Issue 4. Free

DIMITRI FROM PARIS 12 O’CLOCK BOYS SOUTH BY SOUTH-WEST DJ MASEO

contents

8. 23. 30. SNEAKERS & SOTHEBY’S: THE BEAT BOUTIQUE JAMES RICHARDSON A WORD WITH ARTIST DAVE WHITE 24. 34. 12. AN ORANGE BIKE RIDE GLOVERALL IN SEARCH OF BILL MURRAY: 26. SOUTH BY SOUTH-WEST CHOPPED HERRING RECORDS

38. 12 O’CLOCK BOYS 46. SOUND & VISION 18. 50. DIMITRI FROOM PARIS CHAIN REACTION Read the digital magazine and get exclusive online content at www.halcyonmag.com

74. INSIDE THE INDUSTRY Issue 4

Halcyon HQ 76. 16 Connect Business Village Tate Suite 9 TONY SMITH 24 Derby Road Liverpool L5 9PR 80. Telephone: +44 (0)151 207 7744 Email: [email protected] COOPER & STOLLBRAND Website: www.halcyonmag.com Editor-in-Chief Daniel Sandison 86. [email protected] Style Editors CAMPBELL-COLE John Lloyd [email protected] Matthew Staples 58. 92. [email protected] MASEO Content Editors OI POLLOI Jonathan Turton [email protected] Ste Turton 66. 98. [email protected] Business Development Director INVENTORY: TRIADS DANNY TORRANCE Alan McCarthy

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Cover photograph Mathew Copeland mathewspics.blogspot.com

Additional Photography Paul Mortimer thingandwhere.com HALCYON SNEAKERS & SOTHEBY’S A WORD WITH ARTIST, DAVE WHITE.

WORDS: DANIEL SANDISON

rtist Dave White discusses taking “I’ve only made images of things I have a deep as the Olympics, or the good times you had his childhood love of sneakers, connection with or things that profoundly wearing them as a kid. Everyone has a story comic books and Americana and a$ected me as a child. I’ve never had a game of why they have a favourite pair and there’s putting it on canvas… plan and could never have imagined that the a bond in the game, much the same as bikers works would have taken me on this journey have when they give each other the nod out When did you !rst decide, ‘I want with Nike and the likes. I enjoy the mix to be of mutual respect, sneakers are the same. Ato be an artist’? Was it something that came honest, and really like not being pigeonholed. Strangers start conversations and compliments naturally, or did it seem at odds with your Your work with iconic sneakers in particular exchanged. I love that. "e global sneaker other interests? has caught people’s imagination. From the culture is a wonderful thing with a lot of football following fraternity to Carmelo positivity and creativity.” “Since being a very small child, I was always Anthony - what is it about a training shoe that making drawings of things I was into. "is gets people so excited? Working so closely with popular culture, it’d crossed over into endless sketchbooks, which be easy to assume you must constantly be my whole childhood was based around. I “"e sneakers works were a homage to celebrate consuming new things; books, !lms, fashion. suppose it was kind of obvious in hindsight, and immortalise the designs and incredible Is this the case, or do you simply apply your throughout school it was Art I looked forward beauty I !nd in sneakers. As a kid in Liverpool, style to each piece as and when it comes to you? to.” making trips with hard earned pocket money to Wade Smith to buy a new pair was an “I’m a large consumer of popular culture - I Your work often re#ects aspects of popular incredible moment; spending hours deciding love !lm, comics, video games, music and culture that would perhaps be otherwise and weighing up your !nal choice. For me it the likes - however I’ve never jumped on a ignored by the art world. How do Air Jordan was a pair every blue moon, so the moment bandwagon or made anything because it was & things like that blend with being exhibited was special and still is. fashionable or on trend. Fads come and go alongside Picasso at Sotheby’s? Or is that and you’re left looking rather dated once the contrast part of the fun? “I guess globally it’s exactly the same; a&nity bubble has burst. I used to spend a good deal of with an athlete, an iconic moment in time such time absorbing blogs and information globally, 8 DAVE WHITE: SNEAKERS & SOTHEBY'S

9 HALCYON

I don’t even look anymore. I’ve a very intense relationship with the paintings; I keep my kind clear and avoid any distractions nowadays in the studio.”

“My journey has been 25 years in the making and I’m pushing it harder now than ever. I only make a series for a very good reason and although on the surface of past subjects I’ve explored, Pop Art was easily at the forefront of the intent, the work now couldn’t be further from this. My style is very distinctive yet I’ve never stopped pushing and learning, developing and re!ning. My latest works are actually stripped back and the volume turned down, I guess these things become apparent as you get older. I’m not one to rest on laurels and I’m only as good as my last piece - that’s how it’s always been. Some Artists are happy with one thing forever and that’s totally great for them. "at’s not for me. Once I feel I’ve said what needs to be said I move on. I ended the sneaker series in 2007 however I am revisiting Americana, as I hadn’t fully got where I wanted to be with it. Sometimes making brave decisions and unlearning brings out the best work. I’m actually !nishing the painting, then completely whiting it out and starting again - it’s all about not being precious and leaving ghostly echo’s in tune with my intent for the Warrior pieces.”

"e art world may seem a daunting arena for many, but much of your work allows for something recognisable; iconography that people can latch onto and perhaps go on to enjoy more of. Did any of your favourite artists open that door in a similar way?

“Without question Vincent Van Gogh, the man loved life and did it his way. He didn’t care for convention – he tried to blend in and !t and realised that wasn’t him or his work - he found his voice and style and depicted everything around him that was special and found joy through it. It wasn’t about fashion, success, notoriety or in#uence. He painted because he loved painting and I have a lot of a&nity with that.” 10

IN SEARCH OF BILL MURRAY: SOUTH BY SOUTH-WEST

WORDS: JONATHAN FREDERICK TURTON IMAGES: DARIA LUDWICZAK & JONATHAN FREDERICK TURTON SUNDAYBRUNCH.TO

t seems that plenty of people in the William James Murray is probably the most USA have, or know someone who has, a gracious, modest and well-loved A-list celebrity personal Bill Murray anecdote. in America. Multiple websites exist dedicated to real life instances of Murray’s now renowned “Nobody will ever believe you” whispers a$ability, ranging from take-out orders for Bill, as he halts his morning jog to the entire sta$ of stores he frequents, to him headlockI a bystander, or steal a chip o$ requesting ‘the biggest Margarita with salt you somebody’s plate. In recent years Chicago’s can make’ in an airport bar at 10am. My host favourite son has developed a penchant for in Texas, Lizzie, has a memory of her own. Austin, Texas. Around March, when one of the world’s biggest and best music festivals Back in 2010, Bill #irted with her pal who rolls into town, so does Murray - routinely worked on the reception of "e Hotel Saint swilling beer and hitting on cocktail waitresses. Cecilia in Austin- Dr. Peter Venkman’s base of I travelled to SXSW in search of Halcyon Hero choice when attending South-By. On !rst-name Number One… terms, her friend (on the o$ chance) asked him to attend her boyfriend’s uno&cial gig on the Without a Hollywood agent or manager, Saturday evening of the showcase. True to form, making direct contact with the eighties, Murray showed up late and unannounced, and nineties and noughties icon was going to got drunk with Lizzie and her pals till dawn be nigh on impossible, as is well known in the next morning. Apparently, the comedy Hollywood. You don’t get in touch with Bill, maverick has stayed at "e Saint Cecilia on Bill gets in touch with you. "e mission was numerous occasions, so naturally this is the to !nd our man, ask him three questions and !rst line of enquiry regarding his whereabouts photograph him with the latest edition of this year. Disappointingly, our collaborator Halcyon Magazine - not the worst assignment reports no sign yet. In the meantime however, I’ve ever undertaken. Whether it could be there is plenty to entertain a young man here in realised amidst a plethora of distractions, the Lone Star State. namely bourbon, cocaine and cowgirls, was another matter entirely. Due to its full integration into the city’s 12 SXSW: IN SEARCH OF BILL MURRAY

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14 SXSW: IN SEARCH OF BILL MURRAY

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16 SXSW: IN SEARCH OF BILL MURRAY

infrastructure, SXSW di$ers from any other the king of deadpan is !lming in Chicago. Will music festival I’ve attended. "e whole city he make it for the last evening? Ridiculously, is turned upside down, every location that I’ve lost my press pass, and will have no access can possibly house music, does. Launderettes, to tonight’s o&cial shows. "at means no gay-bars, back gardens- yet music isn’t the only Prince, Ozomatli or "e Pharcyde. Presumably thing on the menu. it was lost whilst shirt shopping in one of the many thrift stores dotted across the city. I plod In the last ten years the festival has evolved on regardless, drinking shots and craft beers in into a celebration of all art forms, housing various bars, keeping my eyes peeled for Steve !lm premieres, technology shows (Twitter was Zissou. In the small hours I !nd myself on a bus presented here in 2006) and other miscellaneous with a band playing, heading out to someone’s events such as the nomadic Flatstock show, house on the city’s periphery, thoughts of Bill which exhibits the best concert-poster artists and the assignment are put to the back of my working today. "e range of activities at any mind. one point is overwhelming, then of course there are the uno&cial events. A series of showcases My mission ends without a Bill Murray that sprawl through the city, day and night, encounter. Perhaps he didn’t make it to the that locals claim are party this year? better than anything Perhaps he did? As the festival-proper, ever, the journey has to o$er. is more important One of the most appealing areas than the destination. "e sheer range is Raney Street, where derelict, of shows attracts Veterans of the an extraordinarily King of the Hill-style bungalows festival claim the diverse crowd. "e were converted into a series of event has now !rst gig I attend outgrown itself, exhibits the variety drinking establishments. that the small on o$er, where Iggy venues are unable to Pop, "e Specials house the growing and Ghostface demand that has Killah perform on the same bill. One of the accompanied the big name acts. Although some most appealing areas is Raney Street, where a of these claims may be founded, the SXSW’s couple of years ago derelict, King of the Hill greatness lies in its expanse. style bungalows were converted into a series of obscure drinking establishments. I sit in what With a swathe of free, interesting events, would have been a Texan’s front room, drinking encompassing a bounty of genres and tastes, a can of their treasured Lone Star Beer. as well as the o&cial showcases, it would be downright impossible not to have a good time Further east, along Sixth, Fifth and Fourth here. Barbecues, pool parties, softball games, you Street, is what can only be described as a hipster name it, it’s in the itinerary. Austin’s favourable paradise, where punk bands play in and around weather and condensed central district lend traditional Mexican watering holes. It is here the perfectly to a multi-platform extravaganza. Shangri-La lies, where a couple of years ago Bill A carnival with a primal spontaneity and turned up with "e Wu Tang Clan. According exhilarating nature. to folklore, he was hanging out with the Hip- Hop behemoths after attending their show "en of course there’s the food- How will I live and, with assistance from the RZA, wound up without Tex-Mex? behind the bar serving drinks to the unwashed masses. Every drink ordered was accompanied SXSW is a must for any music fan. More than with a shot of Tequila, of course. Out of the just a music festival, it’s a unique American scorching sun, I head in to see whether Bill has pilgrimage, with or without the presence of Bill reacquainted with the dark and alluring saloon Murray. this time around. Still no trace.

