Tag Archives: la

MUSIC | LA Love (La La) – Fergie

Miss Fergie Ferg is back. After a near decade hiatus word spread earlier this month that the ‘London Bridge’ chanteuse was working on a new album (slated to be released in 2015) and the first single would be dropping September 29th, we were pretty stoked to see what she had cooking up for us. Take a listen the first single off the album LA Love(la la) produced by DJ Mustard and let Fergie give you a geography lesson.

Initial thoughts: oooh this sounds a bit like 2 on 2 but I’m not mad at it. Hmmm she really is listing alot of random places. Hmmm this is pretty catchy though.

Thoughts after the third listen: This is how you do a low key comeback – still keeping to your signature sound (no crazy EDM banger here) but updated and simple. Not bad at all.

What do you guys think?

“L.A. Love (La La)” will be released on September 29. (iTunes)

MUSIC | #stuckonrepeat ‘My Type’ – Saint Hotel (Immigre Remix)

MyType-Immigre remix

This week we are digging LA dynamic duo, Immigre’s take on Saint Motel’s jam ‘My Type’.  Check out their spin below and be on the lookout for an exclusive winter mix coming from them soon! Also if you dig Saint Motel check out there new song ‘Ace In The Hotel’ which they’ve just released as a 7“.

http://facebook.com/immigredjs

http://facebook.com/saintmotel

FASHION | Five Minutes With Audrey Kitching

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XO Magazine had the pleasure of catcing up with model, journalist and entrepreneur, Audrey Kitching hot off the relaunch of her new natural, holistic online store Crystal Cactus. Crystal Cactus sells an array of incense, bath salts and killer crystal necklaces. Here we chat about inspiration for the store, some of her favourite pieces and Audrey’s summer essentials. 
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What inspired you to start Crystal Cactus, and more specifically branch into crystals?
 I have been living a conscious life style for about five years now! I try to only use holistic beauty products, I eat organic when possible and Vegan and try to do yoga, hiking and outdoor activities as much as possible. I recently got rid of Cable ( only use my Apple Tv now, to watch inspiring programs and avoid all the crap ) and I’m extremely earth conscious on a daily basis. All these things have become so important to me. Im so lucky to have the great reach I do so I try t use it to inspire as many people as possible. I got really into crystals a few years ago after realizing they can raise the human vibration to a point where happiness and healing is easier for the body to create. It’s extremely interesting and it kinda all just made sense. I love fashion and I always will and I think having a conscious lifestyle has so many negative connotations. A lot of people think of weird hippie granola ladies who are clueless and fashionless haha.. My goal is in merging fashion with conscious lifestyle that more people will be willing to give it a try or look into it, to better their own lives by nurturing their mind body and spirit on daily basis! Everything we put into our existence will create our future. 
How do you go about finding inspiration for the pieces, do you approach it as a collection or do you approach it by the crystal‘s properties and what would best compliment them? 
A little bit of both! I try to relaunch with new items every few weeks. A lot of my crystal supplies are all over the country and it’s hard to get the same crystals all the time. Due to this a lot of my items are limited and when possible I try to bring the ones back with high demand. I am always leaning more towards the Amethyst, Jade, Onyx, and Rose Quartz… as these are my personal favorites.
Do you have any favourite pieces? 
Yes, I’m obsessed with the clear quartz XL gold pendant necklace. It’s huge about 2 inches and it’s just so magical. It’s definitely not an every day necklace. It’s pretty heavy but it’s worth it!
 
Along with selling jewelry and crystals you sell other items as well such as bath salts and incense can you tell us a bit about your creative process with creating / sourcing these? 
I’m a huge bath fan, it’s my relaxation ritual. Some people have a glass of wine or beer after a long day.. I light candles take a bath with herbal sea salts! I get Himalayan pink salts and dead sea salts from all over the country and I mix them with my own special blend of holistic essential oils and herbs. Quality is super important to me so I always use the best salts possible. They come in huge white woven sacks and I have to have my boyfriend carry them up to my studio for me. 
What are some of your summer essentials? 
Really cool baseball hats ( I like to keep my face out of the sun, recently got one from Nasty Gal that is clear pink vinyl) oversized rainbow reflective sunglasses, homemade frozen fruit pops, overloaded bracelets and stacked up rings!
To purchase any of the necklaces above or any other rad goodies head over to http://crystalcactus.com
Follow Audrey on twitter: @audreykitching & Instagram : @akitching 
Words | Le’Keisha Sims 
Photos | All photos courtesy of Audrey Kitching 

FASHION | FEAR OF GOD SS 13

 “FEAR OF GOD” IS A WAY OF LIFE, A PHILOSOPHY, and THAT GOES BEYOND RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION. THE COLLECTION, BORN IN THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES IT CONNECTS THE MASSES THROUGH A STREET-WEAR MENTALITY.”  

Above is the mantra for LA  label Fear of God  – whose Spring/Summer 2013 collection just launched. We love their long draped tees, flannels and leather panelled hoodies featured throughout the collection. Plus you can never have too much back, white, grey or red in your closet. 

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MUSIC | Victory

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Meet Robert Fleming, the multi-instrumentalist and man behind Victory – one of our favourite new acts coming out of LA. We caught up with him hot  off releasing his new album, ‘Victory is Music’, and chat his influences, creating the album and whats next! 
 
What were some of your main influences when creating the album?
I am always listening to a lot of different styles of music and at any given time I have a few key albums stuck in my head.  For this particular record I was anxious to create a bigger sound, especially after hearing the last two Black Key’s records (El Camino and Brothers).  I also can’t avoid the influence of ‘Speaking In Tongues’ by Talking Heads, an all-time favorite.  I had embraced a more produced sound while I was recording this record as well.

What was your creative process like?

Some songs just came out and I could write, record and produce in a day and others required a lot more patience.  I record alone in my own studio and am always trying out different sounds and ideas without the fear of anyone else hearing the weird stuff that I try.  There’s usually a lot of solo dancing involved as well, which helps with inspiration.  I mainly get to layer everything that I record and try a bunch of different things until the right idea comes out. 

 You released your debut EP in 2011, in between that time and when you started working on the album, did you experiment with different sounds, or have you always known how you wanted your album to sound?

I definitely experimented with some new sounds.  The most obvious sounds are the addition of some serious fuzz-bass and a Hammond Organ.  I also wanted things to sound significantly bigger than my EP and more produced and I was able to get that sound with the help of a legitimate drummer (Joey Waronker) and a fantastic mixing/mastering engineer (Chris Testa).  My knowledge of recording has always been a work-in-progress and this record was a step towards a sound I was shooting for.  

Have you been playing any live shows lately or plan to go on tour this summer?

I put together a group recently and we are just now getting our feet wet in Los Angeles.  We are currently a 3 piece and the sound is pure Rock N’ Roll and very upbeat.  No tour plans now but we are hoping to put something together very soon.

Do you have a favourite song from the album?

My favorite song changes depending on what time of day you ask or how I’m feeling but I have been digging “Woman” a lot recently.  It’s really fun to play live and I like the dynamics of it.  Of course I have heard all the songs so many times now that I’m glad I like any of them at this point! 
Check out the video for his latest single below!

VICTORY – “Play It” from Victory on Vimeo.

‘Victory is Music’ is out now via Reserva Records! Pick it up here.

Words | Le’Keisha Sims 

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