frock&roll #4

publisher, editor-in-chief /Kat Ober

graphic design /Alexandra Berg

contributors /Pia Birk , Clara Büsel, Mikaela Koeb

photography /Isabella Hager, Lou Jones, Aimee Leigh,Sara Meister, Tereza Mundilova, Luise Reichert,Jennifer Robson, Suchart Wannaset

proof reading /Kat Ober

special thanks to /Melissa Bech, Zoe Hermsen, Sarah Nag, Ed Pearson, Jazmine Rocks, Richard Ruston

cover /Photographer_Sara MeisterModel_Sabrina, Flair (Dress-Femme Maison, Cross-earring stylist’s own)

highschool

lover

photographer / aimee leigh o ´connormodels / ashlee caligari, zoe ellwood and olivia lamb

editorial

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published on /issuu.com& inprint

headquarters /A-1210 Vienna, [email protected]/frockazine twitter: @katfrockandroll

Any reproduction is strictly prohibited from the publisher. The views expressed in frock&roll magazine are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the publisher.

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sometimes things don’t work out as they are planned or how you’ve dreamed of them. that’s what i had to learn the hard way with this issue. nothing went the right way and unfortuna-tely some people’s mouths are bigger than their actions. but isn’t that just like losing your virginity was like? with this being the virgin issue – we want to celebrate new talents which are just about to pop their cherry.

content

fashion12-15 stylestalker: zoe hermsen16-21 wardrope inspection: melissa bech22-31 eljot by jennifer milleder32-33 bernd serafin thaler34-35 ronja stahl36-45 margot&me

photography46-55 virgin suicides i by sara meister 2-5 virgin suicides ii aimee leigh 56-63 new faces by luise reichert64-72 suchart wannaset

street style73-75 london, paris, vienna, birmingham

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12-15 stylestalker: zoe hermsen16-21 wardrope inspection: melissa bech22-31 eljot by jennifer milleder32-33 bernd serafin thaler34-35 ronja stahl36-45 margot&me

diy76-77 denim shorts78-79 flower crown

music80-82 ivory seas83-84 uma85-89 pledge music & hatcham social90-99 new music10-11 magazine soundtrack

travel100-111 holloway with the voyeurist112-119 v&a with jazzabelle´s diary

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Mikaela Koeb/www.headandheels.comMikaela is a bustling blogger from Vienna, who enjoys life and doesn’t miss out on a good party. She is game for anything. You can easily spot the blonde girl due to her penchant for Lana Del Rey head pieces.

Aimee Leigh/babyskinnyminny.blogspot.co.atMelbourne originated Aimee Leigh is only 16 years old but with her photography she is already able to transfer a unique feel and vibe without any whitewash. For frock&roll she shot a series titled “Virgin Suicides”.

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Alexandra Berg/[email protected] is a young graphic designer. From Octo-ber on she will live in Leipzig and studies there at the academy of visual arts. She likes to mix clean elements with illlustrative handmade stuff.

Sara Meister/meistersara.tumblr.comSara Meister is an up and coming photographer from Vienna. With only 22years old she has alrea-dy worked with Czeck photographer Jiri Turek and finished her studies at Die Graphische in Vienna this year.

Lou Jones/www.thestylekaleidoscope.comBirmingham street style photographer Lou Jones displays her snap-shot documentary of Birming-ham street style on her blog The Style Kaleido-scope. Lou captures Birmingham’s eclectic and versatile style and never ceases to disappoint.

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magazine

soundtrack

air_highschool lover 2:42 / ra-diohead_true love waits-live in oslo 5:03 / the smiths_how soon is now? 6:47 / joy division_exer-cise one 2007 re-mastered 3:60 bob dylan_forever young 4:56 / air_playground love (with gor-

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don tracks) 3:32 / heart_crazy on you 4:53 / 10cc_i am not in love 5:58 / splashh_need it 3:04 / uma_wild at heart 3:58 / hatcham social_like an animal 3:17 / the voyeurist_chase(r) 3:27 / weird dreams_vague hotel 4:18 / mausi_sol. 3:27 / deaf club_sunday 4:02 /virals_gloria 2:48

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http://open.spotify.com/user/116568147/playlist/4RAFYWCOaMJXFVxuJfe69W

style stalkerhttp://lightningfactory.blogspot.com/

zoé hermsen (by kat ober)

Netherland based fashion blogger Zoé Herm-sen, more commonly known as Lightning Facto-ry, is putting her own twist on the minimalist sty-le with her outfits and photography. The 20year old is studying image and media technology and hoping to merge it with her love of fashion.Zoé’s trademark are definitely her minimalistic and monochrome outfits that look laid back and chic at the same time. Boyish charm is inher-ent in her style and hardly ever does she wear a dress or heels, nevertheless is she one of those girls whose style most of us should be jealous of.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself !I’m 23 summers old and live in beautiful Copenha-gen. I share my inspiration and personal style on my blog: Feedmyego.net.What’s special about the area you live in?I live in Vesterbro, which is coincidently also my fa-vorite part of town. There are so many small, crea-tive shops/showrooms/galleries and always peop-le in the streets. The nightlife is great and I literally live 50 meters from CPH’s meatpacking district! Do you completely stick out with your style or more or less fit in?Hmm, I don’t really think about it.Where do you find inspiration for the way you are dressing?I use numerous hours browsing the Internet, I read loads of magazines/books and love watching old documentaries. Generally I’ve always been in-spired by my surroundings, like places I’ve lived when I was growing up and definitely also travel-ling – I love to travel the world and experience dif-ferent cultures.Is there a person that inspires the way you’re dres-sing and why is that?Not really. I’ve traveled a lot with my family and al-ways get inspired by the people/cultures we meet. Your personal style icons through the ages are? I don’t really have style icons. I just love people, who dare to dress different!How do you pick your clothes in the morning for the rest of the day? Pretty much what’s hanging in front of me…I’ve been told I have a ridiculous amount of clothes, so sometimes the choice gets overwhelming.Do you base your look around certain items (shoes, bags etc.) or do just let inspiration whisk you anyway? I usually start with a jacket of some sort and work from there. It depends; sometimes I start with the shoes. Is there a certain fashion rule you are following?It’s a cliché but rule 1. is: Feel comfortable in what you’re wearing! (and never wear leggings or jeg-gings!)What can you never be without?At least one or two rings on my fingers. Your favourite shoes?Anything with a great platform, my Jeffrey Camp-bells are my favorite at the moment.Your favourite item of clothes?My Japanese souvenir jackets. They pimp up any look.

