#WASHYOURHANDS

Read the April Issue of Athleisure Mag and see #WashYourHands #StayInside (repeat) in mag (with video).

9PLAYLIST | #CLUBQUARANTINE ON INSTAGRAM LIVE DJ D-NICE

Read the Mar Issue of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | DJ D-Nice of #ClubQuarantine on Instagram Live in mag.

ALL ABOARD FRIENDSHIP 2020

The FriendShip 2020 event at sea completed its second run this past January with much success. This world-class music cruise experience was curated and produced by Gary Richards (aka producer & DJ DESTRUCTO, AMFAMFAMF event; founder and President of LiveStyle North America), featuring over 50 artists including DJs and producers, hitmakers and vocalists in electronic music, along with comedians, magicians and burlesque performers. 3000+ cruisers were entertained aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas for a memorable, immersive roundtrip voyage from Miami to the Bahamas.

Highlights included the main deck sail away set from TroyBoi, sets from GRAMMY-nominee Boys Noize as well as his ELAX alter-ego, the mobile heavy hitter b2b that came out of Mija’s set with Nina Las Vegas x Madame X x Flava D x Star Eyes x Uniiqu3, hip-hop sets with legendary hitmaker Dallas Austin and Wax Motif during the Rump Shaker party and DESTRUCTO’s dawn at sea party set The Sermon with GRiZ, Boys Noize, Bob Moses’ Jimmy Valance and Danny Daze, among others.

As the sun rose in the Caribbean on the morning of Thursday, January 9, over 3,000 cruisers aboard FriendShip gathered for a unique musical experience -- DESTRUCTO’s dawn at sea party set ‘The Sermon.’ (Listen on Soundcloud here) Joining the DJ & producer during the set which clocked in at just under 4 hours and 20 minutes was GRiZ for a live sax performance to Christopher Cross yacht rock classic “Ride Like the Wind” and b2b moments with Boys Noize, Bob Moses’ Jimmy Valance and Danny Daze, among others.

Catch the next one!! Dates are announced for FriendShip 2021 for January 11-15, 2021.

Photos Courtesy | THE FRIENDSHIP 2020

Read the Jan Issue of Athleisure Mag and see All Aboard Friendship 2020 in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #49 JAN 2020

This month’s cover and back cover is CNBC’s Global Markets Reporter, Seema Mody. Our cover shoot took place in the LES at Lamia’s Fish Market. We talked with Seema about her career, how she got into the industry and stories she has enjoyed covering. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we found out premium supplement nutrition brand, Ladder and their Results>Revolution challenge. We also share highlights from FRIENDSHIP, an EDM festival that took place earlier this year on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In this month’s The Art of the Snack, we head to HYUN which is known for their A5 Wagyu beef and the unique ambiance that they provide for those who dine there.

As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into MMA’s Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Body Roll Studio and EVEN Hotels), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, He Rocks This When He Is Out and About, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and CBD Beauty.

Read the Jan Issue of Athleisure Mag, Issue #49

GRAMMYS 2020 | NOMINEES + WINNERS

Tonight, the 62nd Grammys airs with a number of artists that we have all enjoyed on our playlists. We’ll be checking out the red carpet, as well as the winners. As usual, we have listed who we predict will win in italics, who actually won in bold and those that we accurately predicted are in bold italics.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Bon Iver - i,i
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
H.E.R. - I Used to Know Her
Ariana Grande - thank u, next
Lil Nas X - 7
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Bon Iver - Hey, Ma
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Ariana Grande - 7 rings
H.E.R. - Hard Place
Khalid - Talk
Lil Nas X - Old Town Road
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
Post Malone - Sunflower

SONG OF THE YEAR

Lady Gaga - Always Remember Us This Way
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Tanya Tucker - Bring My Flowers Now
H.E.R. - Hard Place
Taylor Swift - Lover
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell
Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved
Lizzo - Truth Hurts

BEST NEW ARTIST

Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalía
Tank and the Bangas
Yola

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
Beyoncé - Spirit
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Ariana Grande - 7 rings
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
Taylor Swift - You Need to Calm Down

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Ariana Grande & the Social House - Boyfriend
The Jonas Brothers - Sucker
Lil Nas X - Old Town Road [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]
Post Malone - Sunflower [ft. Swae Lee]
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello - Señorita

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
Beyoncé - The Lion King: The Gift
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande - thank u, next
Ed Sheeran - No.6 Collaborations Project
Taylor Swift - Lover

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
Andrea Bocelli - Sì
Michael Bublé - Love (Deluxe Edition)
Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Look Now
John Legend - A Legendary Christmas
Barbra Streisand - Walls

BEST RAP ALBUM
Dreamville - Revenge of the Dreamers III
Meek Mill - Championships
21 Savage - I Am > I Was
Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy

BEST RAP SONG
YBN Cordae - Bad Idea [ft. Chance the Rapper]
Rick Ross - Gold Roses [ft. Drake]
21 Savage - A Lot [ft. J. Cole]
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle [ft. Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy]
DaBaby - Suge

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
J. Cole - Middle Child
DaBaby - Suge
Dreamville - Down Bad [ft. J.I.D., Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG, Young Nudy]
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle [ft. Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy]
Offset - Clout [ft. Cardi B]

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
DJ Khaled - Higher [ft. Nipsey Hussle and John Legend]
Lil Baby and Gunna - Drip Too Hard
Lil Nas X - Panini
Mustard - Ballin [ft. Roddy Ricch]
Young Thug - The London [ft. J. Cole and Travis Scott]

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
Bones UK - Pretty Waste
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Karen O & Danger Mouse - Woman
Rival Sons - Too Bad

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
Candlemass - Astorolus - The Great Octopus [ft. Tony Iommi] Death Angel - Humanicide
I Prevail - Bow Down
Killswitch Engage - Unleashed
Tool - 7empest

BEST ROCK SONG
Tool - Fear Inoculum
The 1975 - Give Yourself a Try
Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land

BEST ROCK ALBUM
Bring Me the Horizon - amo
Cage the Elephant - Social Cues
The Cranberries - In the End
I Prevail - Trauma
Rival Sons - Feral Roots

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Big Thief - U.F.O.F.
James Blake - Assume Form
Bon Iver - i,i
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Thom Yorke - ANIMA

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
Daniel Caesar - Love Again [ft. Brandy]
H.E.R. - Could’ve Been [ft. Bryson Tiller]
Lizzo - Exactly How I Feel [ft. Gucci Mane]
Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo
Anderson .Paak - Come Home [ft. Andre 3000]

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
Bj the Chicago Kid - Time Today
India.Arie- Steady Love
Lizzo - Jerome
Lucky Daye - Real Games
PJ Morton - Built for Love [ft. Jazmine Sullivan]

BEST R&B SONG
H.E.R. - Could’ve Been [ft. Bryson Tiller]
Emily King - Look At Me Now
Chris Brown - No Guidance [ft. Drake]
Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo
PJ Morton - Say So [ft. JoJo]

BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
Steve Lacy - Apollo XXI
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
Georgia Anne Muldrow - Overload
Nao - Saturn
Jessie Reyez - Being Human in Public

BEST R&B ALBUM
BJ the Chicago Kid - 1123
Lucy Daye - Painted
Ella Mai - Ella Mai
PJ Morton - Paul
Anderson .Paak - Ventura

BEST LATIN ROCK, URBAN OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
Bad Bunny - X 100Pre
J Balvin & Bad Bunny - Oasis
Flor De Toloache - Indestructible
iLe - Almadura
Rosalía - El Mal Querer

BEST DANCE RECORDING
Bonobo - Linked
The Chemical Brothers - Got to Keep On
Medusa - Piece of Your Heart [ft. Goodboys]
RÜFÜS DU SOL - Underwater
Skrillex and Boys Noize - Midnight Hour [ft. Ty Dolla $ign]

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM
Apparat - LP5
The Chemical Brothers - No Geography
Flume - Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape)
RÜFÜS DU SOL - Solace
Tycho - Weather

BEST COMEDY ALBUM
Jim Gaffigan - Quality Time
Ellen DeGeneres - Relatable
Aziz Ansari - Right Now
Trevor Noah - Son of Patricia
Dave Chapelle - Sticks and Stones

BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (INCLUDES POETRY, AUDIO BOOKS & STORYTELLING)
Various Artists - Beastie Boys Book
Michelle Obama - Becoming
Eric Alexandrakis - I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor
John Waters - Mr. Know-It-All
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory - Sekou Andrews & The String Theory

BEST REMIXED RECORDING
Madonna - I Rise (Tracy Young’s Pride Intro Radio Remix)
Miley Cyrus - Mother’s Daughter (Wuki Remix)
Jorja Smith - The One (High Contrast Remix)
Mild Minds - Swim (Ford. Remix)
Marie Davidson - Work It (Soulwax Remix)

MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Various Artists - The Lion King: The Songs
Various Artists - Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Taron Egerton - Rocketman
Various Artists - Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Alan Silvestri - Avengers: Endgame
Hildur Guðnadóttir - Chernobyl
Ramin Djawadi - Game of Thrones: Season 8
Hans Zimmer - The Lion King
Marc Shaiman - Mary Poppins Returns

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Chris Stapleton - The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy
Dolly Parton and Linda Perry - Girl in the Movies
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - I’ll Never Love Again (Film Version)
Beyoncé - Spirit
Thom Yorke - Suspirium

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
Voces Del Bullerengue - Anónimas & Resilientes
Chris Cornell - Chris Cornell
The Muddy Basin Ramblers - Hold That Tiger
Bon Iver - i,i
Intellexual - Intellexual

BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
Thom Yorke - Anima
David Gray - Gold in Brass Age
John Coltrane - 1963: New Directions
Wilhelm Furtwängler & Berliner Philharmoniker - The Radio Recordings 1939-1945
Various Artists - Woodstock: Back to the Garden - The Definitive 50th Anniversary

BEST ALBUM NOTES
The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions - Judy Cantor-Navas
The Gospel According to Malaco - Robert Maravich
Pedal Steel + Four Corners - Brendan Greaves
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection - Jeff Place
Stay ’68: A Memphis Story - Steve Greenberg

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed

MUSIC VIDEO/FILM BEST MUSIC VIDEO
The Chemical Brothers - We’ve Got to Try
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
FKA Twigs - Cellophane
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road (Official Movie)
Tove Lo - Glad He’s Gone

BEST MUSIC FILM
Beyoncé - Homecoming
David Crosby - Remember My Name
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Various Artists - Shangri-La
Thom Yorke - Anima

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

GRAMMYS 2020 | NOMINATIONS + PREDICTIONS

On Jan 26th, the Grammys airs with a number of artists that we have all enjoyed on our playlists. We’ll be checking out the red carpet, as well as the winners. As usual, we are listing who we predict will win in italics, who actually won in bold and those that we accurately predicted will be in bold italics.

