Images & Text by Mr Hartnett 2007

...

Making more of a splash than a British summertime are

London's new breed of street- and club-style warriors

gathered here, characters who live the lifestyle 24/7

and flourish beyond the restrictive world of mere

fashion. What they all share is an inner dynamic, a

reason why they do what they feel compelled to do,

executed with a zany sense of dayglo optimism.

"London freaks are about to take over."

A line from NIYI's track 'London'.

...

Two decades on from the era of the New Romantics,

dressing-up is big again in the metropolis and the new

generation of DJs, such as NIYI and Warboy, have been

busy in their bedrooms, hooked-up to computer programs

and myspace.com producing the sounds they 'Nu-Rave'

and 'Punk Grave' to. Regulars at clubs such as

London's Foreign, Boom Box and All You Can Eat dance

to soundscapes that are often made up the night

before.

Whilst fashion in clubland's nooks and crannies all

over the UK is experimental, eclectic and dynamic, it

is rooted in tradition but driven by amazing

resourcefulness. It is irreverent and nonconformist,

often exploring and conveying political, social and

cultural concerns, frequently keen to fuck around with

conflicting push buttons to provoke a reaction...

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©Mr Hartnett 2007