Via DazedDigital
Mishka digs deep with their support of underground art and music and weirdo film. The streetwear label’s Bloglin blog is as much an online zine as a lookbook and for years their designs have been inspired by heavy metal tees, metal artwork, 70s and 80s comic book art (from Neal Adams to Mike Zeck) through to Peter Saville. Not to mention their long time support of Trouble & Bass and other dark, vampiric bass music. “I'm also loving all of the new neo-folk, goth, post punk, dark and coldwave bands crawling out of the wood work,” adds Mishka’s Mikhail Bortnik. Keeping it strange days, dark and optimistic Mikhail and partner Greg Rivera kick off 2010 with bi-costal flagship stores in Brooklyn and Echo Park, another to follow in Harajuku, and a Dazed Recommends...
Can you recommend...
... three new bands?
Mikhail: Blessure Grave, the cream of the crop of the recent Goth movement. I'm really loving Toro Y Moi, lo-fi dance music that's a lot of new wave meets New Edition. And I absolutely adore These New Puritan's latest album, Hidden. It's apocalyptic and epic and I'd be shocked if it wasn't on most best of 2010 lists.
... three old bands?
Mikhail: The Marching Violets, Forgotten godfathers of the original Goth and post punk scene. Helium, Mary Timoney's old indie band on Matador, still to this day one of my favorite bands. And how about Demon? One of my favorite of the original new wave of British heavy metal. Not really all that heavy by today's standards but these guys could write some damn goods songs to rival Maiden.
... a record label?
Mikhail: Sacred Bones out of Brooklyn, NY. These guys are putting out some great dark, weird and lo-fi albums as well as unearthing forgotten gems and bringing them to new audiences. I love every single release they've put out over the past few years, and the very strict cover design almost every single release gets. It has a very Factory Records and 4AD steez of creating a visual identity to the label's music.
... an artist?
Greg: I am constantly inspired by my friend and Mishka collaborator Lamour Supreme, that dude is a genius.
... a website?
Greg: Skullbrain.org. It’s only a message board but I spend hours on it. It’s everything and anything Kaiju related.
... a film?
Greg: Garbage Pails Kids The Movie.
... something on YouTube?
Greg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xivwcj3ouLU
Mishka presents Kill With Video. Second place would be to YouTube "news bloopers" or "Obama Satan".
... something to do on a day off?
Mikhail: Eat a pot brownie and go to the museum.
Greg: Go to the Chelsea Flea Market, lunch at the Diner and movie in Union Square.
... a song everyone should hear?
Mikhail: Skinny Puppy's "Assimilate".
Greg: Morrissey: "The Last of the Famous International Playboys".
… something to do when you’re shit out of luck?
Mikhail: Start over again from square one. You've already done all the steps, it shouldn’t take you that long to get back to where you were and not make the same mistakes.
Greg: Phone a friend. People underestimate the power of talking to friends.
Mishka - Bloglin
Mishka at Bond Here
MISHKA SPRING 2010 - SOON COME!
