Hanging around bike geeks will get a non-cyclist riding a bike. Hanging around metal nerds will get a pop-punk into metal and hanging around Kaiju nerds will get, well, me into Kaiju. The past few times I was in Japan, I was hanging around the Mishka guys and Lamour Supreme. I really found a special love for the figurines sculpted and painted by an artist called BLObPUS. I found it ridiculous at first to spend real money on a vinyl figurine, but weeks later I found myself really admiring his work. After buying a few pieces in Tokyo I returned to the states to find it nearly impossible to get a deal on any Kaiju. Literally everything had a 200% mark up; so I limit myself to purchases in Japan and stay away from the eBay pricing.

If you're into this kind of stuff, read on below.

When we were there for the Mishka Harajuku opening, I got the chance to meet a bunch of the Tokyo Kaiju artists; some of which I'll be setting up interviews with in the near future. In between riding my bike around, I went to a few Kaiju events and toy stores. One of those stores was Mandarake, a massive toy and comic book store. Think Walmart for nerds. After picking up a Zagoran and a Hydrous Dokugan, I had reached my budget for the trip; you really have to set limits on spending in Tokyo. Shit adds up!

Mike from Mishka spotted this Blobpus Diablo with a bone mask and asked it I liked it. Truthfully, I did but didn't want to spend that kind of money on it. I looked at it, thought about and decided to just leave! Lamour Supreme and I had a bus to catch to the airport, so we headed back to Shubuya. I guess Mike and Greg bought it for me after we left because yesterday, they gave it to me as a gift and a thank you for working on their store and putting up with their constant banter-attacks.

It may be a hunk of vinyl to you guys, but it's definitely a unique hunk of vinyl! Thanks to Mike and Greg for feeding the fire.

The Goat Sprints from Corey MacGregor on Vimeo.

Wow. Never seen that before. Chain smoking and goldsprints. At least all the smoke adds to some great atmospheric slow-motion shots. Or is that a dry ice machine? Either way, the video's got a nice vibe.

Thanks for the email Tom!

flat fix 2010 CM1 from jun iwai on Vimeo.

The Flat Fix crew has started to ride pegs and are putting them to work on ledges and rails in Tokyo. Mostly in Shibuya and Harajuku, the guys take their pegs to the guard rails that line the street.

downtown showdown from TTv on Vimeo.

Here's the first edit to surface from the Downtown Showdown competition. Some good lines in there with Matt and Taylor going off. Anyone know who won?

Velocult has a new tee and sweatshirt design. Inspired by Masonic imagery, the All Seeing Eye Mountain graphic puts a new spin on the commonly-flipped insignia. This time, there's a touring bike loaded down in the foreground. Really rad concept. Shirts came out great. If it's something you'd wanna wear, either swing through their shop, or grab one here.

Jackie over at Chrome shot me an email earlier today with their new Coveted Jersey attached. It’s a limited edition riding jersey that can only be obtained by winning Chrome-sponsored bike events. Pretty neat idea if you ask me. Designed by Garret Chow of MASH/GLOBE and produced in Italy by Capo, only 200 jerseys have been made and once they’re gone, that’s it. Love the 40 in the jersey pocket. Nice refractions too!

Check out some more shots below.

If you wanna win one, check out the Chrome events page.

Mala was one of the first dubstep producers I saw live here in NYC at Dub War. With his label mate Coki, he's produced some diiiiiirty tracks under the moniker Digital Mystikz. The group has never produced a studio album in the 5 years they've been running DMZ. That's all about to change.

As Fact reports, the bass-bringin' badasses will be releasing Return II Space on 3×12″ vinyl in May. The first preview cut off the album is above. It's a banger for sure! The output levels are a little low on the full version, so I posted this one, which is incomplete, but has better sound. You can also hear the track at Mala's Myspace.

If you're not convinced, check out Joe Nice absolutely crushing the DMZ 5 year anniversary party below!

Skip to the 5:40 mark and watch the fucking camera shake! Play it through for a minute to watch the crowd's reaction. That's what dubstep is all about. Massive bass! Unless you've been a legit venue to see a dubstep set, it's hard to understand. One thing's for sure in the video above; people are fucking stoked on this one! I can't wait to catch the drop. Expect something in May on Deep Medi Musik.

Aloha Fixed's "290ed" Trailer X DeMarcoLab preview from ALOHA FIXED on Vimeo.

The dudes over at Aloha Fixed are giving us haoles a run for our money. Even the groms are banging it out! Lindsey's fixed flatland section at the end is something to really admire. Sure, doing BMX tricks on fixed gears has been going on for a few years now but this is the first legitimate flatland sessions on a fixed gear that I've seen to date.

Very impressive. Keep cranking guys!

I posted about Defgrip's call for entries earlier this week and now it's time for a friendly reminder for the 2010 Bicycle Film Festival's call for entries. You don't have much time to submit your bicycle-themed film, so act quick!

I hope everyone is coming to NYC on June 16-20!

More details below.

Deadline March 27th
We have extended the film submission deadline to March 27th.
Check the site for info and entry form:
http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

BMX program presented by DEFGRIP
We are teaming up with Defgrip for our BMX program.
http://blog.defgrip.net/

Previously:
Defgrip and the 2010 Bicycle Film Festival Call for Submissions

Embrocation Cycling Journal Volume5 with Molly Cameron from j. dunn on Vimeo.

Embrocation Cycling Journal just posted a video preview of Volume 5 and a short NAHBS review. I got the chance to check out Volume 5 at the NAHBS and it's one damn fine photo journal. Of course, you may want to buy one for the articles too.

Previously:
Embrocation Cycling Journal Volume 5

Old and New from Taylor Dwight on Vimeo.

Damn Taylor, this is a really great edit, even if it is made from old clips. He's killing it on the left coast. The 540 at the end was clean!

Via Trick Track

Previously:
Taylor Dwight on All-City
Slaylor Pool Session
Slaylor Fooling Around