COOL MUSIC; Jeremih & Chance - Xmas Mixtape

So, I rarely blog on new music but Jeremih & Chance the Rapper have given me absolutely no choice.

On Wednesday night the rapper and r'n'b singer dropped a crazy Christmas mixtape to rival every other album release this year. Fans were given zero warning and woke up on Thursday to a welcomed, early Christmas present. The album features some awesome samples, including a funky spin on the Jackson 5's  hit 'I want you back', they've even collaborated with famous comedian Hannibal Buress, it's all mad.

 Each track is a perfect blend between Christmas and contemporary music and the way both artists compliment each other is sure to catch most listeners by surprise.

You'll find the tape on the right-hand toolbar, just there, it should actually start playing automatically.... ----------->

The end of 2016 has brought an abundance of impressive albums; Post Malone's Stoney, Childish Gambino's "Awaken, My Love!", J Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only to name a few.

Check them all out - they're all on Spotify, but not before giving this festive treat a listen.

Have a great Christmas and New Year pretty people X

COOL EVENTS; DISTINKT SOUNDS - Don't be boring this Friday.

Right at the beginning of summer '16, I was lucky enough to be introduced to a group of awesome people. We met via a long-term pal of mine at Rinse FM's Born & Bred Festival (HIGHLY recommended urban music fest - check the link) and had such a swell time that we moved our boogieing across East London to a Hackney manor occupied by a few members of the group. 

At the party we got talking more, as you dooo.. It was then that I found out that most male members of the group were either underground or established DJs who were buzzing to announce the launch of their very own night, Distinkt Sounds - "London's most fire event since 1666".

Held at Bar 512 on Kingsland High Street, Dalston, the debut was popping and dancefloor packed from 10pm all through the night til 6am! Great vibes and a decent turn out made the event an success and it suddenly became a permanent fixture on the calendar of many. 

"Richard Ware

July 23 · 

Thank you so much for all the hard work, this was sincerely one of the best nights I can (patchily) remember. Cannot WAIT for the next one!"

I, personally, had so much fun that I couldn't resist an invitation to join the team of funky lads.. I now find myself heading up the social media (FOLLOW THE INSTAGRAM) as well as taking the majority of the photos with fellow photographer Dan Munro.

Vol.2 was just as enjoyable if not more. Pelikann was the headliner on the night and preceded fab sets from the super versatile line-up. 

Vol.3 is now a few days away and tickets are still available here. Try something new and get yourself down to Dalston for one of my favourite new London nights. If you have something else planned, especially if it's in the East London area, be sure to pop if after as doors close late.

The night is super cheap at only £5 online and before midnight OTD. That's a tiny amount to let go of in exchange for a guaranteed goood time.

Don't be boring this Friday - come and enjoy a good ol' affordable boogie..

COOL POINTERS; How To Watch Your Team. Any Time, Any Place.

For a number of years now I have had the privilege of never missing a game - and it's cost me SWEET FA!

I am fully aware of the fact that a lot of readers will already know of this little 'trick'. Nevertheless, I still get people who ask me "how?? how do you do it??" and I have passed on this special knowledge on to anyone who's requested it. However, now it is time for me to open the door for all to enter.

Nowadays you can do and find almost anything on the internet and if you didn't know this, now you do. I, personally, have lived in a household where the 'Sky Sports' package was never really considered a priority - this unfortunate upbringing forced me to seek a solution fast. I have since found many sites (some of which do not exist anymore) where I can enjoy a smooth uninterrupted service. Here they are:

1 - CricHD Tv (formally CricFree Tv) - http://www.crichd.co/live-streaming.php

This is my favourite site as it's reeally easy to use. PLUS, I can watch ANY sport. Here's a screenshot..

Here you can see the schedule for all sports matches throughout the day, it's so self-explanatory, just make sure the game you want to see is currently on and click 'watch'. The red 'watch' buttons and the aerials in the column labelled 'Live' are both indicators that the game you are watching is now on - ready for viewing.

You can also simply click the channel that you want the watch of the left-hand sidebar if you know where the game you want to watch is being aired.

