Leave it up to Chambord to deliver some serious glam! This July you can be in to win the ultimate Chambord experience thanks to Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur and Soul Bar. 

To find out more about this Chambord experience, dress to impress and rock up to Soul Bar on Friday 28^th June from 6pm to 7pm. They promise a night of anticipation, full of shimmering luxury and dramatic surprises.

We’ve been told that there will be free cocktails available on the night, as well as gift bags for the first 50 glamorous guests who walk through the door.

This is not to be missed. See you there!

DOMO Luxury Furniture is going from strength to strength. With the doors open on their swanky new showroom, these leaders in designer furniture now have an Auckland showroom as impressive as their furniture.

As opposed to the previous space, which was one of the city’s best kept secrets for furniture shopping, the new showroom boasts impressive high ceilings, prominent window street frontage and a great position on St Georges Bay Road.

The new showroom showcases the leading brands DEDON and Ligne Roset, while the Newmarket Showroom “DOMO Classical” focuses on brands such as Grange, Marchetti, Duresta and Sika.

“What started as a hobby business with two friends has now grown into Domo Luxury Furniture with two showrooms and a fantastic loyal customer base,” says owner says Karen Robertson.

“The journey has taken 20 years and this marks another exciting milestone to celebrate along the way.”

To celebrate this exciting milestone, DOMO is giving Remix readers a sneak peak into some new styles from Ligne Roset and DEDON available now in the showroom. One of these new styles is the FEDRO range from DEDON.

FEDRO (pictured below) represents a ground breaking new concept in seating by balancing on two narrow skids and allowing you to rock back and forth using your legs and feet to control the movement!

Head down to the brand new DOMO Luxury Furniture showroom at 106 St George Bay Road in Parnell to see these babies and a whole heap of other sweet furniture!

Or check out www.domo.co.nz for more information!

We all go into hibernation during winter, so there’s no better season to deck your space out with some funky new furniture. Republic has you sorted with four new furniture collections that will make you glad to be a homebody! We checked out these collections stocked exclusively at Republic, so here’s a little rundown…

The “Roadie” Collection

This collection takes inspiration from nomadic musicians, pop stars and rock bands that live their life on the road. Built on a structure of FSC-recycled teak wood and bolted together with sturdy aluminium joinery, these pieces are as functional as they are fashionable!

The “Deserter” Collection

Taking inspiration from military units, this collection has the style and feel of a desert army barracks. With items including a bed frame, five-drawer dresser, four drawer chest and bedside table in both khaki and olive, this collection is constructed out of recycled metal and canvas for the ultimate washed chic desert aesthetic!

The “Rope Me” Collection

Taking inspiration from the marine life theme already hugely popular in fashion and art, this collection includes a coffee table, shelving units, chests of drawers, a sideboard and entertainment unit. It’s constructed of recycled wood and heavy-duty marine rope to give your space that beloved oceanic feel.

 The “Contradictions” Collection

These occasional chairs covered in vintage Indian kantha or Uzbek suzani fabrics have an eye-catching presence that make them the standout feature of any room. With pieces including the Joel club chair, Nadia chair, Ahdia chair, Asima chair, and Diana rocker chair, these chairs allow you to inject color and life into any setting! 

To see these collections for yourself, head down to Republic on Pompellier Terrace in Ponsonby or visit their website www.republichome.com. Also ‘Like’ these guys on Facebook for all their latest updates and promotions, facebook.com/republichome. 

Love him or loathe him, you can’t take your eyes off Matt Bowden. As the former frontman for drug law reforms in New Zealand and the mastermind behind some of our country’s most notorious legal highs, Matt Bowden is nothing short of infamous. Now reincarnted as THE rock musician Starboy, he opened up to Remix about his touring rock opera, new album and pending autobiography…

Can you tell us a little about how your musical persona ‘Starboy’ was born?

The Starboy nickname predates the Facebook era, when ravers enjoyed the anonymity of the online handle. Night people knew each other by these internet pseudonyms and I was Starboy. Partly derived from my company name Stargate, it just stuck. My magpie tendency with sparkly clothes probably helped. I can't use my Matt Bowden name, because the media always prefix with "Drug Kingpin" or "Drug Lord" or "Pope of Party Pills" or some other rubbish so I decided if they are going to create some larger than life fictionalised character out of me then I'm just going to supersize it and franchise it you know? Capitalise on the theatricality of the situation and turn it into a brand, so I started wearing costumes and masks when I performed so I didn't look like the guy on the news.

