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July 02nd, 2009 / SAVE THE ROBOTS


For some reason, since Nice Collective's inception, the more experimental, sinister or impossible to re-create a garment has been, the less likely we are to archive it. Historically, it was likely due to lack of space or resources. Nowadays, however, our desire for the pieces to be out in the world seems to trump the notion of tucking them away in a dreary storage room.

Luckily for us, Gavin Rossdale has been far more prolific with his preservation of our work. Having first discovered our brand in the late 90's, he now holds the most complete archive of Nice Collective, spanning from S98 to present day. His desire to keep long-lost classics in his wardrobe rotation often re-introduces us to our own design history.






Last week, our archivist, friend and co-conspirator rolled through San Francisco while touring in support of his album Wanderlust. Having arrived with supporting act, Nico Vega, a full day prior to their show, allowed us sufficient time to playfully indulge in some experimental design and deconstruction. Leather scraps were soaked and wrapped around metal chain, remnants of an old canvas tent were pieced into jackets. Power tools were used to accelerate the wear and tear of the leather straps, coins, and skeleton keys which adorned their belts.






The stage lighting at The Fillmore afforded us an alternative perspective on some of our recent design work, whilst heavier, electric versions of his solo work (and the occasional Bush classics) beautifully filled the venue.





Not ones to stop after a successful design day, our night continued at The Brain for the after-party. With the tour wrapping inside a few days, a large crew of the travelers joined our SF-based extended family for a little midweek revelry. As morning approached, we remained tightly gathered around the party's natural epicenter: An installation of propane-burning flowers made by San Francisco sculpture/fire artist Charles A. Gadeken. In addition to his solo work, Charles is a founding member of The Flaming Lotus Girls. Their work is a perfect example of art building community. It certainly served the purpose on this night.























File posting under: Art, Music, Night, San Francisco

June 04th, 2009 / FREELAND LIVE






The deep roots between DJ /producer Adam Freeland and Nice Collective span well over a decade, a history of inspiration. Adam's pioneering blend of techno-breaks cuts across multiple genres. His signature, raw, outlaw style has provided our soundtrack for countless long nights on many a dance-floor (and I do mean very long nights). I first suspected that Adam was a kindred spirit when I discovered that one of my all time favorite tunes, Edge1 (Compnded) -Edge Records/Rabbit City), had a permanent residency within his record bag. Parallel tastes and aligned journeys, sometimes cosmically, continually keep us randomly connected at locales across the globe.









A few years had transpired before our most recent reconnection in a Cyber-village intentionally constructed on the deepest peripheral ring of Black Rock City. Adam was spinning an under-the-radar, slightly down-tempo set of grimy breaks and sexy bleeps to a close-knit tribe of beat aficionados. Just as the sun crested the horizon, he premiered a few tracks from his soon-to-be-released full-length album Cope by his newly-formed group Freeland. The set truly twisted the dance-floor inside out.









AND DANCE

After falling under the spell of a hybrid-stomper named Under Control, we realized it a crucial element to the soundtrack of our F09/W10 Time Machine runway show. Adam trusted us with his unreleased track, which we kept under wraps, until its debut in NYC during fashion week, February 09.









ALBUM DATA

Successfully avoiding the trappings of a typical DJ release, Cope holds true as a band album showcasing real drums, live musicians and rock-infused, electronic grooves. Perfectly 'anti' yet, totally of the moment. The core of the songs were written and performed with the new group's vocalist/frontman Kurt Baumann. Joining Adam and Kurt in the studio was an eclectic cast of musicians ranging from The Pixies' Joey Santiago and Twiggy Ramirez to Jerry Casale of Devo. The full impact of the project will become evident once the Freedom Live tour transverses the world this summer.



























File posting under: Music, Night

May 26th, 2009 / SMELL THE BLOOD OF THE TREES










Three in the morning, deep in Black Rock City I moved to the darkest, seductive drum my soul had ever known. The fire pillars encircling me, inviting me to move with their flames as I danced with the spirits that the drum and fire had united for this moment. As I became more intoxicated by the freedom and oneness I began to realize that something had quietly crept into the circle, elevating me into a state of trance. It was a heady smoky scent snaking through the air. I have now come to know this spirit as the scent of the Mayan Copal Pom.

Copal is aromatic tree resin employed in Mesoamerica as incense. Young boys are given the task of gathering the sap from the pine trees, which is collected by making shallow diagonal cuts in the trunk. The sap flows along the path of the cut and drips into a leaf cup placed at the base of the tree. It is dried into resin, which is pounded into a thick paste and stored in large gourd bowls in the god house. Copal, the blood of the trees, is revered by the northern Lacandon Maya of lowland Chiapas in southern Mexico as the principal food for deities.

When burned it releases the most intoxicating scent next to the natural scent of a man, that I have ever experienced. It stained my memory with its potency and left me feeling connected to something I’m challenged to articulate. Like the scent of sex, the scent of your mothers hair, the connection is deep and palpable. This experience with Copal left me puzzled why it seemed so familiar, yet I believe I’d never experienced it previously. If you are fortunate to find it dont rush into it. Create a space that allows you to relax, move, cry, laugh or fuck. I want so much to understand everything around us, but this will not obey ones wishes.

Knowing that a scent can subconsciously facilitate a variety of our social interactions helps me understand a bit more of the complexities of who we are. Having experienced the blood of the trees while deep in the desert, where trees do not exist, reminded me that our ancestors knew of so much more, things like Copal, exotic, so simple and yet so powerful.



Jonathan Solo






























File posting under: Culture, Music, Night

March 13rd, 2009 / Nice Collective presents Voix De VilleVideo stills from the Voix De Ville Show taken between 9:00-12:00pm July 24, 2008.


























File posting under: Art, Culture, Music, Night