Essential N.E.R.D. Volume 01

I wanted to mix up the mix posts by offering this first of three essential N.E.R.D. mixes. I have been an N.E.R.D. fan for a while and found their music to be perfect for summer parties and bbq’s. Bump in your Maserati or Villa in Saint Tropez.

(1) Frontin’ (ft Jay-Z)
(2) Maybe (ft Lenny Kravitz on guitar)
(3) Run to the Sun
(4) Take it Off
(5) Happy
(6) Provider
(7) Big White Spaceship (ft Timbaland and Magoo)
(8) Yeah You
(9) You Can Do it Too (ft Jamie Cullum)
(10) Wonderful Place
(11) Am I High
(12) Find My Way
(13) Stay Together
(14) Stay With Me, Dim the Lights (ft Pusha T)
(15) Love Bomb
(16) Bobby James

(re)drive : Green Portable Hard Drive

Rethink storage by buying this 500GB portable hard drive by Simpletech. It’s made from eco-friendly materials like recycled aluminum and sustainable bamboo. It even comes shipped in 100-percent recyclable packaging. It also includes 2GB of online virtual storage. So not only is it sleek and sexy, it’s GREEN!

Slow Bloggin’

Hey peeps. Sorry I haven’t been on top of the blog as of late. I will try to kick myself back into gear and post some more cool stuff and fun mixes. Promise. Until then, enjoy this pick of Max, Rocky, and Maggie. In order of sizes.

Dryer Buzzer

My good friend Matt just informed me he independently released his first digital download album under the pseudonym “Dryer Buzzer.” I haven’t even listened to the whole thing yet but I know it HAS to be dope because he has been feeding me beats for years. Check out his myspace page to download the album and don’t forget to donate some money to his cause. Truly DIY, truly dope! Congrats homie, I hope to hear more in the future.

Slydial

What’s Slydial? It’s a pretty cool free phone service that let’s you go straight to someone’s voicemail without having to actually call them. Why would you want to do this? To avoid an awkward conversation, to save time, or to call someone you know who is in a meeting or can’t pick up. My favorite possible scenario is that I get a lot of calls from numbers I don’t recognize that don’t leave me a voicemail. With this you can slydial the number and wait to hear the voicemail. The process is simple too. You just dial their phone number, follow a prompt, enter the number you want to slydial, then you will hear their voicemail. Pretty cool service that may come in handy from time to time.

1973 Porsche Carrera RS

My current dream car is this amazing auto. It doesn’t get much better than this. It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

Acacia Bar

I just found the perfect mini bar that has that mid-century feel but is highly affordable. The Acacia Mini-Bar at CB2 not only looks good it is great for stashing your spirits and barware. The finish is beautiful and the price is even sexier at only $400.

Makr | Fine Leather & Fabric

Makr creates some really unique styles of wallets made from leather and fabric. They are all made in limited quantities and each sport a unique pattern or texture or image. Great as a gift or to sport on your own as they are priced at $100 or less. Check more out here.

Bohemian Modern : Sawtelle Vol. 03

This mix is sure to keep your party hoppin.’ Has the latest and greatest ubiquitous indi electro the kids are so hip to these days. Throw it on and don’t forget to sport your skinny jeans, flourescent kicks, and venetian blind sunglasses. You may or may not need an asymmetrical haircut too. That I haven’t decided. ENJOY!

(1) Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
(2) Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger
(3) Dat Politics - Step Back
(4) Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor
(5) Feist - One Evening (remix)
(6) AIR - Alpha Beta Gaga (Mark Ronson remix featuring Rhymefest)
(7) Amplive & Radiohead - Reckonerz (featuring Charli2na)
(8) Freeze Pop - Tracey Gold
(9) Beck - Dirty Dirty
(10) Funkstorung - I Want Some Fun
(11) Dani Siciliano - Too Young
(12) Her Space Holiday - My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
(13) Erelend Oye - Every Party has a Winner and a Loser (Prefuse 73 remix)
(14) Prefuse 73 & Daedelus - Busy Signal (Make You Go Bombing Mix)
(15) Bonde Do Rolê - Danca do Zumbi
(16) The Go! Team - Huddle Formation
(17) LCD Soundsystem - Us Vs. Them
(18) The Helio Sequence - (Square) Bubbles

