The XLR8R staff has polled our favorite labels, producers, graphic designers, clothing companies, and friends to find out the fashion favorites of 2006 and those trends that elicited nothing but hate.

Best Style Trends

Neon Colors
I think when they tried to editor be big in the early ’90s, they didn’t do it right. Combine bold neon colors with minimalism and now you’re on to something!
Jimmy Edgar, Warp Records

Skinny Jeans
Easier than scouring thrift stores for the right vintage fit, skinny jeans have popped up everywhere. Even your mom is wearing them, but who cares? Looking good has never been this easy.
Josiah Hughes, XLR8R writer

Kindergarden Chic
It’s not exactly new, and it might be the latest manifestation of ’80s fashion revivalism, but you gotta love scensters rockin’ Lee jeans, horizontally-striped polo shirts, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and Keds sneakers. I especially love the girls in denim jumpers that call to mind Osh Kosh B’Gosh.
Leslie Hermelin, Mute

Sunglasses On Women.
Mathias Modica, Munk/Gomma

Neither the all-over-print hoodie or track bike could win any love in 2006.

Worst Style Trends

All-Over-Print Streetwear
Yeah, I know, I know. It’s the hottest shit in streetwear, but let’s be really real for a minute: The all-over pattern look is the postmillennial version of Generra Hypercolor.
Ross Hogg, XLR8R writer

The T.H.T.H. hat and all-over print anything is the worst. You look like giant infants.
Justin Kay, Industrial-Organic

There emerged a new breed of male this year, notable for their pajama tops–I mean, all-over-print hoodies–and plastic day-glo pastel sneakers. They enjoy standing in line for four days for the privilege of spending $350 on a pair of wack AF1 knock-offs and sweating each other’s limited-edition handkerchiefs. Bret Pittman, UARM

Please stop the onslaught. Enough is enough. What’s next? Polka dots galore?
Emmet Keane, Answer

I can’t even wear my A Bathing Ape zip-up anymore because “Benj” from Good Charlotte has the same one
and him and Steve Aoki wear theirs at the same time on Tuesday. Damn Los Angeles nights…
Subtitle, Alpha Pup/GSL

Beards And Irony
I’m not sure if these are the same thing. I can’t tell anymore. I like the idea of saying ‘Fuck you’ to high fashion, but that doesn’t necessarily justify looking like an abusive dad.
Andy Dixon, Ache Records

Bandanas
Bandanas around the neck for 2006 were 2005’s sweatbands. I mean, c’mon, you’re not really an outlaw. Celeste Tabora, Solid PR

High-waisted Jeans
I am sorry, but wearing pants that have you looking like a homeless 60-year-old woman at a bus stop talking to herself is not even vaguely attractive, and you can’t play the irony card, either. What, it’s ironic that you spent hundreds of dollars to look like your grandmother? Actually, maybe it is…
Caural, Mush recording artist

“Rave is back”
New rave? Whatever happened to rave, keep it rave (insert smiley face here).
Tim Everist, Schwipe

Afghan Kefia Scarves
I hate those fucking things more than anything. Also those mutli-colored Fresh Prince rip-off hats that were coming out of NYC’s Nolita/ Broadway Ave. that you see every dickwad wearing. Even when I went to Europe, I saw dudes from NYC wearing both there. I couldn’t escape it.
Patrick Rood, Dirty Down DJ/promoter

Crocs
In the history of modern footwear, never has an item so repulsive come to such international acclaim. From Jared Leto to your Ben Harper-loving coworker, everyone wants to put their feet in these holey pieces of
rubber.
Josiah Hughes, XLR8R writer

Track Bikes
Hipsters and their brake-less bikes. Don’t judge me ’cause I use brakes and don’t have tattoos.
David Ma, XLR8R writer

Moccasins
Ladies will have to learn to pick up their feet once again.
Fat Jon, Five Deez

More of XLR8R’s Best of 2006:
Justice’s Best of 2006

Best Artists

Best Albums

Best Record Labels

Best Visual Artists

The question is on the lips of every hipster and music aficionado around the globe: has rave returned? And who better to examine that question closely than the original rave magazine? For our January/February issue, XLR8R sifts through the latest surge of psychedelia to bring you the best of new rave.

Get a sneak preview of the issue exclusively at Peepshow.

Photo by Ben Mayorga.

