Wear Many Hats Episode 17 — Archie Lee Coates IV — PLAYLAB, INC.
Hey everyone it’s Rashad and this is Wear Many Hats presented by DAHSAR where we talk about your main gig then we talk about your side hustle.
Archie is one of the founders of PLAYLAB, INC., one of the many amazing people behind Plus Pool, put together the ‘Figures of Speech’ book by Virgil Abloh, installations such as Grown Up Flowers, and Fantasy Landscapes. PLAYLAB INC designed with Virgil Abloh for 𝓛𝓸𝓾𝓲𝓼 𝓥𝓾𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓸𝓷 Men’s FW21 Runway Show, “Ebonics / Snake Oil / The Black Box / Mirror, Mirror” aka show 6.
His team consists of good friends and the team shout out to Jeff Franklin, Dillion Kogle, Ana Thompson, Peter, and Gabe.
He’s a painter, DJ, designer, creative director, drippin with ideas, drippin in Flat Earth on this Round Earth.
He’s not a comic, he’s the real deal.
Please welcome Archie Lee Coates IV
I was listening to your mix for FLAT RADIO 001 while thinking about all the good times we shared. It’s dreamy and the visuals are stunning, all of them are great selected tracks but notable ones for me are Versi by Andy Stott, Head Above the Parakeets by HAAi and of course Parallel 4 by Four tet and NARROW SHOULDERS Black Horizons Heavy Duty Remix
(Feat. Frank Leone, Monster Mike)
What got you into DJing?
PlayLab Parties above PopEyes
You Could Just
Critics — Single 2019
OFFICE HOURS — VEGAS — JOEL EVEY
DJ parties, Halloween 2019.
Once in NYC, now in LA. How is it?
Do you have a pool?
FLAT EARTH
Talking about Flat Radio, it’s part of Flat Earth. What is Flat Earth?
PlayLab
You started PlayLab in college. You get this question all the time but what is PlayLab, your answer changes every time, so what is now as of 2021?
The NYC photo of the PLAYLAB team having you recreate more of you guys in the photo is hilarious. That’s what I love in an agency.
Grown Up Flowers
What made you think of making an installation of Grown Up Flowers in the Avenue of Americas and also in China?
Fantasy Landscapes
Collaboration
How does one collaborate with PlayLab?
They don’t teach you this in school, but designing is only like 20% of it. — Archie
What’s the other 80% for you?
Clients
PlayLab’s clients range from fire corporate companies such as Foursquare
And then IG worthy ones such as
Season Three
Reese Cooper
Reuben Selby
UTA Artist Space
Nocta
Congrats on the creative direction for Champagne Papi’s drakerelated.com and Nocta, Drake’s new collaboration with Nike.
Nocta means Nocturnal, all of this is for Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy merch,
Have you ever met Drake?
Louis Vuitton
- Virgil Abloh
How’s working with him?
Plus Pool
In these social distancing times, I feel like a division pool would have been better. Two jacuzzi’s on one end. In the middle well.
Painting
You also like to draw and paint. Your murals are awesome. Have you ever done a mural before the one you did in Greenpoint?
Your paintings in 2017 with the end of the canvas not colored in are absolute fire. My favorite is the Andre Agassi, 1991 painting.
Which athlete would you do next?
A musician I can see a painting of Young thug would be dope.
Till next time this is Wear Many Hats presented by Dahsar with your host Rashad. We out!
