King Apparel are one of the UKs foremost premium streetwear brands remaining resolute as ever; to develop and grow a clothing brand independently, run by those who live and breath the culture; to create cutting edge design; to deliver impeccable quality and to retain the utmost integrity at every point.  Keeping things exclusive with a maximum of 300 pieces or less produced in each garment and a no re-runs or repeats philosophy to retain exclusivity.

With that King Apparel have covered many bases this season with a pricepoint denim coming in at under £55 the Athelstan is set to sell out instantly.   Made with the same care and quality of all King garments the Athelstan is setting a new standard, matt black King buttons on the fly, leather K logo patch on the right rear pocket and tan embroidered triple stitch on the rear pockets, these bad boys have been manufactured to perform and sell.

Along with denim King have produced some custom, cut and sew crew neck sweat shirts in classic colour combinations and killer designs, The Prestige with the King lion head logo sells out every season and this year comes in the new exclusive colour Baby Blue.  That is supported by what will become classic designs Reign Supreme no fifty shades of grey here just athletic grey with a yellow print and the new East London Kings in Navy with blue print or bad boy black and orange, if you know your culture you will get these designs.

Enough of the classics I said King had covered all the bases and here’s my key piece and whilst others in the streetwear business are playing safe King drop the Duck Camo Rain Mac, BOOM!!!! I love this piece and will be rocking mine any day.  King started from scratch and designed the camo and had the fabric produced before they perfected this jacket.  I know King Apparel and I have one of their jackets that I wear everyday in the cold morning walking my dogs, it performs and I know the Duck Camo RainMac will too and not only that it looks very, very, VERY cool, sorry did I repeat myself there

Of course you can get all these pieces plus more from King Apparel and all your other favourite urban streetwear brands from sturbanclothing.com the only place to shop online since 1999 and still keeping it UK and independent all the way.

FaltyDL
NYC based producers FaltyDL and Machinedrum both have a knack for creating subdued, yet infectious soundscapes. The track starts off languidly seducing you with snipped-up vocal samples before feverishly fast drums drop to hook you in. With a sound that exist somewhere between house, UK garage and the more spacious, ethereal moments of dubstep.

Submotion Orchestra
Dubstep with soul I love Submotion, I first remember hearing them with the Nero colab. Submotion Orchestra, a new breed of producers and musicians are taking bass weight and re-introducing something with a soulful edge with jazzy flourishes and plenty of heavy, heavy sub-bass electronics.

Myown – Vesna
Here we have the fourth release from the splendid Left Blank Label who have been carving & crafting their own niche into the multi dimensional Bass Music scene since their arrival last year. This is a truly wonderful and fascinating release from the Russian producer ‘Myown’. His expertise in manipulating sounds, textures and beats into sensational tracks is second to none. The three track EP is available on beautiful 10” vinyl, I might have to go out and buy some decks to be able to hear this in all its glory!

Lost Twin – Birds
Well what can I say about this release from Lost Twin apart from it’s absolutely fantastic and it’s FREE!!! If you don’t know the Spanish/Brighton based producer Lost Twin from his previous releases now is definitely the time you should look into the extraordinary talents this young chap has to offer! ‘Birds’ is an exceptional exploration into the world of cutting edge instrumental Hip Hop that outshines the majority of producers in his game. There is no excuse not to download this album, I would personal pay good money for this eleven track masterpiece.

Chocky – Beating Around The Bush
BAfter Chocky’s debut release with the great Nottingham based label Disconnected Chocky has come back with another corker! This is defiantly going to be my EP of choice for those lazy summer days that are hopefully just around the corner. The EP is made up of exquisitely crafted samples that form outstanding tracks by someone you can tell has a vast knowledge and passion for many genres of music. Can’t wait to get this on my ipod and go walking in the sunshine!

Giudo – Micro X / Vessel Dogs
After the great success of Guido’s debut album Anidea he launches his brand new label ‘State of Joy’ with two outstanding tracks. Micro X is the more upbeat of the two with expertly placed arpeggiating synth lines, Deep bass & sizzling sitar. While Vessel dogs is a beautiful, mesmerizing and alluring Dub based gem. It’s harp melody and rich warm bass have luxurious meditative qualities that’ll make you want to put this on repeat for hours on end.

About Will Plowman

‘I am a musician and record label owner who has played in various bands over the past eighteen years covering all sorts of styles of music and am a bit of a synth geek. I’ve written and produced a couple of solo albums and EPs along the way too. I am a passionate music lover and new music enthusiast which is what drives me to run my label ‘A Future Without’.’

Will Plowman
A Future Without

Will also did a podcast for Sturban Clothing which you can catch here.

How do you guys know each other.
We have been friends since about the age of 5/6 as we grew up together in the same area

What’s the dynamics of the group (who does what)
daniel is head of design. Gary head of wholesale and business. Emz head of sales. But we all get involved in each department with our team who are JD (sales),MD (PR), ALONSO (Design) and CURIO (web design, web maintenance).

