The Slate

Liquid [Hip] is an alternative review site that covers cool, not popular. Sometimes it's new. Sometimes it's retro. Sometimes it's somewhere in between.

The Slate is an always in progress list of everyone and everything we've covered. For music and books, head over to the new Playlist and Bookshelf.

Cool Apps & Games

Innovative, educational, and fun apps for phones, tablets, desktops, and consoles.

8MM Vintage Camera (video), ArtRage (art), Autumn Dynasty (game), Call Of Duty: Zombies (game), Color Uncovered (edu), Crimson Steam Pirates (game), Dark Meadow (game), Dead Space (game), Gilt (shopping), Hot Pursuit (game), Instagram (photos), Madden 11 (game), Print [To] Art (photography), Red Steel 2 (Wii), Renier Knizia's Tigris and Euphrates (game), Renier Knizia's Samurai (game), Real Racing 3 (game), The Silent Age (game), Sky Gamblers (game), Sky Safari (edu), SkyView (edu), Space Invaders (retro game), Star Walk (edu), iTunes Festival (music), Super 8 App (video), The Walking Dead (app), Zap-Kapow! (comics).

Cool Artists

A handful of inspired fine artists and photographers in our time, all time.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Perra, Paul Gauguin, Jamie Livingston, Claude Monet, Guenter Scholz, Andy Warhol.

Cool Authors

We've cleaned up our collection of cool books and you can find them here.



Cool Designers

There are dozens of cool designers, who raise the bar for fashion and gadgets.

5 Preview (fashion), 83 990 (fashion), Affliction (fashion), Albion (retro swimwear), Alice & Trixie (fashion), Aksel Paris (fashion), Almost Famous (clothing), AnyForty (streetwear), Artist Hardware (Sensu brush), Belen Echandia (handbags), Belle Etoile (jewelry), Billabong (clothing), Bittar (jewelry), Callpod (FuelTank), Cath Kidston (fashion), Dr. Martens (boots), Eames (furniture), Ez Grill (gadget), Fossil (fashion, jewelry), Free People (fashion), Henry Road (vintage), Carolina Herrera (fashion), Discgear (storage), Dr. Andrew Weil (sandals), Electrohome (vintage jukebox), FlipBooKit (arts), The Frye Company (fashion, boots), Ian and Valeri Co. (jewelry), Impossible (photography), Incipio (iPhone covers), Invicta (watches), Juniper Books (book design), Kymera Wand (remote), Les Hommes (fashion), Links Of London (jewelry), Lunatik (Taktik case), Many Belles Down (fashion), Monah Li (fashion), Wendy Mink (jewelry), Menu (wine aerators), Miz Mooz (shoes), Nest (gadgets), Nova (lighting), Oasap (fashion), Paprika (fashion), Pearls Only (jewelry), PEZ (dispenser), Rails (apparel) Rapha (bikes), Ray-Ban (glasses), Rogan (fashion), Roxwell by Parra (fashion art), Scott Sasso (10.Deep fashion), Shabby Apple (fashion), Skeletal Metal (jewelry), SlingShot (gadget), SMS Audio (headphones), Sphero (gadgets), Anne Sportun (jewelry), SunVolt Solar (tech), Swank (glassware), Swiss Army (fashion, gadgets) Targus (tablet stylus), Tesslor (vacuum tube radios), Triumph (watches), USB Turntable (Sharper Image), Vintage Havana (fashion), Andrew Weil (sandals), We Are Owls (fashion), Wolfgang's Vault (retro Ts), X-Mini II (Xmi Pte Ltd).

Cool Film

Some of best shorts, films, movies, and the occasional series.

Almost Famous (movie), Attenberg (movie), Barney's Version (movie), Blade Runner (movie), Californication (series), Cracks (movie), Craiglist Joe (docu), The Girl Who Played With Fire (movie), Everything Or Nothing: 007 (docu), Firefly (series), The Giant Mechanical Man (movie), Gnarr (docu), Gonzo: The Life And Work Of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (docu), The Intouchables (movie), Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (biopic), Kick-Ass (movie), The Lady And The Reaper (short), Mesrine: Killer Instinct (movie), Monsters (movie), The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (movie), Rubicon (series), Ruby Sparks (movie), Safety Not Guaranteed (movie), Senna (biopic), Shooting Robert King (docu), The Shane MacGowen Story (docu), Sound Of My Voice (movie), Stonehenge: Tis A Magic Place (short), Supernatural (series), The Tall Man (movie), True Grit (movie), The Walking Dead (series), Waste Land (docu), We Need To Talk About Kevin (movie), !Women Art Revolution (docu).

Cool Music

We've cleaned up the best musicians and you can find them here.

Cool People

Some of the best non-profit projects and innovative ideas on the planet.

A Billion Acts Of Green, Acts Of Kindness, Patch Adams, American War Mothers, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Blessings In A Backpack, Bombay Teen Challenge, Brooklyn Castle, CitizenGulf, CharityBuzz, DonorsChoose, Terry Fox, The HMC Project, Hoops Of Hope, Kickstarter, Create Art Cambodia, Martin Luther King, Jr., Kara McGraw, Milk + Bookies, Operation Christmas Child, P'Tones Records, Rainforest Alliance, Rico Petrocelli, SMAC! Sock Monkeys, Songs For Slim, StandUp For Kids, Sunshine Kids, Surfers Healing, Waiting For Superman.

