I am not the first person to dislike London.
Frankly, any Londoner who gets the tube on the daily
Must think much worse of the city.
Jumbling cursives in their head of about the person next to them
Who once again lacks general hygiene,
An unfortunately recurring theme in the realms of public transport,
Especially in the big city.
I recognise that I am nowhere near the first person
to hold disdain towards the large concrete jungle.
Nor am I the first person to mildly enjoy it,
I am definitely not the first to fall in love with it.
A quiet, mid-afternoon commute leaves me calmly scrambling towards
The underground at Waterloo.
A quick 10-minute ride to London Bridge,
Followed by a short walk,
And there I am,
Situated south of the river
In recently-gentrified Bermondsey.
Tennis courts to your right,
White men in spectacles reading short novels in the park to your left.
Artisan shops and pizza houses sprinkled here and there,
The walk is in fact an enjoyable one.
It feels quaint,
An effect that people pay handsomely for in the big city.
Interesting how people who live somewhere big are always searching for somewhere
That feels small.
Like the human mind needs a sanctuary from the bright lights and grotesque buildings.
I arrive at my friends.
Well, not quite arrive as I signal up that I’m here.
Within a minute I have gone from scurrying the concrete streets to floating up amongst the clouds.
A slight exaggeration, yet it is easy to feel such a way.
Pleasantries aside,
I head towards his balcony.
A view of London that not many people are lucky enough to see.
High up, you feel amongst the buildings.
They no longer seem so daunting,
The playing field has been levelled.
Whilst you’re not a twenty thousand tonne combination of glass and concrete
You’re not far off.
The Shard sits about a kilometre down the road,
Tower bridge off to your right
And London Eye twirls in front of you.
A set of symbols, recognised around the globe,
Are now your playground.
What’s stopping you from moving the Gherkin south of the river?
Sure, it’d confuse the hell out of people
But they’d surely move on,
The maps would get updated,
People at google would sort it out in a heartbeat,
Perhaps the old paper tourist maps would suffer but
A bit of change was due.
What’s the fun in a city that never changes?
It’s easy to enjoy London from a spacious balcony with a nice view.
You don’t have to worry about rent prices,
People don’t whizz by you at double the speed,
You can’t hear the screeching of old tube lines,
You don’t see men in suits on their way to client meetings,
You pay attention to it all or nothing at all.
The choice is yours.
I like London these days.
I like how warm it is.
I like how pretty is.
I like how calm it is.
That is London, right?
I picked up this shoe from eBay the other day. It cost me £39.54 after shipping. It arrived at my house. No original box and therefore nameless. Like a lost puppy. Except this puppy was made to be stepped on. Alas, not my best comparison. I sent a picture to my other trainer enthusiast friend to which he replied “Terrible, Nike Fishnets is it?”. An unsurprisingly mocking reply. Yet I did admire the creativity. Eager to find out the name of these webs, I wasn’t going to settle for the Nike Fishnets.
I was surprised to see the production label reveal that they were made back in the early 2008. My memories of free run technology were based on the 2011-14 era. I am in fact indebted to the Free Run 4.0 Flyknit model, which somehow saved my foot from a rather nasty puncture back in 2016. Having just had another ingrown toenail operation that summer, I went back to my part time labouring job with a comfy pair of 4.0’s on feet. Whilst throwing away some wood onto the burn pile I clearly wasn’t wearing appropriate footwear, as twenty minutes later, I pulled out a 10 cm nail lodged between the gaps in my sole. I looked up to see the faces of the three gentlemen who I was working with at the time, “That’s why we wear work boots mate”, they said unimpressed. I haven’t gone back to labouring since.
Nike’s 2004 Zvezdochka
The Fishnets were too late in the 2000s to belong to the Alpha Project Line up too. There was undoubtably inspiration drawn from Nike’s 2004 Zvezdochka, a modular designed shoe made up of four distinct parts. This was during Nike’s early 2000s exploration into techy and sustainable design. Whilst they were similar, they were no where near as flashy or techy. The bottom of the shoe was Free Run-esque in terms of its tread, but lacked the large splits between the pods which was essential part of the “free” aspect of its design.
The plastic toe on the shoe is taken straight from the Presto which is a more obvious comparison. The shoe would basically be a Presto had it not been for the cage which surrounds the soft upper. The closest comparison I can think of is the Nike Air Kukini. Another shoe in the Alpha Project range, combining a soft and caged upper for extra support much like the pair I got from eBay. The difference between the two is obviously the exposed air unit and the melding between the two types of upper. On a side note, the Air Kukini is rumoured to be getting a rerelease this year after originally coming out in 2000.
Nike Air Kukini – pic from Sneaker News
Luckily, I remembered the old trick of typing in the serial code into google. Within milliseconds I saw my shoe pop up on screen. The Nike Air Rejuven8. An article from Sneaker News containing my colourway came up on images. Nike Air Rejuven8 – Summer 2010 Colorways was the name of the post. Considering the shoe label stated these were made in the first quarter of 08 suggested production on these may have been slightly more complicated. I must have scrolled past the Rejuven8 name on a website back in the day as the name does not seem totally alien to me. Another successful find on eBay from a decade-old, under-the-radar silhouette, good times!
Now I have the name and the story, I can walk around in them with a less confusion. I no longer had to worry about a sneaker enthusiast striking up a conversation on the pair wrapped around my feet. Name or not, what doesn’t change is that they’re comfy and easy to slip on, a key design feature which came out of the cosy era of lockdown. You may catch me in these post hike as a recovery shoe or even roaming round the concrete streets of a city providing 2K Nike innovation vibes. The shoe itself does fit in today’s climate of parachute pants and overly-water-repellent youths, so count me in (although considering they are already mine, that was a given).
A not-so far cry from the 3D printed shoes of today, there are futuristic elements present within the Rejuven8. One comparison that comes to mind is the Zellerfeld shoe which is currently gaining a large fanbase. Both shoes have taken the traditional leather or synthetic upper and thrown it out the window, opting for a more breathable and ergonomic feel. The collab between Heron Preston and Zellerfeld is heading towards the right direction in terms of the sustainability and flipping the script on the traditional idea of the shoe. I would not be surprised the Nike Air Rejuven8 was up on the first set of mood boards for the Zellerfeld shoe, a passing of the baton in futuristic design.
About this time last year, I came across an old school grime video. It was on an Instagram page which uploaded underground Grime clips. This one however was different. I could see the watermark in the corner which clearly told me that it had been edited. I had seen the clip before but didn’t recognise the instrumental. The video was Skepta, Big H and JME in a booth at BBC radio 1 going bar for bar. The high calibre lyricism was still there yet the backing instrumental had been given a new life. Usually when you are watching these clips on YouTube you would find a recognisable instrumental that you would expect to hear from the 2000s era of Grime. This time however, the beat was bouncy and had you shaking your head like Jammer in the background of every grime video ever. I must have played the video back at least ten times, eager to find out who had created it.
It took some thinking of how I could shazam the clip but eventually I found the original creator, Wize edits. I scrolled through his various videos, finding he had rejigged classic after classic. The next edit that was an instant favourite was the Wiley and Skepta clip taken from the classic 10 minute long Risky Roadz video. Currently the video has been taken down but once again, Wize’s ability to match the original video’s energy with his instrumental choice was spot on. After spending almost an hour going through his selections, it was obvious that Wize was undoubtably elevating these already legendary clips. When it comes to Grime, especially its early 2000s era, touching the instrumentals was unthinkable, even sacrilege.
Apart from the MCs and their iconic bars, there is nothing more signature about the genre than its instrumental style. Yet, Wize a producer and MC himself, has managed to distinctly create a whole new energy with his edits. Living in an era where Drill and Afro beats has taken over the UK charts, it is easy to see how Wize has taken influence from the genres bounce and lively drum tracking. Whilst the classic grime feel had you bobbing your head, throwing up gun fingers and all the rest, Wize had you moving different. Breathing a new lease of life into these old tracks, it had me hearing bars differently. Take for example, Potter Payper’s edit where he says, “It’s me or them, so I’m tryin’ to JLS, make sure your heart don’t beat again”, a line that has stuck with me ever since. Had it not been for this laid-back instrumental and the way the track served as platform to elevate Potter’s writing, I would have never discovered or more importantly, stood out to me.
