In light of the recent presidential election in France–whose results further reflect the deepening political polarization throughout Europe and the Western world as a whole–we thought that Rejected: Designs for the European Flag would be a timely choice for this month’s installment of our Surprise Subscription. More

For a long time, the terms fashion and sustainability seemed contradictory. If anything, sustainably produced garments were clothes - but never fashion. Fortunately, the world has changed since then and there is now a new generation that no longer separates style and responsibility. The Lissome is a brainchild of this generation. More

In this month’s instalment of our Surprise Subscription, we are super excited to present the new issue of one of our all-time favourites - the fantastic Record Culture Magazine! Karl Henkell, editor-in-chief of Record, thought of something special for us: a curated playlist to go along with this issue. Take a listen while you read our review! Record, published twice a year, takes a deceptively simple format - long-form interviews accompanied by photos - and elevates it by the quality and integrity of its contributors. The magazine’s mission is to shine a light on the people intrinsic to niche music communities around the world, and it delivers every time. More

Gerade jetzt, wo die Welt einer Reality Freak Show gleicht, ist wohl eine der berechtigtsten Fragen, die einem in den Sinn kommen kann: Herr Schlingensief, sind Sie hier irgendwo? Für viele galt er lange Zeit als ewiger Provokateur, der sich einen Spaß daraus machte, anderen ans Bein zu pinkeln. Zu laut, zu makaber, zu respektlos seien seine Filme, Kunstaktionen oder Theaterinszenierungen. Adolf Hitler neben Helmut Kohl, Sozialhilfeempfängern und Asylanten? Unbedingt! Schweigen können schließlich die anderen. Und das recht gut. Bei Filmen wie Menu Total, Die 120 Jahre von Bottrop oder Das deutsche Kettensägenmassaker war es nicht unüblich, dass der Großteil des Publikum – empört bis verstört – den Kinosaal verließ, während Schlingensief noch am Tonregler rumhantierte. Die Devise: Laut kann es nie genug sein! Seine Kunst, eine auf Dauer gestellte gesellschaftliche Versuchsanordnung, getrieben von Angst und Zweifel. In welcher Reihenfolge bleibt uns überlassen. Provozieren ja, aber eigentlich nur sich selbst. Allein deshalb wird dem vor 10 Jahren verstorbenen Apothekersohn der Ruf des deutschen enfant terrible bei Weitem nicht gerecht. Das beweisen, Wort für Wort, die wunderbaren Interviews, die seine langjährige Weggefährtin und Ehefrau Aino Laberenz nun zusammengestellt hat. Sibylle Berg, Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre oder auch Alexander Kluge und immer wieder Schlingensief. Das hilft! Auch auf die Frage, wie diese Welt noch zu retten sei, hatte er schon damals eine Antwort:  Ch. S.: Es gibt da so eine komische Sekte, die sagt, wenn 6000 Menschen auf Knien durch die Gegend hüpfen, wird die Welt gerettet. Ich würde mitmachen, wenn dadurch wirklich die Welt gerettet wird. Wie würde diese Welt denn aussehen?  Ch. S.: Alle Leute stellen erstmal diese Frage. Ich würde es einfach probieren und dann gucken, was passiert. Vielleicht gibt's dann den Kaffee umsonst. (aus dem Interview mit Gerd Diez und Anke Dürr in: Spiegel, Kultur Extra 11) Buy

When the New Yorker staff writer, Lillian Ross, met ‚le petite Truffaut‘, the French cinéaste, author, critic and pioneering film director of La Nouvelle Vague the fifth time in 1976, his English was surprisingly “terrific!”. Truffaut who seemed throughout resistant to pick up any English word far into his career, announced proudly that he had taken an intensive language course - which was basically reading the newspaper and watching the Watergate hearings on TV. Overwhelmed by the charming pronunciation Ross transcribed most of what he had to say phonetically for the magazine section 'Talk of Town': “To ze best of my recollection at zis point in time.” He could read books in English. “I read ‚Ze final Days,‘” he told us. “Extraordinaire!“ I also read 'I remember Eet Well,’ by Vincente Minelli. But cannot read ze novels in English. Ze vocabulaire! Ver-ee difficult!” The beautifully written texts by Lilian Ross, shifting between interview and portrait, give you a very personal, touching sight of this extraordinary filmmaker. During these five encounters, they talk about his latest movies, but also how he spends his vacation (mostly he sits by the pool of the Beverly Hills Hotel, not going into the pool, not playing tennis, just sitting there or, visiting his long-time friend Jean Renoir from time to time), life in general, while he regularly updates the incredible number of movies he has seen (by the time they caught up in 1976 Truffaut had watched 5450 movies from the age of 11 years!). This small pocket book of grand journalism leaves you with only one desire: that this should never end! Also you probably will have difficulties to decide who to love more: Lillian Ross or François Truffaut? Frankly, maybe it doesn't really have to end, find more of the Film Desk Books here. Buy

