Amelia’s Magazine | African Apparel – Interview

Wednesday 27th January, shop Ralfe Band, ask Puregroove Records

bunny-and-the-bull-01

The excellent Ralfe Band provided the soundtrack to the magical Bunny And The Bull movie from late last year, and now said music is coming out on CD. To celebrate, the band are coming down to Pure Groove to play a special instore showcase. This will be a stripped down set, but their lovely instrumental flourishes will be as evident as it was on the excellent debut record.

Thursday 28th January, Quack Quack, Tuffnel Park Dome

quack-quack-logo

On the surface, Leeds trio Quack Quack seem to exist in some animated part-prog, part-post-rock indie hinterland, but closer inspection reveals a tight-knit instrumental trio who, in absorbing and acknowledging everything from dub, jazz, funk, and electronic music, subvert all tidy enclosures of prog-this or post-that.

Friday 29th January, So So Modern, The Lexington

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So So Modern create music that will make you want to shake your ass and rock out a the same time. Showcasing new songs from their forthcoming album Crude Future (released 15th of February) they will be getting you all hot and sweaty at the Lexington. The perfect way to spend a Friday night.

Saturday 30th January, Arar, Death to the King, Gum Takes Tooth, Dethscalator, Sunday Mourning, Team Brick,
Wednesday 27th January, tadalafil Ralfe Band, pills Puregroove Records

bunny-and-the-bull-01

The excellent Ralfe Band provided the soundtrack to the magical Bunny And The Bull movie from late last year, and now said music is coming out on CD. To celebrate, the band are coming down to Pure Groove to play a special instore showcase. This will be a stripped down set, but their lovely instrumental flourishes will be as evident as it was on the excellent debut record.

Thursday 28th January, Quack Quack, Tuffnel Park Dome

quack-quack-logo

On the surface, Leeds trio Quack Quack seem to exist in some animated part-prog, part-post-rock indie hinterland, but closer inspection reveals a tight-knit instrumental trio who, in absorbing and acknowledging everything from dub, jazz, funk, and electronic music, subvert all tidy enclosures of prog-this or post-that.

Friday 29th January, So So Modern, The Lexington

sosomodern1

So So Modern create music that will make you want to shake your ass and rock out a the same time. Showcasing new songs from their forthcoming album Crude Future (released 15th of February) they will be getting you all hot and sweaty at the Lexington. The perfect way to spend a Friday night.

Saturday 30th January, Arar, Death to the King, Gum Takes Tooth, Dethscalator, Sunday Mourning, Team Brick, MKII Powers Croft Road

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Team Brick headlines a night of loud, heavy, experimental music. Expecting big riffs, big beards, and plenty of shouting.

Sunday 31st January, Dag för Dag, The Old Blue Last

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Dag för Dag are fully armed with 5 tracks produced by Richard Swift in their US homeland and 7 tracks produced with Johannes Berglund in their Swedish new land. As a band that lives for the live stage, they had to speak long and hard to the mixing desk, the producers, the microphone and the cavernous walls of dark studios on hot summer days: “please capture the spirit and energy and magic witnessed on stage.” And so, with the help of two very determined recording magicians, Dag för Dag have created ‘Boo’, their very first full-length album. Come down to The Old Blue Last on Sunday to hear the songs as they were meant to be.

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All Images Courtesy of African Apparel

After recieving African Apparel’s Freddie Mercury T-shirt for Christmas I became interested in the company. I liked the playful name and the artwork that they have on their t-shirts. I got in touch with them and find out a little bit more about the label.

Andy Devine. African Apparel originally started as a band, medical what happened to that?

African Apparell. Our act still exist under different names, drugs lately we’ve been called Postman Pat and Goblin Comb . We started the project as we wanted to play raw fucked up ethnic music. I got into the Sublime Frequencies label thing and was researching loads of different folk music from around the world but what I prefer was always the raw stuff, old tribal chief grawling playing a one string luth. The real stuff, no pissing about. So we tried to recreate that in our own style. It sounds funny but we’re pretty serious about  it.

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AD. Is the name just a dig at American Apparell or is there something else behind it?

AA. Well I needed a name for this band. Our music doesnt sound anything near what guys who are into American Apparel would like  so I  just thought African Apparel would be a good name for it so yeah I guess it is a dig  in a way

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AD. Was it always intended to become a clothing label or did it happen organically?

AA. Not at all, it was only when I posted the Bob Marley design online and everybody asked me where they could buy it , that I decided to print it. From then, I used the cash to print other shirts from others artists I like. It was more our band t shirt at the beginnning.

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AD. Is there any sort of philosophy behind the label?

AA. Put out tees by artists I like who do stuff differently. Taking risks.

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AD. How/why did you choose the artists/designs you’ve released so far?

AA. Some of them are people I know and like, some of them are people I have discovered through zines, net or books. There is not a recipe, just people who I think are good and do things their own way.

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AD. Could you tell us a little bit about the two new designs you have coming out?

AA. I have three actually. One by Milo Brennan, a piece he did for an exhibition which is a collage inspired by Beavis & Butthead called SkullRockDeath. Another design is by Belgian Artist Brecht Vandenbroucke, I really dig his stuff,  awesome paintings and drawings. Google him! Finally, the third one by Ryan Riss a.k.a Craptical from Seattle who is really pissed off cos Lil Wayne has been jailed. Same again google him, mindblowing stuff.

AD. Do you think you’ll start producing other clothing items other than t-shirts?

AA. I’m not sure really, I’m thinking of having sweaters too and balaclavas but dunno when that’ll happen. I like to keep it simple.

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AD. Can any artists submit ideas to you or do you have a specific idea of who you want to work with next?

AA. Well, I do have a specific idea of what I want but if people think they’ll fit they can submit stuff  but we’re already collaborating with others artists for upcoming releases.

AD. If they can where would they send them?

AA. Afroapparatus@gmail.com

lil weezy

AD. How succesful have you been so far, I own two of the three t-shirts you’ve done so far and they always get a great reaction from people?

AA. I’m not sure what you mean by “successful”. We’ve been selling our tees around the globe from Rio de Janeiro to Tokyo, Moscow , Berlin , NY , Melbourne, Paris etc… So i guess people do like them and its pretty satisfying to think people are wearing your tees around the world . Financially I get enough money to get new tees done and promoting them, thats all that counts so far.

All T-shirts can be purchased from the African Apparel site here. As a treat for Amelias readers you can get 10% off your purchases by enterting the code AMELIA10 at the checkout.

Categories ,African Apparel, ,Brecht Vandenbroucke, ,Goblin Comb, ,Lil Wayne, ,Milo Brennan, ,Postman Pat, ,Ryan Riss, ,Sublime Frequencies

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