Sneaker designer extraordinaire Mark Ong (aka SBTG), has been working with Johnnie Walker on Project Black Inspiration to create a limited edition redesign of the popular Johnnie Walker Black Label. The Project saw the internationally acclaimed designer collaborating with over 100,000 fans who helped in the process of creating each design element on the bottle via the Project Black Inspiration Facebook application. The launch of this unique bottle will be taking place at Zouk Mainroom this Saturday, and JUICE is giving out 5 pairs of invites to the Project Inspiration Launch Party.

Join quick, because this giveaway is a limited one day contest!

Johnnie Walker Project Black Inspiration Limited Edition Bottle Launch
Date: 19 May (Saturday)
Time: 7pm
Venue: Zouk Mainroom

All you have to do to win em’, is to answer these simple questions:

Q1: When and where will the new Project Black Inspiration Limited Edition Johnnie Walker Black Label be launched?

Q2: Tell us in 50 words or less, who has constantly inspired you to progress?

Send your answers in by 5pm Friday 18 May 2012 along with your full name, IC and handphone number with the subject ‘Black Label Limited Edition Launch’ to contest@juiceonline.com.

For more information on Johnnie Walker and the event, visit their Facebook page here.

Hip hop is a genre that has a cyclical cliché in that every generation will bitch and moan about the want for a cure to a supposed genre malaise. That’s BS though, and here’s the man behind the founding of underground hip hop legends Company Flow and indie hip hop label Def Jux back to provide some much needed cancer to hip hop.

The punk rock air of not giving a f#ck in modern left-field hip hop can be traced back to Def Jux, but the label’s demise can be faulted on the artists stubborn insistence on conforming to some blinkered genre truthiness (here’s looking at you Vast Aire). New album C4C (Cancer 4 Cure) is vintage Def Jux goodness, industrial synths over Bambaataa-esque hip hop beats and dense rap meters.

Penultimate track ‘Stay Down’ featuring Nick Diamonds of Islands has both the emotiveness of sophomore I’ll Sleep When I Die and the bile articulation of debut Fantastic Damage. With C4C and the wholly El-produced R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike, Def Jux is rebooted to kick hip hop’s arse again.

More on the rebooted Def Jux at www.definitivejux.net.

While we wait with bated breath for Nike’s celebration of the Cortez’s 40th year this Saturday 19 May, the good folks at PHBKLK and District Shop dropped us an email unveiling the process of their interpretation of the classic Cortez design. DEAD MOJO of the graffiti clique’s design is adorned with uniquely West Coast (as in LA West Coast, not ours) aesthetics and comes complete with a coffin emblazoned with a swag skull. Watching the video, we wish we paid more attention during shop class in high school.

Nike Cortez 40th Anniversary is this Saturday at Juice KL, Bangsar. To win invites to the celebration, click here.

Text Hidzir Junaini
Image + Interview Timbre Group Pte Ltd

The Specials first made their mark in 1977 and 35 years later, the British two tone ska legends are still as relevant as ever. The band became folklore figures – a group that was influential for their unique take on music, myth and mod style. These rude boys braved prejudices and political injustices through their opinionated lyrical content and they made people dance while they were at it. Their words provoked thought but it was their rocksteady wrappings that made it digestible. The Specials’ counter cultural significance is still felt several decades later, as evidenced by their continued reverence through the generations and JUICE was deeply honoured to talk to their groove man, Horace Panter, about their legacy and recent revival.

The Specials were known for making music with an informed social stance. What was the inspiration behind that?  
I think that’s because we were influenced by punk rock which was about breaking down a lot of barriers and starting again. So our lyrics were about the disaffected and disenfranchised British youth culture. We wanted to write songs with meaning and we felt like we needed to say certain things. But it wasn’t all intellectual; we wanted our fans to dance as well!

Your band led the English two tone ska movement back in the day. What goals did you guys have and do you think you’ve achieved them?
Oh that’s for journalists to decide, I’m far too modest. I guess I could say we helped changed the British attitude to race and all that. But that’s not just us, that’s the product of generations of education and assimilation. Reggae music has been assimilated into British culture as well, and we probably had a part in that. I would like to think that we achieved our goals, but I think I’d be pretentious of me to definitively proclaim that.

Speaking of, what are your views on the evolution of ska and reggae through the generations?
I think the music has its own life and it goes on its own directions. Just because I like The Skatalites doesn’t mean to say that The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were wrong, you know what I mean? Everyone interprets music in their own way and I think that’s healthy.

Do you have any other artistic ventures outside of music?
Well yes, I wrote a book during my time as a school teacher!

