The little cocktail fest that could is now a big, money making business, not only for the city of New Orleans, but for every facet of the liquid industry. Everyone from distributors to suppliers, big and boutique brands, hoteliers, restaurateurs, members of all forms of media and the almighty celebrity styled brand ambassadors mark their overbooked cocktail calendars well in advance, a year at least, to ensure their attendance for the most intoxicating event of the year.

In between the opening and closing of a Tales, a lot of business and boozing goes down throughout the shmooze-a-palooza. The big buzz each year is about both capturing and setting liquid trends and taking note of the latest “it” bars and stars. It’s all about staying ahead of that cocktail curve. There’s no room for yesterday’s booze news, unless of course you dip back to the classic cocktail era, which is forever being revisited and reinterpreted.

Tales is such a cocktail cultural phenomenon, it has since gone global. Next week Tales of the Cocktail heads to the Pacific Northwest, across the Canadian border to the city of Vancouver to kick off its second Canadian cocktail venture on February 12th and will run through the 15th.

Why Vancouver? Paul Tuennerman, co-founder of Tales with his wife Ann Tuennerman says, “The Tales on Tour concept was designed to be a snap shot of the annual event and encourage the global exchange, which has made Tales of the Cocktail, the standard for cocktail events, throughout the world.”

If curious about the local Canadian cocktail trends, Trevor Kallies of the Donnelly Group, Vancouver’s multi-concept hospitality group, ranging in all forms of nightlife from club to cocktail lounge says, “Most bars here are extremely passionate about classic cocktails and the twist. Whiskey and Amari are running rampant throughout all bars depending upon which brands are available in a harsh government-run liquor industry. It is not uncommon to find a barrel or two (or behind the bars aging all from basic spirits to cocktail to house made bitters.”

True to the brand, Tales Vancouver is presenting a loaded line up on all fronts from spirit seminars, which are as fresh as the cocktails they’re crafting to tastings, bar crawls, soirees and spirit dinners where cocktails are meticulously pair with the Canadian cuisine.

If tippling in town, be sure to savor Sweetapple’s Roaming Buffalo Punch, the official cocktail of the festival. Jacob Sweetapple, the bar manager of Vancouver’s award winning restaurant Chamber, won the Canadian wide cocktail competition with his drink made with roasted almond infused Buffalo Trace, ginger beer and barrel aged Cointreau. Garnished with cinnamon sticks, cloves and a star of anise, it’s sure to set the spirited tone.

When asking Paul Tuennerman, a.k.a Mr. Cocktail, what’s next for Tales on the global front, he said, “I could tell you, but then I would have it kill you.” I left that puppy alone as I would die if I couldn’t attend another Tales.

I’ll see you at the bar…

Images by Karen Loftus

Musician, writer, and professional record geek Dante Carfagna compiled the cuts for the Personal Space collection, with righteous research assistance from Numero Group’s ace archivist Rob Sevier, focusing on largely unknown recordings where synths and primitive drum machines are idiosyncratically employed in the service of soulfulness and funky grooves. The collection is set for a late April release through the Chocolate Industries label, with a couple of enticing format options — turntable types can snap up a 180 gram double vinyl release of the album, while the rest of the world will do just fine with the album version, which features a deluxe bound book and some striking outer-space photographs taken by a real-deal astronaut (see cover image above). Try the track below to get an idea of what you’re in for.

The Makers – “Don’t Challenge Me”

1. Etro: When it comes to those amazing art deco lines that the 1920s gave the world, Etro is the designer to go for in the present day. This Italian design house brings the world the sassy but sophisticated look of the ’20s with color palettes a bit more daring than the past could  have maybe handled.

2. Rodarte: It’s not surprising that Rodarte rocks the flapper dress when considering the designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s history. They may be L.A. girls but their backgrounds in art history and literature give them the expertise to channel the past not with just a designer’s eye but with a historical one. They’re no strangers to film either, they are the designer duo behind the Black Swan. Rodarte is available at Neiman Marcus and Barney’s. (Flapper dress pictured at right is by Rodarte.)

3. Christian Dior: This French powerhouse masters all styles of fashion it takes on so when it comes to flapper glam, they’ve got it down. Just picture Marion Cotillard in Midnight in Paris who donned similar flapper dresses to Berenice Bejo in The Artist: architectural, sparkly, perfect.

4. Reem Acra: They give the world drop dead gorgeous bridal dresses and yes, flapper dresses as well. The philosophy behind the designer perhaps best sums it up: “…poetically combines her appreciation for the traditional and classic with the modern fashion needs of today’s woman of style.”

5. Accessories & hair: Once you’ve found the perfect 1920s ensemble it’s crucial to find corresponding hairdos and accessories. Of course, a bobby pin curl bob is the first necessity, a long strand of pearls, headbands and feathers galore. The 1920s also supported gloves and hats but to get the look started, begin with a flapper tassel necklace by Max & Chloe, an art deco Repossi ring by Alexander Wang (seen at left) available at Colette in Paris and a feather headband.

