We spent the day smiling away.
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Art
A back and forth with artist Kyle by Kyle.
Milwaukee collective N.A.N.
(New Age Narcissism)
have been releasing plenty
to hold us over as of late.
I'm going to try to play
catch up in this article,
so pardon me if I missed
anything crucial.
Let's first begin with
'Until They Berry Me',
a short film directed by
Cody LaPlant and Damien Blue.
The two have handled plenty
but this is their first
proper short film.
As far as I know.
Starring the members of N.A.N.
(in particular, Lorde Freddee)
as well as Mic Kellogg,
Zed Kenzo, and more,
and with a deeply
moving/haunting score
courtesy of Q the Sun,
the eight minute piece
is one that will make you shiver.
The short is particularly
impressive for moving
the audience without
dialogue, instead
with action and music.
Lex Allen
lost his mother
almost a year ago
and he turns that tragedy
into an uplifting
and moving pop song
known as "Mama's Boy".
Released only a few days
ago, the song drips emotion
and is a stunning contrast
to his upbeat capabilities
found on "Cream & Sugar".
Wow, that piano.
Wow, that voice.
The artwork says plenty
in regards to this song,
but Lorde Fredd33
plays around
with autobiographical
tales and subtle flexes,
flowing over minimal
production, turning his voice
into an instrument,
even switching everything
up on the final
30 seconds. Respect.
WebsterX has been featured
this calendar year,
but the single
"Blue Streak",
produced by Four Giants,
is his first solo offering
of 2016.
With this track
came the announcement
of a distribution deal
through Closed Sessions.
It's nice to know
that Mr. Web is in good hands
with the independent
Chicago label.
Earlier this fall,
NAN member Siren
released "Priestess",
a track produced
by Mic Kellogg
that I'm still spinning.
Hopefully we get an EP
or a full-length
from this talent
sooner than later.
This is a nice sequel
to "Queen Medusa".
Is this genre
considered witch-hop?
I hope so.
Along with producing
for most members of NAN
and providing the score
for the short film above,
Q the Sun
also works with teenagers
in Milwaukee through
various non-profits
in order to educate
about production and performance.
Over the summer,
Q teamed up with
Milwaukee Water Commons
to speak out on issues
surrounding water.
They even wrote and produced
a song, which you can find
up above. What
can't this group do?
I don't think
Kenny Hoopla
is technically N.A.N.,
but he is featured
in the short film above
and he has been going
wild on the music tip.
After releasing an EP
last month,
he followed it up
with the single
"MESS"
and it's too hot
to not mention
in this article.
Salute to N.A.N.
Salute to Milwaukee.
An interview with Colorado artist Eldo.
For the month of October, 23-year-old illustrator Deltizzle crafted one piece every day. Many visual artists grabbed my attention through their Inktober series, but Illinois resident Deltizzle truly impressed.
It's no easy task
to craft
a new piece of art
every single day
that you're okay
with sharing with the public.
Deltizzle started
with a bang,
crafting characters from
an unknown world,
straight from his head
onto the notepad.
Wizards, snakes, archers,
alien slime balls, overlords,
hearts, and everything
in between.
Now that the
Inktober series
is finished,
Deltizzle decided to offer
prints of twelve
of the 30 pieces.
Get 'em while you still can.
is my personal favorite.
An interview with Darius Airo.
These are the things
I discover
at 2:24 in the morning
when my eyes are low,
begging for slumber,
yet just won't close.
aka Punksgitcut
is an illustrator who
works on Bob's Burgers
and Sanjay and Craig
(both weirdly
awesome shows).
In the between
time, he draws his own
world, full of chinless
dudes and blood
and boobs.
You can grab
or browse his
journal entries
Good night.
Last summer, I spoke with graphic designer and prolific artwork guru Elyn Kazarian. The Californian (L.A.-based) has worked with Italdred Records, SoulEtiquette, Team Supreme, Omar Rodriguez-Lopz, ROM, SiR, Lege Kale, and Blink-182 (whoa) and is now the creative director for Fête Records. When we first spoke, I asked about preferred mediums and ideal creative spaces, tapping into her self-proclaimed style as "an atmosphere of orchestrated pulse." While that phrase really struck with me, it wasn't until after the interview that I really started noticing her philosophies. Both her Instagram and Facebook accounts are full of positive statuses and uplifting messages that focus on doing what we love, escaping our mind-numbing routines, and showing support and care for those around us. For our second interview, I made sure to dig a bit deeper, while also allowing the artist of the hour to talk about new companies, focused directions, and disco.
