Alleykitten

Dan C threw the 3rd[?] annual Alleykitten race today. The last race of 2007, it was short and sweet. Meant to get as many people out to have fun and not a typical cut-throat NYC alleycat. Here's my route, with a few wrong turns edited out. 6 checkpoints and it was about 11 miles or so. Not long, but when you're hauling ass, you feel it. Andres, Jameson and I stuck together for the most part, a few of the new kids [like 16 years old] killed shit. I've never seen so many ballsy [and stupid] moves from someone in their first race. I had a few close calls, including cutting in front of a cop while crossing Park Ave at 59th st. Jameson finished 8th, Andres 9th and I got 10th out of about 30 racers or so. Maybe a bit more. Will over at Razorapple has a nice little writeup on the race as well as some pics [some attached below]. Luke Stiles also took some shots, via his Flickr. Big ups to Dan for throwing this race and I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. See ya in 2000 hate. Results: 1st Cooper-Brush teeth 2nd Jeremy 3rd Link-Drink more 4th Nick Cali-New Years resolution 5th Rodrigo-More drugs 6th Dave Varno-No cheating 7th Ed-New bike 8th Jameson-Get band famous 9th Andres-Sex 10th John Watson-Less drinking 11th Colin-Stop Sadness 12th Gene (DQ)- Fuck bitches 12th Alissa-Quit Job 13th Roberto-Eat it all 14th Kyle-Win 15th Shadi-More Pussy 16th Chris- ? 17th Kai- ? 18th Graham- Bike more 19th Dan S- Stop smoking dope 20th Carl- Crow 21st Alexis- ? 22nd ??? 23rd Mike U- Win more 24th Rebecca- Spend more time alone 25th Christian- Bike more 26th Ben E-Get faster 27th Heather- 28th April- Kiss more 29th Dylan- Hang with Heather…Naked 30th Jen- Drink less

Narifuri Accesaries

Not gonna say this surprises me at all. As far as practicalities are concerned, the belt is my favorite. Not really sure I'd rock the pedal pendant necklace, but I'm sure someone will or is already. Check out Narifuri at Bluelug

Shop Gentei: Back to the Mountains

Shop Gentei's got some new flicks up of their new shop layout. For those who haven't seen it yet, they converted the retail space into a ski lodge of sorts. Good branding. Images via O's Flickr

Southern delicacy

Southern delicacy
Originally uploaded by John Prolly

We've been deep-frying our turkeys for years. If you've never tried it before, befriend a Southern person...

Tree

Tree
Originally uploaded by John Prolly

Happy Holidays kids!

What does a $20,000 bike pile look like?

DOH!

Fabric Live 37

Caspa & Rusko KILL SHIT. Make sure your bass is up and the neighbors are away! 01. Caspa - Born To Do It 02. L-Wiz - Girl From Codeine City 03. Caspa - Cockney Violin 04. Uncle Sam - Round The World Girls (Tes La Rok Remix) 05. Rusko - Jahova 06. Caspa - The Terminator 07. Cotti - Legacy 08. Matty G - 50 K VIP 09. The Others - Africa VIP 10. Distance - V 11. Caspa - Big Headed Slags 12. Rusko - Too Far 13. Coki - Sponge Bob 14. Caspa - Louder 15. Caspa - & The Others - Well 'Ard 16. Rusko - Hammer Time 17. Unitz - The Drop 18. Rusko - Mr Chips 19. Orien - Look At My Eyes 20. The Others - Fun House 21. Rusko - 2 NAQ 22. Rusko - Cockney Thug 23. Rusko - Cockney Thug (Buraka Som Sistema Remix) 24. Skreamz - Guru 25. Rusko - Beta Max 26. D1 - I'm Loving 27. Caspa & Rusko - Rock Bottom 28. Orien - Rainbow Tear Drops 29. ConQuest - Forever

Sheldon Brown

sheldon brown
Originally uploaded by John Prolly

LaLwzzzZz

Ghost Hardware

I cannot stop listening to Burial's Untrue. It's hands-down, the best album of 2007 in my opinion. It's so simple. Just like his video for Ghost Hardware. More like an art school project, than a video, it's a series of abstract images which flows pretty effortlessly through the melodic vocals of the track. I'm not promising any great revelation to arise, just some grainy black and white visuals.

