BBC/IC flagship stores (New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo) and specialised/department stores, with the most likely places in the UK being Harvey Nichols (109-125 Knightsbridge, London) and Selfridges (400 Oxford Street, London).

May 2010 Store Releases:

BBC '4 Real' Polo

BBC Astronaut T-Shirt

BBC Cursive Logo Fitted

BBC Neptune Curve Logo T-Shirt

BBC Sketch Astronaut T-Shirt

BBC 'Soho' T-Shirt

BBC Space Beach Raygun Polo

IC Bar Colour T-Shirt

IC Bar Polo

IC Bar Trucker

IC Bar T-Shirt

IC Smart Cut Leather Patch Denim

Only New York

Only New York is an independent brand based out of the West side of Manhattan, offering quality clothing and accessories for both men and women in limited quantities. Since 1997 Only NY have been heavily involved in NYC's underground scene, with the clothing lines being greatly influenced by skateboarding and graffiti art.

The 2010 spring/summer line is full of simple but effective designs, using bright colours and
graphic prints featuring the brands classic logo. The graphic crewneck jumpers are my favourite item of the line, very well fitted and designed. These items are extremely difficult to find, especially in the UK, with Urban Industry's online shop being one of thew few places that makes items available to those from the UK. You can browse the items they have in stock by clicking here.

Spring/Summer 2010 Collection:

1997 Logo Tee (Royal Blue)

Aztec Hoodie (Graphite)

Crack Funk Tee (Black)

Crack Funk Tee (Royal Blue)

Cycle Head Tee (Navy)

Cycle Head Tee (White)

Greek Lady Tee Orange

Logo Snapback Hat (Cobalt/Orange)

Logo Tee (Cranberry)

Logo Tee (Evergreen)

Logo Tee (Navy)

Logo Zip Hoodie (Black)

Logo Zip Hoodie (Red)

Nah Son Tee (Black)

Nah Son Tee (Purple)

New Yorker Than You Tee (Teal)

New Yorker Than You Tee (White)

NY Don't Sleep Tee (Royal Blue)

NY Don't Sleep Tee (Gold)

Paint Can Tee (Grass)

Peace Pigeon Crewneck (Burgundy)

Peace Pigeon Crewneck (Navy)

Peace Pigeon Snapback Hat (Black/Grey)

Peace Pigeon Snapback Hat (Royal/Red)

Peace Pigeon Tee (Charcoal)

Peace Pigeon Tee (Royal Blue)

Soda Beer Candy Crewneck (Black)

Soda Beer Candy Crewneck (Heather Grey)

Soda Beer Candy Tee (Yellow)

Sports Logo Hoodie (Aqua)

Sports Logo Hoodie (Vintage Red)

Sports Logo Tee (Heather Apricot)

Sports Logo Tee (Royal Blue)

Sports Logo Tee (White)

Sports Logo Tee (Black)

The Only Sportsman Tee (Emerald)

The Only Sportsman Tee (Vintage Red)

Throwy Tee (Black)

Throwy Tee (Forest)

Martyn

I'm back after the painful 3000 word essay I had to write, I do apologise, it's a poor excuse and this will be prioritised over my revision to try and make up for the absence of blogs during the week.

If you haven't already heard of Martyn then you've been missing out. Martijn Deykers, born in the Netherlands and now based in Washington, is a producer/DJ of dubstep and drum and bass. For just under a decade Martyn was a drum and bass DJ in the Netherlands, where he began producing drum and bass tracks in the form of the 'Get Down' EP and 'I Wonder Why' EP released in 2005 and 2006 on the Revolve:r label. As I'm not a fan of drum and bass, I found it difficult to get into Martyn's earlier material, and it wasn't until his next release and following tracks that I would grow to love his form of dubstep.