Nike Hyperdunks Finally Released

Nothing says “The Future” like shoes designed in the late 1980s. Nike finally answered our prayers, and 3 year old petition we all signed, by releasing the Hyperdunks from Back to the Future 2. Only they didn’t really release them really (they aren’t exactly the same), they limited them to 350 and they sold out instantly of course. Now fanboys will have to pay a cool $2K on ebay for them. Kinda messed up but that is the nature of the sneaker collecting beast. Die hard heads with little to no life other than collecting waited in line for up to 24 hours to see if they could get their hands on a pair. Kobe Bryant rolled up in a Delorean and made a cameo at the Main Street location of Undefeated to sign 10 pairs. If they actually become somewhat attainable I’ll try to cop a pair. But that is highly unlikely I am sure of it.

Bran is at it again!

Bran just keeps the hits coming. Now he’s gone and updated his site with all the new great projects including his contribution to our “Drive Less“ series. We’ll get an official site up soon for that too. I really like Bran’s addition to our series which includes other designers I invited. In the meantime, go look at all of Bran’s funtastic work.

Chester French

My latest music obsessions has been Vampire Weekend and now Chester French. They both have this Ivy League prep school vibe that feels so fresh and so clean right now. Think Weezer back in ’94. They have gotten quite the buzz lately too. Pharrell Williams is hot on their stuff and signed them to Star Track records. They have a forthcoming album to be released sometime this year so keep an eye and an ear out for that. In the meantime listen to them on their Facebook page.

BDJ Diverse’s “Escape Earth” for Adult Swim

So Bran is at it again. He’s so hot right now. This time with a quirky music video for Diverse called “Escape Earth” as a team up with Damien Correll. Great job guys, while you’re at it download the World Wide Renewal Program mp3 mix for free on the Adult Swim site. Wow, Bran has been busy!

BDJ’s Cost of War

This is a must see for everyone. My good friend Bran created this amazingly insightful and poignant short film, that in about 2 minutes, tells us how much our wonderful government is spending on the “War in Iraq.” I am glad there are people who still don’t only care about how amazing mental ray renders are or how incredible the new trapcode plug in is. This should be setting an example to others in this industry to make more films that inspire us mentally and not just technically. I hope it sets an example for future personal projects in the motiondesign industry.

Anthony Furlong

My buddy Anthony just updated his site with some killer new work. I particularly love the BDA stuff. The site itself is very clean and structured and easy to navigate through. Kudos holmes! While I am on the BDA and former Art Center Grads topic, my former student Jiaren Hiu cleaned up some awards winning a Gold and Bronze for the student competition. Way to go Anthony! Way to go Jiaren!

Bohemian Modern : Sunset Boulevard Vol. 04

This mix is like another from the breezy Sunset Boulevard series. Enjoy with a cool Aviation Cocktail. Download HERE!

(1) AIR - Ce Matin-La
(2) Beck - Tropicalia
(3) Björk - It’s Oh So Quiet
(4) Brazilian Girls - Homme
(5) Nouvelle Vague - Let Me Go
(6) Nina Persson - Desafanido
(7) Stereolab - Fluorescences
(8) Bertrand Burgalat - Juillet 66
(9) Zero 7 - Give it Away
(10) John Legend - Please Baby Don’t Go
(11) Yesterday’s New Quintet - Wanda Vidal
(12) Brazilian Girls - Nicotine
(13) Daedelus - Just Briefly (Umod Remix)
(14) Peeping Tom with Bebel Gilberto - Caipirinha
(15) Zero 7 - The Space Between
(16) Sergio Mendes - Berimbau/Consolacao
(17) AIR - Talisman

Real Men Like Pillows | Alphabet Pillow

This pillow is for lovers of type (translation, design dorks like me). I think this pillow by Sukie from 3 Potato Four would work on a neutral couch in a dark gray or brown. The colors are a little on the girly side so it could even make for a good gift for your girlfriend or wife. It’s a little on the pricey side at $72 but I am sure it’s made of good quality.

