Hello troopers,

What about an official A POLAROID STORY 2011 RECAP feature?

I’m on a much-needed holiday where I stay as much offline as possible (at least for me) and focus mainly on sleeping, eating and re-watching the complete Sopranos series while practising my Tony Soprano face. (Piercing eyes, lips ‘smiling’ down) But I couldn’t resist making this one before 2011 is old news…

I’ve just read this SS/10 one and I was really amazed about all the things I have done and experienced since I’ve started this blog.

So with no further a do…

This was A POLAROID STORY 2011. (In a nutshell )

A POLAROID STORY x B THERE MAGAZINE

2011 began very well with this lovely B THERE MAGAZINE press feature about me and my blog, cover and all! (Special thanks to Stéphanie Duval btw!)

Exhibit:

SOUL GANTOISE

Or the story where I finally met Belgium’s very own Queen Of The Blues, TRIXIE WHITLEY probably the only singer in Belgium who makes me fight my tears during a concert.

Exhibit:

ABOUT A KING

Or the story where I met a notorious KING from Philly, who came all the way to my little hometown Ostend to play some music.

Exhibit:

ROSS BEEF

Or the story where me and Jules where crazy enough to ‘celebrate’ christmas eve in a club. (who does that?!!) and got kicked out the club over some serious ROSS BEEF.

Exhibit:

YOUNG SIMBA

Or the story where I had the privilege to meet this Jay-Z protégé  called J COLE only months away from his superstar status, his solo album and his much deserved Grammy nomination. The gentleman got skills. (and manners)

Exhibit:

THE LAUNCH ISSUE

Or the story about my very first A POLAROID STORY PARTY in my hometown Ostend.  A notorious night at bar LAFAYETTE with DJ IRON & LEFTO behind the decks. The place was packed!!! Thanks everyone for coming and showing love and support.

Exhibit:

AMOROUS ABOUT JB3

Or the story where I meet a singer-songwriter whose personal mission is bringing back the love in RnB.

Exhibit:

ONE MINUTE PORTRAIT

Or the story where I had the chance to make this lovely video feature with Dutch blogger, photographer and director DENNIS SWIATKOWSKI and ended up with this ‘A POLAROID STORY…THE COMMERCIAL…’ (read with soft, whispering voice) Thanks again, Dennis. When are we doing the (spicy) sequel?  #grin

Check out the full video:

THE SPICY ISSUE

Or the recap story about my second party, where I invited none other than SPOEK MATHAMBO all the way from South Africa to CLUB MAGIC in ANTWERP, a night and event that turned into a life lesson.  Special thanks again to all my friends who helped me out at the party, Bart & John from CLUB MAGIC for helping and believing in me, my DJ’S who did it all for the love of it, FLO from the DOOBIE BROS and FUNKMASTER FRITS, all the people who promoted the party. (Nalden, Lefto, Aicha & Ben Van Alboom) my photographers of the night, DENNIS SWIATKOWSKI & MIQUY DONGE, (check out the pictures of the night here) URBANEARS who sponsored me (thank you!!)  and last but not least, all the super fly folks that showed up from A-TOWN. You rock.

Exhibit:

ORANGE SWAG

Or the story where I travelled to Amsterdam with some last-minute, hard to find,  sold out tickets for ODD FUTURE thanks to NAI SAM, model and a hardcore Odd Future fan, who also assisted me on the job. An epic concert you say?  Ow yes sir.

Exhibits:

SCARS FROM A LADY KILLER

Or the story where I finally meet this lady killer, after some blood, sweat and tears. You can take that literally yes.

Exhibit:

Meanwhile I had some lovely press features which made me very happy.

DE MORGEN MAGAZINE

DE STANDAARD MAGAZINE 

THE WORD MAGAZINE.

GWABABA

Or the story where I went a little deeper into my trials and tribulations that came with organizing my second party and properly introduced SPOEK MATHAMBO to you all.  A story about not being afraid and overcoming your fears.

Exhibit:

FAMILY & FRIENDS

A story about my trip to Berlin and my fun collaboration with japanese brand ONITSUKA TIGER. A story about where Japan and Atlanta cross paths, about meeting new family and friends, and also the story where ‘Ouni found her groove back’ and where I  finally fought back against my writers block. (featuring me with a very, véry bad hair experiment.)

Exhibits:

WOOING FOR WOON

A story where I travel to Paris for the DIESEL BLOCK PARTY, and have a lovely encounter with the sweet-voiced JAMIE WOON, enjoy Paris and hang with friends.

Exhibits:

OUNI LIKES

For my ‘Ouni Likes’ category I managed to feature none other than the notorious TERRY RICHARDSON and Dutch digital entrepreneur NALDEN who helped me finalize a very important story for this blog in 2010 and is officially the proud owner of some  eternal Ouni gratitude.

Two big shots on a different level but I’m very happy to have them featured on my blog.

Exhibits:

ANALOGUE SOUNDS

Laid Back Radio asked me to put a mixtape together and made me wonder why I didn’t do this before. I made a little selection with this blog in the back of my mind and with a little help from my friends the mixtape called ANALOGUE SOUNDS came together pretty nice. Cover art was done by my friend EMEKA ALAMS from GOLD COAST TRADING COMPANY and the music was mixed together by another friend of mine, dj NOSEDRIP. Listen to the mix here!!

Exhibit:

3 PLUG POLAROID

Or the story that begun in Paris and ended all the way in a fancy little coast town called Knokke, Belgium.  A story about meeting the friendly fellas from DE LA SOUL but also a story about booty, champagne, Patron and good music.

Exhibit:

CRAWL BEFORE YOU BALL

Probably my best story of 2011. A story about running all over Paris during fashion week chasing for a Kanye West Polaroid. A story about paparazzi, fashion shows, celebrities, exclusive clubs. But also a story about putting your pride aside to ask people for help and realising that help probably comes from somebody you’d least expect…

Exhibit:

VAGABOND IN POWER

 I finished 2011 with a powerful story about a tiny woman with an amazing voice and an even greater message.

THE END

And that my dear friends, is officially the end of my recap for 2011.

Honestly? 2011 wasn’t the best year for this blog. I personally think 2010 was better. My best friend and assistant for this blog moved to Berlin for a new job, so I kinda lost a reliable help and confidant, both personal as for this blog. I organised two parties, and one knocked me off my feet because I took a big risk booking such an expensive artist all by myself. I battled with writers block.  I also hoped that more artists came my way in 2011, but hey…

I think 2011 was the year of learning some hard lessons that came along with the blog. You start something for the love it, and along the way  you stumble over things you never expected you’d have to deal with when you came up with the idea. disappointment, failure, loss and some flaky people.

But those difficulties made me be more grateful for all the good things that happened in 2011 with this blog. Living your ideas comes along with a bumpy road, but after 2011, I think I’m ready for all the future bumps in 2012 and probably many years to come.

If you read my blog, you know that I use a black Polaroid for every story where I didn’t reach my goal of portraying the artist I wanted.

For 2012, everything is wide open, the possibilities and stories are just a train, car  or plane ride away…

This white Polaroid symbolises exactly that.

A big thank you to everyone who helped me out reaching my goals for this blog in 2011. You know who you are. Thank you, it’s much appreciated because god knows I can’t do it all by myself.

I’m looking forward to some great stories, going to different places, seeing different faces.

I hope you’ll stick around to read some.

Love,

Ouni.

]]> http://apolaroidstory.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/gone-in-an-instant-2011/feed/ 1 Ouni whitePolaroid OunixBthereMagazine IMG00974-20110104-2311 IMG_7528 imm013_11A IMG_1801 image-1 IMG_1861 imm005_12 IMG_2202 BlackPolaHigh_dirty_1 01 218102_10150151321216933_679896932_6968978_5329468_n OFExhibits_0021 OFExhibits_0010 OFExhibits_0015 IMG_8606 OUNIxDEMORGEN3 DSMAGxOUNI_0001 DSMAGxOUNI_0002 TheWordxAPolaroidStory_0001 SPOEKMATHAMBOEXHIBIT IMG_3920 IMG_4163 IMG_4097 IMG_4117 IMG_2288 IMG_2314 IMG_2463 DSC01489 IMG_4594 IMG_4602 ouni_cover IMG_2453 IMG_2848 IMG_2844 BlackPola1_1 IMG_4605 IMG_0422 IMG_4885 http://apolaroidstory.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/vagabond-in-power/ http://apolaroidstory.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/vagabond-in-power/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:40:05 +0000 Ouni http://apolaroidstory.wordpress.com/?p=2355 ]]> 28/11/11, Brussels

Yes. The beautiful woman polarized here above is none other than Nneka Lucia Egbuna or simply NNEKA.

