Friday 11 December 2009

Rudi Zygadlo

Right then. The time has come for The Book Of Right-On to shine a light on somebody that is really pushing our buttons right now. His name is Rudi Zygadlo. Aka Rudi-dog. Not only is his style tip top, but he is also currently producing tons of hella good music. He has just been signed by Planet Mu and has been marked as the-next-big-ting by the music (wo)men in the know. Fashion first, music later.





Rudi's style is suspended somewhere between the upper echelons of old Scottish gentry and the lower levels of a well kept skip rat. His classic dapper chapper attire is seamlessly mixed in with a more modern laid back leisure wear; tailor made hats and fancy shoes sit happily alongside sweatpants and hoodies. He has previously credited his Dad as one of his style icons - a large part of his wardrobe has been half-inched (for you overseas - that's cockney rhyming slang for pinched aka stolen) from his old man's closet. Also, as you can see he accessorizes well, a key necklace is a must-have. In fact his fashion sense is not unlike his music. If you want to pigeon hole it, it's some kinda alternative electronic music, but then again, it's also like nothing you've ever heard before. Check out Rudi's Myspaz to hear it. But as I was saying, akin to his style, his music mixes the classical with the cutting-edge. His song Missa Per Brevis (meaning short mass) has a choral-like ephemeral quality to it, but cutting between that is a thumping, club-heavy bassline and some scratching that even a measles sufferer would be proud of. 


He is named after two Russian ballet dancers.
You have to listen to
his stuff for yourself.

Here is one of his
mixes he did live for Mary Anne Hobbs on her Radio One show, it's at about 1hour 20mins into the show.

Rudi: "Well, here goes, enigma shattered"


Hat: Originally, McLaren Hatters, Glasgow/Edinburgh. From Starry Starry Night, Glasgow
T shirt: John Smedley
Shirt: Daddy's shirt. Tinderfell Originals
Hoody: American Apparel
Leather Jacket: Can't quite read the label. From Watermelon, Glasgow
Belt: Watermelon, Glasgow
Jeans: Levi
Desert Boot: Clarks
Keys: - Timpson's


ONE MORE FOR THE GIRLS

Photo by Angie Maguire

10 comments:

  1. Wow these boys have got style, I never saw such a hot skip rat. Think we need to get some of that Scotish style down south, you wouldn't see this effortless cool in Shoreditch. Love the shoes-with-no-socks-look too.

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  2. I like the addition of boys to the blog. Ele can I get an app for this? I want to get your updates on my phone!

    Grace x

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  3. Rudi's Mary Anne Hobbs mix has been getting me through Friday afternoon!

    Grace x

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  5. I have so much more to write about the ridiculousness of this whole thing, Planet Mu's direction with 'grooming' this guy (his music, style, image), music in general but fuck it, you sum it up here:

    "Fashion first, music later."

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  6. Magda O, now I have three points for you.
    1. This is a fashion blog, not a music blog - hence "Fashion first, music later." Please do not try and twist these words into something they do not mean. We are not talking about JSL here.
    2. As for Planet Mu's "grooming" - do you work as their part time beautician? For your information they have no say over either Rudi's musical or personal style. Both come as naturally to him as flight and feathers to a bird. The only "grooming" going on is perhaps Planet Mu's suggestion to maybe comb his hair before gigs.
    3. Your opinion has been insightful, but trite. Please do not feel free to leave any further comments. Player haters not welcome here.

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  7. Wow, this cat's got a tongue on her! Magda you seem a little cross, let me comfort you darling (but do tell me when to stop, I'd hate to deny you the pleasure of a cyber tantrum). Having actually heard this Rudi's style live in Glasgow, I can only imagine his flare with a wardrobe is another aspect of a cool creative personality. That doesn't take away from music, does it? Unless you think it's a fragile and isolated art form. Hush hush. I think you can chill out and let people be multi-dimensional characters.

    Mary G

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  8. LOLOL! A cyber tantrum? That's awesome! I'm not a 'player hater' and I think it's great people be multi-dimensional, I was just commenting on the fact his 'fashion sense' has seemed to trump anything else on many places on the internet. I find it amusing and sort of sad, but perhaps it's my folly coming from a different place when music came first. Like you said, you have a fashion blog, so to you of course fashion comes first. It's demonstrated quite clearly by the photos you put up of him and of yourselves. What was I thinking?

    And his music and style come to him naturally as flight and feathers to a bird? C'mon! Style doesn't come naturally. I'm not saying it's not authentic, but we're all influenced/inspired by our location, context, etc and it doesn't just happen like feathers on a bird. The 'poetic' analogy is a bit weak.

    And ok, I won't comment anymore, I don't want to disrupt the Internet, and your space in particular, with a bit of commotion. Cos we should all just get along and agree on everything! That's so much better!

    <3

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  9. I Live with Rudi and I can tell you straight Magda O that grooming is not a word commonly used in Rudi's vocabulary. He washes his hair little more than twice a week and has been wearing the same clothes effortlessly since his brothers handed them down to him.

    AG

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  10. Hahahaha! AG, you didn't have to tell everyone lol.
    I have to agree Magda O on the perils of creating an image for a person before they've created what they're meant to be creating. As for Rudi and his music, it's pretty much ACE and very original. If anything, he could be imaging himself even more so.
    You honestly can't get away with putting fashion and image first, before your music, but you can sure as hell make both hand-in-hand to create something bold and amazing.

    There's my 5 cent's worth - GO RUDI!!! :D

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