I kicked off last month’s Monthly Selections with Stormzy’s ‘Big For Your Boots’, and with the release of his debut album Gang Signs & Prayer, there’s just no stopping him. His latest Gospel inspired track ‘Blinded By Your Grace, Pt. 2 (Ft MNEK)’, serves up a truly reflective and vulnerable side to Stormzy; one that we don’t get to hear too often from him or any Grime artist. The aforementioned track in particular is about God. Speaking with The Guardian Stormzy commented:
“One of the things that I’m most impressed by, in God, is the grace that he has. No matter what we do, there’s always this, “OK, it’s fine. I understand.” That’s not to say I can go out and do something bad… But just that knowing that someone’s got you through out anything, and they’re not going to judge you, they’re just going to understand your situation. That grace.”
‘Blinded by Your Grace‘ was inspired by his early childhood days at Sunday Church. Stormzy wanted to bring BBYG to new heights and he felt MNEK was the man to do it. Speaking with The Fader, Stormzy said:
“I’ve always clocked with MNEK, he’s got such a voice. I was like, I know he can go to church with it. He came round to the studio, and it was like watching a magician work. He was able to record his riffs and his [backing vocals] and his harmonies all at once without hearing them back. He took the tune exactly where I wanted it to go.”
Produced by Fraser T Smith (Adele, Sam Smith, Katy B, Kano), the Grammy-award winning producer spent 10 months working on the album with Stormzy. Gang Signs & Prayer is available now via Merky Records. Upcoming dates for Stormzy include Coachella and three dates at )2 Academy, Brixton (May 2-4)
Grime MC, Kano, unveiled his new single ‘3 Wheel-ups’, featuring Grime heavyweights, Wiley and Giggs. The single premiered as MistaJam’s ‘Inbox Fresh’ and serves as the follow up to 2015’s ‘Hail’, ‘New Banger’ and ‘Garage Skank‘.
Taken from his forthcoming fifth studio album ‘Made In The Manor’ – an album almost 6 years in the making – 3 Wheel-ups delivers such drive and raw energy, with its dynamic wordplay, slick flows and commanding vibes. Not forgetting the fierce production and infectious beats from Swifta Beater throughout. There’s such an overwhelming sense of credibility throughout the record, with all three MC’s raising their game and honing their craft. Having started out as an original member of N.A.S.T.Y crew back in 2000, Kano’s career catapulted and 6 studio albums later, he’s still representing the fearless direction and determination of the UK Grime Scene.
Made In The Manor is set for release March 4th via Parlophone, and features production from an incredible list of producers such as Mele, Rustie and Swifta Beater to name but a few, as well as some guest collaborations from JME and even Damon Albarn. Pre-order your copy here.
Upcoming tour dates for Kano include Concorde 2 in Brighton (March 16), London’s Troxy (March 19) and Birmingham’s O2 Institute (March 24) Full tour dates here.
It’s that time of year again when I count down my favourites tracks of 2015. With so many incredible artists from Eric Prydz to Disclosure, Skepta to JME, Frances to Jack Garratt and Duke Dumont to Méle, it’s safe to say the future of music is in good hands. Check out my Top 100 tracks below, which I’ve combined into a handy Spotify Playlist.
Here’s to a bright 2016 and another exciting year in music!
While Chase and Status are gearing up for their fourth studio album, they’ve released a 4-track EP titled ‘London Bars’. Having previously worked with the cream of UK talent from Dizzee Rascal, Tempa T and Plan B, the producer duo enlisted the skills of MC’s Frisco, Giggs, Bonkaz and Novelist for their latest project.
BBK’s Frisco kicked off the EP with ‘Funny’, showcasing his slick flows over some hard-hitting grime beats, while Volume II featured Giggs go in on ‘More Ratatatin’; an absolute banger which sees Giggs take complete control over the infectious beats. Volume III featured South London rapper Bonkaz with ‘Wha Gwarn’, while Novelist closed Volume IV with ‘Bigger Man Sound‘, which premiered as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record. Speaking with Annie Mac, Will commented commented:
“The four artists we worked for this series, were just amazing – complete pleasure. To be working with the hottest new MC’s and established MC’s is exciting for us.”
