The Playlist: Major Lazer / Yeasayer / Todd Terje / The Vaccines / Bombay Bicycle Club

Major Lazer - Get Free



Yeasayer - Henrietta



Todd Terje - Inspector Norse



The Vaccines - No Hope



Bombay Bicycle Club - Beg

Kanye West & Jay-Z: No Church In The Wild.

Almost anything that comes from the hands, mouths and minds of Kanye and Jay-Z needs to be recognised and I was lucky enough to experience this first hand last week. I finally got to see the two of them live at London's O2, and wow. Just WOW. It was an incredible night, such energy, such experience, such skill. It was truly one of the best gigs I've ever been too, and my respect for the two grew even higher.



A few of the images from their latest video, No Church In The Wild (featuring Frank Ocean) were displayed on huge screens as Ye and Hov stood and stared accompanied by "What a wonderful world" in the background. Epic stuff. However saying that, I feel that this is the weakest from WTT yet. That's not to say it's bad, these boys set the bar high - it doesn't get much higher - it just doesn't quite work with the song or as a video for me, and that's a shame. Nevertheless it is still a good video and director Romain Gavras did a good job. But that's just it, it's good, when we all expect greatness.

Dissecting Creativity: Pharrell Williams

I always believe that one of the hardest traits to keep a hold of is to remain relevant. Pharrell Williams is someone that manages to diversify himself and his work to such extremes but always uphold the highest level of integrity, creativity and yes, relevancy. Therefore he is always someone who's words should be listened to and has much to offer.



Blame HypeBeast TV for the awful audio.

Street Art: Faif!

There is little known about street artist Faif, apart from he is from Barcelona, a man and has great skills with a graffiti can. Not only does he have great skills but, potentially more importantly, he has a distinctive style and a great way of looking at the world. It's not too often that I upload street art up here, there's just so much it's often hard to keep up with. But Faif's cheeky take on the world and street art really stood out to me. Though maybe making similar points as the one and only Banksy, he's clearly not taking anything too seriously. The best way to be.

The Playlist: The XX.

The XX are due to follow up their 2009 debut album this year and it is looking like one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Their first, self-titled album, received huge critical acclaim and won the Mercury Music Prize in 2010, and rightfully so. So lucky for us, they've previewed a few new tracks at a recent gig in London. I think the album just got more anticipated.

Nike: My Time Is Now.

It's been a little while since I've posted an advert on here, but a Nike ad almost always requires some attention. Their latest spectacle, My Time Is Now, arrives just in time for the Euro football tournament this summer. It appears to be the pinnacle for the My Time Is Now campaign, as Nike are taking it upon themselves to bleed the new talent into the world of football. This ad features some of European football's greats, Ribéry, Sneijder, Ronaldo up against the new kids on the block Neymar, M'Vila, Götze, and a few more hundred hopefuls.



This ad was inevitably going to be compared to Write The Future, Nike's last big ad for the 2010 World Cup. Does it stack up? For me, not quite. It is shot in a very similar style, which perhaps lacks a bit of imagination, it's not as funny as WTF and is completely focused on the pitch and the stadium surroundings. WTF featured Rooney (who doesn't feature at all, nor does any England player apart from a split second of Wilshere and supposedly Welbeck) in a caravan, Homer Simpson and Youtube. MTIS only features Lebron James, who feels a little out of place. Plus Neymar - the star of the ad - isn't European, didn't that occur to anyone? This is all not to say I didn't like the ad, I just expected better I think, it just feels like a Write The Future - Lite.

The Playlist: Slum Village / Kendrick Lamar / Man Like Me / Azealia Banks / Flight Facilities

Slum Village – God Sent / Hunger



Kendrick Lamar ft Dr Dre - The Recipe



Man Like Me - Squeeze



Azealia Banks - Jumanji



Flight Facilities - With You feat. Grovesnor

Jake Davis: Japan's Classic Style.

