Jessie Ware: 110%

A lot of talk about Jessie Ware, especially around her new single 110%. It's a beautiful piece of music, shifting around whilst refusing to sit in one genre. It's got a really fresh and crisp sound to it, just a shame the weather doesn't match it right now. Oh, and there's a lovely video to go along with it too:

Nas: The Don.

Nas. The Don. Nuff said.

The Playlist: Summer Heart / Theophilus London / Azealia Banks / Bon Iver

Summer Heart - I Wanna Go



Theophilus London - Big Spender Ft Asap Rocky



Azealia Banks - Hood Bitch



Bon Iver - Holocene (BA$SY Remix)

Megan Fox X Esquire

The Playlist: Jools Holland: Jack White / Grimes / Alabama Shakes

Later with Jools Holland is still one of the best shows the BBC has to offer us. It's a dedication to live music, and to talented and diverse musicians that is often left by the way side in the current world of TV. It's a show where you will be watching the biggest acts in the world rubbing shoulders with the latest hype, all next to the most obscure artists. There's just one requirement, talent. Simple as. Over the years Jools has provided some truly memorable performances, most notably for me Bon Iver and Seasick Steve.

The latest show was one of the best I've seen in a while, with Jack White, Grimes and Alabama Shakes really standing out for me. Jack White with his energy and incredible live sound, Grimes with her unique, talented and beautiful ways and Alabama Shakes just going balls out and giving it some.

Jack White - Sixteen Saltines



Grimes - Genesis



Alabama Shakes - Hold On

Ine's Birthday Night.

Last Saturday I went out with some friends for my housemate's birthday. This is how we got on:

Bon Iver on Ellen DeGeneres.

With Bon Iver's band as tight as ever, almost as if it were the first time he'd sung the song, Bon Iver was at his spin-tingling best on Ellen:

Levi's: Locals Only.

Levi's is one of the most iconic brands in the world, revered as the symbol of being cool, youth and rebellious, a hard thing to keep a hold of for such a huge brand. And this proved the case as they lost this identity for a short while, as they grew in popularity, Dad's started to wear them. Yep, Dads. That's never good news. So in stepped one of the most creative and cool advertising in the world, Wieden + Kennedy to put them right back where they belong.

They first did that with their beautifully written and shot Go Forth campaign. They are now really getting under the skin of youth culture and the world in which they live in their Locals Only project. Locals Only marks the release of their new Black Tab Collection SS12 and takes the shape of a beautifully shot book of photos and 4 mini-documentaries looking at the lifestyle and cultures of modern-day pioneers.

For more pics click here.

Levi's also produced "four videos to capture a snapshot of different hubs and their associated crowds in Berlin, Marseille, Barcelona and Copenhagen. Both photography and documentaries zoom in on street culture movements and what they have become today, paying homage to the art of street style – which is inspiration for the collection. The photography and film team followed skateboarders Lennie Burmeister and Vincent Heller (Berlin), the bar Le Duke (Marseille), the notorious “Nasty Mondays” party founders MadMax and Sören Manzoni (Barcelona) as well as the famous custom motorcycle builders The Wrenchmonkees (Copenhagen), to capture the moments that make up each person’s days."

Copenhagen

Marseille

Berlin

Barcelona

The Playlist: Jay Electronica / Yuck / Frank Ocean ft SBTRKT

Jay Electronica - Dear Moleskine



Yuck - Chew



Frank Ocean - Whip Appeal (SBTRKT remix)

Benga: I Will Never Change.

Short, but oh so sweet.

Caine's Arcade.

This is a story of two people, Caine and Nirvan. One is a boy, one is a man. One is the kid you wish you had and the other is the man you were. One had a dream and the other made that dream come true.

Caine is a kid in East L.A who decided to create an entire arcade out of cardboard in his Dad's shop. He thought of everything; tickets, prizes, loyalty schemes, branding, staff t-shirts, right down to creating a homemade claw machine. So impressive. Caine showed such inventiveness, endeavour and creativeness, he had an idea and he went balls out on it. However as he sat outside every weekend, swept the floors and kept the prizes stocked, no one ever paid him a visit, not until Nirvan came past. Dumbfounded at the brillance of it all, he was terminated to get Caine's Arcade known. He get it known he did...