In the coming days, word !lters through that

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LAST OF THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS: DIMITRI FROM PARIS WORDS: STEPHANIE HENEGHAN & DANIEL SANDISON

18 DIMITRI FROM PARIS

don’t like the fashion world at all” explains Dimitri From Paris, to a remarkably underdressed Halcyon writer in the foyer of the Manchester Malmaison. “I’m obviously very interested “Iin style, but I actually think that fashion is completely remote from that. Fashion dictates your style and that means you are being told what to do by them. Style is your own- you should pick and choose what you want.”

Dimitri should know. He’s provided music for the catwalks of Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Hermés and Yves Saint-Laurent, but as he explains it’s not where his true passion lies. “"e music for fashion thing isn’t something that I pursued really. I was looking after the technical side for someone who was well introduced with all the fashion houses. He was also an old-school DJ, but he didn’t know how to mix, and needed someone to put some bits and pieces together.

“Dealing with stylists though, they have a completely di$erent view of music, one that isn’t musical. For me, it was very hard to communicate with them. It was a good learning experience because I had to make things !t without them being beat-matched. My !rst album ‘Sacrebleu’ came from that, a lot of the samples, catwalk snippets and things.”

It’s interesting to hear someone like Dimitri, with such an established back catalogue of collaboration and original material, speak about DJing as a learning experience. He reveals that his trademark loungey, laid-back House style, was borne from a similar learning curve, and a case of employment dictating his practices.

“My !rst paid job was in a club !lling in for a resident DJ, and I didn’t like it because I didn’t have the freedom to play what I wanted. I couldn’t bring my own records, I had to use the record library that was there, and I thought ‘this isn’t for me.’ For a long time after that I worked strictly in radio, and it was there that I really developed my niche. It was a night program between 10 and 2am, when I was in the mood to play music that you could listen to rather than dance to. It was still ‘dance music’, but stu$ that was smooth and melodic. It had that element of ‘lounge’ or whatever you want to call it, but also you had to keep it exciting so that people stayed tuned. It gave me a chance 19 HALCYON

20 DIMITRI FROM PARIS

to develop my skills as a programmer for a good decade, before I went back to DJing in clubs.”

It seems strange to consider now, after two studio albums, over seventeen compilation releases (including 2000’s Night At "e Playboy Mansion), that Dimitri was once just eager to learn, and wasn’t at the very top of his craft. Where did that desire to learn and develop initially come from?

“I’d always loved music. At about 12 or 13 I started getting into soundtracks, mainly the James Bond albums, action movie soundtracks, that sort of thing. "ey had break beats in, before I even knew what break beats were. I

I saw a video of some Hip-Hop scratch DJs, which must have been in the very early ‘80s before the famous Malcolm McClaren video. It had people like Africa Bambaataa and Fab Five Freddy on the same stage, and for the first time I was seeing DJs being creative with the records. went into buying James Brown, more and more 12 inch singles, because they were more exciting, and not condensed like the ones that you’d hear on the radio. I was buying more and more music and I couldn’t see it coming to an end. I didn’t think of DJing as an option at all. In fact, I’d never even considered the possibility that I could interact with music.

“I saw a video of some Hip-Hop scratch DJs, which must have been in the very early ‘80s, before the famous Malcolm McClaren video. It had people like Africa Bambaataa and Fab Five Freddy on the same stage, and for the !rst time I was seeing DJs being creative with their records. Suddenly this made music more exciting than it had been, because someone was interacting with it. I went home and tried it on my turntable, and thought ‘wow, it’s not 21 HALCYON

magic. I can do close to what they’re doing and with training I’m sure I could get there.’”

“I borrowed my parents’ turntable, made a small mixer with some parts that I bought from a shop and really started to get involved with learning how to do it. "at’s how it started. "e key was wanting to interact with music without being able to play an instrument.”

DJing has obviously developed massively since those early tentative steps and after his apprenticeship in radio programming, Dimitri returned to clubs and rose to prominence in a !eld that he initially found uncomfortable.

“By the point I went back to clubs, DJing was starting to become what it is today, where DJs take their records to a club, and I thought ‘OK this is more like it. "is is the way I can DJ’. My background in programming, mixed with the urgency and immediacy of playing in a club, helped me build what would become my style.

“"e kind of music that I play suits cosy places, and a club for me is cosy. By de!nition it’s closed, it’s dark and that’s where I grew up playing my stu$. Putting that into a festival puts my music out of context and when you put it out of context you’ve got to change what you do. I think if you’re playing a club it’s like driving a mini, and a festival is like driving a truck, you’re just not going to do it the same way.”

How about those early days of buying records, is that same passion still there?

“I have no attachment to the tools. I’ve been collecting vinyl for the music, I also buy a lot of CDs and I still like the physical thing. I’m still attached to something that I can hold, but if I have the choice between vinyl or a CD, I’ll buy the CD, for the quality. It’s always been about listening to music for me.’’

22 THE BEAT BOUTIQUE

e chatted to Dimitri whilst he Archie Bell and Gladys Knight, these artists was in the country for "e Beat who not only made great records in the 1960s, Boutique, Manchester’s premier but when the Disco scene came along, started soul/disco night. Jonny Mangas to change and become more up-tempo, and in and Liam Quinn, the brains the 1980s moved on again. Like those artists, behind the whole thing, gave us we developed again, began with the ‘60s Wa bit of background on the night… stu$, but moved on to a sort of House/Soul crossover.’’ “"e Beat Boutique started as a rare soul club” explains Liam, “I’d run "e Belfast Soul Club “If an artist progresses musically, then a DJ years ago, and when I came to Manchester I has to do the same. If you don’t progress, your wanted to start a club night. "at’s where it art form doesn’t progress either” adds Liam. began. After about four years, it was good, “We’re Soul boys at the end of the day, that’s and we had a great name, but I was starting where it’s coming from. It’s all in#uenced to move on musically. It was getting a little bit by that sound, but we want to create a party too ‘rare’, and other DJs wanted to stick with vibe and move on, listen to new stu$ and be that, but myself and Jonny, who I’d known constantly evolving.” since I moved to Manchester, wanted to play music for a party, music that you could dance With a solid concept, an excellent venue in to. "e other DJs eventually left, and I was left Manchester’s Soup Kitchen, and superb guest on my own. "at’s when I asked Jonny to get artists - ranging from Dimitri to Al Kent and involved.’’ Homoelectric’s Jamie Bull - "e Beat Boutique has forged its own niche in Manchester’s “It was either stop it completely, or move in congested club scene. a new direction” interjects Jonny Mangas, his Northern drawl clashing with Quinn’s North “At the Soup Kitchen we get to do what we’ve Coast Irish accent in a manner that momentarily always wanted. We’re close to people and if turns "e Malmaison bar into a scene from a they’re dancing and enjoying themselves, then Ken Loach !lm. “What was di$erent between we can enjoy ourselves” tells Mangas. ‘’"e myself and Liam, and the other soul DJs, was thing about our music and what we’re into is that we were listening to other things as well. that you don’t have to be into Soul, you don’t We were into di$erent things, we were going have to be into House, you don’t have to be to House nights, listening to Groove and being into Groove or whatever. It’s about the night; involved in other scenes. "is all stemmed it’s about a big party.’’ from Soul music, in its original form. We were taking references from everywhere, listening to @"eBeatBoutique 23 HALCYON

AN ORANGE BIKE RIDE WORDS & IMAGES: JOSHUA ROTHERY

ust before I set o$ to cycle from my lanky men strode around with long sticks and home town of Goole, Yorkshire, to nothing else. It was so hot that after every Cape Town, South Africa, I sat in my blink, when the air touched my eyeballs again, garden and had a bacon sandwich with I felt a burning sensation. a cup of tea. I then made my farewells to the family and climbed onto my "e day dragged on. Very little changed, newJ orange bike. I can’t remember exactly what besides getting more and more exhausted, I thought or felt at the time, but I know I didn’t working hard for little more than an average fully appreciate what was beginning. I just speed of 3mph. I continued to aim towards an !gured I’d ride about eighty miles for that !rst invisible ‘something’ that remained just beyond day, and hopefully !nd a pub whose landlord the horizon. I would push a little, slump over would let me camp after a couple of pints, in my handlebars, sip some water, and go again. the pub garden. "at all worked out. Over and over. Over and over. It wasn’t until I’d ridden across Europe, around the Mediterranean via the Middle East, and a Time crawled, yet worryingly, evening and long way up the course of the River Nile that, nightfall seemed to be approaching with haste. (in a corner of Ethiopia, on a day that made my I wouldn’t be able to move after dark. I’d be extended holiday !nally feel something like an forced to camp. expedition) I thought, with particular clarity, “Why the hell am I doing this?” As the light began to seriously fade, out in the distance, a building appeared. I’d just crossed the Omo River, leaving behind Omorate - the last real Ethiopian settlement A !nal e$ort took me there, and I was - to make my way through the remotest of welcomed by a policeman toting an AK47, landscapes into northern Kenya, via the shores who gave me water, a room, pointed out the of Lake Turkana. "e only people around were shower block, and promised a cooked meal. tribes folk and bandits. "ere was no road. I Everything I needed. set o$ on a bearing given to me by the pointed !nger of a local man dressed in a technicolour At the beginning of that particular day, I begged robe. "e sand-dust surface was too deep to the question “why the hell am I doing this?”, cycle on, so I was forced to slowly push my but by the end, had perhaps the single closest heavy bike under the baking early morning thing to an answer. I did it for the adventure. sun. "e landscape was a simple construction "ere were other days too that answered the of three elements: a sky full of blue above a question. "e Bulgarian sex temple, the story ground full of brown, dotted with an occasional of the dog stick, the thumb blister, the dying green shrub. I was threading my way between woman. "ere is the one about the dhow that sporadic vegetation, creating my own men of Bagamoyo, and the night long sail to route, aiming for an invisible point on the Zanzibar. "ere’s a tale of a broken saddle on horizon and desperately hoping that I wasn’t the way up the highest road in Africa. Dining veering gradually, yet massively o$ course. I on bags of rice, police escorts in Egypt, a boy didn’t have enough water for much more than on a horse in the night with a silver tray of tea, a day and so I had to reach the Kenyan police the termite invasion. "ere are others, but in border post at Todonyang, to refuel. all honesty, a lot of days were just quite normal.