Known for their unique ‘UK sound’, rooted in various genres from Dub to Reggae and Garage to Grime, The London Bars EP represents the freshest Grime talent on the scene today. Currently working on their fourth album due early next quarter, expect plenty of live shows next summer.
London Bars is available now via MTA Records. Stream on Spotify here.
As we edge closer to the end of the year, October provided us with 31 days of great new music and plenty of entertainment. I feel I have to kick off monthly favourites with Adele, seeing as she sent the whole world into meltdown with her new single Hello; the first new material since 2102’s Skyfall. The single is currently on course to becoming the fastest-selling single of 2015 in the UK, after only three days on sale. The video of course sparked multiple memes and videos such as Lionel vs Adele, Attenborough narrates video, Ellen DeGeneres’ funny skit – the list goes on. The video received an average of 1 million views per hour in the first 48 hours on Youtube and hit the 100 million mark within 5 days, only beaten by Psy’s ‘Gentleman’, who still holds the record with 100m views in four days. Elsewhere for Adele, the singer is set to perform a TV special ‘Adele At The BBC’ with host Graham Norton (Nov 20), followed by a special performance at Radio City Music Hall in New York (Dec 14). So while it felt like October belonged solely to Adele, there were in fact other great new releases and highly anticipated returns such as Miike Snow’s Heart Is Full, his first single in 3 years, Adele’s Hello (more on that later) and Loyle Carner’s standout track Ain’t Nothing Changed. Before we look at my top songs for October – and believe me there’s quite a few this month, let’s have a look at what’s been happening in terms of albums, tours, awards and everything else in between.
In album news, Adele finally confirmed her third album 25, while Rihanna teased fans with her new album art ‘Anti’, but no news on a release date yet.After the success of their recent Live Lounge month, Radio 1 unveiled their 2015 double disc Live Lounge album, featuring artists such as Muse, Sam Smith and Florence + The Machine. Elton John announced details of his 33rd studio album ‘Wonderful Crazy Night’ set for release in February, while The Corrs announced details for their forthcoming album White Light, (Nov 27) before they embark on a headline tour of the UK and Ireland. In the charts this month, Brotherly duo Disclosure claimed their second number one album with Caracal, fighting off strong competition from New Order’s Music Complete. Rudimental also scored their second UK no1 album with We The Generation, while Faithless achieved their third UK number one album with Faithless 2.0, featuring remixes of their biggest hits by the likes of Avicii and Eric Prydz. KDA ft Katy B and Tinie Tempah beat off strong competition from 1D to score a number one with the infectious ‘Rumble’, while Sam Smith’s Writing’s on the Wall was the first Bond theme to ever reach no 1 in the charts.Oh and don’t forget to check out Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling‘, which includes some seriously questionable dad-dancing! Queue the funny memes. So while Adele’s Hello video may have broken every record imaginable, include dethroning Swift’s Bad Blood record for most viewed video in 24 hours, there are still a few video records that have yet to be broken. Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s ‘See You Again‘ reached a record breaking 1 billion views on YouTube, which now places them 10th in most viewed videos of all time. Any guesses who’s top? “Op, Op, Op, Op, Oppa Gangnam Style. Yes, Psy still remains on top with 2.4 billions views since July 2012.
