during our past busy week in nyc, we met mr mark batty (for some special cooking…) and we could get back to france with an amazingly creepy book.
you probably heard about it already (released november 2010)…
a book about these parisian hospitals break rooms known as salles de garde, these kind of cul-de-sacs where medical interns have imposed their own new order, a place way far from the sterile hospitals’ walls as we know them, a place where sexual culture have found its home.

the walls are made of huge dicks, exploded vaginas, enormous boobs… and the medical interns live and celebrate them everyday, for more than 200 years now. probably the best exutory these people facing death and sadness everyday could have found, a place where they can celebrate life while the building is made of desperate souls.

they share their day, their meals and freedom in these closed rooms, where absolutely no patient can imagine what’s going on behind the wall.

photographer gilles tondini shot these break rooms from 12 famous parisian hospitals and gather this obscene imagery in this one book ‘L’Image Obscene’ (published by mark batty), a concentrate of sexual colors and freedom… a tribute to an unknown everyday life.

seriously, if you can spend 35 bucks, buy this book on mark batty publisher, it will made your day for you all creepy minds as we are.

by the way, a bunch of these rooms are starting to close but the interns are still fighting to keep them alive through this organization… they also organize a ball every year, probably the biggest orgy in france!

now say that you will never look at a nurse the same way

© all photographs by gilles tondini

there’s a new career coming for the visual magician… ask supakitch about it!

here the whole identity he created for the new restaurant Isa in BK, in collaboration with his homie and photographer Ben Sullivan

we announced it a week ago when we shared the first free single ‘Melodi ft. The Frown’ and today, is the big day!

while his first cover ever released ‘Control’ has just been announced as one of the best singles of the year by MetroUK, today Spoek Mathambo unveils his Nombolo One project, a tribute to classic south african tunes from the 70s to the 00s, by such great artists as Brenda Fassie, Letta Mbuli, Caiphus Semenya, BOP, Jack Knife, Chiskop, Sankomota, Mahlathini….

fully produced in Johannesburg with his Nombolo One crew aka Theo ‘Mthezo’ Tuge, Ayanda ‘Ayobah’ Sithole and Spoek himself, the retakes released today contain absolutely no samples and were played with love and reverence in a special Nombolo One style.

you can now download the full project here and place your pre-orders for the NOMBOLO ONE Limited Woodbox CDs & Limited Denim Jackets, illustrated by the dynamic Cape Town based art collective love and hate studio.

SPOEK MATHAMBO | NOMBOLO ONE
A Motel11 Roadtrip Tape
Produced by Nombolo One
Curated by one louder.agency
Illustrated by love & hate studio

01| Melodi Ft The Frown
a retake of the classic Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens song, featuring the delicate and beautiful vocal styling of The Frown.
check it on youtube
Buy the original here

02| Weekend Special Ft Okmalumkoolkat, Bra Solomon & Ayobah
a retake of the huge hit from South Africa Pop Queen Brenda Fassie, released in 1983.
check it on youtube
buy the original versionhere

03| Sfunabantwana Ft Okmalumkoolkat & Bra Solomon
a retake of the kwaito track originally produced by Mandoza’s band ‘Chiskop’, which he founded when he got released from jail in the mid 90s.
check it on youtube
buy the original version here

04| Jacknife Ft The Brother Moves On
a retake of one of the kwaito originators going with the same name who produced this classic called ‘Fester’ in the late 90s.
check it on youtube
buy the original version here

05| Burnout
a retake of Sipho Mabuse’s big hit, originally released in the early 80s and which sold over 500’000 copies.
check it on youtube
buy the original version here

06| Matswale Ft Syntax
a retake of the track of the legendary jazz and pop musician Caiphus Semenya, who worked with the biggest jazz and soul artists like Quincy Jones or Nina Simone.
check it on youtube
buy the original versionhere

07| Chapita Ft The Brother Moves On
a retake of Dick Khoza’s song, lately re-issued by Matsuli Music.
check it on youtube
buy the original versionhere

08| Ibizemoyeni Ft Ayobah & Mthezo
a retake of classic kwaito song from Brothers of Peace (called Traffic Cop in English). It was released in the mid 90s by one of the most powerful labels, Kalawa Jazmee
buy the original versionhere

09| Kazette Ft Syntax
a retake of the huge Mahlathini & the Mahotella Queens track ‘Kazet’ recorded in the late 80s.
check it on youtube
buy the original versionhere

10| Not Yet Uhuru
a retake of the track recorded by Caiphus Semenya’s wife Letta Mbulu in the early 90s, part of the first album she released since she had returned to South Africa after 26 years of exile.
check it on youtube
buy the original versionhere