A half-naked old woman held out her hand, so For !fteen months my nine-to-!ve was riding I shook it. She had a very !rm grip. a big orange bike. On those days, it was especially nice just to !nd something else that Mountains #oated on mirage lakes. Lone, was big and orange. 24 AN ORANGE BIKE RIDE

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CHOPPED HERRING RECORDS IMAGES: ATTE SONNEN, THOMAS DAVI, PIET PADO

iercely independent and unwavering be traced back to Manchester’s early noughties. I got a job working in the Fat City Records in its ethos, Chopped Herring We caught up with enigmatic owner, known as store but it wasn’t until around 2000 that I Records has cemented itself as one Pro Celebrity Golf, to do some Fly Fishing into set up Chopped Herring Records. "e label of the leading Independent Hip Hop the world of Herring. started with two releases by the remnants of a Labels in operation today. A steady Manchester Hip Hop group called "e Idiots. barrage of vinyl only, limited releases What’s the History behind the label, how did I’d been doin’ a few cuts and live shows with Fby Hip Hop Luminaries such as Masta Ace, we get to the point we’re at now? them and after a disastrous (yet hilarious) Prince Paul and Action Bronson have made trip to ‘Hollyweird’, to meet amongst others it the go-to record label for Hip Hop purists “PCG: Around 92’/93’, I started spinnin’ at Interscope supremo Jimmy Iovine, the group and vinyl enthusiasts across the globe. Now club nights in Manchester; from then on I had split up. "e now ‘legendary’ (is that too strong run out of New York and Paris, its roots can DJ work on the regular for about 7/8 years. a word?? nahhh) UK Hip Hop joint ‘Out To

26 CHOPPED HERRING

Lunch’ was the !rst ‘o&cial’ release. I did the I was happy to rep. I was also exposed to the and ‘borrowing’, that was the main thing I usual door to door or shop to shop thing, Mr new cats coming up who looked back to the wanted to put across with a label representing Bongo in London (BIG UP) represented and same joints I was spinning and reppin’ from Hip Hop. "e sample is everything and it’s a sold a bunch of copies, as did Fat City. After the mid to late 90s; the same records I was creative process that every artist uses, whether 2 years locked inside a semi-detached house in diggin’ for in NYC. "ese kids, maybe 10-20 consciously or subconsciously. I hit up a Old Tra$ord, Jay Glaze and I dropped the one years younger than me, were discovering the bunch of dope artists back then who still own o$ legendary (too strong?? NO CHANCE) cut small pressing indie releases for the !rst time. the record, notably Soulman (aka Phil Most n paste mix ‘"ree Sinister Syllables’.” "eir passion for Hip Hop on vinyl, whether Chill), Necro (one of my favourite artists of underground or more classic (like Paul and the period) and a bunch more. A few years “"e label took a bit of a backseat for a few JVC) was inspiring. With Herring always later I scored the dead stock from Sure Shot years as I went out to NY, on and o$, diggin’ being about independence as a lifestyle choice, Records which happened to be in a lock-up in for wax and sellin’ it. "ose years got me a and Hip Hop on wax, it seemed the right time Indiana of all places. I shipped a load of 45s bunch of dope contacts plus a steady mail to take it on to the next. So I started working to NYC, picked ‘em up when I was in town order customer base. In 07’/08’ I dropped 2 with a few classic underground acts whose and brought ‘em back with me to the UK. I records by Texas based artist Memory Man. records I had - Da Dysfunkshunal Familee and faked a licensing situation by having some new "e following year Herring started hittin’ hard Shadez of Brooklyn - then through MC Paul Herring logo stickers made and I stuck each again on the limited vinyl scene with the !rst Barman I hooked up with Prince Paul who had one over the original label logo. I also made Da Dysfunkshunal Familee record.” produced Barman’s !rst EP. From there I got a little sticker which added my name to the the con!dence to hit up other dope artists and writing credits a la greedy label owner from A small UK label, releasing local artists and the rest, as Sun Ra would say, is his-story, or back in the day stealing artist’s royalties. Satire, Mix CDs starts dropping previously unreleased my-story!” parody, cheekiness- whatever you wanna call it. Material from Hip Hop Pioneers Like Prince Cats still don’t realise it was the Original 1960s Paul and JVC Force. What was the catalyst for You had some interesting ‘Promotional record they copped.” that? Records’ in the early days including a 7.5” Cut out record and a Latin 45”. How were these Chopped Herring has a unique strategy for “I swore I’d never get into the licensing game; I received and how did they help raise the labels releases; social network announcements to saw a bunch of labels licensing dope ish from the pro!le? a dedicated core following, no conventional States to make their own product look better, promotion or ‘leaks’. Did this come about by I thought it was a cop out. BUT, after falling “"e !rst ‘release’ was the ‘Daydream’ 7.5” - accident or was it intentional? out with new Hip Hop stu$ in the mid 2000s,I many years before the current fad for cutting felt that looking back was a true representation non-typical records. We did it by hand on a “A NYC MC, producer and record hunter of how I was feeling. By 2009 it was something jig saw. "e idea behind it was ‘sampling’ who I used to go diggin’ with on occasion

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called Nobs put me on to the Diggers With art direction, posting, packing, the whole 9.” think it was timing. I dropped the ‘Welcome to Gratitude board. I joined up around 2009 and How did a small label, pressing a few hundred the Great Outdoors EP’ relatively early in his realised a bunch of my eBay customers and old vinyl copies per release, manage to sign deals career, showed him what I could do with his supporters of Chopped releases were hangin’ with high pro!le and in demand artists like work on vinyl and we built from there. It says a out there. I’d made a bunch of new contacts lot about him that he kept me on board to do in NYC and was thinkin’ about droppin’ some the vinyl of Dr Lecter and Blue Chips. Same new wax. I saw what dudes were doin’ on the with Meyhem Lauren; we now work together boards and set up a ‘limited’ release with some ‘It was a natural thing when on all the vinyl releases. I committed to him of the Bushwick artists I’d hooked up with. For early and we have grown together, now he has the next year I was just feelin’ it out and doin’ you believe in independence albums produced by Buckwild and DJ Muggs. my usual diggin’ thing in the States. I also set I think mutual respect is important if your up a Facebook pro!le, something I just wasn’t - independence from larger relationship is going to stand the test of time. interested in before. "at gradually attracted companies. I probably use a As far as Masta Ace & J.V.C.F.O.R.C.E goes, I more Hip Hop vinyl buyers onto the fan-page still can’t believe we’re working together ha ha.” and it grew from there. similar ‘business model’ to the old Who are the !sh that got away, who would be “Now I mainly roll with Facebook as the front Punk labels of the 70s and 80s’ your perfect catch and what’s in the pipeline? end of the promo side of things, our own website and the DWG board where Herring “Good questions. Many of my perfect catches is now an o&cial sponsor. As far as the mail Action Bronson and Masta Ace? are on the hook already; the next few months order steez, it was a natural thing when you are amazing. Grails, new acts and unknown believe in independence - independence from “Ya know, vinyl is now a niche product, a acts. A real B-Boy bouillabaisse. Who got away? larger companies. I probably use a similar product I specialise in exclusively. It makes Doppelgangaz. I was on to it at the right time ‘business model’ to the old Punk labels of the sense that dope artists would want a label that but I guess I wasn’t ready to convince them at 70s and 80s. I mostly sell direct to my amazing can do a good job in their area of expertise. that point. Some acts have their manager as customers and although I do use a couple of their front line protection, some don’t. "ey distributors in Japan and Europe, I ship the “"ey know they can get some exposure but did, and that proved to be the problem. For the vast majority of the pressings to customers keep it underground. "ey know their product future? More of the same; straight up multiple myself. In fact I do everything myself - I answer will be spread around the world to dope artists, vinyl orgasms. Just keep it going. Keep the cats all the emails, hook up with artists, deal with DJs, radio cats and generally clued up Hip happy, keep them guessing, keep giving them the business, the promo, the snippet mixes, the Hop heads. In the case of Action Bronson, I what they need. Keepin’ it mad !shy son.....”

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WEBSITE: HALCYONMAG.COM FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/halcyonmag TWITTER: @HalcyonMag INSTAGRAM: @HalcyonMag LA GAZETTA DELLO HALCYON JAMES RICHARDSON

JAMES RICHARDSON ON ITALIAN FOOTBALL

WORDS: JONATHAN FREDERICK TURTON IMAGES: KAPPA

o the discerning football fan, there’s character and football they usually talk about something about the Italian game the English. "ey regard the English as being that captures the imagination. Be it a of model character- the way their heads never diving header from Gabriel Batistuta, drop if they go behind; the battling spirit. the stripes on the Sampdoria kit or a referee that’s been promised a “Part of the attraction of Italian football was holidayT - its narratives seem to stretch beyond that they always had such great players, the sport, into the realms of art, theatre and all too weather was good and back in the nineties, often politics. there were all these big stadiums that looked so impressive. Another draw was that the Italians Its idiosyncrasies have long been appealing, break all the rules and don’t seem to care, on or but in recent years the canvas has been sullied. o$ the pitch.” Italy’s football landscape has been blighted by a multitude of problems, with Serie A falling "e Italians called it ‘il più bel campionato del progressively further behind La Liga and the mondo’ which translates as ‘the most beautiful Premier League, both !nancially and morally. league in the world’. A statement that, at one point, few could argue with. During the How did it get to this point? What were the Nineties, Serie A was unquestionably the best unique traits that made it so special in the domestic football division on the planet. "is !rst place? What contributed to its near was re#ected in the European competitions of capitulation? James Richardson, expert Italian the time, where between 1989-99, nine of the football correspondent, is perfectly placed to eleven European Cup !nals featured an Italian answer our questions. side.

“In terms of foreign football, you want “I think the measure for most people was the something where things are done di$erently- dominance in Europe. In the UEFA Cup you and things are most certainly done di$erent in would often have all Italian !nals. Champions Italy” states Richardson. League; European Cups- you would always have an Italian !nalist. "e way that Serie A “It’s funny, when the Italians talk about teams dominated was really quite amazing. 30 *"e melody’s changed but the song remains the same LA GAZETTA DELLO HALCYON JAMES RICHARDSON

31 LA GAZETTA DELLO HALCYON JAMES RICHARDSON

“I think ‘98 was the !rst year they didn’t get anybody into the quarters- that really felt like a sea change, because already you’d started to see big players maybe not coming to Italy, but going to play in the Premier League or La Liga.”

