Arcade44 » Toronto

Paris 2011 // Thomas // Arcade44 Original Video

arcader — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:34:12 +0000

He’s Toronto-born and newly transplanted to Berlin, but we managed to catch him in Paris. Designer Michael Thomas of THOMAS Collection took a moment to tell the Arcade about setting out on his own terms. Sharp, smart, and ambiguously tailored, his unisex collection in refined shades of grey leaves the interpretation up to the wearer.

Real Love // New Look

arcader — Thu, 05 May 2011 02:53:26 +0000

The Arcade first encountered New Look on a warm night in New York City, on the rooftop of the SoHo House while their friend Theophilus London performed. The pair DJ’d while a fashionable crowd quite literally danced under the stars.

When we visited Adam Pavao and Sarah Ruba at their Brooklyn apartment (and at-home studio space) we were treated to a story of girl-meets-boy, the narrative colored with an exhilarating dose of inspiration. As Sarah explains, when the two met, their singular artistic paths collided, and suddenly all made sense. As New Look divides time between their native Toronto and their adopted NYC, they are greeted with ear-numbing buzz that gets louder with every release leading up to the summer debut of their full-length album. Don’t believe us? Just take a listen to their haunting single, “Numbers.” And while you’re at it, don’t miss out on their lovely podcast, crafted exclusively for Arcade44, here!

—Angela Cravens

Sweet Inspiration // New Look Podcast

arcader — Thu, 05 May 2011 02:39:09 +0000

So what’s this about New Look? The photogenic Toronto pair that also does a little recording, living and loving in Brooklyn has been touring with Theophilus London and The XX. They’re getting ready to drop their debut album—expect dreamy electro beats and effervescent lyrics—this summer. So relax your mind, let your conscious be free, and get down with some tunes from New Look, only on the Arcade!

European Series 2010 // Byredo

arcader — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:13:06 +0000

“I was fascinated by the possibilities of fragrance,” explained perfumer Ben Gorham when we visited him at his jewel box-like Byredo boutique in downtown Stockholm. The former basketball pro was trained as an artist, and approaches scent first as a concept, building a modern mythology around each new fragrance. The shop is populated with scents titled, for instance, Baudelaire (suitably heady and sexy, in homage to its namesake) , La Tulipe (an imagining of what the unscented flower might smell like) and the new, inky M/MINK, a collaboration with design firm M/M (Paris), inspired by Japanese calligraphy. Born in Stockholm but raised in Toronto and New York, with ties to his mother’s native India, Gorham approaches scent as a storyteller. As customers sauntered in and out of the shop on a weekday morning, Gorham chatted with us about the nuances of smell, working with some of the world’s reknown perfumers, and the memory of his father that started it all.

CMJ 2010 // Parallels

arcader — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:20:34 +0000

Turn down the lights, cue the lazers, and don’t be fooled by Parallels‘ sweet exterior. We were blown away by the duo’s dark electro-pop when we caught Holly Dodson and Cameron Findlay (you might know him from a little group called Crystal Castles) at Backstage Bar during CMJ week. The Toronto duo’s debut album, Visionaries, is out now.

—Annick Mayer

Nuit Blanche // Arev Manoukian

arcader — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:06:10 +0000

Okay, so we’re a sucker for a good love story, and the stunning Nuit Blanche by director Arev Manoukian literally jumped out at us on the interwebs. Turns out the Ontario, Canada-based director recently won the top prize at LG Life’s Good FilmFest in Toronto. Though the short is a testament to amazing effects and innovative filmmaking, what we really love is that it triumphs in capturing that first moment when you come face to face with destiny.

Resounding Joy // Fefe Dobson

arcade44 — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:58:52 +0000

Ever since glimpsing Fefe in her Rock and Roll High School riff “I Want You” (playing the world’s prettiest outsider) we’ve been dying to get to know more about the reinvention of Fefe. The Toronto girl, who first came on the scene as a teenager, has had a moment to go back into the lab and emerge happier, more powerful, but still a whole lot rock ‘n’ roll.

We caught up with Fefe in NYC as she’s gearing up to release her third album, Joy. The title, she says, is a comment on her current state of mind. An accomplished vintage hound in her own right, she took us shopping at Malin Landeaus Vintage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a brilliant mash-up of treasures from decades past. We came, we conquered, we drank tea and scarfed vegan treats (thx, Malin—delicious!). All in all, a rocking Sunday afternoon.