11| Waiting For Your Name To Be Ft The Brother Moves On
a retake of the track ‘Papa’ from the Lesotho’s band Sankomota, originally released in 1989 on the album ‘Writing On The Wall’.
check it on youtube
buy the original versionhere

12| Follow My Teeth Ft The Frown
bonus track

first heard on the dope video of supakitch & koralie, directed and edited by elr°y, colour in your hands produced by DLid made its own way thru the beautiful mouth of FINK and the great eyes of Brice Genre & Neopen.

follow the story of a man, its obsessions and the path he follow to do what he have to do. colour in your hands as the strength and faith we put in our beliefs, our choices, our goals.

the full EP has been released on Leonizer Records
cope it on itunes or beatport

written & interpreted by Brice Genre
direction, editing & post-production by Nicolas André
director assistant : Benjamin Roudet “Big Addict”
production manager: Alice Richard “Nounou”
technical director: Philippe Lagente “Lego”
music mastering: Boulawan
cover design: Supakitch & Koralie

one louder.agency is excited to present a new release from Spoek Mathambo, ‘Nombolo One’, the first of our Motel11 Roadtrip Tapes, music & art collaborations. While his sophomore album Father Creeper has just been announced on Sub Pop (to be released on March 13th 2012), Spoek unveils his new music covers project produced in Joburg’s labs with his Nombolo One Crew, and illustrated by the great Love&Hate Studio.

Motel11 is the symbol of our life’s road trips.
Among the projects we’re cooking, the first one we focus on is the Roadtrip Tape… An artist, his country, and his own vision of music linked to his musical roots. Each releases will be produced in limited physical editions, avail for free on the web and some special goods will always come with each project.

Let’s open the blank book and write the first chapter with our beloved South African rapper, producer and visionary, Spoek Mathambo and his Nombolo One covers project.

Besides features vocals from Spoek Mathambo, a number of artists have contributed, who make up the new crop of exciting Johannesburg artists pushing the envelope namely: Siya and Ray (of The Brother Moves On), Okmalumkoolkat (Dirty Paraffin), Syntax, Bra Solomon (BFG) and The Frown (hot from the release of her single and video The National) who added her delicate and beautiful vocal styling on the first single Melodi, a retake of the classic Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens song.

Spoek Mathambo also worked in close collaboration with the dynamic Cape Town based art collective Love & Hate Studio, to create the artwork for the limited CD wood boxes and denim jackets, curated by one louder.agency.

ON DECEMBER 20TH, STAY TUNED ON MOTEL11.TV FOR THE WEB RELEASE OF SPOEK MATHAMBO ‘NOMBOLO ONE’ PROJECT & THE OPENING OF PRE-ORDERS OF THE 100 LIMITED NOMBOLO ONE WOOD BOX CDS, 100 SPOEK MATHAMBO’S PATCHES & 50 LIMITED NOMBOLO ONE DENIM JACKETS, ILLUSTRATED BY LOVE & HATE STUDIO.

Special thanks to all the artists covered (and those that influenced the project) including Dick Khoza, Jack Knife, Sipho Hotstix Mabuza, Leta Mbuli, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mahlathini and the Mahotela Queens, Mbongeni Ngema, The Genuines, Brenda Fassie, Caiphus Semenya, BOP, Trompies, Paul Ndlovu, Batsumi…

SPOEK MATHAMBO | NOMBOLO ONE
A Motel11 Roadtrip Tape
Produced by Nombolo One
Curated by one louder.agency
Illustrated by love & hate studio

01| Melodi Ft The Frown
02| Weekend Special Ft Okmalumkoolkat, Bra Solomon & Ayobah
03| Sfunabantwana Ft Okmalumkoolkat & Bra Solomon
04| Jacknife Ft The Brother Moves On
05| Burnout
06| Matswale Ft Syntax
07| Chapita Ft The Brother Moves On
08| Ibizemoyeni Ft Ayobah & Mthezo
09| Kazette Ft Syntax
10| Not Yet Uhuru
11| Waiting For Your Name To Be Ft The Brother Moves On
12| Follow My Teeth Ft The Frown

as usual, he brings the beautiful to our eyes, made of sweetness & freshness, mixed of realism & dream.

takeshi drives us one more time into his world… and the door is open, invite your friends!

in collaboration with christin (pearl management / berlin) and the make-up artist annika noack, this serie is a deal with the devil. no more moral integrity, elr°y has just used and abused of skills, to get the world at his feet.

stay tuned for the video, but be sure the result should be insane.