For some reason, the ladies for this blog are a bit harder to reach,  so I am very proud to have Nneka featured here.

If you are not familiar with NNEKA, let me be so kind to introduce you to this tiny lady with the grand voice.

Nneka is a singer-songwriter, born and raised in Warri , a major oil city in the Delta State of Nigeria.

To pursue a higher eduction Nneka moved all the way to Hamburg, Germany when she was 19. It took Nneka a few years to adjust to her new way of life, living in a culture that felt so different from her own.

In Nigeria music is a part of life , so for Nneka it was always something that was present in her life (singing in her school church choir for example)  but she didn’t do anything professional with her talent untill she was in Germany.

Education is very highly praised in the Nigerian culture, so Nneka enrolled at the Hamburg University to pursue Antropology while she was working on her own sound with long time collaborator DJ FARHOT. 

With her first album called VICTIM OF TRUTH, it was instantly clear that NNEKA is an artist first and foremost. Instead of chasing fame and glamour with a ‘one hit wonder’ Nneka debuted powerfully with a conscious album touching topics like war, corruption, politics and social issues concerning to her and her country ‘Naija’.

This track called KANGPE from her first album might ring a bell.

With AFRICANS she reached out to Africa to stop blaming for its past and look forward.

However, the first time I ever heard Nneka was with this powerful song called HEARTBEAT from her second album called ‘NO LONGER AT EASE’.

Definitely take a look at her live performance of the song in David Letterman’s Late Night.

It immediately grabbed me by the throat. It’s a simple song, but the power and emotions that come out of it slap you in the face the very first time you hear it. You feel that the song is genuine from the heart,  carrying a very clear message executed with passion.

Here’s another standout track from her second album.

After touring the United States extensively and playing with artists like The Roots and Nas & Damian Marley, Nneka is now back in Europe to promote her third album called SOUL IS HEAVY.

Here are a few of my personal favorites from the album.

The revolutionary VAGABOND IN POWER

The breathtaking STAY

The strong SOUL IS HEAVY

Now, you all wondering how I got the Polaroid right? Well, I’m actually happy to say for once that I got a little push in the back. Mostly my stories are accompanied by a various events of calling, mailing and stalking people to get somewhat of a chance to succeed in taking the Polaroid. Mostly I go to a venue, and half the time it is one big question if I will succeed or not in my goal. Which often make the best stories, I agree.

But it doesn’t come that often that a label asks me if I would be interested in taking a Polaroid from one of their artists and tell me that ìf I want to do an interview, the possibility is there as well.

So when the question  came regarding Nneka I was very happy ànd honored that they even considered me. I already tried to get her on Polaroid once, (catch up on that SNdouble03P story if you have some time.)

So armed with my little camera and a few questions I headed to Brussels for a little one to one with NNEKA.

A POLAROID STORY x NNEKA

Hello Nneka, welcome back in Belgium. You are here today to play in the Ancienne Belgique and to promote your third album called SOUL IS HEAVY. A very simple yet strong title. Why this title for your third album?”

“Uhm…good question. It’s a question I always answer. I always pray the question does not come.” (starts laughing)

Ow…I’m sorry

No, I am sorry that I am so honest.

‘Soul Is Heavy’ because…It’s more or less a similar message like I had with my last record ‘No Longer At Ease’  just in a different way, a different sound, a different rhythm.

In this case, there is a lot going on in my mind, a lot that has happened around me that I have taken in. And I feel there is a necessity for me to be able to let it out, it has to be.  That emptying of the heart, more or less.  

‘Soul’ doesn’t necessary mean the soul alone, but also the mind, the emotions, the heart. And since the soul is part of the spirit, a part of the spirit is also sick. And ‘Heavy’, in the sense that there is a lot of weight and there is a lot of darkness around what I feel or think about the world at present.

And on the other hand…it’s darkness understood. It’s not necessarily anything negative.

For me, to be able to give the sort of energy that I give out to the world through my album or by being on stage I have to be in feel with that dark energy.

When I look at your album cover, your face is covered in …

mud

...and the expression on your face is rather worried, what is the story about the artwork?

That is exactly how I felt at that point in time. There was no other, better way to express the feeling off everything has already been said before. It’s just repetition. Agàin. In different songs and melody. The feeling of emptiness, the feeling of so much that still has to be said. There is a lot of emptiness within.

On that album, I have no identity. I have no face. I have no colour. You don’t know where I come from. You don’t know if I’m white, black, green, Eskimo, or whatever.

It’s just a dry, empty face.

With every album comes growth.  What did this album do for you in terms of growing, and what is the difference with ‘Victim of Truth’ and ‘No Longer At Ease’ ?

Growing….I don’t think I’m growing. Evolving…maybe.

Evolving is also picking up and giving away. Good or bad. I’ve picked up some negative things. Definitely….(laughs) I need to work on that. And then I picked up some things as advantage aswell.

That’s part of learning, that’s part of life.

If you wan’t me to go into the whole superficial talk, sure…“Musically I have travelled around and that is wonderful and inspiring…and… ” (stops and looks at me, with a sceptic look) You know what I mean.

I am definitely more concerned about creating music the way I feel it should be created. Sometimes I tend nòt to work with producers, I want to do it àll by myself. Which I tried to do on this record.

You worked on more material by yourself?

Ow yeah. I did like 6 or 7 songs all by myself. Solitary confinement is good, but you definitely need the world. There are so many things you can’t do and you have to understand that you are not the master of everything. If you try to be the master of everything, you fail.

Which songs from ‘Soul Is Heavy’ are the most precious to you?

I like the track ‘Soul Is Heavy’. I think it is the strongest track on the record. It’s one of the tracks I feel very, very committed to, especially because of the message. It’s everything. It tells you the past the present and….the hopeful future of the world, of Nigeria aswell.

I mention a couple of names that had a lot to do with how Nigeria has become. I mention the war. The Biafra war. There are so many of these things that have happened that are pushed aside. Not forgotten, but just pushed aside, under the carpet. Nobody wants to confront these issues, but these issues have to be confronted for us to be able to make a change nòw. The root has to heal, for us to grow.

I think that song is a beautiful symbol of the past, the present and a bright, hopeful future of Africa and the world in general.

Heartbeat is one of your biggest songs to date.  It conquered the world. What does the song represent to you looking back.

Heartbeat, is…yeah. It has taken me over borders, it gave me recognition in my hometown, gave me recognition in the United States. It encouraged me that simple music  (smiles) that is created within 30 minutes could go all over the place and you know… hit people’s minds and inspire people.

What I also like is the fact that ‘Heartbeat’ is a very, very strong song and conscious when it comes to the lyrics.  And I’m actually glad that thàt sort of track was able to access people’s mind. Because, nowadays, what people like are more simple melodies and mainstream, not necessarily anything conscious or with any message.

Marvin Gaye once said: ‘Artists suffer for the people’. What do you think about that quote?

“That’s so funny….I’ve just said the same thing to the interviewer before you….and that’s the first time I made that statement. I didn’t know Marvin Gaye said it, I said it naturally and it is true.”

… why is that statement true for you?

It’s a fact that you are vulnerable every day. You are open, naked, everyday. You are showing emotions. And regardless of that, you have to smile. You have to able to entertain, to fulfill the needs of many.

I try not to allow the expectations of the world get into my head but sometimes you have to respect what has made you the artist that you have become. Which is the acknowledgement and recognition of the people.  That is what actually makes me suffer the most. 

But on the other hand, my kind of suffering is more like…If I don’t suffer I won’t be able to create music. I’m a freaking suffering soul man. I’m freaking damaged man. That’s what’s up. A troubled, battered mind.

But I’m cool. (laughs) I’ve accepted it. I have found my balance. To balance myself, I have to make music and that is what fulfills me in the end. 

Everybody who knows your music, knows that you don’t avoid political and social topics. You have a degree in anthropology. Will music make place for the degree one day?

Maybe. I don’t know. I strive to engage myself as much as possible with what I have studied when it comes to Nigeria.  I studied archeology and anthropology so I’m concerned about how we preserve our artefacts. I’m trying to see if I can go in museum preservation. It’s something I do parallel to the music.

If it is not music, it will be something else. I’m into painting aswell.

Hip Hop is never really far away in your music. It’s always around the corner sort of speak. You previously collaborated with Nas and on ‘Soul  Is Heavy’ you have worked with ‘Black Thought’ from The Roots and the British Miss Dynamite.  There is also the J Period mixtape. Can we expect more of this in the future?

