On May 25th, Low End Theory hits Japan once again. The itinerary: A big show on Saturday in Tokyo with DJ Krush + Residents, and on Sunday, Osaka. If you're far out East, we suggest you head to a smart shop, buy a few viles, ingest, then mozey on over to the party. To celebrate the festivities, we've released another official Low End Theory Logo tee in three new color ways. Most of the inventory was boxed and shipped to Japan, but we were able to hold back a few units for our US friends. Available now in our shop while supplies last. (click here)

 

 

Nobu, our OBEY Japan Head Hunk, has helped coordinate these parties for 5 years now and has grown close to the Low End Theory Japan crew. The leader of the LET Japan team is journalist, label owner, event/party organizer, and DJ/Artist, Masaaki Hara, who holds many titles and has long been a fixture in Japan's music scene. He and his close comrades are considered to be the leading force responsible for introducing the sounds of the underground to an "almost-established" scene and his contributions are frequently demanded by Japan's most reputable music-related publications. His company, "Disques Corde" (formerly "Soup-Disk"), has been running for over a decade. They not only act as a record label to put out music, but also as a hub to invite international artists to Japan and coordinate events. Recently, his focus is introducing the "Los Angeles beat scene" and it's artists to Japan, but is also involved in various endeavors as the founder of the Japanese broadcast chapter of the internet radio station "Dublab," producer of Creative Commons hosted art project "Into Infinity," and Red Bull Music Academy's "Play, Japan!" programs.

While he and his team are prepping for the upcoming Low End Theory parties with his recent return from attending the Red Bull Music Academy in NYC, Masa was gracious enough to sit down with Nobu and give some insight for our blog. Thank you Masa !! (あなたにマサに感謝)

 

Nobu: It's been 5 years since you've brought Low End Theory to Japan, and the reception has been great. Can you tell us how it all started, how people feel about the party, and where the electronic music scene in Japan is heading?

 

Masa: I first heard about Low End Theory from Hashim Bharoocha who moved to LA. Afterwards in 2007, I was out in LA for a meeting, had a chance to actually go to Low End, and was very fascinated by their fresh approach. I think the party was still somewhat under-the-radar back then but I was very impressed by the ways the party put focus on performances of beat-makers and producers.

I've always felt like beat-makers were kind of like stagehands, and even though many made great beats, there were hardly any venues or parties where those beats could be heard on a grand scale. The big parties almost always played fast 4/4 beats instead of slow and heavy. That is why I was intrigued by Low End Theory and wanted to have it in Japan, in hopes of revitalizing the scene here.

Although we postponed the party in 2011 because of the disaster and it's effects, the reason why the party has been received so well since 2009 is primarily due to the fact that the state of LA's music scene was very stimulating to Japanese ears. Although there is no doubt that the popularity of the LA sound has been overwhelmingly growing, I think it has more to do with the ethics of LA's music community and artists.

The music scene in Japan is very diverse and there wouldn't be a way to forecast where the electronic and beat music scene will be going but the crowd at Low End Theory Japan has been constantly growing. I hope Low End Theory Japan is, or becomes, an open platform for the people that come to the party.

 

 

N: You're in charge of booking the Japanese artists for the party. Is there a criteria in order for you to choose the local talent to participate in LETJ and Beat Invitational?

 

M: When we first planned to hold the Beat Invitational in Japan, I wanted not only the fresh up-and-coming beat-makers and performers to participate but the veterans as well. As the name states, it's an "Beat" Invitational, so there are certain guidelines to follow in regards to playing "Beats",  but I think of it as more of a platform for free expression and try to book artists extensively.

 

N: The special guest of this year's party is DJ Krush whom we all know is a legendary artist. How did this come about?

 

 

M: Kev and the residents have been booking artist they respect to play at Low End Theory in LA and SF. DJ Shadow being one of them. I was also informed that DJ Krush was on the top of their list.  I interviewed Gaslamp Killer for a publication while he was in Japan last year and remember him speaking very highly of DJ Krush. That's how influential DJ Krush was to them. The time is ripe, the stars have aligned, and it's finally about to happen. Back in the 90's, I put together a event with DJ Krush, DJ Cam, and DJ Vadim and hadn't been reunited with DJ Krush since. I feel like he's come full circle and to see that his existence has had such a deep influence on Low End Theory is very emotive for me as well.

