Nike Air Max Country Camo Pack

Always trying new things and staying ahead of everyone else Nike are to realease a new selection of Air Max with a camo theme.Now I know everyone has done and is doing the camo thing at the moment but it is the implementation of the patterns on these that makes them standout,all over on some and on selected panels on others.Hyperfuse has been the main application of materials with what looks like some synthetics or suede on other panels.

Being made up of the core (most popular) models from the Air Max stable ,the AM1,AM90,BW,180,95 and 97 has given the designers a large choice of different ways to interpret the brief given to them. The camo patterns used are taken from the countries of Japan,Italy,France,UK,USA and Germany are used to great effect.
These are a Tier 0 release so not everywhere will be stocking them apart from the more individual retailers,available from July the 6th these will be a staggered release throughout the month so as not to flood the retailers in one day with so many models. I have selected my favourites for posting here and they will be available from End Clothing among others.

Shameless plug for a brilliant night out

If you enjoy a night out in Manchester but are bored of enduring a one room mentality with little variation in sounds then you must have heard of HomoElectric right? You haven't...then allow me to explain.

Created to counter the burgeoning gay nightlife scene in Manchester ,which was rapidly becoming a parody of itself and in danger of becoming less of a place to escape and more of a neon walled hen night infested prison,many years ago and was held in a venue known as Follies. Over the years it outgrew it's home and moved into the sweaty,cavernous sex dungeon of Legends taking over the whole club every two months.

Musically its policy has been to not have one,whatever gets you wet is what gets played and having the advantage of being over 4 rooms meant you could aurally mix and match to your hearts content.Guests have ranged from the great and the good to even more great and good,Justin Robertson,Duke Dumont, Erol Alkan, Tim Sweeney, Andrew Weatherall ,Skull Juice, The 2 Bears ,Maurice Fulton, Little Boots, Roisin Murphy and Todd Terje to name but a very few have graced the booths of the many rooms. Along the way it has also nurtured and played host to many local DJs and currently has a healthy roster of regular residents. Jamie Bull ,Trashorama , Will Tramp and Lucy Locket will invariably caress your ears with audio sounds of the finest quality when you pay a visit.


There is no policy on people that can attend either,unlike clubs of yore where you could have been asked to prove your sexual preference before getting in the good people running this night simply could not care less what you put your wang in or slobber your lips over.Actually I lie ,the one requirement is you have no attitude,leave it out or you're out in the gutter.
Over the past few years HomoElectric has reached out to the London club scene and has had a great reception,which is no mean feat considering how crowded the scene is south of the gap.

There are two events at which you can have your first taste of this incredible night coming up in the near future.The first is in London taking over the second room at XOYO on the 16th of August with guests Mylo and Gigamesh amongst others this will be an absolute riot,don't expect anything less than a bloody good time.
The second event is a hometown hoedown in Manchester on the 25th of August at FAC251,yes they are taking over the full 3 floors and will have an as yet to be revealed line up taking you on a journey Willy Wonka could only dream of!

Chris Massey - HomoElectric Liquid Gold Mix

Will Tramp - Obligatory Summer Mix 2013

Event information can be found here

Mugwump - Boutade

Now here's a tune that has been around for a while but has been reissued by International Feel (on Soundcloud) this week with an additional remix.

Originally released on Ewan Pearsons Misericord label in 2009 it was hammered ,with good effect,by people such as Bill Brewster,Ivan Smagghe,Dixon,Optimo and Andrew Weatherall it finally gets a re release on the label it partially inspired in a round about way (It inspired a track by Rocha but they were unable to get any label to commit to it so International Feel was founded to release it).

It is available on Vinyl from all good stockists including Piccadilly Records and will be released digitally soon. You couldn't do yourself any harm by giving it a listen and a home.

Sticking to what I know (for now)

Twixt watching The Sopranos and faffing the past week I had been trying to think of what to post about next and not moments ago decided to make it about trainers. Specifically my personal favourite, that being the Nike Air Max 90 Infra Red.

Now first of all I must confess that my predeliction for Sporting footwear didn't arise til I was into my twenties,many people with a similar empathy for synthetic mesh and suede footwear have been aware of models and brands since their early teens.My earliest recollections are of Clarks Zephyrs and Pony Linebackers bought under approval from parents at Intersports in Didsbury village yet my friends had Nike BWs and Air Max 90s from as long as I recall knowing many of them.So after a few years collecting I fell upon the realisation that I was constantly drawn to a certain model and only in certain colours with certain materials,this being the Air Max 90.

I couldn't say why,maybe it's the slight technical aspect the shoe,the visible air (first introduced in the Air Max 1 or 87) or the bright accents with the plastic lace holes that look like flourishes on feathered tropical birds. Many consider it the sibling of the Air Max 1 but it is actually the third in the visible air family tree,the second being the Air Max Light and as such was called the Air Max 3 until a reissue in 2000 when it was called the 90.
Designed by legendary designer Tinker Hatfield it continues to be a popular choice today for young and old heads alike,with collaborations and ever evolving variations keeping it alive. Although for me personally not any colour or material combination will do,it has to be ideally suede and mesh with subtle hints of colours.

Getting it off my chest : Tumblr blog posting and karma whoring(from my perspective)

So Tumblr and the likes have opened up the world ,for better or worse,making the rate at which we absorb information and images increase tenfold as well as letting us form a picture of a world in which we'd like to live upon a never ending cascade of pixels. For me I see things I like and I note them or reblog the article,I also post pictures I have taken be it of trainers or shadows falling across surfaces and so on. Now here is where I feel I am a minority as I try to only post things I like ,if no one likes it I couldn't care less as popularity isn't my raison d'etre for having a Tumblr and this is what irks me with so many other accounts.

