We’re almost ready for the Sónar Festival but we keep discovering things about his line-up. He’s Roman Hiele (Belgium, 1991) but now living in London, and he’s composer and performer of electronic music. Roman is closely guarded against any kind of conscious or subconscious plagiarism. He seems completely focused on making sure that his creations are his and his alone, reflecting that early Belgian spirit of creative independence as he establishes himself as one of the most resolutely original voices in the electronic underground.
Hiele’s music surfaces in the form of hard to pin point electronica, build on a long time obsession for synthetic sound creation and jazz studies. On stage Hiele plays with expectation, going past what is considered conventional, blending improvisational and classical elements into a no-nonsense personal idiom.
After first bubbling up onto the scene in 2013 with his eponymous debut, Hiele has seen his off-kilter electronics released on the likes of Belgium’s influential Ekster label and the forward leaning aesthetics of YYAA Recordings. There is a restlessness to Hiele’s creations, a distinct avoidance of the tropes that provide the utilitarian bread and butter that keeps the electronic world ticking. In 2016 YYAA Recordings released Hiele’s performance in the Schinkel Pavilion, Berlin 2014. Recently (May 2016) Hiele has released “Ritmische Bezinning”, his third album on Ekster.
Pitti Uomo 108 in collaboration with Japan Fashion Week Organization takes us backstage at the first international runway show for Japanese brand Children of the Discordance.
On a sunny Paris day, we caught up with Damien for a little chat in a park, because talking poetry on a sunny day in Paris on a weekday feels more than right.
We talked with Ecstasya about her hiatus, the struggle of keeping Lisbon’s first queer hardcore night (Maythey) alive, and why the best tracks come from being “sad as fuck.”
Bikkembergs unveiled their latest collab for a new generation of fashion and street culture aficionados at Pitti Uomo 108 with designer Gosha Rubchinskiy reimagining the classic Soccer sneaker.
Designer Eli Russell Linnetz spins a chaotic tale with The Wild Bunch, inspired by a fictional gang of anarchists (the Dudley Dozens) who turn the California coast into their personal warzone.
Benji Blue Bills has come a long way since his early boom bap days, now carving a distinct niche in electronic trap with vintage synths and a fresh, immersive sound.
The Schreiberling, meaning “scribbler,” is a limited-edition writing instrument inspired by Montblanc’s historical “Baby” models from the early 20th century.
Jean Paul Gaultier opens the doors of his Paris headquarters for Et Gaultier créa l’Homme: Le Male – Passé, Présent, Futur, a sensory exhibition celebrating the iconic fragrance Le Male.
Turn the page. Breathe deep. Your pupils are already dilating. The high is coming.
Issue 26 brings together two electrifying covers that take the dopamine dive from Sadiq Desh captured by Cris Cerdeira to multidisciplinary visual artist and photographer Tomás Pintos’ cover story, Besos hasta agotar stock (Kisses Until Sold Out), developed from the live performance creating a space where glamour
meets exhaustion.