In May 2007, after being exposed to and influenced by the emerging dubstep scene in the UK, with the underground success of big names such as Burial and Kode9, Martyn's first dubstep track was released, with an EP that included the singles 'Broken' and 'Shadowcasting'. This creation of an individual sound in the rising genre of dubstep led to new opportunities for Martyn, who's music has gone on to become an essential element of his own Netherlands based 3024 label. His first release on the label was the brilliant single 'Velvet' backed with 'Twenty Four', released in February 2008. This was soon followed up by what are probably his best know singles in the form of 'Natural Selection' and 'Vancouver', tracks which epitomise his penchant for combining dubstep rhythm with varying synth cords, as well regularly using a pulsating two-step beats and a number of layers of disembodied voices.

The success and quality of these two releases on the 3024 led to the opportunity of a release on the highly recognisable Applepips label based in one of the homes of dubstep, Bristol. From this venture Martyn produced my favourite of his tracks 'All I Have Is Memories' (backed by 'Suburbia'), released in November 2008. The tracks repetitive two-step beat, wonderfully constructed piano chords and harrowing vocals make for an incredible six minutes, and if you were to only purchase one Martyn tracks, I would recommend than you make it this one.

After this, Martyn began work on his first LP, 'Great Lengths', which was released on his 3024 label. The album brilliantly takes off from where his last few releases had directed him, with his new dubstep sounds also incorporating styles from techno and house as well on the album. The album is extremely well produced, with the first half of the album featuring tracks which are more uplifting in tone, with a couple of tracks featuring soulful voices and the most upbeat tempo's on the album in the form of 'right?star!', 'Little Things' and 'Vancouver'. The second half is much darker and atmospheric than the first, taking greater influence from underground garage and combining it with free flowing 2-step beats, making for brilliant tracks like 'Far Away', 'Hear Me' and 'Natural Selection'. The album is like no other and is a thoroughly enjoyable listen, I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of experimental dubstep or even electronic music in general.

'Great Lengths' Tracklist:

1 The Only Choice
2 Krdl-T-Grv
3 Right? Star!
4 Seventy Four
5 Little Things
6 Vancouver
7 These Words (feat. dBridge)
8 Bridge
9 Elden St.
10 Far Away
11 Hear Me
12 Is This Insanity? (feat. The Space Ape)
13 Brilliant Orange
14 Natural Selection

In January of this year, Martyn displayed his skills as a DJ in his creation of the Fabric 50 mix. During my essay writing I managed to listen to the 1 hour 11 minutes mix three times, and it grew on me further with each listen. In this mix he brilliantly fuses elements of differing modern electronic genres, with tracks on the mix raging from UK Funky and minimal electro to dub-house and techno. His selection of tracks is equally impeccable, picking the best in underground electronic music from the past year with artists such as 2562, Roska, Joy Orbison, Dorian Concept and Zomby. This mix rivals that of Scuba ('Substance mix), but I would probably give Scuba's mix the edge just because I believe the songs are mixed ever so slightly more intelligently, making transitions between songs smoother and less noticeable. But don't let me dampen Martyn's brilliant mix, which in my opinion is a must listen.

'Fabric 50' Tracklist:

1 Hudson Mohawke - 'Joy Fantastic' ft Olivier Daysoul
2 Alec Wizz `Drummin' - (Louis Benedetti Drumminpella)
3 Nubian Mindz - 'Bossa Boogie'
4 Maddslinky - 'Lost On Tenori Street'
5 Altered Natives - 'Rass Out'
6 Zomby - 'Little Miss Naughty'
7 Uncle Bakongo - 'Afar'
8 Zomby - 'Light Cycle'
9 Deepgroove & Jamie Anderson - 'The Clock' (Ben Klock's Timepiece)
10 DJBone - 'We Control The Beat'
11 Detachments - 'Circles' (Martyn's Round & Round Mix)
12 Joy Orbison - 'Brkln Clln'
13 Cooly G - 'Feeling You'
14 Martyn ft dBridge - 'These Words' (Roska's Speechless Mix)
15 Kode9 - 'Oozi'
16 Roska - 'Without It'
17 Martyn - 'Friedrichstrasse'
18 Levon Vincent - 'Air Raid'
19 Martyn ft Spaceape - 'Is This Insanity?' (Ben Klock Mix)
20 Martyn - 'Seventy Four' (Redshape Mix)
21 Actress - 'Slowjam'
22 Zomby - 'Mercury's Rainbow'
23 2562 - 'Flashback'
24 Martyn - 'Vancouver'
25 Jan Driver - 'Rat Alert'
26 Dorian Concept - 'Trilingual Dance Sexperience'

