Thursday, February 28, 2008

Photographers, Parties and Plastic!

This week on the Tokyo Star blog:

Two of our fave photographers step out from behind their cameras and chat to us!
We have the first (of hopefully many more to come) CD review, courtesy of our guest reviewer, Riaan of Canned Applause!

Check out the awesome evening we have planned for this Friday night.

And much much more...

Let's get it started!

**************************

First up, check out the awesome poster for the unbelievably awesome party coming up at Carfax:




*************************
Meet Tyron, whose black and white pics capture our arty imaginations:

1.When did you first realise you had a photographer living inside you?
Um, creepy question. There are pictures of me holding a camera at age four, so probably around then!


2.What kind of formal training (if any) have you undertaken?
I've never studied photography, but my dad, who is a painter, helped me a lot with understanding composition and texture.

3.Where is the most amazing place that you have taken photos?
Probably Iceland, but I believe you can take great pictures almost anywhere.

4.How much do you love your camera?
I use a 40-year-old Ricoh that my parents had with them on their honeymoon - so quite a lot!

5.What lens have you got?
I've got 55mm that came with the camera.

6.What inspired you to start taking photos?
Interesting people, mostly.

7.Do you have one all-time fave photo that you have taken?
Yes, it’s a picture of my brother Joel.

8.What editing tools do you use for your pics?
I don’t do much to my pictures, but I organise them with iPhoto on my mac.

9.What do you love most about Tokyo Star?
The supercool staff!

10.What’s your fave Tokyo drink?
Tequila!

************************
Now check out our rad CD review, and pop by to Canned Applause to buy it:
BOXCUTTER – Glyphic (Planet Mu)
Dubstep is a genre that has only recently started emerging on our shores, not with local artists, but with people getting exposed to it. Cape Town apparently has some parties going already I've heard and only recently a DJ called Nixon Tapes has started playing some of the stuff here in Jozi.

Almost as far removed from the dubstep scene in London as South Africa, is Northern Irelands Barry Lynn (aka Boxcutter). Where most dubstep artists insist on blowing your eardrums, Boxcutter brings the perfect balance to his bass heavy compositions in the form of beautiful textured atmospheric touches of (dare I say) 90's electronica acts like Orbital, Dreadzone and The Future Sound of London. That distinct dubstep rhythm is still there, riding it out on your bass speakers (hopefully your subwoofer), but it's complimented by some melodic electro and glitchy beats with sequencers running wild often high in the mix that would do both Squarepusher and Aphex Twin proud.

With guitar, flutes and twisting breaks, Boxcutter's combination of the organic and the electronic along with a passion for dub, jazz and most probably an ensemble of other eclectic influences, make Glyphic one step ahead of the norm in the scene. If you are a fan of Burial and Warp's Artificial Intelligence compilation's series, check this out!

Riaan Botha
CANNED APPLAUSE RECORDS
Your Music & Film Alternative
(011) 482 7206
Shop 1D, 7th Street, Melville
(opposite Melville Pharmacy, right next to Nuno's restaurant)
Johannesburg

Trading hours:
Mon.-Fri. 10am - 7pm
Sat. 11am - 4pm

*****************************

1.When did you first realise you had a photographer living inside you?
After I shot my first spool on a SLR camera in Hermanus. I became intrigued with the science of light & using the aperture & shutter speed to influence light.
2.What kind of formal training (if any) have you undertaken?
I've done a course on Practical Colour Photography, Basic Black & White Photography, & Advanced Black & White Photography. I really enjoyed learning to develope & print my own images. I did them all part-time at the Cape Town School Of Photography, whilst studying a boring business degree at UCT. I was also the visuals editor of UCT's newspaper for 2 years.

3.Where is the most amazing place that you have taken photos?
Tierra Del Fuego in Patagonia, Argentina. Also Havana, Cuba.

4.How much do you love your camera?
Lots & lots & lots & lots. I have 2, one Pentax film SLR & a Pentax digital SLR. I learnt on my film SLR & so will always like it more than any other camera I ever get.

5.What lens have you got?
Sigma 17-35mm wide angle, a Sigma 28-300mm & a Pentax 28-80mm.

6.What inspired you to start taking photos?
Travel.

7.Do you have one all-time fave photo that you have taken?
I've got a couple, but probably the one that won me the 1st place in a National Amateur Photography Competition stands out. It was taken in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, & I was creating my frame around a homeless man passed out on the street when someone literally walked right over him. I snapped the shot just in time to capture the person walking past & giving the homeless guy no notice whatsoever.

8.What editing tools do you use for your pics?
Photoshop & Aperture, but I try manipulate them as little as possible.

9.What do you love most about Tokyo Star?
Different crowd, vibe & music to the rest of Joburg. Also, you never know who you may bump into at Tokyo.

10.What’s your fave Tokyo drink?
The slush of course!

***************************

Don't forget to check out this party at Tokyo tomorrow night:

See you there!

1 comment:

ExMi said...

hello Tokyo Star!

Love your place..

PS: to the photographer Tyron - I know your brother Joel from Durban.

Haven't seen him in forever...

But on another note, just wanted to invite you guys to join The South African Bloggers Network -
http://sabloggers.ning.com

--it's a site for south african bloggers to discover other people's blogs and introduce them to their own blogs..

still new, still recruiting!

sign up, so we can all hook up!


A$k Your L*cal Bar%lad^es - R*byn & K@te

Hey Tokyo Starians!
We've all seen that movie where the down-on-his-luck dude walks into a bar, orders a drink and pours out his soul to an attentive barman. We kind of like the idea, but Tokyo is often too busy for us to listen to your problems and have long chats!

However, we still believe we have loads of advice to give. Write in to us and we'll be sure to help you out! We're offering advice on everything and anything - from girls to guys, from cocktails to sex, from skin problems to hot chili problems, let us help.

Email us at:

tokyostarlive@gmail.com

The response has been phenomenal - we're already receiving letters! Here are the first few replies:

Q: Whenever I come to Tokyo I feel so horrible in the morning - please help?!
A: It is all because you didn't tip last night and karma has come back to kick you in the ass.

Q: I can't seem to pleasure my girlfriend, I think it's because I'm too small...I measured and I'm only 4cms, and all my friends say they're so much bigger. Why is this the case - why me?
A: It is all because you didn't tip last night and karma has come back to kick you in the ass.

Q: I think I may be falling in love with bouncer Mike - he's just so masculine, but has such a gentle touch when he hugs me hello. Do I have a future with him?
A: Bouncer Mike is a loving husband with 3 children, but has much love to go around - the ball is in your court.

Keep those letters coming!

.

Kate and Robyn on the Dancefloor

Wh@t's hOt! & Wh@t's nOt**

This week's edition of What's Hot and What's Not has been compiled by the Tokyo Star Barladies.

What's Hot
1. Levi's dance moves
2. awesome manners
3. Keith buying us SoCo shooters
4. meeting cool chicks in the loo queue
5. berry slush

Whats Not
1. stock take
2. drunken obnoxious dudes
3. lame pick-up lines
4. chicks popping out of their tops
5. too much slush


.

T*kyo RULES!

1. have an awesomely raucous time

2. don't be rude to the staff (that includes our wonderful kitchen ladies, rugged bouncers, superb DJs, handsome managers and beautiful bar ladies)

3. be courteous and polite (we're providing you with a service - remember to say 'please' and 'thank you')

4. respect all the other patrons of Tokyo - we're all here to have an awesome time!

5. no drugs, no firearms, no under 18s - keep it clean!