Monster Track 9 Video!

Get ready! I know it's 2 months away, but you better be in prime shape.

Duke Nukem Forever

3d Realms released the trailer for Duke Nukem Forever yesterday... I'm not as into video games as I was when I was 14, but I may have to buy this just for nostalgic reasons if anything.

Wii controllers breakin shit!

IMG_2198.JPG
Originally uploaded by futurelevel

A friend of mine turned me onto this funny Flickr search. Just type in "Wii controller broke" or some variation to find pics of shit people have broken while flailing about with their Wii controllers.

There's one of a busted bong as well, which will be the trend until people start using vaporizers.

Mishka Warehouse Sale

Yup! We are having a HUGE warehouse sale this Friday, Saturday and Sunday! We are clearing out all old gear, new gear, samples (Fall, Holiday, SPRING!), and anything else that might be lurking around. Prices are craze! $10 T-shirts! $20 Hoodies! $20 New Eras! 50% off Jackets, Bags, Samples, etc! Make sure you get there early since all the good stuff is gonna go quick! The Warehouse S Sale is located, at our Warehouse, duh! MISHKA WAREHOUSE 350 Brodway Storefront Brooklyn, NY 11211 J/M/Z to Marcy, G to Broadway, or L to Lorimer. Friday December 21st 12-8! Saturday Dec. 22-Sunday Dec 23rd 11-8! CASH ONLY!

Dark Knight

This is going to be brutal.

DQM Happy Holidays

Plant

Plant
Originally uploaded by John Prolly

Demoncats has a ton of images up from the Shop Gentei Alphabet race. Give em a peek.

C-1 House

Ah the Japanese and their beautiful architecture. The C-1 House by Curiosity Inc is gorgeous. I love the exterior circulation and tiered living areas.

DQM x Your Mother!

Who else keeps it real like your moms? DQM acknowledges that with their new collabo.

George Bush Doesn't Care About Track People

Yes, it's been confirmed. Kanye West bought a Cinelli Vigorelli from a local track bike boutique here in NYC. The DQM guys taught him how to skid last night as well... Will from Razor Apple made another great image too.

When Horses Fly

So you already know we rolled through Baltimore for Shop Gentei's Alphabet Race / MASH premier. What you probably didn't know is that Willis and Austin were gappin' some pretty gnarly jumps on their track bikes. Pics of Willis haven't surfaced yet, but here's one of Austin "Horse" on his new Gansta Track. Via TSCgod's flickr. Boom. It was a 12' gap by the way and yes he landed it. Just broke a spoke in the process...

You want a White Swallow?

Oh it's too easy. Who wants a white swallow? Dropping in 2008...

Historic Mural Discovered in SoHo Loft

via NYmag A large mural that was created by some of graffiti’s earliest pioneers was discovered recently in a 10-story limestone building just as developers were converting it into luxury condominiums. The artwork contains a variety of images and writing executed in spray paint, grease pencil, magic marker and whatever else was at hand - in silver, gold, pink and red. There are cartoonlike pictures of a bomber airplane, images of a heart and a cake, and several references to Quaaludes, a popular 1970s party drug. …Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 - who helped pioneer graffiti as an art form by spray-painting entire subway trains in psychedelic colours - figure prominently on the wall. There’s also writing believed to belong to Jean Michel Basquiat. The stylistic words "Dead or Alive" strongly suggest that it is the late artist’s work. His tag, "SAMO," appears in the stairwell of the building.

Belgian Beauts

Sasha and Justin's Merckx Frames.

Bike Shorts 4

Call for entriesssss!

