olimarlow - Tumblr blog

[olimarlow]

21 Conduit St for Jovoy Paris. Perfumers: Oli Marlow & Marie Schnirer.

[olimarlow]

Young Wade.

[olimarlow]

[olimarlow]

[olimarlow]

[olimarlow]

July 2017: Bespoke fragrance design

[olimarlow]

July 2017:  Brand identity for Jovoy Mayfair.

[olimarlow]

June 2017:  Included in Basenotes ‘Scent Verse’ series.

[olimarlow]

April 2017: Mural photography for 37 Adventures.

[olimarlow]

Elijah & Skiliam Biography (re-write 2017) After meeting at university back in 2007, Elijah & Skilliam stumbled over a kinship that lasted. It’s not only a relationship thats taken them all around the world numerous times over and led to them working with pretty much every one of their musical heroes; it’s also a fantastic DJ partnership thats so far been epitomised on two mix albums (2011’s Rinse:17 and 2014’s FABRICLIVE75) and birthed a new annual compilation series that’s succinctly called Grime. From their humble beginnings doing sets together on the then pirate radio station, Rinse FM, Elijah & Skilliam started their label, Butterz, in 2010 to help release some of the music they were being sent for their sets. Their operation seemed to make a mark instantly and as a unit Butterz stood out, mainly because of they duo’s relatability and the openminded honesty of Elijah & Skilliam. The pair were never afraid to speak out about their goals or their changing focus and by embracing all aspects of modern communication (from radio broadcasts and podcasts to social media, blogging and hosting IRL social gatherings) they spoke to their fans more as peers, creating a tangible relationship thats lasted through a few marked shifts in focus. Finding a night club to call home in London Elijah & Skiliam began their Butterz residency at Cable in 2011 creating a club format that would take them all around the globe and land them a residency at fabric just a few short years later. The same surefire energy was channeled into the duo’s more intimate party series Jamz which ran from 2013 to 2016 with residencies in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Berlin and hosted the first ever Grime Roller Disco before it all ended in a live broadcast on the Boiler Room. Their club nights may have seen sets from every heavyweight grime MC with artists like Skepta, Wiley, JME, Kano and the Newham Generals all blessing the dance, but Elijah & Skilliam were also the first DJs to do a set in Japanese with a slew of MCs from Tokyo, proving just how far the tendrils of their east London based project has reached. Currently working on label projects with their core group of Butterz artists Elijah & Skilliam are also presenting a radio show called LOCKED on Red Bull Music Academy that delves deep into the history of grime as a genre. One gets the impression that exploring the cultural circumstance that surrounded the creation of music from Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy and Wiley isn’t really too back breaking work for two mega fans such as them, but in piloting pioneering broadcasts like this Elijah & Skilliam really have proven themselves time and again to be excited ambassadors for grime music. 

[olimarlow]

Butterz Label biography Established as a record label in 2010 by longtime friends Elijah & Skilliam, Butterz has since managed to carve it’s own niche within club music. Representing grime long before it became the respected independent juggernaut it is today, Butterz built a reputation for themselves amongst the scene for doing things properly. A big presence on Rinse FM back when grime’s mixtape culture was booming, they reversed the trend a little and shone a light on the grime producers, giving the unsung heroes of the genre a shine that they so sorely deserved - and on vinyl to boot. Elijah & Skilliam seemed to fully understand the importance of dubplate culture and by eschewing the 19 track, heavy on the feature verse, CDR style release for a beautifully presented, full artwork 12”, it elevated the public perception of their releases fantastically. And by investing so heavily in these types of product it enabled Butterz to sit alongside strong post-dubstep company in the racks of record stores the world over. As a result of this they became a loud and respected voice in the fight for the legitimacy of grime as a respected UK art form - a factor that no doubt attracted artists like Trim, Terror Danjah, Footsie, Rapid, D.O.K and Champion to work with the label. Now very much focusing on the work of a core group of artists [in Royal-T, Flava D, Swindle and DJ Q] over it’s lifespan Butterz has weathered several shifts in focus. Where the label was first very focused on their radio sets and bringing artists through for instrumental releases, Butterz then pivoted to put their energy into their club residencies (at London clubs Cable and then later on, fabric), dropping their break out release ‘Woooo Riddim’ by S-X at peak Butterz rave zenith. But since those days they’ve been keenly focused on building new networks, putting in the long shifts on international tours or presenting stages at clubs and festivals the world over. The label has also put it’s considerable influence to great use with the now annual ‘Grime’ compilations proudly bearing the Butterz stamp. And whilst their artists are now taking the emboldened steps of releasing fully formed albums (Swindle’s ‘Peace, Love & Music’ and t q d’s ‘ukg’) the Butterz name still acts a worldwide respected quality mark for them all to operate under. 

[olimarlow]

t q d Biography Comprised of Southampton’s Royal-T, Sheffield’s DJ Q and Londoner Flava D, t q d shouldn’t ever really be referred to as a ‘supergroup’ because the drive behind the project is simpler and a lot less contrived than that tag implies. Simply put, t q d is a project that features a trio of music making friends who’ve united under a single name to make jacking dancefloor music that's inspired by the sounds of classic UK garage and bassline. Since their first collaborative foray with ‘Day & Night’, which was released on Butterz in 2015, t q d have rather emphatically proven that their three way formula works; appearing in clubs and at festivals the world over they’ve been consistently shaking up scenarios with their high octane blends of (largely) their own music.  

Following memorable sets on the Boiler Room and live turns at Sonar in Barcelona, Outlook in Croatia and Boomtown here in the UK, Royal-T, DJ Q and Flava D have been hard at work putting together their ten track debut album, ukg - a bolshy mission statement that encompasses the full spectrum of the garage sound. When you look at each party’s discography separately, whats immediately obvious is their shared love of a 2-step beat, a hellish hoover bass and all those cleverly edited vocal ticks. Their debut album is absolutely the culmination of that love, with t q d channeling everything from heady, energetic bassline (on ‘Vibsing Ting’), to ghostly Burial-scapes (on ‘Only One’) and lounge instrumentation (on ‘New Day’).

[olimarlow]

December 2016: Tokyo, Japan View more photos: http://olimarlowphoto.tumblr.com

[olimarlow]

August 2016:

Coniferous Bliss Edit for Bloom Perfumery. Words and photography. Full collection here.

[olimarlow]

July 2016:

Continental Rose Edit for Bloom Perfumery. Words and photography.  Full collection here.

[olimarlow]

June 2016: Brand identity for Bloom Perfumery. Website. 

[olimarlow]

June 2016: Mt. Etna, Sicily.