cult(ural) corridors

from 11am until 8pm (officially, actually far later) more than seventy workshops, galleries, cafes, restaurants and shops in the roma and condesa were open. the corredor cultural happens two or three times a year and is by far the best way to experience the creativity of these colonias. it's also an amazing way to check out the great old buildings that house many of the galleries. from restored mansions, to crumbling piles that are literally sinking into the earth, we were able to experience parts of the roma that one would otherwise never get to see.

with over fifty options in the roma alone, it was hard to pick out highlights. our personal faves included the funky and friendly levadura, with its fine food at a fair price; the good dr.alderete's welcome return with vertigo; delirio, which since its relaunch has become an essential part of the roma eating scene; vice gallery, which is currently exhibiting original prints by richard kern- note the photograph of lung leg that was used for the cover of sonic youth's evol album; the amazing interior of the gaudi-esque building that is chihuahua 78, home to casa prunes and a refreshing mid-afternoon cuppa; the beautifully restored mansion that houses one of df's smartest restaurants, rosetta and the funky bazar trastienda, showcasing some serious chilango designers. we'll be featuring all of the above over the coming weeks, so watch this space...

malva nights

thanks to all the fans of beat buffet who came down for a fantastic night of music on saturday at the malva club in the heart of the roma. let's hope that the designer market continues at this great location. enjoy the video!

kong is dead...long live kong!

for me, kong was the shop that defined calle colima and the move to develop this roma road into a centre of design and fashion. kong's great strength was that it was owned and run by designers and collected together some of the funkiest design from the around the world. toys, t-shirts and books shared space with the incredible designs of dr.alderete and some of the world's leading artists. i'll never forget the show devoted to the brilliant american artist and musician gary panter and the exhibition of federico jordan's work. another fave was the launch party for dr.alderete's yo soy don nadie book. the friendliness of the team and the way jorge alderete would tirelessly dedicate works, adding hand-drawn illustrations to purchases, won't be forgotten. respect.

chat(ting) with the terror sisters

nadia and renata are the terror sisters, the minds behind jewellery brand fou fou chat. they work out of their studio/apartment in escandon, an interesting neighbourhood housing artists, a couple of fine cantinas and numerous workshops. their building- one of the most distinctive in the area- faces its gemelo across the road. however- as these photographs show- the studio of the terror sisters is absolutely unique, as are the creations that they fashion here. renata's a psychologist, nadia a fine artist, with a considerable history on the contemporary mexican scene. together, inspired by the surrealism of remedios varo; living in mexico city; visits to the catwalks of buenos aires and myriad other influences that they write about on their blog -www.foufouchatbytheterrorsisters.blogspot.com- a must for any fashionista- they craft bespoke jewellery for a rapidly expanding clientele, who have come to expect the unexpected. at the recent come mexican art and design show at the historic metropolitan casino in the centro, the sisters' unique creations- and hand-stencilled stand design- wowed visitors. to find out more, contact foufouchat@hotmail.com. 

tasty

i'm walking the roma with pablo borchi and santiago carranza, who along with raul sotomayor, are beat buffet, one of the hottest new acts to come out of the d.f. in some considerable time. the mixture of dazzling salsa keyboards and rapping reminds me of kinky sharing the stage with the streets. the celebratory feel of jorge ben is in there too, as is a measure of the quirkily magnificent instituto mexicano del sonido. live, with the addition of smoking brass and a drummer who wouldn't be out of place keeping time for the meters, it is a revelation. we wander into the condesa, discussing irakere, nsm psm, afrodita and, most importantly, beat buffet's desire to get out on the streets and perform. we walk down calle nuevo leon, a road haunted by the spirits of jazz musicians. it was at the jazz bar, nuevo leon 16, where cuban visionary chico o'farrill first encountered chilo moran, tommy rodriguez and the cream of the d.f. scene. if santiago had been around fifty years ago, he would have been playing alongside these heavyweights, but this is 2009 and santiago, pablo and raul get their kicks as djs and producers as well. winners of the prestigious ibero mixtape competition, they've supported crystal castles, yelle and cut copy to great acclaim and worked with nylon magazine and those hippest of chilango hipsters, sicario. their mix cd will be on sale in condesa's indie mecca discoteca this saturday, so get your dancing shoes on and shimmy down there at your earliest possible convenience in order to sate your musical appetite. the mix can also be heard in a number of the finer independent stores in the roma and will be available in barcelona, come june. those with a discerning palette are recommended to pay a visit to http://djsoundsys.com/blog/beat-buffet/

beat buffet en vivo

art for art's sake (money for god's sake)

my 10cc's worth. zona maco, 22-26th april, 2009. to see what else is happening in the world this week, check out my world tuesday.

  

between science and fiction

many fled the city, abandoning the metropolis for the beaches, or travelling abroad. millions of chilangos, however, didn't have a choice, having no option but to remain in the d.f. and its environs and wait it out. the streets eerily quiet, waiters loitered outside their establishments, waiting for something to happen. nothing happened. food was still available to takeaway in most establishments, but few were buying. for the meseros, whose livelihoods depend upon their propinas, this is a time of immense hardship, dar en la torre probably best describing their predicament. at the taxi sitios, drivers waited and waited, wearing masks and surgical gloves. few partook of their services. solitary joggers circled the parks and the condechi dog walkers- the condesa is home to all manner of pedigree pugs- were out and about, although i was somewhat disappointed not to encounter any chihuahuas or salukis sporting bespoke canine masks. pollution was down, with public works projects- of which there are many in various stages of completion- at a standstill. i had read reports of people stockpiling provisions, but back in the roma at my local sumesa- reputedly the smallest sumesa supermarket in the city- little had changed. one wag noted that the tiny roma sumesa never had anything in stock, anyway, so what was there to worry about? around the corner from my department, puestos were still operating, dishing out delicious huitlacoche-filled concoctions. the chiveros were clearly keeping their knives sharpened as well. masks- and rumours- were abundant wednesday and thursday, but far fewer folks were sporting masks today, tired of the irritation, realizing they were next to useless. last night i took up an invitation from french friends to attend a home film screening here in the roma. following an impromptu wine tasting conducted by a sommelier-in-training, accompanied by ripe brie from san juan market, a true gourmet's paradise, we started planet terror. it was the perfect choice of film given the circumstances. there were knowing smiles all-round when the survivors, having escaped the zombies, arrived in mexico, far from the toxic threat. we finished the night, glasses of malbec raised- or was it cabernet?- swaying to beirut's take on chanson. still swaying, i suspect, i wandered home through the deserted roma. the bars and restaurants would- hopefully- be back to life on the 6th, but there would be long-term effects for mexico and the- already struggling- economy.