Due to anticipated severe weather, Berklee will be closed on Thursday, February 9. We will update the Alerts page with additional information as we receive it.Message aux spectateurs : renforcement des mesures de sécuritéin the blue shirtSteven Ellison (aka Flying Lotus) is a production renaissance man, and Thursday evening his many talents were on display at Cleveland’s House of Blues. At the helm of the experimental Brainfeeder imprint, Ellison made the executive decision to bring labelmates Teebs and Thundercat with him on the road. Although each hail from the same label, the trio are by no means cut from the same mold. Beat-focused, each gentleman has developed their own means to proliferate his sound across an introspective dancefloor. Teebs, who also spends his days as a visual artist, is a diminutive presence amidst his slow-rolling textures. Not necessarily dark, listening to Teebs is reminiscent of walking through a late evening spring fog — the type right before a thunderstorm.

A former pupil of Ellison, Teebs’ set was based on ethereal low-end beats and off-kilter breaks. red kite hello ernest pink canvasEquipped with two turntables, a mixer, and sample controller, Teebs guided the cramped House of Blues (the upper level was closed for the event) through the mist of urban noise; residence curtains dupionidetouring through hidden jazz lounges and underground hip-hops clubs. anokhi curtains kolkataOpening for the live instrumentation of Thundercat, Teebs was considerate about the tempo of his set, keeping the audience caught in a perpetual sway while cloaked in the shadows of a dimly-lit pit.elkwood black curtains

Thundercat was more eager to step into the spotlight. A talented bassist, and regular studio partner of Ellison, Thundercat is one of those artists that you cannot help but marvel. harlequin lalika curtainsJoined on stage by a drummer and keyboardist, he worked the frets of his six-string bass while sporting a consummate smile. curtain rod extender lowesAnd to credit Thundercat, he is also a talented vocalist, performing his own sultry vocal duties on tracks like “Heartbreaks + Setbacks”, “DMT SONG” and new single “Oh Sheit It’s X”, all co-produced by Flying Lotus. made to measure curtains hornchurchPaying constant attention to his bass and the improvised jams of his onstage collaborators, Thundercat wasn’t your stereotypical dynamic frontman.

He seems most at home behind his mic stand, rarely walking across the stage or interactive with his fellow musicians. On the other hand, when the audience is already transfixed by your talents, you don’t have to coax crowd participation. Having only seen Flying Lotus perform at festivals, I was shocked by his headlining tour setup. In my prior experiences, Ellison spent the entire set gazing into his laptop. On Thursday night, the beatsmith took to a raised pedestal veiled behind an extensive, psychedelic visual display. After releasing Until the Quiet Comes only six months ago, I was expecting the albums downtempo electro-jazz. However, for a man who is currently working on nine projects, that six month timeframe has been saturated with a wealth of ideas. What Cleveland was offered Thursday was an aggressive array of beats from up-and-comers like Yelawolf (“I Just Want To Party”), TNGHT, and Mac Miller (the Flylo produced “S.D.S”). The audience was also treated to a new Flying Lotus track, which seemed to be entitled “Skyfall”.

Not all of the set was combed from the last few months. The 70-minute set also included 2010’s “Do The Astral Plane” and an edit of Radiohead’s “Ideoteque” which provoked an uproarious applause. Flying Lotus’ alter ego, Captain Murphy, was also out in full force. Not content to stay behind the sheer curtain, Captain Murphy was center stage to attack the Earl Sweatshirt-featuring “Between Friends”. When Ellison reappeared in front of the curtain for the final time, he was joined by a mustachioed Thundercat and a celebratory Teebs to say their final goodbyes as a unit. As Flying Lotus’ stock increases, he takes his friends along for the ride, and that enough was cause for celebration. When leaving Cleveland’s House of Blues early Friday morning, I just couldn’t shake two questions from my mind: Was everyone was as positively overwhelmed as myself and what will next incarnation of Ellison’ talents skills will be?Celebrated Los Angeles contemporary artist is featured in this fully illustrated exhibition publication of paintings, drawings & original pr...

On October 26, 2014 Every spring and fall, the design industry makes its bi-annual pilgrimage to High Point Furniture Market. This year marked my 25th trip to the furniture mecca and this market certainly did not disappoint!  My first stop is always 214 Modern Vintage, a collection of great dealers with incredible eyes for everything from fine art and lighting to mid century furnishings and accessories. I could linger here for hours and it is always inspiring to see the authentic pieces in person before heading out into the world of furniture market interpreting these designs. Natural Curiosities blew my mind at this market! All of their introductions looked incredible in the new exhibition space complete with its own “ArtBar” where you could watch the artists at work on site. These silkscreens from the Planetary are created by mixing colors during the screening process, resulting in abstract, blended forms. The simple shape and coloration evoke the image of distant planets and no two are alike allowing the viewer to create their own unique universe.

Natural Curiosities also introduced a gorgeous furniture line consisting of luxe shapes in stunning colors to complement their art collection. Specimen art has always been a specialty for this company.  The past few collections have been exploring the power and journey of flight with various compilations of feathers. This work entitled “Daedelus” is made of 3000 hand painted feathers that are gathered into a unified form, creating maximum impact. They describe the shape as “a shield and channels the intrinsic magic and awe of nature.” According to Greek mythology, Daedelus built the labyrinth for King Minos and then was imprisoned in a tower to prevent his knowledge of the labyrinth from spreading to the public. His only way to escape was in the air so he fabricated his own set of wings.  He also created a pair for his son Icarus, but warned him not to fly too high because the heat of the son would melt the wax on their wings, nor too low because the sea would soak their feathers.

This beautiful specimen circle is made of naturally colored magnificent pink shells… Taken from French textile designs, the Pignier series is a mix of botanicals, patterns and handwritten details. Athens based artist Carol John’s work brilliantly adorned the new Hickory Chair showroom. Her work expresses her love of color, language and pop graphics. It was a such a pleasant surprise to meet the artist in person…she is just as delightful as her paintings! Trowbridge Gallery featured a gorgeous collection of vintage Gudri jackets using 1930s Parisian designs. Each handmade work is one of a kind and floated in a shadow box frame. Alexis Walter’s space sang with all of her ethereal new paintings.  Her pastel palette of abstract works and smaller watercolors possess her distinctive look layered, tactile, and beyond extraordinary. A new find this market was the handmade works by Crystal Brooke McCann. Known as a “creative visonary extraordinaire,” her collection includes hand painted silks and leathers, hides, as well as hand made paper and furnishings.  

This paper mural is 11 feet long and the delicate detail is divine. Hunt Slonem debuted his wallpaper and fabric collection at the new Kravet showroom. Using multiplicity as a motif, Slonem has created an iconic body of work that is sought after around the globe. The much anitcipated collection will allow everyone to have a little piece of the world of this enigmatic artist. For the neutralists, the work of Carol Benson-Cobb was breathtaking. According to the artist, her work “reflects a feeling created within a color palette with an emphasis on the way the colors touch, layer and affect one another…My intentions are never to fully define a scene but to lead viewers in the use of their imagination and own life experiences to fill in the gaps.” In the work below, she has taken a detail from one of her original paintings and book matched and repeated the pattern. Trowbridge Gallery used the power of scale to take a fingerprint, an everyday yet unique image, and elevated it to a work of abstract art in metallic inks.