Interview w/ Mordechai Rubinstein

I was introduced to my good friend Mordechai through an old buddy at Union, now Stussy, downtown a few years back. We met & chatted later on that summer and after checking out his website, I felt it transcended the usual regular fashion web-log by offering a bit more than what’s usually expected in such a vague, wide world of internet fashion critics and admirers alike. It’s as if this type of photo journalism, if that’s even a proper word for it, really connects you to not only some pretty clean as well as eccentric wardrobes, but the actual clean or eccentric folk wearing it. And I think it’s safe to say, living by it and living for it. Recently, I sat down with my benevolent colleague and we were able to share a few words.

Laos: Can you tell the reader a little about who you are and what it is you do?

Mordechai: I’m just a simple yid with fine taste for all things dapper & fancy. I run around documenting what fellas are wearing. Both gents & idiots alike.

‎ L: I know you made a change of scenery and now reside on the west coast. How’s life in San Fran different than out here in New York and how have you been adjusting?

M: Well, for one, I don’t have my 3 or 4 out here. I miss the subway & all that goes with a commute. I study people (& their attire). Of course there’s people here, some even wear collared shirts, but it’s a different fella out here. A realer man in a way. You know, when I first wore Red Wings, 877’s, the real tall ones, my friend Mac who had just moved to New York from Minnesota said to me, “Where you goin’ with those boots all unlaced?!,” saying that back home, they’d laugh & beat me. Well, while I had never chopped a tree & wasn’t planning on it, he was right… The men out here in northern California wear Woolrich, Bean, & other American classics the right way. While I had the busy, bustling streets & avenues in NY, here I live to hit the road. The skies out here! The sunsets! I’m no hippie but I love the outdoors here. Haven’t camped yet, but rode 24 miles last Sunday.

‎ ‎​L: Yeah, I figure there’d be a whole different ambient out there. Do you think a person’s environment really drives the influence of one’s own personal style? And if so, what factors do you think contribute to this?

‎M: ​I’d say the weather/climate first & foremost decides what we will wear. Of course you’ll find idiots everywhere that’ll wear seersucker when summer’s long over & it’s cold, or a down coat on a beautiful warm day when it was nice in AM & will still be in evening… There’s a reason the chamois shirt was invented. In Seattle, they have Filson. Here we have Patagonia. Not to say you can’t get dressed up here, but when its gray & foggy, I may not wear my nicest suit/hard bottoms. While it’s not the norm to wear blazers or ties here, I do quite often. ‎​Bunch of factors: weather, the elements… It’s almost always a beautiful day for a hike here.. That’s more about the previous.

‎ L: What are some key pieces you consider essential in a well defined style?

‎M: ​Its important to own a blazer, I don’t care if its navy, burgundy, green, or made of denim. A knit tie can be worn on almost any occasion, especially when a necktie is required. A white oxford shirt from Brooks Brothers. Pair of comfortable shoes.

L: What do you feel a line must have or do in order to provide the utmost quality and detail? What are some certain pieces you own that incorporate this mentality?

M: A inspector # ticket in the pocket… & a good label. Woven or otherwise, just can’t be shiny polyestery. I see pieces from decent brands & their labels are just hideous, and at times even trritate the back or neck. Decent buttons, too. I love the old Brook Brother buttons, before they put their name on them.

__________

Grownstep Mixtape: DJ Shiftee for Boundless NY

Just checked out this Shiftee mix over at Boundless. It’s pretty ill, definitely not the dubstep I’m used to listening to. Give it a listen, & now words by the man himself.

Words by DJ Shiftee:

“Dubstep has catapulted in popularity over the past few years. The kind of dubstep that’s blown up though is often a specific kind of dubstep. It’s largely the hard, punch yo grandma in the face, wobble, crunch, brofest dubstep…

However, time and time again, my friends tell me, “I don’t like dubstep, it’s all loud noises & wobble bass, where’s the melody, where’s the __?” I’m sure they are talking about the aforementioned style.

But dubstep is way more than that. In fact, my favorite songs in the genre are usually melodic, smooth, song-oriented, head-nodding not smashing, and hypnotic. In a word, they’re “grown.” Hence the title of the mix. GROWNSTEP!!!

The selections are meant to reflect Dubstep’s ongoing maturation and continuous expansion. This is a mix to which you don’t have to fight your grandmother. I suggest playing her the mix over a bowl of Matzoh ball soup and a cup of hot cocoa…

The content and title of the mix also derive from my impending 25th birthday. This is an adult age. You don’t eat candy and play Pokemon at 25. You do your taxes and wear sweaters. You worry about the future and pay attention to previously nonsensical words like “responsibility” and “hygiene.”

In GROWNSTEP, I incorporate a number of samples to reflect the realities of getting older. Sometimes, I take the concept to the extreme (e.g. an interview with the writer of “Sex For Grownups: Sex After 50”) or the plain silly (e.g. Peter Pan may or may not be murdered for refusing to grow up).

