ISSUE #1
Dissolve has always been a project developed to showcase the world around us through a specific lens, one that is influenced by a mentality centered around DIY. Doing things yourself is the only way to ensure they get done the way you want it, with ultimate control and intention.
A focus on scenes that revolve around DIY mentalities is crucial to Dissolve. Showcasing these subcultures such as graffiti, art, underground music, action sports, streetwear, activism, and entrepreneurship reinforces the main vision of Dissolve and cements its place in response to this world.
INTERVIEW:
JORELL DELEON
One person who really Does It Himself is a friend of Dissolve named Jorell. Jorell runs his own DJ streaming radio, and has even popped up on a scenic San Diego cliffside location to perform a DJ set for anyone who happened to stop by. But we’ll let him tell you all about it.
HEY JORELL, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SHOWCASE YOURSELF A BIT. TELL US WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO.
Hey Dissolve Mag, I’m Jorell. I’m a 23 year old DJ and college student from San Diego. But honestly, I think it’s weird sometimes to be calling myself a DJ, and maybe that’s just me not taking myself too seriously. More than anything, I’m just someone that enjoys studying music and culture a lot.
WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME A DJ?
I took piano and guitar lessons at Music Central when I was a kid. I was never really the best at it and I always felt like my parents forced me to learn these instruments in an effort to show me off to their friends. But I spent a lot of time alone in my room, getting really obsessive over things I found on the internet that were really cool to me and trying to learn how that shit worked. And that obsession still held true as I got older, especially when I started wondering how DJs were able to get on a stage and mix in and out of songs and play them in a way that felt… much more alive. Then I got drunk on Amazon one night and ordered one of the cheapest DJ controllers on the market and got it the next morning. And the rest was pretty much history.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR SUNSET CLIFFS POP UP, & WILL THERE BE MORE?
There’s this video on YouTube where Diplo does a last minute pop-up set after his concert at the Brooklyn Mirage and he pulls up on the L Train and plays music for a crowd on a controller that’s situated on a service cart. I honestly thought that was the coolest shit ever. Got inspired a little and told some buddies from school that I wanted to pull up to a cliff during sunset and play music for an hour or two and then I just invited a handful of friends. But with regards to the next one, it’ll surely be at another random location with more of my DJ friends.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TWITCH STREAM RADIO, & WHERE CAN WE FIND IT?
I grew up listening to Radio DJs on the way to school with my parents, like just sitting in the backseat thinking about how the fuck they’re able to stop talking at the right moment the song starts. But anyways, I thought starting a radio show where I play stuff that I really enjoy would be a good way to share music without being too overbearing. It’s a little bit of a work in progress because I’m still trying to figure some shit out but it’ll get to where I want it to be. You can find it on twitch.tv/soberradiostation. It’ll be on YouTube too.
WHAT IS YOUR 5-YEAR PLAN? LIFE PLAN?
I’m never really much of a planner. I kind of just throw an idea at the wall and hope it sticks. But if anything, it’s definitely to just really hone in on skills that need improvement and get better at producing music as well. People have told me that the ceiling can be pretty low for a local DJ and I feel like finding a way to stand out is a better testament to a person’s ability and that’s a reason why I’m really hesitant on going a traditional way forward with it. But at the same time, there is a grind that exists and you can’t really run away from it. But we’ll see. Hopefully it works out.
GOT ANY ADVICE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THEIR PASSIONS OR TAKE THEIR HOBBIES MORE SERIOUSLY?
This will just be advice that I need to apply for myself but it’s really to just understand that your passions or hobbies don’t exist for other people. They exist for you. It’s harder to achieve the things you want when other people’s voices are overpowering your own voice.
ANY OTHER INTERESTS YOU WANT TO SHARE?
Yeah. Check out those Minecraft videos on the internet where they’re like 10 hours long and it’s just peaceful gameplay of people building these cozy cottages or gothic mansions with that ambient music in the background. It’s a vibe. I fell asleep to one last night.
FINAL REMARKS, SHOUTOUTS, OR UPCOMING PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
I encourage everyone to learn how to DJ. We’re all different kinds of people and in a world like this, there seems to be far fewer things to really bond over as humans but a deeper connection to the beauty in life such as music and art will always overcome anything else that might separate us.
Thanks for having me Dissolve Mag. Shoutout to Michael for reaching out to me. Super cool opportunity. And if you’re reading this, I love you.