I thought I would give a bit of added trivia (this is what playing football manager everyday between the ages of 5-16 does to you) for you as well which I appreciated, with the fact that Martyn is the son of Gerrie Deijkers, PSV Eindhoven’s top scorer in their 1977-78 UEFA Cup-winning season. For more information on Martyn's live dates and new releases, check out his myspace page which can be found at www.myspace.com/martyndnb.

Floating Points

Floating Points, 22 year old Sam Shepherd from London, is a young and promising producer/DJ. He has managed to forge a very distinct sound over the past 12 months, with a blend of boogie-house, glitch-hop, jazz and dubstep beats merging in his work, resulting in a wonderful 80's electro-house sound with an old-school disco tone embedded within the tracks as well. As well as producing great records and djing, Shepherd is also working on a PhD in pharmacology in London. This guy isn't talented at all.

Emerging in the past 12 months, Shepherd has four releases to his name under the guise of Floating Points, as well as having recorded mini mixes for the likes of Giles Peterson and Mary Anne Hobbs. His first release came in April 2009 on the R2 label with the 'Love Me Like This' single, an electro-funk remix of the Real 2 Reel original, which was backed by 'Shangrila'. This was followed up by the 'J&W Beat' single, backed with 'K&G Beat and released on the well known Planet Mu label. His first EP came in the form of 'Vacuum', released on Eglo Records in September 2009. This EP is a great listen, with the highlight being the track 'Vacuum Boogie', although 'Truly' and 'Argonaute II' are treats as well. His most recent release has come on Eglo Records again in the form of the 'People's Potential'/'Shark Chase' single, released on the 19th April. For me this is his best work yet, once again discovering a great balance between 80's disco-house and experimental dubstep beats.

As well as producing, Shepherd regularly DJ's and has recently recorded a mix XLR8R. Shepherd has made what he has labelled the 'My Plastic People' mix as a tribute to the well known nightspot Plastic People based in East London, which is facing closure over license issues. The mix sees Shepherd's musical knowledge come to the fore, with numerous 70's/80's jazz and funk tracks mixed together with newer material in the form of Darkstar and Shepherd himself. To stream this brilliant mix, just click here.

'My Plastic People' Tracklist:

01 Flora Purim "Encounters" (Milestone)
02 Deniece Williams "Slip Away" (Columbia)
03 Esther Philips "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" (KUDU)
04 Windy City "(So You Think) Somethin's Missin'" (Chi Sound)
05 James Brown "Mind Power" (Polydor)
06 Gil Scott-Heron "Lady Day and John Coltrane" (Flying Dutchman)
07 Brian Auger & Oblivion Express "Whenever You're Ready" (RCA)
08 Willie Bobo "Sixty-Two Fifty" (Columbia)
09 Chick Corea & Return to Forever "Captain Marvel" (Polydor)
10 Kuniyuki "Precious Hall (Dub)" (Natural Resource)
11 Larry Heard "Missing You" (Track Mode)
12 Herbert "Suddenly" (Studio !K7)
13 Darkstar "Aidy's Girl Is a Computer (Kyle Hall Oats B So Deep Remix)" (Hyperdub)
14 Floating Points "Shark Chase" (Eglo)
15 Pharoah Sanders "Greeting To Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)" (Impulse)

I must also apologise in advance, I am taking a short break (at most until next Friday) due to an essay which I must start writing. I know this is a poor excuse, but I don't really fancy getting kicked out of university for failing my first year, so I'll be back in a few days, hopefully Wednesday or Thursday if I'm lucky.