issue 18 - big 2023 energy
FRESH 2023, new years live sets, update from our local residents, the latest bling, multifunctional loft living and more
thats it, that’s the tweet. big 2023 energy.
FRESH: playlists
FRESH 2023
it’s a new year, which means a new edition of the FRESH playlist! as the year goes on, we’ll be filling this up with the best releases of the year, so do drop a follow and check back from time to time. most music we cover in-issue will very likely already be in this playlist, if you want to be in the know before everyone else!
nobody is wasting time this year - our tracklist is already packed with excellent jams from 2023’s first new music Friday. Skrillex, Fred again.. and Flowdan’s Rumble, and G Jones and Eprom’s edit of Shellshock are not to be missed this week, if they haven’t yet floated onto your radar.
a little FRESH history for you - the 2021 edition of said playlist was also the inspiration for our name! i wanted a place to dive deeper into all this wonderful music besides just playlisting, and thus FRESH came about. since then, we’ve evolved to cover an expansive array of topics inside and outside of music, to keep things fresh, and you on your feet as you read!
honorary mention again to wing’s minifridge - a playlist sampler of my current musical palette.
FRESH: live sets
Madeon @ Fresh Start 2023
Madeon’s DJ sets have consistently been some of the best in the electronic scene, and a new year’s set from him is not to be missed, if you have the chance to catch one! the Frenchman’s pick for ringing in this year was none other than Electric Light Orchestra’s Mr. Blue Sky - incredibly fitting and timely, i reckon we can all agree. no more hiding away for those blue skies in 2023!
head here for a front row view of the entire set, played at the iconic San Francisco venue, The Midway.
Porter Robinson @ OMFG
a safe bet for your end-of-year festivities is always a Porter Robinson DJ set. this year, the North Carolina native pulled off a whopping five new year’s sets in the span of three days - one of them being this feisty, guns-blazing set from San Diego’s Pechanga Arena.
Robinson had a lot of explicit messages (literally and metaphorically) to deliver to crowds before the year’s end, through brazen flashing words and phrases on-screen, in all-caps. we’ll leave the fun to you to discover yourself as you watch. we will spoil one track from the setlist though - i_o’s rendition of trance classic Castles In The Sky mashed with Robinson’s own Language makes for an euphoric musical experience.
FRESH: events and happenings
New Year, Same Cows
our two beloved local cows made their first new year’s appearance in the neighborhood earlier this week on a foggy morning. they were resting up and having a light breakfast on one of the few patches of grassland left, post-construction. we were also lucky enough to later on catch them strolling down the bicycle lane alongside other humans, headed towards the mall on their daily grass-searching walk!
FRESH: bling
the MERMAID MADOKA 2.0 necklace + earrings set
one of the first bling creations finished for the new year is this custom set! she’s made with magenta faux-pearl inlay chain, and lots of sparkle - star shaped pearls, baroque pearls, glass and ceramic beads, iridescent gems and more. we’re open for custom requests for the Spring, shoot us a message with your ideas!
FRESH: design
NEVER TOO SMALL: DIY Plant-filled Waterfront Loft
as someone from a city notoriously famous for its tiny apartment sizes (the average size of Hong Kong new homes in 2022 is 484 square feet), i have vested interest in multifunctional interior design that maximizes the utility of small spaces. if you’ve ever ventured into the interior design side of Youtube, you’ll probably have come across NEVER TOO SMALL’s videos at some point - each exploring a real, lived-in small space around the world, and its particular design features.
their latest offering is a tour through designer Koen Fraijman’s self-designed loft in Amsterdam, which coincidentally happens to span an exact 484 square feet! (though, unlike most Hong Kong homes, Fraijman’s loft backyard opens straight into a functional riverway.)
here are a few interesting design takeaways from the tour:
cleverly attaching the remote for the loft’s lighting system on a pulley, allowing it to be easily passed up and down from loft level to the ground
the crowning glory of the loft, and the most complicated to design and build - an outdoor floating deck, complete with seating area and mini garden!
Fraijman uses light fixtures thrifted by himself from abandoned warehouses in different parts of Europe. waste not, want not!
for the cooks and foodies - you’ll love the full length overhead spice rack that spans the entire width of the kitchen island.
plenty of fresh energy there for the year ahead! onwards we go, remembering and honoring our past, yet not allowing it to dictate our present or future. every moment is a chance to start anew.
love,
wing
alright, over to you now - hit up the comments section, or reply to this email with your thoughts! if you enjoy a little prompting:
what sounds are your ears filled with so far this year?
got any multifunctional interior design hacks to share?
head over to freshbywing.com to catch up on past issues of FRESH, and find us on instagram!
Okay "wing's minifridge" is such a cool name for a playlist! I have one called "The Sampler Platter" which has the same function as yours but I really need to do better with regularly updating it lol.
Since it dropped in 2020, I usually make "One More Year" by Tame Impala the last song I listen to on December 31 and/or the first song I listen to on January 1.
I'm currently obsessed with a song called "Uptown" by The Chamber Brothers - specifically the version on the Summer of Soul soundtrack. An awesome bass line is gonna pull me in every time lol