Semi Permanent X Highsnobiety hotel takeover

Sydney, Australia

May 26-27, 2021

While one might from a distance label the entity known as Semi Permanent as a host for creative experiences and design festivals, the aforementioned categorization does not really do justice to how they channel their alchemy.

After their first festival incarnation in Sydney, Australia close to twenty years ago, the creative experience company has seen an evolution resulting in not only branching out into production services but the creation of branches in the old world, the US and China where their curations, festivals and innovative brand activations continue to thrive  in the respective local contexts.

Needless to say, when In 2020 Semi Permanent announced their partnership with digital publisher Highsnobiety, expectations were high and I was intrigued as to what the collaboration would spawn.

A first taste was given via the launch of a two-day experiential hotel takeover, which saw Sydney’s Paramount Hotel being morphed into a hub of interactive and immersive experiences, flanked by music performances, cinema and tastings, with the common denominator being the celebration of creative thought that is aimed at paving the road for a brighter future.

A curated talks session with a diverse line-up of creative talent set the scene, before attendants were set free to tumble down the Semi Permanent rabbit hole spread over four hotel floors.

By remodelling hotel rooms to serve as backdrops for e.g. an NFT exhibition by Flume and Jonathan Zawada, photography by filmmaker Gia Coppola and fashion brand and Undercover collaborators P.A.M’s multi-sensory ode to psilocybin, along with exclusive product launches and brand activations powered by Semi Permanent’s curatorial team, one had the chance to meander through an intimate and informative wonderland of experiences.

Given that the hotel takeover was only the prelude to the three-day Semi Permanent festival, which will run from 12-14 August at Sydney’s Carriageworks, one can only imagine the calibre of talks, workshops, exhibitions, screenings and parties that will be curated for the 2021 incarnation.

Water of Life

Midnight Peat, StrangeLove and Seven Zero Eight

We have covered Bladnoch Distillery the first incarnation of its offshoot Pure Scot not too long ago. While Bladnoch has a history of more than two hundred years, its two blends, i.e. Pure Scot, and Pure Scot Virgin Oak 43 have only been relatively recently released and proved to be quite delicious as you can derive from our initial assessment.

Needless to say, I was intrigued when Australian Pure Scot announced the release of Midnight Peat, highlighting that they recognize peated scotches as an underrated component of cocktails and their ambition to not only change the perception but aid in elevating classic and modern whisky-based drinks.

While I was impressed with Pure Scot’s core range – specifically at its price range – the Midnight Peat Expression takes things to the next level

as it accentuates Pure Scott’s DNA with a peaty and warm layer with sweet and well-calibrated highlights courtesy of honey, ginger, and citrus notes.

I would not go as far as categorizing Midnight Peat anywhere near more complex peat whiskies, however, the maturation in ex-peated Bladnoch barrels for up to nine months, adds character and depth.

While it will serve its purpose perfectly as a foundation for cocktails, I find it extremely sippable as the melange of honeyed toffee apples and custard resting on a backbone of peat is hard to resist.

Cannot wait to experience future Bladnoch releases.

Change of gear – let’s talk mixers and sodas, shan’t we?

Every now and then an urge overwhelms me and has me reaching for a soft drink – mainly after long runs when my guard is down, and I feel like reaching for the most exotic and least wholesome concoctions in the soda department. A bit of planning, however, helps immensely in

swapping out a saccharine-filled soft drink for one of that tends to have a bit more to offer both in terms of lower calories, lightness as well as flavour profiles.

Enter StrangeLove.

Based in Melbourne, StrangeLove has been channelling its alchemy in the creation of not only a range of mixers but sourcing the most suitable ingredients and extracts that are rarely found in mainstream offerings.

Bottled in elegantly shaped glass bottles, the guilt free beverages come in a variety of flavours, with Double Ginger and especially the Smoked Cola ones being particular favourites.

StrangeLove’s Double Giner variant is not exactly one I’d have on a daily basis but when I have it, it provides an experience that culminates in a welcome warmth emanating from Fijian ginger with subtle zingy highlights.

A preferred go-to during the colder months of the year and a pick-me-up after long nights and early mornings.

Given my preference for everything Islay, it should not come as a surprise that my favourite of the range is Smoked Cola. Now, we have all had our shares of cola with a myriad of incarnations, however, StrangeLove’s one is made from scratch and the lime oil, which is added to the foundation of lemons, kola nut, cinnamon and nut meg, adds a “je ne sais quoi” factor, which is rounded out beautifully by smoking the result over Applewood chips – the perfect accompaniment to BBQs and other hearty meals.

I usually have my Islay whiskies neat, but could not resist to have a smoky cokey by adding a tad bit of Octomore 6.3 to StrangeLove’s Smoked Cola and the result was divine.

The Australian larrikin Shane Warne has been known for many things, however, quality libations were so far not amongst them. His recently launched Seven Zero Eight gin emporium is a juniper infused nod to his career as a cricketer, with the name of the collection being named after the record-breaking seven hundred and eight test wickets that Shane accomplished during his illustrious career on the pitch.

Seven Zero Eight comes in two variants: The classic dry gin clocks in at 43% ABV and tickles the nostrils with zesty and herbal notes with highlights reminiscent of thyme and sage. I find the core expression well suited for sipping as it offers a bit of a palate experience starting with sweet flavours, which seamlessly transition into what the nose promised, i.e. a transition into lemony and herbaceous territory, which culminates in a luscious, elongated reverberating finish.

The twist is that Seven Zero Eight also has its lite version with the alcohol content not only being halved but with 23 bearing the significance of having been Warne’s shirt number in limited-overs cricket. Given the lower alcohol and thereby reduced caloric content, this variant might be an alternative for the health conscious gin aficionado and proves to be ideal for sipping.

