THE SIMON SPURR SOUNDTRACK
Music has always been such an essential part of runway shows, dictating the pace, mood and message a designer wants to convey. At last month’s Louis Vuitton show in Paris for example, disco legend Giorgio Moroder introduced the show over a loud speaker then unleashed a booming soundtrack. The show was a hit. Other designers, like Simon Spurr, eschew theatrics and play straight up, good old fashioned rock and roll. Here are three songs from his impressive show last night at Milk studios. “Mind Eraser” by the Black Keys – Played during the finale. “Blood Like Wine” by Balthazar. “Blue Steel” by Ox.
A SIMPLE PLAYLIST
Here’s a playlist that’s a bit more sophisticated and less centered around a heavy thumping bass. From Django Reinhardt in the 1920′s to today’s Belle & Sebastian, it’s intended to complement conversation and not compete with it. Latin flavor is always essential along with a few classics mixed in to tie it all together, from Dinah Washington to the Rolling Stones. You’ll need to look them up on your own but for a small taste, here’s “Morenito” by Stephane Pompougnac: (more…)
COUNT BASIE JUMPIN AT THE WOODSIDE
Some music gets the mind going better than others, jazz and the big band era in particular. Count Basie (1904-1984) was one of the most influential musicians of his time and his song “Jumpin at the Woodside” helped usher in the golden age of Big Band Jazz. He introduced several generations of listeners to this new sound and helped support the careers of hundreds of musicians. From his peers: “Basie is remembered by many who worked for him as being considerate of musicians and their opinions, modest, relaxed, fun-loving, dryly witty, and always enthusiastic about his music. As he summed up the key to his understated style, in his autobiography, ‘I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter’”. That’s a good philosophy for just about any earnest endeavor. If you like this song, here’s another favorite: (more…)
THE DEMON OF SCREAMIN
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler peformed the national anthem at yesterday’s AFC Championship game between the Patriots and Ravens and it was more humorously entertaining then a well-executed performance. He did a good enough job, although the press this morning has been ripping him up. It was a fair choice to have Tyler perform – his range may be “limited” but his passion for the Patriots and his New England roots go deep. His choice of outfit was kind of funny: leather and fur jacket, running shoes and a vintage logo tee shirt – looked like he had just come from the Salvation Army en route to the game. As he concluded the national anthem, a massive Hercules C130 military plane roared overhead, a welcome relief to the fading voice of the “Demon of Screamin.”
MAGNIFICENT U2 REMIX
Think I like this remix by Fred Falke better than the original.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE CRAZY P REMIX
“We are the People” by Empire of the Sun is good across all versions but this remix takes it up a notch.
LOVE REHAB BY CHAIM
Here’s a good one for the dance floor, “Love Rehab” by Chaim.
LA MER BY JULIO EGLESIAS
A memorable song in its own right, “La Mer” sung live by Julio Iglesias in 1976, should be receiving a lot of attention as it’s the final song in a key sequence of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It was chosen by the Director Tomas Alfredson and his team because it was something they thought lead spy George Smiley would listen to. A great play for your New Years party.
CRAVE YOU BY FLIGHT FACILITIES
“Crave You” featuring Giselle by Flight Facilities, an Indie DJ duo made up of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell. Pretty sweet song.
DJAY BY ALGORIDDIM
This is a clever and simple solution for playing music while hosting parties this winter. DJAY by Algoriddim will make you look like a pro. Download the demo for your iPad, Mac or iPhone and give it a spin. Your iTunes playlists come up automatically and you can play music by dragging a song onto one of the turntables, or simply set up automix and let the program spin through your playlist, fading seamlessly (more…)
RASPUTIN BY BONEY M
Played last night at a new hot spot on the lower east side, the “Red Egg.” Boney M was a funky disco group from West Germany that toured during the 70′s.
WOOLFY VS. PROJECTIONS
This song is a tad aggressive but it’s Friday so we’re gonna play it anyway. “Neeve Permanent Vacation Tropical” by Woolfy vs. Projections – a name that belongs in an SNL skit yes, but give it a try nonetheless.
MAKE THE GIRLS DANCE
“Baby Baby Baby” by Make the Girls Dance is a great video. Three stunning french women baring all for arts sake in Paris. Can you imagine if this went down on Bleecker Street in New York? Me neither. And they got it in one take, really impressive, and fresh.
SO AMERICAN BY PORTUGAL THE MAN
“So American” by Portugal The Man. Listen for the steel drums towards the end, just a simple, uplifting song.
MY HEADPHONES BY JOSHUA HEATH
A little funky bass from Joshua Heath, just in time for the weekend.
BARBRA STREISAND BY DUCK SAUCE
This is classic.
SHORT CHANGE HERO BY THE HEAVY
Lovin this song today. “Short Change Hero” by The Heavy. Has a wild west vibe in the background, like Clint’s gonna come walking through the woods. Think twice about asking that girl out on a date.
THE ROOTS FOR JOHN VARVATOS
The Roots for John Varvatos, May 22, 2011. Awesome.
SHOOTING STARS BY THE BAG RAIDERS
Digging this song by the Bag Raiders, “Shooting Stars.” Kinda old school.
GUCCI & STREISAND
I wrote about this in an earlier post but the video was buried, so here it is in it’s full glory: Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb performing “Guilty” in 1980 – the inspiration behind Gucci’s hugely successful fragrance of the same name that launched this past year. Creative Director Frida Giannini is a big Streisand fan, so much so that the album cover was predominately displayed alongside the fragrance during a past press event. This was the first time the duo performed on stage together. And trust me, if Frida thinks it’s cool, it’s cool.