I might do a mixtape. Mixtapes are always cool.

What about a concept album like the Distant Relatives album?

Ow that kind of stuff? I have never thought about it like that.  I don’t know. I have to be more open. I don’t like working with people. That’s a big problem for me. I don’t know hòw to work with people. I must really,really, réally be into you and spend time with you. (thinks) I think I should be more open towards that.

I would like to do that eventually, I see how other artists do it, they sit down together and they do it, but it’s very difficult for me, because I am very shy about my work.

My work is like a painting, I don’t allow you to look at the painting before it is finished. I’m very secretive. I have a secretive way of creating music.

But…I’m trying, I’m trying. I don’t know who I would like to work with. I liked how I worked with Miss Dynamite. That was very cool, because the energy was very similar. The same with Black Thought.

How did the collaborations happen?

With The Roots, it started with me playing with them. And also through J Period we became friends and it evolved from there.

Did you record together or separately

With Miss Dynamite it was together and with Black Thought I send him the track.

You are inspired by artists like Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Lauryn Hill. What are you listening to right now? 

Nobody. I don’t listen to anybody.  Nothing. Zero. I need a break from music. I’m on tour everyday. I just need a break from everything. Except if it is a song that completely blows me away, but everything now is just…. you know….(sighs)

Final question if I say Belgium, what 3 words pop in your mind?

I don’t know.  Should I check Wikipedia? Uhm. My ex-stepfather is from Belgium. And last time I came here it was sold out I think….but maybe I should not say such a thing, that’s just stupid, no?  (laughs)

After the interview it was time to take a Polaroid picture of Nneka. She loved the colourful wall of her backstage lounge and suggested we should use it for the Polaroid.

Exhibit:

She is compared to the same artists she admires like Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, and even Fela Kuti because of her fearless lyrical approach wherein  she confronts the mismanagement of her country. But although she is inspired by them all, she is first and foremost Nneka.

Nneka is not singing to chase billion dollar dreams, pursue careers in fashion or to be a mega superstar.

And as she puts it herself: “I do it in a sweet way – but I sing to speak the truth.”

Love,

Ouni.

ps: special thanks to Sony for the opportunity and Candeesha for assisting me with this story.

Hello troopers.

2011 is coming to an end and so are the features for this little blog.

Don’t worry, before the end of the year I will be squeezing 3 final Polaroid stories, a never seen before pola + a full 2011 recap for you all to enjoy.

After that I’ll be visiting the fatherland aka Tunisia for the very first time. You can follow my trials and tribulations over there here.

But first things first.

For now, I’ll leave you with this little game called “Who Is It” (Like MJ)

You’ll find out.

Soon.

Ghent, 12/11/11

Tomorrow we celebrate 25 YEARS of TLP TROUBLEMAN.

Hell could freeze over, but I’m not missing out on this one. I had too many good moments with TLP behind the decks, and those memories need to be honored in the right way, by showing my love and respect to a Belgian pioneer tomorrow in Ghent.

Pioneer you say? Yes. These are the facts:

“It is not given many Belgian artists to stay in the business for 25 years and even more so, to remain at the top of their game for such a long time. But it is the story of TLP, the undisputed king of urban vibes in Belgium. Such a remarkable occasion obviously calls for a celebration, a big celebration which will be held at Vooruit with all those artists that played an important role in his illustrious career. 

Among the many titles on his lengthy resume are rapper/freestyle MC, music writer, hiphop spokesman, recording artist and radio host. With over two decades of field experience under his belt, TLP is a musical force to be reckoned with. He’s an unstoppable, musical phenomenon with a notorious rep stretching far beyond his native ground. 

In 1987 mister Troubleman had his first taste of the stage with Kick The Bass, a posse of rappers, breakdancers and graffiti artists that also featured a certain female MC by the name of Ya Kid K, before she became part of the worldwide success story of Technotronic. This is also where T met DJ Sake. 

In his own right, TLP broke ground when he sided with DJ Grazhoppa to form Rhyme Cut Core, one of Belgium’s first hip-hop acts to be signed in the UK. Many years before that, when London was celebrating Nelson Mandela’s freedom, TLP had his first encounter with a Jamaican soundsystem. Its sheer physical power made an everlasting impression on the aspiring MC. Partying all night on the urban sounds of Soul II Soul, Afrika Bambaata, Stetsasonic and The Jungle Brothers, young T found his future and was never again to lose his taste for big, bad bass lines and improvised shout-outs!

Over the years and countless projects later, TLP’s focus started to shift towards the turntables. His natural knack for word play and crowd control became a great asset when manning the wheels of steel. Partnered with an enormous love and knowledge of music, TLP quickly made name as a DJ with his own unique definition of mixing and selecting. When some local entrepreneurs took night life in Ghent to another level, invading museums, showrooms and abandoned warehouses with celebrated nights as Bel.Mondo and Eskimo, they enlisted the Troubleman to host their hip-hop and themed rooms. It’s there that he often shared the stage with a dj. called Sense. 

He also developed a growing interest in Drum ‘n’ Bass, which was then still called Jungle and became friends with and got inspired by dj’s as Mate and One87. He also met up with Murdock on his Studio Brussels show, Bounce. It’s on Bounce that he also got to know the Civalizee Soundsystem better, a top reggae soundsytem who played a lot of guest-sets on the show. 

When Culture Club opened its doors, they put TLP in charge of his own floor. He took up a weekly residency and for the first years, next to fellow Ghent locals The Glimmers – whom TLP knew since 1987 – and 2manydjs, helped build the club its acclaimed reputation. It was here at Culture Club that TLP’s infamous all night marathon sets (8 to 9 hours are no exception) started to build momentum. This is a man who rides the rhythm as it rolls out; treating his followers to a healthy mash-up of soul, r’n’b, roots reggae, disco, funk, deep and latin house classics, dubstep, afrobeat, booty bass and so on… A true champion of the dance floor, TLP is and always will be last man standing! Often accompanied by his Ghent Vice posse of which Black Frank is an intrinsic part. 

Compiling and mixing five volumes of Culture Club compilations took the devoted party goliath to new frontiers, rocking floors in many exclusive locations such as Club Yellow (Tokyo), Lux (Lisbon), Jimmy Woo (Amsterdam), Cookies (Berlin) and Respect Is Burning (Paris). On several occasions, he set fire to the Miami Winter Music Conference, caused mayhem on countless festivals such as Tomorrowland and Dour, and supported artists such as Erykah Badu, …

And also in Belgian club-land, he never limited himself to Ghent but was also active in Brussels with a sound-system with Uman & Bass Culture during the early ‘90’s as well as playing an important role in the success of the Ball in Box parties in KVS with Rakesh. In Antwerp he rapped together with Baby Bang in the early hip hop scene and they now often share the stage on La Rocca’s dance hall concept. 

Sometimes his big mouth gets him into trouble (they don’t call him Troubleman for nothing..), but TLP’s verbal capacities are also appreciated by his peers, such as Flemish hip-hop troupe ‘t Hof Van Commerce, who enlisted him for some guest rhymes on tracks as Tottentrekkerie – in return, their chieftain Flip Kowlier crowned TLP ‘the porn king of Ghent’. Also, together with Raoul Belmans from Swirl People, TLP collaborated on the steaming hip-house track ‘Watcha Gonna Do’.

After 25 years of pumping the volume for the larger part of the week, TLP still is a tireless advocate for the music. Refusing to compromise, he pours his heart and soul into it. Maybe the biggest recognition of his devotion to the good cause is his self-named national radio show on Studio Brussels. It’s through their StuBru connection that he invited his colleagues Gus & L Dopa to this anniversary extravaganza. 

Every Saturday evening from 19h till 21h, TLP continues to spread his love for urban sounds from around the globe over the Belgian airwaves. Telling it like it is, with brutal honesty. 

With such a biography, we guess it’s no wonder that TLP has now been nominated as ‘Best Belgian DJ’ on the upcoming Red Bull Elektropedia awards.”

Now. I have 3 duo tickets that  I can give away for this one.

All you need to do is this:

Write a catchy quote that goes with the Polaroid here above. Write the quote in the comment section of this blog feature. 

The 3 best/funniest/original quote wins.

Winners will be announced tomorrow at 1PM.

Good luck and see you tomorrow.

Love,

Ouni

Yeah….you probably saw this one coming after the blurry but still kinda obvious teaser I posted two weeks ago.

I bet you secretly hoped the title of this story was ‘Titties for Terry’ but trust me, no provocative behaviour went down in order to get this Polaroid picture.

Only patience.