The same goes for the Ice Kid Westwood video. Here we have a minute and a half of pure vigour coming from then Grime-prodigy Ice Kid. I remember watching a video years ago of Ice and Chipmunk on a school day, spitting whilst the other sat on the street shutter post. These two kids were meant to be the up-and-coming Grime artists, it’s easy to see why. This grabbed the attention of Wiley himself which led to the infamous clip of the two displaying their talent at Westwood’s radio show. That being said, until his reappearance in 2014’s Red Bull Culture Clash, everyone including myself had forgotten about the kid. This was until Wize once again did his thing, reignited his soulful bars with his fiery instrumental. You can tell Ice is mature beyond his age with lines like, “stack dough so I can move to a next Island, I might move to Ireland, with my family, somewhere I don’t move from sirens”, aware of how his ambitions can help him escape an area that will hold him back. He was only 16 when he spat those bars on Westwood’s show so who knows what he could have gone to do.
Since first discovering Wize, his following has increased massively and deservingly so. He’s now working more on his own music and producing instrumentals for current day artists, all whilst finding the time to release the classic edited clips. I thought he was the only producer doing this type of thing until I came across Knxwledge’s Instagram story.
I had known of the American producer since his 2-hour long mixes with Earl Sweatshirt. One day he posted a story about how his Meek Mill edits had been copyrighted, speculating it was someone at the Meek’s label. He described his frustration because he loved these old Meek clips, the initial reason for his edits. Knowing I was a fan of old school clip revamps, I began a deep dive into works of Knxwledge. The first video I came across was whatuneed_ and whilst it was clear there was a distinct difference in sound, the essence was still the same.
Once again, we had a producer wanting to update the energy from an old video of his favourite artist. The music’s equivalent of updating a VHS or DVD into a Blu-ray copy. You want to mimic the feeling you had of when you first watched the clip; yet when you relisten to it, the audio sounds muddy due to the video’s age and the backing track lacks that punch. The soulfulness on whatuneed_ , similar to that of Wize’s Potter Payper edit, provides a great platter for Meek’s lyricism.
We must recognise that the producers do have an advantage in these cases. This whole style relies on a sense of hindsight and the understanding what these MC’s have gone on to achieve. Back when the video surfaced, the artist would have been a newcomer and was giving it their best to prove their talent. Therefore, these old beats served to boost the genre and were ground-breaking during that period; more-so in the case of the Grime clips. The power belonged to the instrumental, with the MC having to match the energy of the track. Wize and Knxwledge have to do the reverse of that, paying homage to the moment created by the MC. We as the audience, watch these videos of Skepta and Meek Mill with the understanding that they went on to do and are doing, something greater. There is not only a sense of nostalgia when we watch these videos back but a recognition that these early examples of their talent are more important now. The videos hold more weight because they are the first embers of a fire that is currently blazing.
Both Wize and Knxwledge as fans as well producers, recognise this too. They have the same task the MC/Rapper did back then, by paying respect to the other half of the track. Their instrumental must absorb the lyrical meanings and cadences during their performance, deciding how best to uplift their performance. It is comparable to how special effects teams spend months colourising old War footage, making it easier for the modern-day audience to connect with what they are experiencing. Through their skill, they remove the barrier that is time. Acknowledging the difficulty of pulling this off only garners more respect for both the producers. Both Wize and Knxwledge are, in my opinion, creating an almost new wave in the music industry. Their ability to breath new life into already classic moments is truly beautiful. I am undoubtably a fan of this new movement and judging by the traction they are receiving, so is the rest of the World.