Thanks again Jorell for the insight and wise words! You can find him on instagram @soberradiostation
GRAFFITI SCENE IN THE 858
If you’ve been around Dissolve for a while then you know graffiti is an important part to what and who the brand is. Graffiti is the pinnacle of DIY in both attitude and mindset. Getting your name out there by your own action by any means necessary is all about relying on yourself and asserting your place in this world.
Everyone wants to make a name for themselves in some way or another, whether at their job, on social media, or any of the other countless ways that are available in this age. Graffiti is one of the most literal paths for someone to get their name out there. It’s not about putting up a thought provoking stencil, or a sticker of an icon. Those belong to a different culture and mindset entirely, known as Street Art. Street art is incorporated into Dissolve as well, but it’s disingenuous to lump both Graffiti and Street Art in the same boat. Graffiti at its core is unapologetic, unrewarding outside the small world of graffiti writers, and unrefined in the most human of ways.
Graffiti can definitely be artistic, well thought out, planned, and laborious, but at the end of the day it is still illegal and is something that you act on solely for yourself and by yourself.
WHAT IS THE 858?
Although the 858 and 619 area codes are now interchangeable and neither one is used for any specific part of the city of San Diego, neighborhoods such as Mira Mesa and Linda Vista have strongly claimed the 858 identity since its creation in 1999, as opposed to 619 that gets associated more with neighborhoods and cities south of the 8 freeway. And since I am based in the 858 I thought I would document some pieces and names I see in my day to day life.
GRAFFITI IN SAN DIEGO
Due to a considerably smaller amount of gang graffiti in the 858 compared to East or Southeast San Diego, in the 858 you tend to see more writers whose work gets pushed to the forefront of graffiti that is visible to the common pedestrian, bicyclist, hiker, etc. Not to say there aren’t writers whose names proliferate south of the 8 freeway, or that there aren’t hood hit-ups north of the 8 freeway, this is just a generalized trend between these two halves of the city.
Also, some neighborhoods south of the 8 freeway have a richer history of graffiti where you can find more wildstyle pieces, more established names and crews, and more variety of graffiti in general. However, in the 858 area to the north, the neighborhoods are newer therefore the graff scene has not matured as much as in older areas to the south such as Barrio Logan or Chula Vista.
One neighborhood that is almost like the Mecca of graffiti in the 858 is Kearny Mesa, an almost entirely commercial and industrial area. It lacks any sort of homegrown community, and therefore homegrown hoods or gangs. Therefore, Kearny Mesa allows itself to be a blank canvas for writers from all around the city and beyond to get up. Additionally, Kearny Mesa is home to a very large amount of restaurants, bars, and other businesses that rely on foot traffic, therefore making the bet that a writer’s tag, throwie, or straight letter will be seen by countless people is much greater.
ABANDONED PROPERTIES
Kearny Mesa was even featured on locals news for the significant amounts of graffiti popping up on abandoned properties throughout the neighborhood like in the videos below. In parts of the 858 like Kearny Mesa , Clairemont, Mira Mesa, and Linda Vista it’s pretty common to see graffiti on these abandoned properties, then to pass by the same spot a few weeks later and see it all buffed, then to pass by another couple weeks later to see more pieces hit up.
TRAIN YARDS, BRIDGES, CONSTRUCTION, ETC.
However not all graffiti in the 858 is restricted to abandoned buildings. In Miramar, there are tons of train yards and abandoned train routes hidden in plain sight that writers piece up in. All throughout the 858 there are countless freeway overpasses, bridges, tunnels, barrier walls, and many other permanent or semi-permanent standing surfaces that become home to countless cycles of graffiti and buffing.
YOUR AD HERE
Interested in having your ad shown in the next issue of Dissolve Mag? Contact us right away! Shoot us an email at info@dissolveitall.com and we’ll get back to you ASAP!
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DISSOLVE ORIGINALS
BY VEZAEL
Even long before Dissolve became a thing, I’ve always loved taking in all the different things I see and situations I encounter in the world around me and run it all through the filter of my perspective to synthesize the content for these kinds of illustrations. I’ve always thought it was important to document the change in my neighborhood and city, because it is always evolving and changing. And with the physical changes come the population changes. Communities come, communities go, and that’s just life.
Like the Dissolve mantra states, “The world constantly changes. From our neighborhoods, to the people in our lives, to our own mindsets, nothing stays the same forever. Keep the good, dissolve the rest.”