The highly anticipated Mercury Prize Nominations were unveiled by Lauren Laverne, with Aphex Twin, Florence + the Machine and Wolf Alice among the nominees. Check out the full list hereand listen to the playlist of nominated artists here. The Awards show will take place in the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House (Nov 20) , and screened on BBC 4 later that evening. Continuing with awards, Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’ has been awarded song of the year at the BMI Awards in London, ahead of Hozier and Ed Sheeran. But fear not, Ed will still sleep soundly as his song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ has made him the first artist to reach 500 million streams on Spotify for one song. The AMA nominations were also unveiled with Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and The Weekend leading the pack. Tune in on Nov 22 with host J-Lo. The Grammy’s are set to pay tribute to Frank Sinatra to honour what would have been his 100th birthday, with performances from Alicia Keys, John Legend, Usher, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Adam Levine, and Carrie Underwood. Sinatra 100 – An All-Star Grammy Concert will air on CBS Dec 6th. Biber won big at this year’s EMA Awards, taking home 5 awards, while Swifty won Best song for Bad Blood. Dj Mag’s annual Top 100 DJ’s poll has been announced, with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike topping the poll for the first time. The duo dethroned Hardwell who placed 2nd this year, followed by Martin Garrix, Armin Van Buuren and Tiesto completing the top 5. However, they all better watch out, as 3 year old DJ Arch Jr showcased his skills on South Africa’s Got Talent. Check out the little superstar DJ here.
With 2016 just around the corner, what better way than to kick off new year with a tour. Everything Everything are set to support Foals on their 2016 tour, while Rudimental kicked off their We The Generation Tour in Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange and are set play their biggest headline show to date at London’s O2 Arena (March 3). Years & Years embark upon their first ever arena tour. Check out the full dates here. Noel Gallagher‘s tour kicks of in April with support from Super Furry Animals, while long time rivals Blur, are set to release their new documentary New World Towers, documenting the story behind their first album in 16 years. Welsh favourite, Sir Tom Jones, announced details of his forthcoming tour ‘In Conversation with Sir Tom Jones’. The 4-date intimate tour will see Jones delve into his successful career with BBC6 Music presenter Matt Everitt, while they discuss his forthcoming autobiography Over the Top and sing classics both old and new. Mercury prize nominees Wolf Alice are hitting the road again in 2016 for a UK tour. The London band will call at cities including Belfast, Manchester, Cardiff and London in March. Were you one of the lucky one’s to get their hands on a Glastonbury ticket? With 120,000 tickets selling out in 28 minutes, Glastonbury continues to dominate Festival sales. Now for the big question – Who do you think will headline? In other festival news, what do you get when you combine The Prodigy, Groove Armada, Jungle and Snow sports? Snowbombing 2016! Yes the snow sports and music festival returns in 2016 (April 4-9) for it’s 12th year in Mayrhofen Ski Resort, Austria. Other acts announced so far include Andy C, Oliver Heldens, Netsky, Wilkinson (DJ set), Hannah Wants, Bondax, Hot Since 82, T Williams, Ben Pearce and Bicep. And Just when you think Miley Cyrus has done it all, she’s only gone and announced details of her forthcoming naked gig with the Flaming Lips. Yes, NAKED! Not only the artists, but the audience too.
How about a bit of a walk down memory lane? Oasis’s era-defining album (What’s The Story Morning Glory) turned 20 in October. Relieve the album on Spotify. Continuing with this 90’s flashback, a Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys joint tour may be on the cards, while U2 and Take that kicked off the return of TFI Friday with Chris Evans. The 10 part series continues on Channel 4 at 8pm, after it’s successful comeback special earlier in the year.
In technology news, Siri seems to be rebelling against non apple music subscribers. When asked a question such as, ‘what’s the most popular song in the charts today?’, Siri responds with “I can’t look that up for you. You don’t seem to be subscribed to Apple Music!” Sassy! Spotify on the other hand are set to challenge Beats 1 with a selection of ‘In Residence’ shows from the likes of Big Narstie, Tonga, MixMag and Jungle. Beats Pill+ unveiled their latest bluetooth speakers since being taken over by Apple. The speakers are set to retail at £189. HP on the other hand, are rivalling Apple Music and Spotify with its own streaming service called HP Lounge. The service will be free for HP device users and offers unlimited streaming, curated playlists, bonus footage, recommendations and the ability to purchase concert tickets. Only snag is, their library only contains acts signed to Universal. Bose unveiled their new SoundTouch 10 multiroom speaker (£165.95) with Bluetooth, Wireless and integration with Spotify.