Album of the Year

Bon Iver - i,i
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
H.E.R. - I Used to Know Her
Ariana Grande - thank u, next
Lil Nas X - 7
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

Record of the Year

Bon Iver - Hey, Ma
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Ariana Grande - 7 rings
H.E.R. - Hard Place
Khalid - Talk
Lil Nas X - Old Town Road
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
Post Malone - Sunflower

Song of the Year

Lady Gaga - Always Remember Us This Way
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Tanya Tucker - Bring My Flowers Now
H.E.R. - Hard Place
Taylor Swift - Lover
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell
Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved
Lizzo - Truth Hurts

Best New Artist

Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalía
Tank and the Bangas
Yola

Pop Best Pop Solo Performance
Beyoncé - Spirit
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Ariana Grande - 7 rings
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
Taylor Swift - You Need to Calm Down

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Ariana Grande & the Social House - Boyfriend
The Jonas Brothers - Sucker
Lil Nas X - Old Town Road [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]
Post Malone - Sunflower [ft. Swae Lee]
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello - Señorita

Best Pop Vocal Album
Beyoncé - The Lion King: The Gift
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande - thank u, next
Ed Sheeran - No.6 Collaborations Project
Taylor Swift - Lover

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Andrea Bocelli - Sì
Michael Bublé - Love (Deluxe Edition)
Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Look Now
John Legend - A Legendary Christmas
Barbra Streisand - Walls

Rap Best Rap Album
Dreamville - Revenge of the Dreamers III
Meek Mill - Championships
21 Savage - I Am > I Was
Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy

Best Rap Song
YBN Cordae - Bad Idea [ft. Chance the Rapper]
Rick Ross - Gold Roses [ft. Drake]
21 Savage - A Lot [ft. J. Cole]
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle [ft. Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy]
DaBaby - Suge

Best Rap Performance
J. Cole - Middle Child
DaBaby - Suge
Dreamville - Down Bad [ft. J.I.D., Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG, Young Nudy]
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle [ft. Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy]
Offset - Clout [ft. Cardi B]

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
DJ Khaled - Higher [ft. Nipsey Hussle and John Legend]
Lil Baby and Gunna - Drip Too Hard
Lil Nas X - Panini
Mustard - Ballin [ft. Roddy Ricch]
Young Thug - The London [ft. J. Cole and Travis Scott]

Rock Best Rock Performance
Bones UK - Pretty Waste
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Karen O & Danger Mouse - Woman
Rival Sons - Too Bad

Best Metal Performance
Candlemass - Astorolus - The Great Octopus [ft. Tony Iommi] Death Angel - Humanicide
I Prevail - Bow Down
Killswitch Engage - Unleashed
Tool - 7empest

Best Rock Song
Tool - Fear Inoculum
The 1975 - Give Yourself a Try
Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land

Best Rock Album
Bring Me the Horizon - amo
Cage the Elephant - Social Cues
The Cranberries - In the End
I Prevail - Trauma
Rival Sons - Feral Roots

Best Alternative Music Album
Big Thief - U.F.O.F.
James Blake - Assume Form
Bon Iver - i,i
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Thom Yorke - ANIMA

R&B Best R&B Performance
Daniel Caesar - Love Again [ft. Brandy]
H.E.R. - Could’ve Been [ft. Bryson Tiller]
Lizzo - Exactly How I Feel [ft. Gucci Mane]
Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo
Anderson .Paak - Come Home [ft. Andre 3000]

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Bj the Chicago Kid - Time Today
India.Arie- Steady Love
Lizzo - Jerome
Lucky Daye - Real Games
PJ Morton - Built for Love [ft. Jazmine Sullivan]

Best R&B Song
H.E.R. - Could’ve Been [ft. Bryson Tiller]
Emily King - Look At Me Now
Chris Brown - No Guidance [ft. Drake]
Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo
PJ Morton - Say So [ft. JoJo]

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Steve Lacy - Apollo XXI
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
Georgia Anne Muldrow - Overload
Nao - Saturn
Jessie Reyez - Being Human in Public

Best R&B Album
BJ the Chicago Kid - 1123
Lucy Daye - Painted
Ella Mai - Ella Mai
PJ Morton - Paul
Anderson .Paak - Ventura

Latin Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
Bad Bunny - X 100Pre
J Balvin & Bad Bunny - Oasis
Flor De Toloache - Indestructible
iLe - Almadura
Rosalía - El Mal Querer

Dance Best Dance Recording
Bonobo - Linked
The Chemical Brothers - Got to Keep On
Medusa - Piece of Your Heart [ft. Goodboys]
RÜFÜS DU SOL - Underwater
Skrillex and Boys Noize - Midnight Hour [ft. Ty Dolla $ign]

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Apparat - LP5
The Chemical Brothers - No Geography
Flume - Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape)
RÜFÜS DU SOL - Solace
Tycho - Weather

Comedy Best Comedy Album
Jim Gaffigan - Quality Time
Ellen DeGeneres - Relatable
Aziz Ansari - Right Now
Trevor Noah - Son of Patricia
Dave Chapelle - Sticks and Stones

Spoken WordBest Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)
Various Artists - Beastie Boys Book
Michelle Obama - Becoming
Eric Alexandrakis - I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor
John Waters - Mr. Know-It-All
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory - Sekou Andrews & The String Theory

Remix Best Remixed Recording
Madonna - I Rise (Tracy Young’s Pride Intro Radio Remix)
Miley Cyrus - Mother’s Daughter (Wuki Remix)
Jorja Smith - The One (High Contrast Remix)
Mild Minds - Swim (Ford. Remix)
Marie Davidson - Work It (Soulwax Remix)

Music for Visual Media Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Various Artists - The Lion King: The Songs
Various Artists - Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Taron Egerton - Rocketman
Various Artists - Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Alan Silvestri - Avengers: Endgame
Hildur Guðnadóttir - Chernobyl
Ramin Djawadi - Game of Thrones: Season 8
Hans Zimmer - The Lion King
Marc Shaiman - Mary Poppins Returns

Best Song Written for Visual Media
Chris Stapleton - The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy
Dolly Parton and Linda Perry - Girl in the Movies
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - I’ll Never Love Again (Film Version)
Beyoncé - Spirit
Thom Yorke - Suspirium

Packaging Best Recording Package
Voces Del Bullerengue - Anónimas & Resilientes
Chris Cornell - Chris Cornell
The Muddy Basin Ramblers - Hold That Tiger
Bon Iver - i,i
Intellexual - Intellexual

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Thom Yorke - Anima
David Gray - Gold in Brass Age
John Coltrane - 1963: New Directions
Wilhelm Furtwängler & Berliner Philharmoniker - The Radio Recordings 1939-1945
Various Artists - Woodstock: Back to the Garden - The Definitive 50th Anniversary

Best Album Notes
The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions - Judy Cantor-Navas
The Gospel According to Malaco - Robert Maravich
Pedal Steel + Four Corners - Brendan Greaves
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection - Jeff Place
Stay ’68: A Memphis Story - Steve Greenberg

Producer Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed

Music Video/Film Best Music Video
The Chemical Brothers - We’ve Got to Try
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
FKA Twigs - Cellophane
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road (Official Movie)
Tove Lo - Glad He’s Gone

Best Music Film
Beyoncé - Homecoming
David Crosby - Remember My Name
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Various Artists - Shangri-La
Thom Yorke - Anima

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW LET THERE BE LIGHT WITH VELLO VIKHAUS

We sat down with Vello Vikhaus, a pioneer Visual Music Artist whose work has been seen in some of the biggest concerts, festivals, music videos, nightclubs and events around the world. We wanted to find out about the beginning of his career, how he collaborates with artists and projects that he's currently working on.

ATHLEISURE MAG: You've been producing, directing and performing immersive visual arts for DJs, bands, festivals, venues and brands for over 20 years, tell us about your journey in becoming a Visual Music Artist.

VELLO VIKHAUS: My journey to become a "Visual Music Artist" started early on with my love for the arts. I got a lot of support and encouragement from my mother and grandfather. My grandfather gave me his VHS porta pack camera, and that is when I really fell in love with video as a medium. Around 1986, I spent many a summer evening manipulating video feedback mix tapes. I would then take the finished works to house parties and take over the home TV system for "testing" party attendees for their visual and physical reactions to the abstract works, live.

I graduated from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1995 with a BFA, with focus on Art & Technology studies. During my school years I participated heavily in early electronic dance music events in the midwest area, performing and creating imagery to the music with a visual arts collective called OVT Visuals. This was a seminal time which I fell in love with creating visual artwork to music, and performing visual works live to music. My journey has involved continually and technically evolving by learning from mistakes as much as you can each time.

AM: What are some of your key influences for your love of music, art, technology and live performance?

VV: I see more amazing work than ever now on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Behance and Pinterest.

So much fun! Derivative has been a strong influence over the years as both a software platform and a community of like minded artists. I also really enjoy Siggraph, Live Design International, Mutek, Ars Electronica, Art Basel Miami and Art Chicago. I adore walking museums and historic sights which I always find inspiring. Love Blue Man Group.

AM: What were the early days like with V Squared Labs, how did you keep up with the fast-pace of a multitude of projects ranging from top artist tours and festivals, music videos, Grammy award and Red Bull parties, industry events, and more.

VV: In the early days, V Squared Labs was a small, wild boutique studio that ran undercover in an unassuming house in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. The key to keeping up with a diverse array of projects has always been the ability to remain nimble. Staffing up, collaborating, outsourcing, experimenting. The early days seem dreamy now, where you remember the outcome but forget some of the wild perilous situations. I've had the opportunity to work with so many different amazing artists over the years now, it is very humbling. I am genuinely thankful for the chances I have received.

