Welcome to Optimism

funny lines and dangerous angles

A few months ago, shortly after a certain Guardian article was published, our planner Oscar just couldn't resist the call of the music industry any longer and bid adieu to W+K to focus on his music. 

And he's only gone and done it, too.

These days, Oscar can be found producing music under the name Powell, DJing at various ear-bleedingly loud club nights, and he also runs the Diagonal record label with his mate, Jaime Williams. 

Music site Juno recently posted an in-depth interview with Oscar, Guy and Jamie about Diagonal, where they talk about the, er, subtle art of collaboration, publishing on vinyl versus digital downloads and what the future holds for the label. Oh and a little bit about the enduring appeal of ironic merch.

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 Apart from making the odd branded glowstick here and there, Diagonal releases music by a diverse list of artists including Death Comet Crew, Russell Haswell and Bronze Teeth (music geeks, geek out – it's a project from Factory Floor's Dominic Butler).

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Diagonal's beautifully minimalistic record sleeves are designed by our very own head of craft (and all round design legend) Guy Featherstone, and they really are something to behold. Here are a few of them:

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[Powell 'Club Music']

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[Bronze Teeth 'Unilaterals']

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[Russell Haswell — 37 minute workout]

Keep an eye on Diagonal's Twitter for news of upcoming releases and gigs. And if you want more Powell in your life, you can tune in to NTS radio to hear Oscar's show Melon Magic on Friday nights from 11pm-1am. 

world cup wishes

By now, the emotional rollercoaster that is the World Cup feels like it's been going on forever, but boy are we going to miss all the fun after this weekend's final. 

Back at the start of the tournament, in the heady days before goalpocalypse (yes, that semi final shocker of a score), we unveiled a thematic window installation titled World Cup Wishes. It features 3000 traditional Brazilian 'Senhor de Bonfim de Bahia' wish ribbons with a sporty twist arrnaged to spell 'football' in Portuguese, with each ribbon carrying the wish of a football fan or a reaction to the latest drama on the pitch.

The window – much like the tournament – is still going strong, with crowds of curious passers by and football fanatics stopping by throughout to grab their own wishes. 

We made a video that captures the whole thing. Enjoy!

  

Don't forget, you can still tweet your wish with the hashtag #WorldCupWishes, and you may find your own message on display in time for the final.  

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