Shop Gentei Alphabet Race

Results are in! This past weekend, we took off to Baltimore to ride the Shop Gentei alleycat for the Bmore MASH premier. It was a lot of fun and these guys know how to throw a party as well! I just have to say... NYC cleaned up the prizes! 1. Dan Chabanov [NYC] 2. Alex [Bmore] 3. Yatika [NYC] 4. Crihs [NYC] 5. Austin [NYC] Andres and I pre-rode the race an hour before it started. We thought we'd save some time by cutting through Druid Hill park, but in the end, it looks like it hurt us a bit. I got 31st and Andres got 34th. At least I know how to navigate around this city now! Amanda's got some pics here, be sure to check them out! I'm sure more will surface on flickr shortly.

1950's British Built Higgins Path Racer

New Old Bike Day! 1950's British Built Higgins Path Racer -57 square c-t-c -Titan Stem / Bars -Inch-pitch drive train -Cottered Cranks -Reynolds 531 throughout Details -Pencil seat stays -crowned fork -beautiful lugs -no dents -no rust -very light Background on the bike: The bike was purchased in circa 1950 from Dick Power by a racer of the period named Don 'cookie' Miller who, btw, I know and speak with occasionally. It was origainally purple in color. Higgins was known for fancy box linning but, according to Miller this bike NEVER had it. Perhaps because they were for export. Anyway, Miller raced the bike in the NY/NJ area. Remember the bike was bought as a frame. The bar and Stem are original and make sense because Power sold most of his bikes with Titan stuff. Wheels are from the period and actually came off a Drysdale that one the 1958 National Junior Championship and probably date 54 or so. The bike was painted several times but......each time Miller told me he was careful to take off the head badge and then revet it back on so it is definitely ORIGINAL! The seat and downtube decals were obtained by Miller from Higgins himself and are also period correct. I have sent Chris Hewitt (VCC Marque specialist) pics and he backs this up. This last paint job was done by Harold 'Corky' Gulbransen as the down sube sticker shows. He owned a bike shop and built his own frames under the "Corky" brand. He retired and now lives in California. His son Harold was National Junior Champ as an intermediate. Corky was a friend of Dick Power and, when Dick closed up shop inherited his frame building jigs. As to Higgins himself he was, according to Hewitt, a very meticulous engineer who took up bike building quite young. His bikes were known for their excellent construction. And, as you can see, there is no flamboyance, but tasteful utility. He was know most for his racing tricycles.

fixed-gear exhibit

Necro was used in a call-for-entries flier... to all fixie riders & lovers: for our fixed-gear exhibit in berlin and los angeles (february 1st - 17th, 2008) we‘re looking for extraordinary and beautiful bikes. we need different items on loan to be photographed and exposed: fixie bikes, parts, individual things (also bags, clothing, accessories, videos, pics...) we‘re glad about your contribution for our catalogue! please contact: vr-galerie (next to kwikshop) kastanienallee 44 10119 berlin telefon 030-4199715-2 annabelle@visual-research.com bring your fixie to the photo-shoot from december 10th - 17th 2007 (RSVP)

Drop the Lime Discobelle.net Mix!

My boy Luca, aka Curses! aka Drop the Lime has a new mix up on Discobelle.net. Peep the track-by-track break down!

This week we present a Mixin’ It Up from one of the true masters of bass. Drop The Lime (AKA Curses! or Luca Venezia) from NYC’s Trouble & Bass crew and french label Institubes has been zigzagging across the world this past year leaving behind mayhem on every dancefloor. This mix is a monster, you’ll need to grab this and glowstick your way into the night.

“Ayo Discobelle raising hell! When i first started DJ’ing it was only Jungle & Drum & Bass..Then eventually I got into freestyle and booty bass because the records were all 99 cents and always in the bargain bins @ Tower Records and HMV. Even though I dj’d only that, i’d always been into all club music.. techno, hardcore, garage.. I think growing up with all those different styles got me producing different types of dance music at an early age. Around 10 years later now, im starting to hear a similar energy in dance music - as i did when I first started spinning and listening to it in 1995… people in the Dubsided camp, Institubes camp, Mad Decent camp… are all pushing a strong attitude in their basslines and drums… and that is what got me interested in the whole electronic thing in the first place. underground dance music today reminds me of punk and rockabilly.. in the way that it’s gritty and rowdier pop music.