AM: Tell us about the OG Vegas days, like creating Paul Oakenfold's immersive residency at Rain in the Palms. It not only had DJ and multi-screen VJ components, but also choreographed dancers and a fully embracing experience that was truly groundbreaking!

VV: The Oakenfold Residency really paved the way for the current Las Vegas EDM mega DJ residencies, and proved the Vegas market could go electronic. Thinking about this experience now makes it seem so primitive technologically.

AM: You've produced and live VJ'd an array of electronic dance Festival stages, sets and tours. What does it take to put that together, what are some of the highlight stories from live VJ'ing festivals and engaging with audiences over the years?'

VV: One of my favorite stories would be when I was at the premiere of the Infected Mushroom Fungus Among Us Tour at Avalon Hollywood. I remember being completely exhausted after loading out and hanging outside on the street waiting for our gear to complete load out.

While waiting, I overheard two guys talking while grabbing a late night street dog. They were talking about how it was amazing that the spheres actually moved up and down and wondering what type of hydraulics etc must have been used. Both guys definitely had consumed a few beers and other substances. I leaned over and told them that the pods never actually moved and that is what projection mapping does. They looked at each other, both completely in awe and said wooooaaaaahhhhhhhh.

AM: You have also worked with a wide range of iconic bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Police, Beyonce and hip-hop legends like Jay-Z to produce highly-emotive visuals for concert shows and tours. What differences have you encountered between EDM sets/ festivals and shows with diverse rock and rap anthems that can command crowd spirit and flow - where it is much about the respective songs and music, as well as the artists and the show.

VV: Overall music artists have very demanding schedules and require a lot of focused attention on tight timetables. For iconic bands, visual works are typically finely crafted per track in collaboration with various art directors, managers and client interests.

EDM Music festivals for me, depending on the scenario have always been a place to experiment and improvise live as a VJ. Less scripted, more in the mix. Even if it is just the opening set, the one thing most common between EDM / concert experience is the tangible energy we dance and perform to created by the music and visual expressions. Both iconic bands and EDM festivals now are getting to be more scripted and operating on similar production quality levels.

AM: When you’re creating your projects with artists, what is that process like especially when it’s for large scale shows?

VV: Our process for large scale shows follows similar structure each time whether it involves music artists, brands or agencies. We explore, concept, design, build and execute.

AM: What are some of the tools that you've used, created and mashed-up to pioneer your visual revolution through the years in multimedia content production and interactive artist-fan engagement - from animation to projection mapping to live video mixing?

VV: One of my favorite early visual DJ tools was the Panasonic MX-50 switcher. I also really loved mixing DVD's on the SVM-1000 with Pioneer DVJ-1000 turntables. We currently use Disguise, Resolume, TouchDesigner 099, Notch, Cinema 4D, Rhino, Vectorworks, Adobe Creative Suite and Unity for our production tool suite.

AM: What are some of your favorite projects you've worked on?

VV: Amon Tobin ISAM is still one of my favorite projects of all time. It represented the beginning of so many journeys.

AM: In yet another realm, how did digital native and gaming culture lead you to produce battle stage environments and projection mapping for the vibrant e-sports culture, with projects such as Starcraft 2 Stage?

VV: Even though I actually play Starcraft and Starcraft 2, it had never occurred to me that I would ever help create the SC2 stage and experience for Blizzcon. It was just good luck and a most excellent colleague referring our services, combined with a few good ideas delivered at the right time that lead to Blizzard Entertainment. My experience with gaming definitely helped me push the envelope for tight integration of in game data and statistics/APM usage to influence real time animations on the 3D set piece.

AM: What are some attractive benefits and particular challenges when building immersive environments and surfaces for nightclubs and lounges venues versus festival stages or tour show visuals?

VV: Festivals come up and down and have a very short lifespan. This is attractive and typically have a much shorter turn around. You program for what is right in front of you, and it vanishes before you know it. With permanent installations you are designing something to last, that is constrained inside an existing architectural perimeter. Permanent installations require a much higher level of finish and involve integrating more disciplines.

AM: What are some of the venues you've designed that our audience may have had the pleasure to enjoy and engage with?

VV: V Squared (now Xite Labs) has designed custom TouchDesigner video systems, staffed VJ residencies, created visual sculptures, domes and content for clubs like Kiss Kiss in Atlantic City, Project Club LA, The Heineken Dome @ Coachella, Outside Lands, Pitchfork, Marquee Las Vegas, Drai's Las Vegas, Rain, Rok Vegas, Parq, Sound Nightclub and X Nightclub.

AM: We were excited to see the announcement of XiteLabs, wow!! Tell us how it was to produce and run the very first event - a live immersive experience finale for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 100th anniversary at the Hollywood Bowl. What are some other projects we can learn about from XiteLabs thus far and/or you can mention are in the works?

VV: This has been the first year of official business for Xitelabs. Running the LA Phil show was like standing on a high dive and jumping off once the show started. A long climb up for an exhilarating result.

Other project...... our biggest project ever....

Inauguration of The Diriyah Gate Project. Saudi Arabia.

We just wrapped this project having worked on it for about 1 year, with the show completing Nov 20th. Here is a photo. This is definitely one of the world's largest 3D projection mappings which used over 200 projectors. We also created a massive carbon fiber 50ft Falcon. This was the central character of the performance, and the national bird of Saudi Arabia.

AM: Who are three people that you've yet to work with but feel it would be a dream to work together?

VV: I would love to collaborate with Philip Glass on an immersive environmental themed piece. Something about pollution and solutions to waste management. If I could rewind time Nam June Paik would be at the top of my dream list to meet/collaborate with.

AM: With everyone looking to next year and a full festival season ahead, what shows or artists are you looking forward to that will take place next year?

VV: Looking forward to Ultra Music Festival Abu Dhabi. Should be an adventure. Also really looking forward to Bad Bunny's May 2020 show in Puerto Rico. Historic developments in the making.

AM: As someone who is always traveling, what are 3 items that you like to put in your carry on that make traveling and being on the go easier?

VV: Organic Dried Fruits, Tennis Ball, Back Knobber and my travel hoodie with an eye mask/neck pillow.

AM: It's almost 2020, reflecting back - how far do you feel the industry has come over the years and where would you like to see it develop in the near horizon in terms of music festivals, tours, club nightlife and brand/commercial campaign marketing.

VV: I think the industry has come a long way since the early days of electronic music rave events. I love festivals like Day for Night and Mutek that incorporate music and visual arts in a cohesive package. More of this please.

IG @XiteLabs

PHOTOS CREDITS | Xite Labs

Read the Dec Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Something You Should Know Let There Be Light with Vello Vikhaus in mag.

9PLAYLIST | PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, YOU, DOLLFACE AND FOUNDER OF BEIS, SHAY MITCHELL

Read the Dec Issue of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, YOU, DOLLFACE AND FOUNDER OF BEIS, SHAY MITCHELL in mag.

MASTER OF SOUND WITH MARSHMELLO

As we look to close the decade, there are a number of phenomenons that have marked significant changes, pushing an array of industries forward. When you talk about the music industry and how people are connecting and inspiring fans, landing hits, distributing their music, collaborating with people and finding ways to engage with their communities in an enhanced way. Marshmello has become a larger than life figure in music as a collaborator and producer across genres, a streamer and gamer - his in game concert on Fortnight made him the most listened to DJ without a doubt. His ability to cut across a number of age groups who enjoy his music is easily seen when you're able to see the energy that hits any room that he walks into. We hung out with Marshmello and his manager, Moe Shalizi to toast a new business venture with his partnership with Stuffed Puffs who will open a large factory in Bethlehem, PA. The Philidelphia born DJ and producer sat with us to talk about some of their achievements this year, working across industries, their favorite collaborations and about artists that they would have loved to have collaborated with in this cover story.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment when you guys realized that Marshmello as a brand was something that you wanted to focus on?

MARSHMELLO + MOE SHALIZI: We always wanted to focus on it, but I think that when we saw things like what you’re seeing right now, kids wearing the costume as such an early thing – we realized that it transcended audiences and demographics of people and things like that. It’s just that the music resonated globally with people which is very different. So we knew that we had something on our hands.

AM: How would you define the Marshmello sound?

M + MS: I always like to say that he is the modern-day Timbaland. He’s someone that can hit every genre. We have a whole Number 1 country song with Kane Brown, 'One Thing Right'. We just put a single out that’s an alternative rock single 'Rescue Me' with A Day to Remember, the song with Bastille, 'Happier' hit 3 different categories (editor’s note: it’s worth noting that in 2018, 'Happier' spent an entire year at No 1. on the Billboard Dance Chart – which had never happened before). So the sound is everywhere. He’s a producer at the end of the day.

AM: What are a couple of highlights from being on tour or awards shows that are some of your favorite moments?

M + MS: I think that Fortnite was really one of the biggest things that he had ever done. It was something that no one had ever done before and the impact that it had was insane.

AM: How do you go about deciding on the types of collaborations that you do?

M + MS: We just try to be innovative the same way that Stuffed Puffs is in its category – we try to be as innovative as possible with our collaborations. It’s really easy for us to go and get collaborations with the normal people. But for us, it’s about finding that next top person and to work with them.

AM: Clearly the travel schedule is hectic and you’re always on the go, what are 3 things in your carry-on that you have when you’re about to hop on that next flight? M + MS: Probably headphones, Tylenol and gum – a lot of gum. AM: Who are 3 people that are living or dead that you would like to collaborate with?

M + MS: Prince, TuPac – he’d be dope and I wish we had done something with Nipsy - that would have been amazing - he was the man.

As someone who has been trailblazing in the industry, Marshmello pushes the boundaries on what it means to lea in a number of fields and how he likes to present himself. When you think about Marshmello, it's hard to not think of actual marshmallows and if you're familiar with his fun YouTube show, Cooking with Marshmello, you know that he shares how to cook an array of cool treats - some of them being marshmallows. It's not a surprise to see that he has now partnered with Stuffed Puffs, an innovative approach to making it easier to take your S'mores game to the next level. Each marshmallow has chocolate inside and is ready to eat right out of the package or heated. As is the case with many things that are all about serendipity, Marshmello crossed paths with the founder of Stuffed Puffs, Michael Tierney and the rest was history. We took a moment to chat with Michael to find out how this partnership took place as well as more about how he came up with the idea of his company.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Prior to launching Stuffed Puffs, what was your background before creating this company?