Last but not least, face-palm moment of the month has to go to Chris Evans, after his mistook Adele for Beyonce during an interview. Referring to her as Sasha Fierce, to which Adele replied “That’s Beyoncé! Sasha Fierce is Beyoncé’s alter ego, and she’s now Mrs Carter. I wish I was Sasha Fierce.” At least she took it well. Listen to the cringe worth moment here!
Ok, on with the music, check out my favourite tracks below!
1) MØ – Kamikaze
While MO and Major lazer had arguably one of the biggest songs of the summer with ‘Lean On’, Danish singer MO has once again teamed up with Diplo for her latest single ‘Kamikaze’. This will be MO’s third collaboration with Diplo, having previously collaborated with the producer on her 2013single XXX 88 Kamikaze premiered with Annie Mac as her Hottest Record and serves up a laidback pop gem, with its middle-eastern sounding strings and brass. There’s a playful groove to Kamikaze, with MO’s flitting vocals bouncing effortlessly throughout. Upcoming dates for MO include XOYO in London (Nov 25)
2) Bloc Party – The Love Within
Bloc Party (Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack and new members Louise Bartle on drums and Justin Harris on bass), unveiled their new single The Love Within. Presenting a more synth driven vibe with it’s pulsing synths and electronic flourishes, their new musical direction seems to have divided fans. Nevertheless, Bloc Party know to to blend soul and groove with their infectious melodies and feel good rhythms. The Love Within is taken from the band’s forthcoming LP, HYMNS, due January 29th via Infectious Music/BMG/Vagrant Records. Upcoming UK dates include Albert Hall in Manchester (Dec 3) and St John’s in Hackney, London (Dec 4). Further dates across EU, Asia and Australia can be found here.
3) Eric Prydz – Opus (Four Tet remix)
Get ready for 10 minutes of pure perfection. While Prydz created an absolute masterpiece with his latest single Opus, taken from his Pryda 10 series, London based producer Four Tet has taken it to the next level with a stunning new remix. Back in July, Four Tet sent out a tweet hoping to take on remix duties for the Swedish DJ, and luckily for Four Tet, Prydz was only too happy to oblige. Fourtet delivers on all fronts, elevating the single to all new heights, while paying homage to the classic original and Prydz’s signature arpeggios. Upcoming dates for Four Tet include Alexandra Palace in London (Nov 27th), while Prydz is gearing up for his EPIC 4.0 tour.
4) Mura Masa – Love For That Ft Shura
19-year-old producer Mura Masa, unveiled his latest single Love For That, which premiered as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record. Joining him on this unique and exciting collaboration is singer/producer Shura (2Shy, White Light) Shura’s etherial vocals glide effortless above Mura’s crisp, eclectic production of bells and strings to flutes and distorted vocals. Shura’s vocals are hypnotising, while Mura Masa’s beats are irresistible. Love for that serves as the follow up to Mura Masa’s Someday, Somewhere EP. Upcoming dates include his Spring EU tour in 2016, and you can catch Shura at Sheffield City Centre (Feb 27) and O2 Shepherds Bush (May 26)
5) Skepta – Top Boy
Joseph Adenuga, aka Skepta, is back with his new single ‘Top Boy’. The banger serves as the follow up to the massive ‘Shutdown’, which is still making waves today. The accompanying video serves as a trailer for this forthcoming Noisey Documentary, highlighting Skepta & BBK on their US and Canadian leg of their tour. Top Boy showcases Skepta’s slick flow over some infectious beats and glitchy electronic production. Skepta is currently working on his long awaited album Konnichiwa, which was originally scheduled for a March 2015 release. Until then, you can catch Skepta and JME on their joint headline show in London’s Brixton Academyu (Dec 18)
6) Jonas Rathsman – New Generation/Conium
Swedish Producer Jonas Rathsman, unveiled his latest single New Generation/Conium. Having previously been named as Pete Tong’s ‘Future Star’, previous releases for the producer include singles via French Express, DFTD and more recently, Wolfsbane via Disclosures’ Method Label White label. New Generation/Conium serves up a weighty, driving bass line, murky synths and some eclectic percussion to deliver a truly sculptured soundscape. New Generation is taken from Rathsman’s latest EP, which is set for release via Kompakt Records this month (Nov 6). Upcoming dates for Rathsman include NY eve in Electric Brixton and Bugged Out Weekender (Jan 15-17).
