In My Shoes ft. Andres Jimenez
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[one_half_last]Back in 2010 NIKE made a huge push on all of their vintage products and I felt the need to have a pair. I loved the silhouette, the fit, how light they were in my hands. The soles were so narrow yet they still gave me support. They also had a nice vintage patina on them, which made them look even better.
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[one_third]From a very young age, clothes and sneakers have been important to me. What I choose to wear on any given day will always let you know how I feel. The price tags never really mattered to me, it was more so about quality, construction and what the colors or brand represented. In regards to my closet, I always refer back to “Classics” or “Basics” when building my wardrobe.
In the same year I purchased these kicks, we (Tritonic – A Creative Agency) won another ADCNJ Award and I participated in a fashion blog called Hello Mr. Daily specifically as Mr. Friday.
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[one_half_last]Later in 2010 I did some traveling and my first escape was to Montreal. A mini get-away with a few of my Hello Mr. Daily friends, this trip was strictly to party and explore. The following month I went to Chicago for my creative agency Tritonic. At this time I was the creative director and principal of the agency, we were helping our client The James Hotel in Chicago and NYC. In November I flew down to Mexico to participate in my sister’s wedding, it was such a beautiful experience to be down there with friends and family. And finally my last stop was home, Colombia to be exact, visiting my family after working hard all year. It was truly relaxing to be back in the motherland with no worries at all.
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At this point in my career, it was important for me to remain excited and fulfilled in everything I did. So I matched my hard work with hard play, by exploring the world, because I’m aware that staying fresh on what’s new is important to staying creative. I also felt the need to try working on something new, something to balance myself. Having Tritonic was fun and surrounded me with people I enjoyed. But I needed another outlet, and I found that in digging and spinning music. Throughout it all, I kept traveling to places like Boston, Montreal and even London.
[one_half]DJing and Records went from a hobby to a passion, which developed into a Vinyl Culture Collective called Open Crates. We’re now approaching our second vinyl release with Pat Van Dyke being our first and DJ Center coming out in April of this year.
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Since I’ve had these sneakers, I’ve closed up one creative agency, joined another agency as a joint venture, left and started one all over again. In 4 years, I’ve put thousands of miles on these sneakers. I’ve been blessed to have traveled all over North America, South America, the Caribbean, even hit the UK with them. They’ve been with me during hard times but also at my feet for moments I’ll cherish the rest of my life.
Urban Exploring: Episode 1 - Moruf & Aaron Brown
Back in January, we kept the love in Newark, NJ and attended a special event to celebrate Dubois's birthday, hosted by our friends Kaylan Jones and the P-N-F crew. The small yet intimate event featured a live performance by local rapper Moruf who currently holds a mean street buzz right now in the music world. Moruf released his latest mix tape back in December titled Shades of Moo. The following morning we hung out in Harrison, NJ; a little town right outside of Newark to catch up with fellow Artoholik Aaron Brown. Aaron was in town from Brooklyn to shoot video for a track off his newly released poetry album Under Construction. Our message in this story... spending time with friends is always a beautiful thing, but supporting those friends is even better. That's it for now, we hope you enjoyed Urban Exploring with us.
Sunday Beats 4 Brunch
Looking for a chill way to spend your Sunday afternoon? Head on over to Pianos in the L.E.S. this Sunday, February 16th for "Sunday Beats 4 Brunch." We're back with our first event of the New Year led by DJ Laytonic. There will be 3 DJ's spinning classic hip-hop, R&B, soul, rock, latin jazz and fusion. The event starts at 2pm followed by a special performance by Queens natives, The Grand Affair, at 5pm. Artoholik affiliate, El Siete, kicks things off followed by DJ Laytonic and DJ Polarity. For $5, it's a perfect way to wrap up your weekend.