That was your autobiography Ska’d for Life? It seemed like you wore your heart on your (book) sleeves while writing it…
That’s it! At the time, I honestly thought that I would retire as a school teacher. I never imagined that the band would get back together. So I wanted to write a book about being in The Specials. My intention was just to share my experiences of being in this great band. I enjoyed writing it very much…except for the last part, because the last part of The Specials was rough.

So what sparked the reformation of the band in 2009?
Lynval Golding was the person who got the whole thing going. But there was always a groundswell of fans and I think the music didn’t fade away. A lot of people loved the way the band presented itself and stuck with us. I think Lynval was aware of that and through enormous force of will, got us together at the same place at the same time.

Why do you think The Specials’ music still resonates today?
The reasons are wonderful. It’s the sexiest music in the world and the songs are very memorable. They have great hook lines and they talk of relevant things. Those songs are timeless. It’s amazing, we played a lot of the festivals in Europe after we reformed and most of the people in the audience weren’t born when they were recorded. Yet they were singing all the songs and knew all the words! I found that to be astonishing. The fact that something recorded 32 years ago could be held in such esteem by such a young audience.

On a personal level though, where do you find the motivation to keep playing all these years later?
Being able to go onstage and play these fantastic pieces of music is the greatest thing in the world. To see the reaction from people is reward enough, really. I can’t think of a better way to spend middle age.

Find out what’s so special at www.thespecials.com.

Nike has gotten the help of 8 Malaysian artists from differing artistic pursuits to commemorate Cortez’s 40th Anniversary for their Cortez 40/40 Project.  These 8 — the ubiquitous Stephen Lau, alpha hipster Irman Hilmi of Grafa, Bombshelter Studios, Dead Mojo of graf clique Phobia Klik, Marini Ramlan, quirky Shieko Reto, Lynda Chean of Pink Tattoos and May Chan — will unveil their interpretations of Nike’s iconic Cortez kicks at Nike Cortez 40/40 KL. JUICE, being the print paragon of street culture, has gotten ourselves 15 pairs of invites to the event celebrating the first shoe worthy of Swoosh.

Venue Juice KL, Bangsar Baru
Date Saturday 19 May 2012
Time 7.30pm

To win a pair, all you need to do is tell us this;

Q: How big of a kicksologist are you? And what is your favourite pair?

Send your answers in by Friday 18 May 2012 along with your full name, IC and handphone number with the subject ‘Cortez 40/40 KL’ to contest@juiceonline.com. Winners will be notified on the same day.

Images Nadia Jasmine Mahfix

Still haven’t got your tickets to catch Steve Aoki? JUICE has three pairs of tickets to giveaway for Steve Aoki Live in KL at Neverland. No need for tears bro… you know we’ve got your back.

All you have to do is answer two very simple questions below and complete the slogan. Easy as that. And we’ll pick three of the most deserving winners.

Q1: If you had a chance to work on a song with Steve Aoki, what would you call it?

Q2: Where will Steve Aoki be performing in KL?

Complete the following slogan in 20 words or less:

When I hit ‘Turbulence’ I…

Send your answers in by Friday 25 May 2012 along with your full name, IC and handphone number with the subject ‘Steve Aoki Live in KL’ to contest@juiceonline.com. Winners will be notified by Monday 28 May 2012.

For more information on the concert, go to www.clubneverland.com or facebook.com/clubneverland or check out our events page here, for details.

Interview Muna Noor
Text Aizyl Azlee
Image Island Records

Steadily rising since back in 2010, Mona has made quite the name for themselves with their brand (or some would say Kings of Leon’s brand) of ringing-guitar-strum rock (we’re not much for labels). JUICE recently sat down with frontman Nick Brown for a chat at Splendour In The Grass 2011. We grilled him about their recent move to Nashville, their relationship with Kings of Leon and the current music climate.

You moved to Nashville, is that home now?
No, it’s headquarters now, it’s not ever gonna be home.

Why is it not home?
Uhm, because we’re a couple of Ohio, Kentucky boys, so you know, I think that’s always gonna be home for us.

Do you think there’s a conveyor belt mentality towards churning out music at Nashville?
There is, in a negative way, if you’re in the wrong circles. I think everyone who’s been successful in Nashville kind of becomes their own island, does their own thing, even the people who are now moving there. Jack White moved there, The Black Keys and Kings of Leon are all from there. All those people became their own islands. The local scene gets kind of convoluted, and people think that they’re doing stuff on a very small, small scale, but the people waste years just doing stuff locally, so it’s very important that, no matter where you’re at, not to fool yourself with just something local, have a bigger vision to get out of where you are, as opposed to just being a big fish in a small pond.

