• Something I didn’t see on the moodboard for 2023 was, a) Kyle Minogue having the song of the summer, and b) her asking Australian DJ and producer HAAi to create a remix of said song, the one and only “Padam Padam.” It’s edgier, it’s harder, it’s more rave than gay club, and I love it. I’m a huge fan of HAAi, and the way this remix came together is pretty funny:

    A funny story is. I’ve never asked for parts for a song to remix before. Usually you’re approached by a label or management and are commissioned to put a rework together. Until I had a group with some of my nearest and queerest called ‘Padam’. Everything was “padam this” and “padam that’. I thought. How funny would it be, if as a surprise, I got the stems to the track and made a remix for our group of friends. I asked my mgmt, then 2 days later they arrived in my inbox with a message from BMG saying “can’t wait to hear what HAAi does”.

    Kylie Minogue - Padam Padam - HAAi Remix
  • I was walking home from the beach this afternoon, through Badalona, when this doorway caught my eye. First, there’s something about the light, the way the trees shadows dapple along the front. Then there’s the extra elements, like the crumpled cardboard box in the bottom left corner, the red graffiti, the pop of blue sky in the top right corner. It all came together in such a beautiful way.

  • I’ve been seeing this trend lately which goes against the serious, mixologist puritanism we’ve endured for quite a time now. What I keep seeing is, “let’s drink silly cocktails this summer,” which I’m totally on board for. There’s enough crazy shit going on the world, let’s stop fussing over our drinks and enjoy ourselves. We’re talking piña coladas, mojitos, sex on the beaches!

    Ice Cream for Astronauts, a drink by Two Schmucks

    This piece by Ed Cumming titled Five Cocktails to Help Beat the Heat is a perfect example (ok, some of these are kinda mixologist-y 🙄) featuring drinks from bartenders around the world. The one I’m excited to try is the Ice Cream for Astronauts, which is made here in Barcelona at Two Schmucks:

    “This drink started off as a gin basil smash meets a gin and tonic, but as summer arrived in Barcelona and it got hotter, we found ourselves needing to add ice cream to everything. The coconut complements the vegetal flavor of the basil, and it works great with tonic as a highball. The result is a fresh, ice-cold fizzy drink for summer.