I like the design of the bottles and the overall theme of Seven Zero Eight as it finds itself on the more subtle and subdued end of the spectrum, which is a nice counterpoint to Warner’s public persona.

Summa summarum, Seven Zero Eight is an extremely enjoyable classic, smooth gin, which also comes in a mid-strength variant.

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image from company website

Seven Stories Publishing

Lydia Lunch and Quincy Troupe

Lydia Lunch has always been known for her dry humorous raunchy and raw approach to channelling her alchemy, i.e. spoken-word and performance art, fuelled by anger and outrage. Defiant in tone and style, So Real It Hurts meanders between anecdotes, intimate accounts of events to witty and sharp observations of social phenomena. Apart from personal revelations, the book is particularly interesting when light is shed on the relationship with Hubert Selby Jr and other protagonists, her account on the history of No Wave and her empowering rallying for the causes of taboo-busting feminism.

Lunch’s elaborations are fierce, explosive, revelatory and gripping and infused with urgency, specifically when it comes topics like environmentalism, consumerism and other social failures.

In essence, So Real It Hurts, is an anthology, which had previously been rejected by close to thirty publishers as it proudly states on the cover,  of new and established writings show no sign of Lydia Lunch dimming her flame, and with an introduction by Anthony Bourdain it is framed in a suitable context with the common denominator between being their appreciation of food and cooking, as her name suggests.

Great to have Lydia’s essays available in book form as most of what I had from Lydia were her diatribes from the days of her contributing to Forced Exposure magazine. An empowering and unflinching book with relevance especially for those without a voice who refused to be victims.

Seven  Stories’ Miles & Me: Miles Davis, the man, the musician, and his friendship with the journalist and poet Quincy Troupe is a nice counterpoint to Lydia Lunch in that is portrays a more subtle, less boisterous yet still provocative man and the way he went about his art with music and poetry until his untimely departure in 1991.

I quite enjoyed how  both Miles’ acute approach and his idiosyncratic vision is portrayed as well as his fragility and the solitude and loneliness that fuelled and impaired his genius. The book is testament to Miles being an accomplished poet in the realm of music and a skilful musical poet, which formed a unique melange that is highlighted by the author’s insights.

A warm and intriguing memoir based on Quincy Troupe’s experiences, a professor of literature at the University of California San Diego and accomplished author, and his friendship with Miles Davis.

Music in the Sky

UNSW Roundhouse

Sydney, Australia

May 29, 2021

Immersive audio-visual synaesthetic events have experienced quite an advent on terra australis as we have covered lately e.g. via the Monet & Friends and Van Gogh extravaganzas.

Created by Keith Hong, Music in the Sky takes things to the next level as what results from turning the venue, i.e. the University of NSW’s Roundhouse, into a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of digital projections while sonically bathing the audience in both classic and contemporary compositions courtesy of an accomplished six-piece ensemble, is in essence a film score that has come alive.

At the intersection of light, music and space, one is invited to let go and be guided on an evocative journey from sunset to space through carefully choreographed projections emanated from six 10k projectors, which not only seem to enter a dialogue with the music but enhance each other in a synergising manner that creates something bigger than the mere sum of the individual components.

I like how the visual narrative set the scene yet still were fleeting enough to allow the audience to project their own interpretations on it and thereby making it a highly idiosyncratic and individual experience that creates a deeper, mesmerizing connection.

It would be nice to see that concept elaborated on and experience Music in the Sky incarnate in other venues to suit specific themes.

Akashic Books – Depeche Mode and Washington DC hardcore

What started as an independent publisher founded by the former bassist of Girls Against Boys and ex-member of Dischord’s Soulside in Brooklyn at the end of the 1990s has since seen an evolution that established Akashic Books as a veritable heavyweight on the firmament of publishers in terms of well-curated, quality books with a focus on attention to detail and the endeavour to make literature more accessible.

There are two recent releases that exemplify what is to love about Akashic as a publisher:

Given my weak spot for Depeche Mode and the 1980s at large, I got quite a few books on both the topic and the band, however, Depeche Mode: Monument takes things to the next level – not just in terms of extent with more than four hundred pages, but also in terms of how lovingly it is put together.

Having been released with the blessing of Mute Records, a label we recently covered, I would go as far as claiming that Monument is a borderline exhaustive visual account of the band’s catalogue and musical history.

Needless to say, there is an overload of eye candy with an array of never before published footage and given that one of the contributors hails from Germany, a part where Depeche Mode celebrated some most of their successes, their relationship with Teutonic heritage is illuminated, with accompanying essays, anecdotes and visuals focussing on their musical efforts and recordings, with less space being dedicated to the drama and clout around the band.

Not sure how the uninitiated would feel about the massive examination of all things Depeche Mode that makes the book Monument, but I’d be hard pressed to imagine that a fan would be anything less than enthused about it.

Let’s enter a time machine and head back to the end of the 1970s, take a couple of turns and look at one of the epicentres for what helped to shaped what became known as hardcore punk.

Spoke: Images and Stories from the 1980s Washington, DC Punk Scene is exactly what the title promises, i.e. detailing the history of the bands that contributes to one of the most relevant scenes in the alternative music cosmos.

 The main attraction here are live photos from the early heydays of bands like the usual suspect, e.g. Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, Government Issue etc., but more interestingly other bands that are rarely document in other similar books on this matter, i.e. the fantastic Void, Swiz, my beloved Beefeater, Nation of Ulysses and others.

Having already been responsible for the Salad Days documentary, Scott Crawford hereby creates a captivating  coffee table equivalent that has intensity and immediacy reverberating from each and every page.

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http://www.akashicbooks.com