Sixpack France x Detroit Techno x Justin Fines: Coming Soon…

“Just a perfect day
Problems are left to know
Weekanders all night long
Its such fun
Just a perfect day
You make me forget myself
I thought I was someone else
Someone good”

Lou Reed.

Sixpack france and the Apart gallery are proud to announce « Perfect Day », an exhibition of  Zbiok and Piotr Lakomy.

Taking its name from the third and magic track of Lou Reed’s “Transformer”  masterpiece , the exhibition brings together the artworks of those two young European artists.

Both rooted in the Polish urban scene, each of their two universes is opposed but complementary - creating an impressive and complete art show.

Several installations, mural paintings and videos will be presented during three months in Grenoble.

The exhibiton will also include four limited objects soon available :
Two fanzines and two tee shirts produced by Sixpack France.

Zbiok and Piotr Lakomy, the reunion of these two artists and their dialogue through this common ehxibition, is the perfect illustration of the European artistic values that Sixpack France has always defended.

« Perfect day »
As everytime Sixpack takes possession of the A part galery.

Exhibition from December, 5th 2009 to February, 10th 2010

Opening on Saturday December 5th  2009 at 19pm30.

A part Gallery 7 rue Jay 38000 Grenoble - Phone: 04 76 17 20 26
www.magarderobe.com
www.sixpack.fr
www.zbkool.com
www.piotrlakomy.com

Several months ago, our very good friends from Institubes have announced the opening of the ambitious “Dodecalogue” project.

The concept is quite exciting :  from June 2009 to June 2010, for twelve consecutive months, French keyboard player Rob (currently on Tour with Phoenix)  will write, record and produce one series of songs each month…songs that will be “dedicated to studying the Gospels and the apostles”.

The 4th release of the project has just been revealed last week.
Untitled “Jude Thadée“, the record features the amazing song “Femme et Enfant” in collaboration with Sebastien Tellier.

You can listen to the track more below.
Or download it here.

Enjoy !

Last night,  the Arctic Monkeys were invited on Canal + to play one of our favourite song “Cornerstone” from the last album…

Guess what : the drummer was rockin one of our Sixpack x ill-Studio tee shirt.

Big up!

Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone (Live) + Interview from Tipiakoulst Tipiakenz on Vimeo.

What’s your occupation, what do you do in life?

I am the founder of Sixpack France.

I handle Art Direction and commercial strategy.

Through Sixpack, I try, in a quasi-obsessed manner, to tell stories, develop a language, and refer to my cultural references, that go from pop culture to overlooked radical sub-cultures. I like to define Sixpack as a fashion brand with a cultural twist. In a general manner, I like everything that creates surprise and interrogation. I like to think that Sixpack blossoms in duality and contradiction.

How do you know what time it is?

I have a very singular and contradictory relationship with objects.

On the one hand, I enjoy feeling free of any dependence to such or such object that could be collected, I despise collections in general, I find those to be pathetic.

I try not to get attached to valuables, even though I take pleasure in being a prt of a consumerist society, and in the cult of objects.

I do have an extensive vinyl record collection, but I’m cured now, thanks to the advent of digital formats. I feel a lot more comfortable with this medium, having access to everything without having to store any physical object.

Watches and music collecting I can understand, as both have an actual usefulness.

I don’t like the social stigma associated with watches.

I am a lot more intrigued by people who do not wear any watch.

I would really like being able to buy awesome vintage watches, that have a history, but I lose everything, my glasses, my watches. And if I don’t lose them, I destroy them or forget them in hotel rooms.

So I buy watches I can lose, Casio is good for that, I can not pay attention which is cool… When I’m older and more mature, careful and attentive, I’ll buy a “real” watch.

Investing in one today, would be a waste, a net loss.

I like old Omega watches a lot.

A Speedmaster would be nice.

Does the watch you’re wearing today have specific memories or a story you’d like to tell?

It’s a Spaceman Audacieuse, designed by André le Marquand in 1974.

It’s obviously a re-edition, so I can lose it, it’s OK.

I discovered these watches, because they are inspired by 2001, A Space Odissey, the movie by Stanley Kubrick.

I was a projectionist for an artsy theatre for a long time, so naturally I was attracted to that model. It is atypical and has this retro-futuristic look that’s pretty cool.

It’s the only watch I have that has pseudo value.

I wear it rather rarely.

What criteria do you consider when choosing a watch?

Its simplicity.

How would you describe your relationship with time?

I was fascinated by La Jetée (On the Waterfront), the short film by Chris Marker. That movie inspired 12 Monkeys by Terry Gilliam.

It’s this lo-fi SF movie about the end of the world. Humanity is in danger of extinction so they send this man back in time so he can alter the present.

It’s an absolute masterpiece.

This movie actually inspired our newest collection: “Past-Present-Future”, so it was a good excuse for me to scan past periods, and find links between past illustrators and those today, who will no doubt be references themselves tomorrow.

I had a lot of fun and was lucky enough to collaborate with Robert Crumb, Hajime Sorayama, Todd James, Istvan Orosz, La Boca, etc.

Otherwise, seeing time go by has always made me very anxious.

I understood very early that we were all to die, and as a teenager, this posed me a lot of psychological or existential questions or problems.

So I make the most of every instants.

Live fast, die old, that would be cool.

Source: http://cestquoitamontre.tumblr.com/

Thanks to Alexandre.

For fall winter, we teamed up with internationally known artist Todd James aka REAS to design a collection for Sixpack France.

The line consists of three very bold and colourful tee shirts: “Eiffel”, “Fart” and “General”.  The graphics feature Todd James’ well known cartoon-charged signature.

