Shad K - New Album! " TSOL "

Brandishing one of the most anticipated Canadian hip-hop releases of the year -- and boasting extra indie cred thanks to contributions from Broken Social Scenemembers -- Shad knows expectations are high for his new album 'TSOL.' In advance of its May 25th street date, Spinner is offering a sneak-preview stream of 'TSOL' alongside an exclusive conversation with Shad about each and every track.

Over the past five years, this thoughtful Kenyan-born/London, Ontario-raised rapper has emerged as the best pound-for-pound conscious MC in Canada, a regional scene that's home to hitmakers Drake, K'naan, k-os and Kardinal Offishall. 

Shad has earned accolades for his old school-inspired records, including 2005's 'When This Is Over' and 2007's 'The Old Prince,' the latter of which scored a Juno Award nomination, Polaris Music Prize shortlist and a viral video smash, thanks to the title track's amazing 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' parody music video. Even Kanye West jumped onboard to shout out Shad's 'Compromise' video, while further props came from Roots-affiliated site OkayPlayer.com.

Despite a stint on last summer's Warped Tour and working on a liberal studies degree in Vancouver, Shad not only found time to to record his most dynamic and confident album yet, he also shared with Spinner the intimate details about all the songs on 'TSOL.'

Select Auction

This Saturday the Select Auction will take place!

As a last " Adieu " Select is providing you with a chance to Bid on 40 Photographs from the
" Five4Select Tour 2008 " - 40 Photo's have been selected out of a pool of over 2,5000 contestants, and brought to you in high quality prints.

The date is as follows:

Saturday, December 5th
8pm
Künstverein KölnBerg,
Aachenerstr. 66, Cologne

The starting bid is at 99 Euro

The Jury consists of;

Michael Kaune (Kaune, Sudendorf Gallery)
Markus Schaden (schaden.com)
Peter Granser (Photographer)
Wolfgang Zurborn (Photographer)
Constantin Rothenburg (C.D. Park Avenue)
Dr. Kerstin Stremmel (Journalist)

The Photo's (C-Prints) are mounted to Dibond,
incl. UV-Protective Film and were printed in Chicago at BlackPoint Editions.
These are one of a kind Tour Photo's.

Marcel Grützbach and Philipp Treudt await you on Saturday
and hope to get a little love back from the hardwork put
into the 2008 Five4Select Tour.

See you there!

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p.s. prints and article concerning the Long Night at the Museum are under works, and I will be posting my experiences shortly! Thanks for being patient! It was a cooooold night!

Another Long Night at the Museum

New to the culture scene? I suppose so, if you aren't already anticipating the 10 Year Anniversery of one of Colognes finest Museum Events. Museum Ludwig is kicking it off this year on the 7th of November, and not a day to soon considering the immense amount of new releases, exhibitions, and presentations appearing on the list.

So here's the low down;

The Long Night begins at 7pm and continues until 3am - Pre-sale Tickets can be purchased now, and cost 14,50€! - The tickets are then converted to arm bands, allowing participants to enter until 2:15am.

All 5 Tours begin and end at Cologne's " Neumarkt " - Here is where you can switch between tours, and start your long night, as you please.

Serving for transportation between Rheinisch-Industrial Locomotive Museum, and Colognes Mainstation is a Traditional Bonner-Sieg Locomotive from the 50's - Platform information will be displayed at the station.

This will be my 3rd time attending the Tour and I am especialy interested to see some of the newest collections, and exhibitions being displayed this year, for example;

Masterpieces from the Photographic Collection

I will definitely be posting after the long night, to give those who are still a bit sceptical, a full-out review of what this year has to offer!

~Chris

Esther Haase - Expo in Interconti!

Yesterday I attended one of the most thrilling, and extraordinary Expo's I've ever seen. Divided onto 10 floors, Werner Lippert, in cooperation with the Interconti Düsseldorf, and nameless sponsors - present you a one of a kind look into the world of Esther Haase, one of Germany's most celebrated photographers.

The pieces come direct from Berlin's Camera Work Gallery, and display works throughout Esther's entire career, curated by Werner Lippert.

