Blog — Page 100 of 283

High Adventures in the Great Outdoors

Steteco

My first visit to Japan was in 2004 – many more for different reasons follow. What was a formidable experience the first time around, only got better once one was able to discern and deep dive into the beauty that is Japan and specifically the labyrinth of wonders that is Tokyo.  Each time I have the fortune of visiting, there are some regular stops, not only food, sake and specifically whisky related, but to record / toy stores and the HQ of fashion outlets like Undercover and e.g. Kapital in Ebisu, just to gaze at the outlandish creations designers like Jun Takahashi or experience the new ways the Kapital creative team has come up with to distress clothing and rearrange it in the most tragic and wonderous of ways.

While the fascination for the more “out there” Japanese fashion will most likely never vanish, I have grown to increasingly appreciate everyday garments Japanese brands create as they not only feel amazing as far as materials are concerned but more often than not, they have a nice twist to what they are doing. That is, if I can find garments in my size, which is always a challenge in Japan.

Case in point: Steteco, a brand named after the loose shorts worn under kimonos in 19th-century Japan. I had walked past their creations in departments stores many a times, until a friend brought them up and attested that she swears by them. Having received a pair of shorts and shirt as a Christmas gift and getting to experience the simple yet functional cotton-crepe pieces, made me instantaneously a fan and it was fantastic to see how the brand got more exposure via the recent collaboration with Monocle, which finally saw Steteco channel their alchemy in the creation of clothes in sizes larger than “LL”.

Sitting outside at a café, currently wearing some of airy Steteco’s versatile lounge shorts in public, might give an idea of the unique melange that Steteco manages to create, i.e.  marrying traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design, with a firm focus on comfort and durability.

Needless to say, no matter how casual Steteco’s creations look, a closer look shows the meticulous attention to detail and exacting standards their wares are created by as far as weaving, sewing and manufacturing is concerned, which adds a subtlety that many other brands lack. The fact that many of the distinct styles and clothes have a story to them, e.g. pants being named after the hindquarters of a flying squirrel adds a nice playfulness to the story.

Given the humidity of Japanese summers, literally all of their creations have breathability as the common denominator, with their pants being created out of the meshed, soft cotton chijimi textile, which has not only been used since the Edo period and feels nice, but combines elasticity and the ability to absorb moisture.

I am thankful for having been nudged to check Steteco out as it exposed me to a world of clothes that I normally would have not checked out at the Isetan Shinjuku Store.

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image from company website

G.I.S.M.

Extream Guerrilla Live Streaming

December 8, 2020

I vividly recall how difficult it was in the 1990s to get a hold of a copy G.I.S.M.’s Subj & Egos, Chopped video tape, let along Beast Art’s Performance and Bootleg videos from the 1980s. When +R, Regicide Reverberation was released in 2002, a trip was made to the local bank to obtain JP¥, which were sent by snail mail to Record Shop Base in Tokyo and it took weeks until the army ration packaged VHS tapes materialized and could be enjoyed.

Who would have thunk back then that in 2020, with the help of the Dommune live streaming studio, one could experience G.I.S.M. playing live via the push of a button?

Celebrating the re-release of G.I.S.M.’s classic debut from 1984, i.e. DeTestation, by Relapse Records, Sakevi Yokoyama assembled new musicians around him to play some of the most significant tracks of an album whose idiosyncratic melange of hardcore punk, thrash and hair metal, pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible within the confines of extreme music.

While it will remain forever impossible to replicate how Randy Uchida meticulously channelled his alchemy, especially as a far as the trills and taps of his solos are concerned, the backing band played a solid set, crowned by Sakevi’s on-point unique vocal delivery, which instantaneously connects both on a subconscious and abstract as well as on a literal level., as far as the piercing punchiness of his effortlessly delivered growls and trademark shrieks are concerned.

