Benoit & Sergio have a good thing going, people are starting to catch on and that good thing is still going. This is the sort of musical success I really love to see, these guys are staying true to their original form, making music that seems reverent to Paul Simon pop and Italo disco on one hand, and yet so fresh and relevant to today’s mature but still youthful stylistic sentiment. I’ve seen their live set against the backdrop of a number of record releases, each time the ONLY thing that ever changes about the experience is the number of attendees. These guys get up in the booth and they have fun, and that’s simply the live manifestation of their chemistry, the musical form of this combination of friendship and talent can be heard above on their newest release for Seth Troxler (whose album cover I had the pleasure of working on in 2008 before he rose to Teshno super-stardom) and gang’s imprint.

I took the photos above at their performance at Cielo June 28/29.

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Oct 25 2012

Tags: Benoit & Sergio, New Ships, Pop, Seth Troxler, Techno, Visionquest

If you design for mobile devices like the iPhone, chances are you already know about this helpful tool, but if you did not already know, or if you are thinking about getting into the game, you absolutely need to know the names Teehan + Lax. Thanks to them, we have a comprehensive launch point for mocking up app screens, it’s free (all they ask if for you to ‘Like’ them on Facebook), and now, it’s up-to-date with iOS 6. If you’re just getting started, be sure to spend some time with Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG), and look at this GUI kit as a way of setting up the starting point for your app’s design, building on top of the tried-and-true conventions set forth by Apple, identifying your own departure points and finding ways to give your project a personality that’s all its own.

Posted in Design Posted by Alex on Oct 23 2012

Tags: GUI, iOS6, Lax, Mobile Design, Resources, Teehan, Teehan + Lax, Templates, User Interface

For me, Freerange has always been a guiding beacon in the ocean of deep house, but I admit I started to lose interest a bit this year…that is until some of the label’s more recent releases and podcasts. Last month’s mix from Jimpster was positively rugged and raw, you can catch that below. This recent release from has me flailing all about. The remix from is a standout, but the entire EP is solid, check it out!

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Oct 22 2012

Tags: Detroit Swindle, Freereange, Jimpster, KRL

What ever happened to dubstep as we knew it in America? Some say it was a dead genre even before it broke out here in the US. Its hay day had come and gone before most Americans heard it, before the resurgence of that awful acronym EDM, the sort of empty (even more esoteric) descriptor equal to ‘electronica’ – used by adherents to the traditional music model who can’t wrap their head around anything more complex than a superficial catch-all label. Pangaea, as a component of the Hessle Audio imprint, may have been one of the few to whisk parts of the real sound away before it too had been raped, but even when you listen to a mix like this, it’s post- just about everything. Still, the music conjures up imagery – this track in particular off his new gives me the sensation of hanging out in some cyberpunk sky bike garage, with glowing purple ion motor fuel dripping into puddles to mix with space beer on the ground, and thugs with mohawks and artificial limbs going about their agenda for the day.

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Oct 20 2012

Tags: Aardvarck, Hessle Audio, Pangaea, Resident Advisor, Skudge

I got a chance to meet two of my absolute favorite deep house producers last month, both of whom happen to be from Melbourne. First, I caught Tornado Wallace at the King & Grove Hotel’s pool, where I was gushing over my favorite releases of his (both the ones on Delusions of Grandeur) and marveling at his ability to run with my awkward attempts at humor. Barely a few weeks later at Glasslands, I met , where we briefly discussed the genius that is Tornado Wallace. This remix he did for the eminent Recloose brings me back to the good old days. Still all about that Melbourne sound… Big up to Let’s Play House for knowing what’s up.

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Oct 19 2012

Tags: Deep House, Delusions of Grandeur, Disco, Don't Get Me Wrong, Let's Play House, Recloose, Remix, Tornado Wallace

Really digging the beautiful simplicity my buddy Shelby was able to distill from everyday sights, it’s almost a catalogue of how little is needed to tell a story – a few very basic shapes and some color. We’ve seen this quite a bit in today’s digital design age, but there’s something about the framing of this collection Shelby has started that I keep coming back to when I think my design thinking is getting too complex.

Via Shelby White (aka Wanken)

Posted in Color and Design and Photography Posted by Alex on Oct 18 2012

Tags: Colors, Graphic Design, Instagram, Photography, Shapes, Shelby White, Simple, Wanken

Dilla remains at the core of my musical heart and soul. I’ve gone on about how much I respect and revere the work of James “Dilla” Yancey, so I don’t need to repeat anything other than my ongoing amazement at the cross-genre inspiration that Dilla’s work has achieved, with this incredible Jazzy take by Robert Glasper.

Via The Hedonist

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Oct 17 2012

Tags: Dilla, Hip-Hop, J Dilla, James Yancey, Jazz, Robert Glasper, The Hedonist

Posted in Design and Photography Posted by Alex on Oct 16 2012

Tags: Camera, Digital Photography, Instagram, iPhone

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Oct 15 2012

Tags: Jazz, MixCloud, The Hedonist

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted last, but if you’ve been coming here before this point, or if you know me, you know my music and design exploration has not ceased. However, as we seem to evolve beyond having the time, interest, or energy to maintain anything larger than a tumblr/twitter-size microblog, I am going to try and reduce the time I spend on concerted posts, and more time sharing the things that I love to look at or listen to.

It sort of amazes me sometimes how music I used to think was cheesy when I was a kid or a teenager now sounds really great to me as an adult. If 18K Affair posts something on the internet, chances are, both my brother and myself are going to love it.

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Oct 12 2012

Tags: 18K Affair, Diana Ross, Macintosh Plus