From time to time I feature interesting individuals that are somehow linked to the more musical related Polaroids I normally feature and put them in the ‘OUNI LIKES‘ category.

If you are not familiar with the controversial individual Polarized here above, let me be so kind to introduce you.

TERRY RICHARDSON, is an American photographer, mostly known for his fashion spreads for magazines like VOGUE, GQ, I-D, HARPERS BAZAAR, V MAGAZINE, SPORT’S ILLUSTRATED and many more.

Over the years he shot campaigns for H&M, LEVI’S, YVES SAINT LAURENT, DIESEL, ERES, SISLEY, ALDO, SUPREME, LEE & LACOSTE just to name a few.

He is also known for his notorious celebrity shots and last but not least his signature ‘thumbs up’ self portraits. If the president of the United States Of America is familiar with his signature sign, you probably are aswell, but just in case you are not…

Exhibit:

What is the first picture  you ever saw from Terry Richardson? No really, think about it.

I perfectly recall mine. Matter of fact, I still have them.

When I was 15 years old, these Sisley SS/98 postcard samples were sticking to my handwritten diary filled with teen drama stories.

Exhibit:

Maybe somewhat disturbing if I look back at my age, but don’t worry, I had ten times more teen-proof pictures from Gwen Stefani & Leonardo Dicaprio to balance things back to a healthy PG-15.

I guess I have always been drawn to his work ever since.

The list of models, musicians and actors Terry Richardson has in front of his camera on a daily basis is enormous.

Here are a few artists shots you might link with this blog that I could find on the net. I’m sure there are plenty, plenty more.

Exhibit:

(all pictures by Terry Richardson)

PHARRELL WILLIAMS

R KELLY

AMY WINEHOUSE

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

LIL WAYNE

ARMAND VAN HELDEN , A-TRAK & TERRY

TYLER THE CREATOR – ODD FUTURE

BEYONCE KNOWLES

TERRY RICHARDSON & P DIDDY

Btw, did you know that it was Terry Richardson who shot this epic debut video from N.E.R.D?

You face a certain duality with Terry his work. Sometimes it can offend you or makes you even uncomfortable. We all have been at somebody’s house with Terry Richardson’s book on the coffee table right?  Sometimes the rawness has a certain beauty that makes his work very attracting even though there hangs a certain dark sexuality around it.  Yes I am aware of the controversy that surrounded him not so long ago, and yes that stayed in the back of mind, but I can’t deny the fact that I am still drawn to his work. It is what it is.

It’s like he can bring out the dark ‘freakum’ side out of you, and it only depends on the amounts of clicks he pushes on his camera for you to slowly unleash your inner lolita and/or beast.

For the few people who are not familiar with Terry Richardson his more provocative and controversial work, I made a PG-18 selection for you all.

from the BATMAN & ROBIN series

FRANKIE RAYDER

CRYSTAL RENN

for JIMMY CHOO

PETRA NEMCOVA for SISLEY

ROSA ACOSTA for SUPREME

for TOM FORD FRAGRANCE

LARA STONE for VOGUE HOMMES

ANA BEATRIZ BARROS for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

PAZ DE LA HUERTA

purple poodles for SISLEY

Too much in the face for you?

Well here is a  slightly softer selection and (only a few of) my personal favorites.

MAD MEN’S JANUARY JONES for  GQ

LARA STONE

JAMES FRANCO

ANA BEATRIZ BARROS

JOAQUIN PHOENIX

Our very own Belgian topmodel  HANNELORE KNUTS

KATE MOSS

BEYONCE KNOWLES

FRANKIE RAYDER

MILA KUNIS for GQ

JOAN SMALLS for W

and my ultimate favorite   –>  JAMES FRANCO

With this more than elaborated visual introduction to the man and his work I’m very convinced I can officially apply for an editor position at Sports Illustrated, GQ and Complex Magazine.

Now. Lets get to the story.

As you may or may not know I was recently in Paris for this YEEZY story.

Only hours before my ultimate quest for a KANYE WEST Polaroid, I made a quick pit-stop in Parisian concept store  COLETTE.

During my stay in Paris I found out that in order to celebrate his brand new tribute book  MOM & DAD Terry Richardson was giving a book signing together with former French Vogue Editor-In-Chief CARINE ROITFELD, who simultaneously released her IRREVERANT book.

The Colette store was hosting the signing session and armed with my Polaroid camera, me and my assistant Aicha faced a very long queue on a very warm day.

Exhibit:

Yeah, you had to…..

to face this line downstairs

and all the way upstairs

….for a simple autograph, but hey.

The store was decorated for the occasion by what I like to call ‘Triple Mind Fuck Terry’s’

Exhibit:

and some excerpts from his MOM & DAD book.

Exhibit:

By the time we arrived upstairs, CARINE ROITFELD just finished her book signing and left the store.

Exhibit:

After a some more waiting I arrived at the table where Terry was signing his book, I approached the man, took a deep breath and asked him the simple question while he was signing my book: “Would you mind if I take a Polaroid picture of you?”

Exhibit:

He looked up and said: “Of course not.”  and raised his thumb up in the air and gave me his signature big grin.

Before I aimed my camera, I asked him if he agreed that we would take two Polaroids.

His manager reacted a bit nervous. There was a whole line of people breathing in my neck, still waiting for his signature and it was already announced that Terry would leave in less than 10 minutes.

They quickly both agreed, so I aimed my camera and went for it.

Exhibits:

Et voilà. Simple comme ça.

I wish I could tell you a more exciting story than “I went to Colette and stood in line on a warm day” in order to get my Polaroid picture, but hey, this is simply how it went down.

I came, I waited, I snapped, I conquered.

Love,

Ouni.

PS:

Read Terry’s Diary and follow him here

Shout out to my assistant for this story: Aicha Candeesha.

And last but not least, especially for my male loyal readers, the 17 minutes long behind-the-scenes video from the Terry Richardson 2010 Pirelli Calender shoot.  Enjoy!

Did you really think I left Paris without a Polaroid?

Come on son…

Soon

“Did she or did she not?”

She didn’t.

I only go through the artists complete repertoire and what the artist and their body of work personally mean to me when I have actually captured them on Polaroid. Since this is not the case and I can not imagine you don’t know who KANYE WEST  is, I can skip the introduction and go straight to what matters.

The story.

Only  two weeks ago I decided last-minute to go to Paris Fashion Week, with no preparation what so ever, to chase for a KANYE WEST Polaroid story.

I’ve never really told you, but in the very beginning of this blog, almost 2 years ago, I did my very first attempt for a YEEZY shot. Turned out that the story could be wrapped into: Came into venue. Saw concert. Went home.

Not really thrilling, let a long a West-worthy story.

A small year ago, I started to realise, if I wanted certain artists for my series, I’d have to look for them in other places. Big artists play in big venues. Football stadiums, XXL concert halls, humongous festivals.

I’m talking about artists like Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Diana Ross, Sade, Jay-Z, Kanye West….

If you want to see those people in the flesh and not by the size of  your thumb, in a room with a hundred people instead of a thousand,  you have to start looking at more exclusive locations and events. Events you and me don’t get in.

Events, only the lucky few get an invitation to.

When I saw this picture popping online from my friends at UBER & KOSHER from Kanye West at Maison Martin Margiela during Paris Fashion Week a while ago, I wasn’t only appalled by the amazing Givenchy leopard jacket, but even more about the fact that in three  years, I have never even considered to go chase for Polaroid during Paris Fashion Week.

Exhibit:

(picture by Uber & Kosher)

This picture was my wake-up call. This picture was also a “WHY THE FUCK WERE YOU NOT THERE?!”

So I plugged it into my head and let it snooze in my brain untill it was time to wake up, shake the dust off the idea and put it into motion.

Time goes fast, very fast, and before you know it, Paris Fashion Week was slowly back in sight. When the news hit that Kanye West was going to present his very first runway collection in Paris and not New York, I realised this was my shot.

Everything about it felt right: Flashing lights, heartless gold diggers, amazing women, power, and an american boy named Kanye.

It makes sense to chase for a Yeezy Polaroid in these fashion drenched circumstances, because Mr West never made it a secret that he is very fond of Belgian fashion like Maison Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Kris Van Assche and ofcourse, Raf Simons.

I have this embarrassing fantasy of taking a Polaroid picture from Kanye West all dressed in Dries Van Noten with me taking the Polaroid wearing those MMM lace bunny ears on while  Belgian photographer WILLY VANDERPERRE is taking a picture of me taking the picture.

What can I say, call me cray.

However, the decision to go to PFW came a bit late.  That meant that I did not have any invitation to any fashion show in Paris and that it was probably to late to get some.