"rough the glory years and into the decline, Richardson and his team produced Football Italia, a Saturday morning soccer show on Channel Four featuring the best Italy had to o$er. Was ‘98 the year he felt the power shifted towards England and Spain?

“It was certainly towards the end of the ‘90s. "e Italians were always conscious of La Liga’s power, Real Madrid and Barcelona. It was the Spanish they were worried about, not the English, although they always respected the English traditions.

“Zola went to Chelsea in ’97, that was a big moment. See, a lot of players like Vialli had gone to England before, but that was akin to players going to the MLS now, to line their pockets before they retire. "at was how it was regarded back then. When Zola went, that was di$erent. He left in the prime of his career, that really was a major turning point for Serie A. To lose a player like that, some people in Italy were thinking this might be the beginning of the end.”

Did the exodus of players coincide with monetary problems and at what point did the corruption and !nancial rot set in?

“For years the Italians had a system called ‘Plusvalenza’, which was a way of twisting the !gures I guess, when they did their accounts each year. So imagine I buy Baggio from you for 30 million. You would stick that cash in this years account, whereas I would put the expenditure in next year’s. So then, maybe you’d buy a couple of players from me. Again, you’d declare the money you’ve spent next year, whilst I’d declare the income now, and that would balance both our books. So they always made ends meet on the assumption that next year was going to be better.

“"roughout the nineties there was this exponential growth in TV deals and what have you, so they were always living beyond their means. At some point it had to come to a head.”

32 LA GAZETTA DELLO HALCYON JAMES RICHARDSON

Was there any individual or organisation players, the Lazio fans sent a delegation to meet responsible for this culture of excess - maybe "uram. Such was their power that basically, one !gure or personality, who embodied all when he came back from the training ground things bad about Italian Football? in Parma, they were in the dressing room waiting to speak to him. "ey’re very engaged “If you had to talk about a guy who secretly fans.” wielded enormous power, then Luciano Moggi would be the man. He famously brought Internationally, people tend to have disdain Diego Maradona to Napoli and managed for the ‘Ultras’, and similarly extreme fan to put the contract in after the deadline had groups. But amid an age of foreign investment, passed. Supposedly, in Naples, they managed isn’t that exactly what fans around the world to break into the league’s o&ces and get it are demanding from clubs these days - more rubber-stamped at the eleventh hour. power?

“Moggi is now famous as the man behind “You can describe it as essentially, the most ‘Calciopoli’, which was the big scandal in democratic football nation in the world. 2006 that saw Juventus relegated and major Nowhere else do fans have such a big say. points penalties. He was the director general "e problem is, which fans have a say? Does of Juventus for many years. Nobody wanted the ordinary fan have a say? Not really. It’s to upset him, which invariably meant people speci!cally the fans that threaten the club with would try and do what he wanted them to do. violence. "ese are the kind of fans that get represented. “Not only that, his son, in conjunction with a couple of other people, ran an agency managing “So, you’ll get Roma fans showing up at the players. You pretty much had to be in that ground in Liguria, throwing !sh at the players. agency if you wanted to play for the national Instead of calling the police, the club will send team. So everyone was kind of in Moggi’s web: out a delegation of players to meet them. On journalists, referees, politicians. If you wanted the one hand it’s nice that they have a say, but something done you went through Moggi.” then it’s not really fair on everyone else if only a minority are dictating policy.” As well as problems with !nance and corruption, Italy has had to face issues Post 2006, with the relegations and point regarding, let’s say, over-exuberant fans. "is deductions, has Italian football learnt its lesson? included violence, intimidation and racism. Are these problems on a national scale or are “Is Italian football now clean? I hope it is. But there pockets of resistance around the country? every year there’s a new scandal. It’s not on an industrial scale as it has been in the past; it’s “Italian football, similar to Italian politics, is no longer an organised, nationwide thing. I very much localised, contrary to popular belief. feel there are a lot of rocks you could lift up Livorno for instance, is quite a communist and !nd lots of things scurrying around. Now area, whilst Lazio is inherently nationalist. the Italians lifted some rocks, but there are a "ere were huge games between the two. In lot of other countries where nobody has lifted one of them, Di Canio did the famous Fascist any. "e doping question- if anyone took or Roman salute. "en Lucarelli, who was the that seriously in one or two Mediterranean great talisman of the Livorno side, did the countries, you’d see God knows what coming raised !st, which is the Communist version. out. "ere are di$erences, however they all have that passion in common. “What people are happy with doing and what people aren’t happy doing may di$er between “Lazio, when Sven Goran Eriksson was England and Italy. Italians, to English people, in charge, lost the Rome derby one year. maybe come across as shameless. "e way Afterwards, the fans staged an invasion of the they behave, from barging queues to diving. training ground in protest, even though they I’m wildly generalising here, but in football were second in the table at the time. When terms, I think that will always be part of the Lilian "uram was at Parma, Lazio wanted attraction.” to sign him, but supposedly because they had a reputation for not wanting to sign black 33 HALCYON

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ENVISAGING A U.S. DOCUMENTARY ABOUT MOTORCYCLES AND ASSOCIATED CULTURE, YOU’D BE FORGIVEN FOR PICTURING BUTCH, BEARDED WHITE MEN ON THE HIGHWAYS OF AMERICA. 12 O’CLOCK BOYS, HOWEVER, CUTS AN ALTOGETHER MORE INTERESTING SLICE OF BIKER LIFE.

WORDS: JONATHAN FREDERICK TURTON IMAGES: MATHEW COPELAND & LOTFY NATHAN

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ike Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider and other classics of the genre, Lotfy Nathan’s debut !lm captures the enduring appeal of riding, whilst observing the countries deep- rooted problems, this time in the Limpoverished setting of urban Baltimore.

“In their eyes they’re just having fun” explains Nathan. “"ey’re just getting away for a while but there’s another side to it obviously, because it’s dangerous and criminal. Baltimore is a tragic and beautiful city.”

"e story needs little in the way of aggrandising. Critically acclaimed upon release across the pond, 12 O’Clock Boys documents the activities of an illegal, inner-city dirt bike gang. You thought "e Wire o$ered a stark portrait of America’s most dangerous and economically depressed city? "is makes the HBO series look like Sesame Street.

“Part of it is about being in the streets. I think there’s a need for a sense of rebellion here to a certain degree. But it’s also borne out of being able to get out there in the !rst place, on the open road.”

As with any good documentary, the subject is opened up to the viewer vicariously through the experiences of an immersed protagonist. Ten-year old ‘Pug’ dreams of joining the group. An incredibly bright and personable kid - worthy of the lead in any motion picture - from the outset, we are completely absorbed by his story.

“I was going from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, kind of being introduced to people, and someone was like, ‘you’ve got to meet this little kid. He’s really good on a dirt bike’. I met him and immediately his mom was really open and warm, and he was so natural.

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“Pug, at heart, is a soft-spoken kid. He opens reached epidemic levels. Similar to "e Wire, up in certain ways. We became friends.” the producers ensure we are privy to both sides of the argument. Over a three-year period, we witness Pug’s descent into the dangerous and exciting lifestyle “I think there’s a correlation between people of a 12 O’Clock Boy, as he seeks mentoring in riding and not being involved in drugs and life as well as riding. Pug’s circumstances are violent crime” suggests Nathan in defense of emblematic of the problems that lie in the the gang. ‘"ere isn’t really a place for people USA’s poorest communities. From a broken to ride in the city, because they’re in the city. home, in a neighborhood with little in the "ere are trails outside of Baltimore in the way of opportunity, bereft of positive role county, but they’re not always accessible.” models, riding becomes an obvious outlet for his frustrations. "e !lm is as much about the However in the eyes of the police, dirt bikes youngster’s fate, as it is the gang’s exploits. are a hazardous nuisance. Although the crew’s activities are illegal, law enforcers are prohibited “A lot of kids growing up in a situation like from chasing bikers through the city, on the Pug’s, they have to make a decision about what grounds of it being too dangerous to both kind of man they are going to become and riders and public. "is creates an awkward, it’s a very di&cult community to negotiate, intense impasse; the cops and gang members obviously. locked in a cyclic cat and mouse battle, with no obvious outcome. “But a kid like Pug has to really want to become a vet or a doctor or whatever it is they want to Pug’s mother, Coco, is sympathetic to her son’s be, whilst the city on the other hand, has to cause. secure more resources for kids.” “"ey do not suppose to chase the dirt bikes. "e movie captures the fabled freedom Y’ know, they only come out of a Sunday, and experienced by motorcyclists regardless of a lot of people in Baltimore have this passion of age, ethnicity or location. "e reasons for riding, it’s a gift. "ey’re shutting down all the engagement here are no di$erent to those recreation centres here and there’s nothing left that stirred "e Hell’s Angels in the ‘60s - for children to do.” emancipation and escapism. For members of Baltimore’s bike squads, riding is the only 12 O’Clock Boys captures an extreme response tangible, attainable release from the crime and to extreme circumstance, a primitive reaction poverty that saturates their everyday lives. to life in an underclass. It’s bold, funny and at times an incredibly sad !lm. Besides Pug, how “"ere is a default of drugs and crime here, many other talented, intelligent youngsters fall no doubt, as well as violence. "is is kind of a through the cracks of America on an annual lesser thing, but it still involves adrenaline and basis? release and rebellion.” You’ll be hard pushed to !nd a more honest, As in David Simon’s landmark TV series, explicitly raw human story this year. 12 O’clock Boys explores the lawlessness of Baltimore, where contempt for police has In selected cinemas this summer

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SOUND & VISION: THE STORY OF MARSHALL AMPS WORDS: ANDREW MCROBBIE IMAGES: AL STUART PHOTOGRAPHY

46 SOUND & VISION: THE STORY OF MARSHALL AMPS

n April 5th 2012, the ‘Father of of hospital. He developed a love for drums and Loud’ o&cially passed into the by the 1950s, was a prominent feature on the realms of musical history- a man English music scene, teaching other drummers, considered responsible for the including Mitch Mitchell, Micky Waller and sound of contemporary Rock and Mick Underwood. “I used to teach about Roll. His name was Jim Marshall, sixty-!ve pupils a week. Playing as well, I was theO founder and architect of the most iconic earning somewhere in the region of £5,000 a guitar ampli!ers in the world. year (£100,000-ish present day). "is was how I saved money to go into business”, described At this point you should be picturing an Jim, shortly before his death. enormous Marshall stack, towering above a longhaired, leather clad glam rocker. Big "e creative entrepreneur opened his !rst shop sounds, massive stadium, possibly face-paint. (originally a drum shop) in 1960, in what is It all screams dramatic, American excess, now Tony’s Barbers at number 73 Uxbridge yet Marshall Ampli!cation, surprisingly to Road, Hanwell W13- a small, blue collar some, is in fact a British heritage brand with town on the edges of West London. "e shop a compelling history- a history celebrated at developed a reputation as the only place to this year’s inaugural ‘Hanwell Hootie’ music purchase speci!c drum parts outside of the festival. USA. Rock ‘n’ Roll kids soon became the shop’s base clientele. One zealous drum student used Born in Acton, West London, 1923, his to come into the store accompanied by the youth sabotaged by Tuberculosis, a young Jim bassist and guitarist from his band. "e student Marshall spent the spring of his life in and out was Keith Moon. 47 HALCYON

“Why don’t you sell ampli!ers and guitars,” Pete Townsend asked. ‘If I’m playing and somebody’s in the front row and they say ‘"is is junk,’ I can hear what they’re saying. I don’t want to hear them. “

From there on, Marshall understood this new wave of musicians needed something bigger and louder. “I was demanding a more powerful machine gun and Jim Marshall was going to build it for me, then we were going to go out and blow people away, all around the world”, Townsend would recall in an interview in 1993. In 1962 the !rst Marshall ampli!er was sold.

Fast forward !fty years and Jim Marshall; along with Les Paul and Leo Fender; make up the golden trio of pioneering rock instrumentalists. Whilst Marshall Amps has catapulted to the forefront of Rock music, Hanwell has somewhat regressed on the musical front, however.

Much like the nation’s football team, "e West London music scene had its glory days a long time ago. In England’s capital today, it is East London that holds the crown when it comes to musical output, where cheap house prices attract the more creative city dwellers.

However with the passing of Jim Marshall, a small band of Hanwell locals went to work on a plan to celebrate the town’s most famous son in the form of a music festival. With agreed sponsorship from Marshall Ampli!ers, they intended to inspire West London’s community and re-ignite a #ame that burned brightly in the Sixties.

"e !rst ‘Hanwell Hootie’ took place on 6th April 2013, kicking o$ with the unveiling of a black plaque (London’s !rst) to honour a grossly underappreciated native. "ree Marshall sponsored pubs showcased thirteen bands - a combination of local, up-and coming and established acts.

“If you want to get a little bit rude and loud, you’ve got to have a Marshall…It’s the big daddy” suggested Je$ Beck many moons ago. talent on show: from whippersnapper’s Di$use, "e organisers now look to next year, hoping "e sentiment still rings true. to ageing blues veterans. "e Prince of Wales that West London has awoken from its musical pub opened with BBC6 music veteran Michael slumber; safe in the knowledge that one of "e Marshall ‘Crunch’, as it’s known, is still Kilbey followed by the soulful Graphite Set, Britain’s most in#uential legacies is beginning desired by artists half a century later - as the sublime Sub Dulex, culminating with the to receive the recognition it deserves. evidenced at the Hanwell gathering. "e show-stopping East London-transatlantic trio diversity of the crowd re#ected the variety of Jingo. 48

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CHAIN REACTION

IMAGES: MICHAEL KIRKHAM

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RECORD PICKIN’ & EATIN’ CHICKEN WITH DE LA SOUL’S MASEO WORDS: ADAM MCALEAVEY WITH QUOTES FROM DJ2KIND’S STREET BEATS RADIO SHOW IMAGES: MICHAEL KIRKHAM

t was in the March of 1989 that a group changed the game, and lived to tell the tale. funny, we’re actually touring with LL Cool J from New York, with a weird name, A man who is internationally known as the this year in the States. He’s got a new project, I released twenty-four tracks that were beating heart of De La Soul, past and present. think LL just wanna get out the house. Living nothing if not original. It was Hip-Hop, in a trailer, doing the cop show on TV, y’know, but not as people knew it. De La Soul and "ey say you should never meet your heroes. it’s getting a little boring. He gets to run around their debut 3 Feet High and Rising took It’s probably true in the most part, unless that and play with guns, but I reckon he wants to theI genre to a psychedelic place it had never ‘hero’ in question is Maseo. An undeniably get back up on that stage’’. been before, blowing the minds of millions in accomplished and in#uential individual, the process. "e album is widely acclaimed as Vincent Mason is the most strikingly modest Whether he’s discussing the merits of today’s one of the greatest of any genre, cementing De and down-to-earth of musicians. It’s only rappers, the joys and hardships of going on La Soul’s place not just in their corner of the a matter of minutes before his hero status tour or simply the love for his family, you can industry, but in music history full stop. dissolves and he becomes one of the crew, guarantee that infectious laughter will follow. serving us with his early encounters of fame "ere’s not a shred of prima donna about “We sucked back in ‘89, we sucked!” DJ and anecdotes of life on the road. the man. As we dine at a local Caribbean Maseo explains, laughing as we drive back restaurant, Maseo’s happy to take time out and from Manchester Terminal 3, in a packed car “"e !rst tour we ever went on was with LL engage with those who crave a little slice of De that’s hardly suited to the physical frame of this Cool J. I was just a kid y’know? Playing in La Soul. "e adoration is something he’s grown friendly giant. ‘Trust me. Everyone’s freshman front of packed out arenas. It was crazy! And up with, and at forty-three knows only too well year, you suck! Everyone except KRS1’’. It’s then you’d go back to the hotel and there’d be how to handle. hard to argue with a man who’s been there - as many people there waiting for you as there behind the turntables, in the studio, on stage- was in the concert, like wall to wall. It’s kinda “I’ve been doing this since I was !fteen. I’ve 58 MASEO

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been producing and rocking parties, so it’s been a natural part of my life, the evolution of it, watching it reach certain heights. "at’s de!nitely exciting. I look forward to those moments because y’know, I’ve arrived. I’m not ashamed, I really do this, I’m an entertainer. It ain’t got anything to do with being a celebrity, but if that brings the celebrity and star thing that people admire around the world, then that’s on them. It’s appreciated to a degree, but at the end of the day, I’m a regular person who just enjoys what he’s been doing since six years old. Soon as I could reach turntables it was on and poppin’.’’

“Based on the era that we come from, you were deemed to be dead by your third album. They always said Hip Hop was like dog life, y’know, so we beat the odds”

"e valuable thing about this type of innate modesty is that it can often lead an artist away from complacency or ego, and instead push them to create and break boundaries.

“Based on the era that we come from, you were deemed to be dead by your third album. "ey always said Hip Hop was like dog life y’know, so we beat the odds. I think we played a very good part in sustaining the culture for it to be what it is today, which I feel really blessed to be a part of. I’m still amazed to come out (to shows) and not only see the people that came up with me, but their kids, nieces and nephews. "at’s really been the challenge.’’

With De La Soul releasing their !rst o&cial single since 2004 last month, and their ninth album ‘You’re Welcome’ due in autumn, they’re meeting the challenge of catering to the youth of today head on. “"e single’s called ‘Get Away’ and the subtitle is ‘Featuring the Spirit of Wu Tang’, so that gives you an idea of how hip hop that is! I love it, it’s the beauty of who we are.’’

Maseo clearly relishes the idea of releasing new material in an industry that has changed 61 HALCYON

dramatically since the days of 3 Feet’. Back at a #at, he plays the demo of the track using his mobile phone, before any leaks hit the Internet. It’s like nothing we’ve heard from De La before, yet it still sounds so right. Another breath of fresh air from the trio at a time when hip hop, commercial hip hop at least, has become oversaturated.

“With a De La album, each record exhumed a certain time in our lives which had a lot to do with going through trials and tribulations and just maturing. "e record I made at 25 could never be the same as the record I was making at !fteen-to-nineteen. A lot of the record’s we made on 3 feet, you know, we made in 1985! Naturally, this record is going to be a whole lot di$erent to that. It’s 2013 and I’m forty-three years old, things are a little di$erent now and not just the fact my hair turned grey!”

His love for music is clearly still very much alive. Over twenty-!ve years after producing “Me, Myself and I” - using a sample of the Funkadelic track ‘(Not Just) Knee Deep’- he plays us a rare edit of the track he recently found on a record he never even knew existed. A one-man party ensues, and before long he has the whole room joining in with this musical celebration. While the Funkadelic track represents the early beginnings of the group, his personal favourite album of theirs comes as somewhat of a surprise.

“Yeah, it was the least successful one, Buhloone Mind State. "at was my favourite, based on a con!dence level we had at the time to create music and go in a complete di$erent direction to what the rest of the business was going in. Still pushing the envelope to be di$erent, even with taking the risk of not selling some records.’’

It’s clear that multi-faceted artists like Maseo and De La Soul are able to connect with fans on a deeper level than most Hip Hop artists can even begin to strive for. By expressing varying elements of their character through records, listeners have been able to relate to their work from all di$erent angles. Whether in the mood to be silly, vent frustration, make love or just move a body, there is sure to be a De La record in the crate that tunes into your wavelength.

You’d struggle not to plug into Maseo’s individual personality, no matter what your musical inclination. 62

BERGHAUS

BARBOUR

SPRING COURT

GLOVERALL

PETER STORM

CHAMPION

LEVI’S

WOOLR ICH

PENDLETON

WRANGLER

RALPH LAUREN

LACOSTE

ADIDAS

PREMIUM VINTAGE CLOTHING

60 PORT STREET NORTHERN QUARTER MANCHESTER M1 2EQ

@BIONICSEVEN

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YMC x Ebbets Field Flannels Liberty Cap Tricker’s For Triads Toe Cap Derby Brogues £49 £350

We’ve seen some stunning collaborations in our time but this one is Continuing our established allegiance with Tricker’s this season we’re de!nitely in contention for the most pleasantly surprising. YMC and pleased to present three new silhouettes, all respectful variations of Ebbets Field Flannels are not only an ocean apart but they’re also pretty classic British models. "is particular design has been created with di$erent companies in terms of what they do. YMC are a cutting edge simplicity in mind. Black shoes are a wardrobe staple but few pairs brand, a brand that’s all about pushing boundaries in contrast to Ebbets boast individuality and attention to detail on the same level as these. Field Flannels who are concerned with authentic replicas of bygone eras. "ey’re made with one of the brand’s most durable pebbled leathers, It’s strange then that the two should work so well together. Using a short a leather which looks amazing and ages well at the same time. For the billed 1920’s silhouette as the basis the collaboration also uses a unique mid-section we’ve opted for an intelligent Scotchguard Repello™ suede Liberty fabric and a genuine leather strap to slightly alter the !t. A highly which is optimized for easy maintenance and unrivalled durability. limited collaboration and our limited stock re#ects this. As well as these well performing materials we’ve also selected a patent leather toe cap and a textile heel pull which adds a unique dimension 66 to an unparalleled and re!ned design. INVENTORY: TRIADS