I’m a fan again of old doowop, Motown, rockabilly.. stuff I was listening to when I was 7 years old.. At my party that i do with Mathhead, The Captain, Star Eyes & Zak Shadetek, Trouble & Bass, you’ll catch us dropping some of that stuff @ the end of the night, which can oddly enough get people going nuts and bouncing off the walls. People should start sampling the rockabilly stuff more, the way b-more used to sample the hell out of motown and doowop.

I just moved into a new apartment in Bushwick, and we have dominatrix living upstairs who are constantly whipping and whining.. I made this mix with my subwoofer on to muffle their 60 year old clientelle. My name is Luca aka Drop The Lime, and here is a dj mix of some of the hotness i’ll be dropping in sweaty club nights…

Kardinal Offishall - Graveyard Shift (Feat. Akon)

Me and Orgasmic and Para One were crazy over this one during our Institubes N. America tour in Sep. but we couldnt figure out who it was… Finally Orgasmic got it and sent me it. This tune is a stripped down spook hit.. listen to those sirens. .. so spooky

DJ Garda - Can’t You See

Grabbed this one in London @ Uptown few months back. The b-side samples Annie Lennox..Dude is doing some good classic riddims and the melody matches my “Hear me” remix perfectly.

Drop The Lime - Hear Me (DTL Monster Mosh Dub)

We put this out on Trouble & Bass earlier this year as a maxi-single. People are still hyping on this one in the clubs, so I wanted to put it on… I wanted to make a tune that travelled from dubstep to 4×4 to wonky like breaks..

Fagget Fairies - Uzela (Drop The Lime remix)

Palms Out Sounds are releasing this bad ass Copenhagen duo of dynamite… They hit me up for a remix and the match was snap boom bap… Love what theyre doing, and when they came and played New York they smashed the club. 12″ drops soon but you can pre-order it here: http://palmsout.com/ff/

DJ Blaqstarr -Shake It To The Ground (Drop The Lime remix)

Been a fan of Blaqstarr’s DJ sets with his vocals and cuts on the decks for a bit now, so i was siked when i got asked to do a remix. Rye Rye on vocals is also amazing live…12″ is out now on Mad Decent with Switch and Claude Von Stroke remixes

50 Cent - Ayo Technology (Dexplicit Remix)

Dexplicit has basically been the godfather of bassline 4×4 shit… back when I was really pushing grime in NY, I’d be rinsing this sound now it seems people are finally starting to open up to it.. the whole niche thing is blowing up… Dexplicit does a sick twist with 50 Cents (only) new banger, melodic basslines chuggin through.

Pomomofo - Back At The Club (Boy 8 Bit Emotional Hardcore Remix)

I love the melodies and edits on this remix.. Boy 8 Bit has been killing it for some time now…seems like he’s got a new remix every week.. Dude is going to be big in the new year.

ZEUS

This is a secret alter ego from the Institubes camp.. ill keep it hush.. i love how its got this oldschool “bass” sample over Chicago style drums and then a D&B style bassline… Big tune on the dancefloors.

DJ Q - Dirty

DJ Q has been doing some of my favorite bassline tunes. His EP on more 2 Da Floor is massive. with chopped up R&B vocals and wobbly basslines… Dirty gets all the girls shaking their hips

Mr. Virgo - Down 4 You (refix)

Picked this promo up @ Uptown in London as well.. big tune with sub bubblin madness.. Virgo does some ill grimy rap production that’s sick and id been following for a while.. only recently did I hear his 4×4 bassline style stuff

Brett Maverick - Cut Off

Another big one i picked up on promo in London…This tune takes me back to my jungle roots.. some dark congo natty refix or early suburban base string tune..

