L'Usine 1 Year Anniversary | Photo Gallery

Well, we're officially 1 year old now. We had a little shindig to celebrate the occasion and here are a few pics to show you how it went.  Thank you for everyone who helped make it a huge success.  We're excited for another great year! We can thank AnyArena for the first batch of pics. We'll update more photos when we have, but for now... Enjoy!

Onra on Vietnam

Our resident DJ Jase was mentioned by Parisian beat maker  Onra in an interview on Juno Plus.  Onra grabbed the attention of many when he after the critically acclaimed 2007 release of Chinoiseries, an album strung together using samples from old Chinese and Vietnamese records he found while crate digging in Vietnam.

Leszek Juraszczyk | Revolutionary Road

Talented designer Leszek Juraszczyk created this font Hessel Font. He's used that font to make these fantastic typography illustrations all inspired by Sam Mendes’s film Revolutionary Road.

Yumaki

Yumaki (the only funky dental care product we carry) has taken some new pretty pictures of their product range.  You may remember us blogging about Yumaki in the past... if you missed it click here

L'Usine is One!

Well, we can't believe it's been a year already since we first opened the doors to L'Usine & La Cafeteria de L'Usine.  On behalf of L'Usine I'd like to thank everyone for their support and loyalty throughout this year.

Here are some of our favourite L'Usine moments from the past year....

Our opening and YOUR NAME HERE exhibition by Tyke Witness and Propeller Group

When we helped The Beats Saigon bring Dj Premier & Nick Javas to town....here. Followed by an interview with Mr. DJ PREMIER himself in the flesh here

When we finally opened La Cafeteria de L'Usine here

Our District Eight Exhibition here

Tammy Nguyen's 'My Dairy from that battle of 10,000 ships' exhibition here

When our resident artist, Tammy Nguyen decorated L'Usine for the Christmas holiday season here

When Santa Claus came to L'Usine here

LOMO | Photography Inspirations

Today we're taking Lomography inspirations from Flickr. Here are some of our favourite shots.

Rolf F

Albert Memorial, London UK,

Lomo LC-A | Kodak Elite Chrome 100 (exp. 08/1997) | XPro

L'Usine Look Of The Week

L'Usine End of Season Pre Tet SALE

Just a friendly reminder to the good people of Ho Chi Minh that the L'Usine End of Season Pre Tet SALE continues. Come in and participate in the discounts.

Happy Shopping!

L'Usine Music | Beck's Record Club

Beck’s Record Club is a one of our favourite projects online right now. Various musicians gather to record an album in a day, the videos are rough, and unrehearsed, and sometimes incredible.

Daisy Lew | Pop Up Art

Brilliant pop-up book art by designer Daisy Lew.  Lew was born in the States but was raised in Korea. She is now based out of NYC.

Adam Pitschke | Pencil Art

Young Canadian Artist Adam Pitschke's pencil artwork has captured our attention this week. We're loving his surrealist style.  Pitschke gets his inspiration from MC Escher, and Ben Tour. Check out our previous Ben Tour posting here...

Twenty8Twelve | Coming to L'Usine Soon



Actress Sienna Miller and sister Savannah Miller are the creators of fashion label Twenty8Twelve. While they do not seek to be a high-end label like Victoria’s or the Olsen twins’ The Row – the clothes are doubtlessly British and a bit of girly fun.

Incase | Hardshell Case

Incase hardshell case protects the aluminum casing of your beloved mac and is also translucent to allow the Mac logo to shine through.

Key Shaped USB Drives

I used to have this problem of never being able to find my USB thumb drive.  I was always digging in my bag to find it and eventually I would end up dumping my bag on the table.  I then started attaching it to my key chain in hopes that it would help resolve the problem. This wasn't the best idea as the USB drives kept on breaking off the keyring.  Apparently I wasn't the only one doing this because someone decided to design key shaped USB drives. So far they work like a charm.....

Key shaped USB Drives are 2GB and retail for 400,000 VND at L'Usine

Flurry & Salk | Paper Animal Masks

Last year two women, Nikki Salk and Amy Flurry, founded the Paper-Cut-Project, a company that conceives art direction and highly crafted installations in paper for window installations, runway, catalog and advertising campaigns.

Moleskine Sketchbook Inspirations | James Jean

James Jean was born in Taiwan, raised in New Jersey, and attended the School of Visual Arts in New York.   Since 2001, he has worked for such clients as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Warner Bros., DC Comics, Atlantic Records, Nike, Prada, and many others. James is now based out of Los Angeles.

Dan Pak | W Hotel Seoul Walkerhill

Our friends at Fantastic Matter spent most of November in Korea shooting a short film for  W Hotel Seoul-Walkerhill.  Now, who wants to go to Seoul??



When In Seoul

Directed by Dan Pak

Original score by Cool Calm Pete

Fantastic Matter Ltd / GDW Productions

©2010

Blu | Big Bang, Big Boom Video

A beautifully shot short unscientific story about evolution and his consequences by Argentinean artist Blu.



"BIG BANG BIG BOOM:

an unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life ... and how it could probably end.

direction and animation by BLU

production and distribution by ARTSH.it

sountrack by ANDREA MARTIGNONI

Tom Fruin | Kolonihavehus - Outdoor Sculpture

Tom Fruin , a New York based artist has created an outdoor sculpture, Kolonihavehus, in the plaza of the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen which appears to be a friendly and colorful stained-glass house.