7) Mumbai Science – Black Hole
Mumbai Science, aka Belgian producer duo Jonas Kiesekoms and Maarten Elen, featured in my April’s selections with their infectious single King Of The Top Floor. Now the producer duo are back with their latest infectious offering – Black Hole. Taken from their Black Hole EP, the single serves up some deep baselines, playful vocal loops, quirky production and some infectious beats. The Black Hole EP features a remix from Floorplan (aka Robert Hood, Underground Resistance) and is set for release Nov 6. Upcoming dates for Mumbai Science include Electroblog Festival (Dec 5) in Italy
8) Jacob Plant – Reflections ft Example
Jacob Plant previously featured in my April selections with his bass heavy single Louder This time around, Plant has teamed up with Example for his latest stomper of a track, Reflections. Plant first captured our attention with the hard hitting Fire and Shakedown, along with his high profile remixes. His latest single Reflections packs a punch with it’s powerful electro vibes and signature bass heavy drops. The addition of Examples vocals delivers an infectious melodic hook. Reflections is available via Skint Records (Nov 27) and you can catch Plant at Brixton Academy with Dyro and Shift K3Y (Oct 31)
) Jack Garratt – Breathe Life
Ahh the soothing vocals of Jack Garratt. The 24-year-old singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist unveiled his new single Breathe Life. The single serves as the follow up to The Love You’re Given and Weathered, and once again delivers a breath of fresh air with his vibrant vocals, multi-layered instrumentation, fuzzy synths and a sweeping chorus. 2016 is going to be a big year for Garratt. Upcoming tour dates include headline show at Brixton Academy (April 15). Expect his debut album Phase to be released February 19 via Island Records.
10) Tiesto and Oliver Heldens – Wombass
What do you get when you cross dance heavyweight Tiesto with the infectious melodies from Oliver Heldens? Wombass!! Yes, the two producers have joined forces for their latest collaboration. While Helden’s trademarks are clearly evident throughout, from his infectious hooks and signature breakbeats, Tiesto’s influences are harder to pinpoint. Maybe he come up with the title 😉 Regardless, the infectious track is one you’re bound to hear across the clubs over the coming months. Upcoming dates for the duo include Delhi, India (Dec 19).
11) NAO – Bad Blood
London based Neo-soul singer NAO, premiered her new single ‘Bad Blood’ with Annie Mac as her Hottest Record. Produced by Grades, the single serves as the follow up her second EP February 15 (II MMXV) released earlier this year, and Disclosure’s Superego, which she featured as vocalist. With vocals similar in style to Aluna from AlunaGeorge, NAO’s range is so diverse and she weaves in and out of sensual R&B textures and elongated synths. Bad Blood is taken from NAO’s forthcoming debut album, due later in 2016. Bad Blood is available now via Little Tokyo Recordings. In the meantime, you can cath NAO at London’s Heaven (Dec 3), The Warehouse Project (Dec 18) as well as multiple dates in 2016
12) Kevin Garrett – Refuse
Brooklyn-based Kevin Garrett unveiled his latest RB flavoured single, Refuse. The Roc nation signee serves up raw emotion at its finest, as his soulful, falsetto-style vocals glide effortlessly over the delicate piano driven ballad and electronic flourishes. Refuse serves as the follow up to his debut EP Mellow Drama, which included tracks such as ‘Coloring’ and ‘Control’. Expect a debut album later next year. Currently on tour with X Ambassadors, check out his 2016 US dates here
13) Bonkaz – You Don’t Know
London based MC Bonkaz unveiled his new single You Don’t Know, which serves as the follow up to his debut single ‘We Run The Block’. Produced by The Splurgeboys and Sonny Reeves, You Don’t Know samples Dizzee Rascals 2009 hit ‘Bonkers’. Having recently been nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards, the grime single perfectly captures his raw flow, mixed with gritty, bass-heavy production. You Don’t Know is available now.
