Originally slated for a release in 2001, Q-Tip’s Kamaal The Abstract got shelved but some of you out there got your hands on it. However, many never did, and now in ‘09, we’re all able to enjoy pieces of Q-Tip’s deeper thought process along the experiences he’s had (mostly with the opposite sex) on stand-out tracks such as “Feelin’” and “Barely In Love”, the LP’s lead single. His vision and continued connectivity with his surroundings, especially in tuned with the intelligent, progressive-thinking international hip-hop community is always evident, and on “Even If It Is So” and “Make It Work” (the LP’s new bonus) he pushes his nu form of jazz further than just getting you to bop your head by always gracefully raising the bar.

This is our first installment of “IN THE LENS” with photographer Achilleas Manolis. Achilleas is an aspiring photographer who has an extensive creative arts background who was born in Greece and raised in Germany. He has traveled and lived extensively throughout the world but is now currently in New York City. Achilleas has a natural eye for capturing emotion and bringing the still to life. He approaches everything with passion and integrity for the art of photography. Now join Achilleas as he takes you though the world in his lens.

Hailing from Demark, rock-duo The Ravonettes, unlike this thing Danes refer to as ‘Jane Loven’ (or ‘Jante Law’ – which proclaims you’re not to think of yourself as superior), have since propelled themselves four albums ago by doing quite the opposite: thinking of their band very highly! On their fifth LP here, naturally encompassing a host of different-sounding spin-offs to rock n’ roll injected with hints of outside influences of soul, pop and even some hip-hop heavy rhythms on “Bang!”, The Ravonettes take you into dark corridors, open your windows to a brighter sunshine and through their first single, “Last Dance” – though somewhat sad – carry the listener into a depth of joyful appreciation within the song’s sorrowful unfolding.

The POWERMAT is a one-pad, one-plug system that charges all your gadgets in one place without wires. The way it works is that your gadget gets a special “Powermat Receiver” sleeve so that it can use magnetic induction charging to power your devices.

Ronnie Feig’s Red Wing Shoes are available in two colorways of a gorgeous russet-y red and a flat grey for these 8″ Boot for David Z. The release of these highly-anticipated shoes is planned for October 15th at David Z. flagships and online, and they’re going to be marked at $290. The russet red boots have chunky leather laces, while the grey feature black round ones. Bold topstitching

He began his career as a political cartoonist and his art has the intellectual rigour and sense of playfulness often associated with his previous occupation. He creates sculptures, nstallations, videos and actions inspired by a wide range of mundane objects, from golf balls and pick-axes to bricks, rubbish bins and even tortillas, all subjected to what has been described as Ortega’s characteristically “mischievous process of transformation and dysfunction”. In Cosmic Thing (2002), one of his most celebrated works, Ortega disassembled a Volkswagen Beetle car and re-composed it piece by piece, suspended from wire in mid-air, in the manner of a mechanic’s instruction manual.