FATLACE, ILLEST & KNT PRESENTS…

GROOVE THEORY
OLD SOUL, NEW ERA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17TH
330 RITCH SF

CLASSIC HIP HOP
SOULFUL HOUSE

WITH DJS

SHORTKUT (TRIPLE THREAT DJS)
MINDMOTION (PIRATE DJ’s)
SAKE ONE (LOCAL 1200)
FOXXEE LAWRENCE (YOUR MAMA’S HOUSE)
MIQUEL (KNT DJ)

9PM TO 2AM | 21 & UP | $10
ONE GROOVE, ONE VIBE, ONE LOVE…

I heard that the best camera, is the one that’s with you. The camera that’s with me daily is my iPhone and below is a selection of some quick snaps uploaded to instagram. I love that app because it’s an excellent place to store your camera phone photos and browse around for inspiration. Enjoy!

That’s what I’ve been up to lately.

studoogie on instagram

Legacy: The Art of Mike “Dream” Francisco

Opening Reception

Saturday January 14th, 2012
4pm to 7pm
I-Hotel Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny St., San Francisco CA 94108

Legacy: The Art of Mike “Dream” Francisco honors the life of artist and writer Mike “Dream” Francisco who pioneered the art form of “graffiti” on the West Coast. The exhibition runs from January 14th, 2012 to April 14th, 2012.

About Mike “Dream” Francisco:
Dream rose to fame in the “graffiti” world in the late ‘80s and ‘90s with his artwork in Oakland, CA. He is internationally known for his “graffiti” style that connects art and social justice. Through his life, Dream has inspired many in all age groups, cultures, and nationalities, conveying messages about social consciousness, community, and pride in culture and history on the “West Coast” and regions beyond. On February 17, 2000, Dream was murdered, but his memory remains in the hearts of his family, friends, admirers and the community.

About Manilatown Heritage Foundation:
Our mission is to promote social and economic justice for Filipinos in America by preserving our history, advocating for equal access, and advancing our arts and culture.

For more info: 415-399-9580, Facebook: Legacy: The Art of Mike “Dream” Francisco

Funded in part by Zellerbach Family Foundation, California Arts Council, and individual donors.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

AND THE WINNERS ARE!

Doug S, with the help of his pug, captured the spirit of the New Year.

Beau with the Illest tattoo.

DJ Renegade was rockin the Fatlace X Renegades tee that night too. Can’t fade a Renegade!

1AM and curator, Mike Tyau, presented “Fast Forward”, a group exhibition that captured the progressive evolution of spray can art. The collection included works from Jaybo Monk from Germany, Suiko from Japan, Sueme from Canada and Poesia, Robz, and Bam from the Bay Area. In the past year, 1AM has showcased graffiti’s roots with the exhibition “The Classics” and present form with “Outside In”. “Fast Forward” is a journey into the future and an imagining of what graffiti as an art form can and will be. Immersed in the experimental, this exhibition aims to excite and surprise fans, artists, and collectors, alike, of the controversial medium’s progression. (disclaimer: words from the first two paragraphs were taken from the invite)

When I got there, Mike gave me a quick rundown on what Poesia was trying to convey. It’s dope to know what was in the mind of the artist after looking at their work. I was able to see the Cubist and Classic influences. The progression from right to left is pretty sick. I heard he coated the pieces with 30 coats of clear. That makes them super heavy.

Tanya and Mike Bam

Here are Bam’s pieces. This time it looks like an abstract/3D steez. Always fresh.

Dan, Margie and Nate 1 (MPC)

Courtney, Malina and Paloma

Mikey and Cloud9

It was good to catch up w/ friends/writers and meet some new ones.

THE INFAMOUS Magazine / HANDS – Apex from MTN COLORS USA on Vimeo.

What do you write?

I first met Estria at Psycho City when he and Crayone were painting the giant BBoy and Baby Blue production back in the early 90′s. It’s dope to see that these guys are still rockin and putting up burners worldwide. Estria has been busy with his foundation, the Invitational Graffiti Battle and the Water Writes project.

On to our Fatlace Exclusive interview with the OG:
–

When and how did you start writing?

We started in ’84. My friends were breakers and we saw graffiti on things like the Jelly Bean album, and in the movies Breakin’, Beatstreet, Wild Style, Style Wars. Our first piece was with an airbrush and a can of compressed air. We climbed into a canal and tried to airbrush the word ‘fresh’ on raw concrete. People stopped to watch, no one thinking it was illegal. We got to the ‘R’ when the air ran out. It got us juiced enough to get spray paint and try it again. That was the beginning of a life-long love affair.

