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Before the Shins there was Flake Music with a song called the Shins

I picked this little beauty up a good few years ago now and haven't played it for some time, mainly due to the very poor sound quality, but digging around this morning it caught my eye. Flake Music was the high school incarnation of what were to become the Shins. I think their total output consisted of one EP and album 'When You Land Here, It's Time To Return'. The songwriting and structures aren't as sophisticated as they eventually become when James Mercer hones his skills during his work with the Shins but some of the patterns and signatures are evident here particularly in 'Spanway Hits' and the curiously titled 'The Shins'. My favourite track, although completely throwaway 90's indie indulgence is 'Meike', but I'm posting 'The Shins' as well, it's most like what the Shins became. 

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From the digital attic #1

It never ceases to amaze me how much our modern machines hold, but what fascinates me more and more is when we upgrade we transfer over all data, warts 'n' all, with some files buried for years waiting to be unearthed and stir a little memory or two. This is one of the many pieces along the way that was rejected for what I would suggest, albeit still mine, an inferior illustration.

Canal Music was a tour of contemporary music produced in 2009 that paired modern electronic music with the traditional canal barge. Folk singer Lisa Knapp and Electronic music artist Leafcutter John created and performed new musical compositions inspired by the waterways on the Grand Union Canal on a 1930s narrow boat.

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Oh Oh Twinsy Water Bombs

This debut from Aussie band Twinsy has huge indie hit all over it, and Water bombs may do for the steel drum what Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa did for African Highlife guitar across indie circles. The electro synth riff struts and bounds energetically while steel-pans patter a gentle melody to raise you up to smell the cool caribbean air - two coconuts please barman. 

Keeping me going on a late studio night - great track! 

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Darren Hayes Secret's Out Tour

We recently completed the artwork for Darren Hayes forthcoming tour that was announced this week.

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It's Officially Summer

I remember buying this 7" in Selectadisc many moons ago, I wasn't much of fan of Arab Strap but picked it up for reasons I do not know. The EP is an amazing little collection of songs that triggered a period of experimentation for the band and changed their sound for the better, R&B vocals stripped back club anthems, melodic grooves are aplenty. The track for me is this, Hey! Fever. It Plods and and builds and then builds some more with culminating with female vocal befitting of any house music anthem (surprised I have never heard this remixed or sampled - anyone ?). Perfect for today when Summer really is kicking in and I feel the faint sense of an itchy eye heralding in the early onset of a full blown hay fever damn.

What a lovely day for it

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London Jazz Festival 2012

The time is upon us once again for the UK's (and possibly the worlds) finest festival of Jazz in all it's many wonderful genre's to announce the first part of the line. And once again we are privileged to work in this iconic event. This years branding gets a first little run out above.

londonjazzfestival.org.uk

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Haunted House of House

A2 poster that will be included in the forthcoming Haunted House of House album by Session Victim released on the Delusions of Grandeur label very soon

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the lovely @IWANTdesign has designed a new 12” bag for buzzin’ fly. heavy disco machine music! 

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BUTTERFLY

I cretaed this image of a butterfly made from discarded hole punch dots some time ago for Brent Councils Holocaust memorial day. I made two versions, this was my preferred one but we didn't use it.

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COPIES ?

I have had two phone calls from clients in the last two weeks drawing my attention to work I have produced for them that they feel has been copied by others. I'm not one for ranting on about copying in design as ideas have been filtered down in various creative form since forever. However, there is heavily influenced and then there is simple copying - after two calls in two weeks, plus a quick browse through a few design books at Tate Modern discovering some of my work published without permission or credit, I am a little miffed to say the least. If you are wondering, the iwant designs are the top two, first column is a flyer produced for NYC club Body and Soul in 2008 below is a recent album from Ministry of Sound. The second column is an album we designed for 6th Borough Project earlier this year below that is a just released 12" for Adam Beyer. Having contacted both they simply say sorry it is just a coincidence. Both of these appear in google searches - What do you think ? 

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LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL NEW(S)

The London Jazz Festival 2011, designed by IWANT, Newspapers have arrived just in time for tomorrow's launch! Pick em up while you can at Southbank Centre and Barbican.

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SOUND and SILENTS

Just stumbled upon this on Flickr, a branding we created sometime ago for Birds Eye View's Sound and Silents. The branding is seen here projected at the beautiful Kings Place. I think it is this particular theatre at Kings Place that the interior was created from one old redwood tree, it smells amazing when inside.

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OPTICIANS LIGHTBOX

You gotta love the new addition to our studio!

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PLUSH – THREE-QUARTERS BLIND EYES

When Chicago born Liam Hayes' Plush released this seven inch in 1995 it received rave reviews and Liam was hailed as future star. Then nothing for an age, a few sporadic under the radar albums, that were also well received by press, but for my money never really reached any great heights, not much in the way of performing live, an album that was only released in Japan then months later over here. He still performs and I still think he may make the record he was destined to make. If you can pick up this rare seven (I have one) the b-side is beautiful.

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WORLD STAGES LONDON

Last year we developed the branding for World Stages London, a unique collaboration between 8 of London's leading theatres including BAC, The Bush, Lyric, Royal Court, Saddlers Wells, Somerset House, Theatre Royal Stratford East and Young Vic. WSL is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration through theatre of the exhilarating cosmopolitan diversity of London's people and culture. The next stage, for us, has been to develop the brand image that will be rolled out across a broad range of collateral to promote the series of events.

worldstageslondon.com

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DARREN HAYES – SECRET CODES AND BATTLESHIPS

The culmination of a years collaboration bears it fruits as the Darren Hayes album is finally released on Monday, special edition casebound book and limited collectors edition (shown) with purple vinyl, 12" book, two discs and one of four lithographs will be available. Also keep an eye out for all the marketing that is now appearing in a station near you!

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FLOWERS AND SEA CREATURES

The album we designed for Montreal based artists FASC was released recently to what appears to be growing critical acclaim including iTUNES album of the week and a 5 starreview in Rolling Stone - above is the artwork for the new single.