Energetic music and lively clothing go together just about as well as sprinkles on a sundae. In some form or another, fashion and music have always run parallel with one another. This is why it makes perfect sense that east coast labels AfterShock and Wavecraft Collective are teaming up for a night of catwalks and high-caliber tunes to celebrate the birth of a new sound system.
The man and mind behind the clothes being featured on the January 22nd event at Warehouse on Watts (PHL) is none other than Philadelphia native Brian Redmond. Redmond started Reddy Threads in 2016 with a desire to make cool clothes that “express one’s inner self.” The garments that he features are all handmade 1/1 pieces that are designed, cut, sewn, and produced with his digital and collage art.
“I love the statement, ‘wear what you are,’ and with Reddy Threads, every creation stems from the depths of my soul. So now, the goal is to make cool stuff for everyone in light of my artistic expressions through the medium of design and fashion.”
– Brain Redmond, Reddy Threads
Reddy Threads has been an active presence in the Philadelphia music & fashion scene for over three years now. In fact, if you plan on attending any bass, house, or electronic shows in the Philadelphia area it is very likely that you may stumble upon his animated pop-up where Redmond is sure to greet you with a smile as bright as his clothes.
As for the speaker system that is being welcomed into the world on Saturday night, the commission was put forth by AfterShock and designed by FestivalDMTSoundSystems. The mad scientist behind the engineering and production of the system is Gio Galvez who began designing speakers 7 years ago.
“I once attended a Burning Man-related festival event in Pennsylvania where my buddy Doug was one of the organizers. Their crew rented a really high-end sound system for their main stage. It sounded amazing but also ended up costing a big percentage of their entire budget. I had a carpenter buddy at the time and we took a closer look at the speaker cabinets and how they were built. I thought I could probably build something comparable and just let my friends use this for music events for free.”
– Gio Galvez, FestivalDMTSoundSystems
Creating a sound system is already a great contribution to the music scene. But creating a sound system with the intention of helping people in the community save money and break into the industry is beyond charitable. It’s acts like these that help this scene of ours keep evolving and growing.
And of course, no night at Warehouse on Watts would be complete without the stylings of some high-vibration music. Taking control of the decks to start the night is Cristiña, a Latinx DJ who frequently brings down the house in venues across Philadelphia. Up next is TREZ, a fiery house-focused artist with an arsenal on her USB. And headlining the event is a River Beats favorite – Bitsky.
Bitsky has been on the River Beats radar for quite some time now. Known for captivating audiences with high-octane sets that oftentimes include him getting loose on a guitar, Bitsky knows how to provoke a crowd. 2021 saw Bitsky perform a slew of shows in venues across the country while continuing to perfect his sound and shredding capabilities.
Look to the January 22nd event to be the culmination of several bright and talented minds and the first of what is sure to be a long and fulfilling career for AfterShock’s new speaker system.
Grab tickets to the event here!