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Hawaii and have been in the Bay Area for half my life.

How did you get your name?

Back then everyone was taking a word for their tag name, but I wanted a name. For a month I played with letters I liked until I came up with Estria. Years later a man told me estrîa, with the accent on the ‘I’, means stretch mark in Portuguese. He said the Latin root was ‘stria’ meaning to stretch. He said it was a good name, as in stretching your mind. I now know that I live my namesake in that I am constantly pushing myself to learn and expand in so many areas of my life.

Who influenced your style?

Of course all the NYC originators. Crayone TWS inspired me to believe that I could paint anything with spray paint. He and Risque TWS taught me how to outline my pieces very cleanly. Raevyn TWS taught me to explore anything and everything and to make them into letters. He taught me to have fun inventing new styles of lettering. Other than that there was no one to teach us back then. I learned a ton from Barron Storey on visual communicating, techniques, and being creative. Going to the YMCA as a teen taught me to envision a better world and how to work to make that happen.

Where do you find inspiration?

Really just everywhere and anywhere.

I pay attention to everything. Meditation and martial arts are great. Dreams do a lot for me. Painting with others is good for sharing ideas. Writing is very collaborative and you learn from others. Studying geniuses and masters in other fields and cultures is very good too. Having fun and being in a playful, stressfree state is good for the idea flow. Basically, I feel like a gate and the ideas flow through me, from the universe/higher being.

What are a few of your favorite pieces or productions?

The first manhole-to-manhole production ever painted in the N Judah tunnel with Neon and Crayone.

Mural with Ceyba honoring the site of a massacre in Honduras. This was the first time I experienced such overwhelming love and appreciation from a community for a mural.

The recent mural in Hawai’i for #WaterWrites. It raised the bar for what I want in all my projects for the rest of my life.

You pioneered a skinny cap. How did this change the game?

Hex TGO of LA and Razor KTD of Berkeley invented the same tool. I just had a hand in developing it to the tool we use today. It enabled us to use the spray can as a fine point airbrush. It’s helped push mural work farther along. It’s completely useless for large lettering.

Can you explain the mission of your non-profit, Estria Foundation?

The Estria Foundation shifts the social consciousness on critical human and environmental issues through education, art projects and community events around the globe. The Estria Foundation (TEF) is a non-profit organization working to create social change through the creation of art. TEF was founded by Estria Miyashiro and Jeremy LaTrasse in 2010. It is dedicated to creating lasting systemic social change by empowering local communities to work collectively and participate in our global network. We work towards a society that places value on people and the environment above the accumulation of wealth.

The global Art Project WaterWrites produces some of the biggest works I’ve ever seen, what is the goal of this initiative?

Water Writes is a series of 10 collaborative mural projects in 10 cities across the globe. The theme of water connects the participating communities and draws attention to critical local and international water crises.

The 5th Annual Graffiti Battle is happening at the end of the year. What are the origins? And how do you keep the playing field fair?

It started while drunk with Jason Mateo, who worked at Youth Speaks SF at the time. We co-founded and co-produced it for the first four years. The team has grown and this year the battle is in NYC, LA, Honolulu and the finals are in Oakland, CA.

There are always an odd number of judges who are giants in the field. It’s really not practical to assign numerical values to art, and everyone is a winner. Judges are selected locally in every city because they know everyone’s style developments. It’s not fair at all. The winner is the one who bribes us with the most cash! LOL!

What are the minimal qualifications to join the battle? How can writers submit their work for review?

http://estriabattle.com for submissions, rules, etc.

Thanks for your time Estria!

With an empty airstrip and eleven of the best driver’s cars in the world, we put on the world’s greatest drag race.

I always wanted to see a drag race w/ some of my favorite cars. Motortrend makes it happen. I wouldn’t mind driving any of these cars. I’m a Nissan head so I was for the GTR, who do you think will win?

Take that!

Wheels
Modena Autostrada
Front17x9 +24
Rear 17×9 +24
Running on Daiyama Coilovers and D2 racing camber kits

The Academy Art Center at Linekona.
1111 Victoria Street
Honolulu, HI 96814

The theme in LA was Rise. As always, the writers don’t know the the word till the day of the battle. It’s always exciting to see what creativity comes out of these events. The winning canvas was painted by Woier. This is wild and fresh.

Here are a few other shots that caught my eye. Zombie execution and character are dope.