MICHAEL TIERNEY: Prior to founding Stuffed Puffs, I was in the fine dining world working in the kitchens of The French Laundry and Eleven Madison Park. Since founding Stuffed Puffs, but before bringing it to life this year, I also founded the better for you baking brand, Mikey’s.

AM: Where did the idea for Stuffed Puffs come from?

MT: Not surprisingly, sitting around a campfire. I have always been a foodie but never found traditional s’mores to be appealing. My issue, the chocolate never melted. As I am sure many others have, I carefully pulled apart a marshmallow and inserted a piece of chocolate before carefully seaming the marshmallow back together. Roasted over the fire, the chocolate melted perfectly from the inside out. The idea was the easy part. The execution, however, took much longer. I was laughed out of most candy manufacturers I tried to partner with who said that Stuffed Puffs were impossible to make. Eventually, we did it ourselves and built our own plant to prove up the innovative manufacturing processes we developed.

AM: When did you launch Stuffed Puffs and when did you know that you had a hit on your hands?

MT: Stuffed Puffs has been seven years in the making and we finally launched at retail with Walmart just before Memorial Day this year. We knew we had a hit by July 4th, only roughly five weeks later, when we had gone from zero to the number two item in the category by dollars sold.

AM: We're fans of Marshmello, you've been working with him for a bit now - how did this collaboration come about?

MT: In September of 2018, I was invited to the U.S. Forbes “30 Under 30” conference in Boston, along with Marshmello, who made the cover, and other honorees. I arrived late in the evening Marshmello was performing and got locked out of the packed outdoor venue. However, I lingered by the gate, loved the music, and marveled at his ability to mesmerize an audience. Returning to my hotel, I researched the name of his manager, Moe Shalizi, and sent him a note telling him about my marshmallow. I had zero expectation that I would get a response, which ended up arriving just minutes later. The next day, I met Moe in Boston and pitched him the idea. Two months later, Marshmello and Moe joined as my equity partners. They have been phenomenal partners and are always promoting and otherwise supporting the brand.

AM: What can we expect to see with your partnership between Stuffed Puffs and Marshmello?

MT: Our partnership will only continue to grow through a number of different avenues as we increase our retail footprint and portfolio of items throughout 2020 and beyond. Stay tuned!

AM: What are 3 ways that you like to enjoy eating Stuffed Puffs?

MT: Roasted over the fire is the obvious choice, but they are also phenomenal in the microwave for seven seconds if you want to enjoy S’mores indoors. For me though, they are best just popped in your mouth right out of the bag!

IG: @MarshmelloMusic

@StuffedPuffs

@JMTierny3

Read the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Master of Sound with Marshmello in mag.

9PLAYLIST | RAY DONOVAN'S POOCH HALL

Read the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Ray Donoavan’s Pooch Hall share his 9PLAYLIST in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #46 OCT 2019

This month’s cover and back cover is 5 X NBA All Star Philadelphia 76ers - Al Horford. We share a profile on him about his career, what led him to sign with the 76ers over the summer and the season date where is team is currently 4-0.. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we interview Dr. Elizabeth Seng and STARZ Power’s LaLa Anthony about migraine conditions – identifying them, why they’re an issue and how one can alleviate their strain. We sit down with Lara Merriken, founder of LARABAR to talk about the creation of the brand, what’s newly added to the line and more. You can read the interview in this month’s issue as well as listen to it on our podcast show, Athleisure Kitchen on iHeart Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Himalaya, Stitcher and wherever you enjoy listening. In Oct, we attended Autism Speaks Chefs Gala and talked with an array of culinary luminaries (Chef Maria Loi of Loi Estiatorio, Chef Gabriel Kreuther of Michelin Two Starred Gabriel Kreuther, Chef Matt Hoyle of Nobu 57, Chef Tony Nguyen of Crustacean Beverly Hills and Da Lat Rose, Chef Ralph Scamardella of Tao Group) as well as Angela Geiger, President of Autism Speaks. With Awards Season around the corner and the holidays – we’re talking glowing skin with Toska Husted whose clients include Jennifer Aniston and Ashley Busch. This month, we chatted with Chef Jared Sippel of Trattoria Italienne in NYC for The Art of the Snack.

As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into EDM’s DJ and Producer Destructo. Our newest roundup within the 9LIST ecosystem - 9PLAYLIST (9 songs that our celebs are loving this month) is from our 2018 June cover, Pooch Hall of Showtime’s Ray Donovan. As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Hotel Athenee and Precision Run), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, Rock This Look During Sweater Weather, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and Lime Beauty. 

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

9LIST STORI3S | NGHTMRE

Read the August Issue of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | NGHTMRE in mag.

LAUNCHING A NATION WITH PAIGE MYCOSKIE

As we transition from the Summer to thinking about the Fall, we love when there's apparel in our closets that's truly seasonless and easy to move around, travel and do an array of activities in. At Athleisure Mag, we became major fans of Aviator Nation and started incorporating it into our celeb shoots last fall. In addition, our team has defintiely rocked these pieces when we've been on set, hitting a day of activities and more.

We took some time to sit down with Page Mycoskie, the brand's founder and designer who launched the brand back in 2006 with a focus on that retro vintage vibe and super soft fabrication. We remember her and her brother Blake Mycoskie (founder of TOMS Shoes) when they competed together on CBS' The Amazing Race season 2.

We wanted to find out how this brand was created, how being an athlete has tied into the ethos of the brand, how she approaches bringing on new designs and styles into the line as well as how she approaches finding and opening her stores at various locations. Along the way, we learned how integral music and specifically music festivals, as well as aviators, play into the brand and how manifesting her passions and interests continue to fuel the direction of this lifestyle brand.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us about your background as you’re an artist, an entrepreneur, an athlete – how did this all come together in terms of your background and bringing you to the creation of Aviator Nation?

PAIGE MYCOSKIE: It’s kind of funny because ever since I was a young girl, I really had this mentality that I could do anything that I wanted to do. I really think that that came from hanging with my grandmother a lot. When I was little, I used to spend time with her during the day and she was super creative and super artistic. She would be like, “hey what do you want to learn today?” She was all about teaching me new things and I wanted to do creative things. It’s kind of interesting and I’d be like, I’d like to know about pottery and we’d spend the day learning how to do pottery and a lot of times, it was creative stuff. She was super artistic and she made her own clothes. So hanging out with her, I became very hands on and it’s super interesting now because a lot of what I do is very hands on. I think that that’s something that makes me very different from other people who start companies. I like to be super involved in all of the details at Aviator Nation.

It’s also funny to look back at the entrepreneurial thing. When I was little, I was constantly trying to sell things. Being an entrepreneur extends from that and I love being able to create things from scratch. I just loved the whole interaction of making something, selling something, earning money and then going to shop. Then being an athlete, that was an important part of this too. Now, I’m in a super competitive industry, the fashion world and being an athlete – ever since I was a young girl, I love doing sports.

Team sports was an important thing for me because the team I am building and the culture with the company is directly from when I was a child and on team sports with other people a lot. I think that being super competitive has always been inside of me and l like to compete because I like to win. Being an athlete and learning – the more you practice the better you will be and when you continue with that, you’ll be the best. I’m all about constantly making the best product and every time we do a production run, I’m all about testing the fabrics and new methods. It’s not just about putting out clothes every few months like new designs. It’s about continuing to make the product better. I think it helps that I wear the products because it’s all I wear. I’ll be like, “this is actually a little bit tighter than what I want it to be." Or I'd like to make this fabric a little lighter weight during this time of the year. Being an athlete, learning that the more you practice and the more you work with your team, the better that that team can be.

AM: What was that moment when you realized that you wanted to create this brand and what was the thought process behind the name, Aviator Nation? Your brand is really unique from your 5 stripes, to other designs, its gender fluidity and we love that you can literally look at your Instagram and see you truly building your company and the brand heritage that you present as well as continuity.

PM: It all kind of started with a personal obsession with clothes that are super comfortable and had this colorful look to them. I was living in California at the time and I had a job in a surf shop and I was doing photography. I didn’t go to school for fashion or for business. I went to school for journalism because I always liked to write and to tell stories. When I moved to California, I was interning with Shape Magazine for a little while and I realized that I loved the culture and the stories, but I couldn’t see myself working in an office.

So I got a job at a surf shop and I started to get into the retail world through that. I learned how fun it could be to work at a mom and pop shop and that was the beginning of my experience working in that world. What happened was, I personally had these ideas for clothes that I wanted to find and couldn’t. I would go shopping and the clothes were never soft enough for me. I have always been obsessed with my dads old t-shirts because they are so much softer then anything that was out there. Then I learned, that you could get them at thrift stores and I started shopping there and would look for old t-shirts. I just liked how those broken in garments felt. Then it was of course, not the right fit. So I found myself chopping off the bottom and cutting off the sleeves. I was manipulating these garments that I found at these thrift stores, Then it dawned on me when I found this one shirt – I loved how it fit and I wanted all my shirts to feel like that. I took the t-shirt a part and I laid out paper and made a pattern and bought a sewing machine and I taught myself how to sew. So I literally started doing it for myself because I couldn't find garments that felt the way that I wanted them to feel. Then, when I realized that I could make other garments that fit the way the t-shirt did with patterns and being able to sew, I could do the same thing with the designs that I wanted. So if I wanted sunsets or stripes, it was pretty simple because my skillset was there. I didn’t have experience. So I cut out stripes and put them on this garment and it was looking super cool and it was simple. So the reason why we do this applique technique now (which is essentially sewing fabric ontop of another fabric) was because that’s how we started in terms of creating a design to put on the garments.

Once I started to do that, I was wearing the clothes around town in Venice and wearing it to the surf shop that I worked at and everyone around me was asking about it, the brand that I was wearing and I told them that I made it myself. Not only did it feel good but the clothes felt good because I made them with this comfortable material from soft old t-shirts and the colors were attracting people.

AM: So where did the name come from?