Going to Paris Fashion Week with no invitations is like travelling to Disney Land as a young girl and being refused at the entrance. You can see the main attractions but you can’t enjoy the ride. You can almost smell those ‘Pommes D’Amour’  but you can’t have a bite. It’s simply cruel.

All I could do, is ask for help. That’s all. I realised very quickly that for this story I would have to let go of my pride and my ambitions of pulling it of on my own and ask for help every single time.

So I started out with communicating online that I would travel to Paris for a Kanye West Polaroid to find out how much people I know are in the area during that time.

To my surprise I received a little mail from an old friend of mine, who works for HAIDER ACKERMANN and she gave me a single invitation to his SS12 show in Paris.

I felt very blessed to receive an invitation to what is considered to be one of the most anticipated and inspiring fashion shows during Paris Fashion Week. I also felt a bit relieved that I could actually go to a show in Paris, I mean, it was FASHION week after all right?

The next thing on my mind was that I needed to find a connection closest to Kanye West as possible.

You know, like the six degrees of separation?

It turned out that I had two options I could start from.

1. Theophilus London

2. Bryan Black

Theophilus London was playing in La Machine Du Moulin Rouge on sept 30th in Paris. I’ve introduced and featured Theophilus London twice on this blog and from time to time we bump into each other.

I grabbed all my courage together and mailed him to ask if he could do anything to help me out. He replied me that he was limited with these type of requests, but that he could introduce me in Paris if  the right occasion came along.

I don’t like to ask favors to artists and I prefer not too. I will only use that option if I really, réally have no other choice. And with the short amount of time ahead of me, I had no time for insecurities, I was only occupied with erasing my ‘what-ifs’.

I hate ‘what-ifs’.

I was glad I send the email, but somehow I felt that this was not the right road that would lead me to my final destination.

Enters BRYAN BLACK

Turns out that I had a legit connection coming straight from my work office.

I have a new job since a few months and one of my new colleagues, told me that he could introduce me to one of his friends who might be able to help me out.

My colleague told me that he briefed Bryan Black and that I had to contact him asap with all the information and my request.

Again I hesitated. I told my colleague that I’m not a fan of sending mails to complete strangers and asking them for favors, and I wondered if it wasn’t impolite? I mean, what If I knew Kanye West in person, I’d probably receive everyday an email with some sort of request, no?

My colleague looked at me funny, frowned and said: “Ouni…just do it.” and walked away.

And so I did. I send Bryan Black a little mail with a short description of my blog, the goals and the intentions for my Paris visit and the request if he could do anything to help me regarding to achieving my goal with any type of advice, information or recommendation.

Now, let me explain you the Bryan Black x Kanye West link.

Bryan Black, hailing from New York, is part of a duo and band called MOTOR.

In 2008, Belgian designer RAF SIMONS used a song called ‘Sweatbox‘ from MOTOR in his runway show.

In 2009, when MOTOR was invited to tour with Depeche Mode, Raf Simons designed their tour shirt. Kanye West found out about the shirt and posted it on his blog. MOTOR then remixed Kanye West, a song called Robocop.

Fast forward to 2011 and designer RICK OWENS uses MOTOR’s song  ‘Ice’  for his SS12 menswear collection…

Exhibit:

…and invites Bryan Black to his SS12  show in Paris.

Already a few hours later I receive a very kind email from Bryan Black telling me that he would text Kanye West and ask him for an invitation to his fashion show and if all works out, I could be his +1 and that we need to meet up in Paris the day before the show.

Voilà. Easy breezy. Just like that.

You probably think that I was over the moon with that news when I read it, no?

I wasn’t actually. Doing this blog I learned to focus big but set my expectations as low as possible. Nothing was 100% confirmed and for some reason I was very cautious with any type of victorious feelings.

Afterall, it took me 4 times to snap Pharrell Williams on my terms on Polaroid, I didn’t expect my journey to Kanye to be a walk in the park.

What did surprise me, was the fact that Bryan Black really did an effort to help me out.

So with 1 invitation and 2 little options I left for Paris, accompanied by Aicha, who helped me out for the occasion.

First stop was the Theophilus London show in La Machine du Moulin Rouge.

Exhibit:

The next day we had some spare time and we wandered through a very tropical feeling Paris. It was so hot during our stay in Paris (very global warming-esk) and I was secretly very happy that I didn’t have to marathon all over Paris from one show to the next, dressed to the nine in high painful heels with make-up melting off my face.

Only fools go to Paris Fashion Week in these temperatures. Normal people go to the beach.

We walked all the way up to La Bastille, a habit I intend to maintain every time I’m in Paris. (Preferable at night, but hey)

Exhibit:

While enjoying some good food,

Exhibit:

…I remained somewhat focused. Afterall, we still did not have a clue where the Kanye West show would be held, and no details regarding to the location were known and we were only 24 hours away from the show…

So I was relieved to find out on Twitter that the official invitations for the D.W. by Kanye West show were sent out and that the exact location ànd RSVP mail address was on the invitation which probably was being retweeted by a hundred, thousand, trillion.

Exhibit:

Then the idea popped up to RSVP to the PR company who was responsible for the invitations. I already contacted the PR company before my Paris departure to request an invitation but with this blog, every time I play by the rules, nothing happens because the rules do not want to play with me.

So, there are I was, considering to actually RSVP to an event I did not have an invitation for, all in the spirit of: “You just never know.”

It was kinda hard RSVP’ing to that, because what do you RSVP if you are not invited in the first place?  ”Ouni +1 thank you very much?”

So I wrote out a little, polite email, erased another ‘what-if’ from my list and pushed SEND.

We had two things scheduled for our second night in Paris.

First picking up my invitation to the HAIDER ACKERMANN show and catching up with my friend. (thanks again girl!!)

Exhibit:

And afterwards meeting up with Bryan Black for drinks at  club SILENCIO, a brand new and very exclusive club designed by DAVID LYNCH and the newest thing in town.

Interesting detail is that we landed ourselves in the middle of what appeared to be an exclusive LOUBOUTIN cocktail party. The ratio of people in one room wearing shoes with red shoe soles was very…high and it was definitely funny standing there wearing plain old Bershka & New Look shoes.

It wasn’t allowed to take any pictures in this very ‘hush hush’ club (So hip  you can’t flash), but we did it anyway.

The hallway and the toilet that is.

Exhibit:

Bryan Black turned out to be a very sweet, laid back chap and over a few drinks he told me that unfortunately he didn’t receive any news from Kanye West, but that he would send another email the next day, just in case.

Although a night of partying in Silencio and a few drinks more were very tempting, I decided that we could not be distracted by this and left around 2PM.

With no invitation what so ever, the prospect of standing at the main entrance next to a big crowd and lots of paparazzi at Kanye West his show became more and more a reality and for that,  you need to be wide awake and focused if you want to have any sort of result starting from that very unfavorable position.

Plus, I had a very early wake-up call the next morning, the HAIDER ACKERMANN show was scheduled at 10h30 AM and my friend advised me to come early because even if you had an invitation, your entrance would not be guaranteed….

When we left Silencio,  while waiting and looking for a much wanted and impossible-to-grab-cab to drive us home (it took us almost 2 hours!!) I remarked that Kanye was present in Paris regardless any show.

Because, no matter what, there are always the true fans.

Exhibit:

I prayed this was a good sign and all would work out in the end.

I was not planning on missing one of the most anticipated shows of PFW so the next morning I dragged myself out of bed at 8PM and went straight to the show. 21 metro stops later, I arrived.

Exhibit:

First familiar face I saw was Deborah from UBER & KOSHER 

Exhibit:

and of course lots of fashion folks.

Exhibit:

The Haider Ackermann show was amazing and simply mind-blowing.

Exhibits:

(all Haider Ackermann SS12 pictures by Uber & Kosher)

After the show it was time to head back and meet up with Aicha and see what our remaining options were for the day. We knew the location of the show and we knew where the after party would be, but that was pretty much it.

By the early afternoon, I received a text message from Bryan Black telling me that he did his best but that he had no more reaction from Kanye West and he wished me good luck with my mission. I thanked him for the heads up and for his help and the lovely night out at Silencio.

It was so strange realising that we might fail,while I could feel YOU, yes YOU rooting for me in all ways possible. It’s surreal how many texts, tweets, mails, encouragements I received from everybody who loves this little blog. It was heartwarming and very encouraging indeed, because every minute I started to question what the heck I was doing again for a simple Polaroid, I felt your support and used your energy to remain positive.

There was one angle left, one possible option that was suggested by a friend overseas, who urged me to contact an individual called Virgil Abloh, Kanye his fashion consultant and close friend.

