Monday 18 April 2011

A must see and do! - Round 2

INTRO:       GZA is one of the most influential lyricists of our time. Serving as a figurehead for the Wu-Tang Clan on several multi-platinum releases and as the creator of one of the most critically praised albums of all time (Liquid Swords), GZA has proven time and time again that he is worthy of the tittle 'Genius'. As Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man attests, "... he's the head. Let's put it that way. We form like Voltron and GZA happens to be the head."   

Throughout the years, GZA has remained exceptionally busy, tourgin the globe, releasing his sixth solo album ('Pro Tools') and appearing on various Wu-Tang releases. Look out for a brand new album this late spring of 2011 from the Genius titled 'Liquid Swords Part II - Return of the Shadow Boxer'


As one might have been expecting, coming this Tuesday the 19th of April is GZA aka the 'Genius". His much anticipated return to these shores will see him celebrate with a heavy dose of lyrical nostalgia. In what may be seen more as a career retrospective, we can expect to be treated with a whole range of material spanning from classic tracks from the legendary 1993 album, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)', to his critically and commercially acclaimed album 'Liquid Swords' from 1995 to his latest release of 2008 'Pro Tools'. We can only hope that this time round, he will take it upon himself to wet our appetites by lifting the veil on his new material of the yet to be released Liquid Swords Part II - Return of the Shadow Boxer'. However, this may be a desperate cry on my behalf for the impossible but there seems little danger in some well placed hope of sorts. 

Tuesday 5 April 2011

How Good Is Your Discerning Eye?



It has come to my attention that the time has come to shed some light upon the subtle design changes seen in the newer generations of Nike Air Max 1's. With the current rate at which new models are dropping, it is of integral importance to understand where these modifications are to be found on specific releases. By doing so (which I cant stress enough) it is possible to discover design changes that Nike have and more importantly have never authorized. This makes perfect sense in an age where internet sites like eBay have become all too easily the second mandatory port of call for anyone looking for a rare if not limited edition release of sneakers.  To avoid any further confusion this is not explicitly an exercise in the quality control of the Air Max 1 and so it's not my aim to dismiss the importance of quality control either. My efforts are to discern the evolving nature of the design elements of the Nike Air Max 1. The desired result of this exercise will be a clearer understanding as to how this sneaker, that is only statistically second to the Nike Air Force One in its number of different designs and collaborations, is able, without the crutch of retro re-releases, to still infatuate the sneaker community new release after new release. 

For the sake of simplicity and clarity, the sequence of sneakers to be discussed will abide to the chronology of their production. As illustrated in the introductory photo, the depicted models of Nike Air Max 1 are: