Uptown Magazine - August 13/09
Chicks Flip Out - Teaser Video
When the Plaza Skateboard Park opened three years ago, some said the $2.5 million price tag was too steep for a sport they felt didn’t have mainstream appeal. Boy were they wrong. Along with receiving praise from legendary skateboarding icon Tony Hawk (who featured it in 2007’s Secret Skatepark Tour 3 DVD), the Plaza was recently named one of the 14 best skateparks in North America. A destination for local skaters and curious out-of-towners alike, the park has hosted a number of demos and contests over the past three years. For the second straight year, Rugged Riders’ Chicks Flip Out contest and Skate Like a Girl tour will take over The Forks on Aug. 15 for what organizers hope will be the largest girls-only skate contest in North America. The competition has been around for five years - this time out, expect to see skaters from California, Sweden, Australia, Oregon, B.C., Alberta, Quebec and New York, along with contestants from the 204.
The Return of Plastikman
After resurrecting his Plastikman alias in 2004 for a rare live performance at Montreal’s acclaimed Mutek festival, Canadian expat Richie Hawtin has spent the last five years focussing on his M-nus label and DJing career. Responsible for some of the most influential electronic albums of the past two decades, Hawtin has announced he is dusting off his gear, and will be performing and creating new music under his Plastikman persona in 2010. Looking to crowdsource how he should approach the rebirth of Plastikman, Hawtin has created a survey that he hopes will “help direct our efforts and ideas.”
Quick Hits
MP3 of the Week: Private - My Secret Lover (Diplo Remix)
When he isn’t rocking crowded clubs around the world, or heading to exotic destinations to absorb local music culture and filter it back into his genre-jumping DJ sets, Florida’s Diplo is one of the most in-demand remix artists. While it has been a few years since he has released his own original material, Diplo has been busy running his label, Mad Decent, working as a producer for M.I.A., Santogold, Spank Rock and Amanda Blank, and dishing out remixes for everyone from Kayne West to Britney Spears to underground acts such as Bassnectar. Here’s his new remix for Denmark’s Private.
Video of the Week: Bat for Lashes - Sleep Alone
While Bat for Lashes may not have won the prestigious Mercury award in 2007, it looks like she may get a second chance to take home the hardware, as her new album, Two Suns, has recently been nominated. Sleep Alone is the third single to be released from the critically acclaimed album.