Nike Free Run 2 Woven £80

"e Free Run 2 is such a well-designed sneaker that it makes an almost seamless crossover from running to lifestyle. Combining an intricate woven upper with premium suede it is a classy take on what was originally a very performance based silhouette. "ey boast a barefoot like sole and a sock-esque !t, two elements that make it the epitome of on the foot comfort.

www.triads.co.uk 67 HALCYON

Ally Capellino Noel Tote Bag Illesteva Albert Sunglasses Gitman Vintage Lady Print Shirt £249 £185 £135

A hard wearing tote by one of the !nest and Sunglasses are a wardrobe staple but it’s often An all new printed shirt from the esteemed most established names in British porting. For hard to strike a balance between !nding a pair Gitman Bros. "e Gitman Bros Vintage years the ‘bag market’ was ruled by American you like and a pair that actually compliment line is all about re-working classic styles and names like Filson but the modern day has seen your facial structure. Illesteva seem to nail it delving back into their vast archive to bring a re-emergence in British manufacturing albeit every time but these Albert Sunglasses are us something !t for today. "is Spring & with a contemporary twist. Having already particularly great as they boast gentle curves, Summer ‘13 release features a bold ‘Lady collaborated with technology giants Apple, apparently inspired by French cinema. "ey’re Print’ referencing beautiful women and Ally Capellino’s mainline has continued to go made in France from a high quality acetate. weather. Made with light cotton and boasting from strength to strength. "is model is made all the signature design aspects we’ve come to with a hard wearing nylon and accented with appreciate. Chalk buttons, a green stitched durable bridle leather which has been vegetable bottom button hole and a contemporary !t. tanned to create an unrivalled beauty. It’s pretty much perfection in the form of a shirt and the only time we’ll ever be covered in females.

68 INVENTORY: TRIADS

Nanamica 65/35 Cruiser Jacket Obey Elephant Peace Cushion Carhartt Prime Pants £314 £40 £65

"e Nanamica 65/35 Cruiser Jacket is Obey’s forays into soft furnishings are just Carhartt’s bottom o$erings are pretty hard to physical proof that they are one of the !nest as good as their forays into fashion. "ey’re beat and the Prime Pants are well regarded as purveyors of technical outerwear in the world. a company that’s fortunate enough to have one of the brand’s ultimate !ts. Made from Tailored for the modern man but crafted for a huge catalogue of artwork at their disposal hard wearing 8.5oz twill cotton and cut for a the temperamental world we live in, it is a and any canvas they adorn comes out looking slim !t they are quite possibly the perfect pair product of extensive experimentation. It is an amazing. "is medium sized cushion or pillow of chinos, not just within Carhartt’s range but aesthetically pleasing piece of kit and highly if you will, is soft and comfortable thanks against any brand. Finished with the iconic ‘C’ appropriate for commuting as it is not too bulky to it’s cotton construction which makes it logo positioned just above the rear pocket. to carry and light enough to be comfortably comfortable as well as stylish. worn whilst walking or cycling. Both the hood and waist feature an adjustable drawstring and the fold down collar houses a concealable hood to account for those sudden changes in climate. "is particular variation is season appropriate, crafted from slightly lighter cotton than we’ve seen on previous iterations.

www.triads.co.uk 69 HALCYON

EL SUPERCLÁSICO ON THE ROAD WITH RIVER PLATE.

WORDS: MIKEY P. CURRAN IMAGES: GUILLERMO RUSCONI © 2005 MILLER A. SUÁREZ A. @KARMAPOLIS

y experience of the ‘Superclasico’ two biggest clubs in America, their match-up In 2004, "e Observer newspaper listed the wasn’t akin to that of every famous the world over. Both River Plate and derby as the number one sporting event to backpacker. Being a resident Boca Juniors started out in the same working see before you die, ahead of the 100m !nal of Buenos Aires for a year, the class docklands neighbourhood of La Boca, at the Olympics and witnessing your own ‘let’s-follow-the-home-side’ meaning ‘the mouth’ of the Rio de la Plata. country win the World Cup. You’d be forgiven bandwagon passed me by, as I’d for assuming that such press would equate to Mbeen attending River Plate games all season. By As the rivalry grew stronger, relocation tighter safety restrictions to protect foreign the time the ‘Big One’ came around. away at separated the clubs, both geographically nationals. If anything, the opposite is true. Boca. I was as much a Milionario as the guy and sociologically. River Plate moved to the sporting red and white next to me. I knew the wealthier Palermo district of the city and It had taken me months to get used to words to all the songs, had three di$erent strips began buying expensive players, acquiring the Argentinian football customs, and to earn the and even contemplated an Ariel Ortega tattoo. nickname Los Milionarios in the process, a respect of fellow season ticket holders in the name that has stuck to this day. Los Bosteros vicinity of my ‘seat’- a term used loosely, as Argentina’s capital is home to arguably the ("e Manure Handlers) stayed put. it’s very rarely sat on during matches. For big 70 RIVER PLATE

games, you’re lucky if you can get within !ve asleep in the shade, would pass for security, with an incomplete story. However, I knew yards of your row. this game has a substantial police presence. from past experience that South American Surrounding the stadium, ten blocks in every police o&cers become a lot more tolerant when On the morning of my debut derby, local direction are cordoned o$ by heavily armed their pockets are #ush. A quick slip of 100 Peso friends pick me up at 9am for a game that guards that make Gaza look like handbags. grants me a security escort to Gate D. kicks o$ at 3 O’clock. Just one hour and four beers later, we’re on a bus to La Boca, plastic "e !nal checkpoint before entrance is a Entering La Bombonera induces both fear cups !lled to the brim with vodka, stomach random breathalysing procedure. Refusal and unadulterated excitement. Nothing could full to capacity with nerves. “You’ll need all the to take the test, or having too high a blood- have prepared me for it. Never have I seen a courage you can get for this game,” the locals alcohol level, results in a game missed and stadium steeper or less rigid. With every gust inform me. "ey weren’t wrong. no refund. I’m unfortunately in the latter of wind the infrastructure seems to shake. "e category, apparently ‘demisiado borracho’, but fans response? For ninety minutes they bounce, Unlike our regular matches, where a it doesn’t dampen my spirits. A lesser man may jump, soar and scream, as much a riot of passion lackadaisical policewoman with a search dog, have given up, sold their ticket and gone home as one of colour. Blue and yellow banners drop 71 HALCYON

down the vertigo-inducing stands, whilst the on the cards early on in the second half- and seen worse”, “"is isn’t that bad”, are the buoyant motion of fans mimics the ebb and so starts the spectacle that every westerner has reassuring words my neighbours provide. #ow of the South Atlantic Ocean. paid good money for, every security guard has come equipped for, and the several pitch-side As a mandatory rule in Argentinean football, Being in the away section means ‘special mounted water cannons have been waiting for. the travelling supporters are given a thirty- treatment’. No men in hi-viz jackets o$er minute window to exit the ground peacefully. protection. Instead, guards in armoured vests, A great idea in theory, in practice, not so good. with Alsatians and wire-meshed fences topped By the time we make it onto the streets below, with barbs, keep us under control. It seems “Shirts that had seemingly the Boca fans are also out of the stadium. "e over the top, but after spotting a few Ultras presence of media vans and armoured police smoking a mixture of marijuana and cocaine, only covered bodies suddenly cars prevent a dire ending to this tale. I realise it’s probably a necessity. unsheathe fireworks, flares, pliers "e bus ride back to our side of town is as As the game kicks o$, the stadium erupts and bottles full of urine” exhilarating as the match. "e only passengers into life. It quickly becomes apparent that who sit, do so on the roof. "e rest dance, sing, Argentines don’t turn up to watch the game, bang drums and celebrate a loss like it’s the as much as they do for the experience. As biggest victory of the season. Yet you’re never on all continents, football is called upon for "e attacks begin. Shirts that had seemingly far from danger in South America. Bricks, escapism. For them, it’s not just viewing a game only covered bodies suddenly unsheathe stones and homemade missiles suddenly pelt on the pitch, it’s dancing, singing, cheering and !reworks, #ares, pliers and bottles of urine- our vehicle as we leave the slums of the outer !ghting. All at once. herein referred to as ‘the ammunition’. city. Twenty minutes later I depart the bus, exhausted and dishevelled. "e standard of football on show is of no great Parts of fences are freed from their concrete quality at this particular meeting. A moment holdings; the gaps allowing for accurate Did that really happen? Is there a better way to of confusion that turns into a Martin Palermo trajectories to be made, as away fans launch spend a day in Buenos Aires? I doubt it. "e goal, just before half time, seals River Plate’s fate their assaults onto the home team below. It was hoodie is zipped back up, allegiances hidden and secures a smile on the face of Maradona. my assumption that this was the cue for the and it’s back to normality- until Independiente My fellow fans decide a sporting victory is not guards to intervene. Apparently not. “"ey’ve next week that is. 72

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HALCYON GOES BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE UK MEN’S STYLE INDUSTRY TO ASCERTAIN WHAT IT TAKES TO FORGE A CAREER, OR TO BUILD A BUSINESS, IN WHAT IS AN INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT. THROUGH FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS FROM PROFESSIONALS AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME, WE TAP INTO THEIR PAST EXPERIENCES, EXPERTISE, INVALUABLE KNOW-HOW AND GET THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING IN BRITAIN.

74 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY

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76 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: TONY SMITH

TONY SMITH PRODUCT DEVELOPER

WORDS: DANIEL SANDISON IMAGES: SAMUEL BRADLEY

ony Smith has been working with You’ve worked with a range of brands, are there clothes for over twenty years. any key moments that have shaped where your From Savile Row to Stussy, from work has taken you? Lyle & Scott to Ozwald Boateng he has developed products that “After working on Savile Row, which was my have transformed and rejuvenated !rst sort of real job, I decided that I wanted Tbrands. "e Liverpudlian tells us about how to work in casualwear. I went to work for a clothes went from a casual obsession to a brand called Burro, who used to do the No lifelong passion… Alla Violenza T-shirts. As I said, the main thing that got me into clothes was being born in Where did your interest in clothes come from, Liverpool, where people are into their clobber and how did you develop that into a career? aren’t they? Working in casualwear was where it moved on for me.” “Growing up in Kirkby, really. Back then, everyone went to the match, and everyone was Have your favourite brands stayed the same into their clothes. "at was it. I thought about since you were younger, or have they changed it, and decided that if I was going to get a job, over the years? I may as well do something that I like doing. I left school, didn’t go to university or nothing “My favourite brands have changed massively. like that, just went to Liverpool College to do a Ralph Lauren has always been there, but City & Guilds and moved to London. now it’s Haversack, Namanica all that sort of product. Quality, homemade product. If you “I was at London College of Fashion, was look at stu$ like RRL, that they try and make absolutely skint and saw a job advertised on in America, things like that. "at’s what’s Savile Row. I thought ‘I might as well go for important to me.” that’. I got the job and studied on Savile Row for three years. I thought it was better to earn When you’re developing product for other ten grand a year and learn on the job, than to brands, and working to a brief, does it ever pay loads of money to study, and come out become frustrating? Do you ever want to do with loads of debt” your own thing?

