An introduction to the Rose City Circle

The Incorporated’s 15 Cents: An Introduction to the Rose City Circle

There’s more to this city’s fashion scene than what Brownstein or Armisen rock on Portlandia. Yes, not everyone wears horn-rimmed glasses and carries a separate bag for their bowling shoes. A few months back, this notion of ‘the other side of Portland fashion’ and its lack of exposure powered a few like-mined entrepreneurs into action. After some key contacts had been exchanged, four of Portland’s top streetwear apparel brands were scheduling weekly meetings in preparation to combine their forces for something exclusive, something big. Now, we at The Incorporated are pleased to announce to official kickoff event of the newest clothing collective to hit the streets of Portland.

In conjuncture with Portland Fashion Week, Rose City Circle will be hosting an evening at Harlem PDX on September 12. Following an exclusive VIP networking event for handshakes and introductions, doors will open to the public with guest DJ sets.

Did we mention there will be raffles with giveaway gear from each brand?

Together, Rose City Circle is Triibe Movement, The Incorporated, Bullē Classic and The Creators. While each brand brings a unique approach to apparel design, RCC’s goal is to combine resources and further cultivate themselves as the other side of PDX fashion. Oh, and of course host dope events for lovely people.

WHO? Triibe Movement, The Incorporated, Bullē Classic and The Creators
WHAT? An Introduction to the Rose City Circle
WHEN? Sept 12th, VIP Event 6-9pm, general admission 9-2am
WHERE? Harlem PDX (220 SW Ankeny St., Portland, Oregon 97204
WHY? CUZ IT’S ABOUT TO BE SOSA

This post was originally published on eyesandedge.com

Alchemy In Sound: An Interview with Lu Green

photo by ayshams

For Lu Green, the sticky midwestern summer of 2013 has been busy, to say the least. The St. Paul native has been making music for a decade now, beginning like so many, by tapping and dragging themselves through computer software. At 22-years-old, he’s just received his diploma from the University of Minnesota and will soon depart to Shanghai, China where he’s moving to pursue art.

United Sound Studios is an unsuspectingly plain two-story redbrick building tucked into a residential block in Northeast Minneapolis. Away from work, Green, born Zane Hill, spends most of his time here, usually holed up in the recording studio or, on rarer nights, treading the gravel of the nearby train yard. On the basement level, a fully equipped recording studio sits just behind a glass door. Inside, Green is at home in front of the 64-channel console equipped with a 70-inch screen, a stack of compressors and a set of studio monitors squeezed into the soundproof walls like a partially finished Tetris game. From his laptop, Green calls up a multicolored amalgamation of audio files on Ableton before deploying a spaced-out, melodic parachute of sound that swallows the room, and us, whole.

http://soundcloud.com/zhillmusic/something-different

EG: Who is Lu Green?
LG: I think the better question is, what is Lu Green? Lu Green is an ongoing project in sound exploration and design. Lu Green serves as my voice and connector between the individual and the collective whole. It is a machine, which allows me to bolster my thoughts into an accessible and universal form. The man harboring this project is just a humble dude looking to learn more about this world and manifest this passion of living through music.

EG: When did you start making music?
LG: I started producing using electronic software when I was 12. A buddy showed me how to make beats with the ever-popular Fruity Loops program and I was hooked.

EG: Ever listen to your early stuff?
LG: To be honest, listening to my earlier stuff is very much so inspiring. It is remarkable to think how infantile my knowledge of production was at that time, yet tracks and music were still being made. A testament to the beauty in simplicity.

EG: During college you studied for a year in Shanghai, where you continued making music. Now you’re headed back. How is your approach to music different this time around?

Qinghai Province, photo by lu green

LG: In the several trips I’ve made to Asia, it’s always been for one reason or another besides living and making art. Last time around I was still caught up in school and trying to keep myself healthy in body, mind and spirit. Lu Green and music making at that time was much more of an open diary as opposed to being a directed effort. Now I’ve graduated from university and I feel I’ve struck a nice balance between all of those things. I’m ready to be much more effective in music making with a quiet mind.

