Shake [racism] Off...

So Taylor Swift decided to drop a brand new single this evening called Shake It Off with an accompanying video. I'm not a Taylor fan but this song is pretty damn catchy, it's got a hook that burns itself into your brain!

The video is really fun too, it shows Taylor in a variety of scenes basically making a fool of herself. She stumbles around a group of ballet dancers, attempts to keep up with break-dancers,  and jumps alongside cheerleaders.

The different scenes appear to have preferences of racial groups depending on their activity; e.g. the gentle ballet dancers are all white and the twerking dancers are predominantly black.

I'm very interested to see whether the social justice activists on social media jump on this video and kick up a fuss on the racial stereotyping. Similar to Lily Allen's Hard Out Here controversy, I can see some people finding the fact black dancers were cast to twerk 'racist', an allegation that is clearly insane!

Twerking developed from traditional African dances (for instances the Mapouka) and made it's way into popular culture via hip hop videos in the 1990's. Therefore it's only natural to cast appropriate dancers to carry out the dance for the music video!

Another argument that may surface is the fact that Taylor uses the dancers as 'accessories' in her video; instead of twerking alongside the dancers, she stares in awe. And when the break-dancers create complex moves, she stands awkwardly beside them. To this, I say: Taylor has made it clear through public appearances, videos and interviews that she encompasses the 'awkward' role; she dances (intentionally) bad on stage, and concentrates on having a good time as opposed to trying to look cool. In the video for Shake It Off she stands as awkwardly by the white ballet dancers as the black twerking girls. So really, there isn't an argument to have.

Have a look at the video, see what you think:

She Rules..!

Can we take a minute to talk about Kate Nash?

Despite being on the scene since 2007, let me tell you why she's a breath of fresh air:

She's a talented singer/songwriter and has written not just for herself, but other artists such as Willow Smith for the recent track 'I Am Me'. Kate's discography is even being used as the soundtrack to a new musical!

When artists have image overhauls it's very easy to see that it's their management re-branding them in a bid to reach new audiences. But Kate's transition from vintage dresses and acoustic guitars to punk rock bass has been a gradual and genuine one. I'll admit, comparing Made Of Bricks to Girl Talk sound like two different artists, but if you look for the clues, you'll see that the bad-ass elements of Kate have been there all along: listen to the 2007 b-side Model Behaviour or the 2010 album track Mansion Song (My Best Friend Is You) and it's clear where her third album's sound came from.

She's multi-talented! As well as a songwriter and singer, she's utilised her performance skills learnt at Brit to appear in several indie films! The British comedy 'Powder Room' and 'Greetings From Tim Buckley' show Kate in a new light and who'd have though, she's actually good at acting!


She's actively trying to make a difference in the world! Kate is a proud feminist, and spreads the message of equality through her music as well as setting up youth groups to get others to embrace girl power! 'Kate Nash's Rock N' Roll For Girls After-School Club' teaches girls how to use musical instruments and encourages joining together to create bands, while her Girl Gang (currently based in LA) get together to discuss things going on in the world, injustices, prejudices and things that they want to change. Her 'fight it' attitude to make waves is truly inspiring.

MØ

MØ MY GOD, have you heard No Mythologies To Follow? It's the debut album by Danish singer/songwriter MØ and it's really really great. Yasmin introduced me to her at the end of last year, after playing the video to XXX 88 during pre-drinks. Something about the cinematography of the video along with the electro-pop beat stuck in my mind, and the next day I listened to everything she had put up on YouTube.



I see similarities between her and Grimes in the electro/vocal elements of their tracks as well as their physical appearance, but something about MØ just feels more accessible; her songs appear more commercially successful, they're the type you could hear playing on a night out and sing along to with ease.

I was lucky enough to see her perform (for free!) at the Kopparberg Music Festival, a month-long event held in a corner of Dalston. I went along with Yasmin and we divulged in traditional Scandinavian food (Elk meatballs and mash, anyone?) as well as an obligatory Kopparberg or two before watching MØ take the stage. From the first track it was clear we were in for a treat, as her energy and stage presence brought the crowd to life! I loved the fact MØ was not impartial to audience interaction, as crowd surfs and jumping alongside everyone else occurred every few songs!

Amazing cover of the Spice Girl's 'Say You'll Be There'

If you're yet to listen to her stuff, I wholeheartedly recommend Walk This Way, Don't Wanna Dance and Maiden.

Trouble In Paradise - Deluxe Box Set

Incase you've missed me harping on about it for the past 100 years, La Roux's sophomore album will finally be released THIS Monday (21st July).

Elly has always intrigued me because of her refusal to conform to the image/behaviour of a conventional pop artist, and her new album Trouble In Paradise really sets her apart from anything we've heard from this generation before. The nine-track LP is a lot less geared towards Top 40 singles; instead the focus is on the overall tone and feel of the album, which in my opinion presents you with 45 minutes totally immersed in this sort of sexy, calypso paradise where nothing is quite what it seems.