Favourite jewellery?My Pamela Love claw bracelet.What item of clothing describes you the best?A vintage ruffed up leather jacket – it has traveled around and seen the world, it has patina and is somewhat of a rebel.Do you collect certain things?Jewellery, for sure! And old weird skulls, horns etc. to decorate my apartment.What item of clothing means a lot to you?My Georgetown sweater (my mom wore it while she was pregnant with me).

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jennifermilleder by kat ober

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“minimalistic, reduction to the essential, clear and geometric design and use of forms, deconstruction.“

It was not easy to get into contact with the desig-ner behind the Viennese label Eljot, as the label of Jennifer Milleder can only be found via facebook. After all it is still in its infancy, only founded last summer. Back then the concept was developed by two creatives, by now Jennifer Milleder, alumna of the bachelor’s degree course fashion at Hetzen-dorf is heading the label on her own. The latest collection is most notably influenced by geome-trical and puristic designs, which is why influen-ces of art, design and particularly architecture are apparent. Feelings that are expressed with the deconstruction of geometrical basic shapes and elements within the collection are previl – fear, depression, emptiness, stagnation and escape. Hardly surprising that black is the prevalent co-lour of the collection. Jennifer Milleder sees “black as pure, genuine colour”, especially the vacuous emptiness and depth and the colour’s depressi-ve character are fascinating and stet the stage for the minimal character of the collection. But un-like her collection the designer doesn’t think of

Vienna as depressive or negative, rather the op-posite, because she thinks Vienna and the local designers are competition for other fashion ca-pitals. Especially due to developments in the last couple of years a lot has improved in matter of fashion presentations, funding, festivals, pop up stores etc. Things are happening and that is why Jennifer Milleder has planned big things for Eljot.

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“i love the perfection and the puristic, graphic character of geometric, minimal shapes.“

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thalerbernd serafin thaler / by kat ober

There is a lot of young talent springing up from Vienna’s talent pools but hardly one of them proves to be as extravagant as Bernd Serafin Tha-ler. Only last year he graduated from Hetzendorf and presented his unique shoe collection at the graduation show, in the meantime he was fea-tured in FAQ magazine, Vangardist and various lookbook shoots. Thaler started out early with sketching and then went onto studying at fashion school Hetzendorf. Even though he is now estab-lished within shoe design, the decision to do so was not as easy as it might seem. Despite only being in the business for a couple of years, Bernd has developed a remarkable sense for focusing on his target. Especially his aim of giving a certain dynamic to a woman’s walk may be the clue for the rocket launch of his career, but obviously the daring shapes and towering platforms also helped him along the way.

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ronja stahl /by kat ober

Ronja Stahl is currently attending the third year of ”Modeklasse” at renown fashion university “Die Angewandte” in Vienna and has now been nomi-nated for her first fashion award, the EVOQUE NextGen Award. She started studying fashion at the FHG Pforzheim, then moved on to studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and is now completing her diploma at University for Ap-plied Arts Vienna. This decision did not happen by chance but made for simple reasons, such as Bern-hard Willhelm taking over the head of the institute and the funding that is offered in Vienna.Ronja’s designs are full of colours and geometrical shapes, some of them quite reminiscent of brick walls. Instead of being a depression brick wall though, Ronja’s idea seems to be a friendly and cheerful approach. Prints definitely seem to be a trademark of the 27year old, and she uses them to build dif-ferent realities. One of her main influences for her latest collection is old school hip hop and therefo-re it is not surprising that the cover of an album of Ol’Dirty Bastard found a use within the collection.

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accessories designer

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accessories designer

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When did you grow an interest for the fashion world and decide to become a designer?I guess I grew an interest in fashion at a very young age. When I was little my mum always made me special dresses which I was proudly wearing at kindergarten. When I was in school I soon started to create my own garments, spending the week-ends with my sewing machine. I think I never really stood a chance than pursuing a career in fashion.What made you decide to name you label after your grandmother?To be honest I can’t really say. It was the first thing, which came to my mind and I stuck to it. I like that the name of the label has a personal connection to me and I guess it’s quite fitting for a label, which is so much into ancient handicraft techniques to have such an outdated name.How would you describe your current collection in a few words?Somehow it turned out to be a really romantic coll-ection, with a dark and moody twist. The collection is quite eclectic with all the chain elements but still very wearable. It’s the most extensive collection so far and offers a wide range from necklaces over collars to different kinds of headpieces.Can you tell me more about your creative process? How does the idea in your head become a piece of your collection?Most of the time I start by experimenting with yarns and trying out different knitting or crochet techniques. In the beginning it’s more an organic process rather than a certain idea on my mind. The research I’m doing along the way is helping me to set a mood for the collection.What differentiates you from other labels – what does Margot stand for?MARGOT stands for elaborate hand-knitted accessories, statement necklaces and exclusive headpieces. The accessories are completely hand-made and produced in Germany guaranteeing high quality.What would you say is your unique design signa-ture? What makes a piece a “Margot” piece?Accessories made by MARGOT convince through craftsmanship, impeccable finishes and high-end materials. They are very intricately and neatly made. They are statement pieces far away from the mainstream.What was your highlight of your design career so far and what do you expect from the next year?It was a big moment for me when I found my first

stockist. It’s really a great feeling to know that peo-ple are actually buying and wearing my accesso-ries. Next year I would like to attend a tradeshow to present my collection to a greater audience and potential buyers.Are there any designers you look up to?Too many actually. I totally love Alexander Mc-Queen. But also brands like Vanessa Bruno, Chris-tian Wijnants and Mark Fast, which have a great approach to knitwear.Who would you love to design a piece for?I’m not so much into this whole celebrity thing. I’m really grateful for anyone who likes my coll-ections and feels comfortable wearing a piece of MARGOT.What is important for you to wear a piece of jewel-lery or an accessory?That’s really tough for me to answer. Maybe it’s because the pieces I’m designing are somewhere in between.

