The brainchild of 26-year-old Melbournian Wally De Backer, Gotye [pronounced ‘gore-ti-yeah’] fuses downbeat electro with atmospheric beats, treading a fine line between music and noise. ‘I’ve never been a follower of specific niche genres or scenes, so I’d be lying if I said I remembered something like a pure electro’, he says. ‘I grew up listening to wildly divergent stuff — from The KLF to grunge bands to Aussie country and folk music — so I guess the variety in my Gotye music comes from wanting to experiment in the different musical territories I’ve explored as a listener. In terms of how my music fits into a broader spectrum, the eclecticism on display might fit nicely in the mix-and-match playlist culture that P2P networks, mp3 players, podcasting and the intense mixing of genres over the last decade have ushered in’. His latest release, Like Drawing Blood, is a stunning soundscape of layers, with the title referring to the two-year (and somewhat painful) process of development it went through. The album’s artwork is as equally striking as the sound contained within, with splashes of deep blood-red paint on cream canvas. ’It’s a painting I did as a child, seemingly at quite a morbid stage for a six year old! It’s quite possible I was just cleaning my brushes over a piece of cardboard’, he laughs modestly. ‘But mum must have had an eye for cool things because she chose to keep it. Fortuitous as I don’t think I could paint to save myself anymore’. And as for the origins of the name Gotye? This is also something De Backer can thank mum for. ‘It’s a pet name my mum had for me as a young child’, he chuckles. ‘She was a French speaker and only spoke French with me occasionally, but my birth name is Flemish. I was born in Belgium you see. It translates into French as Gotye’. [see also Moby]
Also by ZOLTON
Maths explains the origin of superhero characters
I love the colours and simple reasoning in this clever series by Scottish illustrator Matt Cowen, which uses basic maths equations to explain how certain pop culture icons came to be. Read more
Star Wars Uncut: a fully crowdsourced version of Episode IV
The project of creative technologist, Casey Pugh, this full length version of the George Lucas masterpiece was created from multiple 15 second segments recreated from the original movie and submitted by thousands of Star Wars fans, which were then spliced together by editor Aaron Valdez to form the final product. Genius, as both a commentary on contemporary pop culture trends (there are references to LEGO, stop motion, memes and the like) and on the power of tapping your audience for quality material.
Filmmaker creates LEGO stop motion to propose to girlfriend
Now, this is one for the ages: back in 2010, Atlanta film-maker Walter Thompson created a jaw-dropping LEGO stop motion to propose to Nealey Dozier, his girlfriend of four years. The video took 22 hours of shooting and some 2,600 pictures to splice together, a small sacrifice to pay for years of happiness together. Right? Right! Oh, and she said yes. Bonus.
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Paris-based photographer Caroline de Vries has been featured in many group exhibitions, including the RCA Show at the Royal College of Art (London), Space at the Galerie Le Lieu in Lorient, France, and Failure/Success, curated by Nigel Rolfe, at Photo Month in Krakow, Poland. Read more
Our friends at College Humor have done what they do best: taking the mickey out of those hapless folk who never get just how public Facebook can be. Laugh? Yes, it’s always so much more fun at someone else’s expense. Read more
Heavy metal and hip-hop are perhaps the most popular forms of rebellion for kids the world over. In Malaysia, metal — particularly black metal — has taken such a strong hold that the Fatwa Council there banned it, fearing that the music would compel listeners to rebel against religion. Contrary to the council’s intentions, black metal is as popular as ever in Malaysia, and is a recognizable cultural touchstone there, as indicated by the above clip from the 2005 film Filem Rock.
71 is the kind of place which is small enough to miss, but once you see it, you realize everyone somehow knows about it. It’s set three steps down from the sidewalk level, and it’s always packed, except for week late nights and mid-mornings. Even though their service is not the friendliest — like any other spot in New York that’s too cool for school — 71 has a noticeably loyal clientele. Lots of writers hang out with their computers, while photographers check out the scene, and artists meet up with their reps. Besides hot and cold drinks, including their own coffee, they also offer a great selection of pastries, sandwiches and my friend Nicolas’ favorite chicken soup ever.
Since they blew up with the release of their debut album, All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer have become the hottest thing to come out of Brooklyn since the $2.25 pizza slice from Luigi’s on Dekalb. We checked in with bassist Ira Wolf Tuton and asked him for a list of songs that are rocking his world right now. Read more
Hailing from upstate New York, Phantogram were signed by the uber-hip Ghostly label on the recommendation of School of Seven Bells. Hardly surprising given Phantogram’s dark, beats-and-samples pop sound.
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It doesn’t transform or actually play music, but this watch with a face that looks like a cassette tape, is still pretty cool. Read more
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Honest Food Preparation Instructions
Yes, we’ve all been there: the chinese food from last week that still looks edible amongst the bare surrounds of an empty fridge. But really, we shouldn’t. Just let it be. Or College Humor will expose you! Read more
Pencils made from recycled newspaper
The problem with awesome things like these pencils made out of recycled newspaper is that you almost don’t want to use them.
Michelle Blade’s psychedelic artwork
Michelle Blade’s washed out paintings are deceptively simple, her washy acrylics creating psychedelic textures and conjuring ghostly figures from the past. Read more
How ’bout this Jose Manuel Hortelano-Pi guy, huh? Quite the illustrator, yessiree Bob. From Spain, too. Spain is great! Read more
Cookie Boy’s creative cookie designs
I don’t eat cookies, so good thing Cookie Boy’s cookies are little pieces of art too pretty and cute to eat. Read more
This cool black unisex t shirt by UK label Client is made in England, printed in Berlin, and beautifully packaged in East Berlin cartonage, especially designed for Client. Read more
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