Becky Tong has never struggled to fire up up a crowd. Her mixes are instantly energising, with lively sets that seem made for the summer. No stranger to music – her father is DJ Pete Tong – Becky has been working her magic on the London scene for years. Ahead of her set at Moët & Chandon’s Now or Neverland party, we caught up with her to get the inside scoop on summer jams and co-founding Juicebox.

When did you first get into music?
I remember hearing Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’ and thinking: “what is this song about? Why did she write this?” The curiosity about artists and their journeys went from there. I knew I wanted to be around great music.

What are your favourite tracks right now?
I love this new band called Whitney, their album is fantastic.

How does music influence your style, and vice versa?
Artists like Kurt Cobain and Mick Jagger have definitely influenced my style. Sometimes I look back at pictures and want to copy exact looks they wore.

You co-founded juicebox – can you talk about how this happened? What have you most enjoyed so far?
Juicebox started as a blog where me and Adam [Callan] would post music we were feeling, then we decided to start a club night for all our friends to come and see the new bands we were excited about, and it turned into a regular thing. We’ve stopped the regular nights to focus on the artists we’re managing and growing the label. It’s hard to pin point a favourite moment as the whole journey has been great, but I guess the best feeling has been being able to leave out paid jobs to focus on growing the company on our own!

What projects and gigs have you got coming up this summer which you’re most excited about?
I’m excited about playing for Moët on June 11th for the Now or Neverland party. Also playing for shoe brand Golden Goose. Then Bestival at the end of the summer!

Your career takes you to lots of coveted events – besides great music, what do you think makes an amazing party?
I think it’s all about the people – I have to have my friends around, and a bottle of champagne!

What has been the most unexpected hit in terms of songs you’ve mixed whilst playing live?
Jump Around – Cypress Hill. No matter how glam the party is, this song always works!

Which artists are you excited about at the moment?
A disco/pop duo called Ekkah are amazing live.

Who features on your ultimate summer tracklist?
Chance the Rapper
Jorja Smith
SG Lewis
Fono

What’re you looking forward to at LC:M?
The after parties of course!

You’re DJ’ing at Moët’s June 11th Now or Neverland Party, which marks the first ever champagne spray – what part of your career to date would you mark as your Moët moment?
Being in Ibiza and celebrating my first ever DJ set over there!

Becky Tong is DJing at Moët & Chandon’s Now or Neverland party on 11th June, which marks the first ever champagne spray moment – when racing driver, Dan Gurney won the 24 hours of Le Mans race, popped a bottle of Moët & Chandon and momentously sprayed it in celebration, creating history. Tickets to ‘Now or Neverland’ are available to purchase from Moet.com and Event Brite 

Image by Eva K. Salvi

Tags: Becky Tong, Ekkah, Ibiza, Juicebox, madonna, Moet, Pete Tong, Whitney

In this day and age, it’s hard to imagine that there is a side to the Queen of Pop that the public hasn’t seen. However, just a year before Madonna released her debut eponymous album, she was photographed in her Lower East Side apartment by Richard Corman and fellow photographer George DuBose.

Having taken over thirty years to surface, these refreshingly cool photos of a young Ciccone go on display for the first time at the W Times Square in in New York. Select shots are also on display at the W New York, W Downtown, W Union Square, and W Hoboken.

Madonna : Exclusive Insider Access To A Never Before Seen Photo Retrospective is on display until May 12.

rockpaperphoto.com/madonna

Text by Beccy Hill

Tags: George DuBose, madonna, Richard Corman

Stylist, creative director, jewellery designer, Polaroid artist, cult film producer, boutique owner: Maripol’s CV reads like a Soho House members list.  But no, this is one woman’s work. Wholly appropriately, then, is it that her first monograph, entitled ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, should be a mixed media scrapbook.

Drawings, designs, Polaroids and writings chart her creative journey from a stint at the famous Fiorucci house to her recent collaboration on a line of accessories with Marc Jacobs.  Thrown into the mix are snapshots from her work with Grace Jones, Deborah Harry and, most notably, Madonna, whose iconic ‘Like a Virgin’ style was Maripol’s brainchild.  This is one seriously covetable coffee table book.

Published by Damiani.

Tags: artist, Debbie Harry, Grace Jones, madonna, Maripol, Photographer, stylist

There is so much to be said about Madonna, whose life is as infinite and intriguing as the never-ending story. This is could be why Pud Whacker began his blog: Madonna’s Scrapbook. It’s more than just another trashy gossip website with juicy stories about Madonna and Jesus. In amongst the pictures from her latest trip to Malawi, you’ll find original Eighties editorials, funny pictures of Madonna as child, limited edition album covers and exclusive artwork. It’s definitely Twin’s bookmark at the moment.

madonnascrapbook.blogspot.com

Tags: madonna, melanie, scrapbook