Mark your calendars (from Digi Nikki):
I’ll be DJing in Kobe next monday (Feb 6th) at Gallery Colore Colore, around 5 pm. Check here for details and map.
Darsh is in Japan now and to celebrate this unique moment he will do an exclusive, one time only live in Tokyo on February 11th. More info soon, but SAVE YOUR DATE this is going to be absolutely crazy, with guests and all.
Update: More info on the February 11 gig in Tokyo.
A bit of color from Yuki to you!
From The ODK:
Japan Design Net’s “Tokyo Show Window” posts monthly snapshot collections of the incredibly designed storefronts of Tokyo’s shopping districts like Ginza, Aoyama, and Harajuku.
A reader sent me a link to this, which looks quite useful — it’s a map of Tokyo that comes on a UMD disc for the PSP. Sure, you can get something similar on your mobile phones these days (navigation software is especially big on AU phones), but the big PSP screen does make this an attractive alternative.
Update: The software actually covers all of Japan.
As mentioned in the previous post, Marc Xavier LeBlanc compiled 8 great mixes of Canadian artists for the event, all under various themes. It’s basically an amazing collection of the Canadian independent scene, and here are the mix titles: CANADA… ELECTRO POP, CANADA… FRANCO POP ROCK, CANADA GOES INSTRUMENTAL, CANADA JAZZ… READY OR NOT, CANADA… POP FRANÇAIS, CANADA… POP ROCKS, CANADA… POP ROCKS 2, and CANADA… INDIE POP.
You can view the complete playlists here. The playlists are also listed on placemats at the cafe.
The other main participant of Canadian Style is photographer/DJ Marc Xavier LeBlanc.
Marc Xavier LeBlanc is a photographer, artist, graphic designer, music promoter, musician, DJ and radio show host. He’s been nominated for the third year in a row as “photographer of the year†at the East Coast Music Awards, and has won numourous competitions and prizes with his photography on the internet. With a meticulous spirit, he seeks simplicity in all that surrounds him. His medium of choice is photography, though he experiments with other forms and methods such as sculpture, video, graphic design and mix media. He draws much of his inspiration from music, travel, and anything else that soothes his ear, pleases his touch, or happens in front of his camera lens.
Marc’s pieces on show include: 6 large prints from his “Lomography Series,” another series of smaller lomo prints called “(((echo lomo echo))) [the making of],” and an installation of light switches that goes by the name of “The Minimalism Series.” Also, he compiled the 8 mixes of Canadian artists that are being played during the event, and a Mac is setup to project a slideshow of some of the cover ideas, and general “Canadiana,” he conceived for the project.
Also part of the photography aspect of the show are 4 prints (on silver paper) of Heather Eve Sproat’s “Eastern Sea Studies.”
One of the main participants of Canadian Style is Tokyo-based Canadian designer Sonia Chow.
Sonia Chow is a multi-disciplinary designer based in Tokyo. Her achievements include 19 professional awards for graphic design and furniture, and a poster in the collection at the National Gallery of Canada. Her work has been shown in numerous publications, including ELLE Deco Japan and I.D. Magazine’s (USA) 50th Annual Design Review. She has a Bachelor of Design from NSCAD University (Canada). To see more of her work, pick up the March 2006 AXIS magazine and look for “Creators’ Works.”
Included in the show: the “UNILIGHT” (pictured above) floor lamp, the “TWO BITS” block print, and the “KAMO KEN” sculpture, as well as an interactive installation called “Red + White/Read + Write,” where you are invited to add your white chalk markings on a section of the cafe’s red walls (specially painted for the event).
I’ve put up a Flickr photoset of 35 pictures taken earlier today of the Canadian Style event. Still missing are pictures of Marc Xavier LeBlanc’s “The Minimalism Series” and Sonia Chow’s “Red + White/Read + Write” interactive installation (I’ll add those tomorrow).
Canadian Style is officially on at Cafe Pause! I just have time to post one quick pic, but I’ll be updating tonight with plenty more, including lots of info on the various installations. For readers who are a bit tired of my Canadian Style promotion, skip reading tonight and come back tomorrow.
I love my Tokyo trains!