14) Zhu x Skrillex x They – Working For It
ZHU featured in my September Selections with Automatic ft AlunaGeorge. Now, Producer Stephen Zhu has unveiled his latest single ‘Working For It’, featuring Skrillex and R&B duo THEY. Premiering as Zane Lowe’s World Record on Beats 1, Working For It delivers an industrial sounding vibe, with silky vocals, Skrillex’s trademark production and THEY’s hard-hardhitting R&B influences. Taken from Zhu’s forthcoming Genesis Series Project, due November 6th via Mind Of A Genius, the EP features collaborations from the likes of Gallant, AlunaGeorge and Bone Thugs & Harmony and A-Trak.
15) HÆLOS – Pray
London trio HÆLOS (Arthur Delaney, Dom Goldsmith, and Lotti Benardout), unveiled their new single Pray. The single concludes the trio of releases and accompanying videos directed by Jesse Jenkins for previous singles ‘Earth Not Above’ and ‘Dust’. HÆLOS delivers a bittersweet, euphoric single, filled with rousing echoed vocals and moody beats throughout. Pray is set for release on December 4 via Matador Records. Upcoming dates for HÆLOS include The Lexington, London (January 11) and Manchester’s Night & Day Cafe (March 5)
16) Boston Bun – Paris Groove feat. Mayer Hawthorne
French producer Thibaud Noyer, AKA Boston Bun, unveiled his ridiculously infectious new single Paris Groove ft Mayer Hawthorne. which premiered with Annie Mac as her Hottest Record. While the funky single pays homage to Paris, the single has a distinctly retro feel to it with plenty of throwback to classic Chicago house, mixed with Hawthornes soulful lyrics and upbeat house vibes. Paris Groove follows Boston Bun’s three-part EP series titled Just for Freaks. Upcoming UK dates for Boston Bun include XOYO (Dec 19). Paris Groove is available now via Ed Banger Records.
17) Tiga – Don’t Break My Heart
With the success of his previous two singles ‘Bugatti’ and ‘Let’s Go Dancing’, Canadian producer Tiga unveiled his latest single ‘Don’t Break My Heart’. Tiga’s latest offering serves up some acid house, mixed with growling, murky baselines and his signature repetitive vocal hooks. While it’s been 7 years since Tiga’s last album, expect his third studio album early 2016. In the meantime catch him at London’s Koko (Nov 21) and New Year’s eve at the Hollywood Palladium, CA.
18) Fono – Everybody Knows ft Anna Straker
With the release of his debut single ‘Real Joy’ making quite the impact and propelling FONO into the spotlight, the Brighton producer unveiled his new single Everybody Knows. Fono’s talents lie in his ability to create music that’s both creative, engaging and unique and Everybody Knows is no exception. While taking a more subtle approach to his debut release, Everybody Knows delivers soulful future house, with infectious vocals from rising London singer Anna Straker. Upcoming dates for FONO include Button Factory in Dublin (Nov 6) and EDC Mexico (Feb 27-28) Everybody knows is available now via Youthemic
19) Redlight – Metronome ft Roses Gabor
Bristol producer Redlight is a regular entry to my Monthly Selections. The Bristol producer unveiled another new single ahead of his debut album X Colour (Nov 19) and features the captivating vocals of Roses Gabor. Metronome serves as the follow up to Threshold and Gold Teeth and delivers a bass heavy house track with hypnotic vocals from Gabor. X Colour is availble Nov 19th via Lobster Boy Records. In the meantime, be sure to catch Redlight at Warehouse Project (Nov 26) as well as Annie Mac Presents (Dec 4-5) at Brixton Academy.
20) Goldlink – Spectrum
DC rapper GoldLink unveiled his new single Spectrum, taken from his forthcoming debut album ‘And After That We Didn’t Talk. The Black Butter signee displays his rapid rap skills, amidst the trippy dance-beats and infectious vocal hooks. Goldlink delivers with such percussion and flow making him one exciting rapper for 2016. Check out Goldlink at one of his many upcoming US dates. And After That, We Didn’t Talk is available Nov 6.