EG: What was making music in China like?

“Most people have this general conception of China as being some sort of rising geo-political entity whose existence we ought to fear and suppress. What most don’t realize is that there are also one billion people trying to voice their existence as well. That’s a lot of culture. .”

photo by lu green

LG: China right now is very much so misunderstood by the West. Most people have this general conception of China as being some sort of rising geo-political entity whose existence we ought to fear and suppress. What most don’t realize is that there are also one billion people trying to voice their existence as well. That’s a lot of culture. That’s a lot of potential energy. Knowing that there’s nothing to fear about a billion new voices, I’ve enjoyed watching this dragon of the East—or whatever the fuck they call it—grow, and alchemize the energy off that.

EG: What’s the plan for the far East this time around?
LG: To proclaim the glory of the Dao. Haha. Actually though, to live and do work in China has been a calling of mine for quite some time and I look forward it to doing it my way, with sound, art and music.

EG: Your Soundcloud contains a myriad of genres; Tech House, Deeper House, Green Style, Regressive, Progressive…What’s up with that? Is it all House? Are you going for a ‘genre shattering’ thing?

LG: House and Electronic has been my production forte for a while. That being said, I feel that as much as I’ve grown as an artist, my variations on the theme have gotten just as complex, if not more. If I’m obligated to use words to describe the sound, I’m going to call it what I think it sounds like. In artistry, say no to genres. In production, pay your dues.

http://soundcloud.com/zhillmusic/suzhou-l-green-original-mix

EG: What do you think about the whole EDM movement? Do you like Daft Punk? A-Trak? DJ Zedd?

LG: Seems fitting doesn’t it? The world finally connects and we all just happen to love computer music. It’s the biggest thing right now and it should be. Everyone is capable of anything production-wise, so long as you can afford a half decent laptop and pick up wifi at your local coffee shop. I saw DJ Zedd in Minneapolis last fall and he played a hell of a set. It was so obvious that he loves what he is doing and just wants to reflect that; these are the DJ’s and producers you should look up to. Having fun and being creative is what it’s all about, in any vocation.

EG: Who are some artists coming up right now that you see potential in the T.C.? In China?

LG: I’ve been a part of a production collective for some time, United Sound, which has brought together some of the best electronic musicians in the Twin Cities. Joe Christopher, aka Swervy Puckett has been creating a lot of interesting sounds that include his own take on house, trap, tech and hip-hop. I really respect him for what he does. Kris Holiday is another guy just doing his thing here in the T.C. His residency at a local club gives him an ear for production and arrangement that gets the people moving. As far as China goes, the music and sounds I’m trying to spread are very much so underground which is a large reason why I’m choosing to go there in the first place. Dead J of Beijing is a pioneer in this respect.

“In artistry, say no to genres. In production, pay your dues.” photo by ayshams

EG: Your new EP is called “Benevolent Tundra.” Can you tell me about the recording process? How long did it take? Work with any other artists?

http://soundcloud.com/zhillmusic/cloud-cut_sample

LG: “Benevolent Tundra” is a four track salute to Minnesota winters and all of the wisdom those cold nights alone impart on the soul. I worked on most of the ideas throughout winter but am just now finishing up on the final edits. I wanted to stay true to my origins on this one so I’ve managed to produce it alone.

EG: How important is staying DIY for Lu Green? Isn’t is easier to outsource certain creative responsibilities to, you know, the ‘professionals?’

LG: DIY started out as more of a necessity but has grown into a choice. It’s not that I have some hyper-sensitive control issues, I just honestly feel so much more fulfilled when I can manifest my ideas across the various artistic mediums in a personal and thus much more organic way. This is something that our time and generation has been blessed with—all the tools are finally at our disposal. Why wouldn’t you want to do it all yourself?

Follow Lu Green on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zhillmusic
Instagram: http://instagram.com/zanehillmusic
Twitter: @zhillmusic

Ayshams’ photography can be seen at http://ihardlyknowher.com/ayshams

ROMA, ’11

“Now I am certain of success. I go down with the water and come up with the water. I follow it and forget myself, I survive because I don’t struggle against the water’s superior power. That’s all.”