 

N: How does OBEY fit into all of this?

 

M: First of all, I'd like to thank you and OBEY for believing in Low End Theory Japan and supporting the party since it's initial stages when we were still groping our ways through the unpredictable . It's great that the connection OBEY has with the artists in LA has transcended over to Japan and our parties so organically. To me, OBEY is not just a fashion brand, and I feel that you guys are vital members of the International music community. What you guys put out musically and the OBEY RADIO parties are of great interest. Whatever you guys put out is steps ahead of the game and we're very proud to have you guys involved.

 

N: Any future projects we should know about? Closing comments?

 

M: My friends and I have started dublab.jp this year and although it is still only an once-a-week two-hour-show, we hope to expand our broadcast to a more expansive and public radio station in the near future.  Music radio has been relatively conservative in Japan, as compared to the U.S., but I feel it's starting to show signs of change. I look forward to dublab.jp and Low End Theory Japan to play an attractive role in the developmental stages of the musical community here. I'm also excited about the release of a series of music from Japanese artists under my label, disques corde. The project will commence with Coffee&Cigarettes Band (DJ Kensei & Sagaraxx). As a writer, I'm getting ready to publish my second book.

 

 

LOW END THEORY JAPAN [Summer 2013 Edition]

May 25, 2013 (Sat)

at UNIT(03-5459-8630) www.unit-tokyo.com

OPEN / START : 23:00

TICKETS: ADV.3,500yen / DOOR 4,000yen

*20+ w/ID

 

special guest

DJ KRUSH

+

DADDY KEV

NOBODY

D-STYLES

NOCANDO

TAURUS SCOTT

+

DJ KENSEI

 

Beat Invitational: TBA

##

For more info, please visit these related links:

http://lowendtheory.jp

http://dublab.jp

https://soundcloud.com/disquescorde

 

Low End Theory USA Podcasts:

http://www.lowendtheoryclub.com/podcast/

 

- NOBU via ROAM

PARIS, FR - Last year, I had the opportunity to throw our first OBEY Radio in Paris along side our French Connection, OBEY FR a.k.a. The Greendog Hoodlums. Thanks to the new friends of Coteaux Suisse, I met a young whipper-snapper named Dream Koala (DK) who controlled the crowd during his live set. Since then, he's been doing shit, grinding and what-have-you. Next week in Paris, he throws his #5 installment of ZuluZulu (brought to you by OBEY FR) at The Social Club in Paris. Through FB, I asked him to get me info on the event, so I'll cut and paste what he wrote me, just so it's coming straight from the Koala's mouth...

DK: "If you could just write something to explain that ZuluZulu is Dream Koala's residency at The Social Club in Paris and it is to promote the beat scene in France."

R: "Sure Bud. Who's playing?"

DK: "Torus - With his "Torus EP" released last year on Sonic Router, the young dutch Joeri Woudstra comes back with the "Yard Sale EP". He is the kind of guy who takes his sampler and record noises in the nature. His music can start with field recordings and ambiances, then transform into some incredibly heavy beat music full of bass! This is the beatmusic of the future, for sure.

TORUS SOUNDCLOUD

"Ssaliva - François Boulanger (aka Ssaliva/Cupp Cave/Kingfisherg) is that kind of artists, the kind we do love at ZuluZulu, who release audio cassettes. His music is like a time travel, we found ourselves in an retro-futuristic universe, somewhere between Board Of Canada, Flying Lotus and some 80's tv-show opening music. He already released a cassette on the L.A label "Leaving Records" through Alpha Pup."

SSALIVA SOUNDCLOUD

"Dream Koala & Andrea - They (We.. kinda weird talking about myself) are the two rising parisian beat producers at the moment. Usually only doing live-set, they will join to do a Dj Set and make The Social Club shake their booty."