You guys have been compared to Kings of Leon a lot, how do you feel about those comparisons?
Jared [Followill] is one of my best friends, so we’ve been friends and fans of each other for a while and we don’t think we sound alike, I think it’s just one of those things. We’re from similar backgrounds, I come from a Pentecostal church, my father was a pastor, we’re both soulful singers, our bands are four dudes up there playing epic rock, so we understand it but we definitely have our own fingerprint. You know, U2 got compared to The Clash, Kings of Leon got compared to The Strokes, if you look back in history now, those bands don’t sound anything like each other. But if I gave you a taste of a candy bar, the first thing you would say is, “It kinda tastes like uhhh mixed with uhhh” It’s just what humans do. So it’s fine, we don’t expect something to be handed to us, we know it’s gonna take time for people to learn our personality and our vibe.

You mentioned church just now, are you guys deeply religious?
I wouldn’t say religious. The word, the original language in Latin or Hebrew, religion means “to bind”, as in to bring together to bind, but nowadays I think it’s more like to bind, as in bondage. We don’t go to church, we don’t claim anything. I got kicked out of a seminary once back in Bible college. I don’t like organized religion in that way. I think you just have to be pure when it comes to art, religion, sexuality, politics, any of it. The most powerful thing is honesty and it’s not claiming a title, I don’t care if you’re Buddhist, I don’t care if you’re Christian, I don’t care if you’re gay, I don’t care. It’s about being yourself and being honest. Get over the titles and the labels, I don’t get this sh!t.

Do you think there’s any need for albums anymore, now that we’ve got downloads?
Most definitely we do! I think that people need to remember that music is still an art form, it’s not just entertainment. I love pop music, I love dance music, I love hip-hop music, but there’s also stuff about the arts and humans expressing themselves, being interpreted by other humans, it’s a powerful process, you can’t do that in a single. You need a cohesive voice, I mean, like when you’re a fan of a band, people couldn’t wait for the album, and you’d sit down and you’d start Track 1, and you’d listen to the whole thing, and there was a process, there was something to be said, it was a ritual.

I think most rock lead singers are pussies, and I think this whole “indie, let’s be quiet, let’s play for our 13 friends from art school”, well, we need to get rid of that mentality. Speak out, and speak it bold. Stop trying to be cool. Good music’s for everybody, it’s not just for the cool kids. I’m all about accessibility.

You talked about using your platform and speaking out. When artists get that big, do you think they have a responsibility to their fans also, to maybe preach something in particular? Have a message?
I think you have a responsibility just to be honest. Somebody’s not necessarily dealing with the same issues, so maybe one celebrity doesn’t have that many convictions. So have fun, but just be honest, and be that guy for people. Maybe someone may experience something that to them, every time they’re on a platform, they have to say it, because it’s really conviction. But also, don’t just try to be Bono and try to just slap some bullshit that no one, you know, what are you, are you an activist, or are you a singer? Are you a rockstar or are you, whose side are you on? It’s one of those things where you need to be careful with that too, because I think people get lost in it.

Splendour In The Grass 2011 saw Mona rocking it out at Woodford Queensland. JUICE was flown over by Air Asia X to catch the festival. Splendour In The Grass 2012 is approaching ever closer, and it’s set to be held at Gold Coast, and you can find out more about the festival and what it has in store this year at www.splendourinthegrass.com.

You can head on over to www.airasia.com to book your flight tickets. Air Asia X has flies daily to Gold Coast from Kuala Lumpur and back. Air Asia X also flies to Melbourne, Perth, Seoul Tokyo and many more music-friendly cities. Check for flight schedules and ticket prices and don’t forget to ask about Air Asia X Premium and its lie flat  beds.

You can check out more of Mona at www.monatheband.com.

By nature, most of us tend to shun who or what we feel is different. It might be someone who has a weird sense of humour, or someone who dresses strangely. Quirky, on the other hand, seems to be the term that society feels comfortable with. You’re not strange enough that we have to socially outcast you, and you’re weird enough that everyone can talk to you, not just a psychiatrist.

DealMates.com loves being quirky. So much so, they have launched the aptly named Quirky-Thingies page on their website, with the help of iTakios.

These aren’t your run-off-the-mill products. DealMates and iTakios went through a painstaking process to ensure that these products wouldn’t be found on just about anyone’s garden variety drawer, table, safe, pocket, and whatever space you can put a product on and in.

To commemorate the site’s launch, they are having a very simple contest; submit a picture of your “quirky” self, and stand a chance to win up to RM2000 in prizes, as part of their photo contest for Quirky-Thingies. Those unsavoury pictures meant for no one’s viewing you strangely saved up may finally might pay off in a very good way.

So, be wonderfully weird and strange. Be quirky with DealMates and iTakios and join the contest here.

Images Carlsberg Malaysia