HANDWRITTEN TYPE
For the past few years I have been getting more and more into handwritten typography. Obviously I enjoy graffiti handstyles, but calligraphy styles like blackletter and other type styles with varying line weights have been calling to me more and more. Growing up Mexican-American in southern California, blackletter inspired type (commonly referred to as Old English) is everywhere. You see it in graffiti, art, music, posters and flyers, customized neighborhood clothing, and much more. It’s crazy how a style of type developed in the German speaking world in the 1100’s would become as big as it is now half way across the world 900 years later in a completely different culture .
VEZAEL:
This album is lowkey something that I never thought would materialize. Before Fall 2023 I had no intention of ever rapping. I have been making beats since 2012, and I always thought that producing was my lane. It wasn’t until the homies PS WESS and CHERRYAARAN convinced me to give it a go one day when they came over to record some vocals in my home studio.
For this tape I produced all the beats, and I wanted to create a sound reminiscent of old-school West Coast and Boom Bap style rap, but with my own signature darker vibe to it. After listening to PS WESS’ older work and trying out rhyming a bit myself, I realized that both our styles complement each other and both seemed to fit well with a gritty, old-school vibe.
PS WESS:
Until a few months ago, I hadn’t really thought about going back to rapping. I had linked up with the homies VEZAEL and CHERRYAARAN and we listened to some old tracks. After that I started to regain some interest. I had always wanted get on beats that my homies made rather than only rapping over samples. I thought that would be a lot more authentic and representative of a local scene.
Photograph: Wesley Stratton
Photograph: Thuduyen Jenny Tran
Photograph: Thuduyen Jenny Tran
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Want to have your art, lettering, poetry, music, photography, videography, think pieces, or anything else you produce featured in the next issue of Dissolve Mag? Contact us now!
Submit your work and a few sentences explaining your thoughts behind it to info@dissolveitall.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can!
HOW TO: STENCILS
BY VEZAEL
Stencils are a great way to create an easily reproducible piece of artwork that can be applied to many different substrates like on paper, clothing, or a wall outdoors. Here I will be showing my method of creating stencils that you can use to create your very own custom shirts, posters, or anything else you can think of.
Here is a little video I made a while ago showing how I make stencils. Below you can find a written how-to guide!
MATERIALS NEEDED
-Computer/tablet (optional)
-Access to printer (optional)
-Pen/Pencil
-Heavy cardstock
-Xacto knife or Olfa knife
-Painter’s tape
-Temporary spray adhesive (optional)
-Spray paint
-Your desired substrate (Poster, Sticker, T-shirt, etc.)
STEPS
GATHER SUPPLIES:
If you have access to a computer or tablet with photo editing software and a printer, feel free to use them. In the next step we will show you how to use these to achieve a good stencil-friendly design.
If you don’t have these tools, or if you prefer to draw your design by hand, then gather your drawing tools, some thick cardstock, your cutting blade and skip to Step 3.COMPUTER USE:
Using software such as Photoshop, Gimp, Procreate, etc. import your desired image. If the image is a full-color photograph, then you will need make the image high contrast so it’s easier to determine where to cut your lines. You can use a few functions to achieve this in your software. If it is already a black and white vector graphic, go ahead and move on to Step 4.
However, no matter which program you use, the image will have to be desaturated before any other actions are taken. Once you locate the saturation menu in your specific software, completely remove all saturation from the image. This makes it easier to adjust the contrast for cutting out shapes within the image.
Now adjust the contrast. In your specific software, find the tool for Brightness & Contrast, or if it doesn’t have this function (like in Procreate), use the Curves tool and play with the settings until you get your desired configuration. Once you have your high-contrast image, print it on your printer with regular copy paper. Then take your printed image, and tape it to your thick cardstock using painter’s tape, or if you want it to be permanently affixed you can use glue.DESIGNING BY HAND:
Take your cardstock and pencil and sketch out what you wish to cut out directly onto the cardstock. Once you have your design all drawn out with bridges included if needed, you are ready to start cutting.CUTTING OUT YOUR DESIGN:
Now you are ready to cut out your design. Grab your Xacto knife or Olfa knife and your cardstock with your design on it. Begin cutting out all the sections of your design that will end up being the painted shapes. This will be your Positive image. Whatever remains on the cardstock is the Negative image, this will block the paint from reaching your final substrate.
Sometimes, bridges will be needed to connect negative spaces that fall within your positive cutouts. These will be common in images such as a person’s face where there is a lot of interaction between the light and dark shades.PAINTING YOUR DESIGN:
With your cut stencil, place it on top of your substrate. This can be a poster, sticker paper, a T-shirt, an outdoor wall, or anything you want to reproduce your design onto. If you want your stencil to make really good contact to your substrate, spray the side that will be laying on your substrate with temporary adhesive, however this is not strictly needed.
Once your stencil is laying on your substrate, take your spray paint of choice. For clothing and fabric, ensure you use Acrylic spray paint only, this paint will sit on top of the fabric and create an opaque image, instead of soaking into the fabric. For other substrate types that are non-porous, any type of spray paint will work.
Shake your spray paint very thoroughly for at least one minute. This ensures that the propellant and the paint particles mix together well. Then, hold your spray paint about a foot and a half (about half a meter) away from your stencil. Begin to spray light layers by doing continues side to side motions with the can while pressing the cap in 1 second increments. This technique ensures that light layers are laid down repetitively to prevent heavy bleeding of the paint. Also try to ensure the angle of the spray is as close to perpendicular to the stencil as you can make it. An angle that is lower than perpendicular 90 degrees could allow for paint to spray underneath your stencil, creating overspray and losing detail of your design.
For thicker deposits of paint, especially for clothing, allow your initial passes of paint to dry, creating one cohesive layer without removing your stencil from your substrate. After 15-30 minutes of drying time in a dry, well ventilated area preferably outdoors, you can add your second later. Repeat this step until your desired result is achieved.REMOVE YOUR STENCIL:
Now that you have laid down your paint layers, it is time to remove your stencil slowly. If you used temporary adhesive, ensure that you peel off your stencil carefully to not tear or damage your stencil. Now your design is successfully painted onto your substrate!
If you painted your stencil onto clothing, the paint needs to be cured so it doesn’t come off once the clothing is washed. To achieve this, you can take a heat gun and apply consistent, high heat to the painted area for 30 seconds. If you don’t have access to a heat gun, you can turn the garment inside out and throw it in a dryer, without any wet clothing, for one cycle. This will set the paint into the fabric and make it more durable.
We’d love to see your finished stencil artwork! Tag us on instagram with your pieces and show off your newly acquired skills.
SUBMISSIONS:
CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
CEASEFIRE
BY VEZAEL
It’s crazy to see ethnic cleansing and genocide occurring in real time in this day and age. A little after the Israel-Hamas conflict started, I began to notice parallels between what the Israeli state was carrying out, and what other military powers throughout history carried out right before they went on to commit horrendous acts of genocide.
Israel pushing any and every Palestinian from their homes in the already compacted open-air prison of Gaza further south with hopes of eventually emptying them into the Sinai desert of Egypt resonates with the horrors that the Ottoman empire carried out during World War I. The Ottomans drove Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and other minority populations residing within the empire out of the core and into the Syrian desert, ultimately killing millions.
It rings similar to what had just occurred in Azerbaijan a few weeks before the Israel-Hamas conflict began, where Azeri forces overpowered ethnic Armenian command in the Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh region, emptying the territory of virtually the entire population of 120,000 Armenians. This occurred under the pretext of Azerbaijan giving the Armenians a choice to stay and assimilate with no retribution for the decades of on-and-off conflict between the two peoples. However history leaves Armenians doubtful.
Every event is different, has different causes, different outcomes, however they are all connected. Geopolitical conflicts don’t erupt out of nowhere or within a vacuum, everything that happens has an effect on everything else. And as vague as that sounds, vague is the ability to pinpoint a single cause for major conflicts like these. You can’t point to October 7th as the beginning of this current conflict between Israel and Hamas. Some point to the wars in the 2010’s, or the 2000’s, or the 70’s, or the 40’s, or the British colonial mandate of 1920, etcetera etcetera. History has never ended, it is not something of the past, detached from what we live and experience today.
Despite what one may think about the ongoing conflicts today in Palestine and Israel, the facts present themselves plainly. The United States plays a crucial role of financer of these atrocities, as the US government sends billions of taxpayer dollars annually to Israel, who then comes right back to purchase US weapons, and uses them against an increasingly desperate and destitute population of Palestinians.
It seems as though we as regular citizens can’t physically do much in this matter, the Israeli state and the American state will do as they please, as they have always done. But sitting here witnessing it all occur from my phone gives me incredibly strong feelings that I can’t quite put into words. I just hope that this round of asymmetrical violence will end as soon as it can, and the Palestinian people can experience true peace.
