Sipho Ludonga

Mic Check Selector…

 Having music on the brain is great, but having music in your mouth is ‘priceless’ That is the gift that talented, young Mr. Ludonga discovered at the age of 13. Sipho is a singing, rapping beatboxing machine who takes this art form to new heights by bringing a fresh vocal percussionist twist to a set. According to him, he does more than just spew out beats and imitate other songs, he manipulates the rudiments of music and maneuvers around the technicalities of the drum-kit to produce the exact sound he wants at any given moment. “ I use particularly natural sounds with deep resonating effects, like a base or Djembe drum, and then I’ll mix it up with high-hats, snares and other percussion sounds to give it texture and variety.”

His abilities give him the versatility to perform solo or in collaboration with other artists whether it be a recording or a live performance. He was recently dubbed ‘The Rookie of the Month’ on the internet radio station Rhythm100, when he went up against some of hip hop’s finest Pro and Da Les. He has also had the opportunity to perform with French Guitarist Baboon Dandy at Tams Café in Fourways. The young selector/vocal DJ refers to himself as an ‘Infinitist’; meaning that “you can be whatever you want to be, and be good at it, as long as you believe it…There’s no limit”

Dave Coxall

Painting The Town Red…For The Love Of Art

Dave a.k.a Curio One is no ordinary graffiti artist; in fact he does not consider himself an artist, but a graffiti writer. The difference is that graffiti artists go out and splash pixels of colour, portraits, and pictures on whatever space they find vacant. Being a graffiti writer, he uses a unique style of lettering and colour combinations to paint pieces that make a conscious statement whilst utilizing derelict places. 

Curio One is a letter specialist!

Furthermore, graffiti artists are infamous for vandalisation; he is not a vandal! He pays homage to the spaces he paints by using social messages relevant to that place and time whilst showing respect to the natural surroundings. Dave recons that his pieces are focused at “converting the conservative eye to that of an avid observer” Inspired by his upbringing and his love for music, particularly rap and hip hop, Dave has taken his art to the shores of Germany, the UK and Canada on various projects such as theatre productions. Dave’s desire is to continue painting the town ‘red’ with the love for his art… Legally of course.

Thabiso Lekuba

Dancing To His Destiny

With diamonds on the soles of his shoes and a spring higher than a kangaroo’s, Thabiso’s claim to fame is his ability to translate the language of music through the linguistic art of body movement – Dance. He started his career as “Mzansi’s lord of the dance” 21 years ago with the Moving into Dance Mophatong dance company; where his career accelerated to new heights that saw him perform in shows like the musical African Footprint.

His insatiable hunger for dance saw him travel abroad to Europe, the Caribbean and then back to South Africa to take part in the inaugural SA series of So You Think You Can Dance in 2008! Being 1st Runner up he now is the most sought after performers in his craft. When he’s not pirouetting under bright lights, he’s teaching and sharing the tricks of his trade with his community. Thabiso says “Humble and stay true to yourself, the light of life will always lead you”.

 So Young And So Restless…  

In a world of ‘heavy-weight’ funny guys (comedian) Phaswane is making waves only at the  age of 22. As an up-and-coming performer he’s set himself out as a Music and Current  affairs kind of guy; where he flexes his ‘funny-bone muscles’ by performing in places such as The Baseline, Soweto Comedy Festival, Tshwane Comedy Festival, Wits and UJ Comedy Jams to name a few.  

 He’s also been a Four-Time Champion on YFM’s Comedy Steak Down with Chubbi.  Phaswane says that the love for his craft started at a very early age when he used to shadow his elder brother (also a comedian) at various gigs. Now you’ll spot him hanging around in public places for inspiration to get the low down on what’s hot and what’s not. The plot thickens it seems as he’s now involved in a drama called Summer Love; which is a short story that will air on E-TV when normal viewing schedules resume after the World Cup. In his own words Phaswane  wants “to be ranked amongst the top comedians in the  country… Infact to ever live on African soil!”