21) Cameron AG – Lost Direction
Time for the sweet, retro style vocals of Oxford based singer/songwriter Cameron A G. Cameron’s new single Lost Direction is a beautiful ballad filled with stirring strings and delicate piano accompaniment, while Cameron’s vocals are heartfelt and melodic, bringing artists like Lennon to mind with the slap-back echo style vocals. Cameron manages to conjure up memories of times past with his unique sounding vocals. Upcoming dates for Cameron A G include Huw Stephen Presents at The Social (Nov 10), Mutations Festival (Nov 28) and Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) on Feb 4.
22) Friend Within – Run
Liverpool house producer ‘Friend Within’ is back with his latest single ‘The Run’. With a string of impressive tracks in his back catalogue including The Renegade, his infectious remix of Gotsome’s Bassline, and collaboration with Disclosure on The Mechanism, his latest single Run once again delivers with its punchy bass lines, rousing vocal samples and classic house vibes. The Run is taken from his forthcoming Run EP which is set for release Nov 20 via his own label He Loves You. Upcoming dates for Friend Within include The Button Factory, DUblin (Dec 30 and Jan 30) and Stealth, Nottingham on New Year’s eve.
23) Formation – All The Rest Is Noise
South London duo Formation, made up of Matt and Will Ritson, unveiled their latest single All The Rest Is Noise. The single premiered with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 and is taken from their forthcoming 4-track EP Under The Tracks. Produced by Brighton producer Leon Vynehall, All The Rest Is Noise serves up a quirky slice of futuristic funk and dance-pop. With it’s infectious pop hooks, rousing vocals and bouncy melodic keys, Formation know how to delivery groove-pop at it’s finest. All The Rest Is Noise is available Nov 20 via Meno Records. Fresh from supporting Foals in Europe, upcoming dates for the group include Iceland Airwaves Festival (Nov 5) Dublin’s Metropolis Festival (Nov 7&8) and Lost Village Festival (May 27-30)
24) The 1975 – Love Me
The 1975 premiered their new single Love Me with Annie Mac as her Hottest Record. The retro sounding single is taken from their forthcoming second album ‘I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It’ and serves up a more pop-infused sound, and a standout guitar riff that just oozes funk, bringing David Bowies ‘Fame’ guitar hook to mind. I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It is set or release Feb 26 via Dirty Hit. Upcoming London dates include O2 Academy Brixton (March 5-9) Full Tour dates can be found here
25) iSHi – We Run ft French Montana & Raekwon
Swedish Producer Eshraque Mughal, aka iSHi, the creative mind behind Tinie Tempah’s Written in The Stars and Emeli Sandé & Professor Green’s smash hit Read All About It, is back with his latest single We Run. This time, the producer has teamed up with hip hop legend Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan) and US rapper French Montana to serve up a hard-hitting hip-hop record, with some slick production to match. The high pitched vocal sample used throughout works well against the raw NYC vibes. Having previously worked with artists such as Pusha T, Usher and Avicii, We Run is available via PRMD Music.
26) Dua Lipa – Be The One
19-year-old rising singer Dua Lipa, unveiled her new single ‘Be The One‘. Co-written with Pawws, Be The One serves up a fresh slice of effortless pop, with plenty of colour and life. Dua’s vocals are captivating and soar throughout. Upcoming dates for the London singer include dates in Bristol, Brighton, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and London as part of her UK tour, kicking off Jan 16th. Be The One is available now .
27) Drake – Hotline Bling (Erykah Badu Remix)
After Disclosure and Sam Smith performed an exceptional cover of Drake’s Hotline Bling on Radio 1’s Live Lounge, Erykah Badu has stepped up and delivered her incredible remix. The seven and a half minute track, starts off with a spoken interlude, with Badhu’s version highlighting the woman’s perspective of the call. Badhu effortlessly moves between the original, while adding her own sense of new-soul to the mix. The cover was co-written by Seven Benhamin, Badhu’s son, and is available on her forthcoming mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone and renamed as ‘Cell U Lar Device’. Check out the sweet sounds below.
