Crew

The Legend, Prodigy, in a Camo Space Eyez Ampal Snapback.

Shout out to @Qbutta for the shots.

Brainstorming some ideas with Ilan and Eric for a short on the Gorbal’s Chef’s hat.

Coming soon.

This song was in my head all morning.

Guttermouth show @ a Wherehouse Music with a mini pit and horrible POP signs everywhere!!

Have an Exceptional New Year.
We’ve received all your orders this week.
Sorry for the delay, they will go out at the beginning next week.

Thanks to JT for sending me this. The infamous Prodigy #BLACKCOCAINE in a NATIVE SUNS snapback in black.

I just watched probably the most bad ass music video I’ve ever seen:
Saviours – “CRETE’N”
Warning not for the PC/easily offended

I got to cruise to the Kendrick Lamar/DJ Green Latern show at the Music Box on Friday. I had heard the hype about Kendrick – endorsements from Dre and Snoop as the torchbearer of Westcoast Hip Hop etc. – and listened to a few mixtapes and tracks, but seeing it in person, I’m now a believer. Kendrick’s from Compton and his music is part classic West Coast gangsta rap, but with a lot of other influences and a flow that emerges as uniquely his own.

Fellow Compton/TDE artist Schoolboy Q, was on right before Kendrick and put on a great show as well. We were stoked to see him come on stage wearing a REMINGTON snapback – I’ve never seen the winter pin-up girls looking so hard.

Going into the show I was excited to see the legendary evil genius DJ Green Lantern do a set. I’ve been listening to his mixtapes forever so it was great to meet him and I was pumped he was feeling our new hats.

After the show the good doctor, DRE!!!! came backstage to introduce the fam to Kendrick, I was going to ask him about Detox, but had second thoughts when his security locked down the hall.

If you were as blown away by the images of our F/W Collection as we were, you should check out Mr. Dunfee’s art show this weekend.

Equally talented behind and in front of a camera, with a pen in hand, surfboard under foot, beer in hand, or crushing miles on his 2 wheeled steed, White Gloss will be hosting an exhibition starting this Saturday 11/5.

And if you’re just a big piece, the rumor is the PBR will be flowing like the Pacific to the soothing sounds of Junkyard or SAH.

The straight legend, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, rocking our Shaka Zulu snap back in his new video with Ferg Brim – TOP SHOTTAS.

Thanks to our former super intern Neutral Features for sending the vid this way.

We were pretty stoked to see this pic of Kreayshawn #swobbin, one of our “Pair-A-Thighs” Aloha snapbacks, as only she can, on her tumblr.

If you ever read this, congrats on the i-D cover and the continued #WGM domination, you’re such a babe!

THE PUMPHOUSE, Windansea La Jolla, CA 8/2011

I spent a lot of my formative years here. A lot of creativity and talent was fostered, and even more lost, here, in the shadows of the subject of Tom Wolf’s 1968 The Pump House Gang.

Check out Twist’s take from last year.

This is our Ampal softball team, we like to drink pints in dark bars after the game every Sunday…
My buddy Tony (Boots n Katz) and I caught up with the Black Lips (from L – Cole, the director, and editor of their new music video, Joe, and Ian) for a few sunday cold ones. We were all pretty dead – we went to Pacific Festival the night before, they played it as the last stop on a 4 month tour – but the finest Sunday Budweiser King Eddys Saloon (don’t let the slick website fool you) had to offer, were tasting pretty delicious.

If you haven’t been to a Black Lips show, you really should. Their set at PF was good, but the show at tiny Detroit Bar a month ago was amazing. These are my jeans and shoes after frothiest pit I’ve been in since Warp Tour 1999 – they clearly look like they had a goodtime. The Black Lips bring the raw energy of a punk show with more of a Southern feel good lets drink whiskey and make out with chicks type of vibe – as clearly seen in the first pic.

Their new video is coming out soon and promises to be filled with boobs, blood and rock n roll. It sounds like a damn fine combo to me and can’t wait to see it. I’ll leave you with an epic, but poorly paraphrased version of something Ian said last night –

“I had to sit in the office all day, at my highschool career day cause I told them I didnt want to be a salesman… I wanted to play rock n roll.” Legend.

