COLLECTION 5 THE MALE - A FASHION SPECIAL!

My top
5
These New Yorkers are sort of the odd ones out in this Top
5, because they’re not ‘men’ per-se, they’re just “people who
make [great] music”. And failing to mention MEN in an issue
dedicated to men would have been a major crime as well as
gross misconduct (I would have had to fire myself).
I fell in love with JD Samson (of Le Tigre) and MEN a couple
of years ago. Their insanely danceable tracks would be hard to
miss anyway (Simultaneously? Credit Card Babie$? Anyone??)
Plus, they stand for something (really!) which is more than
most can say nowadays.
Love, sex, freedom, identity…they always tell it like it is, no labels,
no judgments and that’s what I like most about them. This
and the fact they’re not afraid to take a stand when it comes to
the LGBTQ community and to everyone’s God given right to be
who they want to be and do whatever the hell they want with
their life. If you have 5 minutes and 27 seconds to spare, be
sure to watch “Let Them Out Or Let Me In” a music video they
made to show their support to the Pussy Riot movement.
So “Pick your head up don’t look back / Cuz today the world
has changed”… MEN are here!
Selected by Bénédicte Lelong
Who usually comes to mind? Bowie, Hendrix, MJ, Lennon and Freddie Mercury amongst others…right?
Legends–built into our collective memory and indisputable makers of classics. But releasing a Top 5 with these men
would be playing it safe. And here at KALTBLUT we don’t like to play it safe. Besides, it would be way too easy and,
let’s be honest, BORING AS HELL (for us, and for you).
In the end, with male composers, musicians, singers or DJs it isn’t about the chiseled jaw, the tight abs, the physique
or even the designer clothes. In the end it’s all about the ability to push you to the edge with just one note, one beat,
one arrangement, one track. It’s all about the build-up, those chills down your spine on your way to (musical) 7th
heaven when you connect to a particular piece of music, whether it be physically or emotionally.
Ain’t no point in being a man in music if you can’t give your audience (male, female or otherwise) a mind-blowing,
earth-shattering eargasm… am I right or am I right? That’s what the male touch in music is all about, isn’t it? We want
strength, power, intensity, beauty.
If and when it’s done right, the reaction is almost immediate and organic: it’s that moment when you close your eyes
and you forget who you are, where you are or why you are. You get lost. Thirty seconds is all it takes. Thirty seconds
of carefully arranged bass and drums, with no lyrics at all, can easily do the trick.
Ever played the island game? You know the one where someone asks you what you’d bring if you were stuck for the
rest of eternity on a deserted island somewhere? Well, these guys are IT for me. All I need is an MP3 player chock
full of their music and I’m good to go. So without further ado, here it is. The List. My Top 5. My Men.
1. 2.
Men
MIAMI NIGHTS 1984
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Canadians do indeed do
it better. Miami Nights 1984 is, surprisingly enough, Mike Glover, a
Canadian. Think cheesy Miami Vice era postcard, complete with palm
trees, bikini-clad bodies, bright orange sun, high powered cars with bold
paint and gleaming chrome. Synth-pop heavy soundtrack NOT AN
OPTION.
Let’s put it that way: Glover filled a void in my existence. I always knew
I was born with a missing piece that alone accounts for my weird 70’s
and 80’s nostalgia. I have been obsessed for many, many years with
American TV shows like Hunter and Miami Vice. The general aesthetics,
the pants, the cars, the ‘dos, the hairy chests, the ‘staches... Sometimes I
just wish I had been born a decade earlier.
And so each and every time I listen to one of Glover’s tracks, magic
happens. I feel utter love for this guy’s ability to take me back to this particular
time and place. And that in itself is a beautiful thing. His music
is like a drug to me, only without the brutal comedown.
I’ll go ahead and assume that you’ve seen Drive. AND that you’ve loved
the soundtrack. Miami Nights 1984 is like…a never ending Nightcall.
Mind-blowing musical epicness.