PM: So growing up, my favorite movie was Top Gun and I had the movie poster on my wall, I still have it in my office. I just love that movie and I love the style of Tom Cruise and Kelly McGinnis and the aviator sunglasses were just such a key part of that style and that look. When I was little, I always had aviator sunglasses and all through high school and college – aviator sunglasses were always my go to. So I had this vintage collection of aviator sunglasses on my desk when I was thinking about the name for the company and I looked at them and thought, “I really love aviator sunglasses and I really love that word aviator and I feel that this brand is going to bring people together.” I always thought that aviator shades did that. I could have had a long night in college and then put on those shades and then I would look great. The aviator sunglasses were just the go to and I wanted the clothes to be the go to as well.

AM: Completely agree with everything that you’ve said as we’ve styled it in our shoots and have had great feedback and when we wear it around the city, the feedback is always so much fun. Especially when rocking the velvet ones which have such a retro vibe to them. How do you get your inspiration when you are creating the line?

PM: A lot of times, I will randomly think of something that I want to put into clothes. Sometimes things just pop in my head and I just want to see what that color combo would look like. Color is just a part of my brain. I’m always wanting to put colors together. I have Pantone books everywhere and I am always looking at putting them together. I walk around with a Ziploc bag of fabric in all different colors everywhere I go. I’ll be at the beach and I’ll say, I want to see this color with this color – so it just comes to me and I’m surrounded by old things all the time. I go to flea markets all the time because I love finding vintage stuff. I have hundreds of vintage skate boards and surf boards. I’ve always been really into retro stuff from the 70s and I have a ton of vinyl – album covers are a part of my inspiration because I’m playing vinyl all the time. I think that the old stuff that’s around me plays into it as well as it’s always around me. The color thing is just something inside of me – it’s weird.

Sometimes I’ll go to rock shows and different concerts. It’s what I do for entertainment. I don’t go to bars a lot, I’m not extremely social but I do love concerts and festivals and things like that. I remember when I thought about the velvet for example. I was backstage at a rock show and I was inspired by velvet curtains and things like that. It definitely came from Rock & Roll and there’s a lot of velvet in that world. I think sometimes my lifestyle whether it’s being at Venice Beach or at a rock show plays a little bit into my inspiration.

AM: In terms of product assortment, you have apparel, accessories and surfboards. Do you see other things that could grow into Aviator Nation as it really is a lifestyle brand.

PM: Yeah totally, I love creating new things whether it’s clothing, stores or whatever. I love building things from scratch. I see myself creating new products. It’s funny because I want to do everything, but I force myself to not do that because it could be taken the wrong way. I don't want to be that brand that tries to do everything. I really do try to draw it back and look at what I am really passionate about right now and focus on that. We just came out with outerwear this last year and that was something that I was super passionate about, but that we weren’t doing. I love snowboarding and I love the mountains and I'm always throwing on a jacket. I feel that the right jacket is a game changer and a jacket that you can travel with, stands up to the elements, it’s not too hot or too cold. I found this insulation that was kind of beyond what is being used right now – even with high end performance jackets. I want the best quality because it’s for me too and I like pushing the envelope on quality. Anyone who has my jackets understands. It's a super lightweight jacket that’s extremely warm and it packs down into your backpack. I’m also passionate about high top tennis shoes so right now I have a big collection myself and I’m always thinking that it would be cool to make shoes and doing a collection of high tops. Stuff that makes sense for me personally that I’m passionate about because it is authentic. For people that are fans of the brand, they’re all about authentic. I think everyone is becoming that way and it works well for business. This brand has been this way from day one as I started it making it for myself. If the quality is not good enough for me, then I am not going to put it on the shelf. I’m extremely picky.

AM: We appreciate the pickiness of it. You can literally travel in it without a problem, it photographs well, it‘s great and so soft.

PM: It’s crazy comfortable. I’m turning down washes all the time. I’m like that’s not good enough, it’s not soft enough. The people that work in my production at times they’re like, this is crazy this is soft and I’m like, “not soft enough.” I feel that the best feeling is like you don’t have clothes on at all. So if we’re going to make clothes, we should make them feel like you’re not. That’s what I like to think that the sweats feel like – it’s just an extension of your body.

AM: It seems like you partner with a lot of events including Austin City Limits Music Festival and Global Citizen. How important is it for you to grow your brand and to be aligned in that way?

PM: Yeah, it’s super important. It really happened organically. When I opened my first store on Abbott Kenney and built that stage on the patio, that was kind of the beginning of getting involved in the music world. I always say, “if you build it, they will come” very field of dreams. That’s what I did. I built this stage and I had all kinds of artists wanting to play on our little patio in Venice. Doing that was such a cool experience. Getting to know the artist and creating a place where bands get to play – Foster the People rolled in there one day and played on the stage and it was a couple of years before they got cool. That was happening all the time and now I have other stores with stages as a lot of my stores have these stages and I’m always saying yes to artists that want to play. It’s so fun and one day someone from Austin City Limits came into the store in Venice and they loved what I was doing. I really personally love Austin City Limits Music Festival and so when I met that person it was such a unique moment. When I did that festival, it was funny because I go to music festivals a lot – it’s part of my life and I’m always kind of feeling like I don’t want music festivals to be super commercialized and I felt like that old school vibe. I like to imagine what Woodstock would have been. I love when festivals aren’t super commercialized and built up and the one Austin really is a lot less commercialized than others. The thing is, it’s surrounded by trees and grass. Another big thing is that I felt like the artists as I’m friends with a number of artists now and was back then too – they were 3 years into having stages and a lot of the artists were burnt out I noticed – especially on the festivals. It was something that was fun but exhausting. They’d show up, they’d play their show and get back on the road. I have a lot of friends in the music industry and know how it is when they’re going on tour as I’ve actually joined friends on tour too. It’s grueling. So when the people at Austin City Limits came to my store and asked for me to get involved into what they were doing, they wanted to know that if I could do anything, what would I do?

It was an interesting moment and I said I wanted to do something for the artist. They just have these basic trailers backstage and they have their beer or water. They play their show and then they leave. Back in the day, the artist used to sit around and play music together and sit around and get to know one another. I know that because of my friends in the industry and their parents are people like Grand Nash. People who were in that world, I read a lot of books, seen a lot of documentaries and I know about how it was back in the day. I’m always about restoring the past. I told them, “what if I built a teepee that was backstage” and they could hang out there and it was just a place for the artist to chill in between their sets. They loved it and thought it was amazing. They let me build a teepee backstage where only the artists and friends and family of the artists could be and I designed it, drew it and had these Native American guys make it out of fabric and hand painted it. It has this cool rainbow look to it and we set it up backstage at ACL and it was the most incredible thing that I ever witnessed. Basically, I set it up and then bought some old vintage guitars and instruments and had it in there, candles, a couch and blankets. It was super chill and not commercial at all. They asked if I wanted signage and I said no, I just wanted a teepee. I made t-shirts that I was going to give to the artists as a gift and I make clothes and I wanted to make cool ones. The artists come to concerts but they don’t really get gear. So I wanted to make a shirt that I felt that they would wear and not the typical concert shirt. So I designed this shirt that was a vintage cool looking shirt that said Austin City Limits on it, but it was a cool one that didn’t look like the typical concert shirt. On the back of it, it actually said, “It’s All About the Music.” I felt that it was all about the artists and a festival is better if the artists is super stoked. Literally all day for the full weekend, artists would come into the teepee and they would sit down, pick up a guitar and jam out. We had The Alabama Shakes and Phoenix jamming out together.

We had Leon Bridges come in and sit down and start playing a song. He said he had just made up the song by being inspired in the teepee to make this song. It’s exactly what I wanted to happen and all the artists really started to love the teepee. It was a dream come true to come up with this environment. I think it made their experience at Austin City Limits so much better because it was so much more grounding for them, they made friends and they had the t-shirt.

Everyone wanted the t-shirt because they knew it wasn’t available but they wanted to know where they could get it. It was authentic to the artist because they had met us and hung out with us, the shirts were super soft and they probably had a bag filled with dirty clothes. Now we have done it with ACL since 2012, I’ve done a lot more festival shirts for others as well. We do the same thing where we take the teepee and it allows us to get to know the artists backstage and we make sure to make pieces where it doesn’t feel like the typical concert tee.

My thing is, I want to make gear that people will want to continue on wearing. As the customer myself, I will buy a shirt at a festival and not wear it. What you want to do is to wear a shirt that is super soft from the start and that you will want to wear. I make festival gear that is more fashionable and that people will want to continue wearing.

AM: Do you see the brand being at NYFW or at Miami Fashion Week?

PM: I think that with the swim collection, Miami Fashion Week is a great way to showcase that and I really love Miami. We did a small fashion show at the Soho House Miami when I first released our swim collection with the new velvet collection. I got invited to be a part of an event right at the time that it was coming out and it made sense. It was fun, a small show and I think doing fashion shows is really cool. I love putting the brand in front of a lot of people that love fashion. I think that sweats and swimwear really is fashionable. I don’t say no when I think that something comes about that makes sense doing. I think NYFW and Miami Fashion Week is great for us.

AM: Do you sponsor or have any athlete ambassadors?

PM: We have several athletes that shop with us that come in and a lot of times, managers reach out to us and ask if you want to sponsor. We’ll send them things and it’s about people that specifically and personally like the brand. We don’t have any specific sponsorships but we have a lot of athletes that shop in the store.

AM: As someone who is active and an athlete, what are 3 things that are always in your bag when you’re heading to the beach to relax or to surf?

PM: When I go to the beach to surf, I always have to have my speaker – a portable one that I love and I take everywhere I go. I always have a good book – I love to read and I’m into business books. It’s interesting to read on philosophies that entrepreneurs have taken. Maybe my ukele – I grew up learning whatever instruments I could get my hands on and I have always liked this instrument because it’s small and easy to carry around.

IG @PaigeMycoskie

You can hear Paige Mycoskie on our show, BUNGALOW SK which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

IT'S ELECTRIC

We headed to Randall's Island here in NYC to attend Electric Zoo Evolved which had 40+ hours of EDM DJs, 4 stages, an array of food and beverage options and more. Our Labor Day Weekend was jam packed with a number of sets from some of our faves that included Kaskade, Oliver Heldens, Diplo, Good Times Ahead and more. We also checked out acts that we were less familiar with. In the midst of getting in on the good vibes, we sat down with 5 acclaimed EDM DJs to catch up with them on what they're working on, hearing about their sound and more.