How would you describe Starboy’s musical style?

I describe it as Psybaroq, a cyborg of psychedelic and orchestral prog rock.  A piece might start as an indie rock song then breakdown into orchestral strings and horns and build back up through drum and bass synths to a rock sound again, driven by the incredibly talented technical drummer Jasper de Roos. It is staged against a backdrop of psychedelic effects and tape delays from Stu Fu and has Stephen Small's manic piano wizardry sprinkled over the top. We are just shuffling bass players as Stephen Pether wants to spend some family time so Dan Antunovich stepping in to pound the sound on tour. Interested to see how others describe it!

Has it been a difficult journey getting your music out there?

I have always heard this music in my head, all epic and layered but didn't think I could get it out, so I decided I would try to rewrite drug laws in New Zealand instead. I had a vision to make suggestions that would be promulgated through the UN to lead the world out of the war on drugs. Delusional, right? Fifteen years on ... It was pretty cool when our government listened to the message and agreed to implement the model, but when the UK All Party Committee advised their government to copy NZ and then after being invited to talk to the European Commission and Australian leaders I pinched myself a bit, but the incredible response our solution received at United Nations took the cake, I just thought 'Holy Crap.' I was shocked that it actualised so quickly from pipe dream to bold statement to historical fact. Just thought 'my part of the mission is completed.' There is a point where you realise that with a mustard seed of faith you can move mountains. You observe that principle and then your are confident about anything. Some people said I was delusional but I think it has gone beyond that. Getting the album out has been difficult as I kept getting distracted but now that I can focus on it is getting real easy!

What was it like releasing your initial EP ‘Induction’?

‘Induction’ was the process of completing a short introductory piece to put me in the framework of recording, mixing, mastering and releasing. I highly recommend it as an exercise: release an album. Everybody should do it. Frank Zappa did dozens! Your next album ‘Homecoming’ was a steampunk music video and mini movie; can you tell us a little about the inspiration and concept behind that? We made a three part mini movie, I think it is the biggest rock video project in this part of the world, so many people worked so hard on it, it's a visual representation of the retro futuristic sound the classical with retro rock and electronic just lends itself to a steampunkesque aesthetic - film company Stake did an amazing job, we just want to encourage people to let the imagination flow and dream bigger than life and dont be scared to jump off the edge of the cliff to seize your dream, you have to watch it - if you like classic NZ rock videos or scifi fantasy stuff or want to hear the sound look up Starboy Eternity Trilogy on YouTube.

Starboy's Steampunk Burlesque Circus Express showcase was a massive success, was it a labour of love putting it all together?

My wife Kristi and I love theatre and burlesque and so the show is a rock concert with FX and theatrics and dancers and the video elements, we are starting to tour internationally and want audiences at festivals to be saying 'hey what about that kiwi band with the cyborg hakas and flamethrowers, let's go see them again.' Our take home message is creativity and expression is the best buzz, you don't need alcohol and drugs.

You’ve branched out and spread your music overseas, what has it been like putting yourself on the international market?

Being from Aotearoa means we have freshness, we are different, our music has Te Reo elements and the JGeeks bring the tribal vibe and promoters love that. We play off The Lord of the Rings thing a bit, so we are a touring chunk of Middle Earth. You sort of borrow and redefine pop culture as you go. This tour we are starting now will be our first European tour, hitting World Bodypainting Festival in Austria with Stereo MCs, T in the Park Scotland then hit the studio in Ibiza then do Steamfest Brisbane, then get ready to go do again next year. 

How does your fan-base in NZ compare to your fan-base overseas?

New Zealanders already had an impression of me from my activism whereas overseas I can be a performance artist first and activist second.

What was your initial thought and reaction when your single ‘Flying’, released on October 2012, debuted at #5 in the NZ Singles chart and #29 in the NZ Top 40?

