This month we’ve rekindled our closeted love for skateboarding which was put aside for numerous drone reasons that don’t call for the opportunity to flip and bail. Maybe you’ve never tried but have watched from the wayside or enjoyed a razz on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (before it inexplicably became about running and driving cars). Either way, there’s a healthy skate scene in our city and we’ve tallied Hong Kong’s best skaters to ask them why they do it, where they do it and if dogs should do it.

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In the fall of the record labels, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find someone who creates a fresh and inspiring mainstream sound. The person to push the sound of pop music is Janelle Monáe with her major label debut, The ArchAndroid.

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The Positive Posters 2010 brief is out. This year’s theme is “A Glass Half Full” – keeping in full with the tradition of positivity that both Simon and Nathan so aptly conveyed in this month’s interview with them, Positive People. Check the info after the break and get scribbling.

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Positive Posters are bringing their global poster design competition to Hong Kong. Following the phenomenal success last year which saw the winning entry reach pole to pole, Nathan Welch and Simon Roberts talk to us about empowering our own homegrown designers.

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Model, singer and wife of Jack White, it turns out Karen Elson’s not just a pretty face. The ginger Brit’s bloodsoaked debut album owes a lot to Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads and Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind albums as she shoots for that timeless country and folk-tinged song writing. To her credit, a lot of the time she hits the mark with inspired music and lyrics which are are competent tales of murder, loss and love. Read More

A vegetarian breaks his silence. For nearly 15 years, “would you like some pork” has been the hilarious follow-up question to “Why are you vegetarian?”

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Laid-back multi-instrumentalist Quantic’s revived his Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno outfit for a fine dub-inspired album that has grand flecks of Latin brass, as finely displayed in this sizzling summer track.

Once upon a time, The Black Keys were an American duo who played fantastic blues and life-affirming soul, using nothing but a wonderful voice full of character, a guitar and a drum kit. Then producer-of-the-moment Danger Mouse turned up. He produced an uncharacteristically slick album that introduced them to the iTunes world. Now they’re back and Brothers is a very different beast indeed; it’s an offensive assault on creativity and excitement.

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How topical! Not only have we stumbled upon South Africa’s most interesting group but the country also seems to be hosting some kind of sporting event this month. Dwarfing football is wiry white rapper Ninja, bizarre tiny-fringed female rapper Yo-Landi Vi$$er and chunky beatmaster DJ Hi-Tek.

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Check out the cover after the break.

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