I hope you’ll find a pleasing smorgasbord of slightly adult music mixed with very adult issues. Love, death, retirement, erectile dysfunction, self-doubt, and self-appreciation: it’s all there”

DOWNLOAD HERE OR CLICK COVER ART.

Black Static 3

Honestly, I really wouldn’t consider or ever have considered myself a big Jay-Z fan. I know, Reasonable Doubt is aclassic, but I really couldn’t find myself really listening to him, at least to the extent I do for other musicians. I did a little research, and unsuprised, I found some pretty ill shit. There are a few unreleased and mixed tracks, check it out.

No copyright infringment intended. For promotional use only. Listen free here or download free through Megaupload.

Tracklist
All Tracks by Jay-Z

Analyze ft. Lord Tariq & Nas

Hova

Understand Me

People Talking

Your Love

Hola Blanco

Breathe Easy/Lyrical Exercise

Only A Customer

One Ruler

Sunshine ft. Foxy Brown

Dead Presidents 3

Early Morning

Fiesta ft. R. Kelly

BLACK STATIC 2 —————

No copyright infringment intended. For promotional use only. Listen free here or download free through Megaupload.

Tracklist
Artist : Title (Year)

1. Son A Bluntz : Don’t Snooze (1996)

2. Bee Why : G.A.T.S. (1997)

3. Edo G : 304’s (1996)

4. Double Life : Revolutions (1997)

5. Natural Element : Bust Mine (1999)

6. Natural Element : NYC (1998)

7. Jaylib : The Heist (2003)

8. Private Eye : Friendly Skies (1996)

9. Alchemist ft. Twin Gambino : Different Worlds (2004)

10. Crimson League : One Time (1997)

11. Cormega : Therapy (2002)

12. Pitch Black : Hold Me Down (1995)

13. Afiliashun : Who’s This (1997)

14. Vinnie Paz : Suckaz (Verse)

15. Vinnie Paz ft. Apathy & Planetary : When You Need Me (2006)

16. All City Productions : Basic Training (1997)

17. Nas : It Ain’t Hard To Tell (Dangermouse Remix)

18. The Korp : We Comin’ (1998)

19.Ready Ta Roll : Drug Game (1994)

20. Mr. Voodoo : Return of the 45

Laos New York presents the Genesis Beanie

Black / Grey Cuff

Solid Navy

Red / Black Cuff

Review: Vampire Weekend - Contra

Vampire Weekend, an indie band from New York City, released their second album, Contra, in January 2010. I got hold of this album maybe about a month ago and I just got around to giving it a good listen. I’m not the fanciest guy nor the most crucial criticizer, but below is a general idea of how I feel about the album track by track.

1. Horchata

The first song off the album, pretty mellow. I dig a lot of the background instruments, especially at different segments of the song (i.e violins, tambourines, etc). The transitions from verse-to-chorus-to-verse work real well and were executed real smooth, as unorthodox as it may seem to me. All in all, if you pay close attention, you’ll never really get bored or accustomed to it, since different sounds or drums jump in every few seconds or so. Rating: 7/10.

2. White Sky

A bit faster than the previous track. I like the vocals and all that jazz, but what caught me on this track was the chorus (The strange, yet amusing yell) and background noise (Hey, hey, hey!). Definitely some real funky shit. Rating: 6/10.

3. Holiday

Definitely has an older sound to it from the start. Gives off a pretty happy & relaxed feeling, too. My favorite about this song is how the guitar and beat ride so well together, sort of a mix between rockabilly & alternative. The harmony’s a plus, too. Rating: 7.5/10.

4. California English

It’s a new generation, what relatively new album wouldn’t have SOME type of auto-tuning? Although I’m not the BIGGEST fan of it, I don’t knock it. The song starts off tuning hard, and slowly gets into some real smooth guitar. I like this chorus a lot, too. Towards the end, I guess gears turned and things head off in a somewhat new direction, although not enough to have a completely new song. I dig all the variety in the song. Rating: 6.5/10.

5. Taxi Cab

A nice, calm slow song. Vocals are on point and the man speaks some gold. The song goes smoother than a hot knife in butter. Some piano thrown in there, too, a plus. The beat is low but goes along perfect. A real solid track with plenty of edge. Very open for interpretation. Rating: 8/10.

6. Run

Actually the first track I got to hear off the album. Don’t know if that’s why, but this if my personal favorite song off the album. You can hear a lot of african influence and plenty of real solid instruments. It’s definitely a very catchy song and if you’re anything like me, it’s going to be ringing in your head for at least a few days. A lot of the instruments I’m not even sure what they might be, but damn are they good. Solid from start to finish. Rating: 9/10.

7. Cousins

Caught me real jumpy from the start. I dig the melody and the guitar solos. Ehh, not much to say, cool track. Rating: 6/10.

8. Giving Up The Gun

Ahh, another one I really like. Everything flows real well, the beat, melody, all that shit. Little samples are definitely spottable within different parts of the song. The break in the middle is real mellow, real laid back. Rating: 8/10.

