I’m a happy camper. I got a tiny dose of Berlin action last week in Montreal. It kicked off on Tuesday for some tech house at Le Salon Daomé, a discreet, easy-to-miss bar on the second floor overlooking trendy avenue Mont-Royal, where hardcore music fans swarmed the dance floor at 1am on a weeknight until the 3am curfew.
On Saturday, I checked out a party held in an empty building 5 km north of the city centre. Booze was cheap, the people were friendly, and the DJ spinned some pretty groovy electro tunes, although I would’ve preferred if he switched halfway to a darker, meaner sound. But I guess that’ll have to wait when I return to Europe in just a few weeks.
So many choices in Montreal last week. Belgians Soulwax who released the hit track NY Lipps, a remix of Funkytown, headlined the I Love Neon party at la SAT. Bristol-based Nick Warren was in town for a smashing gig at Tribe Hyperclub. Finally, the theatre l’Olympia welcomed Paris fashion party extravaganza Don’t Tell My Booker showcasing the latest collection of Hugo Boss’s Red Label and Boy George at the decks.
So which parties did I wreck? None. I pretty much retired at home all week getting the next version of our store and our marketing plan ready. Fun times will have to wait for a few more days.
UK: Friend e-mailed me that Metro, one of the 3 free London dailies, recently reviewed a bunch of T-shirt shops in the UK including Spunky Store and East London’s No-One… House of Holland showcased its in-your-face slogan tees à la Katherine Hamnett during London Fashion Week. The T-shirts, which seem to be from American Apparel, are sold out… Being a good corporate citizen ASDA, owned by Wal-Mart (or Wal-Marde as Québecois call it), pulled out a controversial T-shirt (see photo) from its stores… after selling 15,000 of them!
Elsewhere: LaFraise recently went Dutch… The cool folks at Graniph opened earlier this month a booth at Reed Space. Party shots are available on ASNY. Hope they printed larger sizes… And last but certainly not least, Japanese mega-chain Uniqlo is launching next week UT, its own T-shirt label (via Jean Snow and Gridskipper). At 1500 yen (7 quid, $15), these slick looking T-shirts will go really fast.
