THE ORB ELECTRIC BRIXTON 2016

Still recovering from a brilliant Brixton night seeing THE ORB!!!

We were there for the 25th Anniversary of their seminal album ADVENTURES BEYOND THE ULTRAWORLD, which they were actually performing in full for the very first time.

It would take me weeks to explain how wonderful THE ORB are, but lets just say, with this album, they totally changed dance and electronic music forever. 1991 and all that, was full-on rave culture days and THE ORB brought us the post-rave chill-out of Ambient House. Multiple samples and layers and layers of chilled out tones aligned with a wicked sense of humour, was an unheard-of original mix.
But they could also rock! Thumping beats and crushing basslines gave you another dimension to their sound.

So in Brixton we were all there to celebrate and embrace a landmark point in British music. 
Chief protagonist Alex Patterson was joined by the original cast of sonic creators that got together all those years ago, including Youth, Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy plus a special appearance by Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook.

The whole night was an absolute joy, I'm still too stunned to explain further!!!!!
So here are a few piccies instead ...

Youth on the double bass.

Electronic giants Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy.

Love this shot of the crowd illuminated in dots!

Unfortunately we'd plonked ourselves in front of the double bass, so we only saw fleeting appearances of Alex Patterson, here on the right!!!

Really chuffed to see Paul Cook, a legend, but also an a really cool and understated guy. Hadn't seen him since the mad Sex Pistols reunion gig at Finsbury Park in 1996!

Psychedelic scene, and yes, that pesky double bass!!

The ever cool Thomas Fehlmann.

Great visuals throughout the night, including these vintage Japanese films.

Youth has acquired a friend!

Great finale with all the line-up.

RETRO LEICESTER CITY

This weekend I rooted around the ArtPix Archives to find all the Leicester City stuff I could find!
I'll be doing a fabulously retro collage of the flying Foxes!

If you are a fan of the Premier League Champions, then you'll love this homage to all things vintage Leicester. If you are curious to see what it was all like before Claudio's marauders turned up, then keep in touch here and wait until it's unveiled!

As with all my Retro Football collages, I'll be keeping it truly retro with a cut off date of 1989. So you'll see the likes of Gary Lineker and Foxes legends like Frank Worthington and Steve Whitworth.

Having completed the searching, scanning and photographing of everything, now to get to work on the actual collage....!

Here is a tiny taster below....

That bloke on the left looks familiar!

The charismatic Frank Worthington during his 70s pomp.

Steve Whitworth sporting a cool retro kit in 1978!

ARTPIX UNIT AT THE CUSTOMS HOUSE

As you know, I have a unit at the splendid Customs House in West Bay, down in Dorset.
So I thought I'd give you all an update on how its looking!

If you venture down to West Bay at the moment, they are currently filming the next series of the hit TV drama BROADCHURCH. So you are more than likely to bump into Olivia Colman or David Tennant!!! Once you've mixed with the stars, pop into the beautiful antiques and art quarter that is the CUSTOMS HOUSE!

Have a coffee at one of the groovy cafés and then start to wander around the 200-year-old buildings. Go up the outside staircase and you'll find the ArtPix unit on the 2nd floor!

I share it with the amazing Arcane Publishing, and together we present a great mixture of vintage items, original designs and artworks and a great selection of vintage and new books.

Have a peep and find that perfect thing you've always wanted for yourself or as a pressie for someone else.

As I'm having a break from doing the many vintage fairs I used to do, including the famous Spitalfields Market and Ally Pally in London, this is your only chance to see our stuff in the flesh!
I do hope to have an online shop up and running one day though!

Here is a selection of piccies of the unit and some brand new stock that I put in recently. I'll be back there next Tuesday as well to bung a few more things in there, so do have a look if you are down that way.

Here it is, the lovely unit! Check out Bertie and Gertie in the background, sorry, but they aren't for sale though!

A closer inspection, where you'll find vintage ceramics, maps and cinema posters.

A brand new idea, putting my classic DAZZLING DECADES and RETRO FOOTBALL designs onto A3 laminates.

Here is the Arcane Publishing corner! With hard-to-find vintage books on all sorts of subjects.

And also find amazing new novels by the legendary Johnny Navarro and Arcane's very own author Carya Gish.

I've printed and framed my popular Fabulous Fifties collage onto a 21" x 17" wooden frame.

Another new venture here, a fantastic pack of retro Liverpool programmes, with a great selection from the 1960s to the 1980s.

I've also put together a pack of retro Tottenham programmes.

I've raided the ArtPix Archives again to find some great Matchbox Models of Yesteryear from the 70s and 80s. This is a great 1936 Jaguar SS.100 made in 1977.

Here is a very regal looking 1912 Rolls-Royce.

And a 1927 Talbot Van, there are other cars and vans in the unit as well.

A fabulously retro 1968 Annual from the cult kids TV show Joe 90.

And a brilliant Bugs Bunny Annual from 1970!

STEREO MCs at VILLAGE GREEN

Still buzzing from a fabulous set by STEREO MCs!!

The hip-hop electronic legends were down in Chalkwell in Essex to get everyone grooving. I'd been looking forward to seeing them ever since I saw the line-up for this year's Village Green festival. Hadn't seen them play live since 1993!!!

And they didn't disappoint. The eclectic crowd were really up for it as well, creating a great vibe. The sight of seeing tiny kids on dad's shoulders, dancing away with huge smiles on their faces, during the set was just brilliant! 

Veteran singer Rob Birch bounced around the stage and added energy to their classy and perfectly crafted tunes. With the energetic dancers and percussion, you can't stop yourself getting carried away with it all.

We should celebrate these bands more, we Brits have a good habit of producing people who create original and groundbreaking music and are able to sustain careers lasting decades. The MCs have carried on after their huge success in the 90s, to bubble along in the underground, starting labels, collaborating and staying true to their beliefs.

Go and see them if you can and get CONNECTED!

* There appears to be a little mystery concerning the apostrophe in their name, sometimes you see it, sometimes you don't!! So I've copied their logo type for the photos and not put it in on the text, just to confuse you even more!