DREAM KOALA SOUNDCLOUD

Hus - He is the dude behind the french best new blog, Utopie Tangible. Officially member of the ZuluZulu Team, he's going to share his musical culture in actual electronic music and make discover unknown talents."

HUS SOUNDCLOUD

R: "thanks... I'll post soon."

DK: " :))) . oh yeah... click here for the event page on FB. "

(Qui? or Weee? I pick "Weee.")

- ROAM

Happy Febru-any, you meatball sub with jalapeños. Hope you're staying warm and feeling good. Been on the road for a bit so I'm kind of out of it, what's new intranet?

Our French Squad threw a party this week at the famous Paris Social Club called "ZULU ZULU" headed by Dream Koala, a teenage musical prodigy who's coming up the ranks in the Parisienne Beat/Electronic scene. Watching this kid live will make you a fan and I'm proud we jumped him into the gang a few months ago. For the music heads, please scroll to the bottom for soundcloud links and info on billed artists. We'll be doing these parties every few months, so be sure to stay tuned for #5.

Music Music Music Music Music

- ROAM

Here's a great video of our man Justin Van Hoy who passed away last month. He told us that he was doing an interview with MTV, but House of Style? Holy Shit. Again, I'm continually proud of this dude right here. Please watch... it talks about the release of his book, his life and more all wrapped into a 12 min segment. Yay!

Roam / December 21, 2012

Our friend, Justin Van Hoy passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He had been through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant in 2009. At the time, his friends held fundraisers and donor drives around the country in his support. People came out by the hundreds to support him and his wife, Holly, through a difficult time. Justin certainly didn't have a lack of supporters and friends willing to give anything to help him, which strengthened his bond with everybody he knew. He had a way about him, soft spoken and unassuming, he was genuine in a town where that is a rarity.

He was selfless in his contributions to the art community. Not only was he a talented artist, illustrator and art director, he had a natural ability in networking within the right circles and connected artists to collaborate. This was his thing, he finally found his calling in curating, and with the help of his partners, opened THIS GALLERY in Los Angeles in 2010. The time he spent working with Roger Gastman a R.Rock opened his eyes to the world of publishing, adding yet another skill set within his portfolio. He often worked on book layouts with Gastman, but eventually ventured out on his own to culminate his last and final release, Milk and Honey: Contemporary Art In California which was released on November 3rd, 2012. Please support and buy his book here.

Since the early days of OBEY Clothing, he's always been an art contributor. His style was a lot more organic and vintage-ish which was a great contrast to Shepard's signature style, diversifying our T-shirt collection every season. In 2007, we brought him into the Clothing office to help out with catalog design. It took a few drafts, but after a couple days, he nailed it. To this day, we still use elements he designed for us in our catalogs, look books, and website. He was such an integral part of our growth here, and we can't thank him enough on the work he blessed us with.

Please visit his site, he would love the increase in Web Traffic !!!

WWW.THEDUTCHPRESS.COM

Some words from US here at OBEY Clothing...

PUBES:

"The last time I saw Justin was at his book release at the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills. It was such a monumental night for him. Hundreds of people had come out to support the event. It was a sort of homecoming and in retrospect I'm so happy so many friends were there. Justin was hitting a new level in his career and this book basically curates so many of the relationships he had built since moving to California.

Justin, I'll never forget you kindness, your ability to always be so uplifting even in your most challenging times. You deserved the best in the world and you are an inspiration to people in your approach to life, you certainly made the most of your time with us."

ROAM:
"I randomly met Justin on a lurking mission at Shepard's office when I started interning at OBEY Clothing. At the time, I was kind of thrown back at his appearance (no disrespect). Here's this dude, sitting at a normal sized desk with his arms and legs so awkwardly angled, he reminded me of a daddy-long-leg in front of a matchbox. Memory, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the very first time we even said a word to each other ended up being an hour long conversation. It was like we were childhood friends, catching up as adults, explaining what we did professionally, what was going on personally, what we liked, what we hated, and all that in between. He listened to my bullshit, and I listened to his... Thinking back, we had some great banter back and forth, me being the fucked-up, negative smut-peddler, and him as the positive, rational bloke. Together, we schemed on projects and made an effort to see each other if we were in the neighborhood.