Any disagreements (ever)
NEVER. Not even one in the last 3/4 years!!

What was the reason for started F2D
seen a gap in the market for the kind of clothes we wanted to see in shops.

What was the ethos behind the brand then and has it changed
to make original stand out garments at affordable prices. Nothing has changed.

How did you start F2D ie money, what garments/designs, promotion
we each put some money in from our own pockets. Split the start up money 3 ways. We started with printed tees, hoodies and sweaters.

I’ve seen Ghetts in your garms does he buy them or do you flow him
we work with him. He has worn our brand a few times now. Most recently in a video

Do you support/sponsor any people
yes quite a few. Too much to name. But for example. Soulja Boy, Cher Lloyd, Terrence (106 and park)

The jump for printed to cut and sew jackets is massive how did that happen.
That was always the plan. We were never going to be just a printing brand as anyone can do that really. So while we released the 1st items we were already sampling our cut and sew items for the following collection, and thats what we did. All our items now from our tees to our jackets are all cut and sew!!

Are these garms produced in the UK.
No they are made elsewhere in a few locations

Soulja Boy pretty big, how did the collaboration come about
him and his management found us online and they reached out to us to work.

Are these pieces being sold UK and USA
they Have been and will be available online so you can buy them wherever you are. The New Era hats will be available to buy online from the American base of our collab

How much of the design is F2D and how much Soulja Boy
all is F2D with him approving them before we mass produce.

What is Soulja Boy’s main involvement in the brand
he is the co owner of the collab. We discuss everything before it happens. And obviously he is the main marketing tool wearing the items in videos like he has done. And photo shoots etc etc

Now you have Soulja Boy in the bag is there any more colabs on the horizon
we are currently working with LIL DEBBIE @L1Ldebbie of white girl mob on another big collab! Its been really good working with her. She has been involved in the collab in a big way. Watch this space!! Drops soon. We are also talking to a major US stylist about dropping a collab jacket.

What do you want the future of F2D to be like
we want to recognised worldwide for being a brand to respect.

Anything you wanna add or say
shouts out to everyone that has supported the brand from 2009 up until now. Shouts to all the customers. Lets get a brand from the streets of Birmingham on the world map together

I will be looking to cover a whole host of topics over the coming months to introduce you to the world of the global adrenaline junkies, thrill seekers, extreme sports pioneers and those who like to do things a little different from the rest of us.

The idea of each feature is to give the reader a quick insight into a variety of air, land and sea based activities, with links to online media sources for further information.

A bit of background info for starters…

My own interest in action sports started at very young age along with my 3 younger brothers Ben, Sam and Tim. With only 4 years between us we were always tight. We would often go to Moto-X and trials events with our dad who was seriously into his motor bikes – both on and off road. This is still the case today – I don’t think he has missed a Moto GP or Super Bike race on TV in the last 10 years!

Two events that really stuck in the mind were the Weston Beach race and the British Round of the World Moto-X Championship. The riders were just going flat out everywhere with supreme control to match the incredible speed – truly awe inspiring for a young kid to see. These events had sown the seeds for an interest in action sports that would influence the rest of our lives. It had opened a door to another world.

With such a large family we couldn’t afford for us all to have a motor bike each so we had a few 80cc field bikes to blat around on down at the local farm. Sam and Tim eventually got involved in the youth Moto-x racing scene and then progressed onto adult racing years later. This would be an excellent starting point for other sports we would embrace in the future.

BMX racing was a natural progression from Moto-X. Myself and youngest brother Tim started racing at a regional level and soon progressed on to National and International events, taking on the British Championships along the way.

During this time we met some amazing people and travelled the country on a weekly basis. We were also involved in setting up new tracks and trail spots around Devon. We helped a close knit community establish the original race track, now one of the best venues in the South West, for Decoy BMX Club which has now expanded to include an outdoor skatepark and trails spot under the guidance of a team led by Kye Forte. Kye is a great example that if you have quality local facilities you can go on to much bigger things – he was crowded World Dirt Jump Champion in 2005. A fitting crown for someone who has put so much in and also given so much back to the sport. In 2008 he created possibly the best BMX contest ever run on UK soil – The Empire of Dirt A perfect combination of obstacles for riders to truly express themselves.

Whilst 2 of us were hucking ourselves over dirt mounds Ben had shown a great interest in Mountain Biking. A sport that would later bring the 4 of us head to head on the local downhill racing scene I can safely say that without the common love of bikes we would not be such a close family. The common interest and respect for each other has kept arguments to the bare minimum throughout our lives.

Ben followed his passion and got himself a job at Muddy Fox and soon worked his way up through the ranks. At one point he had design and spec input for the bikes being sold on the High Street before leaving to set up a bike distribution company back in Devon. During this time he started racing downhill at a National level and soon became the Muddy Fox race team manager – his team of young riders that he assembled have gone on to be some of the country’s finest riders and eventual World Champions – most notably the Atherton family – Dan , Gee and Rachel.