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Daisy collar / natureBrooke collar / emerald

Daisy headband / natureJoan headband / nature

Mary aliceband / emerald Joan necklace / nature

Daisy aliceband / emerald

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left, Bianca:Gilet Raabenkinder, Blouse American Apparel,

Skirts (long/short) Meshit, Shoes Bernd Serafin Thaler, Bag H&M, Belt American Apparel, Crown stylist’s own, Arm cuff stylist’s own,

Button stylist’s own, Rings ASOS

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photographer / sara meistermodels / bianca kern, tempomodels sabrina schumacher, flairmake up & hair /karin mosgöllerstylist /simon winkelmüllerassistant /tamara ega, carlton gibsonart direction /kat ober

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left & right, Sabrina:See-through top Meshit, Pants American Apparel, Hat American Apparel,

Shoes Demonia Creepers, Shades H&M, Cross necklace ASOS,Arm cuff Forever 21

right Bianca:Fringed sweater Meshit, Pleated skirt H&M, Shoes Bernd Serafin Thaler,

Belt American Apparel, Hairband Pebelle, Glasses Fleamarket, Button Anna Aichinger, Rings H&M

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left & right, Sabrina:See-through top Meshit, Pants American Apparel, Hat American Apparel,

Shoes Demonia Creepers, Shades H&M, Cross necklace ASOS,Arm cuff Forever 21

right Bianca:Fringed sweater Meshit, Pleated skirt H&M, Shoes Bernd Serafin Thaler,

Belt American Apparel, Hairband Pebelle, Glasses Fleamarket, Button Anna Aichinger, Rings H&M

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Sabrina:Chiffon Dress Meshit, Shoes FemmeMaison, Hat H&M,Necklace Anna Aichinger, Ring and arm cuff stylist’s own

Bianca:See-through top American Apparel, Wrapped skirt Meshit,Shoes Meshit, Shades Flea market, Cross necklace ASOS

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Sabrina:See-through top Meshit, Shades H&M

Bianca:Jumper Meshit, Shades Flea market,

Arm cuff and rings stylist’s own

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left & right, Bianca:Dress Eljot, Stockings Pebelle, Shoes Demonia Creepers,

Arm cuff Forever 21

left & right, Sabrina:Shirt Useabrand, Skirt Eljot, Shoes Demonia Creepers,

Necklace Forever 21

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Bachelor degree course at fashion school Hetzendorf, Vienna / Trademark: Knitwear design /www.inganemirovskaia.com

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photographer /luise hannah reichertphoto-assistant /matthias kˆckmodel /maryia, ph models

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college for textile, fashion and design, Herbststraße / Behind the label: making beautiful people even more beautiful / Trademark: The classical with a pinch of extravagancy

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Bachelor degree course at fashion school Hetzendorf, Vienna / Behind the label: I let fabrics and materials inspire me, try a lot and hope that something good will come out. Edgy design, extrava-gant material and colour combinations.

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college for textile, fashion and design, Herbststraße / Bachelor degree course at fashion school Hetzendorf, Vienna / Behind the Label: A thirst of action I have to pursue, just like sports. / Trade-mark: My label is passion; there is no message behind my clothing. I neither want to find my space nor should it be referred to me. / www.jilgilbert.com

fashion school Hetzendorf, Vienna / Trademark: Exclusive tailor-made haute couture. High quality materials and fashioning. Above average height of heels. / www.facebook.com/berndserafinthaler

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college for textile, fashion and design, Herbststraße / Behind the label: making beautiful people even more beautiful. / Trademark: The classical with a pinch of extravagancy.

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„Los

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after finishing the federal training and research institute for graphic arts and media,department of photography in vienna, suchart wannaset was the one to win olivierotoscani‘s masterclass in paris. suchart convinced toscani with his combination of soci-al critical, provoking and aesthetic elements in his photographs. at the age of 21, the young photographer form vienna is standing at the start of his career and has got a lot to say aboutphotography life by now. (interview by clara büsel)

Tell us something about your personality! Who are you?At the moment, I‘m living very modest and try to combine the financial stuff with the art. Apart from that I‘m a very spontaneous person and free-dom means a lot to me. Sometimes I get lost in thoughts, then I can‘t sleep! But then I hit on most of my ideas!How did you get into photography?My father, a hobby photographer, gave me my first camera at the age of 13. Then, at school I took a dark room course, which was real fun! So I decided to apply for the Federal Training and Research Ins-titute for Graphic Arts and Media, Department of Photography and got accepted. I also learned very much thought self- study. I spent a lot of time in the library, looking through magazines for inspira-tion. And I questioned my teachers a lot, for giving me a little of their knowledge!Do you take your camera everywhere you go?No, I found out that I‘m not really the „moment-guy“. I‘ve tried to be like this, but I fall for staging!That means you like shooting on sets more than going for images „in nature“?Yes, I prefer working on shootings. I develop an idea and realize it at the set. Well,sometimes I‘ve got my camera with me and make some photos,

but normally I do planning first and then shot. That‘s how I work.How would you describe your main themes or your style?Blood is widely spread within my work. Loneli-ness, dreams and memories are the main things I do, at the moment. For example, my series „Lost Dreams“ is about a boy who hasn‘t realized his dreams but wished to do so.Where do you take your inspiration from and whe-re do you get your ideas from?My ideas strike me on the toilet (laughs) or be-fore going to sleep. Or in the tram, or when I see things. Generally, everything around me inspires me. But I like surfing in the internet, looking for great work from other artists.Are there any special photographers who inspire you?Yes, Erwin Olaf, my absolute top- photographer. I really admire him! I hope that some day I can in-tern with Olaf or be his assistant.How do you work with a new idea? Does it takes you long to be happy with its realization?Actually, I‘m rather slow but in return I want it to be perfect. For me, it has to be perfect right down to the last detail! I‘m working as long as I‘m per-fectly pleased. I really don‘t like halfhearted things.