Throughout his battle with cancer, we spoke about it, but it was never a bum out like you'd expect it to be. It was just something that he had to deal with, and being that positive dude, he just wanted to hang out and enjoy life. We loved eating at the Oinkster together, I kept him up-to-date with the L.A. Beat Scene & Rap Mixtapes, he kept me in the loop with the Gallery and all his Artist friends, and most of all, our ladies got along.... A flawless formula of friendship, if you ask me.

The thought of Justin gone brings me to tears I can't hold back. Justin, I will always remember our chat and hug at your book release, I am (and have always been) so proud of you, my friend. You'll forever be missed."

- PUBES & ROAM (MIKE T, Jon Furlong, Chris Broders, and everybody at OBEY Clothing)

Our UK family just informed us that they're extending the Sound & Vision London Pop-Up through November 11th.... giving you another week to lurk. Wadeedeedadeeday.

Address - 12 Dray Walk  The Old Truman Brewery  London  E1 6QL

- ROAM

Thank you to all that came out to OBEY Radio St. Petersburg and Moscow! Of course, we couldn't do it without OBEY Russia, plusplusplus.fm, and Faces & Laces !! I saw a lot of cameras at the events, so we'll put up some type of video / photo update soon!

And it don't stop.... we've got a few events coming up in Europe. If you're in the area, let's party!

Here's the London Show, going down this Thursday!

And another one in Amsterdam, July 8th.

And a few other things going on in between. For those in the know, we'll also be at Capsule in Berlin. If you're around say, "whaaaatttaaap!"

Спасибо!

- ROAM

A little "hush hush" party happened over the weekend for Mr. Young and Shepard's Art collab, "Americana," which Jon and I were able to finagle some passes to.. thanks TT! Although we can't officially show any of the artwork until the release, we can show you how much of a great time we had... Thank you Shepard, OBEY Crew, Neil, and everyone at the gallery! More info here!

ohh... jon.

My photo with the man... he's a lot smaller in person.

- ROAM

I think this video says it all... right? This Thursday, February 23rd, we'll be teaming up with our Spring 2012 Limited Series artist, Stefan Glerum to launch his tee collection at the Concrete Gallery/Image Store located on Spuistraat 250 in Amsterdam. From Feb 23-25th, the space will be converted to an OBEY Only shop offering the newness of Spring 2012, the limited tees, screen printed posters, as well as an event tee only available in-store... Don't Sleep, Just Creep!

- ROAM

First post of the new year goes to me - a worthless, hungover human being... but somehow I feel great! I thought I'd ease in the new year and not go out last night... I made the mistake of partying with all the US networks... ABC, MTV, BET, and a little of CMT, pouring leftover alcohol from various parties into my mouth (not at the same time, silly goat.) and chasing it with the only liquid I had left in the fridge... Coffee Cream. Not.A.Good.Idea..

Now onto some great OBEY news, we had a holiday party not too long ago... I'll be updating more, but here are some highlights from the night...

More Photos Soon!!!

On some International news, people love pop up shops. With Taipei being one of em... If you're in the Taiwan, and jonzing for new trippy threads... peep this:

And the after party...

Thanks and good luck in 2012!

- ROAM

Last Friday, we celebrated one last party at The Crosby for OBEY Radio's weekly residency which lasted for three and a half years. We're not at all going away.. just going global! Please make sure you check back to see OBEY Radio in your hood! Chris (Free The Robots) and I are so grateful for the opportunity to work with such talented artists over the years, there's so many to name... but an extra special thanks to Shepard Fairey and OBEY Giant Crew, The Gaslamp Killer, Nosaj Thing, Flying Lotus & Brainfeeder, Dam Funk, Scotty Coats, Mr Hyder, NoMSG, My Hollow Drum, Nobody, Low End Theory, Ikey Owens, Matt Goldman, DJ Franchise, J-Logic, Jamie Strong, Chris Haycock, Shawn Drew, The WARhouse Gang, The Crosby Staff, The Crosby Owners, The Bums, The Mutants, The Babes, The Bouncers, The Police and Fire Dept, and the City of Santa Ana for everything... I know I'm forgetting some important people, but I'm also going a bit HAM right now... THANK YOU!!!