Bart B More - So It Goes

The bassline in this tune is dangerous.. and i love how Mr. B More drops in the rave stabs.. little nod in my book to old 2 bad mice so it blends well with the pianos stabs on the next one

Curses! - This Is The Way (Drop The Lime remix)

This tune is the B side off my Institubes EP under the alias Curses!… It’s an old sample from Regina Belle, which was also sampled by Tactic in the 90’s for a jungle classic - so when I sample it im giving respect to both inspirations.

Drums Of Death - Breathe (Curses! Remix)

Big sucker for the piano stabs.. so remixing this was ridiculous fun in the studio… i used something called a subharmonic synthesizer.. so on a big system like Fabric’s the walls rattle and paint chips.

Blackfinger - 3:30

I like the breakdown in this where it switches up into a swinged out beat then back into 4/4.. blackfinger is another dope bassline niche dude i’ve been dropping in sets… This whole EP is heavy.

ANS - New Worlds

Didn’t know much about this artist until I was sent the promo and it blew me away. The use of this sample is gigantic… great tune to switch up the pace in a set from 130 style house shit into weighty dubstep.

Matty G - West Coast Rocks (Caspa Remix)

I’d been following Caspa since his Quiet Storm days and his Storming Productions record label.. really nasty breakstep style shit and even some 4/4 style tunes…this dubstep remix is gigantic.. the way he tweaks the bassline in double time is nasty.

Fugees - Ready Or Not (DTL Party Crashers Unite Refix)

While on tour, i woke up one day with Hype’s remix of ready or not in my head.. within a couple hours on the Eurostar, this came out. I did a quick mixdown in the club and dropped it that night in Bristol. People went bananas, so when I got home i flushed it out and made it a real bootleg.

Fugees - Ready Or Not (DJ Hype Remix)

So.. as a nod to Hype, and to Fugees of course, I had to take the mix there. into my roots of jungle I used to drop this so much when it came out on whitelabel.. you can here its pretty scratched up and worn out.

Origin Unknown - Valley Of The Shadows

This tune may quite possible be my favorite jungle tune ever. It was the first jungle record that I owned, and my friend had given it to me for my 15th birthday.. it captures the feeling of so many rave parties i had gone to as a teenager…. light @ the end of some long dark tunnels.. ah, yes.. the rave days…