(as you can see I was watching the Chelsea, United game here)

This page shows you what the footage is like, usually clear and uninterrupted but this does depend on your connection. Full screening is possible on any channel at any time.

MAKE SURE YOU CLOSE ALL ADS AND ANY WINDOWS THAT COME UP AS A RESULT OF YOU CLICKING 'X' ON AN AD (just to be on the safe side.)

2 - The next best site for you (in my opinion) is this one.. Premier League Live - http://premierleague-live.com/nextmatches/

This site looks like this..

.. and allows you to watch any game involving a premier league side. All you have to do on this site is scroll down to the game you want to watch and the games that are currently live are marked with a 'watch now!' button, games that aren't currently available will display a countdown til the match airs.

(You can also go to both sites for Champions League & Europa League fixtures)

Other sites include:

EPL Site - http://www.eplsite.com/

Stream Sports - http://www.streamsports.co/england/football/1/premier-league/1/

Live Streaming 24 - http://livestreaming24.net/premier-league/

Now hopefully you have enough info and good enough instructions to never have to beg a friend for their 'Sky' or 'BT Sport' login.

Enjoy!

COOL PEOPLE; ELIJAH MUSIC

"My goal in life is to be creative - with absolutely no limits."

The past few weeks have been hectic. I've taken on a number of projects (some of which I will be blogging about) and uni has resumed for the year. I am well and truly up to my neck in work but I've still managed to meet with and get to know some intriguing characters...

The second person I have for you is someone I met in London a few weeks ago now. His name is Elijah and he's a proud north Londoner. He actually approached me in need of a lighter but we soon began exchanging life stories. Elijah (Eli for short) is a second year Fine Art student who aspires to one day live off money made from his art as well as is other passion - music. After meeting we exchanged numbers and plan to stay in touch.

Oh yeah.. he also raps and has dreams of making it in the music industry.. Click here to find Eli's soundcloud and stay tuned he will be uploading some of his new music this week! I've been in a studio session or two with him and boy do I have the utmost confidence in his ability to do well.

I decided to include Elijah in this because he is doing a lot creatively and is letting absolutely nothing and no one tell him otherwise. This is the attitude that everyone should have, whatever you want to do, however it may look to friends, peers & contemporaries.

Your free time is YOURS and though you may not have as much 'leisure time' as a student you still have some so make the most of it.

Age - 19

Full Name - Elijah Brown

A.K.A - Eli

Favourite Colour - Gold.

Favourite Drink - Hennessy & Coke, Pineapple Fanta

Inspiration - His family, especially his dad. Rich The Kid (Eli recommends watching Rich The Kid's semi-recent 'Noisey' documentary - 'Rich The Kid is Rich Forever' for an insight into the rapper and his main inspiration.

Background - Part Brazillian, Part British

Occupation/Hobbies- Student, Model, Rapper, Photopraghy

Dream Job - Rapper, Artist & Model

Location - London

Instagam- @ej.brxwn

Cool Person - #1

Hey, if you didn't read my last post on my upcoming blog series (I forgive you).. and here it is!

Although constant updates on celebs and their lives is entertaining, it really isn't as beneficial as ordinary people connecting with ordinary people. If you know me well then you know I use the term 'cool' broadly - in my world it means 'interesting'. It certainly isn't defined or measured by someone's online presence, although that could be a genuine reflection of someone's 'coolness', I guess? Anyhow, these posts should ideally feature people who:

- have interesting things going on in their lives (could be anything..)

- have had unique, intriuging and thought-provoking life experiences.

As I say, it's important to for ordinary people to connect so that ideas can be shared, relations can be built and prejudice/stereotypes - broken down. Prejudice can be defined as "a preconceived opinion that is not based on actual personal experiences." - learning about others leads to a less judgmental world! Hopefully these posts can inspire different people in multiple ways (fashion, ambitions, work, lifestyle).

The first cool person I'd like to introduce you all too is someone that I've now met on a couple of occasions - both times at fashion-related events and boy does she have style!