Having a song in the charts is great encouragement from the community that people are actually enjoying what you're doing, and to me it said, 'Bluddihell, you can drop in a 2 minute screaming guitar solo and still chart if it is cool enough,' which everybody said was impossible you what I mean? Of course my daughter went from starring in my video to starring in somebody else's video which hit number 2 shortly after so that put me in my place but thanks New Zealand anyway for support!

What’s coming up on the horizon for Starboy?

Basically, we want to build up the show and tour it, commit to it for three years and see how noticed we can get - keep putting out albums and see what we can build up. Ideally I want to make a living entertaining with music so I can donate the majority of my other business to charitable purposes and community projects so other countries have something really decent to copy. My management people suggested I put out a book. When I thought about it I realized I had run up against CIA, KGB, IRA, Interpol, and various criminal groups across a number of continents and had enough people die or get executed around me! All the crazy stuff I spent years working so hard to keep out of my clean cut image would apparently make good reading as a rock n’ roll biography if it was all censored and anonymised and so on, so we are working out how to do that without getting in trouble! 

For more information on Starboy and all his upcoming projects, visit his website or official Facebook page here.

Some seriously epic stuff is coming out of

The creative team over at the La Casa music haven is this week releasing a behind-the-scenes video of recording sessions for one of Australia’s most massive new bands, The Temper Trap!

Presented by Corona Extra, La Casa is a haven for musicians, designers, artists and surfers, as well as an online destination for all those who are inspired by creativity.

Having recently completed two stays at La Casa, The Temper Trap recorded a number of demos with LA producer Malay, the man behind Frank Ocean’s highly acclaimed Channel Orange.

Now La Casa is releasing the footage of that residency, an insight into the writing process behind what it takes to build an incredible Temper Trap song!

The video is the latest in a long line of behind-the-scenes releases captured by legendary filmmaker Taylor Steele, who has been observing the inner workings and creative processes of talented individuals and groups staying at La Casa. It shows a glimpse into the idyllic beachfront location, unparalleled natural beauty and space where artists can escape, be inspired, collaborate and create.

Take a peak into the creative paradise that is La Casa and see the inner workings of The Temper Trap by checking out the video below!

And of course jump across to www.lacasa.net.nz for all the latest updates coming out of this incredible creative hive of activity!

Words by Steven Fernandez.

Residency: The Temper Trap from Corona NZ on Vimeo.

To celebrate the completion of our latest issue and the end of another stressful deadline, we got amongst a bottle of Vaione Gin last week and were nothing short of impressed!

Produced from a factory in Auckland, Vaione is a gin that can be enjoyed by traditional gin drinkers, as well as those searching for a white spirit with complexity. It is a properly produced spirit, clean, fresh, well-balanced and very drinkable. 

Originating from the Pacific Islands, Vaione is a gin with history as unique as its citrus taste. There is a high level of citrus with no lingering sweetness and NO added sugar. It is fuller in the mouth than most dry gins, right to the last drop. It has excellent balance with a hint of Juniper and Angelic dryness at the finish.

The process has been a real labour of love and because of the tightly held secrets around the  methodology of gin manufacture, it has taken founders John and Anthony more than a decade of pain-staking development to make this a truly premium well balanced gin.

We can confidently say their work has paid off, because these boys have developed a seriously delicious spirit with Vaione Gin.

Jump over to www.vaione.com for more information on Vaione Premium Pacific Gin!

Words by Steven Fernandez.

Creatives unite! The highly anticipated Semi-Permanent creative conference is upon us and this year’s annual event in Auckland is shaping up to be it’s best yet!

Every year Semi-Permanent brings the best and brightest in both local and international creative talent to the stage at Auckland’s Aotea Centre for audiences to be inspired and intrigued.

This year’s series of conferences, exhibitions, workshops and side events is no different, with an incredible line-up listed below!

New Zealand Semi-Permanent Director Simon Velvin says the key to the event’s success is having a healthy mix of artists across various industries.

“Every year we try and blend a unique mix of creatives across all disciplines so that audiences can learn and be inspired by a wide range of experts. More often people get more out of hearing from other creative fields,” he says.

“Things don’t happen unless you put them into play.  Semi-Permanent Auckland is 1600 enthusiastic creatives from all over the world coming together. Bound to be some interesting collisions! Thoughts become things!”