[one_fourth]THE GRAND AFFAIR
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[one_fourth]EL SIETE
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[one_fourth]DJ LAYTONIC
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[one_fourth_last]DJ POLARITY
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[one_half]ABOUT THE VENUE
Featuring the best live music and dance parties in the Lower East Side
Hours: Mon - Sun: 2:00 pm - 4:00 am
Specialties
Dinner, Drinks, Attire, Casual, Services, Walk-Ins Welcome, Good For Groups, Take Out, Waiter Service
Street Parking
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[one_half_last]DIRECTIONS
Public Transit
By Train
F or V to 2nd Ave/Houston St. Exit at Allen St end of the station and walk two blocks east on Houston to Ludlow, then one block south to Stanton.
F or J,M,Z to Delancey/Essex. Exit at Delancey/Essex and walk two blocks north on Essex to Stanton, then one block west to Ludlow.
By Bus
M9 or M15A to Essex/Houston. Exit onto Essex and walk one block south on Essex to Stanton, then one block west to Ludlow.
M15 to Allen/Houston. Exit onto Allen and walk south to Stanton, then east two blocks to Ludlow.
Pay Up
Cash, Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover
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Styling the Intern
OVERVIEW While now a days we all wear many hats just to make it in this crazy world, we also find ourselves accommodating our style to match the many hats that we wear in order to suite our lifestyles accordingly. But not everyone understands how easy it can be to create different looks without going too far left. Our intern Guru N is taking huge steps into learning the creative industry, so we’re prepping Guru for each possible scenario. Of course we have to school him on his fashion presentation as well. Without breaking the bank a.k.a shopping on a budget, we put together six scenarios and environments that you’ll catch creative’s like ourselves in on the daily. Enjoy!
At the Agency – As he aims for the Jr. Content Creation position it’s important that he sets himself apart from the rest of the snot noses within the pack of youngsters. This look will show his boss that he’s mature, clean cut and focused on detail. This look is simplistic, traditional and safe.
MEN EASY CARE CHECKED LONG SLEEVE SHIRT This soft, wrinkle-resistant shirt features special tailoring to keep its shape in a vibrantly colored gingham check.
SOURCE: UNIQLO COST: $34.90
BOTTOM – MEN SLIM FIT CORDUROY JEANS These slim-fit corduroy jeans offer warmth and a lengthening look. Dyed for extra-sharp color. 99% cotton, 1% spandex
SOURCE: OLD NAVY COST: $34.90
SHOE – OUTDOOR CVO TRAINER SNEAKER Classic trainer sneakers with color block cotton canvas uppers topped with rolled cotton laces. Complete with a cushioned foot bed and a color block rubber mid sole. Finished with a textured rubber sole for optimal traction. UO Exclusive.
SOURCE: Urban Outfitters COST: $29.00
After Work at the Cafe – When he’s on top of his game the colleagues will take notice and want to be around him. This look is for the quiet moment that he’ll get outside of the office, when he’s dodging all the employee gossip talk. The highlights of this look is the All-Son Runt Shirt Jacket paired with a Brixton Supply beanie, layered on top of a basic yellow Uniqlo henley for a pinch of color.
TOP – All-Son Runt Shirt Jacket Awesome jacket from All-Son. Durable woven cotton in an allover leopard print with a button placket and topped with a removable hood. Complete with front and chest pouch pockets and finished with button closures at the cuffs. UO Exclusive.
SOURCE: URBAN OUTFITTERS COST: $69.90
BOTTOM – Stapleford Utility 5-Pocket Pant Classic 5-pockets pant from Stapleford. Faded cotton construction topped with side pouch pockets and a zip fly with button waist closure. Complete with rear flap pockets with button closures and cinch tabs at the waist for a snug fit. Finished with a slim fit leg and a side coin pocket. UO Exclusive.
SOURCE: URBAN OUTFITTERS COST: $59.00
SHOE – OUTDOOR CVO TRAINER SNEAKER Classic trainer sneakers with color block cotton canvas uppers topped with rolled cotton laces. Complete with a cushioned foot bed and a color block rubber midsole. Finished with a textured rubber sole for optimal traction. UO Exclusive.
SOURCE: URBAN OUTFITTERS COST: $29.00
Urban Exploring: Harpers Ferry
During the Christmas break, my lovely wife and I took a mini vacation to West Virgina to visit family. During the trip, we were suggested to take a vacation from the vacation and visit Harpers Ferry.