You can discover the whole series on our website.

www.sixpack.fr

Last week end was presented the new solo exhibition of Californian artist Brendan Monroe at the Richard Heller Gallery. The show premiers a new and suprising body of works including very beautifull and detailled paintings, impressive installations, and a constellation of hanging wood sculptures suspended from the high ceiling in the front room. It seems that Brendan has known how to defy his own creative frontiers by building this powerful and poetical universe half way between dream, nightmare and reality. The show runs until November 14th, 2009.

A closer look to the opening ceremony more below.
Source : Arrested Motion

We took time to listen  to the new Flaming Lips “Embryonic” record.
We have been impressed to see that something new happened to their music : “Embryonic” is a wild album!
That’s why we decided to write a small text to tell you why we love it so much.

THE FLAMING LIPS  “EMBRYONIC”

“When we are young, we are stupid jerks”. Well, this is what old folks say. “Old stupid jerks” say young people.
Incomprehension.
Existential levitation. When we are growing old and start to regard on ourself to be a bit old and a bit young at the same time. Sort of young old people. Or old young people…

To fight against this time some try to act like youngsters, hands up in clubs screaming yeahhh, or reciting in bars all those temporary hysterias of youngsters music blogs:  “have you listened to the last Solo’s crazy mix on discobelle ?” …But, man, your paunch is out of your jeans, too bad ! With your Kanye’s LV, it sucks.

Opposite option for the young old fundamentalist specimen who continues to eat junk food like a teenager: Getting damaged in the quest of youth. Like listening exclusively to some NYC Golden Age hip hop, the first Nas, “we haven’t done better since, I am telling you ”. Or getting mad ecstatically on the last Sonic Youth record.

Some crafty ones believe they have found the magic formula: now buddy, you’re gonna educate youngsters.
Art, music, life; no, not life!  I’m talking like an old fart…
Explaining that nothing is lost, it’s all about transformation, rewind forward, vintage, sampling, cycles and so on.
It’s a bit like us.
Robert Crumb, Chris Marker, La Jetée, the sixties… okay, we were not even born yet but by getting older I guess we go backwards.

Like in the late 80’s, early 90’s, when we were young and stupid jerks. When we were listening to lots of Indie Pop. And Sub Pop premises. And the Flaming Lips. A lot.
It used to make us laugh, the noise of this guy whacking off on the intro of  “Telepatic Surgery”. It was so “punk” Beavis & Butthead.
Much more punk than their previous records that we liked less and less as they played in giant stadiums throwing balloons in the first part of Coldplay.
Our old indie soundtrack: pop yes, but arty etc..

Now, with their new album « Embryonic », just forget about that: It’s like if they have stopped champaign and cocaine and down from the top of the wave.
Why and how I have no idea, they might have recorded it sober, but “Embryonic” is everything but a runt.
A fucking beautiful baby even.
When you are old, you think like a father, you will see, son.

Just with the two first tracks, a big bass line on low C chord, screams like Damon Suzuki, crushed riffs, head shakings on the sofa. Wicked.

Then telepathy on the third one: Evil. Old melancholic notes as an introduction, then I think it talks about drugs but above all, about age, and that, I am sure of :” I wish I could go back… go back in time”, crescendo, violins and oboes without accordions, a bit weepy: “it’s hard to understand, I’ll never understand”, yes, Wayne.
Wayne Coyne: I love you.

But hey, this is not a whining girls record: It goes up and then goes down, and sometimes it is ultra easy cool, sometimes, there are dirty guitars playing but never verse/chorus/verse like in the English cool-chick songs. It goes on a “Watching the planets” mode.
Kraut we told you, we could also say psyché.

Thus all youngsters, from Tame Impala to MGMT trying to play this Cream or Grateful Dead psyché rock, will learn from it.
Besides, the Spring Summer 2009 hipsters idols are there, on a featuring on the track “Worm Mountain”, one of the best song of this “Embryonic”. Normal. We are at Warner’s, you stupid ! have to buzz, although we don’t really see where are the Management guys, lost into the distortion pedals.
So Wild, this track, dirty and wild.

Like this record.
A wild child.

There are some that would never get old.

One of our Todd James x Sixpack tee shirts has been featured on the new Monocle issue.

(This is the navy tee shirt not the white one…)

By the way, the Todd James Sixpack collection should come out very soon on our website.

Stay focus…

Sixpack France presents:

“Fragments of Yesterday” part 03

-LA JETEE COLLECTION-
A tribute to Chris Marker

By //DIY, La.Boca, Ill-Studio,
Hudson Powell & Sanghon Kim

End of the story. Back to our present. Here we are finally. The trip across time, the triptych collection “Fragments of Yesterday” begins its denouement.

After having explored the graphic territories of yesterday, defied the obsessing countries of Hajime Sorayama or the acid lands of Robert Crumb, Sixpack France takes root in the present to create the future.

Nothing is lost, only transformed. Time is like a roman photo made of wild clichés where the off screen voice of our memories is talking. Time is like “La Jetée”. This poetical fable created by Chris Marker with its time links obsession, symbolizes the philosophy of the collection and closes its last tome.

“La jetée” collection consists of ten pieces, ten exclusive interpretations homage to Marker’s black masterpiece. (See the graphics below…)

Thought the eyes of the new generation, //DIY, LA.BOCA, Ill-Studio, Sanghon Kim and Hudson Powell, which are all artist of today and influences of tomorrow, the story is told again.

« La Jetée ». End of the story. Not totally… We wanted to call this part the « Epilogue » of the triptych… but we are glad to announce that a fourth adventure, a very new one for Sixpack France, will be revealed in February, 2010.

The final point is a semicolon.
New page to write on.
Fragments of Yesterday Part 4.
2010.

www.sixpack.fr