A large aspect of this is down to the David Hockney-style artwork featured, and this aesthetic is carried throughout the deluxe box set, a package deal I ordered from the La Roux web store. It's classy as hell, and you can really tell that Alexander Brown, the designer, Elly and the rest of 'La Croux' have poured a lot of focus into creating visuals that correlate to the vibe of the music. Take a look, isn't it the best thing you've ever seen?! I want these photos blown up as wallpaper.

1 x Vinyl LP
1 x Signed CD
1 x MP3 download link
1 x Album artwork T-shirt

Also...am I listed in Elly's thank yous?!

2013/2014 roundup

So it's been roughly ten thousand years since my last post, and a lot has happened:

My third and final year of university came and went in a blink of an eye. We barely had lectures this year (at least, I don't think we did?!) and unlike the previous two years, all films were individually made. For my graduate project, I directed and edited a short documentary about adult toy collectors. It's very good.

To celebrate our three years together, the course planned an end-of-year award ceremony. I joint-won 'Best Dressed Male'. Highlight of my life, obviously. I also created a short summary video, compiling memories that we've made together. The video made at least one person cry, something I'm immensely proud of.

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I've been blessed with many fancy dress opportunities this year, a favourite among many was my Halloween efforts as pregnant Kim Kardashian. The costume contained an inflatable Santa belly, charity shop wedged shoes, and a month's practice of contouring.

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Speaking of fancy dress, BU's Summer Ball was a few weeks ago. Yasmin and I decided to dress as Tina and Louise Belcher, characters from the animated series 'Bob's Burgers'...the majority of the public thought I was dressed as Dora the Explorer, but it was a big deal for the select few who actually recognised our costumes! The night was one of the best university experiences I've had, from the BBQ pre-drinks during the day, to the fairground rides at night, and the regrettable idea of staying up for the survivor's photo on Bournemouth Beach at 5am.

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I turned 21 this April, so naturally it was the right time for a Bar Mitzvah-themed pre-drinks. We spent the night at Toast, one of the most fun student nights around. Holly and I had learned the entire choreography to Iggy Azalea's 'Fancy', and were excited to premiere it to the crowd. Halfway through, this disgusting girl told me to stop dancing (who says that in a club?!) so I threw ice at her. You can't say she didn't have it coming.

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In terms of my retail work, late-2013 saw Topshop Castlepoint take home Store Of The Year, and I got to go along to the awards ceremony and hang with Nick Grimshaw. Last month I said goodbye to the team, as my time in Bournemouth came to a close. I had mixed feelings about leaving; I'll miss some of the team, but after over three years, I was absolutely ready to leave retail for good!

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And after months of planning, Cheyne, Zac, Yasmin and I finally went on holiday! We stayed at my parent's place in Mijas, Spain and took advantage of the sunshine and absurdly cheap alcohol. From day trips to the town, to taking Cuban dancing lessons, we did it all and I wouldn't have changed a thing! (Although accidentally  purchasing turkey mince meat instead of beef was a mistake I'll never make again).

Documentary planning

So with our final year of university looming (how?!) we've been given the summer to think about our final projects. Everyone on the course are expected to make two individual films; their minor (three minutes) and their major (10-15, depending on the genre) on top of their dissertation. 

Although my group's documentary turned to shit last year, I'm keen to try another with a group I crew myself, as opposed to being allocated people to work with. While I was still at school, I fell into a bad crowd; the Doctor Who toy collectors. I'd spent pretty much my entire night on the message boards talking to adults across the UK about the range, which shops to target...y'know, the usual(!) Anyway the thought of adults collecting action figures from what is, essentially, a children's market is interesting to say the least, and so I thought a short documentary about adult toy collectors would be a fascinating insight for others. The working title is 'Mint On Card' which is a collector's term for when an action figure is untouched, in its original packaging (a.k.a. mint condition). Here's a film poster I mocked up, basing the design on a combination of vintage Doctor Who/Indiana Jones and Star Wars film posters.

I sold my collection in waves on eBay long ago, but here's a taster of what my old bedroom looked like. (not pictured: a bedroom door painted like the TARDIS) Oy vey.

Home improvement.

Now that I'm back home for the holidays I had a chance to begin personalising my new bedroom. Just little things, I'm hoping to get some framed artwork on the walls soon. Etsy is so great for handmade stuff, absolutely recommend a browse. Last night I spent about 45 minutes window shopping. Sigh. I miss money.

001. Coloured paper bunting from Tiger. £1 for 10m is great value, I was able to go around the whole coving.

002. Inspired by artwork I'd seen on Etsy, I used acrylics to paint eighteen Twin Peaks-styled illustrations. I painted an existing frame white and used brown paper as a border.

002. Varnished wooden frames painted white perfected my shrine for Laura Palmer. Munchkin (the hamster money-bank) certainly agrees.