Lost AT E Minor

As China’s cities, infrastructure, and economy boomed under the reforms post 1979, Deng Xiaoping insisted that agriculture, industry, and urban areas should all be close together, so that no materials needed to be transported very far. Read more

Andrea Innocent’s work is heavily influenced by Japanese art and culture. Themes range from investigations into the cult of Otaku, to traditional Japanese folk tales and textiles. Read more

This is really amazing, a poignant and richly textured video and sound piece from Brooklyn-based artist, Alex Itin. Read more

Love it or loathe it, you’ve got to admit that the ruffled blouses and strict pencil skirts on television series Gossip Girl give you a guilt-free reason to watch. 25-year-old former model Abigail Lorick was approached to ghost design the Eleanor Waldorf Collection by using her budding real life label Loricklady. The press surrounding the show has boosted her profile and her new collection featuring all the Upper East Side trimmings is greatly anticipated.

Chicago’s Cheer Accident started as a post-no-wave weirdo band typical of the Skin Graft roster, but of late, they’ve been doing some unrestrained pop and rock. They even have harmonized vocals and an occasional horn. This isn’t to say they’re commercializing – their songs are just as complex as ever, and there’s still a hint of discordance beneath the shimmering new sound.

[audio:http://www.builtonaweakspot.com/blog/Cheer-Accident%20-%20Go%20Gone%20Green.mp3]

A Melbourne native once said to me: to find the good bars, you have to look for the bins in alleyways. Section 8 totally fits that quota. It is a bar that is a. in an alleyway, and b. filled with trash. As enticing as that sounds, I must make it clear that the alleyway is actually an old carpark in Chinatown and the trash is not exactly trash. But don’t let that stop you. Section 8 is pumping. Filled with forklift pallets for your seating pleasure, this little bar-that-could (also known as the Container Bar) makes a refreshing beverage and plays super cool beats all night. Read more

DJ Spooky — That Subliminal Kid — is just about the deepest crate digger around, trawling the barrels of long-lost record stores for choice vinyl to spin in his wickedly dubby sets. He gave us the inside word last week on his eight favourite songs right now via our sister website, My Secret Playlist. This is what he had to say about Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Panic in Babylon: ‘If there’s anything that the twenty-first century has told us, it’s that dub is the real original hip-hop. Lee Scratch even had to make it clear in 1965 by adding “Scratch” to his middle name. Take that, Grandmaster Flash!’ Read the rest of DJ Spooky’s Secret Playlist.