Starting...

... my Second Life week at Butterflies for another motown lunchtime session, a beautiful way to ease out of the weekend and slide into the rigours of the working week.

DJ Sam Czaczke lays down a blindin' set of motown sixties classics, ideal for snapping out of the Monday melodrama that afflicts most of us as we struggle to get a grip on lunchtime life in the UK. That of course is the odd thing about Second Life clubs like Butterflies that attract a global crowd. Here I am in Blighty having my late morning brew; meanwhile there is an Aussie girl over there dancing the evening away before she slides off to bed and a Yank behind us having his 5am breakfast whilst his west coast compatriot who should really be asleep is souled out on a groove. Yeah, its a crazy wonderful virtual world we inhabit.

A fun morning, dancing my pants off to some outstanding soul cracking a few jokes and having fun chatting with the people in the club,,,all thriving on a duiet of high octane sixties soul! If you like your soul classic with a Detroit beat this is the place to be on a Monday for a couple of hours as Sam spins the disc from three til five SLT. Ah, as iI type a little Diana Ross supreme romance drifting over me....reach out and touch.

Yeah get into the groove, grab your scooter and get yourself over to Butterflies and start a Second Life Monday, or finish it perhaps, on a glorious diet of soul!

Wandering the grid...

...in search of entertainment can be hard task. Don't get the wrong idea I love my regular Tuesday and Thursday night mod sessions with modsters sumpreme Eden and Kim plus the regulars; and I'm always eager to leap on the tp sent out by the OSRHQ to enjoy a fun filled night of funk. But, occassionally I like to see new places even if I'm happy for the soul music to remain the same.

During my roaming  came across the Some Place Else area;a small shopping mall, with a nice little club and good dance floor at its centre where they are streaming in some nice soul tunes via shoutcast. I am unsure if the club holds live soul nights or if its merely their favourite music stream sent in to entertain the shoppers. Not the coolest looking club but any port in a storm..here's hoping it starts up some kind of soul DJ night, or mod night [its what dreams are made of] that doesnt clash with any existing nights and so broadens the portfolio of mod/soul/funk on the grid.

Randomly typing motown into the search engine and then tping into likely spots also brought me to the Soul Vibrations Club which was streaming a more contemporay soul stream. Greeted by a dancing soul bot i mived onto the dance floor of this rather spartan venue, ostensibly a fenced dance floor on a tropical beach. Despite a lack of architectural glamour the club works the tropical setting suiting the chilled smooth soul streamed into the dancers.

Of the two clubs I prefered the setting of the Vibrations club but the motown stream of the Some Place Else shoutcast was probably closer to my musical tastes. Are they both just empty blocks of land streaming soul to nobody or do they lie at the heart of a throbbing soul community. I hope its the latter but my Second Life experience teaches me that the former is sadsly much more likely.

Soul is all over the grid, and it is thriving in pockets. Mod is the exclusive preserve of a couple of British clubs, more DJs more venues are need. The hard working mod DJs and owners do a great job but cant do it all alone. What the grid needs is more live DJs playing non-clashing gigs at venues across the grid, here'shoping it happens.

Modernist Fashion in SL

Another old suit, this time one from Hoorenbeek. This beautiful black suit comes with two shirt colour variations: red or black, both open shirted or with a corrosponding tie, black-to-red or red-to-black. Its all beautifully textured as you would expect from a master virtual fashion house like Hoorenbeek but it has a serious flaws. The jacket and shirt are not multi-layered they come as a single shirt layer with shirt and jacket carried on that texture. This does not allow any mixing or matching and restricts the items use to this rather simplistic look. Multiple layers with seperate shirt and jacket layers would free up the wearer to use other shirts or jackets with the Hoorenbeek clothing; howevver, sadly, single layering seems to bne a feature of Hoorenbeek design which means its use is seriously hampered. This somewhat tragic as the texturing and design of the suit creation is masterful and I would love to wear it more, with other items but as thats impossible the suit rarely gets an outing.

Hoorenbeek are pure quality, well known across the grid; their trainers are amongst the very bestr out there and the clothing range of superb quality. But, this simple design rule of placing all clothing shirt and sweater, jacket and sweater et al all upon a single layer means I find their output of limited use; I hope things have changed since my last purchase as their clothing would add quality to any virtual mods wardrobe.

Hoorenbeek

Modernist Fashion in SL

Suits from Simone, these two suits are quite old and so probably unavailable but they still serve well as examples of this designs work; Ive matched them with shirts from Meriken.

The sheen on the texturing gives these suits a real tonic look to them that appeals to my maodernist taste - the cool ska tonic suits of my Two Tone youth. As with amost all Second Life suits the lael are far too wide for a retro, ska based suit but its a small price to pay to get a virtuak "tonic" suit into your virtual mods wardrobe. Do Simone still stock this range? I am unsure but there may be even better designs avauilable, at the minute I'm just rifling thru my inventory and blogging whatever I find: old and new,,to give you a sense of what is out there so you can feel confident ogf building your own modernist warddrobe. Hope it works, and your immersing yourself in a virtual modernist experience.
Simone

Congratulations...

..to Slate and Maddie who got married at the beautiful St Nicholas Church in Second Life, around midnight in the UK. A lovely ceremony full of humour and charm; also with so many people prseent to share your happiness, it was an indication of how respected and loved you are within our little virtual community. Yeah the lag was there, it always is at such events but such is the price we pay for these glorious moments,. And, for anyone who doesnt get the romance of SL they could do no better than to hear Slate's vows which expressed it far better than I ever could whilst Maddie's vows were inspirational, no wonder he fell for her ,it was a beautiful virtual moment ,  and I hope Slate and Maddie have many more in the virtual time ahead.