We’re stoked to see Weezy rockin the custom red DOPE hat we made for him a little way back.

Big ups to Tunechi for his continuing skate atttack.

We are very proud to present you with a special edition of WAVES ≠ RAVES hand selected by Viceroy – “A Hot Humid Tropical Brainstorm.”

Look for him to be exclusively rocking Ampal on his upcoming tour – buy him a drink and thank him for getting the girlies dancing.

Foreword from Viceroy:
While the music market continues to grow into an ‘over saturation’ of electronic blogs, the majority of them seem to only know how to post those same absolute jams that their competition managed to post in previous features. That alone is not enough to make a blog stand out in my mind. I have been and always will be a huge fan of Gotta Dance Dirty. Why? They not only have the most up to date jams from the big dogs, but they support up and coming artists too. How many well-established blogs do that? I can’t name many. Supporting my summery beats since I started in February, Gotta Dance Dirty has given me the honor of hand selecting the tracks for Waves ≠ Raves Mixtape Vol. 14. Looking for some sun-kissed disco to cap off your summer fun? Look no further.

Enjoy, and stay frothy my friends.

Waves ≠ Raves Vol. 14
• Justin Faust – Do it Again
• Mario 64 – Koopa Troopa Beach (RAC remix)
• Washed Out – Feel it All Around
• Kartell – Pantera
• Mix Chopin – Bonne Nuit (Darius Remix)
• Cherokee – Take Care of You
• SebastiAn – Arabest
• Cherokee – Mambo Jet
• Viceroy – Sunny Daze
• Treasure Fingers – Lift Me (Gabriell Remix)
• Chromeo – When the Night Falls (Breakbot Remix)
• Justin Faust – Girl Talk (Bit Funk Remix)
• Madeon – For You
• U-Tern – 808 Remix (instrumental)
• The Knocks – Sunshine

Find all tracks zipped —> HERE <—
Viceroy’s Facebook, Soundcloud, and Twitter

We’re bring that No Shirt / No Shoes troppo beach flare down to Huntington next week for the ultimate beach blanket binder. Your favorite No Shirt team is combining forces with Billabong, da crew from AFENDS and the original dj shred duo BAREBACK DJs for the ultimate US Open and Agenda afterparty.

We’ll be previewing a few of our new FW hats and BLOW UP will be showing all night -

RSVP here and come enjoy some fun in the sun and beautiful company.

ALSO!! We’ll be posted up at the Afends booth at Agenda, showing our colab hat and maybe a peak at the next collection.

AFENDS our good friends from down under are preparing to come stateside. They will be introducing their unique take on a dark tropical lifestyle collection. Started by surfers, skaters and musicians from an amazing town in the eastern most tip of Australia, known as Byron Bay, the lads are ready to tackle the American market. Check out their US premier at the Agenda HB Show.

Afends 2011 “Baywatch” boardies – so epic!

The video above is a pretty rad take on their new collection. Shot by their Marketing guy NEVASLOTHIN, it really makes me want to get back to Byron and live the dream – crystal blue waves surrounded by a tropical beach party. This is their story:

PS Afends X Ampal . . . to be continued

Tony Alva Blake from Workaholics cruised by yesterday to check out some hats.

The “Blacked Out” DOPE hat might be making an appearance at the Sheen Roast in a few months.

We’re back again on the 25th.  Ampal and the N.S./N.S. franchise is bringing you another helping of tropo summer fun.  The last 2 have been defining the summer vibes and this edition will prove to be extra frothy.  Forecasted perfect 78 degree late June heat + Black Lips spreading their drunken flower punk and our favorite westside party gods GUNS in the SUN mean this is one you’ll wish you remembered, so make sure and RSVP here.

We’ll be getting the fun started with the Black Lips @ Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa on the 23rd.  Its a rad tiny venue that will pretty much explode with the first distorted guitar rip.

UPDATE: Rumor has it that the GUNS will be bringing their extensive collection of 80s-early 90s punk vinyl.