“To put it bluntly, if people don’t shop, people lose their jobs.” So said bridal gown goddess Vera Wang about the recession’s effect on New York’s fashion industry (the city’s second largest sector after finance). So take her words as a call to duty and check out Fashion’s Night Out this Thursday, September 10 aka New York Fashion Week Eve. There’ll be barbecues, live music, makeovers, champagne and – oh yeah – shopping.

GURU Energy Drink is doing its part to keep the night buzzing, pairing up for a party with ALDO at the shoe giant’s new store on 34th & 5th. DJ Skeet Skeet will be spinning from 6-11 pm, MTV newsie and former America’s Next Top Model contestant Kim Stoltz will host a walk-off contest with a $500 ALDO gift certificate prize, and there’ll be enough GURU flowing to keep you going all week.

Not in New York? There’ll be festivities and raging parties in other fashion capitols across the world, including Milan and London. And don’t forget, you’re not just shopping – you’re saving the economy.

You can find more info about the event here and check out the GURU blog for updates and pics.

GURU Energy Drink staff members have no trouble getting energized (duh) but ever wonder what music makes our offices buzz from New York to Montreal? It comes care of Justin, our in-house art director, with help from the modern mixtape.

Unless you’re painfully retro or the main character in High Fidelity, it’s probably been a while since you’ve made an actual mixtape. Or even a mix CD. Now it’s all about hearing a song in a commercial and downloading it or picking up new tunes from your favourite podcast.

And yet… there’s still something special about getting a carefully crafted sampling of old favourites mixed with new finds, each song specially selected to be played in a certain order or to match an overarching (and often nerdy) theme. But online equivalents will have to do, including Playlist, a site that allows users to upload songs and share them with friends. Nowhere to scribble between track listings, though.

Check out this week’s work vibe – dubbed “DiscoConditioned Stell’R Rock Mix” – here. It’s an upbeat blend of everyone from M.I.A. to Metric to Iggy Pop plus some high-energy remixes of artists like U2 and Kings of Leon. The perfect pick-me-up for the post-lunch work slump. Well, the second most perfect pick-me-up…

All good things must come to an end. No, world famous DJ Misstress Barbara isn’t going anywhere – in fact, she’s fresh from major promo for her latest album, I’m No Human– but she is playing Piknic Électronik’s labour day weekend bash, possibly the last chance of the year for Montreal party folk to dance outside sans jackets. There’ll be three days of outdoorsy fun (you can check out the full DJ line-up here), but something tells us Sunday will be the one that counts, with Misstress Barbara holding court from 5 p.m. onwards. GURU Energy Drink caught up with Montreal’s own Misstress to find out how she spent her summer vacation.

You’ve been pretty busy promoting I’m No Human – how much personal vacation time have you really gotten?
I got two days in Marseille just two weeks ago. It was short but amazing!

If you had to write an essay on How I Spent My Summer Vacation, what would be the highlights?
Tennis, bike, motorcycle, ceviche, wine, rocky beaches of the Mediterranean.

You’re playing at Piknic during labour day weekend – pretty much the end of Montreal’s summer festival season. Is that bittersweet?
No, it’s an annual rendez-vous for me. I always picked that date and I’ve been doing it for five years now, and it’s just incredible. It’s my favorite gig in the year! It doesn’t matter for me that it means the end of the summer, as I travel so much that for me seasons don’t mean anything really.

Who’s been your summer music guru (i.e. on repeat on your summer playlist)? Any music gurus of all time?
Blind Pilot, Adele, Metric. And the all-time gurus are Charles Aznavour, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone…

We hear you’re a big fan of GURU Energy Drink, if you had to plug us shamelessly, what would that sound like?

GURU: spirit, conscience, knowledge. Make it yours.***

***If you end up using this advertisement sentence I want royalties.  : )

It seems everyone’s getting into the green groove these days. But GURU Energy Drink can’t be accused of jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon: we’ve been pushing “CLEAN ENERGY” for 10 years this summer, and (still) one of the few to gain organic certification. Now going green isn’t just in – it’s hot. But we can’t take all the credit…

1. Put that poncho away – organic’s about more than hemp and tofu. Now you can be both eco-savvy and sinful with organic booze, green lingerie, even Earth-friendly sex toys.

2. You’ll be in good company. We don’t like to name drop, but *cough* supermodel Elle Macpherson, celeb chef Jamie Oliver, Entourage actress Emmanuelle Chriqui and First Lady Michelle Obama *cough*. What do they have in common? They all proudly support organic food and products. Being green seems to be the only cause célèbre without an expiry date.

3. Beauty doesn’t have to only be skin deep. Eating organic is good for your body and mind, making you a more attractive inside and out.

4. Organic produce is higher in antioxidants than the regular stuff, meaning you get the full effects of GURU ingredients like ginkgo biloba, know for its ability to amp up your sexual stamina, and ginseng, which has been proven to enhance libido… at least in lab rats. You’ll have to conduct your own tests and let us know.

5. Not only do organic ingredients taste better, the food and drink you consume affects … ahem… the taste of your body. Don’t make us spell it out for you. It’s a good thing.

We already know Kanye West has good taste. He is, after all, both a fan of and shareholder in Guru Energy Drink. Smart man. So we’re paying close attention to everything he’s awarding a stamp of approval, including artist/producer duo Christian Rich. The twin brothers, who hail from Chicago, IL and were raised partly in Nigeria, have risen to fame thanks to endorsements and collaborations with artists like Lil’ Kim and Armand Van Helden (check out “Ski Hard” below).

But who did Christian Rich choose as their music guru when interviewed by Guru Energy Blog? Michael Jackson, of course. “He showed us that musically there are no boundaries,” says the duo, who count Louis Vuitton among their style gurus and named their parents as their love gurus, “The sacrifice and love they give and have given is beautiful and keeps us motivated.” Aww.

Most importantly – at least for all you New Yorkers – they’re having a penthouse party tonight at the Rivington Hotel, where they’ll be performing along with Colin Munroe and guest DJs Mick Boogie and Melo-X. Check out the Christian Rich website for more info.

Is it wrong to have an ice pop for breakfast? Because I’ve been thinking about it all summer, and one particularly hot and humid morning I caved. I ditched my a.m. staples – the hot coffee and muffin combo and the GURU-enhanced but not-so-portable smoothie – and grabbed one of these easy peasy homemade GURUcicles.

Now make your own in four ridiculously easy steps. So ridiculously easy we pretty much posted these photos just to tempt you! (And in case the heat has baked your brain to the point where you’ve forgotten what ice is, let alone how to make it.)

1. Find an ice pop mold (try the Dollar Store).

2. Fill with your fave GURU flavor (we used Juicy Superfruit). freeze overnight or cave in and make half-frozen slushies ; )

3.  Feel refreshed (and not at all embarrassed) as you walk to work with a frozen can of GURU on a stick.