April 8th, 2010 - sarahp -

AM Stereo is Mark Ackermann and Steffan Olivier. They are Cape Town based electro Producers and are currently in the process of writing Jack Parow’s (Pastiche type Afrikaans Rapper’s) second album.
This interview was conducted under much debauchery. It was scribbled in green highlighter on torn out lined paper and left on Steffan’s decks among scatterings of naughty leftovers. Loud background beats disrupted any attempts to concentrate on writing legit questions.
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March 31st, 2010 - sarahp -

Music holds a strange intangible power over me where deep in the recesses of my brain an emotion is pinned to the chords of a song. For a fleeting moment part of my mind will be transported back in a wave of music induced nostalgia to the emotion or time that has reference to that particular song. Listening to the lamentings of Billy Corgan of the Pumpkins suddenly I am 16 again, pining after some young love, or blink 182 and momentarily I am back in high school full of teenage angst once more. Finley Quaye held the same power over me, their song ‘Even After All’ unpins the emotions attached to it and they swell through me until I am fit to burst. This all changed when on Saturday Finley Quaye performed live at the club where I work, bursting the bubble of my blissful ignorance.
I had begged for weeks to ensure I was working the night Finley Quaye was to perform at our club. For those of you who have been hiding under a rock for the past five years, Finley Quaye is a group hailing from the UK and can be classified as reggae rock. They have been with me on my iPod throughout university and beyond, and like discovering Father Christmas is a farce, seeing them perform live was unnerving. They delivered a lackluster performance than seemed as if they had more pressing matters to attend to elsewhere. The lead singers’ onstage presence was meek; he wandered about the stage as if searching for his wayward mojo. I felt like a child at Christmas waking up to the wonder and excitement that is Christmas morning only to unwrap a lump of coal. The emotions that welled up within when listening to Finley have been washed away and now when I hear them I am no longer transported back to days of bliss, but rather I stay rooted in the present, with the bitter taste of disappointment left in my mouth.
The night was saved by local acts who were supposed to be just a snack on the Finley Quaye menu. The openers included Pharell Perkis (South Africa’s Jack Johnson) and Lindiwe Suttle, who both delivered amazing shows and left the crowd perfectly warmed up for the main act… It just goes to show that our local gems may not be internationally recognized, but they can still outshine stars…
March 12th, 2010 - Marisa -

Without any exaggeration, it is safe to say that New Zealand-born, New York-based photographer Tom Gould, is one of the most offhandedly hilarious guys you will ever meet. His stories of rat baggism and rascalism as a youngster – told with wide eyes and raised brows – will have you laughing so hard you may actually snort in public.
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March 6th, 2010 - sarahp -

I asked the subject of this week’s MOOKS Report, to give me three adjectives that describe a photograph? And he gave me two… not because he couldn’t conjure up a third, but because following rules isn’t really his style.
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March 4th, 2010 - Marisa -

Some people say they can do everything. 27-year-old New York based artist Lauren Lacey Slowik, is not one of those people. But the things she can do include, but are not limited to the following:
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February 26th, 2010 - sarahp -

Only 20 minutes south from the concrete couture, assembly lines and hard nights, you’ll find the endless serenity of Kalk Bay. While many are quick to complain about Cape Town, I’m sure even some MOOKS Report readers have felt discontent towards it - you know – can’t really see yourself ‘living it up’ in a city filled with crime and punishment. But just like Dostoevsky’s classic novel, it’s a city with depth and intrigue that requires you read between the lines to fully understand. To look without judging and to venture off the beaten track where you’ll discover a different side to South Africa’s mother city.
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