*if this blog report causes offence in reporting a private virtual ceremony please let me know and I'll dump it straight away.

virtual Brighton

Okay so  the next topic I choose to blog about is the classic mod seaside resort Brighton, its a paradise for modernist snaoppers and general tourists alike. The focus of the sim is the wonderful recreation of Brighton pier, complete with dodgems and other virtual toys to entertain the virtual traveller. The amount of detail invested in the build is staggering and the pier majestically strides out across the beach and into the sea. Pull up a deck chair and have a wee snooze.

So its a beautiful sim whats that got to do with being a virtual mod?

I guess it depends how far you wish to immerse yourself into your virtual mod experience. Once you have  found the right skin, hair, eyes etc to create your avatar, bought the clothes and styled yourself as a mod, got yourself a cool scooter you are going will probably be looking to put a snap of your new virtual modernist self on your profile. Where better to take that snap than at a sim replicating an area synomomous with the real mods from the sixties. Sure otther places saw pitched battles between mods and rockers: Margate, Hastings etc but its Brighton that remains in the consciousness of the media and mods alike.

I hear there is a fancy dress party at the sim on Friday, not sure what the style of the music will be, but wouldnt it be great if an occassional mod night could be held on this sim. Imagine the scene as the virtual mods cruise down the promenade on their scooters; get off [or detatach them lol] asnd then stride into the dance hall to strut their stuff to the smoothest sounds on the grid from some of the funkies soulful DJs on the grid, an all day spectacular. Careful, oooh I'm getting over excited by the prospect, virtual bliss.

I'm here a fair bit either messing around on my Slate built scooter, snapping myself [for as Albion I appear to have developed a severe case of narcisms, if I wasnt an ironic Brit I could convince myself I really am gorgeous and a gift to the world, luckily I know thats only true on Fridaty afternoons.] Where, was I? Talking shite? Correct! So you'll find me idling away on the promenade snapping myself, while I imagine I'm snapping a host of scootering mods, all very Qyuadrophenia, any cool photographers who are looking for a stunning Second Life image could do a lot worse than orchestrate a mod line up on scooters parading along Brighton prom. Ahhh what a ride.....

New Brighton

Whats Occuring....

Wednesday night found me dancing up a storm at the Pathfinders Ruins, with DJ diva Divine spinning the wax on the decks. A host of known soul revellers were in attendance as this cool gig is an offshoot of the successful soul nights at the  Original Soul Rebel Head Quarters (aka OSRHQ). Everyone is welcome to these nights, yeah everyone even vampyres, and the friendly soul funksters do their best to make you feel part of the gang. The music was awesome, we listened to some old skool rap, tremendous funk and breath taking soul..but sadly no Wham which left one soul boy in floods of tears...I wont name him and expose his shame, he needs his composure to get wed tomorrow ,,,oops! haha.

So, yes the jokes were flying out as fast as the great tunes were sailing in, awesome music and great people thats what the virtual life is all about,,so keerp it drama free.

I enjoy these soul and funk nights out they're a laugh and a chance to hear stuff that I probably would not generally come across, plus I get to reaquaint myself with stuff thats sat lost on my I-Tunes while newer stuff gets played. Yep ,old tunes are like old toys lost at the bottom of the toy box, always getting replaced by newer shinier ones..awww. So, it was excellent to hear tracks by Grandmaster Flash and others hit the airwaves. A strong set delivered some pounding sounds and the crowd lapped up the heavy dance vibe and seemed to get higher with every song, a virtual melody of soul appreciation. In real street, if your hear has a beat, this music will affect your feet,,,and yes mine were rolling all over the shop.

Its a great way to spend a Wednesday, I urge you to check it out.

Thursday BBC1 9pm...Gavin and Stacey lift off.

Which meant I was late for my regular Thursday night apponment at the Soul Mods Mecca, undoubtedly the best mod club on the grid. Kim was at the decks all night and played a storming set that had everyone out on the floor. The music is all that matters here: no sploders, no shops, no irritating pop ups its just a club for the people who want to be there and dance , following in the traditions of the lamented but not forgotten Twisted Wheel [the OSRHQ pursues a similar policy]. This frees the club from endless lag and allows the people to rezz and dance, except for the odd few stalkers who prowl around, but we know they're dancing at home inside their heads, so they count too.

There were some newcomers to the club who were delighted to discover its musical charms and chilled atmosphere, the reputation of the club and its resident DJs grows with every outing, and I sense the club under the skilled management [ie run for that right reasons] of Dugi and Aston will flourish. Anyway enough kow towing to the bosses, haha. And welcome to the Seany sentence. Yes in my little waffle about the club I have decided to do a regular special feature dedicated to my chief blog lover, yes Scotney Sean This weeks Sean sentence is:

 "Blog this"

Hey I never said it was going to be philosophical or erudite, but more from the Seany sentence next week and if you have a Seany sentence you'd like to add...write yer own bleedin' blog, or IM if your nice.

It can be a touch mental at the Mecca and if you dont get British humour you might get lost in the whirl of gestures and chat, but its wildly funny extremely friendly and well worth a TP on a drizzly Thursday night in November I also had a nice chat with the lovely Shauna Skye who has a long standing blog which is well worth a look at, its in my links on the right: Moonletters. So yes I had another good night, could even say it was crackin'.

Its DJs and clubs like this that drags me back to the grid, friendly crowds awesome music and inspirational fun, I sometimes forget I'm um um and think Im 17 again, on my lime green Rally 200 riding down to the Steelworks pub to sit and talk scooters, listen to the Jam or some soul and forgot at 7am I'll be back building submarines again. Yeah these clubs are that good,, full of the euphoria of youth, just virtual this time around, you cant beat it.so if your virtual I encourage you to click on the links on the right get on that SURL and enjoy yourself.

more Modernist Musings,,,

Tinkering

Well who's a clever boy then..said in a parroty style!"

Small thing impress small minds and my techno-mind is mightily impressed I have worked out how to get the side bar functioning and actually quite useful. I have finally suused out the labelling thing; so for example if you want to read up on the Soul Mods pieces or the OSRHQ you can click on the label at the right and it'll bring them up..obviously there's not an actual deluge of them at the minute but hey give it time,,,

I've also doubly impressed myself by putting up photo links to to my favourite places in SL, give it a click and the SURL pops up,,,I'm amazed a luddite lime myself is capable of such feats. Simplicity to you youths but a touch tricky to us revalist mods with failing specs and an aversion to technological complexity.

Oh, aye I have a couple of follower thin....

Why does the techno world try so hard to piss me off. Now I can't type a feckin' g without the whole bloody screen freezin', I've had to cut and paste, and then,,crash blue screen relog just to get to type a feckin letter G! And while I'm whinging where's the bleedin' spell checker gone on here?

Anway, yeah I have a couple of follower thingies one works through facebook if you have a SL face book asccount just befriend me although I'll confess I'm hardly ever logged in; the other one works thru google mail so ditto the facebook..get an SL e-mail and follow the blog not sure what else you do. That is provided of course you can be bothered to come back and read this waffle,,I know I have one victim,,err I ean follower on each, so keep 'em companty there's a pal.

I have noticed this blog is getting a tad confessional with me costantly berating technology and stuff, will try to stay off that in future and focus on the cool clothes, majestic mod, fabulous funk and scinterlting soul thats out there on the grid.

I'll probably start with a great night at the Pathfinder ruins.....

Modernist Fashion in SL

SKA T-SHIRTS

This cool jacket layered [I prefer shirt layer but its a cool graphic] T-Shirt is from  Kennef Riggles and can be found on the XStreet shopping web site. The laurel leaf is a classic mod emblem due to its links to the Fred Perry label; whilst the Trojan helemt pays homages and links the graphic to the classic ska label of that name. It looks good with jeans or these wonderful ska pants from Helter Skelter.

Ska emblems seems to lend themselves marevelously to T-Shirt graphics and this cool white [shirt layered] item from STFU beautifully displays that through its use of the 2Tone geezer and Beat girl icons from the late seventies ska revivalist movement. Strong dynamic images they look great on this white shirt; which can be worn with a pair of jacket layered braces for an aunthentic skinhead look.

Another offering from STFU this simple black T-Shirt has a simplistic but effective graphic utilizing the iconic two tone checkered emblem that was adopted by followers of the ska revival, The simplicity of the design however should not disguise the quality of its styling: very retro, very cool and very ska. Another shirt layered creation this can also be worn with braces and as with all the ska T-Shirts I have found looks fantastic with the Helter Skelter range of ska pants

BLOG THIS-The Movie

• Starring: Kim "pick me up" as the DJ
• also starring Eden "where's me gnomes" as the other DJ
• co-starring: Aston "the sensible one" as the cool dancer
• with Dugi, "crashomatic"as the old geezer over there
• and Albion "err blogged" as the old geezer over here
• a cast of literally , oh a fair few
  
• and introducing Sean "i'm a gymn monkey" as the scotney stalker....well almost.
  

Well, obviously its not a real virtual film, I can barely do snaps so dont ask too much of your talentless narrator. So, where were we, ah yes a mod half nighter in the virtual world, was it good, damn right it was...almost.

The usual motley crew were in attendance, along with other regulars. Who are motley and who are regulars; well. i wouldnt like to say. Anyway the AA <))) Alternative Indie Club always draws a good crowd and there were plenty there to enjoy the opening set of..well known chilled tracks before Kim took over with her stomping ska sounds. The fame of these mod spectaculars is obviously spreading as we had a Linden in the house...albeit briefly. A what? Y'know Lindens grid royalty,,,Sean led a surprise coupe and we now all have to type in Scots vernacular its his first law of the new Scotney government. There, that could be the plot, Eden and Kim with Aston could be Dugi's angels...Albion could be Bosley and Swean the evil dictator. Million dollars easy.

Anyways the music was great as always with some choice tunes being played and lots of fun, despite the stumbling shenaningins of some illinformed griefers early in the night. If you're hunting sweet mod sounds seek the club out you'll struggle to find better entertainment on a Tuesday night and thats just the crowd. So once again a thoroughly good night of mod music played with good humour surrounded by great people my virtual life has rarely been better. And to finish Kim played a CLASSIC...the one, the only Brian Mathews introducing err some Small Faces track, catch this mod magician on a Satirday morning on R2. Go on you know you want to.

And in keeping with the theme of, if i was a ...streaming DJ. I might plonk for these as an opening three:

And I bid you goodnight, Ive been Albion and you...well you've been BLOGGED

Resolved...I hope

Well problem solved I bolloxed up somewhere on a post which sent everything scuttling down to the bottom of the blog, another technical issue resolved, blimey I'll be working for IBM if I'm not careful. Anyway I'm getting all experimental now and trying to repost that, although despite being set to copy and paste I realise I fecked that up too, so need to rewrite the whole piece. Ah well luckily I dont write too much anyway; and so.....

I have winged about the lack of jacket layer braces so imagine my suprise when i discovered this pair. Black or red dotted pattern their jacket layering makes them a perfect accessory for polos [as displayed] standard shirts and also T-shirts. There are brilliant at accentuating your mod or skinead retro look, worn with blue jeans and boots or suitable shoes. The moment I saw them i thought they would be ideal, so i snatched them up as a further addition to my virtual modernist wardrobe.

But, shhhhh can you keep a secret. Actually the braces were part of a girls hillbilly chick set complete with micro denim shorts and a see thru scrunched shirt - the full Daisy Duke ensemble. Ah well the sacrifices we virtual mods make, although next time I think I'll head to Meriken, oops.

Why oops, because they are bloody prim thats why.

Bollox

It appears all my sidebar gadget thingamajigs have decided to migrate to the bottom of my blog. Do I know why? No! Do I know how to get them back? No! Do I understand any of this techywizzle stuff? No! Am I annoyed by it? Yes. Am I hoping it will correct itself? Yes.

All help duly noted, make your comments [as if] suitable for a techno-simpleton.

Monday Magic

Monday night, bugger all on the television so where better than Original Soul Rebels HQ, enjoying some awesome soul and funk streamed to you by DJ Boone.

George Duke is the featured artist, to be frank I'd never heard of him, and that's what is so cool about these Monday sets DJ Boone Blanco introduces you to tracks and artists you've not heard before, its great!

The club was brimming with cool funksters eager to stretch out and dance their way through the evening. The usual soul crew in attendance, the wicked gestures and awesome set choice make this a highly entertaining night on the grid and I encourage you to seek it out and join in the fun,,,or should that really be the funk.

An unusual night tonight as, it was somewhat devoid of the fair female flesh. Face modster Slate and his blushing bride Maddie tie the virtual knot on Friday; and so, Maddie and squirreled [that should really say rabbited] the girls away for a crazy night as Bunny girls on the razzle. This meant the room was full of hairy blokes, a hetro gay bar, a new concept maybe. Anyway the music was good and everyone had a great time, what more can you hope for.

Pesky wabbits:

Motown Monday

There I was idling away an hour or so on the grid when the I hit the events search button and discovered there was a lunchtime session of motown being played at the Butterflies Club. A new venue and new people is always exciting marry that with motown and its bliss.
The club owner was present and kindly offered me a direct TP to the club after I got lost, allowing me to dazzle her with my sharp dance moves, courtesy of 3FX, not bad for a dreary Monday lunchtime.

Obviously a popular venue there was a good crowd and the DJ played some classic floor fillers, I was in virtual soul heaven from the comfort of an armchair. The music sailed on by and the dancers revelled in it, I lay back and soaked up the soul groove and chomped down on a sandwhich.
Golden tracks from the Temptations, Supremes, Jackson Five et al, hurtled over the air waves and had an eager crowd rejoicing in virtual dance. The DJ played a solid soul set and kept everyone buzzing, almost had me falling out of my chair my feet were stomping so much. I advise you to look up this friendly little club and sail away...

I'm unaware if this a regular motown slot, or it was a one off special this particular lunchtime. Fingers crossed its a regular fixture, My Motown Monday miracle...oooh lurve that aliteration, hahaha.

Butterflies

Modernist Fashion in SL

Mod Supreme

I have spent much of my time idling around the grid seeking out clothes that help me create a modernist virtual persona. And, despite my best efforts the search is often fruitless. Then unexpectedly I spy someone in a cool item of clothing, an awesome mod jacket/shirt/tie combination in this case, and the door to a retro fashion oasis is briefly opened. Such is my experience of :: ? :: Unknown Boutique, which has surged into my personal top ten modernist stores on the grid by virtue of the ease with which its clothing range is absorbed into my modernist stylings.

The first thing that drew me to the Unknown Boutique was a jacket i saw at the Soul Mods Mecca. The cut was so obviously mod I asked for details and found myself in this mod paradise. The jacket comes with two shirt/tie options: red or green. The red tie suits the mod look better but the green is acceptable, at least that's my taste but these things are always subjective. Its a great piece and as its multi layered it can be used with shirts from various fashion houses to imbue them with a modernist feel. An essential mod item so what you waiting for? Feck it, go get one!

Great as the jacket is, for me one of the best items in the store is the :: ? :: 4/5 SleeveShirt. This classic button down shirt, a style emblematic of modernists, is beautifully craft the buttons on the collar clearly seen rather than hinted at as is often the case. Using these tie less button downed shirts many coats and jackets can be instantly given a mod look and style. I bought the flat pack giving you a range of six colours. The shirts come in both jacket and shirt layer complete with a scripted colour changing prim tie should you wish to use it. Fantastic as they are, the shirts are not without fault, in terms of their mod application, being slightly too short in their shirt layer, I would like to have seen an underpants layer to remedy this for those who like a full length shirt tucked into trousers. But, it must be remembered they have not been designed specifically for the mod market, and in their present form they are still a damn fine purchase and worn with a closed jacket the shortness is no longer a factor.

So, one of the best mod applicable stores on the grid Unknown Boutique also stocks great sweaters and jeans,,,more of which later. For now relish this mod fashion opportunity and grab some cool gear.

Modernist Fashion in SL

Meriken Co Jackets

I think Meriken Co is one of the best stores in Second Life for piecing together your modernist or Neomod style. They stock a wide range of suitable shirts, jackets and trousers, plus some quality sweaters and some great accessory braces for that retro skanking skinhead look.

Amongst my favourite clothing items are the range of sharp box cut Italian styled jackets in a wide range of colours which are an ideal start for the modernist seeking an uber NeoMod style. The two examples shown are worn with some fine Juice pinstripe trousers and my modernist fashion stalwart: the white shirt black tie combination from Josef.

The jacket on the left is the fish jacket dark option; whilst, the jacket on the right is the fish jacket dark pink option. Both are classic three buttoned non-vented jackets typical of the sixties mod style and work wonderfully at presenting yourself as a virtual modernist on the prowl. There are many jackets in this selection and others too, if only I had sufficient lindens to strip the store bare, hahaha. Any virtual lottery winners looking to spoil and aged virtual mod? Checking out the Meriken Co store is a crucial task for any aspiring virtual mod.

Northern Soul heartbeat

Yes I know I should be in bed [yawn] but I got hooked downloading a few tracks from one of the blogs, including this floor stomper!

Modernist musings..

Why so many posts?
Simplicity itself I'm bored! Next

Why are the fashion posts so short?

Again simple is best, I'm merely directing people to possible items I'm not selling them I have no need to hype them up [obviously I do that a little but not to the degree that I fool myself I'm writing for The Face*, or GQ]. When you're intrinsically talentless too much waffle exposes your inability to compose a coherent and thought provoking paragraph, alliteration cant always save you..

Why are you always waffling about the same two clubs and Djs?

Because they are cool and firmly rooted in the modernist experience, 'nuff said. I'm always on the look out for good virtual nights out. There are some superb virtual soul clubs that I thoroughly enjoy attending but very few purely dedicated to a mod set. So I'm hemmed in by the lack of alternatives. Besides they are fantastic nights out whilst staying in!

Why no girl's stuff?
Err, firstly because I'm a bloke; and, secondly aint there hundreds already, far better than this.

Why are you always snapping yourself?

Narcisms, but if anyone wants to contribute feel free , I don't mind exposing my weakness by letting other have a bash,,,honest, hahaha.

Are bots beautiful?
Yes bots can be beautiful too.

*okay hands up who's old enough to remember this eighties youth fashionista bible, a taste of NeoModernism in print.

Modernist Fashion in SL

Mod Shoes

Where to get modernist shoes in Second Life? Simple black shoes either laced or in a loafer are easily found, obviously quality is more difficult, but overall black or brown shoes prove easily obtainable. However, what if you're looking for something different? Supposing your heart is set on a classic pair of bowling shoes, as sported by iconic revivalists The Jam, and many original sixties mods.

If you are the virtual overlords are feeling benevolent as there are some awesome bowling shoes available on the grid. The Strike range of bowling shoes are amongst the best modernist items you will find in Second Life. Beautifully sculpted they are a divine creation and will enhance any modernist look you opt for. Glorious with jeans, marvelous with a suit a pair of these shoes are essential for anybody hoping to create a virtual classic modernist look.

JC's - Jeepers Creepers

Modernist Fashion in SL

Beck and Carter Trousers

These fantastic modernist pants are beautifully adaptable for a modernist look. The black and white cubist designs are wonderfully eye catching, the texturing is marvelous with highlights and shadowing screaming out of the screen as the wonderful sheen on the pants yells out at you that this is a classic creation.

The striped pair of trousers are classically retro and is easily adapted into the sixties style; I have worn them with many items and always receive a positive reaction. Flamboyant in a mid sixties style they are a handsome addition to the virtual NeoMods collection. Much of the clothing worn by a virtual mod is not necessarily what would be worn by a contemporary modernist in real life. But that is the beauty of the virtual modernist it allows you to stretch the boundaries,; and affords you the opportunity to step out of your fashion comfort zone.

Take a fashion leap, be experimental within a modernist framework the more you explore the more adaptable Second Life designs become available to you. Do not hide in the shadows step out into the virtual sunshine and bask in the glory of modernist fashion creativity.

Beck and Carter

Better Late than Never

Couldn't be truer, damn real life held me up [the wife returned home with a DVD and suggested we watch it together, what could I say nah I want to watch my pixels gyrating onscreen?] which meant I missed much of the early part of the Soul Mecca's new occasional Friday guest spot.

The doors of the Soul Mods Mecca were opened for a guest DJ appearance from Sean the Scotney mod himself; a club regular and resident comedy genius...did he tell me to say that? Strutting Sean is seen prowling the edge of the dance floor hurling encouragement, of a sort, at the two resident disc spinners. Its all light hearted and is an essential component of what makes this club so special to its followers. Typical British fun, support by ridiculing each other, none of it means a thing and everyone laughs it off, brilliant! So Sean's set was eagerly awaited, as despite the joking its obvious the lad knows his stuff.

When I eventually arrived the club was full and buzzing,; therefore it took me a while to wade over to the dance floor. But,lag is merely the price you pay for popularity. The regulars were there and plenty of newcomers all of whom were mighty impressed by the club and its chilled atmosphere. The selection of mod and Northern Soul stompers mixed with a few less well known tracks made for a great set which over ran by a half an' hour or so but who was complaining, certainly nobody with any soul in their heart. So was Sean a huge success,,,well, almost!

A great success, I can only hope that more people come forward to DJ at the club in these occasional Friday night parties, I eagerly anticipate the next one. And there you have it, blog this indeed,,,you been blogged mate!

Modernist Fashion in SL

Meriken Mod inspired Shirts.

This range of beautiful shirts [worn here with a jacket from :: ? :: Unknown Boutique] are an excellent addition to your inventory. Multi layered you can wear them in a host of ways, untucked over jeans, or tucked with a jacket, even as an undershirt with a suitable tie layer. Such flexibility combined with the great styling is what makes these essential wardrobe material.

They come in a range of five colours, and look classically modernist. Worn here in a tucked version along with some pants from Aitui and the black and white Strike bowling shoes they definitely exude a modernist flavour to the styling of this ensemble.

Meriken stocks many items all with a modernist feel to them and is well worth adding to your list of Mod Stores.

Meriken Co

Modernist Fashion in SL

A huge thank you to Lupo Lexington for pointing me in the direction of the :: ? :: Unknown Boutique.

A small store with a few selective unisex items for sale its another Japanese fashion gem hidden away on the grid, small but perfectly formed. It stocks a range of shirts sweaters, pants and jackets; and also some cool accessories like hats and scarves. What makes all this so wonderful is the designs are hugely influenced by the sixties retro stylings and therefore ideal for the virtual modernist. The instant Lupo graciously gave me a landmark I tp'd over there and began rifling through the marvelous items on sale. The design of the clothing is fantastic, but so its its application with everything coming in multiple layers allowing you to mix and match incorporating other clothing items with these to create your look. Such multiple layers are always a huge bonus with those who like to play with there style to help make it a touch more individualistic.

I cannot recommend this store enough, if your looking for a one stop retro modernist clothing store you'll not find anything better.

:: ? :: Unknown Boutique

Modernist Fashion in SL

The classic Argyle sweater became essential casuals wear in the eighties, as the culture developed and broadened its fashion outlook beyond continental sportswear labels. The Argyle pattern was absorbed into the casuals wardrobe through their adoption of British golfing labels Lyle and Scot and Pringle. Some of these real life casual labels are available on the grid; however, Albion is sporting sweaters from two classic virtual stores: Juice[on the left] and Shiki,[on the right].

Both sweaters are matched with the brilliant Beck and Carter trousers which are so beautifully NeoModernist in design.

The black Juice sweater has a single diamond Argyle pattern running through the centre of the sweater, the Shiki design is much broader; it is this diamond weave work that defines the design as an Argyle.

Both of these items would be an admirable addition to the NeoMods casual collection, both are exceptionally well made and when married to the cool FS Design polo shirt in an alternate colour they give a sharp fashion statement, identifying you to those who would care as wearing an example of classic casual design.

The two most noted fashion stores attached to this culture are UK Casuals, who specialize in real life labels, and Dyn who stock both real life and their own virtual designs often inspired by the casual look.

Juice
Shiki

UK Casuals
Dyn

Modernist Fashion in SL

Simplicity is sometimes the coolest look of all.

Here a simple but beautifully crafted black roll neck sweater is worn with some funky trousers to great effect. The sweater, from Artilleri, has some fantastically realistic texturing to give the impression of realism, through the designers use of light and shade you can get a sense of a real sweater. Hugely understated in matt black the sweater needs a touch of contrast to increase its impact. The contrast is beautifully provided by the dazzling pants from Beck and Carter. They make wondrous clothing creations that scream out with flair and originality and yet have a real retro sixties feel to many of them. The pairing of the simple sweater and the dazzling trousers accentuates the craft and look of both providing a stunningly simplistic sixties mod look.

Yes, I am aware Artilleri is a design house locked into the fifties but if you look closely several of the cool creations at this stoe have a Mod application, just widen your horizons. Never underestimate the fashion power of a cool sweater! Virtual mods go forth onto the grid and enjoy the sweater bonanza.

Artilleri

Modernist Fashion in SL

The "Moka Couture Sweater" is a great creation from J B Sterlings fashion house, the work that has been applied to give the fabric a real life textured look is amazing and the item seems to ripple over the avatar with a realistic sheen. A beautiful piece of Second Life creation, and its a marvelous modernist item too.

The retro single stripe offset to the left gives the sweater a real sixties feel, the stripe continues into the prim roll neck adding to the sixties modernist culture. Such simple geometric designs are the hallmark of sixties casual modernist clothing and this sweater slides into the genre seamlessly.

Paired with the "green striped" trousers from Shiki and the brown loafers from FKNY this is a classic modernist look, but also lends itself to the more expansive fashion culture of the NeoModernists. I think it looks great, check it out.

J B Sterlings

Soul on a Monday

Finally had time to log on through the week and attend one of the highly popular soul nights at the Soul Rebels HQ. There was a healthy crowd in attendance and DJ Boone played a superb set of sophisticated soul tracks, to keep them happy. Delirious on solid soul I stepped out with a few new animations I picked up at 3FX so if your looking for moves to match the cool tunes take a look.

The Soul Rebels HQ is a chic build, with some awesome art work, the music lies at the heart of it though and it draws a devoted crew to its dance floor to stride out to some quality tunes. Boone Blanco and Divine Laws appear to split the DJ roster between them [if there are others forgive my ignorance] and both masterfully stream some sweet soul sizzlers into the club. This is not a raging Stax, Motown, Northern Soul night, the music has a more contemporary feel. Bathe in it and let it wash the harsh realities of real life away. Put your feet up and chill while the stress of the day fades away.

Slurping a hot chocolate [not very cool that is it, hmmm] I let Albion funk up the dance floor while I followed my own advice, I put my feet up and chilled. Dim the lights and wriggle your bottom to some scintillating soul,,Second Life Soul is thriving and its a joy to be virtual. Get into the groove, keep it smooth and slip on over for a chilled night on the grid.

Original Soul Rebels HQ

Why You Need a Scooter!

In a world of teleports and flight is road transport redundant? Why bother to purchase a hot car or bike or scooter when with a click you find yourself at your destination and the open roads lead you nowhere through vast plains of emptiness. Okay, so that ripping bike you bought or that crazy car can burn rubber at the track; but what of the humble scooter why buy one of those. Simple, your a modernist, they are cool and you need one!

So, your taking the plunge; now, the question is where should you buy. There are a few builders of scooters in Second Life so you have choices to make. Medeka Garage is great and the designer makes some sharp scooters. But if your looking for a scooter that has an authentic mod feel I suggest you seek out Slate McLeod and see if you can get hold of one of his beautiful mod icons. As of this moment I am not sure where his store is, its a fluid builders thing, one minute its here next its there; but have no fear find a cool mod party and before long you'll locate Slate. Drop him a nice IM and he might guide you to his store and drop you a very reasonable prices machine. An added bonus with these scooters is they can be rezzed and ridden but also ridden as a wearable item negating the need for rezzing permission. Sweet as a nut, be lucky and I hope you get hold one one,,,just stay away from the Union Jack Vespa that baby is mine.

The ability to wear the scooter has given rise to the recent spate of impromptu scooter rallies at some clubs during the mod night parties.

Scooter party at the AA <))) Alternative Indie Club Tuesday night, and as it was so much fun we did it again at Soul Mods Mecca on the Thursday.

A beautiful chorus of mods enjoy themselves at the fantastic Soul Mods Mecca

Modernist Fashion in SL

After various forays away from the mainstream of modernist fashion; I thought it was time to return to the core of any mods wardrobe: suits!

Finding the right modernist suit in Second Life can be a chore. Three buttoned, thin lapels, box jacket in an Italian style with neat trousers to match has proved to be extremely difficult to locate. Therefore, when buying Second Life suits for your virtual mod compromise is essential.

So, with these two suits [jazz influence circa 1940s] the tie is all wrong and its four button not three; but, despite these failings it is still a sharp item and when the ideal isn't available you make do with what you have.

Anyway, enough whinging, what is good about the suits? The cut of the design has a very modernistic feel, the handkerchief in the breast pocket oozes style. The suits have a impressionist mod flavour and whilst not perfect they do make excellent suits for the NeoMod on his virtual adventure. They come in only two colours I advise you to seek out the store and explore.

Bellissima!

The Eyes have it....

Yeah that's right a bit of political punnery.

Amongst my modernistic yearnings for a cool tonic suit, a swathe of paisley and a full on northern soul dance animation I thought I would try to find a set of suitable mod eyes. What better than a set of British pride iris displaying the Union flag, especially since I failed to find a "mod target" iris. But, despite this I thought the eyes looked cool. Snapped them up from Eyes 2C,they had a nice section of national flag irises so take your pick.

In the virtual world our horizons are almost infinite, the creators extending the virtual horizons daily. We as consumers or creators must embrace that; therefore as virtual mods we must look beyond the restraints of the real world and develop a thriving modernist culture in the virtual world and discard fashionistic shackles. As we pay homage to our modernist roots and inclinations we must remain open to the modernist opportunities the virtual world possess and apply them to the virtual NeoMod cultural fashion code.

Eyes 2C

Modernist Fashion in SL

Trawling through my rather over extended inventory [such is the price of freebie blogging, you accumulate a vast amount of stuff] I keep coming across more and more items that can be absorbed into my modernist wardrobe. The easiest items to relabel as modernist are the numerous sportswear items I've either bought or won during my time on the grid.

Amongst the best of them is this blue sweater design from Redgrave.

One of the grid's premier designers, the Redgrave fashion house excels in high quality casual and formal wear. It focuses on contemporary fashions and is not aligned to any specific tribe such as: Gothic, gangsta etc as are many of the grid's designers. Instead Redgrave focuses on everyday fashions for the everyday consumer. This lends itself beautiful towards the casual uniform of the early eighties British football thugs that evolved into an element of NeoMod fashion design.

I discovered several great items but the track jacket exhibited in the snap is the one that caught my eye. Matched with a chilled white Fred Perry polo and faded blue jeans, the jacket is an ideal piece of casuals fashion, and I quickly added it to my growing casual modernist collection.

Redgrave

Modernist Fashion in SL

Is Albion a chav now?

Burberry scarves, whats next sovereigns and a hoodie? However, despite the burberry implication the scarf makes a great accessory to this beautiful blue puma Italia track jacket. A great piece of casual clothing wear, the track jacket matched up with 501 jeans and [unseen] Hoorenbeek trainers. The Gos watch is a fine accessory to this look.

The casual fashion look is easier to locate than the traditional sixties modernist retro look. Track jackets and sweaters abound throughout the stores of Second Life, matched with stylish trainers and your casual look is complete.

So if you want an eighties inspired NeoModernist style seek out either real life labelled track jackets from sport shop or casuals influenced fashion designers; or from classic grid designs who often carry their own track items, sweaters and such like.

Does any of this make sense, probably not. Just grab the vespa hop on the SLURL and buy some cool items to enhance your virtual modernist experience.

Gio Soccer Sport

Soul, Scooters and Scotney

With normal service resumed, headed out on my usual Thursday routine of logging in somewhere odd before heading to the blissful mod oasis that is the Soul Mods Mecca to riot the night away to an avalanche of awesome tunes provided by resident DJ.s Kim and Eden. I know it appears I go no where else or listen to no other DJs; well, there's some truth in that...can I help it if the twin dynamos play the kind of music that hits me and sends me in a spiral of sizzling swan dives [I wish, not even in my youth but I digress...]. I keep missing out on a few good Soul nights because I failed to log in, so I need my regular virtual mod fix and where better...

This Thursday was an awesome night with the sim fit to burst; the tunes had everyone bouncing and the atmosphere was its usual mix of delight and wild humour interspersed with some serious mickey taking,,,everything you need for a good virtual night out. The regular faces were in attendance and a few new ones too, which is all good. Lurve was in the air, romantic mods shared their bliss whilst the married ones put the kettle on. But, everyone was dancing and the night rolled into a great evening out from the comfort of your armchair. I advise all to be there next week you dont know what your missing. If you stumble upon this waffle take away one thing,,,the landmark, thanks to those who create it all, they know who they are!

The mod night is a regular fixture on a Thursday 1-3pm SLT and I advise anyone with a love of fun, and a yearning for some stomping sounds to tp in and enjoy yourself, just watch out for the random scooter rally, oops.

Cor blimey...

wonders never cease. I, yes me, that's right captain of the Luddites actually resolved my own technical bug. Yep I am stunned too! Me who barely knows how to bring up the advanced menu thingy unless he is prompted did it. So I can now happily continue arsing about in Second Life without causing everyone to grab their umbrella or hide in a bus shelter. All hail my mighty technical brain.....now can somebody tell me how I get photos off my mobile onto my computer. Ahhh that's more like it, normal service resumes.

Video Kool & The Gang - Celebration - kool, &, the, gang, 2005 - Dailymotion Share Your Videos - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

err yep I did change the video, felt it was more in keeping with the disco vibe I started

Rain Stops Play

Yep, last nights rain clouds have literally washed me out. The rain attachment which i tried to wear but showed up as unattached seems to have infected my avatar in some weirdly way to such an extent I cannot stop the downpour. Tried removing all attachments, relogging, clearing cache, swapping viewer etc all to no avail; my only hope is that LL can make sense of my messages and go in and resolve this issue with whatever it is that forms the construction of an avatar. Until that time I wont really be in Second Life its not really possible to function Rain is funny for a while but now its all got a bit tedious.

T...is for mods, honest.

Tuesday is mod night so Albion finds himself back at the AA <))) Alternative Indie Club, relishing the mayhem and loving the music streamed in by the crazy resident DJs, loving the heavy ska influence of Kim's set balanced by some marvelous Motown; the perfect foil to Eden classic mod and soul tracks from iconic bands of the period. Yep, virtual life needs to go some to get better than this. Where else can you suddenly find yourself on the dance floor in the midst of a scooter rally, virtual mod life its got to make you laugh.

A very full club enjoyed two great sets. One of the friendliest clubs I have been too, you can join in the fun or just lie back and let scinterlating soul, stomping ska and brilliant beat music wash over you while you slurp a real drink and put your feet up, Second Life clubbing at its best. We even danced in the rain, yet again mod inspires another fantastic virtual night out...plus I got to listen to Tin Soldier and that always makes me a happy chappy.

So Tuesday is done...roll on Thursay. Told you T really is mod, best nights on the grid. Brevity is often best so catch you on the flip side, whatever that means.

This only happens in British populated clubs,,,its true we seem to specialize in daftness.

Northern Soul Stomper

Modernist Fashion in SL

This cool red jacket is one of the many cool FREE items of clothing at Maschienenwerk.

It is a nice reproduction and gives a touch of casual flair to the retro modernist stylings of the Meriken pants and FS DEsigns Fred Perry polo. The jacket comes in three colours red, black and beige. Its a two piece with a jacket and skirt layer, plus a prim collar attachment. As with all the Maschienenwerk free items its beautifully crafted and looks great with pants or jeans.

Any modernist hoping to flesh out his wardrobe without spending lindens should check out the wonderous Maschienenwerk store for jeans, jackets T-Shirts and trainers. Its a shoppers treasure trove and houses several modernist gems, all of which are free.

Maschienenwerk

Modernist Fashion in SL

These cool checkered jeans are a great buy from Concrete Flowers I opted for the mossy green and the grey/black check. They have a nice sixties feel to them, they are low cut hipsters and look good with a suitable T-Shirt, or with a little styling can be formalised. As with this Pea Coat from Ibizarre, the scarf is from the Balaclava and the Shirt from Alienated.

This casual styling is ideally suited to the Modernist who is looking to match his sixties look with a contemporary styling. Many of the fashion items produced by the design houses of Second Life have NeoMod applications they merely need to be paired with the correct clothing to present an overall look that acts as a statement of sixties solidarity.

So as the virtual mod pursues his fashion quest its worth remembering that even the Gothic Punkiest of stores have the potential to present you with the odd modernist fashion item.

Concrete Flowers