West Coast Surf Style

In a throwback to West Coast bohemian and the origins of the Endless Summer:  

 

The Future of Design

The creative are an underworld in society. The creative are generally overrun by the commercial. The creative are generally outvoted by the realists, the practical. The creative are usually outnumbered and silence is forced upon them. When you look at the city of Toronto, with all its concrete and glass, all its shades of grey, you do not see the creative forces that exist within it. When you look beyond to the GTA, you see rows and rows of identical suburban homes. There is no creativity here, nothing but the pursuits of wealthy businessmen who want to see their projects constructed as quickly and cheaply as possible.

And it is for that reason that the creative in the world of architecture or interior design are so appreciated. Revolutionary and futuristic buildings streamlined and beautiful, works of art, colorful and different - those are the things you remember in a city. Those are the things you stop at as you walk past, stop and gasp and revel in its difference, at its beauty. That is creativity ripping up dollar signs and throwing them to the wind, allow the mind to speak its volumes on a greater scale.

In honor of freedom and expression, particularly in the face of the current situation in Egypt - appreciate the creative and all they aim to tell.

1.1.11: Jay-Z and Kanye Drop "H.A.M"..

The first single from Kanye & Jay-Z's collaborative album has officially dropped. "H.A.M" - which stands for Hard as a Motherfucker (..) - was released earlier today and has been greeted with mixed reviews. Many are underwhelmed with the track, expecting two creative and lyrical geniuses like Kanye and Jay to go harder. Personally, while I'm not a huge fan of the album cover (go back to 1995....), the song goes hard. The album will be released sometime in early March.
Let us know what you think!

Model of the Moment

Today I bought my January 2011 issue of Zink Magazine and flipped immediately to the editorials. First thing I notice is that the editorial shot by Greg Swales features Genevieve Pantano, a Canadian model currently with Elmer Olsen. Though only 5'7'', this girl is stunning and we hope she gets some international recognition soon!

Live Lounge..

There's nothing better than an amazing cover, but there's also nothing worse than an artist butchering an amazing song. Covers, though, add a whole new perspective to music, particularly when mixing styles - a country artist singing a hip-hop song, an indie band covering a vocal house track. Live Lounge is the place for interesting covers, so here we give you a few of the originals vs. the Live Lounge covers...

The Original



The Cover




The Original



The Cover 



The Original 



The Cover
 


The Original



The Cover



The Original




The Cover


The Original 



The Cover 



The Original



The Cover 



The Original 



The Cover 


(Um, Katy Perry? This is amazing - why do you not release singles like this...)

So many more! Radio 1's Live Lounge showcases the good, the bad, and the ugly, but ultimately challenges the artist out of their comfort zone. 30 Seconds to Mars Bad Romance cover may have actually been our favorite - what did you guys think? Original or Covers?

Watch the Throne..

All eyes are on the throne indeed as Jay-Z and Kanye West set out to defend it in the upcoming collaborative studio album Watch the Throne, now set to drop sometime in March. "The album," Kanye West said in a recent interview with MTV, "will be dark and sexy, like couture hip-hop."


Jay-Z After Party at Marquee from Seth Browarnik on Vimeo.

Though it was initially rumored that the album would be dropping sometime this week - in part because of Kanye's declaration in the above video - it is now reported that the album will be released on March 1st, 2011. The first single, "H.A.M" (no clue what it stands for - any guesses?) is produced by Lex Luger and will drop on 1.11.11 - Tuesday, January 11th. Leaks will probably surface this weekend but then again, an album this hot will probably be kept under tight wraps.

Speaking of leaks, these are some of the beats apparently used throughout the album...