9. Diplomat’s Son

This track starts off with a kind of islander/exotic feel to it. The changes up a few times, keeping the listener on their toes, or in this case, staring blankly into space as you creep up on the speakers. But definitely a real homey vibe, calm as norm and cool as winter. Rating: 7/10.

10. I Think Ur A Contra

Real slow, real pleasant. Not on some pansy shit, though. I really like the melody and the way the whole thing rides through. I’m actually having a problem trying to label this song as any certain sound, but that should be a good thing. A real unique category for a unique song. Rating: 8.5/10.

11. Giant

Starts off with some cool trumpets, not really something I hear too often. Some other dope sounds tossed around, good luck finding them. I like the voice doubles and direction the voice goes in. But yeah, definitely one of those tracks you find a lot of interest in for the samples and instruments. Rating: 6.5/10.

Conclusion

This album has a lot good points I enjoyed, and some other things I wasn’t too familiar with but eventually got a liking to. There’s nothing I really DISLIKED, I think it was just more a matter of what worked well with each song or what the basis was on. A real major key of this album was the variety of sounds I got to hear. Although Vampire Weekend may be just one of those New York indie bands, this album definitely has some things I haven’t heard before and even though the songs do scatter kind of all over the place, together they formed an excellent compilation. Overall rating: 8/10.

BLACK STATIC —————

DZERISMS & Laos New York introduce the first in a series of compilation mixes named BLACK STATIC. Some rare stuff, some unreleased stuff, a few remixes, you know, the usual. No copyright infringment intended. For promotional use only.

Listen free here or download free through Megaupload or Divshare.

Tracklist
Artist : Title (Year)

1. Mello-Dramatic : Anybody (1998)

2. Tha Beggas : Iron Wire (1997)

3. Silouette : Worried (1997)

4. Biggie : Can’t You See (1995)

5. War Click : Bullet For A Bullet (1996)

6. Nas : Book Of Rhymes (Crack Commandments Mix) (2006)

7. Ghostface Killah : Run (9Th Wonder Remix ft. Big L , Nas, & Jadakiss) (2010)

8. Ghostface Killah & Raekwon : Camay (DJ Premier Crooklyn Cuts Version) (1996)

9. Peanut Butter Wolf : Wake Up Beat (1994)

10. Nas : No Idea’s Original (Nick James Acoustic Remix) (2009)

11. LSD : Don’t Test Me (Smooth Mix Instrumental) (1994)

12. DJ Supa Dave : Mutha Fuck’in Magnificent (Kool G Rap Mix) (2010)

13. Constrobuz : Rawness (Remix) (Instrumental) (20xx)

14. Gangstarr : Right Where U Stand ft. Jadakiss (DJ Critical Hype & EscapeMTL Remix) (2010)

15. Madvillain : Space Ho’s Coast To Coast (‘Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix’ Version) (2008)

16. Nine : Every Man for Himself (DJ Premier Crooklyn Cuts Version) (1996)

17. Copywrite : Seven Light Years (2002)

18. The Firm/Wizard : Untouchable (1997)

Deazer’s Top 5 #Sneakers

Here you go, folks, a list I compiled of my all-time favorite shoes, mostly sneakers, mostly running. I always liked a little history in my shoe, but it ultimately comes down to nice colorways and proper execution in its design. And it better live up to what it’s supposed function, whether it’s running or basketball or ballroom dancing. Without further ado, here they are.

___

5. Stash / Air Max 95

I’m a real sucker for gray tones on a 95, and the blue and black really help the entire shoe design pop. Not too crazy on speckled mid soles, but this shoe definitely pulls it off nicely. All in all, a real solid shoe with good color and no over-extravagance. Year of Release: 2006.

___

4. Air Max 180 Ultramarine

The 180s have definitely been one of my favorite running shoe designs from Nike and this colorway really grew on me. The two main components that really set if off for me are the mesh and the air bubble that actually touches the floor. Straight Trilla *Rick Ross voice*. Year of Release: Retro 2009.

___ 

3. Fragment / Free Motion Footscape

Ever since Nike started going crazy with all these free motion bottom hybrids, I usually fall pretty hard for ‘em. They not only keep you running for miles, they look too sick. When I first saw this pair online, I became a serious fanatic for anything (well, most) Footscape and Free Motion. Year of Release: 2010.

___

2. Jordan I Black/Royal Blue

When I first began getting into Jordans, I’d be a real picky chooser. But this one pair is one I will cherish forever. Besides from being comfortable as hell, they look incredible on feet and it’s just one of ‘dem colorways. Year of Release: Retro 2001.

___

1. Puma / SNKRFRKR Blaze of Glory (Black Version)

Here she goes, my number one all-time favorite sneaker ever. I slapped regular black laces on ‘em and I’ve worn them down to the ground. The thought of getting rid of this pair has never crossed my mind. Well maybe a few times, but then I slap some sense back into myself and realize how foolish I am. Also having the gray pair at one point, the black pair reigns supreme to me. SNKRFRKR definitely put in some good work with Puma, and for that I salute you. Year of Release: 2008.

-

#Editorials by Deazer M.