Real Men Like Pillows | Resist Today & Red Labor

Here’s a cool mish mash of clip art on a pillow by Red Labor. Half octopus half elephant and he’s wearing a hat. Pretty rad, and it’s only $34 so grab it while it’s hot.

Real Men Like Pillows | Upper Playground & Jeremy Fish

I posted a little while back about some cool Upper Playground pillows that featured man staples such as joysticks or shot glasses. If patterns of strippers is a little too obvious then try this subtle patterned pillow by Jeremy Fish. Think it’s just a floral pattern? Look a little closer and you will find some cool skulls in the mix. Good for that subtle bit of manness that can work on a nice sectional or Eames lounger.

Real Men Like Pillows | Sleepyheads

As much as I’d hate to say it, I like to decorate. There, I said it. More and more, we are becoming the new woman. And for a man, picking out pillows can be hard. I am not the kind of guy that can make a trip down to Crate & Barrel and buy some big fluffy pillows. The next few posts will be dedicated to helping find some cool pillows that won’t make you look like you have been watching too much Lifetime, TLC, or even Bravo. So first on the list is Sleepyheads by Christopher David Ryan of Atmostheory. Simple, folky, and can pretty much work on any chair or couch because they are black and white. Most of the designs are out of stock but I am sure there will be a re-stocking on them soon. At a price of only $35 for some functional art that’s not a bad deal.

Steve McQueen : A Life in Pictures

I am a pretty big Steve McQueen fan. He, like my other favorite Frank Sinatra, somehow had this effortlessly cool presence about him. I walked by Arcana Books the other day and saw this in the window. They have the first edition release which I am dying to get for my birthday, if anyone is paying attention. McQueen had quite a collection of autos and motor bikes too.

Andy Lee Design | Bookshelf

I have an overflow of books and our one measly bookshelf in the living room isn’t quite storing them all. I just found Andy Lee’s rad bookshelf that is very affordable and easy to assemble. I like how it tapers just a little towards the top. He offers a coffee table too that is similar in design to the bookshelf too. I hope he continues to make more furniture because it’s refreshing to have another option other than IKEA, West Elm, or CB2 that is affordable.

Patagonia | Geoff McFetridge

Yes, I admit. I am sort of a Geoff McFetridge fanboy. I have been for a few years now. It all started when I saw his X-Games promos for ESPN. I pretty much subscribe to anything he puts out there. By the way, Patagonia just released a line of tees by Geoff and a few others. I really love Geoff’s though. I already bought 2 of them for the summer months ahead. Grab them while you can because I am sure like much of his stuff, it will be collectible.

Bohemian Modern : Abbot Kinney Vol. 04

So it’s been a while since I have posted a mix. I am going to try to reward my patient followers with a few mixes this week. To start, here is another installment from the BoMo Abbot Kinney series. This mix is chock full of laid back beats and summer soul. Pour an ice cool Mint Julep and ENJOY THE MIX HERE!

(1) Will Smith - The Rain
(2) Jill Scott - Bedda At Home
(3) Leela James - When You Love Somebody
(4) Cody Chesnutt - The Seed
(5) Ray LaMontagne - Three More Days
(6) Bitter:Sweet - Overdue
(7) Anthony Hamilton - I Used to Love Someone
(8) Bilal - Sometimes
(9) Al Green - LOVE
(10) Koop - In A Heartbeat
(11) James Hunter - People Gonna Talk
(12) Amp Fiddler - Hey Joe
(13) Ray Charles - Don’t You Know
(14) Nikka Costa - I Gotta Know
(15) Mos Def & Brixxx - If It’s Alright Yall
(16) Jamie Lidell - Green Light
(17) Me’Shell Ndegeocello - Shirk

Bonobos

I am going through a bit of a transition in my personal style. I would call it growing up. I am finding myself drawn more to a classic look. Something less slouchy, trendy, or hip even. That being said, I got excited when stumbling upon Bonobos. Bonobos are finely tailored pants for men. They come in an assortment of materials, colors, and fits. If they don’t fit, by the way, they have an amazing return policy. You won’t find them in stores either, they are online only. You have to act fast too because once a style is sold out they retire it. They also have belts, tees, and other accessories to boot.