A gang of cyclists rode from Boston to Salem last night as part of the Witch Hunt Ride thrown by Red Bull. Big thanks to the RB team for inviting us all on the ride (17 miles) and for the pure flow of liquid love for hours in Salem - right next to the witch trials cemetery.

Many thanks as well to RB for renting a truck to haul all the bicycles back to Boston (no need to ride back drunk) and for the buses making this bicycle ride a one way road to hell.

Steve and Mark freezing their balls off.

My man Jason prepping that witch hat secured with saftey pins.

The almighty Jimmy Tits made it. Even after being crushed by a cab and losing a mouthful of teeth, this man has no fear of the night. Find him on Twitter: imjfitz.

Jimmy, you having fun?

Ride over. Phase two in effect.

Seth. the man who put this all together. Thank you.

More witches on the bus.

Good vs. Evil.

This vamp was also spotted sneaking on the witch bus. 

One more in the Bean. Seeing as I’ll be out of town for a month, it was well worth it.

Tell me you did not order absinthe…

Legal again.

God bless a bar that lets you haul bikes inside. Kingtson Station. Respect.

Tonight, the Zombie Prom at Good Life…

If you have ever asked a question on the importance of information and technology or simply have been asked  how “big” it all has become, then you should watch “Did You Know.” Thought provoking. 

Doc Scott is playing at Elements, one of the longest running drum and bass weeklies in the United States. Its a Boston thing and has been for a very very long time. Doc Scott has been spinning records, as well, for even longer.

I remember sitting in the cafeteria at Northeastern University and my very good friend Michael rolled in with the new Metalheadz Platnium Breakz Comp from the UK. This was 1997 I assume and jungle had been tearing up the scene for a while now with drum and bass beginning to develop into its own.

The track that floored me on the comp actually came as the track one disc 2. It was indeed a Doc Scott track.  For years I referred to it as “The Unofficial Ghost” which was its original name on the UK pressing. Later, US domestic pressings called it “Fabio’s Ghost.” That’s trivial at this point because either way, the track would crush dancefloors and I, for some reason, have never heard it played at a drum and bass night in the USA. I probably never will.

“The Unofficial Ghost” unequivocally changed something logically in my brain as to how I heard and understood music at the time, not just jungle or dnb. For the first time, I focused on the bass instead of he drum track and, from that point on, I needed nothing more to move me.

The crushing harmonics of “Ghost” almost throws the listener into the next room. Musically, nothing has every moved me sonically in this manner. For those that have been around me when my mobile rings to the “Ghost”, you know what’s up.

Doc Scott is probably better known for “Shadow Boxing” and “Drums 95″. Absolute sonic bangers at the time, almost more so than “Ghost.” “Shadow Boxing” crawls up onto you from over a hill. The image is startling; like a wall of soldiers marching to the frontlines. The pause midtrack without rhythm is your last chance of escape.

These three tracks, to me, are what made this genre of music maybe the most influential in my life and may have opened my ears to more experiential sounds - be it alt rock, no wave, bossanova, I thank jungle/dnb and Doc Scott for waking me the fuck up.

I bought this Metalheadz cap back at Black Market Record in London I think around 1997. It brings me back.

Aw, fuck it, you can download my ringtone version of “Ghost” here. I made an iPhone and MP3 version for your loving. It will surly scare the kids. Just in time for Halloween!

Some music. Four tracks in my current rotation.

I had the opportunity to meet Bob Haro in Beijing this past Spring. We were both looking for our travel minders to get us to our respective hotels. It should come as no surprise that Mr. Haro is solid gentleman - incredibly friendly in fact. I should learn a thing or two from him.

Mr. Haro is of course famous of the design of the bike number plate and for spearheading the Haro Bikes company back in the 80’s but like all good people, he has grown and continues to develop and deisgn under the Haro Design umbrella.

Axio is one of those projects which looks to build a better cargo bag for your daily needs. The Fuse Bag seen below and modeled by Adriana (Say hello. The latest Snob addition in Boston) is a hardpack that opens up (almost peels open) to access the front and back. 

A dope bag with an even doper design. And in the case that we need to smuggle Adriana into Mexico for some reason, she may even fit inside of it and still have room for lunch (just kidding!).

I’m screening a movie from 1980 in Boston tonight. 

Maybe a weekend ago, after working security for an afterhours where Diplo never ended up performing, we began to discuss with some other movie nerds about the most disturbing movies ever made - and not porno. Maybe it was the mention of Irreversible’s nine minute drawn out rape scene, or Requim for a Dream’s meth driven shock and awe, something got us thinking about it.

Online, I discovered a few lists chronicling what some consider to be the most disturbing. But none of them mentioned the one film which we kept discovering in the comments sections of all these lists, Cannibal Holocaust, and it got me wondering what the fuck this movie, with such an awful title, was all about.