 Her name is Emily, she moved to London from Italy and she's determined to make it in the fashion industry as a 'streetwear influencer' (which is pretty self-explanatory), not saying "no" to any modelling opportunities on the way. She strikes a mean pose on her Instagram but in actual fact she is really soft spoken and has an cool Italian twang to her voice. She currently works in and studies fashion in London.

Age - 19

Full Name - Emily O'Donnell

A.K.A - Queen Skally

Favourite Colour - 'Plant Green'

Inspiration - I.D Magazine

Background - Part Italiana, Part Irish

Occupation- Student, Model
Dream Job - Streetwear Influencer

Location - London

Instagam - @emily.j.odonnell

A lot of people like the idea of getting into fashion but it can seem intimidating and opportunities sometimes look out of their reach, but there are loads of routes into the fashion world. Start looking at courses and the requirements of your local college, speak to a teacher or someone you know in the industry. Also.. Check out the ever popular 'Fashion Retail Academy(FRA)' -- who offer LOADS in the way of courses and fashion qualifications.

Thanks for reading  - look out for the next cool person!

COOL PEOPLE

You may have read in my prior post that I am launching a blog series that I hope I stick with forever.. here it is!! After spending an eternity in the brainstorming process I have gone for the name 'cool people' (lol, I know it's rubbish). Cool People will feature a few standard photos of a random individual, some information on them and what they are doing, how I met them and my positive opinion on them and finally.. how to connect with them!

I decided to do this for a number of reasons, I managed to come up with 8 exactly - here they are;

1 - Cool People - I meet so many cool, inspiring people everyday (cool and inspiring in a number of ways..) and I am tired of keeping them a secret. A person doesn't gaq

2 - Consistency - I want to be blogging on a much more regular basis and have been saying so for a long time and have decided that there is no better way of kick-starting this by completely chucking myself in the deep end.

3 - Bye bye poor traits, hellooo portraits - I have formally divorced myself from my old friend 'Laziness' especially in my photography life. I want to be taking a wide range of shots from no onwards, especially portraits!

4 - Life is confusing. - So confusing that it would be good to get some inspiration or reassurance (whatever you need!) from a total stranger.

5 - Similar to '4' - See what people are doing with their lives, how they got to where they are and where they want to end up.

6 - Improved connectivity - I think that something like this on a big scale will improve connectivity and the sharing of ideas among our generation, people who may have never bumped into each other could get in touch with one an other as a result of seeing them on 'cool people' - this isn't a new thing though at all, social networks are kind of already supposed to do this.

7 - Meeting New People - A lot of people worriy about this, maybe learning more about people and realising that they're all fab will help you ease those fears.

8 - Difference - Difference is good, learn about people's difference, understand and love them for their differences (a bit soppy but it's true).

The first of my series will be posted tomorrow at 8pm. Thanks for reading!

COOL EVENTS; LFW - SS'17 (Street Style)

"London Fashion Week (LFW)is a clothing trade show held in London twice each year, in February and September. It is one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, along with the New York (NYFW), Milan (MFW) and Paris (PFW)." .. Gracias Wiki!

It is now Wednesday and London Fashion Week is well and truly over for the year.

Once again I got myself down to the vibrant centre of London, to connect with new people and take some cool shots in between. I leave LFW with a bag full of business cards, a bulkier personal portfolio, a slightly boosted online presence.. Oo and a big smile on my face!

Over the past few days I have also been brainstorming various ideas for a potential 'blogging series'.. I've trialed many before but haven't had that burning passion for any of them - the burning passion is the key to it's success, I feel. 

Anyway, I will be blogging more about that later. For now, here are some photos from the past 4 or 5 days.

Follow my Instagram for more of my snaps!

COOL POINTERS; 19.08.16 - The 24-Hour Tube Arrives!

This time two years ago Londoners were eagerly anticipating the arrival of London's first ever 'Night Tube' however due to TFL strikes over pay and potential working condition concerns the start date had to be delayed.

The new all night system scheduled to perform a 'pratcice run' this weekend, in preparation for the actual start date - August 19th. This practice run will be a passenger-less service and will be tested this weeked on the 12th and 13th of August - a week before it's scheduled to fully go live. Trains will be trialled on the Victoria and Central lines and will test the operational capability of the proposed system (basically, the aim is to see how well it runs).

