49pence Hip Hop

Paid in Full is one of the best Hip Hop albums ever created in my opinion.
Whilst having a look at some charity shops in Camden I came across this
album on cassette tape for 49 pence, its been playing on my stereo ever since.
I think this is one of my best charity shop finds.

the Farmacist.

Woodstock Vision

Proud Camden is exhibiting photographs of Woodstock festival taken by Elliott Landy.
Go check it out.

the Farmacist.

Gaslamp Killer hits London

This weekend the people of London will get to see the mad turntable skills
of Gaslamp Killer. He is playing at the Legion on saturday and then FWD
at Plastic People on sunday, can’t wait.

the Farmacist.

The Secret Kind of Blue

It has been 50 years since Miles Davis released Kind of Blue on Columbia records.
It was a new sound for jazz, and the height of cool. Today, Kind of Blue continues to
outsell the vast majority of new jazz albums.

It’s not just the best-known Miles Davis album, it’s one of the most familiar
and influential sounds in jazz. But Kind of Blue is not just one of the greatest jazz
albums ever made. It transcends genre. You can hear echoes of Kind of Blue in
rock and electronica; the work of minimalist composers like Terry Riley and
Steve Reich; and even the Godfather of Soul James Brown stole a riff from it
for his hit single Cold Sweat. Kind of Blue is also a deeply personal album.
With its distinctive mood and atmosphere, it has provided a soundtrack to
pivotal times in many listeners’ lives.

On Radio 2 Guy Barker explores why Kind of Blue is such a phenomenon.
You can still listen to this on iPlayer.

the Farmacist.

Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So Maybe No

Ever since the Stones Throw night at Cargo, I have been following the label for new releases. Mayer Hawthorne is chap I really like, he has a new music video up for his “Maybe So Maybe No” tune from his upcoming debut album, entitled A Strange Arrangement. The video was filmed by Henry DeMaio.

the Farmacist.

Fire Trucks

A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to create some artwork for his new album.
Like most designers, I have always wanted to do this. The artist is called Fire Trucks.
The idea of using a vintage Dennis Airfix model came from a conversation I was
having with my good lady. This is the outcome.

Unfortunately the album is not going to be released, but some screenprinted posters
will soon be available to purchase in our supermarket.

the Farmacist.

The least interesting Farmacist

Last weekend our good friends Ben and Jo got hitched at a damp campsite somewhere near Bath in North East Somerset. It was a truly memorable event, involving tents, fires, suits, chainsaws, deejays, dance-offs and tons of pork!

This picture of our very own Deejay Farmacist, was posted on Flickr by a fellow guest, known only as Princess Tat of Tinkle Shed and filed under the quite disrespectful title – ‘Least Interesting’. Quite righteously, it was also tagged with the following comment…

‘Least Interesting (Set)’? I feel an injustice has been done. 

That is a very interesting jumper for a start. Not to mention the charm and vigour of its slightly manic wearer.

Thank you Trevira – whoever you are. Good to see somebody is out there fighting the corner for the Farmacist.

This hideous picture of me rockin’ out to the guitar solo in ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ was also filed in the ‘Least Interesting’ folder – quite rightly too.

Smitherz

STAGES

Its summer and Le Tour De France is kicking off. This year Lance Armstrong is back
from retirement and with Nike has launched STAGES. This is an exhibiton to raise money
for his Livestrong charity. Over 20 artists are involved, 6 have designed bikes for Lance
to ride in the tour. The above bike has been designed by Marc Newson. Shepard Fairey
and Damien Hirst have also designed bikes you can view the bikes here.

the Farmacist.

William Eggleston

Last night was the 4th episode of Imagine. It focused on my favourite photographer
William Eggleston. I studied his work at college and was amazed how he created beautiful
photographs from everyday medial things. I know his work well but didn’t know anything
about him. The documentary shows Eggleston at work – taking photographs on the road,
in and around his home town of Memphis. He was a man that was into guns, women and
drink. He had a house for his wife and one for his mistress. This is really worth a watch
and can still be viewed on BBC IPlayer.

the Farmacist

HEAVEN AND EARTH

I’ve never really read the papers much. Occasionally I’ll buy the Guardian on the weekend, mainly cos I like the design and all its supplements with nice photography – plus I like to think of myself as a bit of lefty and even though I barely read the thing, carrying it back from the newsagents gives me a certain, trivial sense of left wing empowerment!

I can safely say that for no other reason than sheer ignorance, I have never even glanced at a copy of the Independent. Despite this, I have now been to see three art exhibitions and drank loads of free wine, courtesy of the Independent Readers Club – all thanks to my good friend Emma Downing, who is an absolute oracle of free art and booze.

Last night I was invited to a private view of the current Richard Long exhibition at the Tate Britain, Heaven and Earth . I wasn’t familiar with Richard Long’s work, but I can now highly recommend it. The idea that art can be a simple walk through a landscape spoke wisdom to me. Here’s a short passage taken from the exhibition guide, by Richard Long on his own work;

“My art is in the nature of things

I like the idea of making something from nothing

I can walk all day and sleep all night following an idea

I use the land without the need of ownership

My talent as an artist is to walk across a moor or place a stone on the ground

My work is about movement and stillness, the walking and the stopping places, it can be either passing or leaving a mark

I use intuition and chance, body and mind, time and space

I use the world as I find it

The beautiful photographs of Long’s natural sculptures are complimented by hand-rendered quotes, explaining the process in a few simple words. Unfortunately, we were evicted at closing time, before I could have a proper look at the art books which accompany each separate piece of work. A quick glimpse however, left a burning inspiration, to go out into the rugged wilderness and start to play with the land. Maybe I will.

Smitherz