Music fanatics watch out for the latest addition to our sound and rhythm section. Aside of our almost classics when it comes to vinyl, electronic music and brand new releases such as Record, Zweikommasieben, Borshch and Wire - we've got another, already loveable, vibrant magazine diving into experimental music and art. 20 Seconds "is interested in bold art, fearless music and the real people behind it" says Canadian Editor-in-Chief, Daniel Melfi, who is based in Berlin and the driving force behind 20 Seconds. Writing for Vice Resident Advisor and Electronic Beats as well as magazines like Borshch and Mixmag, it seemed about time to start his own journey. The very first issue of the bi-annual print-only magazine features interviews with all-around talent TUTU, Toronto's still hidden synthesizer star Matt Thibideau as well as choreographer Katja Heitmann who is currently revolutionizing contemporary dance culture in Maastricht's Marres House. Plus: This issue includes tips to what you better never, sometimes and always should listen to. It has been said elsewhere that this magazine "will last a while, individually a lifetime. But definitely more than 20 Seconds". Well, we bloody hope so! Buy

Egal ob über Protest, die Wiederverzauberung der Welt, ein Leben im Konjunktiv, die Bedeutung von Irrelevanz oder ob über die Generationenfrage, die Epilog lässt alte Kamellen (u.a. die großen Fragen der Menschheit) in neuem Licht erstrahlen. Sie bereitet ihrem Namen alle Ehre und schafft es regelmässig große, bereits immer dagewesene Themen nicht nur anders zu denken, sondern ihnen immer auch etwas Positives abzugewinnen. Das Gesellschaftsmagazin für Gegenwartskultur, das bei ein, zwei (drei, vier…) Bier in einer Eckkneipe in Weimar aus den synaptischen Kurzschlüssen zwischen Mads Pankow, Viola K. Steinberg und Fabian Ebeling entstand, geht in eine neue Runde. Zeit also, ein paar Fragen an die Macher hinter der Die Epilog zu stellen. More

We have been spoilt for choice when it came to choose our next interview partner among all these brave, quirky, loud, shy, straight women out there. ‘Big time whining’ indeed! We are all the more pleased that we’ve got founder and creative director of Anxy Magazine, Indhira Rojas, for our second Q&A. In fact, for us it’s like a catch 22 - only in a far more positive manner. With a little help from Indhira we managed to find a way to address both sides of the story: what it means to be a woman and a man these days and far more important, how these notions of gender categories affect and conflict our inner worlds. More

The easiest way to get right to the bottom of things is - naturally - playing ‚Truth and Dare‘. So let’s start with bare facts. You think poetry is rather dusty, quixotic or charming as moulded grey bread? No worries, you don’t have to say your answer out loud. Frankly, we (almost) all have been there. But we have to break it to you: The natural evolution of the lyrical section on our shelves almost clandestinely multiplied itself over the last few years. And this is not the only thing to say about this art form currently experiencing a fulminant renaissance. The revival of poems comes along fresh, colorful, innovative and - definitely worth to mention - the fellows who are falling for lyrical rhythms, getting lost in-between the lines are as vivid and young as their thrilled audience. And still, as Poetry Magazine (launched in 1912!) names the elephant in the room already within its title: Who reads poetry? We thought it would be a smart move to choose ‚Dare‘ and asked one of the most dazzling voices of this new poetry wave and the co-editor of Pain Magazine: Vala Thorodds. More