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“I think I am, like everyone else, a bit of a frustrated designer. I did production initially and wanted to get into design, but I had no formal training in it. I’ve had my own brand in the past, but I ended up doing consultancy for Lyle and Scott, who were just a V-neck jumper brand at the time. It was a great opportunity for me, so I moved onto that. It was a brand that I’d worn as a kid, and to go and work for them, and to help them expand was something that I wasn’t going to turn down.”

“The thing I like about having a factory in England is that within a couple of hours I can go and sit with the people working on the product”

You talk about homemade product being important to you, with the improvement of factories in the Far East is there a world of di$erence any more?

“In terms of things being ‘Made In England’ or ‘Made In China’ it’s de!nitely the quality of the factory. "e thing I like about having a factory in England is that within a couple of hours I can go and sit with the people working on the product. If it’s in China, you can’t do that, you can’t sit there and explain yourself and make sure that they get where you’re coming from. It doesn’t mean that your quality is inferior, or that you’ll get worse service, it’s just a case of being there for every step, for me. I want to make the product in the UK, so I can control it”

78 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: TONY SMITH

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80 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: Cooper and Stollbrand

COOPER & STOLLBRAND WORDS: JOHN LLOYD IMAGES: AMY WALSH

he Cooper & Stollbrand factory Europe has made business daunting for in Manchester has created some of everyone, but running a British factory over the most iconic garments in British the past few decades, not just the past few history. From Paul Smith, Burberry years, has been virtually impossible. "e acute and Aquascutum to Gulf War gas demise of our country is no accident. Britain suits, Virgin Atlantic’s air hostess used to be great when we mined our own coal Tuniforms and the out!ts for the opening and built our own ships/cars etc. "e only ceremony of London 2012. "e mill, !rst way back for us as a country, is to once again opened in the late 19th century, was where build and manufacture products that the world Private Jack White served his apprenticeship wants to buy from us.” after WWI. He would later go on to become owner and embed a Yorkshireman’s in#uence What key pieces or ranges have you put into otherwise Lancastrian product. James together that you think symbolise this? Eden, Jack White’s great-grandson now runs the factory, where alongside other prestigious “Our ethos is simple; if we can’t produce the brands, Manchester’s !nest craftsmen produce garments ourselves then we will not o$er them. the house label Private White V.C. It’s as simple as that. A key piece for us is the classic SB4. It’s the one product that has been What are the di&culties you face of running a made continually at the factory for over one factory in Britain, today? hundred years. It’s also very relevant to now because it’s such a classic design- everyone “"e tough economic climate throughout needs a raincoat. For AW13 we have updated

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the classic rain mac and we’ve used those hundreds of years - they remain committed to years of experience to create a garment that UK manufacturing and their customer base. is not only indecently stylish, but extremely Pro!le and reputation continues to grow as practical as well. Named the SB Unlined consumers around the world seek out high Mac and using Ventile - a waterproof, 100% integrity, high quality products made by the cotton - and internally taping the seams, we’ve most skilled workers.” created a garment that’s 100% waterproof and windproof. It’s being stocked by Mr. Porter How important is the tradition of the mill; the and J.Crew in New York, as well as in our store generations that have worked there, the family and on our website www.privatewhitevc.com” feeling -is this re#ected in the production?

Do you garner more respect in the industry “I am immensely proud of the factory and for homemade product, or has the tide turned of my great-grandfather (Private White V.C). and are emerging nations now gaining as much I’ve always had a close relationship with the respect for their manufacturing? families that used to work here, because my father used to play with their kids. I worked “I have huge respect and admiration for the as a teenager at the factory instead of having likes of Church’s and John Smedley. "ese a paper round, so I’ve always had a personal are factory brands, like Private White, that attachment. However, there is no doubt have remained loyal to their core values for that we have managed to survive the tough

82 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: Cooper and Stollbrand

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84 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: Cooper and Stollbrand

economic climate due to our amazing sta$, Is British manufacturing regaining a foothold who continue to exert obscene levels of loyalty, in the world, or will it remain exclusive to the grit and determination. It is all the component luxury end of the market? parts of ‘Heritage’ that make our factory so important: history, community, quality- and “We need people to be more discerning and to we have all three in abundance!” be more inquisitive as to where their garments are sourced from, and support all British How signi!cant is the Chinese/Japanese producers- not just those that make garments market to the future of British production? - in order to fully regain that foothold in the market. But the demand is there and is high, “At our beginnings, Japan was extremely for beautifully made British products. For me, important. We’re stocked in Beams it is not about exclusivity to the luxury end of International Gallery in Tokyo, and they the market, it is about the highly sophisticated were one of our !rst International stockists. consumer, who is willing to save up and pay However, we’re discovering more that our for something that is of the highest quality, international custom is actually in Germany - beautifully hand crafted, and that makes them one of the wealthiest countries in Europe and feel fantastic when worn.” with excellent green credentials. "at’s where our market is at the minute.” www.privatewhitevc.com

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86 inside the industry: CAMPBELL COLE

CAMPBELL COLE WORDS: JOHN LLOYD IMAGES: REUBEN JAMES BROWN

ampbell Cole produce luxury interesting characters like Nigel Cabourn, who lifestyle goods - quality essentials was one of my evaluators - he got me thinking made from the !nest materials. about technically advanced fabrics. "e brand Having previously worked with the Howies, based in Wales, were really interested, likes of Speedo during his time at but in my mind I thought I needed to go and the Pentland Group, Ian Campbell get a job and work for a little bit. ColeC recently decided it was time to go in his own direction. Joined by co-owner Felicity “A couple of years later I got back in touch with Baggett, he explains the process of setting Howies and said ‘what are we going to do with up an independent brand, while showing us it?’ "ey were really interested, really excited around their Nottingham Studio. in taking it on as a special side project. But recession came along and everyone just shelved You’ve worked with other brands in the past, anything that was of any real risk, so it got was your own product something that you’ve put back to bed again. "en another year or always wanted to produce? two after that, after further chats with other in#uential people, I was told it was probably “It de!nitely wasn’t about creating a best to do it for myself if I had an opportunity. commercial brand; it was more about I thought - ‘right, I’m going to do this myself’, designing product. After leaving Speedo I and went freelance for Speedo in order to free wanted to explore something of my own, up days to concentrate on this new project.” try something di$erent that represented a bit more about what I believed in. A project What prompted you to begin putting the that I had undertaken at university was about brand together now? promoting the use of bicycles - speci!cally through the design of accessories, that didn’t “A year after going freelance, I hit a real low make the cyclist look like a weekend warrior. point after fracturing two vertebras in my "e conclusion of the project was a backpack spine during a competitive Downhill cycling made using plywood. "ere was a clear accident. During my recovery period, I had possibility of developing it further. When a lot of time to think what it was I wanted doing the project I’d met and spoken to a lot of to do with the project, and decided I had to

87 HALCYON

develop the idea into something that was more commercially viable. I think what that time de!nitely did, that year, was allow us to build on our own network of contacts which I think is probably our single most valuable asset, that network of people that we know. It instilled a belief and a con!dence - we decided we wanted to make quality products that !tted beautifully into people’s lives.”

How important is it to you that the products are British made? With technological developments in countries like China, are the advantages of producing in Britain based purely on people’s perceptions?

“"ere are some really good manufacturers all over the world but at the same time, although they’re hard to !nd, there are some really good manufacturers in the UK also. What has become fundamental to establishing our business is that we can get in the car and drive to the manufacturers - the locality of it makes sense. "ey’re also prepared to work on projects of smaller numbers. Say we found an incredible factory in Italy for example; you’re immediately into air fares, language barriers, etc.

“I think at the moment while we’re doing bags and small leather goods, the factory that we’re working with - which is at the top of its game - is only an hour away, which is brilliant. I think the day that we want to design and make a product that is not suitable to be made in the UK; we will make it somewhere else. "e fact that we’re manufacturing in the UK also allows us to collaborate a lot more in the construction of the items. "e people in the factories that we’re working with are experts, and we’ve learnt a lot from them. We take bits of information away with us each time we visit, and learn valuable lessons.”

In terms of price point, how do you put this in place for your product?

“Price point comes down to individual components - we just use the best of everything. You have that con!dence in the products when you use the best components. ‘Made in the UK’ - there is a cost that comes along

88 inside the industry: CAMPBELL COLE

with that, obviously ‘made in the UK’ is more expensive. Another factor is that we’re producing in relatively small numbers.

“"ere’s a real premium for making in the UK. "e product we are developing at the moment, which is our !rst all-leather range, will come in at a higher price point, which we had quite a debate over. But it just keeps coming down to not wanting to compromise on the quality of the !nished product - that’s what it always boils down to. If you’re going to put your name on something it has to be the best.”

With British style and manufactured goods being popular in the Far East, do you have any plans to distribute in China/Japan etc?

“We want our brand to have the ability to spread worldwide. When we get to the point where we think we can take it abroad, that’s something we want to do. "ere’s no reason why the product can’t transcend international markets - the majority of our website commerce at the moment is from international purchases. We know there is an appreciation of British made goods and fabrics worldwide.

“"e UK is really small, and there are limited suitable outlets to wholesale - you can’t build a business on that. Currently we wouldn’t be able to produce in large enough quantities to be able to wholesale internationally. In future we do want to set up a network of distributors internationally, because we know that actually going into the store and seeing something - being able to handle it and get a feel for the product - can’t be beaten. We don’t just want to retail internationally online.

“At the moment in the UK we’re wholesaling to Anthem in Shoreditch and just recently Ideology boutique in She&eld. Being stocked in Anthem is great and Simon (Spiteri - store owner) has been brilliant. To !nd someone that is prepared to go out and support new brands, rather than just rely on the staple brands of their competitors, is a re#ection of his creativity as a buyer.”

What brands or designers in particular have provided a source of inspiration to you?

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90 inside the industry: CAMPBELL COLE

“Paul Smith. Here’s what’s amazing about him: there all these big names in fashion, it all seems so intimidating, and this whole other level of people that aren’t even real, and then you see someone like Paul Smith who’s just this normal guy from Nottingham, who didn’t even have a background in fashion. And look what he’s created. It’s the most amazing thing - he’s a big inspiration. To achieve that in your own lifetime would just blow your mind!