Old habbits Old friends grey clouds a few drinks neither here nor there some new faces but old feelings a sense of want a brave face arriving at a destination where the train is stood still waiting for the opportuninty to chug along the tracks passing red brick buildings that have stood complacent for many a decade this train was full of passengers all eager to get back home after being away for what seemed to be like a lifetime. wha would they return to? a semblance of their old life or a chance to start anew. a smile greeted them that had never left an aura that maintained during a winter embers ready to be welcomed by the fresh air that swayed about the damp concrete streets of manchester
a life of insignificance a life of deadlines and dead eyes peering into their phone waiting for some form of good news a release of endorphins that’ll curl their lip upwards in an attempt to prove to others that they are in fact human. Their heads constantly facing downwards as if waiting for the ground to swallow them up. Yet the ground stays still like it always did and seems to do these days the most stable thing in their lives seems to be inanimate grey and trodden on yet they constantly shake around in thought hoping they land on one happy idea to carry them back home from this artifically lit underground train track.
I recently picked up several DVD’s from a charity shop for a pound each. One of these were Enduring Love (2004), a film I had never heard of before until the moment I picked it up. Seeing pre – Bond era Daniel Craig on the front cover, I was intrigued. That intrigue was further added to by the large Red Hot balloon on which normally signifies a family friendly element to the piece of art, yet with an R-rated 18 at the bottom corner, this could not be the case.
This film has without a doubt, one of the most edge of your seat openings I have experienced. Greeted by the peaceful English countryside, I relaxed into the warmth of my sofa. “Two people having a picknick” I thought, my body sunk even further into the soft cushions. Yet in less than two minutes, the entrance of our intriguing red hot air balloon decides to take centre stage, a sense of unease crashing along behind it. Gone were the extensive shots of landscape and the gentle pace of Joe (Daniel Craig’s character) trying to open up an expensive bottle of champagne. Now came a entourage of quick cuts, close ups and shaky handheld shots which undoubtably switched up the tone. A succession of characters we weren’t familiar with then come running into frame (literally), all trying to prevent this wrecking ball of a hot air balloon from taking flight. They successfully stop it moving till what seems like a godly presence in the form of a badly timed gust of winds sends the balloon soaring upwards again. It is at this point we as the audience expect the danger to continue, which it does, yet in a way which I did not expect.
Four men, one of which is main character Joe, hangs onto the four corners of the Air balloon basket, the Dad dangling off on the rope. The roaring fire of the Balloon quiets down and makes way for the score to kick softly ebb into the film. The heavy breathing of one of the men accompanies the violins and harps. We see Joe slowly hanging in the air, he wears the face of a man who has just discovered something. Lost in the moment, he gives into his sense of feeling brought on by the weightlessness of flight. He feels like he has just discovered a superpower, yet acknowledges the increasing sense of vulnerability, between himself and his fall. The Director’s powerful metaphor for love. Or what I can only imagine love to feel like.
The man who fell was not lost, yet so assured in his thoughts that given the choice, he would have never let go.
All four men eventually let go, falling to the floor with a heavy landing. They are safe. Grounded, they stand up, looking at the hot air balloon float further off into the distance. The farther of the boy clings on. His love for his son an unfamiliar feeling to the four men who watch from the ground. At first, I thought the reason they all stood still watching because they did not know how to help the situation. Upon further thought however, I realised I was wrong. The men, joined by Joe’s partner who comes back on screen, are lost in the beauty of what they are witnessing. They watch the unfaltering love between a farther and son. A love so pure that it leads to death. The Director choses to highlight the beauty of a man hanging onto the last seconds of his life rather than the overwhelming sense of fear that the audience is expected to experience. This narrative is owed largely to Jeremy Sam’s who composed the score and did an excellent job capturing the duality between sadness and beauty. The man who fell was not lost, yet so assured in his thoughts that given the choice, he would have never let go.
The films opening conjures up so many emotions within the space of five minutes that one simply cannot forget it. Whenever I look at a hot air balloon I will recognise the presence of beauty and danger, something which seems to be underappreciated in our everyday life.
I would very much encourage that you go watch this film. As of the time of this writing it is available to stream on Netflix.
wear shoes, write poems 