Supermighty Screens

Supermighty Screens
Originally uploaded by John Prolly

they see me rollingggggggg

Bike Snob

So, I've been going to the Bike Snob blog for a while now. Shit, in fact, one of my bikes [see the pampered Marinoni] was "featured" on it as well. Some people hate him, I personally think it's great. Subtle nuances turn into amusing entertainment. I wont go on any further about it, instead I'll just post one of my favorite "bloggings" to date of his: If you're a cyclist, the fixed-gear craze is probably old news to you by now--especially if you live in a big city. But for the mainstream public, it's only now just appearing on their radar. As a result, every so often some newspaper or website will publish the obligatory article about it in their local news or cultural section, as the New York Times notably did this past spring. So, in my ongoing attempt to provide public services of dubious value, I've decided to save America's journalists the trouble by creating a template for future articles. If you're a journalist in a smaller city that hasn't yet reported on the fixed-gear trend, please feel free to use the article below in its entirety. Simply cut and paste, fill in the blanks, put your feet up on your desk, and cruise on up to that deadline! THE FIX IS IN: Coast To Coast, Nobody's Coasting by: [your name here] You may have noticed that a new type of bicycle is taking over the downtown area. At first glance, it looks like a racing bicycle of the sort that Lance Armstrong used to win the Tour de France. However, a closer look will reveal that it lacks the shifting mechanisms that are technically referred to as “gears.” It may even be lacking the stopping devices mechanics and gear-heads call “brakes.” If you’ve seen, hit, or been hit by one of these bicycles recently, then you’ve encountered the hottest thing in bikes today—“fixed-gears,” otherwise known as “fixies.” The most important difference between fixies and regular bikes is that fixies don’t let you coast. Why wouldn’t you want to coast, you may ask? “It’s like a zen thing,” explained _____, an American Apparel sales clerk, filmmaker, graduate student, and fixed-gear aficionado. “You feel totally connected to the bike. It’s like taking the stairs versus riding an escalator.” Okay, but what about the part about not having brakes? While some fixed-gear riders do use brakes, others eschew them and instead slow their bikes by locking their legs and skidding. _____, a bartender, filmmaker, musician, and fixed-gear aficionado explained, “It forces you to pay more attention and to stay a step ahead while you’re riding. Instead of playing my iPod at full blast and only looking a car or two ahead, I keep the volume lower and look all the way to the next intersection. I feel much more like an integral part of what’s going on around me. It’s like a zen thing. You feel totally connected to the bike.” Fixed-gear bicycles are nothing new. In fact, they’ve been around since at least 1986, when Kevin Bacon famously rode one in the film “Quicksilver.” That movie, about a person who delivers documents to companies for money, singlehandedly created the bicycle courier industry. Those couriers, called “messengers,” rode fixed-gear bicycles, bathed infrequently, and carried voluminous shoulder bags just like their idol Mr. Bacon did, and in turn were the inspiration behind fixed-gear craze of today. Part of the appeal of the fixed-gear bicycle to young people is undoubtedly its minimalism. State-of-the-art carbon fiber road racing bicycles with complicated gear-changing systems can cost thousands of dollars, whereas fixed-gear bicycles with handmade frames, top-end parts and colorful wheels and tires cost just a few thousand dollars. “The fact is, you just don’t need all those gears,” explained _____, an advertising copywriter, woodworker, filmmaker, and fixed-gear enthusiast. “Eddy Merckx won the Tour de France in the 80s like six times on a fixed-gear. All that other stuff is just marketing.” And it’s not just 20-somethings who are joining the revolution either. Older, experienced cyclists are also re-discovering the joyous simplicity of cycling thanks to fixed-gears. “I love it,” said _____, a lawyer, father of four, Porsche club of America member, and recent fixed-gear convert. “It reminds me of why I got into cycling in the first place. I recently converted my titanium Serotta to a fixed-gear. My knees hurt, my thighs ache, and I’m experiencing more penile numbness than usual, but according to my SRM I’m putting out more watts at lactate threshold, which makes it worth it. Plus, it’s a zen thing. You feel totally connected to the bike. All that other stuff is just marketing.” It’s safe to say at this point that an entire culture has grown around the fixed-gear bicycle. At _____, a downtown bicycle shop that specializes in fixed-gears, owner _____ sells not only the latest in bicycles and parts but also a complete line of fixed-gear specific clothing that allows riders both male and female to easily adopt the young Audrey Hepburn look that is currently in vogue. And while _____ can’t sell you a brake, he can sell you a $50 t-shirt with the shop’s logo on it. _____ also promotes fixed-gear-specific contests which feature events like skidding, track-standing, and other competitions focused entirely on slowing or simply not riding the bicycle. _____ explains that shops like his embody the future of bicycle retail, and says that his customers are looking for something different. In fact, he says fixed-gears may just be the future of cycling. “All that carbon fiber and gear stuff is just marketing,” _____ told me. “Fausto Coppi won the Giro d’Italia like six times in the ‘70s on a fixed-gear bike, and I think people want to get back to that simplicity. It’s like a zen thing. You feel totally connected to the bike.”

Tread

Tread
Originally uploaded by John Prolly

The Zaffiro II's are on the concept. They look so nice.

Icy White Tires

50 of them... Zaffiro II white tires 700c x 23c straight from Japan.

Early Morning Snow Day

While most of you were sleeping off your hangovers, we were out playing in the snow... ps. I hate Youtube's compression...

Black Metal

Black Metal
Originally uploaded by John Prolly

Pics from tonight's last night's Masters of the Universe II party are up on my flickr set.

Peep all of them here