Van Tango

Just thought you'd like to know...

Welcome to the Good Life

Men's fashion week is in full swing in Paris, where Louis Vuitton recently debuted the Kanye West x LV sneaker collaboration. Here is my favourite photo from the week so far; Kanye and his entourage outside the Comme des Garcons show:

Photo: JAK AND JILL

So well dressed! It's good to see some colour... and those LV trunks, oh my!

I Toss and Turn /// I Keep Stressing my Mind

Over the past few months I kept hearing a song in clubs that was driving me crazy. As in, I couldn't NOT dance to it even if I tried. The thing is, in my drunken oblivion I could never remember any lyrics or even a beat so I had no hope of finding it via google. When I would hear it again, I would get flashbacks of the last time I was dancing to it, and it was always good times. 

My frustration came to a head at Rhythm and Vines when both Busy P and P-Money (maybe it's a P thing?) played the elusive song during their DJ sets. What was most annoying is that it's unusual for me to not recognise a popular club song. This is because I spend far too much time finding new music and collecting b-sides, rarities and remixes or because my friends from high school (whom I love, despite our musical differences) listen to the chart hits and always seem to put on a tracklist that reeks of  The Big Kumara whenever we're hanging out. I expressed my frustration about this to friends when P-Money played it during his boiler room set at Big Day Out and thanks to them the mystery has been solved. I have now been listening to the song on repeat for the last few days. It's the Crookers remix of Day N Night by Kid Cudi, here's the video:

I know some of you will be shaking your head at me for not knowing this track earlier and I'm sorry. I know some of you will watch the video and shake your head at me for liking this song and for that, I'm not sorry. I'm not much a fan of this cliched hip-hop video either, but man, this song is such a guilty pleasure of mine and I can't deny it. I can't apologise for my opinion either. 

While I'm in the mood for confessing, I might as well tell you that I also like Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne and also Everything by P-Money. Yeah, and what? They're both songs that I know I shouldn't like, but I just can't help it. And really, why would anyone deny the small pleasures in life?

Cause Me Pain, Hedi Slimane

Hedi Slimane has always been one of my favourite designers (his Dior Homme collections always made me wish I was a boy...) and now he is one of my favourite photographers too. Here is the latest batch on his fashion diary website featuring Lara Stone. For the February issue of Vogue Paris perhaps?

Lara Stone is one of my favourite models at the moment (along with Karlie Kloss and Rosie Huntington-Whitely), but I'm worried that having a whole issue of Vogue devoted to her will mean that this time next year she may be facing the same backlash that Agyness now is. Still, I will definitely be buying a copy, no matter how expensive the air freight is!

That was just a Dream

Some photos I took of Cut Copy at Rhythm and Vines:

Tim was the only Cutter to come on stage to help set up beforehand and some guy behind me (who was wearing a Cut Copy t-shirt, he was a fan, obviously...) pointed at Tim and yelled "I can see Dan!"

The whole band was full of energy, Tim especially. They seemed as electrified by their music as we were. I'd seen in an interview with them that they do sometimes get bored of playing the same songs night in and night out, as you would expect, but if they were bored during this performance they certainly hid it very well.

"One thing that I just can't conceive is how to let you go..." (Far Away was one of the highlights of their set)

I never truly appreciated Strangers in the Wind until I saw it live.

Fight!

I didn't see it since I was right up the front, but a friend who was standing at the back told me that by the end of Cut Copy's set, everyone who had been sitting down were up and dancing.

Come on let's get high

Franz Ferdinand will always be one of my favourite bands. I've seen them play twice now and both performances were amazing. Their first two albums were so solid that I have no doubt about how good their third will be. Ulysses is the first single from Tonight: Franz Ferdinand and judging by this song the album will go in a different direction to what they've explored before, but will still be distinctly Franz-ish. I can't wait for January 26. 

Jay from Rebirth of the Cool already posted the official Ulysses video, but here is a great live version of the song:

Walking down Cuba st. today I came across the Teenagers. I had a bit of a weird reaction actually... I got quite angry. Not outwardly, but in my mind I was annoyed at the fact that their album is rubbish and yet they're able to travel the world whereas I know of plenty of other bands who deserve the success more than they do. At the same time I like that they're able to fool so many people into thinking that they're a credible band and that their album is good. With a bit of clever marketing they've found their niche and kudos to them for it. Are the Teenagers the Stolen Girlfriends Club of the music world? I think so.

The French Open

It was a French invasion over New Years when Busy P, Fafi and DJ Medhi came to New Zealand for the Rhythm and Vines festival. Fafi posted some photos of their trip on her blog:

DJ Medhi

Fafi & Medhi

Busy P

Busy P, Ajax (an Australian DJ who also performed at RnV) and Fafi

You can read Fafi's blog over at Cool Cats le Blog

where Busy P, DJ Medhi, So Me and Michael from LA MJC also have their own blogs.