Another trip to Japan, this time with one of my favourite short film directors, Jake Davis. His Test Shot series has become a bit of an obsession of mine. I really like the way Jake approaches the subjects he shoots, his attention to detail really manages to bring out the characters and personalities. He's got a great sense of pace with his videos, letting them unravvel before you as you become more and more involved in the films. His choice of music is always on point too.



In his latest project, he was sent by K-Swiss shoes to discover examples of classic style. Japan has always fascinated me in the sense of it's dedication to both the old and the new. It is famous for the traditions it has upheld for many centuries, but it is just as famous for the creative and innovative output it has, enough to match any Western culture. This clash is captured perfectly in this series, as Jake finds places as traditional as they are fresh. His exploration took him to an opticians, Globe Specs; a coffee shop, Bear Pond; a record shop, Bonjour Records and a more traditional shop, Bedwin.



As I mentioned earlier, Jake manages to capture the energy and culture behind not just the shops themselves but also the people that created and run theses on a daily basis. Each is different in their own way, and there is a lot to be learnt from each video. Scan through Jake's blog to read more.

Across The Ocean.

Before this blog has featured Pharrell Williams travelling to Japan to see how the country has recovered from the absolutely devastating Tsunami. This beautifully shot video, by Sundry productions, features the accounts of two woman as they retold the moments the wave hit and the very real fear and panic that struck them. Looking at the scenes, you can more than understand this, it was brutal and merciless. However what has really struck me from various accounts and videos I've read and watched on Japan is the sheer resilience the nation has shown, the determination not to be defeated. It is truly wonderful.

Leica X Hermes: A Creation Of Beauty.

I really do enjoy a good collaboration. It is so often the chance when two well respected and well loved brands, from totally different fields, get to create something unique. Something that manages to draw in its respective fanbases to an area that they would have never considered before. One of the more stunning collaborations I've seen in recent times is the newly released Leica M9-P model that as a strong dash of luxury fashion brand Hermes about it. It really is something that is the definition of stunning. Just watch the video below to the see the care, love and skill that goes into making such a product. It almost justifies the $50,000 price tag.

The Maccabees: Went Away.

Another music video, and another stunner from The Maccabees.

Swiss Lips: Danz.

Another talented friend of mine. But that is by no means an excuse to put Swiss Lips' latest video on the blog. The indie-pop band from Manchester are really gaining some momentum, starting to feature everywhere from The Guardian to NME, and rightly so. They've got an infectious sound, and my infectious I'm thinking more along the lines of a child's smile, than an STD.



It's also definitely worth checking out their U Got The Power video, it's brill.

Through A Glass Brightly.

Don't really feel I need a reason for this one, it's just a outstanding.

Through a Glass Brightly on Nowness.com.

Grimes: Nightmusic

Yep, more Grimes, but in no way is it undeserving.



A huge contrast from the homemade, carefree Oblivion video, Nightmusic gives us a deeper view into what goes on inside Grimes' head. And unsurprisingly, it's a bit weird. Set in a forest that looks very much the one I grew up next to (I very much doubt it is), it's full of ghost-like naked folk, strange happenings and fits the track perfectly.

Grimes: Live.

I've become a bit obsessed with Grimes recently. I first stumbled across her in her Oblivion video, I instantly fell for the song and loved the cheap and carefree video that went along with it. Her album visions was just as instant on me, as it was with many others. It's soaring melodies, strong synth base and Grimes' voice wavering between the musical lines all came together perfectly. She also comes across a genuinely humble girl who is simply just doing what she wants.

Watching her performing is quite mesmerising, as she flitters between keyboards, synths and soundboards which fluency and accuracy. It's quite something to watch her mix all the layers of her music together live. Watch her do exactly that whilst knelt on the floor in a radio studio, "classic Grimes".



It's also worth watching her Jools Holland performance from last week.