Honestly, by that time I was done sending mails asking for favors. I don’t really believe in it, because why would people on that level help a random girl from Ostend, Belgium? It’s not a negative point of view, it’s a realistic one I learned doing this blog for the last 3 years.

But in honour of the story and putting the  more than excellent ‘NI**AS IN PARIS’ track into practice, I decided that in order to get what you want,  you need to be willing to go all the way. In the words of Kanye West: “Look, you need to crawl before you ball.”

Afterall, I wasn’t going into any bathroom stall, this was a simple email I needed to send.

So I contacted Virgil Abloh ànd send a second email to Theophilus London with my final request for help .

It remained silent from both angles.

Yup. Ouni in Paris, definitely crawlin’. Not much ballin’.

And then it was time.

Dressed to the nine, “hair done, nails done, everything done” , we went straight for the location where Kanye West would present his D.W by KANYE WEST collection to the world.

And this is what we witnessed when we arrived at the scene.  A little isle of paparazzi and hardcore fan madness.

Exhibit:

All people who just want a glimpse of Kanye West, standing in front of the entrance or exit where Kanye or other VIPs would leave the show.

The Kanye West show was in delay, so we had some time to check out the perimeter and it turned out that there were 3 exits/entrances so we tried our luck, picked one and stayed with it.

And not much later, all eyes went to one direction, because it looked like the show was over and the VIPs were leaving the building….

Exhibit:

The VIPS walked out the venue one by one, and boy o boy, what a flash fest it was. In three years time, I have never seen this type of frenzy and I must admit it was quite intense to feel all that build up suspense energy from all those people.

Special shout-out to my assistant Aicha, who was thrown straight into a sea of paparazzi and hardcore fans snapping pictures like hungry piranhas but still managed to capture these more than excellent paparazzi shots for you all.

Exhibits:

(Anja Rubik )

(Chanel Iman)

And when Jared Leto came out followed by Terry Richardson, well then all hell broke loose and I swear it felt like bright daylight with all the cameras flashing.

Exhibit:

And that was it… I could hardly believe Kanye would leave his own show through the main exit, but we stayed and hung around anyway, just in case.

We decided to walk back to the subway when we passed the side exit for cars and saw all these young girls still hoping and waiting to see a glimpse from their idol.

Exhibit:

When a black van left the compound, all girls went straight to the car to see if Kanye was not in it.

Exhibit:

We talked with these two sassy ladies who were also planning on going too that much wanted after party at Silencio.

In the subway I suddenly started to doubt if it even made sense to go back to Silencio. I started to feel that this story was a wrap and that it might be possible that it was not meant to be for this one. My feet were hurting from my killer heels, I only slept 3h the night before and what I really wanted was a Stella, a reefer and a chair, not another frenzy at  yet another door we more than likely could not get in.

I explained Aicha that I had serious doubts about going to Silencio and she told me: “You know you will regret this decision in the morning.”

And she was right. I would regret it. Because if there is one thing that totally drives me crazy, than it must be the ‘what-if’s.

So, off we went, back to Silencio. Just because of the what-ifs.

When we arrived, the scenery at the club was the exact opposite of the scenery we witnessed the night before.

 A small crowd of hundred people were almost blocking the street and definitely the sidewalk in front of the club. We met up with Bryan Black who did a final attempt of getting us in the same club we walked into yesterday with no problem, but very fast we all realised that it would not happen.

We were standing there almost for 30 minutes, waiting with no invitation, amongst people who were getting more and more agitated because they could not get in. People were yelling, pushing, shouting, waving their exclusive member cards, or waving their wrists with the black Kanye West all access wristband from the show and were very, and I mean very frustrated that they could not enter the club.

The club was already over capacity and apparently there was a door embargo for safety reasons for an unknown amount of time, untill things calmed down.

There was no PR-representative  to communicate the fact that nobody could get into the club and to calm down the VIPs and try to work something out, which made the people very vicious towards security.

When all of a sudden I see iconic designer Azzedine Alaia literally exploding because he was outraged from the -understandable- very unprofessional door policy all hell broke even more loose. VIPs came storming out the club, yelling to the security things like: “DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU JUST REFUSED??!!”

Of course they did not, they are security, who were left completely by their own in the situation, because nobody wanted to deal with it.

Working in fashion and PR myself I was very surprised that there was no representative what so ever to be seen.  Not from the club, not from the PR company who picks out the people who néed to be inside, who makes sure the ones who do have an invitation get in. Somebody who communicates with the rest of the crowd to remain calm and explain why they can’t get in the club in the first place.

At that point me and Aicha knew that we tried, but standing any longer in that absurd situation with all people trying to get in, we realised we had no business there, we questioned if we even still wanted to be there, plus…. if Azzedine Alaia could not get in, let along Ouni & Aicha.

So we trew the towel in the ring and together with Bryan Black we started looking for a cab.

Bryan invited us to come along to Rick Owens after party, but we were officially done. After yet another hour of waiting and hailing cabs we finally came home where we went to bed.

The next couple of days after I left Paris, I saw Kanye West making appearances to other shows in Paris, going out, etc and I received a message from Bryan Black, that the minute he arrived back in New York, Kanye West emailed him to let him know that he did not check his emails before the show and that the show was limited for photographers and buyers with no standing room.

Oh well…

I wondered if I’d stayed a little longer in Paris and just positioned myself at the Louis Vuitton show gates,  and yelled ‘Kenny, Kenny, Kenny’ would that have been easier to capture him?  :-)

Exhibit:

Oh well. What-Ifs…

I admire Kanye West for a lot of reasons, for his music first and definitely for his guts. The man launches his own fashion collection in Paris right in the lion’s den of fashion, knowing that the entire worldpress is ready to chop him into little Yeezy pieces and still he has the courage to execute his ideas, no matter what you, me or the rest of the world think about that.

And that is something I respect deeply.

It wasn’t meant to be for this time and that is that.

You know that I will dust my shoulders off and try again.

Let’s just pray it will not turn out in another Pharrell-Saga, shall we?

So, Mr West, if you would happen to read this extended A Polaroid Story with the healthy word count of  3959 words, something I seriously doubt, If you’d happen to be interested in posing in front of my modest Polaroid camera and/or  make our own YouTube spoof version of NI**AS IN PARIS  like this one here, please.

Contact me?

Love,

Ouni.

PS: Special thanks to:

Bradly for introducing me to Bryan Black. Bryan Black for àll the help, Aicha for assisting me, Griet for the Haider Ackermann invites, Uber & Kosher for the Haider Ackermann pictures, Emeka Alams, Marcus Richardson and Lefto for the encouragement and advice when my energy was low, and last but not least, MY READERS for channelling all that positive virtual energy  via mail, texts, tweets & FB messages. It was probably the best part of the whole damn story

Dear troopers,

I feel that  you are kinda wondering if I pulled it off this w-end yes or no.

You will find out soon enough.

I received SO much texts & tweets & FB encouragement from all of you that I felt it to be my duty to leave you with a little teaser….

so for now,

I can only leave you guessing,

with the title.

Love,

Ouni

So yes I made a MIXTAPE

A bit weird maybe considering this is the first mixtape I ever made in the 3 years I do this blog.

LAID BACK RADIO asked me to put some songs together, to spotlight the stories I wrote and the Polaroids that accompany them.

A perfect reason to put together a little mixtape no?

This is not a brand new revolutionary mixtape. It doesn’t contain or premier any new songs. There is basically nothing special about this mixtape and I doubt that anybody is waiting for it.

It’s simply an honest collage of songs I really really réally love from the artists I have on Polaroid.

I tried to look at this mixtape as if digital mixtapes didn’t exist, and tapes where actual tapes, distributed and tangible.

You know, the type of mixtape you made for your best friend, your lover or maybe even your ex-lover and that you decorated with pictures you cut out of magazines?

It wasn’t easy to select the songs in a way that while playing the mixtape you have a certain emotion with the overall selection.

Plus. I wanted D’Angelo in it, so I had to twist that one a bit, because the man is stilling missing in my collection.

I love it when a mixtape tells a story, so I made mine based on the end of summer.

Autumn is almost here, the days are shorter and your winter clothes are back in sight, your holiday crush is officially over and melancholy kicks in. And although winter is around the corner, you take comfort in the idea that soon, there’ll be plenty of parties & cosy moments with friends and loved ones to keep you warm to get through the dark days…

For the artwork of this mixtape I asked my friend EMEKA ALAMS from GCTC  to make me one. Besides working on his own clothing line, he also designed this Questlove x Fela cover, and this Pusha T mixtape cover. Clearly the man can make a nice art cover or two, so I was very happy to have him on board for mine.