-Chuang-tse, “Wu Wei”

AUDIBLE: “Nostalchic” via Lapalux

In terms of music, the debut album from Essex’s Lapalux, aka Stuart Howard, could come at no better time. The 25-year-old U.K. lo-fi beatmusic producer gives the mighty electronic genre a dose of something fearless: a human element. While 2013’s “Nostalchic” may float you down a stream of memories, it’s not just the House-inspired drums in 4/4 time that makes this album unique.

In no way can you ignore the faces behind dim lighting that are seen throughout this album. By mixing erotic and at times, haunting vocal samples, slowed to render their dreamlike essence, the “Lap of Luxury” catches his listeners in an intricate web of fantasies and deceit. Creating a delicacy involves knowledge of your craft. After a few listens, you begin to hear the delicacy in this project, which comes no doubt from Howard’s expertise in music.

Already having completed new material with Busdriver, Lapalux is set to finish his tour in the United States before embarking on a European tour this fall.

Special cuts:

“Without You,” featuring the great voice of Kerry Leatham, “Swallowing Smoke” and “One Thing” featuring Jenna Andrews.

Throwback Thursday: Ode To “Aquemini”

April 20^th, 2007 was a special day for me. By virtue of an unexpected day off from JV Baseball and with the stars aligning, I came to posses one of Hip-Hop’s most treasured gems of the 90’s.

While there was no good reason for practice being cancelled that day, nobody really argued: 4/20/07 was a beautifully sunny Friday. While lugging my Wilson bag home, I spontaneously stopped at a sidewalk sale to flip through a book of CD’s, which contained a collection of Everclear, Semisonic and Tool albums. Yet an intriguing, scratched-up disc with green and orange lettering proved impossible to pass on.

Outkast’s third album, 1998’s “Aquemini” is a collection of breezy, Southern flows and trunk-rattling drums, stripped of predictability and full of blues-inspired rhythms. Big Boi and Andre 3000’s album is as rich as a novella illustrated with chapter after chapter involving powers both good and evil, raw tales of the Dungeon Family (the Atlanta artist collective consisting of Organized Noise, Goodie Mob and of course Outkast), and tragic characters like “Da Art of Storytellin’ Part I’s” Shasha Thumper. Listening to the album, you can see Big Boi (the Aquarius) and Andre (the Gemini) sitting in their Cadillac, watching the galaxy pass as they construct riveting fables based off life experiences. Futuristic synthesizers, soul loops and funky horn sections cause you to wonder what’s exactly in Atlanta’s water. Then again, if we knew, we probably wouldn’t still be nodding our heads to the album’s countless classics.

After going platinum in November of 1998, “Aquemini” quickly outdid itself, hitting double platinum only a year later in ‘99. What makes the album unique is not only the infamous guest spots by Big Gip and Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob, George Clinton, Sleepy Brown and Erykah Badu, but the esoteric notion of time and place that comes with every listen of “Aquemini.” Unlike New York or Los Angeles in the late nineties, the South hadn’t made its mark in Hip-Hop and the slang was still local. Not to mention, few people knew what to make of Andrea 3000’s wild fashion sense. “What’s up with Andre/is he into coke?/ is he on drugs?/ gay?/ when ya’ll gonna’ break up?/ when ya’ll gonna wake up?” Andre vents his frustrations regarding rumors on “Return of the G.”

Who could have guessed that just a few years later, at the turn of the century, Atlanta would become synonymous with rap thanks to its countless legends like Cee-Lo, Ludacris, Lil Jon, T.I., Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy? The list continues today. But one thing is for certain: many of these acts owe credit to the album that put grits, grills and 4/4 beats in the living rooms of millions of people all over the world. Be it the seven minutes of laid back, spoken-word laced “SpottieOttieDopaliscious,” or the vivacious guitar riffs on “Chonkyfire,” Big Boi and Andrea set a new standard for rap in 1998. “Aquemini” showed the world the South could hold its own and would be telling stories for years to come.

 

this post was originally published on http://eyesandedge.com.