Pigalle Paris: 'BARBES BASKETBALL'

Really great short video here. Beautiful shots, combined with slick editing and a minimal soundtrack add up to an eerie, intense and gritty film. The grime yet soul-filled streets of Paris are reflected perfectly in the sport of basketball. Great power behind the piece.

The Playlist: Passion Pit / Purity Rings / Alt-J / The Gaslight Anthem / Angel Haze

Passion Pit - Take A Walk



Purity Rings - Lofticries



Alt-J - Matilda



The Gaslight Anthem - 45



Angel Haze - Higher

Life's Work.

This is how you should feel about your job:

Tribute: RIP Adam Yauch.

A few days Beastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch, aka MCA, passed away from cancer at the age of only 47. Really sad stuff. Beastie Boys were without doubt one of the most important and infleuntial hip-hop and music bands of the last 20 years or so. They were a band that refused to bend to rules and continued to defy genres. A group responsible for the shape of music today and are cited as an influence by countless artists. To be respected and remembered.



And a rather lovely tribute from Coldplay:

Plan B: Ill Manors.

Intelligent. Talents. Influential. Relevant. Driven. Aware. There are few people that manage to have all of these virtues in their weaponary, but one man that really epitomises all of these is Ben Drew, aka Plan B. I've written before about Plan B when he did a TED talk. Yes, a rapper from East London, with a number one album and Ivor Novello awards to boot, doing a TED talk, and a very good one at that. From all of the words I threw up at the beginning, the most important one is relevant. Genuinely relevant to the youth of today, that can't be bought and that can't be under-estimated.



There is a reason to all this Plan-B adoration, he has just made a film to coincide with his latest album, Ill Manors. The rapper has described the film as "the hip-hop musical version of Crash", adding: "But I don't want to call it a musical, because none of the actors start singing or dancing or anything. It's quite serious. It's just part of the films are narrated by music. If you can imagine my first record but with visuals… parts are just like a normal film, others are told by kind of music video storytelling." (NME)



The film like brutal and heavy-going, but you can see that there is a reason behind the violence, sex and drugs. Plan B endeavours to look at the motivations and reasons behing the actions, every action has a reaction. And that was very much the topic of his TED talk, not to condemn the youth for their actions, but to understand what led to them and how we can prevent that. I've got a feeling that this film and album could be a really important for Plan B and British youth culture. It's a protest, it's a experiment, it's a explanation and just as importantly, it looks like it's genuinely good. But most of all, it's relevant.

Kanye West: Lost In The World.

Remember when Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? Yeah, long time ago. For me, it was without doubt one of the best albums I've ever heard. Big words. Well, he has finally got around to releasing some visuals for one of the more surprising tracks on the album, Lost In The World, in which he teams up with Bon Iver.



Kanye got Ruth Hogban in to direct the video, which as most Kanye West videos now do, make very little sense but instead are to be interrupted as an art form. As in a few other videos, Kanye doesn't make eye contact with the camera as he is seen strutting his stuff from a birds-eye view. Together with some girl dancing very aggressively in over-sized t-shirts, it makes quite a video.

Ted Trailer.

Few movie trailers manage to surprise me, make me almost cry with laughter and have me quoting the film before I've even seen it. But the Ted trailer had all of it. IT. LOOKS. BRILLIANT.



Oh, and Mila Kunis is in it (and the fact that thats the last thing I mention tells you how good this film looks).

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer.

It's very rare in the movie industry these days that you get a blockbuster film, that is a trilogy that is actually a seriously good film. Of course no body has seen the final instalment of Christopher Nolan's Batman, but it is probably one of the few films that will actually live upto it's hype. The previous two were monumental commercial and critical successes, with Heath Ledger's Joker quickly becoming a modern-day movie icon.



Unlike so many movie trailers these days, TDKR manages to intice you in without giving you the entire plot. You get the feeling that the guys behind the film know how good the film is and how good people are expecting it to be, so the near silent, almost haunting, trailer works perfectly. Can't wait.