If you’re interested in hearing the huge host of speakers at this year’s Semi-Permanent creative conference, then head over to www.the-edge.co.nz/semi-permanent to buy tickets. As if there aren’t already enough reasons for you to go along, we have a special promo code so you get 15% off the price of tickets. Enter the promo code “FRIEND” when you buy your tickets online to receive the 15% discount!

SEMI-PERMANENT AUCKLAND 2013 - SPEAKER LINE-UP

Aaron Rose - Artist/Director/Curator

Alleged Press

Los Angeles 

Annie Sperling - Art Director                         

Los Angeles                             

Askew One - Artist                            

New Zealand                          

Brian Roettinger - Artist / Designer                  

Los Angeles                            

Darryl Ward & Matt Noonan - Film                                                                                                 

Curious Films

New Zealand                          

Matthew Mulder - Digital Designer                     

Digital Kitchen

Seattle                                    

Dominic Hofstede - Designer                  

Hofstede

Prahran, Victoria                    

Kelly Thompson - Illustrator/Photographer                      

Melbourne                             

Rodney Eggleston & Anne-Laure Cavigneaux - Architecture                                            

March Studio

Melbourne                             

Niklas Roy - Artist/Engineer                              

Berlin                                     

Perks and Mini - Artist/Fashion Design                     

P.A.M.

Melbourne                             

Daan Lucas - Digital Designer                             

Random Studio

Amsterdam                            

Sandra Dieckmann - Illustrator                 

London                                   

Sam McIntosh - Publishing                         

Stab

Sydney                                               

Michael Lugmayr - Designer                    

Toko   

Sydney                                               

To say Jimi Hunt grabs life by the horns is just about the understatement of the century. The Kiwi daredevil and author of A Bit Mental has spent an enormous part of his life doing things that are… a bit mental.

Remember the World’s Biggest Waterslide? Jimi built that. Remember the guy who held an alternative summer Olympics with events like sandcastle building and frisbee golf? Jimi organized that. Remember the guy who played golf in downtown Auckland? OK… maybe not… but that was Jimi too.

While all this was going on, Jimi was silently battling with depression. It was eating him alive from the inside, affecting his business, losing him friends and slowly, painfully destroying his marriage.

Disillusioned with the help and advice he received, he read that having a goal could help with depression. Jimi being Jimi, he set a goal and announced it to the world — he would travel the entire 425km length of the Waikato River on an inflatable mattress…

Loneliness, 21,000 people following the journey on Facebook, chancing upon a dead body in the river, unbridled kindness from strangers, physical pain and crazy psychic predictions are just some of the strange tales from the river.

Read about Jimi Hunt’s mental approach to depression and his awesome life story by picking up a copy of A Bit Mental at bookstores nationwide! Or head over to his website www.abitmental.co.nz to buy the book or for more information.

This book is one of the only books you'll ever read about depression that won't be bloody depressing!

The Blue Breeze Inn is Ponsonby’s newest (and dare we say hippest) eatery on the strip. It has a slightly unusual combination of Pacific/Hawaiian décor and modern Chinese cuisine. The quirky mix works though – the bright, open space on the Brown Street corner of Ponsonby Central feels fun and fresh.

It’s the brainchild of Mark Walbank and Che Barrington, the guys behind the delightful MooChowChow (also on Ponsonby Road, and another of our favourite lunchtime haunts). It’s no surprise then that this new kid on the block looks to be a roaring success right off the bat.

The Remix team visited The Blue Breeze Inn this week for a mid-deadline lunch. The deal with the menu is similar to that of MooChowChow – you can order small plates or large plates that you could have to yourself but are best when shared with the table. Between four of us, we ordered steamed fish with fermented black bean, ginger and shaoxing, twice cooked crispy skinned duck and the dandan noodle hotpot of braised beef shin, chilli and black bean gravy. The flavours were big, bold and explosive! No deadline lunch is complete without wine/cocktails, so we ordered a casual coconut cocktail!. Without a doubt, one of our new favourites.

See you there sometime… http://www.thebluebreezeinn.co.nz/ 

For our third week of speaker profiles in anticipation of the Semi-Permanent creative conference at the end of May, Remix spoke to American art director Annie Sperling. Our online editor Steven Fernandez caught up with the multi-disciplined and super-talented Annie about her life in Los Angeles producing photography, paintings and murals, as well as designing sets for commercials, music videos and feature films. As the primary designer for famed fashion photographer David LaChapelle since 2005, Annie had no shortage of colorful tales…

Can you tell us a bit about your life as a production designer and artist?