Nights Out

This Saturday I'll be going to see Metronomy and the Teenagers play at Bodega. I'm so super excited, I haven't been to a gig at Bodega in aaaaaaages. I think Ratatat back in May could have been the last one I went to there. Does anyone else remember back in 2006 when there seemed to be awesome gigs on at Bodega every weekend? What happened?

I only recently got into Metronomy, thanks to a friend who always puts on Nights Out before we head out into the night. Now Nights Out is easily one of my favourite releases of 2008. My favourite song changes every week, which to me is the sign of a good album. At the moment it's A Thing For Me. Metronomy's videos are always great too, in my mind they're on par with those by Hot Chip, Bjork and The Presets.

Fun with primary colours in Radio Ladio:

A new take on the Karaoke video in A Thing For Me:

Helping a friend get over her in Heartbreaker:

It's interesting that Metronomy are playing with the Teenagers, who in my mind released one of the worst albums of 2008 (though not quite as bad as the one by the Ting Tings), though it will be fun to sing along to Homecoming. And hey, they're French so they can pretty much get away with anything really.

Anything New

If you're signed up to the Karen Walker mailing list you would have already seen this, but what you probably don't know is that the sale has been going since tuesday for extra special V.I.P's, so some of the goodies will have already gone! I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I was sworn to secrecy about it and I'd like to keep my trustworthy reputation in tact, thank you very much. Hopefully by 'Public Sale' they mean the 'Everything under $150' sale, because that sale is probably my favourite out of all of them. Not that I have money to spend there right now anyway...

A Certain Romance

Just some street style pictures I have been loving recently (and some cool sites you should check out too):

Garance Dore; Garance Dore; Face Hunter; Knight Cat; Jak & Jil; Le Blog de Betty

You Make Me Like Charity

I just got sent this photo from my Grandma, it's me on Christmas day, wearing the offensive Karen Walker dress.
I'm updating my links on the side bar there, if you want me to link to your blog or could recommend any others I should add to my Google Reader, let me know.

I've also created a Twitter account, I'm still not really sure what to do with it yet, but feel free to follow me/this blog.

It Seems Like I've Been Here Before tonight

The RnV update is coming, I promise! It's just that it appears my little Canon digi isn't compatible with Safari on my macbook so I am trying to figure out another way to upload my photos. Patience, grasshopper.

With all the excitement of Rhythm and Vines, I've completely forgotten about Big Day Out. It's only next week and I still haven't sorted out how I'm getting there or anything (anyone driving from Wellington to Auckland and could give me a lift?). Eeek! Better get onto it.

While this year's line up isn't as good as it has been in previous years, I know that seeing TV on the Radio will definitely be worth the $125 ticket. Everyone else will be the cherry on top, like seeing Lupe, Arctic Monkeys and Hot Chip for a second time and dancing to Simian Mobile Disco in the Boiler Room. But one act I'm really really looking forward to seeing is DFA's Holy Ghost!

I first came across them when Digitalism put Hold On on their Kitsune Tabloid mix and the song hasn't left my playlist since. I think Holy Ghost! will be to this year's Big Day Out as Justice were to BDO 2007. Confused? Let me elaborate..I have had many (too many to count) conversations about Justice that went a little something like this:

ELLEN: Justice were soooo good live.
OTHER PERSON: Wait, you've seen Justice?! Awesome!
E: Yeah, they played at Big Day Out 2007...
OP: (stunned disbelief).....What! Are you serious?
E: Yeah, they played in the Boiler Room just before Peaches
OP: How did I not know this?? (cries)
E: Well, to be fair they had only officially released We Are Your Friends then, but a lot of their music was already floating around on the net...Yeah. You missed out big time.
OP: (still crying)

So yeah, do you want that to happen to you? To be looking back in two years only to realise that you missed your chance to see this really awesome electro act? Don't miss Holy Ghost! Plus they're signed with DFA (also home of LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Hercules and Love Affair and Hot Chip), so that's pretty much guaranteed good times right there.

They do lots of good remixes too, including this killer one of MGMT's Of Moons Birds and Monsters.

Lucid Dreams

In contrast to last year, my experience at Rhythm and Vines has been amazing. I can't stop grinning from all the happy moments. I want to relive it all over again. Without a doubt, the best New Years I've ever had. I will write a full play-by-play post soon, but right now I am in desperate need of a shower and some sleep. Also my cat has been very lonely without me and is demanding my love and attention...