Foretaste Nº 14
Foretaste Nº 14
An occasional newsletter as a deep dive into the minds, habits, obsessions, affairs, and influences of our friends and fam.
Together & Matta
Most of the people at Together& have this shared ‘down-the-rabbit-hole’, or ‘nerd-down-till-we-know-it-all’ mindset, and our next Foretaste collaborator is no different to that. We met Matta, aka Matthijs Loriaux, when he was working with Samuel at ByBorre and since then seen him moving and growing, and sharing a lot of interesting articles and stories from obscure corners of the fashion world to music we cant miss on our slack. His Foretaste is in perfect harmony with that - and we love it.
Enjoy!
Currently
Freelancing as communication strategist & copywriter at GOWTU Agency; sharing the lost narrative of sand through immersive journalism together with Post Neon (spoiler sand is running out), and finalizing my annual Amsterdam City Guide for WGSN.
Currently reading
Revolusi. A most comprehensive account of the fight for the Indonesian independence from 1945 - 1949. My father is Indo-European, meaning his father was Indonesian and his mother was Dutch. As much as the Dutch Colonial rule over the islands plays a role in my family’s origins, I’ve never really taken the time to grasp the historical context to its fullest extent. This book is helping me do just that. The author’s use of oral history brings the complex story to life by lacing dates, events and factualities with lived experiences and personal stories.
Currently watching
Succession, Guilded age, Wecrashed and the Dropout. (Sorry, I couldn’t choose). If you’re into tech start ups and the hype that circulates around them I urge you to watch the latter two. I find it fascinating how, as a society, we value and put trust in ‘the creative genius’. Both these series focus on the rise and demise of the founders of Wework and Theranos, and how unbacked hype enabled both separately to gaslighting investors, co-founders, colleagues and ultimately themselves.
Currently listening
Together with my colleagues at GOWTU, we started a monthly playlist that compiles our current office listenings. It’s turning into a wide mix of genres, from the poppy to the obscure. Creating a playlist also made me discover the struggles and delights of the process of creating a sonic journey that is both captivating ánd an easy listen.
Currently eating
EVERYTHING! haha I’m never not eating. These are some of my local favourites at the moment:
• Biscuit Baby’s Southern fried chicken for a Sunday brunch.
• Chun’s bulgogi sandwich for a quick indulgent snack.
• Corner Store’s entire menu for a fun night out.
• and for the home chefs/ those who aren’t in Amsterdam: the Silver Spoon cookbook.
One of my forever staples for easy Italian comfort food!
Currently drinking
Rum Baba coffee!! They are my absolute favourite in town for a cup of filter. I don’t have a trained taste that allows me to evaluate pallet notes… But, Rum Baba brews actually carry distinct flavours of raisins and cinnamon (hence the brand name). I add a dash of honey for extra sweet & sourness.
Currently obsessed about - Fishing! Since 2 years, for the first time in my life, I can actually say I have a true hobby. You won’t find me staring at a bobber, statically waiting for a bite though… My preferred fishery actually means I have to actively search for my target species. Over the weekends you’ll find me along the Amsterdam canals looking for Perch or at the banks of the Dutch coast fishing for Sea bass!
Currently distracted by - Fishing haha… (am I boring yet?) I’m constantly exploring new techniques and possibilities, my current obsession within my obsession is fly fishing. There’s a true art in perfecting casting techniques and making one's own tackle by tying imitation flies. Patagonia brilliantly conveys their video ‘the Complete Fisherman’. Even if you’re not into fishing, this is a magnificently beautiful short film about an Italian senior who shows that less can definitely be more when mastering the complex simplicity of both fishing and life..
Currently trying to avoid
The distraction of social media. I recently had a break from the socials and I now find myself back on there for work, I’m trying to avoid being on there too much because it really doesn’t bring me much beyond getting sucked into my screen.
Currently frightened by
Besides the state of global affairs that keeps spiralling by the day - I’m rather frightened by how the passing of time just increasingly seems to propel with age (yikes!). I guess both are a good reminder to do whatever brings joy in life.
Currently transcended by
The Dissect podcast… People read less and less, but creator Cole Cushna has found a medium for long form analysis that fits our current media habits. Through brilliant storytelling, investigative journalism and a deep knowledge of musical theory, Cole unpacks the concepts behind albums such as Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Frank Ocean’s Blonde. Each song, lyric and musical composition is picked apart to explore how these artworks holistically convey their stories both sonically and lyrically. Goosebump galore!
Currently fulfilled with
The sun! Spring is springing and I can’t wait for summer to start.
—
Thank you Matta!
Quick highlights from the Slacks (in no particular order):
John Carroll Kirby’s Dance Ancestral, via Matta
Who Killed The KLF, via Joakim
The new lessons of luxury by Victoria Buchanan, via Joachim
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford, via Martijn L
New Billy Woods album Aethiopes, via Tim
Print Sale for Palestine by Ilyes Griyeb, via Joachim
This t-shirt makes you invisible to facial recognition tech, via Michael
A Field Guide to Hype by Johannes Klingebiel, via Joachim
Hurs, a woman-centric newsletter/platform, via Katerina
Logo Beginnings, via Joakim
The Best Threads on On-Chain Analytics, via Nalden
Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10½, via Chris
Hope you enjoyed this one - And as always, let’s get Together soon IRL!
PS. There are enough bots and ghosts in our lives. We’ve always seen Together&, human and alive, so please enjoy, participate, share and forward this. And we'd love to see you in Slack to discuss things often. If you know people who should join, let us know!