Lucky for us Wikipedia had some background (right or wrong):

Cannibal Holocaust (1980) is a controversial exploitation film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest, the movie tells the story of four documentarians who journey deep into the jungle to filmindigenous tribes… After premiering in Italy, the film was seized by a local magistrate, and Deodato was arrested on obscenity charges. He was later accused of making a snuff film because rumors claimed some actors were killed on camera. Although Deodato was later cleared, the film was banned in Italy, the UK, Australia, and several other countries due to graphic gore, sexual violence, and because six animals were killed on camera.

“Disturbing” does not automatically mean gory, so lets get that out of the way, but based on this description, we may be in for something completely out of line.

I should also add that the version I was able to hunt down has the animal brutality removed, for good reason. Wish us luck.

Update:

Just finished watching this film (if we can call it that). I would rate it a 9.5/10 for being all around fucked up. I would highly recommend you not watch or rent this movie if you do not want to witness how brutal humanity can be. As my friend Star said when I invited her over for the screening, “Once was enough.”

I’ve talked on my thing for Lego minifigs before. To re-cap (since this blog is all new and shit), I am drawn to their scale, the Brick World community, and the fact that, this guy is making shitloads of weapons for his Lego Army. The Dunny world is dope, but give me a mini-fig anyday.

Jason Freeny over at Moist Productions is kinda obsessed with both and many other things, but from the inside. He’s into anatomical schematics, just not of the human body. He prefers things like Gummi Bears, Lego Mini-figs, Dunny’s, toy dog balloons, and just about anything else he can split open and re-imagine.

Best of all, he sells the prints via his online web shop. This is cool shit that comes directly from the imagination. I love it. Check it out.

My very good friend Einar described it like being at the VMA’s but with a shitload more tequila, people, foamy mats. How  Diesel pulled off their Brooklyn circus, and 17 other parties around the world, as well as broadcasting them live on Diesel TV, required really one important thing - fuckloads of marketing money.

To those inside the tent (and I am sure it was more than 5000), we witnessed a festival grade musical line-up, as well as two ringside bars pouring liquid into anything they could find once the cups ran out. I luckily held tight to the empty Pepsi can which politely housed anything but Pepsi.

The entrance application. Under live music, it says, “and many more.” They were not kidding.

The wrapped tent. A much bigger affair than assumed. 

The long walk on the highway.

The front of the Diesel House. Bar to the right.

Hot Chip.

T.I. invites M.I.A. out for some “Swagger.”

A little jam with T.I. and Franz Ferdinand.

At the beginning of the Franz set the fire marshall came onstage and asked people to kindly repel off the balconies and make it down to the ringside floor or the party was going to end. It took a moment, but people listened. If they had not moved, we may have well missed the mega finale.

M.I.A. heavily pregnant but still looking amazing rips into her set…

But as quickly, the boys from N*E*R*D joined her crew on stage…

And together they demo’d the room. “Paper Planes” duet and all.

N*E*R*D broke into “Lapdance” and closed with “Everyone Nose” which encored with N*E*R*D mashing The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” LIVE (I said LIVE) with “Everyone Nose.” That deserved a big old “holy shit.”

And how about the Margiela V-Man jacket on Pharell. You are indeed the king of bravado, my friend.

Now for some film…

M.I.A. and N*E*R*D. You know the track. Purposely shaky. I did drink a lot of Don Julio.

Some sights from ringside in between sets. If you listen close enough you can hear the magic question.

Who did we run into?

Hey! Its Stockholm’s Einar!

A man with four actual eyes.

A nice girl. Sorry we forgot your name!

And the lovely Christina who dropped a tab and was looking for god on the tight rope. 

That is a lie. She was actually just pretending.

That is it. Show is over but where the fuck are Marcus and Tim?

Special “thank you” the to girl grinding me during “Lapdance” for making it feel all the more special.

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Now, if you have read this far…

I want to say thank you to Andrea Rosso, the mastermind behind 55DSL for sitting down with HighSnobiety on Friday for a great conversation. Coincidentally 55DSL is celebrating their 15th birthday next year. More on that shortly. Big thanks to Ann for letting this online outlet into your world.

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My moment in the headlights at the Diesel event. Waterbottle levels of Don Julio consumed by all.

I’ll post real party shots later today…

(photo via mw)

Red Sox Playoff tickets at 5p for a 830p start is about as last minute as it gets, but that’s how it happens down here at Fenway Park. Peter made the call. I got the High Life’s, the Narragansett and the crew came over for the pre-game. But the magic was really inside of Fenway. The Sox pulled it out beating the Angels to win the ALDS. Next up is Tampa Bay.

We had two sets of tickets between the four of us. View one from Grandstand 17.

There is an “Irish Pub” inside of Fenway.

I looks a lot like a beer stand selling $7.75 drafts.

The view got a lot nicer in the 5th when two seats opened up next Peter and Ian.

One for the ages. This is the aftermath of a once in a lifetime event. Big P eyes the fly ball coming at him and the man bounces it off his hand. Note Ian’s reenactment of the event. Beer everywhere and the lopper ends up in the hands of a girl four rows in front of us. The story will always be better because he did not catch it.

2-2. A bit hectic coming into the final stretch.

They take it in the 9th. Sox win.

The best fans in baseball.