I must say, a Hotel with this much class, and this much love for Art is breath taking. The initiative to display Esther's work has been taken direct from the Directors own inspiration, and it's most definitely shown that not only style, elegance, and comfort is to be offered in Interconti, but also a bit of culture!

This was absolutely a one of a kind opening ceremony, for a one of a kind expo, " The Vertical Gallery " is the name being used to describe this unorthadox way to display art.

Tickets are available in the Interconti Hotel Düsseldorf, as well as a beautiful programme book, full of high quality pictures, and information surrounding Esther Haase's career to date!

The pieces will be displayed until the 31. of January, 2010, so there will be plenty of time to pop in. This would be a great ending to a walk through the NRW Forums Catwalks, the ambient, and cultural connections are enough to fill a day full of awe's!

Catwalks - Spectacular Fashion Shows

The NRW Forum in Düsseldorf presents the most spectacular Catwalks in form of a Theatrical Setting. Cooperating with Partners such as VOGUE, and Alex de Betak [ Dior, Galliano. ] the Catwalk idea is to expose, explore, and entertain the wonders of fashion shows, and catwalks.

I've immersed myself in a world that I had not known existed outside of the show room. Becoming a live part of a Fashion Show, in an ambience of sound, light and video, this exhibition is one of the most " LIVE " and " REAL LIFE " experiences that has been noted in decades!

The artistic ability put into this exhibition is shown through the vibrant selection of brands such as Dior, Dries van Noten, Galliano, Alexander McQueen, most of which are known for their " out of the box " idea's when regarding conceptual art in it's latest form. Fashion.

The exhibition extends it's presence in Düsseldorf, kicking off the Düsseldorfer Fashion Week, CDU - The Exhibition ends on the 1st of November so get there quick!
Don't forget! You can pick up a catalog for only 20 € at the NRW-Forum:Shop

Catwalks
26.7.-1.11.2009
NRW-Forum Kultur und Wirtschaft
Ehrenhof 2, 40479 Düsseldorf

Paul is Here - Artist of the Week

Designer and Photographer Paul Cheng - a beautiful mind and artist in many fields. I discovered this guy through two of my Lookbook favourites:

Shelly Mulshine

Zina D.

I was amazed to see how many clients this guy really has, and the beautiful pictures of both Zina, and Shelly are incredible. Paul Cheng has talent in places where one would not expect it. Not only is he a top photographer in Sweden, but also a Design-Guru. With a number of amazing publications I doubt Paul has any worries when presenting a portfolio.

Paul PJ Cheng is my featured Artist of the week, and I urge you all to give his work a glance. Whether you're an aspiring Model/Artist/Photographer/Designer, I'm sure you'll find something inspirational on his site. Check it out, and as always, give me some feedback, or if you have someone who you think should be the Artist of the Week, just messege me!

Paul is Here.

Aviators vs. Wayfarer - Round 1. FIGHT!

Ray Ban Aviators vs. The Ray Ban Wayfarer;

Fashion trends tell us, that since the dawn of the millenium, both the Ray Ban Aviators, and the Wayfarer have been celebrating a vibrant come back. What's your take on it? Avi's or Wayfarers? Vintage or Pop?

Ray Ban Aviators!

(also known as "Pilot shades") are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Ray-Ban. They are characterized by dark, often reflective lenses having an area two or three times the area of the eye socket, and metal frames with either paddles or wire temples which hook behind the ears. Contemporary models are often polarized (although wearing polarized sunglasses for flying is unwise since they may mask the light glinting off an oncoming aircraft).

Ray Ban Wayfarer

The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a design of sunglasses manufactured by Ray-Ban since 1952, when their design was a revolutionary break from the metal eyewear of the past. Wayfarers enjoyed early popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, especially after they were worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. Though the sunglasses had faded from the limelight by the 1970s, a lucrative 1982 product placement deal brought Wayfarers to their height of popularity. Since the mid-2000s, the sunglasses have been enjoying a revival.

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No outfit is complete without the perfect selection of accessories. Sunglasses are now as important an accessory as handbags. The 80s retro and classic styles are the trend for 2009. Bold colors are especially popular. Since today's styles are so fun, everyone is able to show off their unique personality.