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States that's situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers where the U.S. states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet. Little did we know that we were walking on US history, we later learned that Harpers Ferry is best known for John Brown's raid on the Armory in 1859 and its role in the American Civil War. Initially, we parked at the north end and were very confused on what we were supposed to see. All we could see were facility buildings, trees, and mountains (which were extremely beautiful and refreshing) and we thought we'd see more. Though we were confused and disappointed we took the opportunity to snap some photos of the scenery.
Luckily, we ran into some facility employees that nicely directed us to the suggested area and my god what a big difference it was! This section was a tiny old school town filled with restaurants, coffee, ice cream, and novelty shops. It was easy to tell that each and every building was well maintained. The type of facades that you see in historical-themed movies.
The highlight of the mini trip was a short walk (0.3) from the Bolivar Heights parking area that provided great views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, the Potomac River water gap, and the Shenandoah Valley. At this point is where we had the most fun. See below...
Lastly, we decided to stop for a bite at The Coffee Mill, where we had a light snack and some coffee. The fresh baked peach pie was Aleesha's choice, while I enjoyed a warm slice of pumpkin pie. Overall, we really enjoyed our one hour there (it got dark) and look forward to going back with the kids. I wouldn't recommend traveling to this place if it's not on the way to another destination, but if you're into camping, hiking, and researching/documenting history, then this is definitely the place to go. That's it for now, enjoy the photos below!
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In My Shoes ft. Layton Weedeman
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[one_half_last]Lately, I've been more focused on hip-hop than ever before, because it's such a huge part of my musicality and creative output. In just a few months, I taught myself to beat match all of my records and learned how to blend each song into one another, making smooth transitions during my mixes. I booked my first gig at Pianos NYC in the L.E.S. back in February of this year, and needed to make sure my wears were crisp. I bought the Nike Air Trainer 1 sneakers at a shoe store on Broadway after only looking for about a minute, and immediately knew they were the right shoe for me.
Everywhere I went I wore these sneakers. It didn't matter what I was doing or where I was going. These were the only shoes I wanted to wear. Even in wet and cold weather, I wore those sneakers like they were the only pair of shoes I had. I also got a lot of compliments about these sneakers from my peers and people I met.[/one_half_last]
[one_third]About a year and a half ago, in March of 2012, I just returned home to New York from an extensive south-by-south-west (SXSW) tour through the east coast of the United States with my band and music comrades, Courtesy Tier. The minute we got back, we immediately started working on new music.
My band mate and longtime friend had been touring and writing as Dan Abraham for a few years at this point and it inspired me to start seriously exploring my own creativity as an artist. I always admired his voice and songwriting capabilities ever since we met back in 2001. Now hearing him create a sound that was truly his own, experimenting with guitar sounds, creating vocal effects, sampling, using drum machines, ambience, and synthesizers; it all really moved me.
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[one_half_last] I've always been a hip-hop head since I was a kid, back when my older cousin gave me my first cassette tapes of LL Cool J, Run DMC, and The Beastie Boys. When I was eight years old, my Mom let me get double lines buzzed in the side of my head and I would watch MC Hammer on MTV and teach myself how to dance the "The Running Man", which I'd consistently bust out at every wedding and school dance for years to come. And throughout the years, I would constantly be changing my foot attire for different looks and styles, including sneakers and dress shoes depending on my mood or what I was into at the time. I've also had two types of hair cuts throughout my life as well, depending on what type of music I was into, whether it be rock, hip-hop, funk, jazz, R&B, long hair, short hair, beard or clean shaven, I've always lived in the music that captivated me.