Ohio native Matthew Taplinger has worked as a photographer for several years in Detroit and Chicago, snapping anything from airports and cyclists to crowds and individual portraits. Taplinger, who currently resides on the north side of Chicago, gave us a a sampling of his photos from the last year, now available for viewing at Peepshow.

One of the new faces of the Plug Research crew, Samamidon does some gentle singing and guitar playing in the “Tribulations” video, followed by some hard drinking and unusual dance steps. For those who think this sounds a bit conceptual, check out the video and see how these unlikely pieces fit together.

To all the dancers out there, take a peep at the video then enter the Samamidon dance contest for a chance to imitate the artist’s moves and appear in his forthcoming video “Louis Collins.”

Samamidon’s full length But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted is out February 20, 2007 on Plug Research.

Watch “Tribulation” at XLR8R‘s Video Section.

The XLR8R staff has polled our favorite labels, producers, graphic designers, clothing companies, and friends to find out which visual artists made waves and captured eyes during the past 12 months. Below are the undisputed artistic masterminds of 2006.

Banksy
For those detractors who were put off by the hype (don’t worry, we know you’ve been into him for five years) ponder this: He had a painting which sold for $250,000 that said “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit.” That takes irony to a level not possible on the street and validates the gallery context in my book. Hipsters, note: Expect your heroes to evolve.
Nick Philip, Imaginary Foundation

He did a miraculous thing by keeping guerrilla art surprising, beyond clever, and–most importantly–by making a complete statement.
Kathryn Frazier, Biz3 Publicity

Barely Legal was the best show of the year, and I don’t feel like arguing about it with people who missed the irony.
Justin Maxwell, Volsoc/Palette Recordings

He could have come out on top for any of the past three years, but for sticking it to Paris Hilton, Banksy owned ’06 without a doubt.
Josiah Hughes, XLR8R writer

This crazy bastard has a video on his site where you can watch him walk into the Brooklyn Museum and
hang his picture on the wall. Nobody noticed for fucking weeks.
Derek Morris, Trophy Graphics

A few pieces that showed at Banksy’s Barley Legal exhibition.

Stanley Donwood
His London Views is a stunning medievalized and apocalyptic panorama of London that would eventually be used as sleeve artwork for Thom Yorke’s The Eraser. It shows the capital’s landmarks (such as the NatWest
Tower and Big Ben) engulfed in waves. That Donwood credited his website to the Department of Reclusive Paranoia seemed apposite.
David Hemingway, XLR8R writer

Ben Drury
Homeboy gets overlooked because of all the flashy designers out there, but between his Stockholm exhibition inspired by pirate radio, its related Nike pack, and his work for Wiley, Newham Generals, and a shout on the Lupe Fiasco record, he’s killing them right now.
Stephen Christian, Warp Records

Matthew Barney
Despite 20-odd years in the game, Barney’s Drawing Restraint series at the SFMoMA proved he’s still one of art’s major players. Scaling gallery walls in Douglas MacArthur garb can only force one to shift perspective on man as an upright-standing creature. Drawing Restraint proves we’re hardly the vertebrates we think we
are.
Ken Taylor, XLR8R Managing Editor

Stanley Donwood, Matthew Barney, and Boris Austin.

Brian Jungen
His show at Musée D’Art Contemporain de Montréal was major. The masks made with Nike shoes were awesome, and the whale skeletons made with plastic chairs were just unbelievable.
Ghislain Poirier, Bounce Le Gros/Chocolate Industries

Friends With You
From plush and wooden toys to fine-art gallery shows, these two Florida artists are making work we love, but only they fully understand.
Dustin Hostetler/UPSO, Faesthetic

Boris Austin
This London-based documentary photographer has been shooting some of the most interesting and well-produced portraits and event photography around. Working for the likes of Hospital Records and Knowledge magazine, his energy and passion for photography is dizzying.
Georgina Cook, photographer

More of XLR8R’s Best of 2006:
Justice’s Best of 2006

Best Artists

Best Albums

Best Record Labels

The XLR8R staff has polled our favorite labels, producers, graphic designers, clothing companies, and friends to find out which record labels shipped out the goodness in 2006.

Ed Banger
A recording artist’s/label’s graphic identity has the potential to be as important a communication/marketing tool as the music itself. To this effect, Ed Banger Records is killing it. So-Me brings a unique hand-drawn/illustrative flair while maintaining his own unique perspective on the art of the 12-inch. Oh, and they got some fly beats, too.
Dust La Rock, Knuckleduster

Ed Banger is the reason I finally broke down and started ordering my vinyl online (paying more for the shipping than for the vinyl). So-Me’s art kills shit, and they currently have one of the most solid artist lineups (Feadz, Mr. Oizo, Mr.Flash!!, Sebastian, Justice), and Uffie, of course. Okay, no, Uffie has little to nothing to do with this.
Bryant Rutledge, XLR8R

Daft Punk manager Pedro Winter once again reigns over clubland! With names like Feadz, DJ Medhi, and Justice, and releases that bang harder than a million sledgehammers, who wouldn’t be in love with this record label?
Patrick Rood, Cut NYC/Dirty Down

Forget the minimal music in clubs–it’s too boring. Ed Banger throws it down, along with other French labels
like Kitsuné and Institubes. Hard synth-dance, electrodisco- break, Eurocrunk–whatever you want to call it,
it’s so powerful on the dancefloor. You can scream, get drunk, stage dive, headbang, have fun, have sex, or
dance alone to this.
Matthieu Gazier, Ekler’o’shock

Ed Banger’s Uffie, Sub Pop’s CSS, and XL’s Thom Yorke 

DC Recordings
While Output sadly bowed out of the game, DC was left with the task of that whole “making the indie kids dance” nonsense and instead of reaching for lame houselectrotechnoclash, they took to psych, Krautrock, and dub to flavor an unbroken string of top dance tunes.
Stephen Christian, Warp Records

Touch and Go
25 years of groundbreaking artists.
Drew Reynolds, photographer

Rhymesayers
Although not all their releases this year have been stellar, the label’s grassroots mindset hasn’t changed since day one. Plus, they are all good folks whom I feel are doing good things for hip-hop–a rarity nowadays.
David Ma, XLR8R writer

XL Recordings
Once again, XL Recordings brings depth and diversity. [The band] Various, although the album was disappointing, is truly doing something new, and I listened to Thom Yorke’s record while cooking dinner
every night for a month. Best audiovisual moment of the year though: when a couple bars of Yorke’s
“Black Swan” leak out the radio in A Scanner Darkly.
Alex Threadgold, Sound-Ink

Domino
I don’t love everything they do, but they seem to have the most cohesive yet diverse roster around.
Jason Forrest, Cock Rock Disco

Sub Pop
It’s just unfair that a label can remain so relevant after nearly 20 years. Must be that ol’ Seattle karma:
endure day after day of shitty weather, claim the world’s best record label as your own. Works for me. Never mind Nevermind, 2006 has been a banner year for Sub Pop, with quality releases from Band of Horses, CSS, Wolf Eyes, The Thermals, Comets on Fire, and The Album Leaf.
Steve Marchese, scissorkick.com

Rhino
In a year of not too many solid artist albums, I tended to retreat to familiar favorites, and Rhino had that
shit on lock. Killer reissue packs from T-Rex, The Cure, Depeche Mode, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, along
with the absolutely bad-ass Goth box A Life Less Lived had me dancing around the apartment like a stoned 10th grader.
Ken Taylor, XLR8R Managing Editor

More of XLR8R’s Best of 2006:
Justice’s Best of 2006

Best Artists

Best Albums

Best Visual Artists

XLR8R presents the Best of INCITE Online, featuring two weeks’ worth of the staff’s favorite MP3s showcased at our downloads page during 2006. This week features a variety of genres, from hip-hop to house to downtempo, and includes a bonus MP3 from the late J Dilla.

If you’d like to receive a sample mix and weekly updates when new tracks are posted, please subscribe to our podcast. Subscribe using iTunes (recommended) or with the RSS reader of your choice, by clicking here.

Asobi Seksu – The group followed their successful 2004 debut with Citrus, an album packed with rhythm-driven guitar and vocal tracks sometimes energetic, sometimes ethereal, and always sung in a combination of English and Japanese.

The Presets – At the forefront of the Australian invasion, this duo is equal parts invention and dance-floor friendliness with countless tracks of cinematic instrumentals and spiky electronic pop. They even threw a little heavy rock into the mix this year.

Muallem – Munich-based Muallem gave the standard hip-hop release something of a facelift this year on his debut album Frankie Splits, with a combination of straight dancefloor rhythms and some futuristic soul that kept the flow unpredictable.

