Legendary music journalist Paul Morley and Madlib makes a pretty interesting combination. Especially when the rock obsessed Morley goes deep into an essay praising Madlib's most obscure aliases in a Sunday supplement. Surprisingly, he didn’t dip into the Madlib Medicine Show, the limited edition 12-part, 12” mix series exuding seven shades of awesome made even better by the screen printed covers by Los Angeles art crew and curators Hit+Run. Their live t-shirt screen print parties have become something of a cult event around the US, Japan and recently the UK (launching their debut London party in Shoreditch). Founded in 2005 by Brandy Flower and Mike Crivello as a kitchen, and then house party, Hit+Run have gone on to work with Stones Throw, the ever inspiring dublab on a grip of insanely creative music and art projects, set up their own label and released mixtapes from LA-alumni The Gaslamp Killer, Kutmah, Nobody and soon, Flying Lotus...


Dazed Digital: Which artists inspired you to start Hit+Run?
Brandy Flower: Limited edition clothing lines from Japan, the entire late 90s Los Angeles street art world, Enik, Motion, Kevo Sassouni and Freedom (our first Crew artists). 70s psychedelic poster artists like Rick Griffin and masters like Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha and Warhol.

DD: What about 80‘s Californian surf culture?
Brandy Flower: We grew up through all that in Orange County (hanging out in Huntington and Newport Beach) so it greatly molded our impressionable minds. Mike's really into surfing still and loves the beach. I say ‘dope’, ‘like’ and ‘dude’ all the time, does that count?

DD: What do you think about the intersection with the hands on, DIY essence of screen printing and digital culture?
Brandy Flower: Things have become so accessible with digital culture, it’s hard to find one's true voice. Nothing will ever replace the soul satisfying spark of creative human interaction. The t-shirt is just an end product of the experience each guest has at a Hit+Run, so it stands as a symbol of their journey. I don't think people want to be walking billboards for billionaire brands but demand a choice beyond prefabricated mass-consumer culture. We let Pandora out of the box and she ain't goin back in.

DD: The Madlib Medicine Show Series seems the perfect vehicle for the Hit+Run ethos.
Brandy Flower: Madlib is without a doubt one of the most prolific and innovative musicians of our generation. We're good friends with the Stones Throw camp and have been stoked to collaborate with them at local LA events, CMJ, Coachella, The Do-Over, Secondhand Sureshots and the Madlib Medicine Show. We hand-printed Vol 1 and Vol 3, Beat Konduktor in Africa. I heard Otis resurrected an old hip hop album of his from 1992 for Vol 5 America’s most blunted putting in work!

DD: Ditto to Hit+Run. It’s a unique beast.
Brandy Flower: Because it’s something different and personal to everyone. Each shirt is made live exactly the way a person wants it. The art is always different and exclusive, the combos are endless and the people bring their own aesthetics into the mix. We let each guest ‘art direct’. It’s empowering to learn something new and inspirational to be involved in the creation of art.