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Is there a photo genre which you like the best?Yes, portraits and fashion! But not the stale pho-tos, I try to express my own style. Actually, I‘m open for every genre.What type of camera do you use for your photos?That differs! I do have an own camera, but mostly I borrow cameras. For example, if I‘m doing a fa-shion shooting, I take a really old camera from the 20ies and take photos on medium format film. For different series I take different cameras.Analogue or Digital?I love both! But when I‘m taking photos with an analogue cam I work „hybrid“ : I take analogue photos and scan them to do the editing. The com-bination of both types makes a lot of fun!Is good equipment essential?The equipment isn‘t important at all. You just have to have the photo in your head! If you‘ve got a great idea, you can realize it with every equipment. Technology isn‘t all.How important is image editing with Photoshop ect. for your photographs?Generally, I use image editing mainly to make something surreal. It‘s not the main point, but a good tool. When I‘m doing portraits I only edit the skin. I want everything to be perfect even when I take the photo! That‘s why I do the styling by mys-elf and I‘m very interested in the work of the make-up artists.Since you’re done with school, is it possible to live by being a photographer?Besides working as a photographer I don‘t have any other jobs. I fully concentrate on photography.Would you say that it‘s very difficult to get started as a photographer in the job market?Yes, and what I find annoying is that you need to know lots of people. I want to do it on my own, but you really have to work one‘s way up.Your time in Paris at „photo 4 life“ in 3 words!Exhausting, learned a lot and experience. I have been able to improve myself; Oliviero Toscani has been very strict! But now I‘m hardened, and more flexible with criticism.Toscani is known for that he wants to shock with his images, that art should shock people! Can you find yourself in this approach? Isn‘t that your in-tention too?Some of my images are provoking, but not all of them. I also combine aesthetics with social critical thoughts, it depends on the theme. I also have to adapt myself to the public, but I take care that I don‘t loose myself.

Has your life as a photographer changed since you won „Photo 4 Life“?Yes, a little bit! Thought, I haven’t got more jobs, but when I was in Berlin, I had been identified the moment I arrived!Which are your further projects?At the moment I‘m working together with a band, called the Drawn Daggers. We did a band shooting and now I‘m doing the cover for their CD. I‘ve also planned some more shootings, I‘ve seen a guy on Vienna‘s streets and he agreed to do a series with me. Furthermore, I‘ve got some projects with hair-stylist and make-up artist Jenny Bladek.What goals do you have for the future?Currently, I‘m doing a big Portfolio and then I‘ve to go to magazines and ask for jobs. You have to do it like that, when you‘re at the beginning.Do you have any tips for people who want to get involved with photography more seriously?There will be times when you‘ll feel like a little beet-le. But don‘t be frustrated, you have to do what you love and then success will come!

Links and further information /http://www.suchartography.at/Facebook: Suchart Wannaset Photography

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londonparis vienna &birmighham

styleeast.blogspot.com/ Jennifer Robson



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schnittenjagd.blogspot.com / Isabella Hager and Tereza Mundilova



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www.thestylekaleidoscope.com / Lou Jones

www.thestylekaleidoscope.com / Lou Jones

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denim shorts

“with lots of skulls on my butt i think i’m ready to join the toughest motorcycle-gang in town.“

by mikaela koeb (headandheels.com)

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“with lots of skulls on my butt i think i’m ready to join the toughest motorcycle-gang in town.“

Denim shorts are one of my favourite items in my wardrobe. You can wear them anytime and any-where. If you want to have a really special pair, why not pimp them a little? It just takes you some time and a quick stop at the fabric-store or some old relatives’ attic.I went for a black & white skull fa-bric which matches really well with the colour of the pants. For the shorts you‘ll need: pair of shorts (please wash before), a piece of fabric (please wash before), sewing thread and some studs for the front side. It’s simple as this. Cut out a piece of the fabric which is slightly bigger than the pocket and fix it with some needles. Now you fold over the fab-ric till it has the same size and shape as the pocket. Afterwards just sew around once, make small and tight stitches, so that they‘re not visible afterwards - the darker the colours the easier it is. Add some studs on the front side of the pants if you want to have some highlights there as well. Since my studs weren‘t that expensive I don‘t trust them to survive a washing machine. Think I’ll go for a soft hand wash instead.

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flower crownby kat ober

“now enjoy beiing a flowerchild.“

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“now enjoy beiing a flowerchild.“

This is surely something Lana Del Rey made trendy, now flower crowns are everywhere and also can be purchased at various shops for quite some money. But there is a way around spending a lot of money on them, because making one yourself is easy as pie! All you need is: fake flowers, Alice band, lue gun and Scissors. First cut the stalks from the flo-wers. Glue some of the green leaves at each end of the Alice band.Then start from the middle of the headband and put a bit of glue on the head band. Press a flower firmly onto it and hold it for appro-ximately 15 seconds.Take as many flowers as you want until you’re happy with the result.

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ivory seas

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fluid, intricate, rhythmical, poetic and beautiful-those are the five words the london quartet ivory seas describe themselves and their sound with. and in fact, their first two tracks ‘boundary’ and ‘still brooding’ convince with beguiling, guitar-driven me-lodies and exciting lyrics. adam, thomas (both on vocals guitar and keyboard), george (drums) and brendan (bass) took some time to tell us, why else ivory seas is a band that you should keep your eyes peeled for. (interview by pia birk)

First of all, what do you think, in which way does Ivory Seas differ from all the other bands out there?We like to marry together the art of English prose with rhythms and differing textures. It‘s important to us to use real instruments as much as we can, not relying too much on backing tracks or samp-les, favouring playing it ourselves to capture that moment in time on record rather than relying on synthetic sounds and loops. All of the sounds we use are played by us with real instruments then manipulated. Lyrically we like to use the English language to its full potential in an almost old fa-shioned and poetic way to describe something real. We like to push ourselves to describe things in a non-generic way, so that every song has its on voice or its own drama to play out. To come to the roots of Ivory Seas - where and how did you get to know each other? Is there maybe an interesting story?Myself (Adam) and Thomas moved to London to escape the boredom of our hometown in search of people to play music with. I met George while working at a record store, where we had both been acting ‚too cool‘ to say hi to each other. I was pret-ty sure he was a drummer, as drummers just give off a vibe, so in the end I asked him and then we just started playing together. Brendan had heard some songs from a previous project and was keen to get involved after he played a short tour with us.Your very first track Boundary already gave us a first impression. While listening, keywords like The Smiths, shoegaze 80’s rock, pop up in my

mind – are you happy with that? Is this the sound and musical direction we can expect, or are you still in process of trying and finding out?We wouldn‘t really agree with that ourselves, we see it having many different rhythms, layers and textures. We struggle to put labels on our music as each of us is influenced by all genres of music from classical to electronic. This definitely infuses itself naturally into the music we make. It is an on-going and evolving process which never really stops, and that‘s what‘s so exciting and impor-tant about making music. To have ideas that are not fully understood until they‘re concluded. We always have our core sounds close to heart, but spend time experimenting and creating sounds that we have not made or heard before, twidd-ling with vintage keyboards and other things lying around. There is always the idea of ‚what if or ‚try that‘ lingering around, in taking analogue sounds and treating them to give it a new lease of life.Well, for Boundary you managed to get your hands on Wild Beasts producer Richard Formby. How was working with him?We were lucky enough by chance to catch Richard at a good time whilst he was in between album sessions. He is very attentive, innovative and calm mannered around the studio, and I guess we are similar in nature that way, so it was very easy to be in each others company for several days. He sees and understands our vision and that‘s very important when you have that relationship with a producer, where you don‘t really have to discuss anything, it just happens. We both share a passion

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for creating unique sounds from real instruments and also odd things around the studio, then ma-nipulating them so that they become a part of the arrangement. Adding those one off things can re-ally make a song very special and unique.Speaking of working together, imagine you could choose any person to work with - who would that be? Who would be your favourite musician to have a gig with?I think David Bowie would have to be one, David Byrne or Robert Smith. There‘s so many. It would also be really interesting to work with a musician or producer from a field unlike or unrelated to our music to see how they interpret it. That could be an exciting collaboration.What are the most embarrassing records in your collec-tions?We DJ quite a lot, so its essential we have seve-ral one hit wonders and guilty pleasures. Name anything we probably have it. What was the best concert you’ve ever been to?Growing up around Brit-pop it would have been Oasis, but nowadays seeing the likes of Neil Young was a highlight. Anyone that‘s not from our generation is always great to see in the flesh, before dare we say nature runs its course. There is also a lot of good bands coming through in Lon-don and it’s always good to watch in small and intimate venues.What kind of work would you guys probably do if you weren’t musicians?The English „A-Team“.What are your plans for the following months?Any releases coming up? Working on an album? Festivals? Touring?We are going to be releasing a single/s and then most likely an EP. We are also sketching out our album alongside all this and have some exciting shows coming up.Festivals and touring abroad are definitely on the agenda too.Where do you see Ivory Seas in, let’s say 5 years?And what about 20 years – do you think you’ll still rock the stages?In 5 years time, having our albums out that we are proud of, and hopefully seen more of the world. I think in 20 years time we will probably be having a snooze before sound check and tucked up in bed a bit earlier. Ok is there anything left you want to let us know about Ivory Seas?Get a Free Download of ‚Boundary‘ via our Face-book page now.New recordings, single details to

come soon, so keep checking our website and fa-cebook etc..We will hopefully be out to Europe very soon.

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uma make together exemplary electronic collages. the german / austrian husband and wife duo are mixing deep electronic rhythms & bass sounds with haunting and beau-tiful choir like vocal chants. those do not just come from anywhere, ella grew up in the middle of nowhere, spending her early life studying classical music and singing in choirs. later on venturing into bigger cities (vienna, berlin) she found herself drawn into a thriving diy and electronic music scene which she gladly started to explore. flo grew up in suburbia and taught himself to play guitar by covering glam rock bands. the mid 90’s saw him buy a computer, which started a lifelong obsession with producing and recording music. the ‘drop your soul’ ep was written in vienna, berlin and madrid and features notable guest musicians such as legendary silver apples from new york and japanese sound-designer yosi horikawa. it was recorded in the couple’s idiosyn-cratic home studio in berlin using analogue synthesizers / drum machines and digital recording equipment as it aims to sonically and lyrically capture the most elusive eve-ryday moments. (interview by kat ober)

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What’s the story behind the name?UMA has a lot of different meanings, e.g. horse in Japanese, also the houses on the Mentawai Islands are called UMA, but most important we wanted to choose a name that people don‘t neces-sarily transfer too much of a meaning towards it, something people would imagine the music being as this and that only because of the name. It‘s a bit about freedom in choice. Our choice of how we want our music to sound like.As a child who did you want to be like?ella: I wanted to be like my dad for quite some time, this unreachable cryptic figure talking in strange words about stuff no one could understand. / flo: I wanted to be a giant with features like Mr. Gadget has on him, to be able to do anything! What’s the most embarrassing record in your coll-ection?ella: I really wanted to get this David Hasselhoff record when I was a kid. And I got it. / flo: I had a weird phase of listening to 80s hair-spray-rock and there was a band called Tiger Tailz. They had a comic tiger as logo and I even bought the picture disc.My favourite place.ella: Bed / flo: EllaA book/song that changed me.ella: Ingeborg Bachmann- Malina, this book I read over and over since then. It was mind changing and did a lot to my perception and understanding

towards humans. / flo: For the better or worse, it was „On The Road“ by Jack Kerouac, I have to ad-mit. Never read it when older than 25 though. It belongs to the youth.What influences would you say was present in your music?Visions, like Ella would say: „I want this to sound as if god was playing drums in the Peter’s dome“. Not so much bands, as specific songs that opened up a direction.What process do you go through when you write your music?Different states: First excitement, then endless boredom that suddenly changes to understanding and turns out to excitement and a new song. Are you seeking fame or fortune, birds or something altogether different?ella: I am seeking for some exciting calmness that would enable me to get rid of some miserable be-liefs and ideas about life, I still didn‘t manage to drop / flo: I wish I was a little bit cooler.How would you describe your sound in one sentence?16 vestal virgins are chanting, riding into sunset on the backs of silver elephants that stomp the beat while walking.

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Where does the idea for Pledge Music come from?Benji Rogers, pledge Founder and long-time tou-ring musician came up with the idea. He was slee-ping on his mother‘s coach in London, en route to Amsterdam for a show. He had sold every piece of merchandise and knew that he had fans, but the economics weren‘t adding up. Hi vision was ar-tists engaging fans in the album making process WHILE it was a living experience, fans pledging their support, and a charity benefitting from the process.How has the response been so far?Quite wonderful from the get go. We just turned 3 years old on July 28th. With over 11,000 artists on the site, and by launching, funding, or releasing 2 projects per day, we‘ve hit a stride and the growth curve looks amazing!What’s the difference between Pledge Music and other companies like KickStarter?While we share some similarities with sites cate-gorized in the crowd funding industry, we define ourselves as a direct to fan music company. First, we deal only with music projects. Second, fans still pledge, and a threshold or „target“ amount has to be reached in a set amount of time. We, however, don‘t display financial targets in currencies, rather as a percentage of a target amount. Our site was built to deliver an experience through pledger only updates, and we‘ve built in social connecti-vity tools which truly elevate fan participation into viral social marketing. Finally, but certainly not the last and only, we are a hands on people driven company that invests time into making sure pro-jects succeed. We assist in messaging, exclusives development, price targeting, content delivery, and custom service.What are some of the challenges that you are cur-rently facing?Everyone loves a good challenge, right?!!? I‘d say that as we expand into different markets & territo-ries, delivering the Pledge ethic while accounting for cultural differences is a challenge, but a wel-come one.

Where would you like to see Pledge Music at in the next five years?As the go-to choice for independent and label-signed musicians for fan engagement, pre-sale, and creative project delivery (tours, theatre dri-ven musicals, music based photography, charity based music compilations & whatever else can be dreamed up)!Do you think Pledge Music has the potential to change the music industry?Absolutely. It already is, and I can‘t wait to see what‘s next.

Hatcham Social

You funded your latest album with Pledge Music What led to your decision to fund your latest al-bum through Pledge Music? What was the expe-rience like? Simon at fierce panda thought it would be a great way of getting people excited about the new album and getting them involved. We are always interes-ted in trying new ways of doing things and experi-menting, so we went for a meeting with them and it seemed like a really exciting idea.So what about PledgeMusic was so appealing to the band?Mainly it’s the fact that the true fans get something extra and you get to get closer and more involved with people. It lets you share things with a selec-tion of individuals that are eager to be part of a process and be involved.Was the fact that part of the money pledged is do-nated to charity an extra incentive for you?It was definitely something that made it feel really wholesome and worth doing. We have really close friends that have been hugely effected by cancer and it felt great to be able to help something in a small way. We have actually given to cancer re-search before when we released crocodile all the proceeds from the single launch were donated.But how far do the fans pledging money to their campaign have input into the production of their records?

the music industry currently lives through a drastic change, which leaves many wonde-ring what will happen in the future. others though already are thinking in the future and mounted incredible projects such as spotify or pledgemusic, an online platform that helps musicians to crowd fund their musical outlets. frock&roll had the chance to speak to a representative of pledgemusic and one of the bands that only recently released an album via pledgemusic. (interview by kat ober)

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This is totally dependent on the artist. Tell me about some of the incentives and strategies you used in your Pledge campaign.Our main incentive was the music, get the new al-bum. That’s what all music campaigns should be focused on. But we also offered some things that we thought may be different than you can usually offer as merch or whatever; Finn doing portrait drawings or such like. The other main thing was that we got you involved and showed you what was going on and sent everyone demos and ideas and cover songs and things like that.Which one were you most excited about?Making the music and speaking with fans. How does working with PledgeMusic differ from that of a traditional record label?I think they work well hand in hand, we worked well with pledge to get involved with people that alrea-dy like us and give them something extra and then fierce panda release it out to the world to flutter about and show everyone else its shiny colours. We worked with pledge and then released with fier-ce panda to get the best of both worlds.Does the web create a fear that every missed con-nection is a missed opportunity?Maybe to some people. I don‘t think about those things.Has PledgeMusic opened your eyes to the things that could be sold to your fans?I am romantic enough to avoid thinking about ‚sel-ling to fans‘. But I am realistic enough to under-stand that it is a business. I guess it’s opened our eyes to ways of talking with our fans or whatever, that’s been great. And maybe how the music is pa-ckaged, I mean a cd is not always the best option, sometimes a dancing bunny rabbit that ‚houses‘ the music in some way is a better way to show the idea...In what ways can fans and their expectations both be a blessing and a burden?If they truly felt something from your earlier work then they have some connection and sensitivity which is great and a huge honour to have given them something that can help expand their life en-joyment and ideas. Sometimes they want you to go a different way, you had a meeting at a point in your life and then your paths of ideas go off in a new way, i guess you hope that they will re converge or that they will come to see the angle you are creating it from and jump aboard. Its not our job to please everyone or all the same people all the time, but in general i think people have been coming along on