We caught up with DJ/Producer SayMyName who is also this month's cover. Known as the Godfather of Hard Trap, when it comes to style - he definitely has it. We found out about his style of music, his latest collaboration with Riot Ten and what he does when he's outside of the stage and studio.

ATHLEISURE MAG: So you are known as the Godfather of Hard Trap. What is that and what is it about this genre of music that you love so much?

SAYMYNAME: Ok so Hard Trap is a genre that I started in 2012. It’s basically a fusion between Hard Style and Trap or like Hip Hop and it’s the best of both worlds. My favorite part about Hard Trap is basically the energy and uniqueness of the sound that it brings to every set no matter whether it’s a festival or a club – it stands up.

AM: Does it change for you whether you’re in a massive venue like here at Electric Zoo or if you’re in an intimate club? How does that work for you in terms of vibe?

SMN: The vibe or the energy is always there. Whether it’s a 100 or 10,000 – like there’s always this raw energy that matches the music. I don’t like to go to a smaller room and change the setup because I still want to see that same energy.

AM: So you just collaborated with Riot Ten with Glocks which is pretty exciting. How did that come about and how excited are you to finally release this?

SMN: Oh I’m excited it’s finally out. Riot Ten and I, we go back and this is something that we have talked about for a minute. He’s done the harder music like more of the Dubstep stuff and just basically using the Dubstep and the Hard Trap and just giving something that our fan base wanted. I’m excited that we got to do it.

AM: We love the new magenta color. How do you love the fact that you can express yourself with your hair color?

SMN: I love that it’s like varied on the season or my mood. So I have done blue, red, orange and now I’m on magenta. I feel like when I go in I just say, “ok I’m going to do yellow.” I think that the louder and the brighter the color, it’s just a bigger representation of the style and that energy. When you see that color and you’re on stage – it’s just in your face!

AM: What other collaborations do you have going on that we should keep an eye out for?

SMN: Right now, I just finished a collaboration with Afrojack. So we’re working on a release for that so keep an eye out for that. R3HAB and I, Timmy Trumpet – there has been a lot of music that I have been working on during the summer so I’m just taking some time off.

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

AM: You’re a busy guy and you have been at a lot of festivals this season. How do you keep yourself relaxed and focused on what’s happening?

SMN: For me, it’s all about balance. When I’m not on the road, I’m in the gym when I’m not in the studio. I feel that the gym it’s not like I’m coming down because I’m working out, but it’s about really staying healthy physically and mentally. It keeps the creative flow going and the energy. Festival season – the festivals that I have played this year, it’s been insane.

AM: We’re excited to see you perform tomorrow!

SMN: I’m so excited! It’s my first Electric Zoo and this has been a bucket list festival. I think I caught a Hardwell festival clip in 2012 or 2013 and I was like, “what is this Electric Zoo – it’s crazy!”

AM: As someone who travels so much, what are 3 items that are in your carry on to feel like you’re at home and centered?

SMN: I feel like with my carry on, that’s a good question. This is going to sound super cliché, but my laptop. I can take my music with me on it when I want to work from the road. I have books on my phone. I think that the books and the music that I have on my phone keeps the connection between everything. Then just essential hygiene products – my skincare routine is a big one.

AM: You need to be fresh!

SMN: I’m trying, I’m trying – I have to stay on top of that.

IG @SayMyNameMusic

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

We sat down with 2019 Grammy Nominated DJ/Producer EDX moments before he hit the stage. He had just arrived after performing in Montreal to kick off Labor Day Weekend and was in NYC just long enough to play a set at Electric Zoo. We talked about being #1 on Spotify's Dance Rising Charts, musicality and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: You’ve been known as a genius for all the amazing music production you've done. What is the symbiosis between musicality and production to you in terms of making the great sound that you do?

EDX: Well you know, I think that there first, there is always a good song, a nice chord progression and if it’s a vocal song, there is a meaningful vocal. Then you add to it your signature sound and like the high end production. I think that you can have the best production possible if the musicality is there. It’s very hard to touch people when that’s not there. I’m always focusing on touching people with my music and when I have been doing this for so many years, the quality today shouldn’t even be an issue anymore.

AM: So STAY is on the Dance Rising Charts on Spotify. How excited are you about that?

EDX: It’s awesome because it has actually been the #1 track on Dance Rising. That’s something that is so special each time. It’s like making you a Sir for music – every once in awhile when this happens! For me, I’m just a kid living in Switzerland in a neighborhood next to Zurich and just exposed to music and trying to reach the world. This achievement is like a big achievement in my point of view because you actually reach so many people all over the world with this and it’s a good opportunity to be on that Dance Rising once in awhile.

AM: What are your 3 favorite remixes that you have done?

EDX: Haha it’s a hard question! I think that I have done more than 50 or 100 remixes. I don’t know and I’m still counting. It’s hard to pick just 3. I like the remix to the Janelle Monae (‘Make Me Feel’) record because it was just a cool song and I liked the whole vibe from it in the original. All the others are like in themselves, are something special because they all have this collaboration with some other songwriter, singer, artist and being able to get influenced by the original version and to add your own vibe to it to make it your own. It’s something that’s a blessing if you get this opportunity and it’s hard to just pick my favorite ones. But the Janelle Monae remix from last year has really given me the challenge that I wanted once in awhile.

I just started a remix for the new single of Loud Luxury. Which was just sent recently to Sirius XM before the release for their playlist at BPM so it is coming out in 2 weeks. It ended up being an effective remix and I was very excited to tease it and play it out like right now.

AM: We love your remix with Kaskade for ‘Angel on My Shoulder’.

EDX: Oh yes, that was a good one.

AM: Labor Day Weekend has been very busy for you. You were in Montreal on Fri, you are here today in NYC at Electric Zoo and tomorrow you will be in Dallas, how do you keep all that energy going and feeding all of these people your music?

EDX: Well, it’s like a very rewarding industry that we are in. Being able to play out your own music in front of so many people that give you such great feedback each time. It’s actually cool. I’m actually flying out tonight to Dallas because I’m playing tonight and tomorrow I will be out back to Europe!

IG @EDXmusic

PHOTO COURTESY | aLIVE Coverage for ElectricZoo.com

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

Talking with the NJ based trio, Cash Cash, we defintiely got their vibe of just giving a great show that is filled with an array of genres that are just about having a good time. We sat down with them right before their show to find out about what they've been working on, how they work with one another and some of the tools of their trade.

ATHLEISURE MAG: So how do you define the Cash Cash sound?

CASH CASH: We’re a mix of a lot of different things. We’re kind of like a buffet. You get everything with us. You get chicken, beef, vegetables, carbs, salad, dessert – we do it all. We work with Hip Hop artists, we work with pop artists, rock artists, alternative artists. We love it all and we’re always mixing electronic music with different feels and styles of music. Even with just instruments or singers.

AM: How does that work to have 3 of you working together in terms of being on stage or in the studio? How do you deal with those dynamics?

CC: We run a majority rules kind of thing. So if 2 people agree on something, then that’s how it goes. If one person cries enough and pleads their case …

AM: Oh nice so the minority vote can come forward and win!

CC: Yeah if they can convince us yeah – haha the minority vote could win that’s funny!

AM: So the song with P!nk, ‘Can We Pretend’ – it’s amazing! How did it come about and how excited were you for that?

CC: Really excited. We did a remix for her in the last month of 2017 and the remix did really well. She was happy with it, the team was happy with it and we have been trying to send her songs for a long time and finally she sent us the acapella and we were like, “this is great, we can do something with this.” So we built a song around that and it came together that way. It was great to finally make that happen because artists are so busy these days. She’s out doing world tours and we’re in the club every night. It was great to finally make it happen.

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

AM: With you guys having so much club time, how do you take time for yourself?

CC: It’s minimal I guess! We’re used to it though. We’ve been doing this for awhile so we’re used to the up and go lifestyle. We’ve been going and you get time off when you get to come home and we love traveling to see the world. It’s always cool to go to new places and then to be able to go back and return.

AM: When you guys are recording, what are your 3 favorite pieces of equipment that you love to use?

CC: Probably the computers – it’s like a love hate thing. Because you think it sucks sometimes, but you couldn’t make music without it. You could have a tape machine, but the computer is better. I feel that it switches – you’ll love a certain synth or something and then you’ll get sick of it, move on and then you’ll look at the wall and there’s your acoustic guitar and you’re like – this is the best!

IG @CashCash

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

Around Athleisure Mag's office, we've been playing DRIP by Boombox Cartel, Dillon Francis featuring Desiigner on loop since it dropped a few days ago. During Electric Zoo, we took some time to hang out with the man himself to find out how he experiments with his sound to make distinctive music while continuing to express himself with his collabs as well as his clothing brand.

ATHLEISURE MAG: How do you define the Boombox Cartel sound?

BOOMBOX CARTEL: I define it as breaking the rules and doing everything wrong. Stuff that’s not supposed to be done and trying to make it work. I try to come up with original ideas and there is a lot of research and development.

AM: What's that like?

BC: Putting a lot of time in the studio and making a lot of weird demos. It’s like evil scientist vibes, but I think that that’s what it is. Then just staying true to the underground and staying true to where we all came from.

AM: How do you get inspired and where does that come from?

BC: Well just influences from when I was a kid. Indie bands, synth rock bands to like Hip Hop to Trap, to Houston stuff to just a big mix. I lived in Monterrey, Mexico for half of my life. I was born in Laredo, Texas in South Texas and I went to music school in Minneapolis. So it’s just kind of like gathering cultures and gathering styles and sounds and just putting it all together.

AM: We’re loving DRIP with you, Dillon Francis and featuring Desiigner from an Athleisure Mag perspective, amazing song to workout to! How did that come about?

BC: Thank you so much and that’s what we wanted! Dillon is one of the most happiest human beings that I know. He’s always really enthusiastic and we tried to make something that meets in the middle. Something euphoric, something happy, something bright, something really colorful and that’s what came to be. And also, with Desiigner, he’s one of the most down to Earth rappers. I work with so many rappers and I think that Desiigner is the only rapper that I can say he is like a genuinely good person that is down to work and to do it for the people. He was there and we were in the studio until 7am like coming up with ideas – smoking weed and my whole house smelled like weed for the next week.