I have a core of interests,ones I have had for many years and I am able to share my passion through social media.I like seeing others post items and things I like and have a passion for and can show my approval by liking or reposting for others to see and share.What bothers me is people who only post for popularity,for kudos and karma that carries no weight or meaning in the real world and I shall give to you an example which I will used for purposes of this post.

The Nike Air Max 1 or '87,it has always been a popular casual trainer for many years and has been released in many colours since its release in.....yes 1987.It was the first running shoe to have a visible air unit and has a justified place in popular culture.A definite mainstay among many old school trainer collectors it was sought out upon each new release by people with a passion and a knowledge of its history.In the past 3 years or so young adults have had a more disposable income and as fashion trends come and go they picked up on the AM1.Trouble is they're not letting go,unlike Nike Blazers or Vans Authentics they are holding on to this shoe and rinsing it to fuck.Want to be popular on Tumblr?Then post one of many AM1 collaborations or even older models and watch the likes,reblogs and follows roll in, sit back and reap the rewards.These people are amassing a collection without actually putting the effort in beyond watching some trainers on eBay,they wont understand searching out a shoe without the marvels of modern technology we have today.

                                                                            Lazy

What I see though is plagarism pure and simple,people taking other peoples pictures of an AM1 and posting it as their own,not giving credit to the original source and more often than not they don't own these holy grails of the culture they're buying into they're just posting for popularity. Maybe I'm getting old (shut it) but when I was in my late teens early twenties I was out with my friends getting drunk and having fun,I would hope I wouldn't have been sat inside all evening posting pictures of shoes and 5 panel caps angled on some manky driftwood to gain popularity from people I will never meet and fretting if someone stopped caring what I posted.

I feel I failing to get my point across here but I am going to carry on regardless. I know I don't have to follow these people but once in a while they do come up with something good,there are also people I follow who post more than just trainers and generic sultry norks out models and these are people worth following. There are lots of creative people on Tumblr and it is a good platform to get noticed.Some of the people I am moaning about I know to a degree in person,they're intelligent smart people but they do themselves no favours by trying to become a living embodiment what they post.

The Mancorialist : style not fashion

Over the past few years there has been a huge increase in street photography of people by fashion bloggers and online style magazines,pictures taken around fashion shows and events which are obviously staged yet try to pass themselves off as "in the moment" shots are hugely popular and can be found all over Tumblr.
There are also genuine on the street snappers who take pictures of all types of people from all walks of life ,not just skinny post graduate students or overstyled buffoons in harem pants and pyrex plaid shirts.

Flying the flag for Manchester is The Mancorialist who I have been aware of for around a year now. He seems to select people who look interesting and have a story to tell,although with no captions or titles it is left to us to make up a history or background.More often than not I find myself thinking "yeah,they are stylish or wear whatever they are er..wearing...well". The subjects may not dress how I like or they may on occasion look like someone i'd cross the street to swerve which is why the photos taken are a service to us,allowing us to ponder others in safety without the worry of staring too long in public.

I work in the city centre and one day hope to catch the elusive photographer in the act to let him know I like what he does ,or even be asked to pose for him but maybe I just don't cut it in the world of Mancunian style.


I have linked to the Tumblr earlier and here is the Twitter account,peruse and enjoy.



All photos copyright The Mancorialist.

Music,my first post.

I also like music (who doesn't?) and I will be posting plenty of that too. Here is some,you should listen to it. Okay okay,it's by Two Lone Swordsmen who no longer operate together as such.Formed by Keith Tenniswood and Andrew Weatherall (of whom I will be posting lots by and about) in the mid 90s they started with quite a minimalistic ethereal electronic sound but progressed to a sound which you will hear in this video.

If you ask what sort of music I like to  my face I would scrunch it up in a visual scowl/frown and berate pigeon holing music (pigeonholing,pigeon-holeing....neither seem correct but meh!) and all it probably doesn't mean.However I digress somewhat*,I like all sorts of music be it dance,in its many forms (not shite you hear in charts says I) guitar music from JAMC to KISS to.....well......lots of stuff really.This you will also discover over time.

*I digress a lot.

New Balance Made In USA – “American Rebel” Collection

So from the off let me establish that one of my many vices is trainers (UK colloquialism) and I shall be posting plenty here.These are part of an up coming selection from New Balance,a brand which I find myself appreciating more and more as time goes by.Specifically the 996 model,of which there are two in the pack. From one of the US based New Balance factories these should be here July/August ,they come in premium materials and the end result is a noticable difference in final build quality.If you have held or worn a recent 57* model and then witnessed these first hand its like the difference in fine cotton and silk.

There are many more of the high end releases due this year,among them more 996s,which makes me very happy indeed. I would guess the American theme of these is the red ,white and blue colours dominant throughout each model as well as being made in America naturally (although these press shots were taken in Manchester,England.Which certainly raises a question in my fevered hairy mind).

You can read the full article relating to this release here .

New blog site from Leo.

Hola! So I have decided to try and start a "proper" blog other than my Tumblr one in existence. It will be a mish mash of things I likebe it music, clothing other sites etc.
Allow me some time  to get used to this new site and in time you shall be rewarded or frustrated,take your pick.All I ask is some of your time,thankyou.