The fact that the Dommune studios usually broadcast streams centered around house and techno ensured that light effects added an interesting additional layer along with a perfectly orchestrated crisp sound, which was visually accentuated by what a crew of roving camera men captured as they meandered the band.   

Once the implications the pandemic have been curbed, one can only hope that G.I.S.M. will continue to play live shows - the teaser that was displayed at the end of the “Extream” performance makes one hopeful, as it alluded to a five-hour performance to be streamed in 2021.

Water of Life - Christmas Gin Palooza

Sydney, ICC

Australian Gin Association

Especially on terra australis, gin is back bigger than ever due to its idiosyncratic thriving craft and spirits movement, its versatility, and its increasing affordability. Having first emerged in the old world in the seventeenth century and refined by the Dutch, availability in England resulted in a steep price increase in a bid to curb alcohol related hooliganism.

Fast forward to the twenty-first century and given its versatility, it has firmly established itself as a mainstay of the most distinguished cocktail lists, with a myriad of craft distilleries offerings their own distinct variations by adding botanicals to the quintessential ingredient, i.e. the juniper berry, taking up prime retail space with aficionados being spoilt for choice.

With an abundance of flavours and affordable prices, the annual Gin Palooza is a happening that never gets dull as new, ambitious distillers appear on the scene. Curated by the Australian Gin Distillers Association last year, it is an event that usually sells out far ahead of time.

Showcasing more than two-hundred gins by over thirty gin distillers from all over Australia ranging from boutique outfits to major brands, there is a lot to discover and always a fun event.

Despite whisky being my usually go to, it is never not interesting to discover sippable variants, especially when it comes to smoky or barrel aged expressions.

Favourites of the COVID-19 safe incarnation of the Gin Palooza extravaganza, which was conducted in the spacious surrounds of Sydney’s International Convention Centre spread across two levels, included the emissions of the fantastic Prohibition Liquor Co., Newry Distillery, Distillery Botanic and Manly Spirits.

While Gin Palooza is a fun and what might appear to be a boozy event, it proves to be difficult to not have an educational experience as each booth has you engage with the distillers and / or brand ambassadors directly, who are eager to share their approach and the unique characteristics of the libations they proffer.

The event also offered themed masterclasses, which sees e.g. luminaries from the bartending and wider gin scene incarnate to showcase their craft, with e.g. Eddie from Cape Byron Distillery, which we recently feature.

A wonderful event that a lot of other tasting events can learn a lot from.

Water of Life – Vintage Malt Whisky Company

It is an age old practice for distilleries to sell barrels of their emissions to blenders and independent bottlers in a bid to create an additional revenue stream, with some distilleries eventually solely existing for that very purpose and others passing on casks, the particular flavour of which would not align with the characteristics of the brand.

Independent bottlers may or may not disclose the origin of the whiskies they use and while they are some dabbling in the creation of questionable bottom shelf quality, there are some fantastic independent bottlers with a varied portfolio and a quality approach. The latter of which get me excited when they go for more niche products and bottle their drops at full-flavoured cask strength, which often offers the opportunity to sample rarer variations in an affordable manner.

Vintage Malt Whisky Company was founded at the beginning of the nineteen nineties with the objective to source selected drops to distribute them via independent wine and spirit importers throughout the world – an approach that proved to be successful and lead VMWC to establish itself on the forefront of Scotland’s leading independent bottlers.

VMWC piqued my interest as they have a few Islay expressions with quite declamatory names. Case in point: The award winning Smoke Stack, which is – as the telling name suggests – a richly peated blend of drops from both Islay and the Highlands, with smokiness being the common denominator.

What tickles the nostrils is a nice melange of sweet Ardbeg-esque peat, which then takes a left turn into iodine territory with citrussy highlights.

On the palate, I quite like that in terms of peatiness, the spectrum from sweet to oily is displayed with a smoky backbone that is pierced by floral notes and honeyed ginger. The elongated finish simmers the drop down to its essence, i.e. oils and smoke.