AM: But it was worth it!

BC: But it was worth it! We made a really positive and happy song and we’re all happy to put it out.

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

AM: It’s a hot song. We can’t say how many times we’ve had it on loop.

BC: Thank you so much!

AM: So your FC custom jerseys – those are really cool! Where did that come from?

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

BC: That came from living in Monterrey, Mexico and just going to soccer games every week. I see a lot of baseball jerseys in the EDM community and there’s isn’t enough love for the soccer community. Soccer is just as big or I think bigger! So just playing soccer, every show I go to I ask for a soccer ball and collect a university ball or something like that. I’m a huge fan. So working on those from scratch with a friend in Downtown LA – right now we’re working on a brand partnership with a big company. We did it all from scratch. One of my good friends Colby, helped us out. He has a beautiful warehouse – cut and sew, he created the patches from scratch and they will be back in stock this next week!

AM: Exciting – eventually you can have a whole line!

BC: We have some shorts coming up, socks, the whole kit for the kids.

AM: What are 3 things that you do being so busy and spreading yourself in so many places – to just get back to you?

BC: Yeah, I grew up in Texas with my dad grilling twice a week. So me and my homies barbecue twice a week – or at least once a week. I have a Harley Davidson back at home and I take it out on the 1 highway to go get some fried shrimp and then I come back home and just head to the studio.

IG @BoomBoxCartel

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

One of our favorite remixes is 'Red Lips' by Good Times Ahead as it's been earcandy on our playlist for nearly a decade. So sitting down with this duo talking about a number of exciting changes taking place in the group was a lot of fun. In addition to hearing about their new label, their rebrand and what they've been up to this year, we also found out about where we should be eating the next time we're in Miami.

ATHLEISURE MAG: You guys have had a lot of going on lately – you have the rebrand of your name and your own label. Can you tell us about this?

GOOD TIMES AHEAD: The label is called Good Times/Bad Times and I think that one of our favorite things about having our own label is being able to put out our own music whenever we want. It’s kind of like the main reason. At the same time, it’s also a good platform for us to showcase the Latin influence we have in our music and a lot of the people that we play in our sets and just showcasing that to everyone. Kind of bringing a new thing to the game.

AM: When it came to introducing us to some of his favorite music, our Co-Founder Paul, introduced us to your music. We covered the Fold Festival and we saw you there as well. What is it about your free of genre music and just really bringing together good music?

GTA: For us, it’s mostly just about the energy that music has and the type of energy that makes you feel the way that you do. That’s why whenever we play music, any music that we play either hand selecting it or making it – it, has a certain kind of energy to it. It’s kind of what lets people just have fun as it’s such a fun sound to it. That’s pretty much what attracts us to music in general. It’s about having a good energy about it.

AM: Once again you guys have been super busy with so many festivals. How many have you done just this summer alone?

GTA: This summer probably like 4, but that’s light for us. We still played a lot of festivals and shows, but this year, we took it a little easier because we were focusing on finishing up so much music. 2 or 3 weeks ago we put out our album. We had the record label launch and the whole rebranding of everything. We have been working a lot behind the scenes and just taking this year kind of slow to just work on that. We’ve been doing this now for 8 or 9 years so it’s kind of nice to have a little easy period.

AM: You guys also have a clothing line as well – tell us about that.

GTA: Oh yeah, so it’s kind of something that we dabbled in a little bit. I’m personally a fan of fashion and that kind of thing and street brands. Shout out to Jay of Triple 7 – he hooked us up with so much knowledge on just how to make your own label and your own kind of style. We just kind of wanted to bring that to the festivals that we went to and the parties that we go to and it’s been cool. It’s kind of the same thing that we do with our music. We kind of let the clothes speak for themselves – they’re just really cool and really good quality. They’re good to wear and you can wear them at a festival or just to go out in. It’s kind of in line with our same kind of style as well.

AM: What are you working on right now in terms of collabs?

GTA: We’re definitely doing a lot of stuff as far as on our own with our own label and stuff. We have a lot of collabs. We’ve been playing this one thing we did with this group called Fight Club which they’re actually from here. We have a couple of other ones too. A lot of club music a lot of Latin music. We have been working with a lot of Latin artists. We've had some writing camps last year and this year in Mexico and playing in Brazil and stuff. We’re working with a lot of up and coming people and it’s really exciting especially now that we’re about to launch the label. All of that was for the label and now it’s about being able to put it out and being able to show everyone.

AM: What are 3 restaurants that you guys love eating at in Miami?

GTA: In Miami? Crab Man 305 that’s our number 1! Shout out to Crab Man 305. We’ll also say that there are many many Cuban restaurants, but Sergio’s is a very good restaurant - it’s classic Miami. And then I’d say that obviously Joe’s Stone Crab is a good one – it’s a fancy one but one to go to!

IG @GoodTimesAhead

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

This past Electric Zoo not only included DJ/producer NGHTMRE performing, but he had a stage for the artists on his label Gud Vibrations which he cofounded with SLANDER. We talked with him about his sound, the responsibilities of running his labels, his current tour and of course being at this year's EZoo.

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

ATHLEISURE MAG: How do you define the NGHTMRE sound?

NGHTMRE: I like to just call it bass music. I try to incorporate and tempos and various styles of electronic music in my records and live shows. It’s a mixture of melodic and heavy. I focus on keeping everything high-energy!

AM: In addition to working on your music, you’re also the Co-Founder of your own label along with SLANDER. How is it juggling those responsibilities and needs?

N: It’s great actually. We have a great team helping us and it really allows us to focus on the music rather than having to worry about small details and infrastructure building. It’s only just getting started in our eyes.

AM: You’re back at EZoo and not only are you performing but you have an entire stage with Gud Vibrations artists – how did this come about and how exciting is it to have this going on this going on this year?

N: I think the Gud Vibrations label and brand in general works so well because it came about organically. Me and the Slander boys are great friends and our tastes align so well that we eventually started our own events and parties. We’re extremely grateful for Electric Zoo for inviting us to bring the Gud Vibrations energy to New York.

AM: Gud Vibrations also has its own clothing line – the Bomber Jackets are definitely something cool that we would include in a future shoot – how do you go about deciding what goes into the line and how it feeds the ethos of your label?

N: Gud Vibrations in general is an outlet for us to put out what we think is cool into the world. We don’t have any specific method to deciding what goes out, but if there’s something we particularly love or feel is cool we take our time developing it to make sure it’s exactly how we like it, then share it!

AM: Tell us about The Alchemy Tour.

N: For this tour I’m doing a b2b set with Slander for each show and this is the first time we’ve been able to bring our stage “The Atom” on the road with us! To top it off we’ve been looking up to Seven Lions and The Glitch Mob for years so to be performing alongside them is amazing!

AM: Tell us about collabs and projects that you have dropping within your music as well as things that we should know about regarding the label.

N: Earlier this year I released a record with ASAP Ferg called Redlight! He’s another person I’ve looked up to for a long time so being able to work together and create a full music video together was a special experience. I have a new track with “Zhu” called Man’s First Inhibition that just dropped and is a bit different from my other stuff. I am always collaborating on new music!

PHOTO COURTESY | aLIVE Coverage for ElectricZoo.com

AM: You’re constantly on the road going from one gig to the next. Do you have 3 things that you do prior to a gig to get in the right mindset to perform in front of your fans?

N: Nothing usually actually. I spend time in Rekordbox on my computer before each show. Its a software that allows me to plan out and organize my music a bit better so when I’m in stage it’s easier to switch things up.

AM: In addition to traveling, I’m sure you workout, what are 3 workouts that you feel are the core of your fitness routine?

N: I actually only just started doing this recently but I got a personal trailer to help me while I was home for a bit and this is my “on the road” routine.

STRETCHES | Samson Lunge, Worlds Greatest Stretch, Downdog, Frog Stretch and Pigeon | CORE WORK @ 3 Rounds | (Rotation) Russian Twist x30, (Flexion) Leg Raise x30, (Static hold) Plank 30 sec | @ 4 Rounds | Squats x40, SIT UPS x30, Push Up x20 |

IG @NGHTMRE

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO | Paul Farkas

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 26, 52 + 54 aLIVE Coverage for ElectricZoo.com | This editorial contains elements of images, courtesy Dreamstime.com: PG 16 Richochet69, PG 19 Rolffimages, PG 29 Nadezda Mikusova, PG 30 Philip Openshaw, PG 34 Golfxx, PG 36 Steve Ford, PG 41 Alisbab, PG 42 Tatiana Kuklina, PG 46 Alphonse99 + Back Cover Santi Ri |

Read the August Issue of Athleisure Mag and see It’s Electric in mag.

ULTRA ROOFTOP PARTY

It’s been a busy series of days. We went from covering Electric Zoo Evolved (which you can see in our latest issue) during Labor Day Weekend to heading straight to NYFW. On the first night of NYFW, we had to hang out at the Ultra Records party which took place at the Hudson Mercantile’s rooftop and had an array of performances throughout the night!

Last summer we hung out with Icona Pop as they were the closing musical act for Propel Fitness Lab’s event. Recently signed to Ultra Music, we enjoyed hearing, “We Got That Cool,” (which also features Afrojack and has Yves V) which reminded us of why we love having them in our playlists when we’re working out. We know that they’re working on another single that will drop this fall as well as an upcoming tour where they will be performing both DJ sets and live.

PHOTO CREDIT | Michael Poselski | PoselskiBrothers.com | IG @poselskiphotos |

In addition to a number of acts that hit the stage (including: Chris Malinchak, MK(Marc Kinchen) and Sofi Tukker), we enjoyed Tropical House DJ and Producer, Klingande who released his new single “Messiah” with Bright Sparks on September 13. In addition to new music that will come out with his album dropping this fall, keep an eye out for his documentary. We also loved his set being accompanied by this saxophonist which added great texture to the performance as well!

