IM // UR | Zombie Crystal Disco Fighters love London

This is probably the most exciting album we've heard in a while. Can you imagine a metal band not made by (and for) teenagers who worship Iron Maiden like their sisters worship Miley Cyrus? Invasion's The Master Alchemist is a compilation of 12 songs created with noisy guitars and fearless female vocals that will teach future generations about the emerging punk attitude; all with a metal sound and new rave style that might actually be the future of hairy metal. And we all thought heavy metal had no future...

WE // R \\ WEARING

No matter what part of the world you live in, you really can't ever have enough tees. Specially white ones. And black ones. With cool graphic prints on them. Meanwhile, in hipster-dom, crystals are still an ever popular theme, but in this case, we prefer this one in particular from Canadian based operation Handsome Clothing, christened the 'Lunar Crystal' (//Christel) tee. 'Handsome', despite being a kind of old school, highly civilised type of word, does describe this tastefully hip label justly. They also have a darn good-looking blog too, so go check that out while you're at it.

WE // R \\ WATCHING

Burn Notice is a USA Network series about a spy who got burned - which they remind you of in every scene. Although following the
basic style of American television, the series will catch all you dudes out there (sorry, girls won't like this) who like watching things explode in the most diverse ways. And like any good spy show, it teaches you how to make homemade bombs with boring things (a modern version of MacGyver). Plus Bruce Campbell is a lead character. And he's looking all Morrissey like.

WE // R \\ GOING

Imagine a youth house transformed into a club. Now charge 4 reais for a (long neck) beer and from 10 to 15 reais to get in. If you did it all right this would be called Neu (read in German) and actually already exists in São Paulo. My favorite night there is Friday, when they host Explode, a party where they basically play third world inspired songs (from Vampire Weekend to the whole club rap scene from Baltimore). Some great underrated DJs play there from time to time, and when you least expect it, you might find yourself laying on the dancefloor busting out some drunky town moves.

WE // R \\ READING

So yes, we've been wayyyy slack in updating the We//R\\Stuffs, which is why I'm going to say now that we began and finished Oscar Wilde's A Picture of Dorian Gray well before we knew it was a film. This is a classic novel about art, vanity, beauty and the consequences of such. 'A Picture of Dorian Gray' is brilliant; exploring and exploiting the potentially corrosive characters of beauty and what beauty can do to a character. Navigating through the deeply dark and light sides of human nature, Wilde's novel is a wickedly good study of society, and echoes with a cackling delight (and despair) at humanity's foibles.

Zombie Crystal Disco Fighters love London

Sunday // November 15, 2009 at 23:48 // filed under Music

Crystal Fighters live/love London

photograph by yours truly

Crystal Fighters have been one of my faves lately with both their own tracks and remix capacity. Their latest single 'I Love London' has been minimally and rather classily remixed by Zombie Disco Squad.

This re-touch immediately gave me Fruit Salad feelings in the intro, then gets down to cutting the vocals up and throwing in a steady finger snap sample. I do enjoy that almost organic sound that Zombie Disco Squad have; that comes alongside their Afro and baile funk influenced beats.

Zombie Disco Squad

Lucas Hunter and Nat Self of ZDS are a great compliment to Crystal Fighters' sound. Y'all know I can be a total cheese whore, but Zombie Disco Squad are renowned for being of the hold-the-cheese variety. In fact, if Zombie Disco Squad were some kind of edible item, I'd say they'd be a subtle marinade, particularly in the case of Crystal Fighters; still able to taste the meat of the track whilst pickling 'I Love London' with their own distinctive flava flayyyyve.

Flash Content

Crystal Fighters - I Love London (Zombie Disco Squad Remix) [mp3]

Oh and P.S. Crystal Fighters are one of Levi's Ones to Watch, and they're hitting Hoxton this week on the 17th of Novs to play it out before heading to NYC for a few dates; and the single drops on the 30th of this month. So go check 'em.

AND P.P.S. I was just informed that it was the super mad skillz JAYNE HELLIWELL the very first artist to design a background and flier for IM//UR who did the cover art for 'I Love London'. And here it is: