Funk'n'Roll

Sebastien Bondroit aka Colonel Sweetback is dj in Brussels, specialized in jazz, soul, funk, blaxploitation, tribal tracks, 60's & 70's movie scores, vintage french pop and oldies rock'n roll...

He's actually native from Lille (France) where he studied cinema and moved to Brussels in 2004 where he created Boitaviande prod. He played in places such as Central, Java, Archiduc, and now has a weekly residency - every thursday - at La Touche d'Ivoire (Funk'n'Roll party).

We were wondering what could be the vision a french guy living in a city like Brussels and asked...

VB: Your first time in Brussels?
SB: don't remember exactly but it was for a concert of Deus at AB (Ancienne Belgique) a few years ago...

VB: Your favorite place in Brussels?
SB: the Grand-Place, the most beautiful in Europe!

VB: Your most disliked place in Brussels?
SB: the Quai aux briques during christmas time because I hate the christmas maket.

VB: Your best souvenir in Brussels?
SB: the first time I played in a jazz bar with only one old turntable, a few funky and soul records, and the client turned crazy, dancing all night long, the bar was the Archiduc.

VB: Your worst souvenir in Brussels?
SB: lost in Brussels during one night, completly drunk!

Next gig, Funk'n'Roll party, is planned for New Year's Eve at La Touche d'Ivoire, 121 rue américaine 1050 Brussels.

contact: boitaviande@hotmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=212488117850&ref=mf

pics by Alcides Navarro

Experience Brussels

Do we really know Brussels?...This is the question the permanent exhibition "Experience Brussels" tends to answer.

The BIP - where the exhibition is held - has been created to be the "display cabinet" of the capitale of Europe, no more excuse now not to know the city, its origin and its cultural aspects. Through an interesting set design accessible to all, the exhibition introduces to how and why the region is born, what is the functionning of the institutions, which role it plays as an international city... an interactive exhibition where anyone can test its knowledge, learn and have fun!

http://www.biponline.be/

Place Royale 1000 Brussels

pics by Alcides Navarro

Building a Fair World

"Building a Fair World" is the current exhibition held on the Royal Park of Brussels. It collects photographies taken in several projects from the Belgian Developement Cooperation Agency (BTCCTB). The collective behind the exhibition is NADAAR, 5 photographers, each of them worked on a project in a partner country of the BTCCTB : Ecuador, Mali, Vietnam, Morroco and RDC (Democratic Republic of Congo).

The exhibition shows farmers, seamstresses, students in their daily activities. The message is clear: public funding is there to give people the means to improve their life in respect with their culture and choices. Results are tangible: below each picture a small text explains the achievement of the projects.

Dates: 17/12/09 until 17/02/10

Place des Palais 1000 Brussels

pics by Alcides Navarro

Ramon & Valy

Ramon & Valy vintage store is a well known adress - 19 rue des Teinturiers 1000 Brussels - for who's looking for a special piece to dress up.

You'll find there collectors and deluxe second hand clothes for men and women in a colorful space with a lot of personnality. Originally make up artists, Ramon & Valy have been busy with stylism and vintage for a long time now as the store exists for over 15 years. Their success is undoubtly build upon their vision of elegance and style and their long date friendship and complicity reinforce the strong spirit of the place, a valuable space with authentic fashion antic dealers.


pics by Alcides Navarro

TRAPEZ 100 TOUR

Tomorrow, Lift Your Head Up invites you for a huge night at Café Bota Stéréo (236 rue royale 1210 Brussels).

The well-known label Trapez is stopping by for their Trapez 100 Tour. One hundred vinyls... they think this needs a celebration! Indeed... as Triple R & Oliver Hacke will bring you the best of techno. Warm-up will be handled by belgian dj's Jonatan vs Arno Kenis.

The flyer for the party is one of the most creative we'd seen for a while, inspiring us... "wake up and smell the coffee!" as mentionned on the FB invitation.

Lift your Head Up is the collective behind "In Wonderland" parties among others... so stay tuned!

www.inwonderland.be

www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=165021342338

MAPP

MAPP Store is probably the latest Brussels hot spot for trendsetters.

The store was open earlier this year and is located rue Léon Lepage, 5 1000 Brussels. The space is astonishing as actually you'll find there special selections of clothes for men and women, but also vinyls, cd's, books, magazine and design objects.

www.mappstore.com

pics by Alcides Navarro

A.L.I.C.E.

"Artists Living In Constant Elevation" is the life thread of A.L.I.C.E.

A.L.I.C.E. is a gallery, a project room, a bookshop with rare and limited editions and a shop where you can find artworks, tee-shirts, shoes and accessories.

Since the beginning, in 2005, its creativity seems to have for sole driving line "going further - always".

The gallery is well known by the world of contemporary art and Brussels underground. It is located at the very end of rue Antoine Dansaert 1000 Brussels close to the canal at number 182.

Current exhibition is called "Adventures Research & Cycling" (sculptures, installs and paintings) by the collective Pica Pica and is held until december 23.

Pica Pica is Boris Magotteaux, Manuel Falcata and Jerome Degive, all born and raised in Liege, Belgium.

www.alicebxl.com

pics by Alcides Navarro

Wax Tailor

Figure de proue de l'abstract hip hop français, Wax Tailor a été révélé en 2005 avec son premier album «Tales of the Forgotten Melodies». Il est un de ces artistes inclassables dont l'identité musicale lui est bien propre. Sa musique, à dimension théâtrale est un voyage ou plutôt une langue qu'il utilise pour compter des chroniques sonores teintes de soul, de jazz, de flunk, en flirtant parfois avec une écriture pop classique, le tout baigné dans une atmosphère Hip Hop; l'empreinte ! Sur scène, il convie de prestigieux invités, on le retrouve derrière ses machines accompagné d'une violoncelliste, d'une flûtiste, d'une chanteuse ou d'MC... En poussant les frontières du hip hop, Wax Tailor s'est aussi imposé outre-Atlantique aux côtés de Coldcut, Herbaliser, ou encore RJD2.

Wax Tailor @ Myspace

Site officiel de Wax Tailor

A voir ce soir à l'Orangerie et se laisser emporter, un temps, par les beats à la sauce "shake ton cul " et d'un autre, transporter par de sensibles balades trip hop bercées par la voix cristalline de Charlotte Savary . . . planant .

jeudi 17.12.09 /20.00 / 18€

http://www.botanique.be/

Zinneke JukeBox

... la vie est belle,

"Chic et pas cher", Arno, 2009

www.arno.be

Balade

Bruxelles, douce aquarelle
De tes nuances gris pastel
Tu te révèles par ton caractère vif et chétif
Ta poésie ensorcelle nos prunelles de tes infinies merveilles
A toi, je resterai fidèle jusqu'à ta Béchamel

A toi ma belle.

Place" Vielle Halle au blé" 1000 Brussels

Sleepy Sun

Roots back from San Francisco, Sleepy Sun proposes melodies between pop and bluesy and "psyché" rock. They toured with the Fleet Foxes in the United States. Their universe is as chaotic as sexy but almost all very irresistible. On stage between reality and surrealism they show all their creativity and invite us to a colorful hypnotic journey.

They'll play at Botanique this monday december 14 at 20.00.

Don't miss them !!! It's gonna blow for sure the routine of a monday !


Tickets 11€
Bota carte 5€

http://www.botanique.be/
http://www.sleepysun.net/

Rick Shiver's End Of A Life Year Riot

Rick Shiver plans a riot for his birthday tonight at Kiko's Basement, 44 rue d'Artois, 1000 Brussels.

A Basement Party For Misfits, Players, Sexy Divorcees & Dandys



MÉNAGE-À-2 (Ran Shebang & Vanessa) • The Darkest Villains
RICK SHIVER • A Lovedrive On Wheels Of Fire
PÉPÉ-LE-PEW • The Sweetest Romantic

As clearly mentionned on the invitation: "Dress up, Dress Down, Dress Funky or Dress Loose !!!"

Happy b-day Mr Shiver!


http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=186313118538

10/12 ASBL Rue de la Grande Ile 12 1000 Brussels

This art gallery is also an innovative store and has been made around the idea of using the "shop window" as an invitation to an art journey (giving all its content to the concept of art store).

The gallery is run by a Brussels based collective, 10/12 ASBL located 12 rue de la Grande Ile 1000 Brussels.

This month, 3 designers from Brussels, Honhon, Panguerreiro and Peter Fait Du Carton settle down at the gallery and propose you the creation of products in very close link to their own environnement, as for each of them either textile, plastic or carton (cardboard). The exhibition goes from december 8 to december 29 from 12h to 18h and until 21h every friday.

During this 3 weeks, the designers will be present to work and to meet the public. They invite you to visit their workshop, for a discussion around a thea. And their creations are very good gift ideas in this christmas time!..

http://10-12web.blogspot.com/

pics by Alcides Navarro

La Belle Chaussure de Mademoiselle François

Mademoiselle François is a pin-up character directly taken from the fifties, a modern Betty Boop who invites you in her pink boudoir-store at 13 rue des teinturiers 1000 Brussels.

In this very chic jewel case, all is refinement translated in pink matrass made sofas, ultra feminine shoes, sophisticated jewels and couture tights.