I can’t mix, let that be clear so I asked my other talented friend DJ NOSEDRIP to assemble the songs together in his way. A bit moody. A bit dark. A bit mellow. But definitely interesting.

LAID BACK RADIO was so kind to host this mixtape. I’ve always been a fan of LDBK Radio and so should you. They are only a click away and let the music talk instead of people. Which I kinda like…

Last but not least, I decided to name the mixtape: Analogue Sounds.

Referring to a period in time before everything was bits & beats and you could hear the studio vibe and background noises.
They say this digital era makes digital music and therefore cold music and analogue warmth is missing in current day music production.

I named it ‘Analogue Sounds’ to refer to my Polaroids and because I really made an effort to bring some warmth into your car traffic jams, train delays, or Sunday ‘clean house’ sessions.

However, unconsciously I think I made the Indian Summer mixtape I didn’t have this year.

But whatever it is, or whatever it might be. I hope you like it, and if you play it, I hope you can stick a nice memory to it aswell, caus I really made this one for YOU.

Love,

Ouni

TRACKLIST

I’m so happy and very proud of these amazing Polaroid shots of none other than DE LA SOUL.

As always a quick introduction for the folks who might not be familiar with this epic group. It’s never too late to get acquainted right?

On the far left you can see Vincent Mason aka Plug Three or Maseo; in the middle, Kelvin Mercer aka Posdnuos or Plug One and last but not least David Jude Jolicoeur aka Plug Two, Trugoy or Dave.  The ‘Plug’ nicknames allegedly referred to numbers that each bandmate’s microphone was labeled on the soundboard.

These three individuals together are globally known as DE LA SOUL, a Grammy Award winning hip hop group that came together in 1987 in Long Island, New York and paved the way for many alternative rappers to come untill this day and are also known for being one of the originators of jazz rap.

They were also part of a collective called NATIVE TONGUE POSSE, together with A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep, Moni Love & Queen Latifah. 

De La Soul’s message through their music has always been peaceful, socially conscious and lyrically quirky accompanied by eclectic sampling.

I was only a toddler when this group came out and changed the state of hip hop at that time and I kind of grew up with their music over the years.

Like Madonna or Prince they are one of those musical artefacts that you’ve always known but never actually met in your life. Their music always played on the background on different types of radio channels, on different types of parties or other probably very happy moments in your life.

You can’t really recall the day that you first heard their music because like a lullaby it’s just that type of music you’ve known from very the start.

These are only a few classics that probably everybody knows growing up over the years.

Buddy with the Native Tongue Posse

Me, Myself & I (definitely check out this old-school live version on Arsenio Hall)

‘A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday’(with fellow Native Tongues  member Q-TIP)

Ring Ring Ring

and one of my favorites, Breakadawn.

The classic dance floor killer from 2000 with CHAKA KHAN

‘Ooh’  with REDMAN

And the Grammy Award-winning GORILLAZ anthem Feel Good Inc

Since their debut in 1987,  De La Soul has 6 albums written to their name and still tour and travel the world with their music.

Now.

This is the story.

If you read this blog with the same loyalty a christian has to the pope, you would know that this story actually started chronically with the story about JAMIE WOON in Paris. I suggest you catch up on the story here if you haven’t done  your homework.

So after wrapping up the Polaroid part of the story with Jamie, I spend the rest of the day hanging out at the “DIESEL ONLY THE BRAVE BLOCK PARTY” and waiting for a good moment to make a move for a DE LA SOUL Polaroid.

It was pretty cool to see what a big crowd came out for De La Soul that day, and witnessing the enthusiasm and interaction this group still pulls out of a massive audience is simply very heartwarming. It’s a good feeling that in these days of fast and easy on the ear music, young people still know what’s good from back in the day and come and show their love and respect.

It was a grey skied day but that didn’t stop the crowd from showing up. Umbrella and all.

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Some quick shots from the De La Soul performance

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You probably saw this one coming, but I can’t help it. I love men in Timbs. I’m old-school like that.

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Kinda cool seeing The Cobra Snake in the flesh.

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After the concert I went immediately back to the DIESEL artist compound because I knew there was a photo shoot scheduled for a French magazine with De La Soul right after the performance.

I knew that, because I helped out the photographer with his light settings and also with calming his nerves a little because the man was living every photographer’s nightmare that day with his photo gear not working as they should  and very bad light circumstances due to the grey weather.

But by the time De La Soul arrived at the scene the man got his stuff together and his De La Soul shoot went smooth like butter.

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The minute their shoot was done, I had to be quick. The atmosphere was very ‘professional’ meaning that there were a lot of people watching and waiting in line to have some sort of content from De La Soul and I didn’t have anything scheduled with a label or tour manager to request my Polaroid picture.

Both Lefto & Theophilus were reaching out for me, telling their entourage and  De La Soul that I was ‘legit’ and that they really should participate with my blog, but with everybody tapping on everybody elses shoulder, not much was happening really.

I pitched the blog to Posdnuos myself but he told me that If I wanted everybody together it might be hard and I had to ask the label representative.

I then quickly pitched my blog to a nice lady who decided that I could take 1 single Polaroid picture and that I had to do it…NOW.

Ok. That’s not how I saw things, I prefer 3 different Polaroids from 3 different individuals but hey, if these are your options, you take them with a smile.

It took me some time to get them all together and then to make them pose for my camera and when I finally was ready,  the minute I pushed the Polaroid button my little old camera got stuck. That never happened to me before with that one, but luckily I came prepared with two other cameras.

I had seconds to decide if I would take the camera I took the shots from Jamie Woon with, meaning that the Polaroids probably would turn out all weird coloured and psychedelic since the camera was provided with expired Polaroid film from 2004.

Òr I could use my black Polaroid film, the same film I tested out on my ODD FUTURE story and which had 1 single picture left in the camera. The only thing is…I promised myself not to use this black & white film for anybody else again untill the day I finally will meet Jay-Z. (That day will happen yes.)

So a bit reluctantly I picked out the camera with the B&W film, aimed my camera

and …. 3, 2, 1….flashing…lights….bingo!

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The issue with using that B&W Impossible film for this blog is that it’s very unreliable to shoot in these kind of circumstances where you have no control over light, temperature and location and things have to go asap!

What I feared for quickly came to life and I saw that my B&W polaroid was already fading away as we speak and resulted in a black and white spooky picture of 3 very vague individuals.

A nice Polaroid to have but not what I was aiming for…

I also knew that if this happened in more relaxed circumstances without scheduled interviews & journalists, I could obtain a better and more personal result.

The good thing about this part of the story is that after I took the pictures, Posdnuos came to me asking me to show the other artists I managed to take on Polaroid and we went through them all, one by one and I was very happy to feel that Posdnuos was really interested in my blog and impressed by the people I’ve already featured.

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I accepted the outcome of what I saw as Part I of this story and simply decided that I would try my chances another time and therefore wait with  posting the De La Soul story and not use the first black and white  Polaroid from that day.

Now. This is where part II of this De La Soul story begins….

Just a few weeks ago I received a phone call from one of my best friends telling me if I knew that De La Soul would perform in a brand new club located in the (second) most infamous city by the sea in Belgium that is called KNOKKE.

How surreal is thàt?

Let me tell you about Knokke.  It’s the complete opposite of the city in Belgium I live in, which is Ostend. The only thing these two cities have in common is the sea. That’s it basically. Knokke is Belgium’s own private glam city where the wealthy, the (kinda) famous and a few gold diggers all come together and have decadent parties dressed in the latest Louboutin heels popping bottles in their beach houses and/or boats.

I love me some Knokke from time to time, it’s like Disney World. It’s fun for a while but you don’t want to hang around for too long before going completely mental.

The crazy thing is that there are only a few clubs in Belgium that can afford to book major artists for 3-song club performances and they are mostly based in Antwerp or Brussels.

But praise the lord for the opening of this new club called VIP ROOM in Knokke. Yes, that is the same VIP ROOM you have in St-Tropez where every summer you can spot various famous folks from all sides of the entertainment world shaking their tail feather.

De La Soul was booked for a club performance at the sister version of the VIP ROOM in Knokke, and there was no question about it, me and my Polaroid camera would be present.

I simply love a classic club angle for A Polaroid Story. It’s a complete different way of working, the situation gets a bit less predictable, there is mostly alcohol involved, you can’t be distracted by the party people, and the light circumstances are a bit more challenging to shoot Polaroid pictures in.

