Tiny Masters of Today

Lord Scrummage

Detroit is fast becoming a city with a reputation for being one of the most dangerous metropolises in America and a population that has been decreasing every year since 1960. Strange then to hear such fun, bubbly, electronic music, such as the kind Lord Scrummage (part of the art collective Scrummage University) makes.

Vladislav Delay’s Secret Playlist

Helsinki electronic producer Vladislav Delay has recorded for three of Europe’s most challenging labels: Chain Reaction, Mille Plateaux, and Max.Ernst. He grew up trained in jazz and still counts Philly Joe Jones — the drummer for the first Miles Davis Quintet — as one of his prime influences. His album Tummaa is out on The Leaf Label and features contributions from Craig Armstrong and Lucio Capece. We checked in with him to get a rundown on the sounds that inspired his latest recording: ‘Juan MacLean’s One Day is a strong and brave dance-pop. Not usually my cup of tea, but this track is quite interesting. I’ve also been listening to The Cool Kids’ Basement Party [audio below], a nice club groove, showing something new in the Hip Hop vein, which is always welcome’. Read the rest of Vladislav Delay’s Secret Playlist

Whitest Boy Alive

Whitest Boy Alive follow their own rules: no overdubs, no FX, and the music is always recorded live in one take. Fronted by Erlend Øye (of Kings Of Convenience notoriety), the Berlin collective produce a distinctive blend of minimalist melodies and pillowy grooves. And on the eleven tracks that constitute their new album, Rules, they convey one polite directive: please, move your body. We have their latest single, Island [listen below], available for free download in the Music Download section of the Lost At E Minor site [pssst, it's in the third column], along with new releases by Vic Chestnutt, Winter Gloves, and Cut Off Your Hands.

Jürgen Teller for Marc Jacobs

Ten years of German photographer Jürgen Teller’s candid, glamorous photo campaigns for Marc Jacobs’ men’s and women’s collections have been collated into one cohesive 576-page fashion bible. This book does an excellent job of detailing just how significant this collaboration has been for fashion, featuring appearances from the likes of Sofia Coppola, Charlotte Rampling, Meg White, Thurston Moore, Rufus Wainwright, William Eggleston, and Winona Ryder. Read more

Yonlu’s hidden recordings

One of the most intriguing stories I’ve come across this year is about a young artist called Yonlu, born Vinicius Gageiro Marques in the town of Porto Alegre, in Brazil. His story is short but fascinating. As it goes, this sixteen year old songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and virtual artist locked himself in his bathroom, signed on to one of the various suicide forums he belonged to on the Internet, and took his own life, remaining online until the very end. After his death, his father went through his computer and found numerous musical creations, including the songs that make up his debut album through Luaka Bop. It’s an amazing listen and very ahead of its time.

Edgar Muller’s three-dimensional street art

Some people are talented, others are just truly remarkable. German artist Edgar Muller makes these three-dimensional apocalyptic fantasy street art in cities across the world. His work is reminiscent of that of English artist, Julian Beever. Read more