Cyberoptix Tie Lab

If you are not yet familiar with the work of Bethany Shorb or her super fancy Cyberoptix tie lab, I highly suggest you inquire.

For years, this Detroit-based designer has created an extensive line of unique, elegant silk screened ties. Her playfully dark designs draw inspiration from a large variety of influences such as industrial waste, Victorian wood cuts, human anatomy, and old school computer graphics (read: lace-like brain neurons and 8-bit blood trails.)



While Cyberoptix has has been up in running for years (check her site for closest store locations) her newest mini collection has particularly sparked my interest...
Introducing: bow ties!



CUTE, no?
I'm loving "Topographical error" in ivory and "exhaust" in charcoal.

All ties and other wares can be found here:

http://cyberoptix.com
http://toybreaker.etsy.com
http://trunkt.org/cyberoptix

I could elaborate for pages on about her other projects in fashion, photography, and music, but I will let you discover for yourself.

You can read about such endeavors here:
http://toybreaker.net/blog

Last but not least, I certainly couldn't mention Ms. Shorb and her work without giving a shout-out to her Detroit based DJ group: DETHLAB!
We were lucky enough to host them at Front312 sometime last year, and their performance was nothing short of ultra-fun.

Check them out here:
http://dethlab.net
http://myspace.com/teamdethlab


Stay tuned for future posts featuring both Bethany and the Dethlab crew.

Eddie Riot's I Heart NEO Tues, Feb. 2nd

In two weeks, it will be time once again for I Heart NEO! For the month of February, Eddie Riot will be celebrating his day of birth with all of us. Come out for a monthly event that is steadily gaining momentum and becoming one of the hottest 1st Tuesdays in Chicago

DAF: Der Raeuber Und Der Prinz

I'm not sure at what point it became uncool to deal with homoerotic themes in industrial music and ebm, but I am going to guess it happened when they started throwing distortion and cowboy hats into the mix.  I was not around, so I really have no way to know first hand how it happened.  All I know is that it's all right to reference DAF if you are into "electro" but not okay if you are talking about industrial music.  I have been ridiculed several times for being into DAF, with the reasoning of the opposing party being pretty much rooted in American misconceptions about masculinity.  Of course, the opposing party was also usually wearing really wide-leg pants with cyber-goth dreads.

What I don't quite understand is this...

Why is it okay to like Nitzer Ebb, but not okay to like DAF?  Before they turned to synths, DAF were an intense band that were hardcore before hardcore even existed in the US.  The entire second half of their second album from '79 involves a performance where they yelled at the audience for a good thirty minutes because the audience were attacking them and throwing things at them.

Regardless of what the haters might think, this music video from 1981 is pretty awesome, and extremely creepy.  I am amazed it was ever played on MTV.

Also, check out this live clip: