!!! FIRST POOL PARTY of the SUMMER + POOLSIDE + ALOHA HAT GIVEAWAYS !!!

Lets welcome summer with open arms, beer in hand.

POOLSIDE‘s first LA set. If you like our WAVES ≠ RAVES mixes (new one coming soon) you’ll froth on these guys.
“Studio project from Los Angeles based musician – producer – DJ- friends: crafting music in their pool house turned recording studio that captures the sound of a perfect afternoon. Honing their many musical passions down to a few simple yet innovative concepts, communicated as “day time disco.”

RSVP HERE

WILD in the STREETS Snap Back

We did our own special heavy acid wash on a locally sourced 100% cotton denim. Like all well worn denim, no 2 are alike and each hat will continue to age gracefully. To complete the desconstructed vintage look we didn’t use any buckram in the front panel to give it that worn in look, while the weight of the denim provides structure. Contrast run stitch embroidery and construction stitching completes the look. Locally made in Los Angeles, its one of our new Spring hats.

Even if you haven’t chugged 40’s before a show or lost your shoe in the pit, your hat will at least look the part. Available here or your local Ampal dealer.

Check out this new mixtape we put out with longtime Ampal collaborator Surf Ambassador Hendo.

“Surf Ambassador Hendo presents his froth fourth mixtape brought to you by The Ampal Creative. A unique blend of Nu Disco booty shakin grooves and 80′s Synth-Heavy beats, “DiscoSYNTHesis” packs a punch and boxes a munch. Whether you play it, download it, share it, or froth it, the power of Poseidon will undoubtedly seize hold of you! For more info and TrackList please visits here, for those about to froth, we SAH-lute you!”

DiscoSYNTHesis by SURF AMBASSADOR HENDO

Even though its cold and rainy this will blast the clouds away and put you in a tropical state. Give it a go!!

One of my good buddies, Christian Bunte, runs a chip company. Christian started Cabo Chips right out of college with the idea and recipe for creating the best tortilla chip on the market. He didn’t want to reinvent snack food or take out Doritos, but the idea of offering a delicious snack that was healthier and produced locally sounded pretty good. He recently graced the cover of the OC Register Business section looking like a surf stoked chip grom.

Cabo Chips has kind of led a similar story to Ampal. They make what I consider the best Tortilla Chip on the market. I’m a fat kid at heart with 25+ years of chip experience, so I don’t throw that claim around. Remarkably light, yet satisfyingly crunchy with the savory Umami hint of soy and lime. Their premium chips are made of all natural or organic corn, healthy expeller pressed oils and seasoned with only soy and lime. Produced in relatively small batches in OC, they have fought to gain shelf space in some of the best and biggest grocery stores and markets – from Costco to Whole Foods and Bristol Farms and even the Esperanza resort in Cabo. The producer of Californication gets them shipped to the set and threw them in a recent episode.

When they were producing the Mexican market chips in Cabo, they had to ship down tortillas to the factory. There’s a bad joke in there somewhere, but that’s their dedication to quality. (Most corn tortillas in Mexico are produced from Maize ground from the entire ear of corn – the tortillas they use are made from only the kernals.) The proof is in the chip and the response has been great, everyone who tries Cabo Chips loves them.

They now offer spicy chipotle and blue corn options, but original is still my favorite. Next time you’re at the store, grab a bag, you won’t be disappointed.

This is the first post with the “FOOD” tag. As I mentioned earlier, Im a fat kid at heart, with a love for food. I try to enjoy the melting pot of food offerings that is Southern California and we’ll share some with you.

Another sneek peek – some patches we’re working on for a winter hat.

Soundtrack for a Sunday Funday. So good on so many levels. Enjoy, go rip it up!!!

Here’s a look at 2 of the many new hats dropping for spring and summer.

It has been such a heavy week so far, hopefully these will put a smile on your face for a sec and offer a moment of distraction from this crazy world.

Our thoughts go out to Japan, Sion Milosky and those fighting for basic human rights in Libya, Bahrain and every where else.

“sold in limited quantities in the world’s most prestigious streetwear and skate boutiques”…
Zumie$$$?!

Our friend Augustus Thompson is having a show at Fifty24SF, opening tonight. We grew up with Gus and he’s developed an amazing style that’s refreshingly unique.

“Thompson’s watercolor portraits bleed with mortality. The eyes of his subjects reveal men (young, old, a tiger) surprised by the grip of their slipping, impermanent selves. JUXTAPOZ writes, “Thompson’s faces have a life to them, a poetic style more in line with the Beat era than with his contemporaries.” In the larger works, Thompson uses color and force of line to articulate the inner howling of his human subjects; each painting an isolated, universal beat. Seen together, the portraits and landscapes form a cinematic rush through the back alley of a young man’s life. Thompson writes, “Whatever happens gets packed into my paintings. Black culture and rhythm. Love. Being tired and poor while being privileged and white. Interiors by Vuillard. I can paint everything in a face.”” – Fifty24SF

If you’re in SF check out the show or Augustus’ Blog for more work.

Our friend Dylan Ettinger, helped us create this epic “futuristic” synth mix. This mix features deep cuts from synth pioneers like Chris Carter, The Human League and Cluster. Many of the artist featured on the mix come from a variety of genres ranging from Krautrock to Industrial. Chris Carter helped create the industrial scene with Throbbing Gristle and then went on to on to form Chris & Cosey with partner Cosey Fanni Tutti. The Human League formed in Sheffield, England in 1977. The Dignity of Labour pt. 3 comes from their first album Reproduction. Krautrock legends Tangerine and Cluser formed in the late sixties and early seventies. Here is how Dylan describe’s the mix “showcasing a variety of sleek analog soundscapes, these songs demonstrate the power of the synthesizer to transport the listener to another sonic world. Let this mix take you on a voyage from the deepest depths of Earth’s primordial ocean all the way to the world of tomorrow”. Be sure to check out his new 7″ Lion of Judah, coming out soon on Not Not Fun.

We Present To You: Yesterday’s Tomorrow

1. Chris Carter – Beat
2. The Human League – The Dignity of Labour pt. 3
3. Eric Vann – Dancing Plankton
4. Suzanne Ciani – The Third Wave: Love in the Waves
5. Oppenheimer Analysis – Radiance
6. Cluster – Rotor
7. Throbbing Gristle – Hot on the Heels of Love
8. Jean Michel Jarre – Synthetic Jungle
9. Liaisons Dangereuses – Dupont
10. Tangerine Dream – Choronzon