To end the night off right... Special Guests THE GASLAMP KILLER & NOSAJ THING poppped in to do their thing... (photos by JON FURLONG)

Last Month, Vanski Transki posted BLANDA's NYC opening for her OBEY Collection launch. Blanda continued the party in her hometown of Zurich Switzerland. With the help of our Swiss Posse, some old friends, and of course, Blanda... The party popped off.. With tunes blaring, the alcohol spilling, and people just having a grand ol' time. Photo credits to Olivier Bonnet, Masta P., and Blanda E. in providing some photos to help us visualize this great night and helped us imagine we were right there with them... hey ladieeeess!

"This past Saturday, on Oct 8th, we celebrated the Swiss release of the Blanda for OBEY artist series collaboration at it-spot Gonzo in Zurich. It turned out to be one of those rare nights everyone kept buzzing about for days. We were dancing to beats by Nadeeya, Kutmah, David Suivez and Ngoc Lan into the early morning hours. All of my closest friends and family were there (even my grandmother stopped by for a glass of prosecco:) I can't describe how special it was to present this collection in my hometown to the people I love." - B

Blanda and Her Family!

Pierre & Ngoc Lan

Blanda & Melanie Winiger

yuppers!! thank you to everybody involved in OBEY Radio Zurich!!!

- ROAM

GIANT UPDATE: At the end of the month Shepard will be making his way to the Jersey Shore to perform at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival .  Well you know us, we like to take advantage of every travel opportunity we can get so we’ve decided to bring the noise to Asbury Park, NJ.  In collaboration with Jonathan LeVine Gallery we are proud to present the east coast version of the REVOLUTIONS exhibition.  On exhibition will be over 80 pieces of Punk, Rock, New Wave, Jazz, and Hip-Hop inspired artwork based on the 12″ record cover format. In addition, will we have a very limited quantity of the Album Cover Print Box sets that will be available in person at the exhibition.  Please join us for the opening celebration on Thursday, September 29th, 6-9pm with after party to follow!

REVOLUTIONS: The Album Cover Art of Shepard Fairey
Presented by Jonathan LeVine Gallery

Opening Reception:
September 29th, 2011, 6-9pm

On Exhibition:
9/30 – 10/3/11

1200 Ocean Ave
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
For more information please contact Jonathan LeVine Gallery

and if you're in town... of course.... ATP w/ Portishead.

- ROAM

Hey Everybody, Roam here... I just wanted to update you with a few things going on in the next two Fridays at OBEY Radio.

This Friday, Sept 9th, we've got OBEY Radio x Shift with DJ Rhettmatic (Beat Junkies), Plann.B, Free The Robots (DJ Set) as well as a few other retards not worth mentioning.. Let's party!! Details HERE.

Next week, Sept. 16th, we team up with the ladies of Lovemade, with special guest Ngoc Lan (Food For Ya Soul, Switzerland). It's Free, we've got Fun International Music, and of course, Filled with babes... psyche out!!

See ya!

- ROAM

This Friday, August 19th at The Palladium in Hollywood, DJ Z-Trip's Rock Boxx Tour will be stopping by, along with special guests - Hip-Hop Hall of Famers De La Soul, Experimental Beat Producer Nosaj Thing, Low End Theory Club Founder & Alpha Pup Records Owner - Daddy Kev, as well as ROAM of OBEY Records. It's an honor to be apart of this event and definitely something not to snooze on!

Music Fans of Greater Los Angeles / Southern California (Sorry for those outside the area, I have to be a little bit specific). We'll be giving away tickets via OBEY Clothing's Facebook page in the next few days at random times. I've only got 4 tix available, so 2 pairs of tickets will be given for the first contestants to comment and answer the particular question posted correctly. Only thing is that you'll need to either live or show proof that you'll be in Southern California this weekend to actually win. For those that don't qualify, I'll be selecting the next contestant down the comment box.

GOOD LUCK & GREAT LISTENING!!!

for more info, please visit www.djztrip.com

- ROAM