Last time A Polaroid Story was located in a club I got kicked out so you understand that things don’t always go smoothly but definitely more intense at the club.  :-)

On a boring sunday me and Jules hopped in the car on our way to Knokke. We had absolutely no idea what to expect. I mean… a hip hop performance in that part of the country just felt a bit odd in a way, and we wondered who would even show up on this sunday, although the next day was a national holiday, we still had some doubts about this one.

When we arrived in Knokke, it turned out that our predictions were completely wrong. The entrance was completely crowded, and it was even a bit challenging to get in the club in the first place. Luckily my best friend managed to put me on the guest list, so we didn’t have to hustle our way in.

When we arrived in the club we quickly found out how this club worked. To party in this club in a lets say, comfortable way, you gotta have dough. If you are like me and Jules and don’t order by the bottle… (How can two normal women possibly finish a bottle of dark rum and still walk elegant out of the club instead of passing out in public?! )…the only thing you are entitled to is a spot on the dance floor. You can’t sit caus that is paid for. You can’t lean on a table, caus that is paid for aswell. You can’t put your drink on a table…caus..yeah..you get the picture.

I thought it was very funny in a way because the floor was empty when we arrived and we were standing there like 2 wall flowers in the middle of the club.

We positioned ourselves close to a corner of what one could describe as a mini fish tank or a little pedestal stage surrounded by glass that was closed off by a velvet rope that also allowed entrance to a little VIP area with sofas that were located right next to the glass private cage thing.

When not much later a delegation of club servants prepped the private glass area with Patron, tidbits and fried food we  knew that this was the spot the De La Soul crew would be hanging out and very possibly perform aswell.

Exhibit:

Not much later the DJ announced that De La Soul officially arrived in the club and the party could begin. For this blog that announcement means that it is time to work. While we were trying to stay focused between people getting ready to get all crunk in the club, VIP ROOM launched their first surprise of the night….(bikini) GIRLS.

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While the VIP ROOM girls where dancing, shaking & twerking I  spotted this fly lady with this cute necklace.

And then finally the DJ officially welcomed and announced the gentlemen from DE LA SOUL in the club. They came with quite a big entourage and were heading straight for the VIP area, ready for a party.

This is the official call for me and Jules to get focused on what we came for, which is not partying, but a second attempt for a Polaroid picture. I decided to approach Posdnuos the minute he passed me by on his way to the glass stage, and secretly prayed that he’d still remember me from the small talk we had in Paris only a few weeks ago.

So the minute he passed me by I gently tapped him on the shoulder and waved hello with a: “remember me? ” face.

Thank god Posdnuos immediately recognized me, gave me a hug and asked a very logic question: “What are you doing here?!!!”

I laughed and told him that I didn’t live very far from this town and that I actually came back hoping to get a better picture than the one I got from them in Paris. I asked him if he could  please consider that we could take the picture again, but this time on 3 Polaroids instead of one.

He told me he was down, but that he could not speak for Maseo or Dave but that he would look into it at the right moment and he continued his way to the VIP area.

The minute the whole DE LA SOUL crew gathered on the glass stage round two of the club’s entertainment program was launched…

Meaning: Attack of some giant fluorescent creatures who looked like the Disney version of ‘Aliens & Predators’ with christmas lights.  Personally I don’t see the fun in having giant customized carnival creatures shooting foam right in my face (yes that happened) while I’m sipping on a rum and coke and getting my groove on but hey…to each his own party trip I guess.

Exhibits:

Me and Jules were still standing next to the glass stage when I noticed Posdnuos taking a seat right next to me and pretty soon we had a relaxed little chit-chat amidst all craziness in these very weird circumstances.  It felt like I was talking to somebody in a correctional facility.

Meanwhile, the show must go on, and the VIP ROOM entertainment program reached round 3 of the evening, meaning another dozen of sexy little kittens jumping on stage to join the De La Soul crew who were more planning on chilling and enjoying some party snacks than being stage raided by a tsunami of pussy cat girls but hey. What can you do?

This explains the following exhibits:

Maseo has been to long in the game to still get distracted by these kind of circumstances. #nevernotfocused

Meanwhile the liquor was flowing and the DJ was working the crowd, making them all hyped and wild.

All of sudden I get tapped on my shoulder and Posdnuos offers me a champagne glass with a substance that looked a bit too crystal clear for it to be champagne. I accepted the glass, sniffed it first and then Posdnuos said: “Yes, it’s Patron.”

Me and Patron? Not a good combination. Last time I sipped on Patron was mainly because the testosterone level in my body made me believe that I can handle that type of liquor but that is unfortunately far from the truth. I still have vague flashbacks of me hanging over an open window of a yellow cab driving over the Brooklyn Bridge in NY while the boy I crushed on that night was getting more and more embarrassed and also a little bit scared of me throwing up in a moving car over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Yeah…

Then again.  Refusing food or drinks in certain cultures is considered offensive and lack of etiquette so I politely accepted his offer and manned up.

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The good thing about tequila is that it feels like a cold rush of blood to the head that instantly wakes you up and gives you energy. Something we could use since we were already in the club since 11h30PM and the clock was ticking 2h30 AM.

Don’t underestimate the challenge of being in a club for a complete other reason than partying. It can be very exhausting if you don’t drink and you can’t have a seat.

By that time the people who were drinking were having a blast and some very wealthy individual got sooo excited that he decided to buy a  champagne bottle so expensive he could firsthand feed 3 third world countries. Meaning. Ridiculously expensive.

This bottle was hanging in another glass box on the ceiling right above the glass stage were De La Soul were hanging out. The minute the bottle was sold, a dozen of waiters with firework sticks came to accompany the bottle to the lucky buyer. Interesting detail is that the glass box with the bottle electronically travelled across the ceiling via a dodgy railway that led the bottle straight to his owner.

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Even Posdnuos had his thoughts about this one….

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When the bottle finally arrived with its lawful owner, somebody opened the exclusive champagne bottle and poured it in the mouth of the owner, spilling champagne all over the man while a dozen other men were cheering him on like a professional rugby team who just won the Super Bowl.

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Then finally it was time for DE LA SOUL to perform. They did approximately 5 or 6 classic De La Soul songs and I was very surprised to see how they engage this little audience in Knokke in the exact same way they did with their audience in Paris. Taking pictures with the crowd, smiling, waving, shaking hands, posing for the dozen smartphones that were held in the sky non stop to record and document every little move they made in the club.

I’ve seen a few club performances by now and I always felt those type of gigs are fast money makers resulting in somewhat sloppy and quick performances. Not with these fellas. They might have been in a little town in Belgium almost nobody ever heard about,  but they were giving that audience the same enthusiastic dedication.

When they ended their club performance the clock was ticking 3h30AM right now and Jules and I  hoped that we still had a chance to get what we came for and to snap those very necessary Polaroid pictures when I noticed Posdnuos waving at me and inviting me to enter the glass vip stage.

That was extremely nice, because by that time, the boys just ended their performance and were having a good time with their friends and entourage, had a few drinks and probably were a little bit exhausted from the performance. Many artists would not really enjoy taking close up pictures anymore being in that relaxed state of mind, all tired and sweaty.

But I guess Posdnuos understood why I was there in the first place and he had no problem at all with me taking those very wanted Polaroid pictures. Not only did he pose for my camera, he also encouraged and motivated Maseo and Dave to do the same and encouraged me to approach them, telling me that he already briefed them and that they were cool with the whole idea.

Taking decent Polaroids in a hectic club is quite the challenge, but the boys really worked with me, and had no problem with me putting them in the right position and stuff.

Exhibits:

Maseo was being his smiley self, but I proposed to take another shot, and suggested he shows only one eye in some way or another, so there is a certain continuity in the Polaroids that would lead to hopefully a cool result.

I explained the boys what I meant,

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and Maseo was completely down with the idea.

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and last but not least a way more personal DE LA SOUL group picture than I had in Paris.

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These were the results  I was aiming for and I was so happy  that I decided not to settle for less but wait for another opportunity and try my luck for the second time.

We thanked the De La Soul crew a thousand times but they weren’t planning on letting us go just yet and gave Jules and me a full Laurent Perrier Rosé bottle to sip on.

I mean…I’m sure declining gifts in other cultures is very offensive aswell so we just went for it and toasted to making the impossible possible.

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I’m very proud to have DE LA SOUL in my Polaroid selection and I want to give a special shout out to Posdnuos for taking time to listen to my pitch in Paris and supporting this blog with his cooperation in the middle of the night, in a little decadent town by the sea in Belgium for that Polaroid chick from Ostend.

Love

Ouni

PS: I didn’t want you guys to miss out on this one of course….