L'Usine Music | Vietnamese Electronic Music Production

A few years ago if you asked us what was the local Vietnamese electronic music scene was like we would say 'what scene?' or 'say what?!'.  Lately we are seeing local interest with young Vietnamese making their own electronic beats other than terribly remixed rap- techno songs.  The most recent discovery is the cre­ation of the first Viet­namese dub­step track pro­duced by a local producer called Solid Machine 666. Solid Machine 666 was a VJ on local music channel Yan TV.

This marks a whole new excit­ing move­ment in pro­duc­tion scene for Saigon. This means there is interest in bass culture music from local Vietnamese and they are diving right into it creating, creating and creating.

Here are some tunes pro­duced by local talents

I Rape Your Ear by solidmachine666

Art | Ian Francis

Ian Francis was born in 1979 in Bristol, England.  Graduated from the University of the West of England with a degree in Illustration.

L'Usine Music | Raphael Saddiq - Radio

After dropping the classic album The Way I See It in 2008, singer, songwriter, producer and former Tony! Toni! Toné! member Raphael Saadiq is making a coming back with his fifth album titled Stone Rollin’ this March. His first single titled “Radio,” takes the spirit of Motown with a modernized twist provided by Mr. Saadiq.  We love it and can't wait to hear more from this album.

Radio was just released on iTunes yesterday... get it here

Felipe Hess & Renata Pedrosa | Architecture

Oscar Niemeyer's 'Refurbishment’ by mastermind architects Felipe Hess and Renata Pedrosa in Sao Paulo, Brazil is a conversion from a conventional three bedroom apartment  into an open space contemporary loft.

Scott Schumann | Iconic Blogger The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist is one of our favourite fashion blogs.  Intel presents  A Visually Smart Film The Sartorialist aka Scott Schumann in a beautifully shot short film directed by Tyler Manson.

Gregory Bartning | Fusion of Photography & Movement

Gregory Bartning is a San Francisco based photographer, shooting weddings, portraits, commercial, corporate and fine art.  He became addicted to photography after his senior year in college abroad in Paris.  Recently he's gotten into movement photography when he realized how difficult it was to truly capture a feeling or motion in a still image. 

L'Usine Music | The Brothers of Chico Dusty. Big Boi VS. The Black Keys

There's no lack of genre-crossing album mashups, and while most are for-kicks novelty, one definitely worth a listen is SPIN Magazine artists of the Year, the Black Keys mashed with OutKast rapper Big Boi. While I was not a huge fan of the Big Boi's latest album Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty I am loving this mashup and hoping you will too.


Get The Brothers of Chico Dusty. Big Boi VS. The Black Keys mixtape here

Anders Krisar | Sculptures

Check out the sculptures from Swedish photographer and artist Anders Krisar. His work shows his fascination with texture and the body. Quite impressive! Anders Krisar is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Christina Entcheva | Drawings

We're loving the abstract drawings of Christina Entcheva. She is an American artist, designer and multimedia specialist.

District Eight Lamps

Vintage esque District Eight hanging lamps are back at L'Usine.  Their vintage industrial aesthetic would make a welcome addition to any home. District Eight Design handcrafts and restores both vintage and contemporary furniture in their workshop as well as create modern furniture and sculptures.

L'Usine Music | M.I.A. Vicki Leekx Mixtape

M.I.A. is back after a less than stellar 2010, a string of PR nightmares, a so-so response to her noise-happy, politcally charged, LP MAYA.  Dropping her first mixtape in six years, 'Vicki Leekx' sees the confident Sri-Lankan born MC return to doing what she did so well on previous records. With a fast-beat and relateable tracklist, M.I.A. puts the conspiracy theories in the backseat, and convinces us she remembers the everyday things in life that can still be fun.

Click here to download M.I.A's latest mixtape 'Vicki Leekx'

Sweet + Sour Cupcakes | New Flavour Cookies & Cream

Sweet + Sour is introducing a new flavour ---Cookies and Cream cupcakes which have a decadent chocolate base with a rich cookies and cream topping.  For all you cupcake fanatics this one is not to be missed.

L'Usine Vintage Bicycles

L'Usine has vintage bicycles.  These original vintage Japanese track bike frames are from the 1980s. The NJS approved parts are durable, strong, and would perform well should you decide to take up Japanese Keirin racing.

End of Season Pre Tet Sale

William Hundley | Photography

William Hundley is a 35 year old photographer based in Austin, Texas. His mindbending photography blows my mind. I like the unknown forms, the floating effect and the shadows are very well created if they are not real.

L'Usine Look of the Week

Lomography Pic of the Day

Art | Leif Podhajsky

Melbourne artist Leif Podhajsky has been a busy man. From trips to NYC to work on Lykke Li's album artwork and new works.  Looks like he’s updated his site.

L'Usine Music | Bright Lights Bigger City

I've been listening to Cee Lo Green a lot lately -- His most recent album, The Lady Killer has been playing on my music player almost on repeat. For those of you who don't know who Cee Lo Green is well, he co-wrote, and sang, the biggest song of 2006: Gnarls Barkley’s  Crazy.  Now check out Bright Lights Bigger City from The Lady Killer album. You'll be hooked.

Axel Engström | Photography

Meet Swedish photographer, Axel Engström. His very cool and distorted photo series is making waves in the photography world.

A-Cero Architects | A Dwelling in Avila

photo (c) Xurxo Lobato

I know you must hear me saying this a lot, but if I were to picture my dream house... well folks, this would be it.  This 1.200m² house built captures the beauty of its natural surroundings and embellishes the experience in nature, the breathtaking landscapes and becomes one with the surrounding environment. 

Scott G. Brooks | Art

Scott G Brooks is located in Washington, DC. His subjects range from simple portraits to intricate narratives. His paintings takes social, psychological, and political issues and injects them with a dark sense of humor.