Archive for December, 2008

Music is the most influential way to reach young people, it can create a sense of community which is exactly what is needed the world over. The fact that the future president Barack Obama encourages the use of the media to inspire, letting people have freedom of speech seems to be working for him, it almost makes him seem more ‘normal,’ honest and passionate.

Obama’s campaign has featured the soulful voices of Beyonce & Jennifer Hudson; Will.i.am, Common, and John Legend on ‘Yes We Can’; while MC Yogi inspired the ‘Vote for Hope’; and Amber Lee Ettinger creatively shared her crush on Obama.

These now famous songs may have in part inspired another musical inspiration for charity Playing for Change Foundation. The song features musicians from around the world performing “Stand By Me”, in a pro-change viral video. The footage was recently released through a documentary, Playing for Change: Peace Through Music, to build awareness around its core mission and connect the world through music. “Stand By Me” is the first of many independently produced songs by the Foundation to be released.

Proceeds from the project will help to build schools, connect students, and inspire communities across the globe – hopefully proving once again, like Obama, we can create change through music.

Source: trendcentral.com

By 2011, the Asia Pacific region will represent 33 per cent of global music market, and 40 per cent of global digital revenues. Asia constitutes 60 per cent of the world’s mobile music market, three times the size of the US. Japan, China and South Korea lead the way, cornering 95 per cent of the Asian market. Advanced mobile networks, phone handsets and expanding broadband infiltration will be the key growth drivers in the region according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Practice Leader Marcel Fenez.

Undoubtedly the global music scene will be influenced by Asia. In recent years we have seen Westernised bands influenced by African music, particularly Vampire Weekend, and the in the emergence of the ‘Funky’ genre on the UK dance scene, which incorporates classic house with Afro beats. Could begin to see an emergence in Indian or Far Eastern elements used in music?

Source: radioandmusic.com

Image source: Flickr.com/alestria

As retail sales continue to slump, Mpdclick looks to Lavender/room boutique in Brighton, UK citing the store as unique inspiration for keeping afloat within the retail market during hard economic times. By adhering to consumer demand Lavender/room has revived traditional customer service values and offers products with a handmade aesthetic, customers can justify their spending with a product that encompasses a unique experience from browsing through to purchasing. Mpdclick caught up with Andrea Freeman from Lavender/room to uncover the ethos behind the store;

Lavender/room is a one-stop shopping heaven for women, stocking everything beautiful for themselves and their home, and a safe haven for men in need of the perfect gift or treat for the women in their lives. Now in its fifth year, Lavender/room has achieved high status in Brighton as a ‘must-see’ boutique.

Lavender/room is a blend of romantic boudoir, home to sophisticated fashion labels, lingerie & nightwear, jewellery and leather bags, both new and vintage, and a trove of vintage-inspired home accessories; glass & ceramics, mirrors, paintings, candles.  Available on-line www.lavender-room.co.uk, and at the boutique in the heart of Brighton’s fashionable North Laines.

Owners Nicky Sanderson and Jenny Atherton travel worldwide to source the things they love from antique fairs, markets, international trade shows and new designers. Both women are still very much involved in the daily running of the boutique, offering a very personal, approachable shopping experience, and creating an inviting atmosphere where every customer is made to feel special. Believing there is a desire to go back to old-fashioned values of good and personalised customer service, Lavender/room aims to become each and every one of their customers’ favourite shop.

Image source:

For release in summer 2010, M. Night Shyamalan takes a break from crafting original screenplays to direct a live-action adaptation of the popular American animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The film will tell the tale of a 12-year old boy who provides the last hope for restoring harmony to a land consumed by chaos. In a world balanced on the four nations of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, masters known as the Waterbenders, Earthbenders, Firebenders, and Airbenders have mastered their native elements.

Though the masters can each manipulate their native elements, the only one with the power to manipulate all four elements is this 12-year old boy known as the Avatar. When the Avatar subsequently appears to die while still mastering his powers, the Fire nation launches a global war with the ultimate goal of global domination. One hundred years later, two teens discover that the Avatar and his flying bison have in fact been locked in suspended animation. Upon being freed from his prison, the Avatar embarks on an arduous quest to restore harmony among the four war-ravaged nations.

If M.Night Shyamalan’s history of outstanding films is anything to go by, this will be a deep story with twists at every turn, offering the audience the chance to dream and imagine. This idea relates back to Mpdclick’s previous documentation of superheroes, while the theory of letting the viewer imagine and escape everyday life mirrors the ethos of AW 10/11’s Escapism.

The costumes mix together two trends, bringing clean lines and draping shapes which influences our Cleanse theme. Also bold and structured shapes inspire Origin by using cropped jackets and jodhpur style trousers. Colours are kept tonal but with flashes of striking burnt oranges and flame red. Shapes and designs of these garments are layered with minimal and practical accessories and styled to a mythical martial arts theme.

Source: movies.msn.com