Cool Places

Some of best places to visit and stay in the best cities.

Alcatraz (San Francisco) Andaz West (Hollywood), Alexis Hotel (Seattle), Balboa Bay Club (San Diego), Beverly Hills Hotel (Beverly Hills, Calif.), The Bistro (St. Louis), The Breakers (Palm Beach), Capilano Suspension Bridge (Vancouver), Catalina Island (Avalon, Calif.), Casa del Mar (Santa Monica), Chicago Chop House (Chicago), The Georgian Hotel (Santa Monica), The Getty (Los Angeles), Gettysburg National Military Park (Gettysburg, Penn.), Hotel deLuxe (Portland), Hotel Oceana (Santa Barbara), Hotel Teatro (Denver), Hotel Le Soleil (Vancouver), The Library Hotel (New York), Hotel Lucia (Portland), The Mill Street Inn (Newport, Rhode Island), ME Cabo (Cabo San Lucas), The Oatman Hotel (Oatman, Ariz.), Hotel Solamar (San Diego), O.K. Corral (Tombstone, Ariz.), Omni New Haven Hotel At Yale (New Haven, Conn.), Omni Royal Orleans (New Orleans), Peddler's Daughter (Nashua, New Hampshire), Seattle Underground (Seattle), Rhyolite Ghost Town (Rhyolite, Nev.), The Varden Hotel (Long Beach, Calif.).


Cool Stores (United States)

Shops and stores that stock some of the cool things we find. They're on the radar.

6KS (fashion), Affliction Clothing (fashion), Afterglow Cosmetics (cosmetics), Aha Life (gadgets), At Alibris! (books), Amazon Books (department), AS Roma Retro (Fashion), bebe.com (fashion), Staff Picks at BN.com (music, books, movies), BeyondtheRack (fashion), BuySKU (gadgets), Cath Kidston Accessories (fashion), Cascio Guitars (instruments), ChicNova (fashion), The Chimp Store (fashion), Concord Supplies (supplies), Corkcicle (gadgets), CountryOutfitter (fashion), Creative Contrast (fashion and jewelry), DesignByHumans (fashion), DesignsByStephene (fashion), DL1961 Premium Denim (fashion), DNA Footwear (fashion), Expedia (travel), FareBuzz (travel), JAM Paper (design), Jones Boots (footwear), JOIE Fashion (fashion), GameAgent (Mac games), Gaiam Fair Trade (fashion and fitness), Gaping Void (art), GIANTmicrobes (just cool), GlassesSpot (fashion), HerRoom (fashion), iFurn (furniture), Infinity Shoes (fashion), iTunes (music, books, movies), Jacob Bromwell (living), The Jewel Hut (jewelry), Juice Beauty (Cosmetics), The Knot Standard (fashion), Lashem (cosmetics), Love + Pride (jewelry), Luxury Barber (fashion), Manhattanite (fashion), Manfrotto (cameras), Men In Cities (fashion), Mental Floss (just cool), MeUndies (fashion), MiniInTheBox (gadgets), Mr. Watch (fashion), Modnique (fashion), The Nerds (gadgets), Notonthehighstreet.com (fashion), Oasap Clothing Store (fashion), Organize (home design), Origin Store (games), Paul Fredrick (fashion), Paris City Vision (travel), The Perfect Rug (arts), Photoweavers (photos), Pick Egg (gadgets), PlanetShoes (fashion), Pompeii3 jewelry (jewelry), Rakuten (department), Ray-Ban - Official (fashion), REEDS Jewelers (jewelry), ShabbyApple (fashion), SharperImage (gadgets), ShareTrips (travel), ShopTronics (gadgets), SkyMall (gadgets), Smyth Jewelers (jewelry), Smithsonian Museum (collectables), Sonos (sound systems), Spartan Race (events), Spiritual Cinema (speciality), Swimwearforme (fashion), Swiss Outpost (gadgets), Tactics (fashion), Tessabit US (fashion), Untuckit (fashion), Vault (fashion), Walmart (dept), Wolfgang's Vault (vintage), Wondershare (gadgets).

Cool Stores (United Kingdom & Elsewhere)

Anna Scholz (fashion), House of Holland (fashion), Peruvian Connection (fashion), EA Games Canada (cpu games), So Jeans (fashion), Voi Jeans (fashion), Proskins (sportswear), Question Air (fashion), RouteOne (fashion), ShopRUSH (cosmetics), Tessabit UK (fashion), UNIQLO (fashion), Urban Industry (fashion). 

Kickstarter Cool

Kickstarter and startup projects that have been backed by our reviewers.

Astronaut (game), Beck Lane (artist), CASH Music (music platform), Celebrating Legacy (network), Creatures (game), Cross Urban (photos), The Dangerous Summer (documentary), D-DayDice (game), DonorsChoose (education), Dordles (art), Ez-Steady Steady Cam, Harold Feinstein Retrospective (photos), Hard Art (book), Makeshift Magazine (publishing), Midnight Empire (music), Simon Joyner (music), Opiate Gallery (art), The Outhouse (documentary), The Property (film), The Spring Standards (music), Rains (music), Rebecca Schiffman Jewelry (fashion), Sensu Brush (gadget), Ray Sumser Art (art), Slingshot (gadget), LunaTik (gadget),  Wasteland 2 (game).