As stated already the Night Tube will be aired on the Central and Victoria lines. This is great news as they covered a fairly large part of the city from North, to East, to West, to South. From a financial stand-point the changes are set to boost London's economy by £360m and ideally we should see improvements in our country, in different areas - infrastructure and jobs being a couple of them. 

TFL Cheif, Mike Brown said: "It is good news for London. More than half a million people use the Tube after 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and the introduction of the Night Tube, which will support London’s businesses and jobs, is a historic step in our modernisation of the Underground and our work to support London’s economic growth.”

The lines that are being tested this weekend (Victoria and Central) are the ones that will go live next weekend. The autumn period will see three more lines added to the Night Tube map, the Central line (between Ealing Broadway - Loughton/Hainault), the Piccadilly line (between Cockfosters - Heathrow Terminal 5) FYI! The 24-hour service will boast an impressive schedule of six train per hour between the hours of 00:30am and 5:30am though this number may vary from line to line.. The northern line will see an even better eight trains per hour!

Obviously this all sounds amazing and I am positive that many of you will utilise this service at some stage, some more than others, but how much of the money made will be re-invested and what differences will be made? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

INTRODUCING | CASUAL CLOBBER on ASOS Marketplace

Calling all fans of vintage, reclaimed or reworked fashion, or just clothes in general tbh. There's a new stall at the market and it's called 'Casual Clobber'. Accessible exclusively through ASOS Marketplace, the store was started by Hemel's very own Sam Brown, formerly of Longdean School and his 'mrs'.. Mayzie Harvey.

The site features me (YES literally me..) in a wide range of vintage, new and pre-owned gear, posing against various urban and suburban backdrops, ignore me though - the clothes are amazing, not to mention well-priced. 

I've been into vintage/90s-wear for as long as I can remember, I've never shied away from cutting the bottoms off my trousers and have never been able to hide my love of differing styles. I've dipped in and out of the buying and selling of vintage clothing myself, previously having sold on Depop, eBay, Sphock and most other auction sites that you can think of.. 'it's probably something I will need to restart in the near future' he types, whilst gazing longingly at his overflowing 'clothes for sale' box...

If you've also had similar ideas and don't know where to start, Depop's a good idea! All you need is a phone with a good camera, or a phone and a good camera, a creative mind and the motivation to get to a post office to meet the demands of total strangers. Ebay is and always will be a good, reliable alternative to the newer sites and apps available so if all else fails, kickstart an eBay account.

SO, yes. About Casual Clobber.. Check out the site (click here) and you'll find gems like the one I'm wearing below.

Vintage RALPH LAUREN Button Down Shirt

ONLY £19.99

The site is currently stocking 28 items, with plenty more in the pipeline.. And that's only shirts and jackets. Bottoms are to be posted in the coming weeks. Help a budding local businessman by checking out the store or simply by sharing this post and anything else you see promoting his site.

Here's the man himself.. 'Sam'ta Claus - providing the youth with styyyyle.

Download ASOS Marketplace for free on the App Store and Google Play Store (Android).

Enter 'MatesRates' at the checkout for 10% off your order!

Thanks for reading! Have a blessed day X

COOL EVENTS; LFW - AW'16 (Street Style)

Hola people.. As I'm sure a few of you are aware, 'London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter '16' ran from the 19th - 23rd of this month. I've been a busy guy recently but I felt that the beaming sunlight coupled with the moderate weather dragged me out of bed, way before I could say the words 'I am too tired for today'.. and what a great choice it turned out to be.

LFW never disappoints and this year was no different, I will no doubt be seeing some of the people I met on the day again in the near future. Throughout the day I took a number of photos featuring funky fashionistas(in all different kinds of clothing) as well as the odd celeb. Here are some photos..

THE END.

Overall, I took around 400 photos yesterday and whittled them down to the ones you have just seen. I also specifically dedicated time to taking snaps of footwear that caught my eye, for all the right reasons, throughout the day - all those photos can be found in my next post which will be published shortly.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the last few days of February.. HOW CRAY-Z!?