WE'RE SUPPORTING

In this rehashed age of flouro and 80s graphics, I was instantly in love with the simplicity of Emily Haines’ Knives Don’t Have Your Back artwork in neutrals with its nice typography. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

There’s no place in the world like Cuba’s colourful and crumbling capital. Riddled with contradictions, it’s a foodie’s worst nightmare and a photographer’s paradise. People really do dance in the streets, drive 1950s Chevvies, and smoke big, fat cigars. However, it’s all set to change. In December last year, while Cuba celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its revolution, President Obama said he’d soften America’s trade embargo, and Raul Castro said that he’s ‘ready for talks’ with the new American government. While this could mean long-overdue relief for Cubans, it could also leave one less truly fascinating place on the globe to visit. So go. Now.

WE'RE WEARING

Put simply, Sydney fashion label Andrea and Joen create the hottest shoes around. You’ll find a combination of pure sophistication and rock and roll attitude in every pair from their range. Their sexy style has become a must for contemporary women, including Gwen Stefani, Katy Steele and Pink, all of whom have been seen proudly flaunting them around town.

WE'RE THINKING

Beast is a new collaboration between the Montreal-based French producer, Jean-Phi Goncalves, frontman of the electro band Plaster, and singer Betty Bonifassi. Their sound inhabits a place where the cinematic grandeur of Portishead meets the immediacy of Rage Against the Machine. Bonifassi calls it ‘trip rock’, invoking the way haunting choirs and glitchy electronic bits run underneath saw-toothed bass and grinding guitars, and she may be onto something. You can download their single Mr Hurricane for free via the Music Download section of this site.

WE'RE READING

The work on the Buero NY website is amazing — it’s my art direction obsession! So much work, so many cool clients … what a fantasy.

Sparks’ album Kimono My House is a demented mix of hard rock, pop, glam, new wave, and baroque pop. Why this record never caught on in the States I’ll never know. The songs will get stuck in your head and prevent you from sleeping. Oh yeah, and the keyboard player has a nice mustache too, as evidenced by this track above — This Town Ain’t Big Enough.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Back in the ’90s, just as the gangsta rap phenomenon was winding down and hip-hop was fragmenting into its own subgenres, Prince Paul and RZA kicked off the short-lived horrorcore fad with their group Gravediggaz. At the time, the melding of dark, gothic themes with hardboiled rap seemed gimmicky and awkward, a strange extension of the early and awful attempts to bridge hip-hop and metal, but on closer listen, the now defunct supergroup was way more innovative than they were given credit for. Read more