the ride and been pleased with the view. How has the Internet enabled you to connect more readily to a global audience?I both love and loath the internet. It’s very distrac-ting and simplifies so much and also thins eve-rything out. But it is a wonderful way of commu-nication and I am sure without it we would not be able to go to so many places and have people know our music.... Would you recommend the crowd-funding con-cept to other bands struggling to make their next record?I always recommend proactive approaches. But I would say make sure you do something great and put your whole life into it, if people give you their trust you have to give them your heart, not just a second hand idea.

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Recently Birmingham has made itself a name pro-ducing a number of promising acts one of them is Swim Deep. You might not think that a bunch of Brummie lads could happen to be the next poster-boys of beachy grunge pop. But Swim Deep have the potential to. Despite that, you might doubt that grunge, surf rock and pop could ever work to-gether, but in fact they do brilliantly. Swim Deep, who have only formed recently and already made a lasting impression at the Great Escape this year, create acid drenched dream pop at its best. Their tracks are characterized by simple chord progressi-ons, hooky basslines and singer Austin’s mumbled vocals. Singer Austin just got kicked out of college when crossing paths with Higgy stacking shelves at Morrisson’s, third member Zachary was picked up outside a strip club and from then on Swim Deep was taking shape. Cavan, fourth and so far last member just happened to be a too cool guy for not being in the band. In order to escape the grim

reality of Birmingham’s job centres, the four boys dream of sunny California and fantasize about Jen-ny Lee Lindberg being their girlfriend. Their latest single King City takes you straight back to the 90s with its acid washed denim and cool skateboarders with beach blonde hair. With lyrics like “I wanna be everything I’m not, I wanna be rich, I want to show off” oozing romanticism, coolness and escapism. Swim Deep are creating sunkissed noise that ma-kes you feel like it’s summer even though rain pours down the windows. (by Kat Ober)

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Splashh is the brainchild of Toto Vivian and Sas-ha Carlson. Forming only a matter of months ago, in February 2012 to be exact, the duo bonded over their mutual love for music and began plotting their sun drenched musical assault on the UK. Growing up between the South Pacific and the UK, they left the beaches behind and came together to record in a small bedroom in Hackney, the result was a myri-ad of echoey grunge and fuzzy surf tracks. With their first ever gig only two months ago Splashh already created a tremendous number of six tracks within three months. Even though they are trying to take things as they come, Splashh seems anything but haphazard. Things have kicked off for them since their brilliant gig at the presti-gious Great Escape festival and have been featured on the Guardian’s new band of the day section as a result. The now quartet manage to stand out of an increasingly bland field of pop up indie bands , with perfectly composed post Britpop, full of interes-

ting samples and left turns, while still staying on the grunge tinged course. Imagine Beach House meets Wavves or any band along the lines of Yuck or Gross Magic. Their lo-fi approach to dreamy beach music with that extra pinch of sugar coated pop sprinkled with brash rawness is what creates their uniqueness, apart from their teenage energy and carefree attitude that nowadays is found in so few current bands.Splashh’s first single All I Wanna Do, a cocksu-re and brash track, was released via BBC1’s Jen Long’s cassette label Kissability. Follow up Head-spins focuses more giant riffs combined with a fuzzy backdrop, whereas upcoming single Need It is a track laden with nasty guitar effects, wistful vo-cals and frisky and snarly melodies. (by Kat Ober)

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childhood

Childhood that is Ben Romans Hopcraft, Leo Dob-sen, Daniel Salamons and Chris Brent are hailing from Nottingham via London and describe them-selves as Pop, Pop, Pop. Not surprising really as their sound is all about woozy guitars and a slightly weary - but still optimistically sweet vocals. Child-hood was started when Ben Romans-Hopcraft forced a cheeky little scamp called Leo Dobsen to pick up his guitar, he saw in his depressing dorm room in 1st year of uni. They threw some ideas around and then recorded a couple of demos which gathered some attention on the Internet. And then decided they needed a band as it was only the two of them making songs on a laptop. The full band

came together in the form of Daniel Ajegbo on drums, Daniel Salamons on bass, Leo on guitars and Ben Romans Hopcraft fronting the four piece. (by Kat Ober)

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the voyeurist

“This is edgy pop noir, if The XX are comedown music, then The Voyeruist are the trip.“ This de-scription of The Voyeurist sums them up the best way. Even though comparisions certainly shouldn’t stop us from discovering The Voyeurist‘s unique sound. In existence for little over a year The Vo-yeurist was born out of frustration and disaffec-tion in the heart of London. Sarah (Vocals) and Richard (Guitars/ Electronics) met anonymously on a guitarist-seeks-vocalist forum and moved on to remix for the likes of Au Palais, Kool Thing, Visions of Trees, and Worship. This March they released their debut EP called ‘Hexed’ which was recorded, mixed and mastered in various sites

across London. Smooth atmospherics give way to harsh-noise influenced destruction and disaf-fection. Hard-clipping industrialised percussion stomps brazenly next to clean and diminutive gui-tar phrasings, whilst old and cracked drum machi-nes wince to a halt amid screeching cacophony. the magic of The Voyeurist is not made up of its indivi-dual parts; rather it lies in the marriage of Ruston’s dirge-heavy distortion and Nag’s honeyed, volup-tuous vocals; the interplay of hard and soft; the exploration of darkness peppered with knife-sharp shards of crystalline light. When the balance is achieved, as it is here, the results are masterful.(by Kat Ober)