Clean lettering and the character reminds me of Heavy Metal artwork.

View of homie DJ Pudgy Smalls. That piece in front of the DJ booth is looking nice.

Check out the Flickr album for more flicks.

All photos by Pablo Serrano

Photos provided by MAV

Please support by purchasing your tickets online at

http://extremeautofest.wan​tickets.com/Events/ShowEve​nt.aspx?eventId=89339

Enter MAV for the promo code to help us raise money for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

Wheels: rota tourque hyper black 18×9.5 +28
tires size: 225 35 18

Specs:
H&R coilovers
Weds Kranze Bazreias
18×9.5 all around et’s re 18 and 24
wrapped in 225 40/ 18s
photos by Rob Dolecki

If you thought that was fresh, peep his BMX skills.

“CUTS” Jared Washington from Animal Bikes on Vimeo.

Specs:

Exterior:
-Lotus Saffron Yellow paint
-Custom GV style front lip
-Custom GV style fron grille
-AutoExe rear wing (replica)
-Mazda Genuine Accessories rear bumper flares
-Shaved trunk
-Shaved mouldings
-Shaved rear bumper
-Yellow fog lights and high beam reflectors
-Red out tail lights
-Black headlight bezels

Interior:
-Custom plaid upholstery
-MOMO Tuner steering wheel
-RAZO Rally RA102 Black shift knob
-Sabelt Clubman 4-point harness
-Bimarco Futura bucket seat
-Aluminium pedal pads

Wheels & tires:
-Enkei RPF1 Type-RC 8.5×18 ET42 (ET37 efffective) front
-Enkei RPF1 Type-RC 9.5×18 ET45 (ET35 effective) rear
-Falken Ziex ZE-912 205/40-18 front
-Falken Ziex ZE-912 215/40-18 rear
-Drag Neo Chrome forged lug nuts

Brakes:
-Rotora drilled and slotted brake rotors
-Rotora H2 Ceramic brake pads
-Techna-Fit SS brake lines

Suspension:
-ap coilovers (by KW) (with removed helper springs and cut rear springs)
-Kakumei front strut brace
-Kakumei rear trunk brace
-BMW solid rubber front arm bushings (modified)
-Progress 22mm adjustable sway bar
-Hardrace rear sway bar links
-Extended 50mm wheel studs
-5mm/10mm wheel spacers

Engine, transmission:
-Mazda3 FL 6-speed gearbox
-HKS Hi-Power catback exhaust
-Kool-Vue (Simota) Carbon Fiber Short-Ram intake
-Hardrace Pro N1 reinforced engine mount
-Corksport PU rear engine mount inserts

Photos: Sti-Od | motorpics.com.ua

Doves (TC5) took first. He kills it here. The letters are clean and his characters are fresh. Four elements of hip hop are represented with style. In bboying, rapping, turntabling and graffiti, flow is very important. Excellent executuion.

Meres (X-Men) took second. Judges must have had a tough time. Letters have a sick flow and I like how the fill in is leaking off the piece. The reflection off the water is also dope. I can’t stop lookin at those letters.

Group shot of Estria, judges and writers

check out the rest of the canvases

If you would like to battle, submit your flix and info to EIGB

Anyone who wants to lend a hand can volunteer, by filling out this form. It’s a great time, you should help out if you’re nearby.

Next one is in LA, a lot of talent there. I can’t wait.

Photos by Seher Sikandar for EIGB

Sesame Street breaks it down from Wonderful Creative on Vimeo.

Props to Wonderful Creative for putting it together.

The Knuckleneck Tribe influenced a whole generation of BBoys/BGirls. Twenty years later they are doing it again. When I spoke to Gizmo, he said “yeah, we wanna show the kids how we used to get down.” It was a long time since I’ve seen these guys, but it also feels like I just saw them last week. Things are the same. When I saw G-Boogie, he asked where the rest of the crew was… and also asked about Rich-One. I said “I think he’s in LA, but I’m rockin his kicks (had on Creative Recs), haha.” A lot of people don’t know that Rich was a big influence on Bay Area dancing and graffiti. He was even on that old show, Home Turf with Dominique de Prima (with KNT). I still have an embroidered hat he tagged for me at the Compton Swap Meet.

The party goes down once a month at 1015 Folsom. Positive vibes all night, good people and dope music ranging from old James Brown classics to new joints. Ciphers were popping at every corner. Check it out next month if you’re in the bay.

Super bummed that I lost my trusty Lumix… so these aren’t my photos.

Photos by openlinemedia