Photographing The Yakuza: It's All Luck.

Though not being much a photographer myself, I have always been fascinated by photos and the stories they tell, how one single split second can be so defining. And I can come across few projects that are as fascinating as photographing the Japanese Mafia, The Yakuza.

The photos taken by Anton Kusters all beg to have their stories told. They all look dark, rushed and as if they were shot from the hip, probably because many were. It must have been a terrifying and exhilarating experience all at the same time. You instantly get the feeling of what it must have been like to be surrounded by some of the most dangerous men in the world whilst they conduct some of the most illegal deals in the world.

Luckily enough for us Anton conducted a TED talk to speak about his project. You get the feeling he could talk for hours about the crazy stories and situations that he found himself in. But what really stuck me about his talk is the importance of luck. But not just hoping for luck, making that luck for youself. And you do this by getting experiences and knowledge. The more of these you get, the more you have to relie on, the more prepared you are for any situation.

Drake: Take Care + HYFR

Having not released much a visual accompaniment to his much acclaimed second album Take Care, Drake went and dropped two new videos in one day, lucky us. There are Take Care featuring Rihanna, and HYFR (Hell Yeah Fucking Right) with Lil Wayne. Both very different videos as Drake shows his versatility as he did on the album. He's as serious and contemplative as he is fun and childish. Drake has never been afraid to open up and contradict himself, showing that despite being a hip-hop superstar, he's just as screwed up as the rest of us. Both well worth a watch in their own right:

Take Care ft Rihanna



One of the most popular tracks on Take Care as Drake and Rihanna rework Jamie XX's rework of Gil-Scott Heron. The filmography is stunning in this, some incredible shots of birds, fish and a bull in between Drake and Rihanna cuddling. The colour and editing reflects the mood of the track perfectly, really good work from director Yoanne Lemoine.

HYFR (Hell Yeah Fucking Right) ft Lil Wayne



Completely different video here perhaps a bit more 'classic hip-hop', shall we say. Party, girls and champagne etc. However like most of Drake's songs, take a more careful (yep, intended) listen and you begin to appreciate his music a lot more. And let's hope that Lil Wayne's panda balaclava doesn't catch on. Or maybe it's already caught on from Frank Ocean. Plus, take note of mini-Drake's serious, yet super cute, dancing skills at the beginning.

Jake Davis X A$AP Rocky: Screen Tests

If you don't know of Jake Davis and his excellent Test Shots series, then you really should get yourself in the know. The film director captures style icons in short 1 minute videos as they express themselves and their style to the camera. Though thoroughly simplistic, they carry great charm and character and are quite addictive viewing. His one of Adrianne Ho is simply stunning:



Jake Davis has now embarked on a new, though not completely project, called Screen Tests. He says these are inspired by Andy Warhol's similar project. These seem to be a bit more detailed than his Test Shots films and give a bit more personality. His first video features rapper A$AP Rocky, looking forward to seeing more:

The Playlist: Jai Paul / Matt Lange / New Build

Jai Paul - Jasmine



Matt Lange - Rift



New Build - Your Love

Bath In Snow

When I was younger I used to make videos all the time and I've really gotten out of shape in the respect. I used to make them of anything, football, playing in the forest, trampoline tricks. I would already have it all planned out in my head as I filmed and spend pain-staking hours inches from a computer screen editing, as I slowly but surely ended up hating whatever song I chose to put behind the visuals. So I'm trying to make a bit of an effort to get back into it, whilst I save up for a camera that is actually decent to film with.



So when I was living in the beautiful and iconic city that is Bath, it began to snow, a lot. How perfect. So I grabbed my camera and rather photogenic girlfriend and headed to the streets, see the results above. Basic but it's good to get back to it.