IM // UR | Diplo gets his Vogue on

We swear this isn't an ironic listening. We love Beyoncé and 4. OK, we might unironically skip straight to track 5, 'Party', produced by Kanye West and with rap by Andre3000, because we ain't no stay-home-mums that need all those ballads about being broken hearted and finding the right person. But, after that, the album turns into a beautiful compilation of classic r'n'b, soul and a bit of sweat-inducing booty tracks - not too many though - that sound surprisingly courageous considering the actual state of pop music. And for that, we bow down and hail Queen B. P.S. Get the deluxe version, for those extra couple of amazing tracks.

WE // R \\ WEARING

The name of this label has been interpreted in many ways; from 'bass-seekey' to 'base-ike', but the correct way describes exactly what this label is about: BASIC. Bassike delivers easily breezily cut staples with an interesting little twist that keeps them from being your run of the mill. For those that live in climates like that of Australia (where Bassike hails from) or Brazil, you'll know how easy it is to make fashion faux pas when the weather gets hot and the prospect of wearing anything but a bathing suit becomes slightly unappealing; Bassike is all and everything you need.

WE // R \\ WATCHING

Before watching HBO's Game of Thrones, I assumed the series would tend a bit more towards the blood-dripping Danish movie Valhalla Rising rather than fairy-tale stories a lá 'Lord of the Rings'; and for that I didn't really like the series at the beginning. But slowly, I found myself submitting to tales of bad kings, midget juggernauts, savage warriors and... dragons. And that happened probably because there aren't exactly good guys and bad guys here, like there are in Tolkien stories - and that is, of course, a simplification of his work. Another reason I relented to this series is because of the intriguing political backstage element that leads to the ever-happening dance of thrones. Oh, and did I mention the gratuitous nekkid-ness?

WE // R \\ GOING

Of the slew of new spots having opened up in Sydney in the last six months, The Norfolk on Cleveland St in Surry Hills has been one fated with success. Owned by some of the same kids that have brought The Flinders back to life (and currently, it's incredibly quick onset of 'The Norms'), you'll undoubtedly find The Norfolk rammed with all kinds, vying for a bite, a beer and a spot in the garden out back. The aim of the game is to cultivate Aussie pub culture at it's best; and it's doing a pretty decent job so far - if only you could get a table!

WE // R \\ READING

Super Sad True Love Story is the third book from the writer of the best selling Absurdistan, Gary Shteyngart. Incidentally, I read him name dropped in Flavorpill's Ultimate Hipster Reading list and in the same sentence as James Franco (they're buds, apaprently) just before I finished his latest offering. Don't let any of that put you off, or take away any of the sad scary brilliance of Super Sad True Love Story; written from the perspective of one 39 year old Lenny Abramov, son of Russian immigrants and in love with the impossibly cute and cruel Eunice Park. A satire that cuts to the bone, Super Sad True Love Story is exactly it's title. And it's good.

Diplo gets his Vogue on

Wednesday // October 26, 2011 at 18:04 // filed under Music // Fashion // Lifestyle

HIYA // Wes and MikeQ

So aside from the terribly old news of his contribution to taking the third world to the first, Diplo is now trés mode with such first world accoutrements as GQ and Vanity Fair (though it pains me somewhat to identify him as 'that 'Paperplanes' dude – guys, for me, that was a totally mediocre tune. Go listen to some of his less lamestreamed stuff). In fact, he's actually a columnist at the latter. Diplo's latest column exploits a night out at Vogue Knights Tuesdays – and I don't mean the rival magazine kind.

I'm kinda fuming – just a little – out of jealousy, here. A Vogue Ball/Night was one thing I really had trouble trying to get a hold of last time I was in NY. Like most people who see the film, ever since I encountered Paris Is Burning, the Vogue Ball scene and culture has held great fascination for me. Earlier this year, I met father of the House of Ninja, Benny Ninja, survivor of the legendary Willi Ninja when he hit the runway in Sydney for Australian Fashion Week (I squealed when he glided out) and that only fueled my desire to get my Cindarella on and be at a damn ball.

Anyway Diplo, despite his modest claims of not knowing a lot about being black/gay/cool, having gleaned all his knowledge of that particular Bermuda from DJ MikeQ and Maluca, was the white/straight/'uncool' guy, perfect to go to a vogue ball in Manhattan a little while ago. Documented by Vanity Fair contributor Shane McCauley, Diplo takes us through his Knight on a Vogue Tuesdays (though unfortunately, the exact location and club isn't disclosed, except that it's right next to the Comfort Inn somewhere in Midtown, amongst a bunch of emtpy warehouses. Respect though, it'd not only get shit if that littled secret got outed online at Vanity Fair, but it'd probably have already moved on anyway by the time anyone hauled ass over there).

Check some of Shane McCauley's pics from the story below and in the gallery, but head over to Vanity Fair for Diplo's full commentary (or full MikeQ plug, as it were, scene aggregator extraordinaire that he is). And you should also totally read Julianne Escobedo Shepherd and Krisanne Johnson's story on NY's next gen Vogue scene for The Fader too, from earlier this year.

"...what makes a good party isn’t the fashion, the clientele, the hipness of “D.J. current hit,” or the club’s interior. They see that a really good club is built by the community, and that a community breeds the creativity in the music and the dance. You’d think that, on first look, when the dance competition starts, that these guys hate each other. The new-school vogue style is built on a lot of hair whipping (if you have the extensions or real thing — Willow Smith’s song got played a lot in different forms) and a lot of falling down backward on the offbeat. This part of the dance is amazing. It seems the more violent the hair whipping and the falling, the crazier the crowd goes." – Diplo

"...always, the weird scream/snare on the fourth beat is used to precision. It’s the sound that you might hear in Psycho, when Janet Leigh is being stabbed to death in the shower. It’s the sound that all the dancers mark to do a special move: an enormous fall, a deadly hair whip, and hip-dislocating side thrust. Or many other very violent moves that would not be allowed on So You Think You Can Dance." – Diplo

[Ed's note:True, no pure Voguer has ever reached Top 20 on SYTYCD – trust, I know. And they haven't yet exhibited actual Vogue style as a number on the show. YEAH, I'm a fan, haters to the left.]

GALLERY