I have long been a lover of photography and always considered myself an artist. I came to be a production designer in the most indirect route. I was a scenic artist; a substitute teacher, a mural painter, an interior designer, a photographer- but all these careers led me to production design. This job I love and feel is a mix of all my previous experience.

Why do you think you were chosen to speak at Semi-Permanent this year?

Good question! I am not totally sure - there are so many super accomplished people involved. I am very flattered to be among them! I think my work with David LaChapelle is probably my appeal - the work I have done with him has landed me many other jobs and I believe again this is the case!

Have you ever been to Australia or New Zealand before? If so, what are you looking forward to coming back to? If not, what are you expecting?

I met the guys at Semi-Permanent through a job I was doing in Sydney Harbor. We were shooting across from the insanely gorgeous architecture of the Opera House. I loved beautiful Australia. I have never been to New Zealand, so I am very thrilled.

What advice can you give to young artists or people wanting to develop a career as a production designer?

For myself, it was a real benefit to my job to be aware of the process - what exactly goes into building a set, how much materials cost, what materials are used to build sets and fabricate props, to learn art history and how it relates to furniture and architecture, as well as studying art and being sensitive to the nature of design. To understand subtleties in a set or design that will make it eye-catching and special.

What is your greatest achievement and/or proudest piece of work?

As a photographer, the last photos I took are my favorite: some beautiful models immersed in inches of large squares of gold glitter. As a designer, I love the sets I did for a Naturesway commercial recently: it was one of the most challenging builds I have ever done. I love the artwork series “Flowers “ I did with David LaChapelle and there is one painting I did of two burlesque maids that I like a lot!

You’ve been David LaChapelle’s primary designer since 2005 and been a huge part of designing the phenomenal sets that make his photography so vibrant and powerful. Can you tell us a bit how that came about and what it’s been like working with him?

I had an opportunity to design a really complicated shoot David was doing for Elton John’s Las Vegas stage show. In the show the video wraps around above him playing on giant screens. It was a lot of pressure, as it was ambitious and he is meticulous in all aspects of a shoot. The hair, make-up, sets, and lighting - if any part is not exactly how he likes it, he will not shoot. The sets I made wowed David and we’ve worked together ever since. We have a similar love of color and set dressing and weird modern junk. He is always the most challenging jobs I get and the most visually satisfying.

Were there any standout celebrities and/or subjects in David LaChapelle’s shoots that stood out to you?

When we shot The Rape of Africa - one of David’s art pieces, Naomi Campbell was the model portraying Africa. At the precise moment all elements were composed, she elongated her lovely neck and let out a perfect tear. It was exquisite.

Where would you like to go next? What else is on the horizon for you?

I have numerous places in mind for travel - I just returned from Venice, which was a longtime dream. It was truly magical, as I had imagined. I would like to work in Paris and Beijing - two places I adore. And I am hoping one day to do a great feature film with a new and superb director that would provide the opportunity to make incredible sets and designs.

Outside of your job, what do you like to spend time doing?

I love to travel - that is my absolute favorite thing to do. Sometimes I think the only reason I work is so I can travel again. I love to snorkel and dive. And I love to hear good, loud rock n’ roll music and dance, preferably with good friends and fancy tequila!

Is there anybody else at Semi Permanent you are excited to listen to and/or meet? Why?

To be honest, I am hoping to catch as many speakers as I can. The people they find are so diverse and unexpected. I love to hear all the takes on being an artist. At the show I spoke at in Australia, I became friends with a woman who designs fonts; an amazing musician/ artist, a fishing photographer and a graphic artist. Each had such a unique style and great talent. I found it truly inspiring. It made me happy and proud to be an artist.

If you’re interested in hearing more from Annie Sperling and a huge host of other speakers at this year’s Semi-Permanent creative conference, then head over to www.the-edge.co.nz/semi-permanent to buy tickets. As if there aren’t already enough reasons for you to go along, we have a special promo code so you get 15% off the price of tickets. Enter the promo code “FRIEND” when you buy your tickets online to receive the 15% discount!