PHOTO CREDIT | Michael Poselski | PoselskiBrothers.com | IG @poselskiphotos |

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #44 AUG 2019

The latest issue of Athleisure Mag dropped as we headed to Randall’s Island for Electric Zoo Evolved which had a number of acclaimed EDM DJ/producers that performed throughout Labor Day Weekend. This month’s cover is the Godfather of Hard Trap, SayMyName. In addition, we have an interview with Danielle Collins, professional tennis player and jewelry designer who shared what her season has been like, the US Open and her jewelry line. We sat down with Celebrity Hypnotherapist, Kimberly Friedman who talks about the power and the importance of the subconscious. We also talked with beauty trailblazer, Bobbi Brown from being a makeup artist to celebrity makeup artist, beauty entrepreneur and currently being a hotelier for The George in Montclair, New Jersey.

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag.

CATCHING UP WITH VANESSA WILLIAMS FOR STORY TIME

Last month, we had the chance to catch up with Vanessa Williams who partnered with Kellogg’s and Penguin Random House for Kellogg’s Feeding Reading Program, encouraging childhood reading at Kellogg’s NYC. Vanessa read to the kids through her support with Kellogg’s Feeding Reading program with Penguin Random House. She read one of our favorite books growing up, The Pokey Little Puppy. We took a moment to ask her a few questions as we are inspired by the first African American Miss America, recording artist, Broadway star and actress.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be this triple threat from being the First African American to be Miss America, being a recording artist as well as an actress – was it always a plan to showcase your talents across various verticals?

VANESSA WILLIAMS: Growing up music was a requirement in my household. The arts were revered and my parents who were music educators never told me to get a “real job”. They supported my love for the arts and to major in musical theater that combined my talents.   A Broadway career was the goal. All the rest of my career has been a huge blessing that I never dreamed of. 

AM: Looking back on the legacy that you have created, what is the takeaway that want others to have in looking at what you have accomplished throughout your career?

VW: My career has been an example of being brave to take unexpected opportunities when they arise and then being prepared to do your best when given those opportunities. You can plan all you want but life always gives you challenges that you that force you to grow and change your path 

AM: The Pokey Little Puppy is a book that we enjoyed growing up – how did this partnership with you and Kellogg’s as well as Penguin Random House come about and why did you want to participate in this?

VW: As an author, mother of 4 and the daughter of two teachers, I know the importance of reading in order to  fuel kids. It helps you think and learn and grow your imagination. I read to my kids as they were growing up and The Pokey Little Puppy was one of our favorites. I also showed the kids the picture of my new Great Dane puppy Roscoe Rider that I just got this week. Plus, I’m also working on a children’s book so when Kellogg’s reached out it was a no-brainer.

AM: Can you tell us about Feeding Reading Program and why this is so important to you? 

VW: The Kellogg’s Reading Feeding program gets   books into kids hands to fuel their minds and bodies, which is so important to me. Last year alone, more than 400,000 books were distributed to kids and families across the country.

It’s easy for parents to participate, too. Buy a specially marked Kellogg’s product to earn a credit for one of 125 Penguin Random House books across multiple reading levels. Books also can be donated to a school or library. Visit www.FeedingReading.com to  learn more about the program.

AM: What was it like to be with your mom and reading to the children yesterday and what do you hope that the children got from being able to participate?

VW: I came alone to read to the enthusiastic kids entering 2nd grade next fall. I asked lots of questions of course about puppies , pets and the many creatures that are featured in the book. The highlight was hearing  the children ooh and aah about my new puppy 

AM: What projects are you working on that we can share with our readers to keep an eye out for?

VW: I have a new children’s book coming out soon by Sterling Publishing called “Bubble Kisses”, just launched a fashion line on HSN, recording a new album for BMG records and have a few scripts in the works for future projects that I’m producing 

AM: You always look phenomenal, what are 3 beauty/skincare products that you swear by that you can share with us?

VW: Ziip microcurrent portable device helps keeps my skin toned. I use it before any appearances on camera.  Eye lash extensions are my new favorite go to for instant killer eyes and the HydraFacial does wonders for pore cleansing and rejuvenation.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

PRIDE ISLAND 2019

This month marked Athleisure Mag's 3rd year of being media sponsors for NYC PRIDE! In addition, this year WorldPride took place throughout the month here in NYC. WorldPride has been in existence for 20 years and has had 6 times that it has been showcased; however, this year was the first time that it has taken place in the US. It came to NYC as a means to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising Commemorating the historic event where the modern movement began in 1969.

This year's theme, "Millions of Moments of Pride" included events ranging from panels, parties, movie nights, brunches and more. Being able to share the events as they took place as well as attending them is part of the fun of celebrating during this time of year while also supporting and being an ally to our LGBTQI+ community. The events culminated in one of our favorites - Pride Island. This event takes place over the last 2 days of pride and includes a number of performances from an array of entertainers. This year included Grace Jones, Teyana Taylor, Kim Petras, Amara La Negra and Madonna! Check out amazing moments from PRIDE ISLAND.

PHOTO CREDITS FOR NYC PRIDE + WORLD PRIDE | THIS PG - 67 Mary Kang | PG 68 -71 Sansho Scott | PG 72 - 79 Benjamin Lozovsky |

Read the June Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Pride Island 2019 in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #42 JUN 2019

This month, our cover is graced by Michelin starred Chef and Restaurateur, George Mendes. We talk about his restaurant Aldea as well as his pop up concept currently at Chefs Club Counter in NYC. In addition, we interview 4 x NBA Champion, John Salley to talk about how he came to basketball, his forray into the wellness and health industry as an investor and gifting for Father's Day. We also interviewed Celebrity Fashion Stylist, Brad Goreski to talk about his style inspirations, summer's perfect accessory, being a Co-Host on E! Live from the Red Carpet and his thoughts on the Met Gala! We also interviewed, fitness icon, Denise Austin about being an innovative in the industry, her success with her shows and what she is currently focused on. In addition, as our third year of being media sponsors for PRIDE, we included imagery from PRIDE ISLAND with performances by Madonna, Amara La Negra, Teyana Taylor, Grace Jones and more. In addition, we have a number of our monthly features showcasing athleisure culture.

Read the June Issue of Athleisure Mag.

CHATTING WITH COUNTRY STAR, JOHN KING

With a busy summer ahead, we took some time to talk with country star, John King while he was prepping for CMA Fest. We talk about his newest single “Try Saying Goodbye”, performing at the Grand Ole Opry, the importance of family and where he goes in Nashville.

 ATHLEISURE MAG: Your newest single “Try Saying Goodbye” is quite a hit. What inspired you to create this song?

JOHN KING: “Try Saying Goodbye” is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever released. I’ve been blown away by the reaction so far. I feel like what makes it special is everybody can relate. The inspiration for this song came from my relationship with my wife, Hannah. We started dating when we were 15 and grew up together. There were moments in our relationship, where we could have gone different ways but instead we decided to work through the hard times. When we wrote this song, I started thinking about everything I would have missed out on if we had chosen a different path – our love for each other, this wonderful life we’ve built together and our precious baby girl Scarlett.

 AM: You’re juggling a lot between your career, family and Scarlett – how do you ensure that you’re present when you are with your family and that they get the time that they need?

JK: There is nothing more important to me than family. Luckily, my wife and baby girl get to join me on the road a lot! When they can’t, we’re always sharing photos, texting and video chatting. My partnership with Straight Talk Wireless makes it really easy to stay connected on the road with their new Ultimate Unlimited 2-line plan.

 AM: A fanbase is essential, how do you interact with your fans and make it feel fresh to them?

JK: I’m fortunate enough to have amazing fans who have been following me for years. Recently we had the idea to give my cell phone number out so they could text me directly anytime they want. So far, I’ve literally received thousands of texts – anything from people reaching out about “Try Saying Goodbye” to folks who are in disbelief that it’s actually me texting them back! The support has been overwhelming and exciting!

AM: You’ve partnered with Straight Talk Wireless. Why is this a synergistic partnership and why is it important to find the best ways to communicate in order to stay on track professionally and personally?

 JK: One of the most important things to me as an artist is communicating with my fans on a personal level. I’m a Straight Talk Wireless user myself and I can attest to the affordable and reliable service, so this partnership was a no brainer. For more info on Straight Talk, visit www.StraightTalk.com.

AM:  When did you know that you wanted to be a musician and specifically wanted to be a country artist?

JK: It’s really been my passion since I was a kid. I grew up singing in church, school talent shows, county fairs, you name it. I’ve always loved getting up on that stage and entertaining a crowd. It’s one of the best feelings in the world!

AM: How do you get inspired when you are creating your songs?

 JK: Writing a song is such a fun process for me because there really is no formula for how it’s done. It can happen a million different ways at unexpected times. Sometimes the inspiration can be triggered from a melody, a conversation or something I’ve lived firsthand, so I use my smartphone to easily keep track of all my ideas when I’m on-the-go. It’s different every time and always exciting.

AM: You recently played at CMA Fest, you’re on a national tour and you’re returning to the Grand Ole Opry stage – what excited you about doing this and what are you looking forward to?

 JK: Touring is one of my favorite parts of what I do. I love every aspect of being an artist – writing songs, recording and releasing music but there really is something special about performing for a crowd that paid their hard earned money to come see a show. CMA Fest is always such an exciting experience because the whole week is about the fans. This year was especially great because we got to play The CMA Spotlight and Spotify Hot Country stages and the energy was unreal! To top off an amazing month, I’m so honored to be playing the Grand Ole Opry. Just doesn’t get any better than that!

AM: What are your goals this year in terms of awards, those you wish to collaborate or play with etc.?

JK: My goal this year is to continue the success we’re already having with touring, writing and releasing new music. So far it’s been my biggest year to date with the impact of “Try Saying Goodbye.” I’m just excited for as many people to hear this song as possible!

AM: As someone who is on the road quite a bit, what are 3 things that you always have on your carryon that make you feel at home?

JK: I’d say my go tos are 1. My Bible 2. My smartphone, so I can look at family photos at all times 3. My band (don’t wanna forget them haha)

 AM: In Nashville, where can we find you grabbing a meal/cocktail, working out and shopping?

JK: Nashville is such a great town with limitless options, but my go to place is Blake Shelton’s bar Ole Red! I do my daily workout routine using my smartphone at the house with Baby Scarlett! She loves to work out with Dad so that’s our time together.

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