If you were lucky enough to get one of these from Ryouki first time round, give yourselves a pat on the back. The magazine has had interviews with Brighton’s rising star Bonobo, Slug of Atmosphere and DJ Vadim amongst others. If you think you have something to contribute to the magazine, hit up the links at the bottom of the page.

ASM (A State of Mind) MAGAZINE
HIP HOP - URBAN ART - JAZZ/FUNK/SOUL - DnB

ASM stands for ‘A State of Mind’. The ASM organisation has adopted a new mentality towards hip-hop culture and is striving to promote a more positive attitude. This state of mind is expressed through their new conscious hip-hop and graffiti magazine, as well as the jazz-based hip/trip hop music of ASM records. ASM wishes to alleviate hip-hop music of the many negative stigmas that are so unjustly attached to it. It seems that the direction of hip-hop at present is heading towards nothing but further descent into materialism and crime related topics. ASM have made it their mission to show the next generation of hip-hop lovers how much more this music has to offer.

Issue One of the Magazine features interviews and articles with many diverse artists such as DJ Vadim, Digable Planets, Five Deez, Lootpack’s Wildchild, Slug of Atmosphere, Ty and Bonobo, seeking to spotlight genuinely creative and innovative artists, rather than those that happen to be successful in the mainstream at present. Further, the magazine includes articles on a variety of European graffiti crews, from Madrid’s La Sierra to AGB crew from Paris, as well as a film review spread, a literary segment, and even a recipe corner! Essentially A State of Mind Magazine is about keeping the positive spirit of hip hop alive, to heighten awareness of the origins of hip hop culture, how it evolved from jazz and funk, and to remind readers that hip hop was once about politics, not ignorance; pride, not money; and creativity, not commodity. Most importantly, it was about love, not hate. ASM also want to show that these values still exist in the underground scene and in various progressive tangents that have branched off from the hip hop movement across the globe over the past ten years.

To quote the mission statement of the magazine: “It was important to us that we would not limit ourselves to hip hop, and we seek to include various other forms of creative expression that we find to be inspirational and innovative; from funk, dub, trip hop and acid-jazz projects, to art-house cinema, animation, and literature. More than anything, ASM Magazine is about love for art and faith in the infinite creative potential of mankind.”

One of ASM’s original founders Sean Davies says “I am so excited about this new project, and I know a lot of people out there are as passionate about good hip-hop music as we are; they just need a voice to express their state of mind, and that’s where we hope to come in.”