Born Ruffians

I want to start a new thing, putting up music that I feel people should know about. I might try to put one up every morning... To start it off is the Born Ruffians, "I Need A Life" from their album Red, Yellow, Blue. And the video below that is "Hedonistic Me". The Born Ruffians are originally from Ontario, Canada, and are signed with WARP records, which is interesting because that record label is most notable for discovering many of the most popular artists in electronic music. Anyways, take a listen and enjoy.

The Mast Brothers

Excellent video and story. Love their passion and curiosity. Also great example of the importance of craft and speciality.

Burn Ignite

Watch.

Takashi Murakami

This is so epic. Takashi Murakami will exhibit at the legendary Chateau de Versailles in France.

"For a Japanese like me, the Chateau de Versailles is one of the greatest symbols of Western history. It is the emblem of an ambition for elegance, sophistication and art that most of us can only dream of. Of course, we are aware that the spark that set fire to the powder of the Revolution came directly from the centre of the building.

But, in many respects, everything is transmitted to us as a fantastic tale coming from a very distant kingdom. Just as French people can find it hard to recreate in their minds an accurate image of the Samurai period, the history of the palace has become diminished for us in reality.

So it is probably that the Versailles of my imagination corresponds to an exaggeration and a transformation in my mind so that it has become a kind of completely separate and unreal world. That is what I have tried to depict in this exhibition.

I am the Cheshire cat that welcomes Alice in Wonderland with its diabolic smile, and chatters away as she wanders around the Chateau.

With a broad smile I invite you all to discover the wonderland of Versailles."

- Takashi Murakami

Pharrell Williams and Harley Davidson

Tommii Lim

Artist: Tommii Lim.

Tokujin Yoshioka

Tokujin Yoshioka's "Snow" is a part of the exhibition "Sensing Nature" showing at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo. It is a 15 metre-long tank filled with feathers, invoking memories of snow into the viewer.

"In recent years, I have been studying the essence that human beings would sense. It is neither arranging nor minimizing the forms, but integrating the phenomena and the low of the nature into the design, and see how it would affect and inspire ourselves. Because I believe there is a hint for the future somewhere in-between the essence of the design and the nature, I would like to pursue designing works with this aspect...

... The most beautiful things I believe in this world is what is irreproducible, accidentally born, and disorder that cannot be understood by the theory. I believe the nature is the ultimate beauty in this world. The sunlight, soft breeze, and the harmony that leaves create, the variety of the essence in the nature touches our emotions. I intend not to reproduce them, but to pick the element that inspires our heart and integrate it into the design." - Yoshioka

ROJO®NOVA

"Introducing a new kind of creative event, open to public, which takes over MIS, Museu da Imagem e do Som in São Paulo, Brazil, and presents live collaborated work in progress processes by more than 100 selected artists from around the world, featuring live art, music & audiovisuals; performances, video screenings, round tables, workshops and many unpredictable social consequences. 7 weeks of non-stop serious art fun. Only for the happy, the gifted, the curious and the open minded."

Wish I could go to Brazil and see this. Or wish I could just go to Brazil.

Great concept to bring all these artists together. Check out their website! It has a listing of all the amazing artists there... Highly recommend.

Ski Beatz Feat. Mos Def

From the upcoming album, 24 Hour Karate School, releasing September 7th.

Arkitip Magazine

"Each edition of Arkitip magazine is "curated" like a gallery show, that is why it is an art magazine without comparison."

Matterprinted

Matterprinted is a tumblr site I follow that showcases their favorite magazine covers. Each cover is scanned, and labeled very efficiently. Here are some of my favorites:

TypArchive

TypArchive is an image library primarily focused on hand painted signage.

Amidst a landscape of vapid strip malls and sterile signage, hand-painted lettering retains a soulful aesthetic to be treasured. Like other crafts dissolving in the digital age, sign painting is a fading occupation. Today it's easy for any layman with minimal computer knowledge to produce a sign within minutes, but the skill acquired to artfully produce hand lettering took years of apprenticeships, dedication and true talent. - RD Granados

This is an homage to my grandfather, who hand lettered signs.

Little Joy

Little Joy.

Pascal Campion

Very inspirational video of illustration artist: Pascal Campion. I usually am not attracted to this "type" of illustration style, but Pascal's use of emotion, perspective and amazing light within each of his pieces makes me wanting to see more.

Tekkonkinkreet

I love Tekkonkinkreet, a 2006 animated film directed by Michael Arias. The film was adapted from the three-volume manga series by Taiyo Matsumoto.

Zhou Fan

Chinese artist Zhou Fan.

Yochai Matos

Artist Yochai Matos.