We are all still involved in action sports in one form or another (we are all now into our 30’s and still biking, skating, surfing and climbing) which I think says something for the scene. It’s constantly developing with new talents emerging on a daily basis. It stays fresh. It stays inspiring just as it did when we’re just kids on the track side. Personally I think life is all about progression and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone to learn new things. Action sports allow you to do this on an individual level but you still feel part of a larger community – the best of both worlds.

Featured Website

skateparkpages.co.uk – The Essential Guide to Skateparks.

Established in 2003 by Dan Pratley and myself. The result of a project funded by MIND and Millennium Awards. Skatepark Pages set out to be the UK’s best online skatepark directory giving users easy access to skatepark information and related news / features including Video’s, picture galleries, discussion boards, relevant web links and a blog. Currently looking for contributors so get in touch if you are a budding photographer, journalist and video maker – skateparkpages@blueyonder.co.uk

Featured Activity
Wing Suits – base jumping with a difference.

WOW! This has to be the craziest thing I have come across as yet.

On October 31, 1997, French skydiver Patrick de Gayardon showed reporters a wing suit and alleged unparalleled safety and performance. De Gayardon died on April 13, 1998 while testing a new modification to his parachute container

In early 1998, Tom Begic, a BASE jumper from Australia, built and flew his own wing suit based on a photograph of Patrick de Gayardon and his ideas. The suit was developed to assist Begic in capturing free fall footage of BASE jumpers while jumping the high cliffs of Europe. In early 1999, Begic stopped development of his suit when he met Robert Pečnik and learned of plans for the creation of a wing suit manufacturing company. Phoenix Fly was started in the mid 2000s.

The sport has developed as the suits have become more advanced. The increased level of control has enabled the user to become a lot more accurate in their flight.

If there is one thing I want to try before I die it’s got to be this – whether I have got the balls to do it is another question!. Total freedom – the impossible art of human flight has been made obtainable – even if it is for just a few minutes.

Featured Athletes
Skateboard – Tony Hawk and BMX – Matt Hoffman

Probably the two best known names in Action Sports but in case you haven’t heard of these guys just check the links and read the bio’s. Legend is a word used far too often in my opinion but that is not the case here. True pioneers of the Skate and BMX world they help set the standard of what was possible. Tony and Matt’s vert ramp antics pushed these sports further into the lime light – they laid the foundation of probably the world’s biggest extreme sports content The X-Games. MH’s video Head First was made back in 1991 and was so far ahead of it’s time in terms of content.

Both have gone on to dominate the console games market as well. Tony Hawk games must be in the 100’s of millions sold by now. I had the pleasure of meeting them at the NASS event back in 2006 where they were putting on a vert doubles display. Top top blokes.

Featured – Track
Serious action calls for a serious bassline – think this fits the bill nicely.

Catch you next time for some more Freestyle Movements – Alex

Links
Soundcloud

Showcasing talent familiar to the label and new artists alongside this is one hell of a heavy release, so set your subs to max and warn the neighbours – The IDMf Bass crew is here!

Tracklist: Download

1. Circus of Mind – Jiggawatt
2. Michael Knead – Conversations II
3. Lebeux – Breathless
5. Lucky One – SuperKontraBass
6. Qianta – efemeight
7. IG88 – Seahorse Paternity Test (Toronto is Broken Remix)
8. Stereoglyph – Cruisin
9. Neuroscientist – Test Mat
10. Concierge_Weetr – We are made from soil

It all started in A-level Art when I was studying Street Art and a couple of friends asked if they could buy my stencil prints off me. As popularity of these prints grew, and I still had a lot of fund raising to do for my trip to Africa that following summer, I noticed this could be a great opportunity to fund raise and also to get my art out there. I then experimented with spray painting onto clothes and these became equally as successful as the prints.

After returning from another amazing trip to Africa, I thought I could build and keep expanding this business due to how much attention it was getting, and people were requesting all kinds of designs. So over the past years I’ve been working on more complex stencil designs, and getting my clothing screen printed as oppose to spray painted (to stop fading and also to save my health!). It’s difficult to maintain on the side of an intense university course but as long as you’ve got the passion for it, it’s definitely worth the work!

BSKA is a combination of things really. I also play guitar and am very passionate about music so it’s kinda like “Buska”, someone who performs their art also on the street. It’s also a series of initials that stood for something at the time.

There was no intention to look like batik but I’m going to research into it further now you’ve brought it up and maybe it can inspire some future pieces!

Over the next month I’m working on using BSKA as part of a fund raising project for UK Charity War Child. Ever since my Aunt came back from Uganda about 7 years ago and told me a story of how she went to a speech by an ex-child soldier, I’ve been inspired to help war children. He told the crowd how the rebels had broken into his home, taken his family and told him he has nothing left to live for so he must come and fight for them. I’m designing a range of war child inspired t-shirts and I’ve been in contact with a few celebs so I’m hoping to bring it into the spotlight more and raise awareness and money for War Child.

If anyone has any ideas for us, we’d love to get some feedback, so just drop me an email on sam@bska.co.uk