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weird dreams

It might not be surprising that band that draws influences from David Lynch and The Beach Boys also finds inspiration in dreams. In particular these are the weird and vivid dreams of frontman Doran Edwards, which also gave the South London band their name. The ‘David Lynch meets The Beach Boys’ sound is also very apparent when listening to Weird Dreams’ songs – apart from the effervescent guitars and quirky beats drenched in wistful Beach Boys-esque harmonies the band are pretty fond of dark lyrics that are completely opposite to their sound. If Sofia Coppola would need a new sound-track for the The Virgin Suicides now, well she wouldn’t have to look any further as the vibe of the re-cord goes perfectly with the film. Glorious summery riffs accompanied with a pinch of dark melancholy.(by Kat Ober)

wild swim

Actually Wild Swim are around for quite some time now, nevertheless it’s time to introduce them to you as one of the acts to watch in 2012. Not only because they are into creepers like me, but because they prove that Oxford still has its name on the new inventive music map despi-te Birmingham’s claim for fame in 2012. The five-piece band’s dramatic vocals and synth-pop stylings have won them many fans on the local scene. Wild Swim have created an incredible mi-nimalism laden dropping psychedelic guitar whilst holing into this massive atmosphere running ever so calmly over lead singer’s Richard big fitting voice. If you like Wild Beasts you’ll like this too.(by Kat Ober)

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wild swim ghost outfit

Ghost Outfit are as Lo-Fi as Lo-Fi can be. The Mancunian duo definitely are a one off band, even though they move within a certain DIY hype amongst bands like Yuck or History of Apple Pie. But they are doing everything a bit different. Be-cause in their eyes it does not mean that “just be-cause you want to do something textural, you have to write really abstract songs; you can still write pop songs.“. And they are definitely doing just that -heavy on the droning and clang of machinery, with lots of echo. Although most of the tracks are pretty much hidden under a layer of noise and sounds- that is exactly what is defining Ghost Outfit. They don’t sound like another band, they sound like Ghost Outfit. A bit raw, a bit fuzzy and a little ghostly.(by Kat Ober)

Guildford seems to become the cradle of recent emerging talent – from Vondelpark to Amusement to Disclosure, who have helped the latest Guildford discovery record by getting them into their home studio. Mafia Lights are a trio, with Joel the sin-ger, and James Balmont on bass, guitars and keys, with Cameron Knight on lead guitars and beats. Their songs are full of atmospherics and echoing vocals, nonetheless manage to add an accessib-le catchiness to their melodic synth tunes with some nod to the itchy glitchiness of 2step/garage.(by Kat Ober)

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virals

Virals is the new band of Shaun Hencher for-mer member of LOVVERS. Hailing from Worces-tershire, Virals has already released a couple of singles, each embracing a 1970’s power pop feel with a way cleaner and crisper approach than LO-VVERS. Underneath the garage rock guitars, a fun-damental dose of Britpop sensibility is omnipre-sent as well enough of summery feel that leaves you sunkissed by the slothful energy of the tracks. Surprisingly Shaun has predominately been wri-ting and recording on his own, which is impressive as the tunes do sound like being played by a full band. With Virals incorporating distinctively up-beat hunch of sundrenched glee they’re Britain‘s best new glam-grunge band since Gross Magic.(by Kat Ober)

heavy waves

When googling Heavy Waves, there is nothing but surf references coming up. According to my google research a heavy wave means a big, gnarly, kick ass wave. Well, not a bad name choice then. Heavy Waves are riding on one heavy wave which is currently spreading Brum’s talent across the UK and further with bands including Peace, Deep Swim, Victories at Sea etc. Heavy Waves, the brain-child of one man bedroom-band Luke Morgan, are an experimental lo-fi trio originally from the Mid-lands and London but now residing in Birmingham. And according to the front man themselves are part of “the fake-beach-rocker scene in Birmingham“.(by Kat Ober)

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heavy waves deaf club

Deaf Club is a band from Wales based in London, who obviously have a knack for ironic hints, e.g. their band name. The reverb-drenched five-piece don’t hesitate mixing genres nobody thought of mixing before – but doesn’t goth, shoegaze, chill-wave and folk sound a logical thing? Well it does now. The hunting drum rhythm, the textural gu-itar and a pinch of Zola Jesus’ operatic voice and drama add to Deaf Club’s potential of be-coming one of the bands to watch in the future.(by Kat Ober)

The north-east pop four-piece - led by Milan-born siblings Daisy and Thomas who moved to the UK in 2008 and met bandmates-to-be Ben Brown and Benji Huntrods at university in New-castle. Latest single, Sol, shows off Mausi’s re-putation to produce fun, danceable tunes created by sunny upbeat disco vibes. We dance in the summer haze,” with added beat which is unas-hamedly dance-y pretty much sums the track up. Backing lyrics exclaiming “Dance, Dance, Dance” highlight the band‘s intentions and make them just sound that little bit too much like Black Kids.(by Kat Ober)

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holloway

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it’s a sunny saturday in london when i make a move from brixton to holloway to meet the voyeu-rist at the islington arts factory, formerly a church, now a chari-ty where exhibitions, workshops and performances take part, lo-cated right opposite holloway prison. and also acting as prac-tising space to the voyeurist, sa-rah and rusty.

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jazime is one of those blogger girls that you simply have to like other-wise you’re a douchebag. simples. if you ask her about her favourite spot in london, there is only one possible answer: the victoria & al-bert museum, world‘s largest museum of decorative arts and design, in south kensington. from william morris to crammed bookshelves that reach up to the ceiling and furniture – all of that floats jazmine’s boat. william morris, english textile designer, artist, writer, and liber-tarian socialist associated with the pre-raphaelite brotherhood and the english arts and crafts movement, is by far her favourite though with his delicate textile designs and eye for structure and pattern. jazzabellesdiary.blogspot.com

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