It was after returning home from tour and listening to Dan Abraham that I decided to do something I've always wanted to do...DJ. So, I ordered a beginners turntable and mixer from Amazon and started collecting vinyl. My vision as a DJ was to focus on hip-hop production from the 1990's and highlight my favorite joints from my childhood, most particularly the jazzy tones of A Tribe Called Quest, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, J Dilla, and The Roots.[/one_half_last]
Both feet control two metal pedals on a drumset, a kick drum pedal and a hi-hat pedal, and both pedals have a greasy chain attached to them that your shoes will rub against while you play. I play a lot. So much that the front of the sneakers started to get black and greasy. Once I started seeing these dope sneakers get dirty, it made me realize I need to own a second pair! Either way, I didn't care, and just kept wearing them and doing my thing.
[one_half]The night at the Pianos gig, I linked up with Artoholik founder, Iquan Worthington, who had been hanging out at the bar with some friends. After playing about 3 or 4 tracks of stuff he liked, he stopped what he was doing and came up to the DJ booth to talk to me. It was an instant bond based on music and selections.
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From there, Iquan helped design my logo and launch my Laytonic brand, all while wearing the Air Trainer 1's. I booked more events, played more shows, wrote more music, developed my sound as a producer, started a new project called Man Made West, and got recruited to play drums and record with singer/songwriter Jessi Robertson.
[one_half]Fast forward to October 2013 for CMJ Music Marathon in NY, I'm back on stage with Courtesy Tier rocking out and performing in my sneakers, getting even more dirty and grease smudged. But it didn't stop me from doing my thing. Soon after, I traveled to Newark, NJ to Center Stage Cuts on Broad Street to DJ the Artoholiks Munny Social.
It was around this time, when holes started developing in the bottom of the soles and it prevented me from keeping dry socks while walking in rainy days. Now I need a new shoe and I'm contemplating purchasing the same ones or starting 2014 with a fresh look? Until then...[/one_half]
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Recap: Munny Social (August)
On August 25th in Downtown Newark at Elbowroom, 30+ Munny Lovers and Artoholiks met up to create, eat, chill and enjoy a niche event on a summer afternoon. Head Artoholik IquanW created this event to share a passion point that he discovered earlier this spring. Since he received a great response on his collection via the internet, Iquan decided to create an event in which he could physically show off his work, share tips and create a fun event for friends and local artists.
Starting at 1pm, guest arrived prepared with their tools and ideas for their custom Munny experience. Upon arrival, each guest was greeted with a bag that contained their Munny, a black Sharpie, Art is Dope buttons and stickers from Branded Baron. The process was simple... get your bag, name tag, and get stamped! Guests that RSVP'ed via Meetup or Eventbrite were stamped with the RED Artoholik Astroman, certifying them as an Artoholik. Guests who did not RSVP were welcomed and stamped with a BLACK Artoholik Astroman. Once guests received their name tag, they were directed to pass the name tag to the host from Elbow Room. The host then used the tag to complete attendees food order and bring guests their selection. In addition to being used to grab a bite, tags were also used for goodie bag drawings and photos. Goodie bags contained swag from Modern Amusement, Sprayground and Branded Baron.
Throughout the event, Artoholik AleeshaW ran giveaways, entertained guest with jokes and then put all artists on the spot by making them share their inspiration for their custom Munny. "The event turned out better than planed" said IquanW who had only 2 weeks to prep for the event. Between Aleesha and Iquan, they had to sell tickets, brand event, order supplies, connect with sponsors and partners and lastly, gather team. Speaking of event team, Laytonic provided the sounds for the afternoon while Guru documented the entire event via Photo and Video and then a last minute co-host Shirley jumped in to decorate and make every guest welcomed. "This is what the Artoholiks are about!" said AleeshaW.
Guests included local Artists Jerry Gant, Lauren Craig aka (Inafabworld), Forever Audacious, Hycide and Andres Jimenez. Munny Social was also blessed with very talented artists such as Steve Cancel, Joe Baron, Dominiqué la Reine and surprise attendees Steve Janowicz and Randy Smith. While Dominiqué la Reine had the best and most talked about Munny, Iquan's old high school buddy walked away with the best design award. We're working hard to get the 2nd Munny Social together, in the meantime enjoy these beautiful images whipped up by the Artoholiks own IquanW and Guru. Enjoy!
Peep more photos on our flickr or facebook streams.