“The purest and truest form of creativity and innovation is the result of taking risks.”
Hey, how's it going? Where are you currently? Tell us a bit about your surroundings.
Hey Ben, things are pretty good on my end. I am currently living in Los Angeles in a quiet neighborhood just north of Glendale.
Since we last talked in the summer of 2015, what's changed? How have you grown?
Wow, I can't believe it has already been a year. A lot of things have happened since then. I was hired by Deckstar, a music management company, back in March of 2015, and worked there for over a year until my lay off this past May. Two days later, my father passed away, so you can say that this year has been a challenging one for me. Although, I think it has been the year that has allowed me to grow the most amidst all of the obstacles and the feeling of not knowing what will happen next.
Your social media presence is very motivational and inspiring. How do you stay positive? How do you combat hardships?
There's so much anxiety in our society nowadays around the idea of "followers" on social media. People can't seem to ever get enough. It took me until earlier this year to finally open an Instagram account, actually. It's not that I don't care about getting my work out there, but it's that I prefer to have supporters that truly believe in me and see something in me...it's not about the number of followers, that doesn't justify anything in my opinion. What's important for me is quality, and at the end of the day, my work gets across to those who understand where I'm coming from. I know that the right people have come my way and continue to do so. It's hard to stay positive sometimes because quite frankly I do become doubtful of myself, but I combat that by reminding myself that nothing happens overnight.
Have you always been optimistic or do you feel like your outlook on the world has grown over the years?
I've always considered myself a realist, and I truly believe that by maintaining a certain level of positivity, things begin to progress. People think by being positive or optimistic means that you're always happy, but that's not the case. It's about maintaining hope and putting into action what you dream of, even amidst hardship. My perspective on life changes over time, always growing and opening up to more possibilities.
Going back to music, what have you been listening to recently?
I can't say that I've been listening to anything in particular recently, because I find myself always listening to a lot of different genres in music. But I have been absorbed in Disco for some reason lately.
You seem to be the exclusive designer for Fête. How did you form that relationship with such a strong music outlet?
Yes! I'm their Creative Director, and have been working with them for over a year (since they started up, really). The guys that started Fête, Abhi and Robert, are two of the most dedicated and open guys I've worked with. We initially connected on Facebook I believe, and they had me create the cover art for the "1AM" EP and it all grew from there. Our relationship grew very organically, and continues to do so.
What can you tell me about this new endeavor of yours, Slug Agency?
Slug Agency was started by Fool's Gold Records artist, BOSCO this year. BOSCO and I have been following each other on Instagram for a while, and I saw her posting these teasers about how they were looking for designers in ATL. I was intrigued regardless of the fact that I'm in LA, and reached out to one of the other members she was working with to see what it was all about. They loved my work, and after a few email exchanges, BOSCO told me that I'm one of the other lead designers. There are four of us, and we're currently working on our launch for early next year.
What's the rest of the year looking like for you?
To be quite honest, I have no idea. I think that's the beauty of it for me right now. I'm allowing myself to see every angle, to be open to what's next. It's been a hard year, but I know great things are ahead.
“So many creative professionals on social media get caught up with satisfying others with their work rather than satisfying themselves. Not even creatives alone, a lot of people in general. Don’t get caught up in the anxiety of pleasing someone else, chasing followers, and being fake.”
Last year when I asked for advice, you said, "Be open to learning as much as possible. There’s so much out there. Don’t ever let failure upset you or stop you from growing. That’s the only way you’ll grow." Any advice updates/elaborations?
I can say that that piece of advice will always hold true for anyone. I will add by saying that there will be a lot of challenges and setbacks in your life/career/you name it, but all of the things that happen need to happen for whatever reason. What truly shapes you are those obstacles, and the reaction that you have towards those hardships will determine your future.
Any final words/thoughts/shout-outs?
I want to thank Elias and Eliot, the two that gave me my first ever album cover art job for their label Modern Filth back in 2012, and for whom I've worked with for over four years. I want to thank Abhi and Robert, the Fête Records boys for believing in me and giving me the creative freedom to express myself. Thank you truly to anyone that supports me, it doesn't go unnoticed. And thank you Ben for speaking with me!
The wolves cry at night.