“"en there are all the younger brands that are coming through in British menswear like Folk, who we have always admired, and Oliver Spencer. Albam and Universal Works too, who are also from Nottingham.”

Do you think it is possible to succeed in starting your own brand from outside of London, contrary to common belief within the industry?

“It’s really nice to hear that things are happening in Nottingham and it’s not all about London. On a personal level, we struggled a lot with the idea of moving there before we started Campbell Cole - even though as designers, we knew that’s where all the jobs where. But with hindsight, it seems we made a really good choice in staying here, as we wouldn’t be able to a$ord to do what we’re doing if we had moved.

“For the cost of our studio we wouldn’t have even been able to a$ord to hire desk space down there. Being in Nottingham is enabling us to do what we’re doing. Up here we’ve got our own circle of in#uence- London is still accessible, whilst we can live the life we choose in Nottingham.” www.campbellcole.co.uk

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92 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: OI POLLOI

OI POLLOI

WORDS: DANIEL SANDISON PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL KIRKHAM

emember the dark days? When and he said he wanted to put some trainers in buying avant-garde Gore-Tex meant the window of his hairdressers. "e love of the arguing over exchange rates with a style of Manchester and the surrounding areas man called Gustav on the internet? was ingrained in both our psyches, really. When trying to !nd a pair of Italian tennis shoes in your size could have “I’d had a store in A'eck’s Palace in the early Rconceivably been easier if you’d owned a carrier ‘90s when that acid casual thing was going on pigeon? and realised that I was quite good at it – and enjoyed doing it. When that store closed, I It’s been eleven years since Mancunian went travelling the world for a bit, and then I menswear hustlers Oi Polloi !rst opened their started managing bands, but it was impossible doors, changing the way we bought clothes to sell people. You’ve got so many emotional inde!nitely. A decade later – with a new ties, and egos with people, so I decided; ‘I can’t location, an unparalleled reputation and a sell people. I can sell jumpers and coats and regular in-house publication that would make trainers.’ even the most distinguished magazines green with envy - we talk to co-founder Nigel Lawson “I wasn’t really doing anything at the time to about where it all began, where it’s going next, be honest, just languishing watching daytime and why Swedish hiking gear is the best… telly, so we started having meetings in "e Metropolitan in West Didsbury. We talked Why did you open Oi Polloi? about things that we remembered and loved, things that you couldn’t really get any more: “Myself and Steve Sanderson (Oi Polloi’s co- types of sweatshirts, certain trainers, certain founder) met at a friends’ birthday party. I coats, this and that. think we’d met somewhere previously along the line, but this time we were both wearing “It was early 2000s, and the excitement had Wallabee Weavers and we sort of got talking. gone after Britpop, me and Steve had both I’d done some other clothes in the past with been through "e Hacienda, we’d both been Johnny Marr and Elk, and Steve had seen me in through the football hooligan thing, we’d both GQ, this that and the other, so we got talking gone through Miami Vice and all that other 93 HALCYON

stu$ - we were like twins from other ends of is it, this is right’. We knew we could !nd these the city. We’d both worn tracksuits and gone brands, and when you’re wearing something to Heavy Metal pubs in 1982, listening to and people are saying ‘What’s that? What’s Hawkwind, but wearing Robe Di Kappa and this? "at’s a good coat’- and you know where Fila. "ere were certain weird things that we’d you can go and get it from- it just makes sense. both been into, that weren’t the norm for the culture we’d been part of. Which is what “It was stu$ I was wearing at the time. I was Manchester’s all about really. It’s not one thing, wearing Fjäll, I was wearing low, long slim it’s not the other, it’s a good mixture of stu$. jeans when everyone else was wearing baggy- bootcut. Nobody was wearing dark blue either, “By this point we knew what we were gonna it was that Verve thing, and the fallout from do, and there was nothing anywhere that Oasis, and I was like ‘no way man, this is not was stopping us. It was a clear idea, and we right’. I remember going to Lee and asking for couldn’t see any reason not to do it. I distinctly dark blue jeans, and they were like ‘yeah, we remember watching Richard and Judy in can supply them for you, mate. What the hell about 2001, putting the list together of all the are you on about though?’ items that we wanted to put in the store. We had Wrangler, Lee, Superga, Springcourt and “About !ve or six years later, it’s the norm. Fjällräven. Fjäll was one of those brands that For us it was just a standard jean. "ere’s no I’d had for many frills with it, but years. From the now it’s part of the late seventies wardrobe. Everyone in Manchester, wears the Nudies when a few of the or their Edwins, lads, mainly City ‘It wasn’t invented and it’s just normal. fans, knew about It’s not as exciting Fjällräven, it became in Paris, Milan or for us to push that a sort of a cultural any more, but it’s a undercurrent. I’d New York - it was staple, it’s like our never heard of it sliced loaf, our milk then, I’d heard of or cheese.” Adidas and Fred home-grown’’ Perry, but not this At the time, Swedish outdoors there wasn’t really gear. Many, many anything else like Oi years later I found one, and it just sort of Polloi out there, did you take in#uence from started to build from there. I thought ‘nobody any other stores, or was it more of a reaction? has got this stu$ anymore, it’s disappeared’. So we went on a road trip to a German footwear “At the time, it was probably stu$ like Prada exhibition, and on the way back we went to Sport that we were opposed to. "at super- Fjäll’s head o&ce in Holland. We had a chat modern, slick, designer scally rubbish that with the guys there, and they agreed to sell it was about. We were harking back to natural to us. colours, outdoor #avours, but in an old way. We looked at Chris Bonnington and all those “We ended up with this sort of mix of stu$. other guys, who looked ace - with their beards We had the 1960s and 1970s hiking gear, we and their coats and boots - and we wanted had the vintage trainers because we loved them some of that. "at’s high-street now, but we’re and it was part of our culture, and we had some talking about ten or eleven years ago. fresh casual, sporting bits and pieces that we picked up from London. "e core is the same “We still don’t want stu$ that’s too normal. as we’ve got now, it’s just evolved slightly.” When everyone has got it on and there’s some !fty-year old gentleman going out with his So there was no grand business plan, just a mates to get drunk, in his bootcut jeans and desire to sell the gear that you loved? one of the brands you’re stocking, that’s when it becomes too normal. It’s not what we’re “Starting the store wasn’t really to stand out, trying to do. "ere are brands we stock that it was just what felt right at the time. I wasn’t people might say are too normal, Adidas, Nike, being stubborn or anything, it just felt like ‘this Barbour - but they do enough good stu$ and 94 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: OI POLLOI

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96 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: OI POLLOI

remain true to what they’ve always been. When stu$ doesn’t !t in, we don’t buy it. If it does !t, and it’s popular, then we’ll sell it. If it’s good, it’s good. "at’s it really.”

A lot has changed in ten years, and you’ve certainly in#uenced a lot of new stores, do you ever get uncomfortable that they seem to be copying your style? Or is the imitation #attering?

“It kind of reinforces that we’re doing something right. Which is good, but then you see these shops that’ve opened up with say, Nudie, Fjäll, Mephisto… they’ve just picked !ve or six items straight out of our bag, put it all together and gone ‘yeah, we’ve got a shop, now’.

“Because all of these brands have grown over the years, it’s almost as if there isn’t anything else. Now, it’s almost like there’s no other way that these guys could go, but we did. When we started, we went out there and found ten to !fteen brands that nobody had ever heard of, and people would say ‘’how’re you going to do it? Everybody has got everything’’. You can still do it now, like we did.

“You need to look in the places that nobody else is looking, which is what I grew up with. "rough the football thing, you always had to have something that nobody else had. It was like ‘right, we’re going #y-!shing today, playing tennis tomorrow, you’re gonna look like Sherlock Holmes the next day, after that we’ve got to change our jumbo cords, Adidas are no good, you need Puma, now it’s Nike… right, I’m into Skiing now, hunting with dogs.’

When I got a shop I thought ‘right, I’m going to do that, I’m going to !ll it with stu$ that nobody else has got’. People go on like ‘ah, it’s a load of old rubbish, that’, but it wasn’t at all. It wasn’t invented in Paris, Milan or New York, it was homegrown, and that idea still holds true for Oi Polloi.”

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UNLIKELY STYLE ICON DANNY TORRANCE WORDS: DANIEL MOORES IMAGES: SCOTT DUFFEY

espite the eerie goings-on and de!nitely ruined, one can’t help but feel sorry slow descent into madness taking for the young’un. Luckily he has an exemplary place at "e Overlook Hotel, Mickey Mouse one to fall back on. the Torrance family in Stanley Kubrick’s "e Shining manage to Danny’s selection of shirts is equally impressive. maintain an impeccable dress sense Mainly tartan and check throughout, although forD the entirety of the !lm. Jack and Wendy perhaps the nicest (and most understated), aside though, it’s the youngest and smallest is the chambray number he wears upon the family member who is the outstanding style family’s arrival at "e Overlook. He completes candidate. the look with a pair of jeans and a navy baseball jacket, a con!dent blend of classic American With parents like his, Torrance Jr was always workwear and sportswear. going to #ourish sartorially. He’s certainly inherited their penchant for corduroy, with Whilst whizzing over that striking Overlook every member of the family appearing on carpet on his red and blue tricycle, Danny screen, at least once in some cord item or other: dons a red jumper with red Converse and Jack’s maroon jacket, Wendy’s dungaree dress dungarees. As well as looking incredibly cool, and Danny’s selection of trousers. this calculated colour co-ordination reinforces to the viewer the bond between Danny and his "e little chap keenly embraces the opportunity mother, who herself wears a red jumper under for knitwear that living in a mountain lodge a blue dress in her very !rst scene. A brilliant provides, much more so than either of his illustration of Kubrick’s fabled craftsmanship parents. He shows o$ a number of jumpers and attention to detail. over the course of the !lm, the most notable of which is the ‘Apollo 11’ number, not just With his Brian-Jones-meets-Alex-DeLarge impressive because it looks as though it was haircut and astoundingly varied wardrobe, lovingly hand-knitted by his mum. According little Dan sits comfortably in the same to some theorists, it is part of Kubrick’s veiled league as Home Alone’s Kevin McCallister. confession to partaking in the hoaxing of Yet somehow, he remains one of the most the 1969 moon landings. Go on - Google it. overlooked (pun intended) young dressers in Anyway, whatever you make of that theory, the cinema history. fact remains that it’s a smart piece of knitwear and when it turns up a few minutes later, #UnlikelyStyleIcon mysteriously ripped down the back, and most 98

INTRA- MATIC

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