GAYLETTER

Just last week, in my Queer Politics lecture, the professor spoke about queer safe spaces. Vogue nights and the ballroom scene were discussed — Paris is Burning was referenced though academically discredited (and rightly so. I suggest you read our feature on Pier Kids’ Elegance Bratton, from Issue 3, to further familiarize yourself on the topic). Still, with vogue nights being reduced to one night a month, you have to ask; after years of providing LGB&T minority youths with spaces of solace and familial vibes, where is voguing in 2016? The answer can be found in producer, and singer duo Purple Crush, who recently premiered their “8-minute long video “Vogue Opera” (directed by Ash + Bone) [which] is a miniature Vogue exhibition indebted both to the art, and a celebration of their own Banjee Ball.”

“Divided into four separate performances, individual dancers and teams compete by exchanging sensual spins and poses before color-filtered cameras. Joining them is Purple Crush’s singer Isla Chanel, herself a competing (and Grand prize winning) voguer in the house of Chanel.” From start to finish the video is nonstop neon, glamour, absolutely synchronized, pristine realness. Moving through a series of vignettes that get more gag-worthy as time progresses.

Voguing is fantastic and in the last few years has been hyper-visualized by social media in arguably the wrong way (as has everything else… tbh). But to fix that, GAYLETTER tries to do our share by throwing our annual ball during Pride weekend. …

Only certain kinds of things can actually make me shake my finger and yell YAS at my computer screen. PWR BTTM happens to be one of them. If you’re unfamiliar with PWR BTTM (outside of actually power bottoming), Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce began the wonderful journey that is their gloriously queer band not too long ago, while they were both still undergrads at Bard. Fast forward to now, they’ve toured the country, been mentioned by Rolling Stone and are pumping out fierce ass music videos such as their latest, ‘West Texas‘, premiering today via NPR.

The video features both members clad in their natural element, that is, with hair doused in glitter and ill-fitted-but-it’s-working (!) outfits. Ben horrendously applies his lipstick. Liv slides into frame rocking scuba flippers. This is what makes PWR BTTM special. Their unapologetic tendencies to go completely over the top are not left untouched in their videos as they aren’t in their live performances. They’ve gone across America promoting safe-spaces and encouraging venues to function with gender neutral restrooms. They’re the Morrissey’s of queerness; calling out and making sure their performance spaces are comfortable for each one of their fans, which is arguably harder than Morrissey’s job as vegan-crusader. PWR BTTM’s inclusive mentality is a necessary movement against these previously white, male dominated alternative rock spaces, and it’s done with witty banter and drug-store makeup.

We here at GAYLETTER are huge fans and have been following them for a bit now and we’re excited to see where they end up. …

If there’s one thing South African–born, Toronto-dwelling Daniel Pitout hates, it’s laziness. As the singer, guitarist and songwriter for alt supergroup Eating Out and drummer for scuzzy Vancouver punk trio Nü Sensae (not to mention his former stints in Hunx and His Punx, Shannon and the Clams,Terror Bird and Groovy Temple), Daniel has a brand of restless energy that has manifested itself into a consistently strong work ethic. That energy bleeds into Eating Out’s ’90s-indebted music videos, too. For the catchy song “That’s My Man,” Daniel drew inspiration from classics like Clueless for a distinctly retro feel in line with the group’s alt-rock style. Daniel also happens to be one of the few openly gay members in the D.I.Y. punk scene, and he’s a very active, forward-thinking one at that: In 2012, he launched the AIDS Day Music Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes HIV/AIDS awareness through music and art every December as part of AIDS Awareness Month.

We dropped Daniel a line to ask him a few questions about Eating Out, skateboarding, gay groupies, the ’90s movies that inspire his music videos, and what being queer in the D.I.Y. punk scene has meant for him.

Who came up with the name Eating Out? I did. I just thought it was a funny name for a band and thought it would be funny to have a gay guy front a band called Eating Out.

 
What’s your process for writing music? I usually start with a gui- tar line because Eating Out songs are pretty melody-driven, and then I build everything on top of that. …

“Friends are the family you choose” is a common cliche used by all sorts of people. For some, however, choosing this family is a vital part of survival. Out & Bad, presented by Vice’s Noisey follows some of England’s dancehall community, giving us an intimate glimpse into their found mode of survival through dancing, partying, and camaraderie. This probably sounds like a relatable tale and it is but you soon realize that these boys can dance much better than you. They found each other nearly a decade ago when England experienced a mass influx of Jamaican immigrants fleeing anti-gay laws during the early 2000s. The dancehall scene served (and still does) as a friend based family, which for some, were all they had.

Out & Bad rattles off the statistics that have become all too familiar. We are reminded once again just how many black LGBTQ teens are forced out of their homes and left to navigate the most difficult parts of their youth alone. “We all had a common bond, which was black and gay. When we would come together, for a short moment, nobody could touch us. We were untouchable,” says one of the documentary’s main subjects, Marc.

 
The film is worth a watch. Marc and all of his friends are vibrant, feel-good people who make every group scene feel like you’ve missed out completely, which, unless you frequented bashment parties like Caribana and Bootylicious, you most certainly did. (Highlights include Deejay educating the viewers on how to stand, watch your liquor and give face at bashment parties.) …

The purpose of any medium is to provide agency for a larger idea. In this technologic age, video and sound are (maybe) the most popular agents to further illustrate an artist’s vision. FAKA is the brainchild of South African performance artists Thato Ramaisa (Fela Gucci) and Buyani Duma (Desire Marea). This week, they’ve shared a new music video titled From A Distance, which is an ode to Brenda Fassie’s fierce rendition of Bette Midler’s corny classic. Concentrating on the issues that surround the black queer body, FAKA says, “We wish to create a dialogue that transcends the bounds of queer activist rhetoric,” and in doing so, From A Distance serves as what they call a “Gqom-Gospel lamentation for dick,” and also what I am calling the next best thing.

“We regard this as an ongoing performance celebrating the third world aesthetics that often do not have the space to be validated on a large scale in contemporary creative culture. Even within the supposed progressive art world there is a classicism that excludes this demographic.”

The performance, which is presented on Youtube, is described as FAKA in their truest form. “Living our complex existence in ways that transcend all the artifacts we adorn, distancing with no restrain and no apology. We feel that there is an exclusion of a certain demographic of valid voices and expressions due to lack of resources, specifically Black/African voices who could strongly contribute to the progression of global culture.” …

Nicolas aka Ädgår is 25 and originally from Vienna. He has been living in Berlin since 2013. He studies Art History, Jewish History and Italian, and works as a bartender at the famous techno club Berghain and is also a DJ. In 2009, he started organizing the Sodom & Gomorrha Parties in Vienna, and now he finally wants to get back to the event management business and so, together with a friend, he’s planning the first Herrensauna, a very special, queer techno party. We had the chance to chat with Nicolas about the party, among many other things.

What makes your Herrensauna project special? Well, the Herrensauna will be a unique experience since it’s connected with the sauna concept. That means that this will be a place for sexual freedom, for any gender, every intention – where everyone should be able to feel comfortable with his body and sexuality.

But is there really a need for another techno party in Berlin? It should be more intimate. Not like all the big events here which are very crowded at the moment. We rather like a party that’s smaller and to keep the underground feeling with it.
Where does the title come from? As I told you above, it’s about sexual freedom. We welcome a lot of naked skin, surely of both, women and men. So don’t get discouraged of the title, please!
On your Facebook page of Sodom & Gomorrha, a strong connection to art is noticeable. A lot of Hieronymus Bosch and also other classical artworks with an homoerotic focus. …

Earlier this year, Mykki Blanco announced via Facebook that he had grown bored of rap music and was searching for a different artistic outlet to inspire fans. Nevertheless, he performed at our GAYLETTER Pride Ball to a packed room that was transfixed by his every turn. Though Blanco leaving music was naturally suspect, he has since launched Dogwood Music Group and announced the label’s first release, C-ORE — a compilation set for a September 18th release — introduced alongside a new short film featuring Blanco and label signees Psychoegyptian, Yves Tumor and Violence.

“C-ORE follows four vigilantes as they track down a wanted techno-junkie in the middle of developing a new way for users to experience old earth. After liberating it and trying it for them-self, they fall into a maze of nightmarish parallel realities. Now indoctrinated into C-ORE – they seek to escape the drug by traveling to the limits of their new reality.”

The film is trippy as hell, with locations ranging from a gritty nightclub, to a remote beach that is eerie in a metaphoric re-birth type way. Like most of what Blanco does, the short is non-stop high energy, infused with interesting fashion, and — save some middle scenes — storyboarded correctly.

Directed by Jude MC, the short comes at a time when what we know to be music is completely changing. FKA Twigs just put out a completely visual album, and everybody and their mom remembers when Beyoncé dropped her latest with a video for every damn song… Many musicians are entering a cross-genre world that experiments with visuals as much as it does audio. …

It’s easy to have a love/hate relationship with summer. You can venture to the beach, there are free events all over the city, and there’s more scantily-clad gays cavorting around than you can shake a long, hard stick at. But then, there’s also that thing where you’re reduced to a sweaty, gross puddle of hopelessness every time you step outside (or, like me, when you’re just trying to breathe in your A/C-less apartment). But! Summer also offers one neat little perk: there’s literally no better time for a good, steamy roll in the hay. Whether you’re just cycling through your squeeze of the week or spicing up a LTR, there’s actually no better way to ignore the muggy heat than to work up a sweat of your own.

Since us GAYLETTER boys are experts in this field (you didn’t forget about our NSFW Tumblr, did you?), we’ve put together a new playlist of sex jams to get you in the mood. A sequel of sorts to the last time we gave you all some sex-spiration, we’ve now got resident oversexed R&B dreamboat Miguel, our personal crushes Jay Boogie and DonChristian, Miss Jackson cause we’re nasty — basically, a who’s-who of sonic sex. Now get those clothes off.

LIYL: summer storms, Miguel’s jeans, sweat, Janet Jackson, kinky sex.

Follow us on 8tracks for further mixtapes. …

Now that this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is over, I have a confession to make: I had a hard time coming around to Violet Chachki. She turned out pitch-perfect looks all season, fully owned her self-confident bitch persona, and still, something didn’t click for me. She wasn’t as covertly nasty as the older queens, nor as anonymous and overeager as some of the younger ones, but there was just something missing to me that made winners of the past stand out. That was, of course, until that excellent leather and lace challenge, which seemed custom-made for Violet — the corset was cinched, the thong was on, the gag was in, and bitch was living. It was a turning point, and made me fall head over heels for her.

So to see that Miss Chachki has released a leather-themed music video for her debut single “Bettie” in the wake of her coronation is something of a cherry on top of a weird but ultimately satisfying season of Drag Race. “Bettie” is your typical electronic fare, with Violet intoning sultrily over a pounding, snappy beat. “Daddy needs a walk, Bettie needs a spank,” she cries, a fleet of cute men and boys coming through Violet’s house (and walking right past her “husband”) to take part in a fun bit of dungeon-y S&M. It’s certainly the best of the songs this season’s Drag Race queens have been putting out en masse, and the video comes with a healthy supply of jockstraps, leather, and bulges, of course. …

Arthur Russell’s legacy, in 2015, stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of musical experimentation. An openly gay cellist, composer, singer, and musician whose work touched on classical, disco, experimental, folk, and rock, Russell stands as one of the most innovative musicians to come out of the downtown New York music and art scene of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Despite releasing only one full-length LP during his lifetime, the Iowa native is said to have left thousands of tapes behind after his passing from AIDS-related complications in 1992, a treasure trove of half-finished recordings and variations that shed light on the kind of idiosyncratic, challenging, genre-defying artist he proved to be in spades.

Last year, Red Hot and Yep Roc released a two-CD Master Mix tribute album to Russell, featuring artists like Robyn, Blood Orange, Scissor Sisters, and others covering and experimenting with his songs. Now, artists from the tribute album are coming together for Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell!, a tribute concert put together by BAM, Red Hot, and Red Bull Music Academy that is bringing together a host of unique, indie acts to pay tribute. Some notable musicians that will be on hand include Sam Amidon, Devonté Hynes of Blood Orange, Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters, Cults, Thao Nguyen of Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, and more. Taking place over two nights at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House and coming a mere week before the release of Corn, a new collection of previously unreleased Russell tracks, it’s an event you definitely won’t want to miss. …

It’s no secret that we have a very large crush on skater punk Daniel Pitout of grunge outfit Eating Out. We included an interview with him in the very first issue of GAYLETTER Magazine (which you can still read here), and continue to love just about everything he puts out. Now, he’s teamed up with another GAYLETTER fave, menswear designer Julian Zigerli, for a short film coinciding with the latter’s SS15 collection. Titled Life Is One of the Hardest, the film doubles as a music video for Eating Out’s song of the same name, written and recorded exclusively for the fashion collection. Scuzzy and catchy, “Life Is One of the Hardest” the song finds Pitout and the band channeling their characteristic blend of ‘90s punk and grunge to potent effect.

The video, meanwhile, casts Pitout as the most well-dressed delivery boy of all time, skating his way through town in a number of vibrant outfits from the SS15 collection before finally arriving to drop off food to a table of what appear to be very impatient model boys (it’s ok, we would be too if Pitout was our neighborhood dispatch). It’s a fun, colorful, stylish clip that’s basically a mash-up of our favorite things, so you have absolutely no excuse not to check it out (and cop choice items from Zigerli’s collection, while you’re at it):

 …

AYER is the moniker of Brooklyn-based musician and visual artist Danny Schmittler. Specializing in electronic music that places Schmittler’s gentle croon over beds of warm synths, plucking electric guitar, and pitch-shifted backing vocals à la Purity Ring, AYER makes the kind of music that works in the intimate privacy of your headphones just as much as it does pulsing over a bass-heavy sound system in the club. AYER’s latest single, “Digital Fantasy,” mines a trend that gets quite a bit of traction in the queer community these days: the relationship between technology and love, now streamlined and hyper-sexualized by the wealth of dating apps that have sprung up in the wake of Grindr, Scruff, Tinder, and all the other ones you pretend you don’t have on your phone anymore. Inspired by a Huffington Post essay titled “Why I’ve Given Up on Hooking Up”, the simmering track finds Schmittler begging for “something to feel, something that’s real” instead of the “beeping signal” that pulls him back into the realm of digital debauchery.

The music video for the clip, directed by photographer Rick Day and longtime collaborator Steve Benisty, hones in on different variations of sexuality in several corporeal forms: muscled shirtless sailors making out, a leather daddy crouches down, an everyday suit seductively undoes his tie. It’s all very erotic, in a Robert Mapplethorpe, simple kind of way (AYER even referred to Mapplethorpe’s photography as an influence in a recent interview). …