Panther – With his blend of damaged soul, falsetto disco, and broken synth, the solo affair of Charlie Salas-Humar includes everything from freaky bleeps, spastic lyrics, humping the floor, and wearing khakis and boat shoes to hipster parties.

J Dilla – It wouldn’t be a proper farewell to 2006 without giving a nod to the late producer, who the music world tragically lost in February. Here XLR8R pays a final tribute to one of the tried and true greats of hip-hop.

The Album LeafInto The Blue AgainSub Pop
Jimmy LaVelle is one hell of a talented musician. Having collaborated with Sigur Ros, The Black Heart Procession, and a whole bunch of post-post-punk bands, the songwriter is at his most intimate and comfortable on Into The Blue Again. Serene piano leads and Boards of Canada-esque drum programming make this one of Sub Pop’s best releases this year.

Michael Mayer Immer 2Kompakt
Following up Kompakt cofounder Michael Mayer’s last comp Immer nearly three years hence, the “archangel of house” is back with a lo-fi, spacey offering for the dance-ready masses. Featuring killer tracks from Lindstrom, Crowdpleaser & St. Plomb, and a 13-minute-plus odyssey from Geiger, this mix will get you all tender and shook to hell.

VariousA Life Less Lived: The Gothic BoxRhino
It’s about time someone released 53 of the most important Goth tracks, which have inspired legions of eyeliner-clad ladies and gents to dance around with limbs flailing from all angles. Featuring hits from the likes of Echo & The Bunnymen, Christian Death, and Cranes, this Goth megalith of a compilation has got us feeling bummed in the best of ways.

Kashmere Stage BandTexas Thunder Soul 1968-1974Stones Throw
Funk don’t come easy…unless you were in the Kashmere Stage Band sometime during their 12-year reign. For those of you who aren’t extreme vinyl nerds or funk archivists, KSB was a revolving-door high school band that knew the meaning of wholesome jams. This two-disc collection contains re-masters, unreleased wonders, and live performances–a hidden gem from a bygone era.

Black Devil Disco Club28 AfterLo
The history of BDDC is a tricky one. While, initially, an ultra-rare disco find for crate diggers, the group was known for pieces created in the late ’70s. That is, until Rephlex “reissued” one of the group’s mind-bogglingly contemporary-sounding records. Some say it is vintage genius; others give credit to electronic engineer Bernard Fevre for production. Either way, this is amazing, fucked-up disco at its most obscure.

LithopsMound Magnet Thrill Jockey
Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner returns under his Lithops alias–this time he offers us some playfully chopped-up electronic mayhem. Dirty and sporadic as all hell, Mound Magnet digs in with subtle grooves amongst these ferociously mischievous compositions. As expected, this record cooks.

SkreamSkream! Tempa
Fuck yes. The dude who mastered the dubstep/grime template comes full-force with a most amazing debut. Somehow the UK-based producer can blend technically astute jazz percussion, distorted thump, and his infamous dubbed-out basslines, creating a diverse, but consistent album for the kids.

MúmPeel SessionsFatCat
It’s true. The 2002 Múm Peel Sessions have arrived and each one of the four tracks is completely smoking. This reworked EP features the most epic hits off of Múm’s debut Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today is Okay, and showcases the darkly scattered sound that has established the band’s place in atmospheric music history.

The KnifeDeep Cuts Mute
Deep Cuts is quite possibly one of the best electro-pop albums known to man, and our homies at Mute have done the right thing by reissuing the Swedish duo’s anthemic masterpiece, complete with a bonus DVD disc and remixes from Rex the Dog, Dahlback, and Mylo. This is the sound of salvation.

Mono & World’s End Girlfriend Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder RefrainTemporary Residence
Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain finds the Japanese orchestral giants collaborating with electronic composer World’s End Girlfriend for a fine piece of classical chamber-music action. Drink from a chalice in your basement to this one, dramatists of the world.

Award-winning fine art photographer James Rajotte transports us back to high school to relive the libraries, locker rooms, and gymnasiums that likely gave all of us the jitters at one point or another. “In these images I have attempted not only to show a school, but also to evoke feelings or memories of the anxiety or discomfort,” the artist says.

Rajotte currently lives in New York. See his take on high school now, only at Peepshow.