Et voilà! A 1920s look so powerful, you — like the movie The Artist, can play a silent role as your look will do all the talking.

• What the DJs behind New York Fashion Week are spinning and where [NY Daily News]

• Triumph Motorcycles and Barbour Outdoor Clothing’s concept bike is a work of art [Bike EXIF]

• 5 great tequila recipes [The Spir.It]

• Ian Schrager discusses his formula for success [NBC Chicago]

• Drinking in season: Meyer Lemon Pisco Sour [Serious Eats]

Japanese-Brazilian artist Kitamura Hirosuke — also known as “Oske” — is known for his haunting photos taken in bregas, inexpensive brothels in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Women lay in rumpled beds, body parts take center frame — a foot, a breast or faces are covered in dark lines, cracks splinter up dirty walls, and red lighting creates the sense you are peering through a forbidden keyhole to watch a moment frozen in limbo.

Oske’s latest work, opening at 1500 Gallery, is called Hidra, a Brazilian Portuguese reference to the serpent-like, multi-headed Lernaean Hydra of Greek mythology. For every head cut off, two would grow in its place.

“It is born again so there is not resolution. Brazilians say Bicho de Sete cabeças; it means difficult to resolve,” says Oske. “I saw a good person, but sometimes he had bad things. I saw bad person, but sometimes he has good things. It is not easy to define what is good or bad. It is an animal of seven heads. The people in brothels where I take the photos have good things and bad things. I can see the chaos.”

The exhibition consists of 11 works, including a diptych and a triptych, curated by Brazilian artist Miguel Rio Branco who describes the pieces saying, “sexuality is something transparent, smoky and elusive under our fingertips.”

Sexuality is a major theme and Oske asks viewers not to take it as documentary about prostitution.

“I like eroticism of brothels. It has some classical eroticism, they have nostalgia. Sometimes I go there to drink beer and listen music to meditate,” he says. “I respect the woman in brothels. This sexuality is about meat, blood, pain and pleasure of body. I want to people to think: what is life for you? What is death for you? What is happiness for you? What is sadness for you? What is solitude for you?”

Hidra will be on view in New York until April 28, 2012.

The irony is that this year the fun comes from across the pond, London. London’s Art Below project will sponsor the billboard art as well as a complimentary exhibit at Gallery Orange in New Orleans’ French Quarter with yet more of the 20 artists’ works. The 20 chosen? A global group of artisans from England, Sweden, Spain and of course some native folks from “N’awlins” as well. The gallery will host a couple of special exhibit parties and will have the work on display throughout the month of February.

For Art Below this is a fantastic chance to be, well, above the ground so to speak. As its name suggests, Art Below is normally dedicated to providing the 20 million some daily travelers of London’s tube system with art to enjoy as they descend escalators, wait for trains and pass through underground corridors.Their mission stating: “To enrich the everyday life of the traveling public by giving fresh insight into the very latest in art, illustration, photography, fashion, whilst at the same time providing a platform for emerging talent.”

This year for Art Below, they’ll be enriching the lives of revelers at Mardi Gras. Check their website in April for a documentary film on the journey of these 20 artists, their billboards and exhibits in the Big Easy.

Masters of manipulating sound in unique ways, they produce their own tracks and remixes when they aren’t spinning. In fact they have created audio backdrops for brands like Kitsuné or Lacoste and artists like Yelle, Rusko or Spoek Mathambo.

In 2012, Club Cheval hit the U.S. for the first time on a whirlwind tour beginning in Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco. When asked what their memorable moments were on their first trip across the pond, it’s hard for them to narrow it down to just one thing. “We could write a book about our experiences in the U.S.,” they say in unison.

The intensity of their first stop, Hard Holy Ship!, was hard to top. Three days of non-stop music on a cruise ship filled with thousands of eager dance music fans was hard to top. “We knew that it was either going to be great or awful — it ended up being great! Particularly meeting and spending time with other DJs like Skrillex,” says Myd.

The tour then moved into decidedly colder climates with Toronto, New York and Philadelphia. Although the temperatures may have been colder, the crowds were equally hot. The collective was surprised that although they had never toured the U.S. before they’re events were packed with people familiar with their music.

“That’s the power of the Internet,” says Panteros666.

Sets usually start with one or two members of Club Cheval on the decks and, in the end, the party climaxes with all four of them rocking out together in the DJ booth. With over a thousand tracks available to them in their system each night and no set track list, no gig resembles another. They are slated to return to the U.S. for Winter Music Conference. Wherever you are keep your eyes peeled for their sets and make sure you’re ready to move. It’s going to be a long night.

Images: Maciek/Charles Roussel from OneNightShot

• Jessie J is among a list of artists performing at BBC Radio 1′s Hackney Weekend 2012 in June [BBC]

• Enter the fantastical world of Yayoi Kusama (pictured) [Phaidon]

• Meet the new French hacker-artist underground [Wired]

• Watch a mini film about Rick Owens and Michele Lamy [AnOther]

• Alchemical delights at Science of Cocktails 2012 [San Francisco Bay Guardian]