Stunt 101  

Named after Jacky Chan; his parents probably had a sixth sense about their son’s abilities. Similarly to his name sake, Jacky later discovered that he has impeccable agility, body coordination and mind over matter mentality. To put these skills into perspective he is a parkour or free-runner which is the art of movement with the ability to jump, vault or climb over obstacles in a fluid manner without any external help i.e. no ropes, cords etc. From his point of view though the word parkour does not do his art justice as he believes that it goes beyond just moving. “ True moving is about being able to express my movements under, over or through any landscape as fluidly, and controlled as possible. There are no restrictions around you, whether your in an urban or natural environment, adaptation is key.” Also versed in Muay-Tai, Jacky works hard at gaining new skills to perfect his art. His day job, is as a professional stunt coordinator featuring in a number of music videos, movies, short films and adverts. Some appearances include a Skwatta Kamp and a Zulu Boy music video SABC 2’s comedy Komplex and VUZU’s VEntertainment . What a jaw-dropping exhibition of talent from a former Accounting student no less… 

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Harry Potter in Converse

Now that is what I call magic!

What other movies have you seen Converse in? Off the top of my head, Chuck in “Chuck”, Ellen Degeneres wears them on her show and some of the characters in “Heroes” sport them as well.

Lemme know where else you remember seeing them…

The interior explores the spatiality and scale differently. It exploits urbanism concept and retro as well as modernism. It’s a successful combination of three coolest theme. A backlit red plane dividing two areas: the first one is the VIP area. Here you will witness completely red, which bet on the extreme setting, where it develops the reception, lounge access and VIP activities. Secondly the sales area, space stressed, you will be presented with opening space into the product display wall where you will find a wall covered with converse shoes.  The roof has been polished in such ways to give more elements of toward the new campaign. It is an area of stimuli.

Converse interior design for ultra modern shopping

Converse interior design for ultra modern shopping

Converse interior design for the ultimate shopping experience

Blondie Inspired Chuck Taylors ( unisex neon)

Blondie

New York’s new wave punk scene in the 70s and 80s remains the stuff of legends. As disco faded and pompous rock pervaded, Blondie stood-out and electrified the scene and helped to define American new wave and punk rock. Blondie’s succinct pop songs took music to the next level by mixing it with rock, hip hop and reggae to create a fresh new sound. Led by Debbie Harry, the platinum blonde punk-rock pin-up carved paths for every female pop star since, combining smart, sexy attitude with style and glamour. Her backing band often wore Chuck Taylor All Star shoes and the era and new wave style wouldn’t be the same without the iconic shoe. The Blondie for Converse collection includes Chuck Taylor All Star shoes that honor the band and those who define their own style, with a modern mix of cool animal prints, Blondie album cover graphics, logos and color blocking.

Highlights of the collection include a Chuck Taylor All Star Light shoe in a zebra print designed specifically for women who rock. Vibrant unisex Chuck Taylor All Star shoes feature simple, clean designs and neon touches that make these shoes pop. Cool attitude mixes with modern style in a leather oxford in metallic gold version with black leopard spots.

Blondie inspired Chuck Taylors (spots)

Blondie inspired Chuck Taylors

 The Clash

Joe Strummer once proclaimed “the future is unwritten” and The Clash’s groundbreaking mix of rock, reggae, soul and funk went on to define and re-write it. Part of the original wave of British punk rock, The Clash’s stripped-down and eclectic garage sound stood in defiance to the highly-produced, stadium rock sounds that dominated the 70s. Synonymous with punk rock and those who change the rules, Chuck Taylor All Star shoes serve as the medium for striking designs each with subtle detail and graphics.

Leading the collection is a special tribute version of the Chuck Taylor All Star shoe in white, which marks the 30^th anniversary of the album London Calling.

The clash inspired Chuck Taylor All Star - Black

he clash inspired Chuck Taylor All Star - Red