Chris Gentile at Montezuma Cafe
Some nights just stick in your mind.
It was a beautiful June evening in Paris. Richard and I had unsuccessfully tried to find the first of the two fashion week parties that we had been invited to. Classic mistake - two venues, same name, each one the opposite side of the city to the other. After swearing a bit and deciding that google maps can't always be trusted we decided to head over to party number two. Montezuma cafe is one of those places that is just right. The kind of effortless cool that Parisians do famously well. Nestled deep in the 2nd arrondissement, its unassuming facade and tasteful interior could at first glance make us assume it's a fairly run of the mill Parisian cafe bar - except it has a basement, an old stone basement. We like old stone basements because good things happen in them.
That particular evening Chris Gentile from Brooklyn based Pilgrim Surf Supply was playing records in this old stone basement. It has to be said at this stage that I love sound systems and records, so having been tipped off earlier in the day that this venue was running four vintage Klipschorn speakers with Macintosh valve amps it was pretty much a given we would be attending. Chris is a DJ that plays really good records, really good rare records. Most of the ones he played that evening were so obscure that my feeble attempts to Shazam them yielded nothing. My take away from that evening was:
A: I really want some new speakers.
B: I must buy more Brazilian music.
C: An iPhone 13 will only get you so far in life.
When Chris and I spoke recently I asked him if we could do something to celebrate the launch of the brand. He asked me if I had anything in mind and without missing a beat I said "yes, can you compile a playlist of your favourite South American music?".
See what we did here?
It has to be said at this stage that this wasn't just an elaborate crate digging exercise we are absolutely delighted to be welcoming his amazing label into our old stone basement for its debut Spring/Summer season.
Why? Because good things happen in old stone basements.
Baiano E Os Novos Caetonos
Vo Bate Pa Tu - Ao Vivo
Zé Roberto
Lotus 72 D
Toni Tornado
Podes Crer, Amizade
Baiano E Os Novos Caetonos
Zé Roberto
Toni Tornado
Jorge Ben Jor
O Homem Da Gravata Florida
Evinha
Olha Eu Aqui Oh! Oh! Oh!
Novos Baianos
A Menina Dança
Jorge Ben Jor
Evinha
Novos Baianos
João Donato
Me Deixa
Marku Ribas
Meu Samba Regué
Di Melo
Pernalonga
João Donato
Marku Ribas
Di Melo
Shop Pilgrim Surf Supply
We love a brand that starts with retail. Pilgrim Surf Supply opened its first store in Brooklyn in 2012 as a sort of gathering space for surfers, writers and musicians. A serendipitous partnership with Beams led to the opening of stores in Kyoto and Tokyo and accelerated the growth of the apparel side of the business. Founded by Chris Gentile, Pilgrim is inspired by his love of music and surfing (the name is an homage to Pilgrim Avenue, Rhode Island where he first surfed). It references heritage classics but is not slavish to its inspiration. The collection uses small factories, recycled and upcycled fabric and keeps order volumes low to minimise waste.