Despite the heavy hitting name, I found the Smoke Stack to be a nice introduction for the uninitiated to forage into the beauty that Islay has to offer.

Islay Storm is another peaty expression, the nose of which is firmly on the phenolic end of the spectrum, counterpointed by a maritime saltiness. On the top of mouth, a lovely balance between sweet peat, vanilla, spicy nuances and iodine is achieved, which seamless transitions into a fantastic finish, with waves of smoke reverberating and leaving one lusting for more.

Vintage Malt Whisky Company’s flagship brand is Finlaggan Islay Single Malt, bottlings of which have incarnated in many different expressions.

The Finlaggan Old Reserve is more complex compared to the aforementioned two expressions as the bouquet is more subtle when it comes to medicinal notes weaving through honeyed nutty highlights. The aromas hint at the complex melange that manifests on the palate, which peat smoke serving as the foundation on which malty cereal flavours dance with gingery spices before seamlessly transitioning into a bittersweet finish, which bookends the experience with a toasty oakiness, menthol and minerals. Delicious, affordable and a great daily sipper, which I can see to be a gateway scotch for peat lovers to be.

The Finlaggan Port Finish is an example for the variations the Vintage Malt Whisky Company produces, with this expression resulting in adding a  wine-like sweetness which blends in with the smoky, coastal peat that forms the DNA of Finlaggan and on the nose, adds nice nuances of red berries to the mix.

Flavour-wise, the Port Cask dominates the palate and borderline overwhelms the peatiness, which adds another interesting dimension. The finish is satisfyingly smoky and seals a complex experience rounded out with raisiny highlights and slight notes of dark chocolate.

Cannot wait to try Vintage Malt Whisky Company’s other expressions.

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image from company website

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Sydney Theatre Company

December 5, 2020

Being an Oscar Wilde aficionado, I have hardly ever missed a chance to see one of his less-performed plays both in the new as well as the old world, with the respective incarnations being more or less conventional in terms of how the gothic melodrama was adapted to the stage.

Given his background in media design and director of films, learning about Sydney Theatre Company’s Artistic Director reimagining The Picture of Dorian Gray intrigued me as his previous creations – no matter if it was Shakespeare or him directing The Rape of Lucretia, which we covered as part of one of the Dark Mofo festivals, always added an x-factor to his innovative stage adaptations of classic pieces.

In essence, Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is a mind-blowing tour de force entirely carried by solitary performer and dramaturg Eryn Jean Norvill, who manages to play all twenty-six characters herself. Taking up a role is challenging. Embracing so many roles can not only increase the risk of messing up the whole play, but also run danger of entering the realm of slapstick.

Not so with Norvill, who delivers throughout the play, immersing herself fully in each character, working with both subtle tonal variations and physical gestures, which are set in scene with the use of cleverly intertwined live and pre-recorded video, captured by a roving camera crew and broadcast via an array of moving and static screens.

The timing, intricate attention to detail and perfectly choreographed interplays are stunning and delivered in a seemingly effortless yet authentic manner, through which Norvill authentically brings to life and engages with all characters as if they were present in the third dimension. Needless to say, over the two-hour performance there is no dull moment and it does not feel as if the focus is solely resting on the shoulders of one actor.

Kip Williams’ The Picture of Dorian Gray accomplished many things: It not only honours Wilde’s wit, but adds another dimension of enjoyment that is as witty as Wilde by e.g. letting the characters argue in a meta-manner about who should deliver the lines or letting Norvill e.g. drop subtle references to her previous roles.

Summa summarum, STC’s contemporary, inventive, complex and smart The Picture of Dorian Gray is a unlike any interpretation I have previously seen manifest on stage and allows Norvill to shine in all her expansive nuances that she channels her alchemy in.

A herculean feat and one of the greatest performances I have had the privilege to see incarnate on terra australis.

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image from production website