Sandrine François is actually stylist but also involved in other projects as "Mademoiselle Reçoit" parties. She opened the store over a year ago.

http://www.belles-chaussures.com/


pics by Alcides Navarro

Brocéliande

Brocéliande is a vintage design store run by Fabrice Hauwaerts and his very friendly partner. You'll find there a respectable serie, among others, of sixties & seventies products in a very good state.

44 rue des chartreux 1000 Bruxelles
fhbroceliande@skynet.be

Chartreux 24

Rue des chartreux 24 1000 Brussels is the location of Nicolas Dehon vintage "storehouse".

A small but very prolific "caverne d'ali baba" with soft prices.

02/647 04 54
nicolasdehon@hotmail.com

Le Babbelkot

" If you feel alone..."

Wanna share thoughts or just have a talk? The Babbelkot is for you.

Drinks are at a very affordable price.


Rue des Chartreux Brussels
December 2009

UFO

Rue des chartreux and behind St Gery Place Brussels
December 2009

LocusLux

If art is knowledge, should knowledge also be art?

This is the question raised by Locuslux Gallery with current exhibition of Pascal Danz. This exhibition is a prelude to a project on painting in collaboration with museums.

A painter can draw upon a source in which anything is possible: every imaginable image, all imaginable illusions, in an all-encompassing way. Painting probably began here by representing our lives as ideally as possible.

With Danz's work one can feel an affinity the truth of our lives as for danz there's no question of idealism of romanticism. In his work, humanity is not in tune with its environnement. The viewers look and are immersed in light, not the romantic light but the light of downfall, nuclear explosions and total destruction.

LocusLux Gallery enters its second year considering the painting as a mainstay in its artistic direction and as a proeminant feature of the gallery.

LocusLux also edit a magazine available at the gallery which is located rue du vieux Marché aux Grains 1000 Brussels.

www.locuslux.com


pic by Alcides Navarro

High Needs Low

High Needs Low celebrates its 3rd edition. The scenography from High Needs Low is an evolving graphical creation growing from one edition to the next one, establishing a unique link between the audience and the artist.

For this edition the collective High Needs Low welcomes Lawrence for his first deejay-set in Brussels. Another belgian premiere will be the live performance from Christian Löffler bringing sweet bewitching melodies.

Brussel’s finest dj’s DanceMachine (High Needs Low) and Jonatan (Lift Your Head Up) will transform the warm up and closing acts in a perfect expedition take off and landing.

High Needs Low parties will bring you to a space dimension where video projections, photography and specific lightning work are melting together to create a unique atmosphere as they consider the music, the aesthetical work, and the atmosphere in every detail.

For this 3rd edition flyer, they decided to collaborate with artists like Pierre Debroux and Please Let Me Design, well known for their quality work.

High Needs Low takes place around every 3 months at Congres Station, Boulevard Pacheco in Brussels, close to Metro Botanique.


...HERE COMES LOVE...

Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 11:00pm


http://www.myspace.com/highneedslow

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=342229800450

La Vitrine

Isabelle Azaïs studied Plastic Arts in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France. Since her arrival in Brussels in 2000, she has been busy with several activities: art, fashion and photography until the opening in 2006 of her own hand-made jewellery workshop.

Isabelle Azaïs store (and showroom) is a charming place called "La Vitrine", located 96 rue du marché au charbon 1000 Brussels.

Isabelle is mainly focused on leather jewellery and accessories even though sometimes she works with steel and other fabrics. Her original creations are inspired by some kind of mother nature through a bucolic and colorful spirit.

She offers different ranges of creation from contemporary jewellery to ready-to-wear and couture. You can afford a pair of earrings as from 35€ while some sophisticated creations go up to 450€.

Isabelle will be present at White Hotel for the Designers RDV from Friday 11 December to Sunday 13 December.

http://www.azais.be/





pics by Alcides Navarro

Out of horizons

Ikea's Parking Lot Brussels
November 2009

pic by Alcides Navarro

The clash

Botanique - Botanical gardens Brussels
November 2009

Urban development meets cultural spirit.

The botanical gardens are split in 3 differents garden styles organised in terraces. The upper platform is in french style, just below it's italian and the last one is in english style around a pool.

The gardens were created in 1826 upon an older botanical garden dated from 1795.



Palace Hotel Brussels
November 2009

A short walk around Rogier makes Brussels architecture contrast even more impressive. Here financial institutions behind a typical Art Nouveau hotel.

Dating back to 1908, Le Palace has a long and distinguished history. The architect turned to the Art Nouveau lines and curls of Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) for inspiration, echoing Le Palace’s (1908) original turn-of-the-century style.

pics by Alcides Navarro