Check out the full playlist below with over 90 minutes for your listening pleasure!
September heralds the end of summer, whether you’re going back to school or getting back into a routine at work after a summer filled with holidays, festivals and general merriment. While you reminisce of sunnier days gone by, fear not, there’s plenty of great new music to get you through these Autumn blues, such as Disclosure’s ‘Jaded‘ and KDA’s infectious single ‘Rumble‘ with Katy B and Tinie Tempah jumping on the vocals. But first up, let’s have a look at all that’s been happening in the music world this September!
BBC Radio 1 kicked off September in style with Live Lounge Month! Yes, a whole month dedicated to 30 live performances from the likes of Hozier, James Bay, Muse, Slaves, Florence + The Machine, Disclosure & Sam Smith, and 24 other incredible acts; something for everyone. As with tradition, the acts perform a cover song of their choice. Highlights include Demi Lovato’s version of Hozier’s ‘Take Me To Church’, James Bay covering Flo’s ‘Shake It Out’, Rhode’s stunning take of Ellie Goulding’s ‘Love Me Like You Do’, Disclosure & Sam Smith’s incredible version of Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’, Jack Garratt’s mellow cover of Disclosure & Sam Smith’s ‘Latch’, Florence & The Machine’s exceptional take of Jack U & Bieber’s ‘Where Are You Now’… I could go on. Best to check out all the highlights here and decide your favourite. The iTunes Festival, usually runs in conjunction with this, with 30 live performances at London’s Round House. However this year, the newly named ‘Apple Music Festival’ performed just 10 dates, with performances from One Direction, The Chemical Brothers, Disclosure and The Weeknd… I feel a bit cheated this year! Come one Apple, you launch a brand new music streaming platform, yet cut down the amount of performances? Radio 1Xtra announced Flo Rida and Lethal Bizzle as the first acts joining them at 1Xtra live in Leeds next month, while fellow Radio 1/1Xtra Dj Toddla T, announced details of his Winter Carnival featuring Jus Now, The Heatwave, Wookie and more. Watch out for the Soca Police!!
There were some pretty big album and EP releases this month, including Disclosure’s highly anticipated ‘Caracal’, Ryan Adam’s complete cover album of Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’, Eric Prydz’s Pryda 10, Vol III series, and Drake x Future’s surprise album ‘What A Time To Be Alive’. Queen of Dance, Annie Mac, unveiled details of her latest AMP compilation album; a two track CD with the very best of #Raving and #Behaving hits, while Ricky Gervais’ David Brent, is set to release an album for this upcoming film ‘Life On The Road’. And last but not least, (get ready for this one) Bieber and Taylor better watch out, cause Pope Francis has released his new single ‘Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward’ available now via iTunes, with a full album to follow November 27th. Christmas no 1 contender perhaps? With the latest Bond film ‘Spectre’ set for release Oct 26th, Sam Smith finally unveiled his Bond theme ‘Writing’s On The Wall’, co-written by Smith and Jimmy Napes. While the single divided opinions online, ‘Writings On The Wall’ went on to claim no 1 in the charts, and to this day, is the only bond theme to do so! Nope, not even Adele or Shirley Bassey have achieved this. Queen B unveiled her first new material in almost a year, jumping on Naughty Boy’s new single ‘Runnin’ (Lose It All) along with Arrow Benjamin. Other collaborations happening this month include Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott with their new single ‘Burn It Up’ from Jackson’s forthcoming album ‘Unbreakable’.
I always have a few stats for you each month, and this month is no different. ‘Uptown Funk’ has been named as the 5th biggest single in UK history, with Elton John’s ‘Candle In The Wind’, Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and Pharrell’s Happy, completing the top 5. Any guesses for who topped the most first-week streams on Spotify? Begrudgingly, it’s Justin Bieber, with ‘What Do You Mean’. 21 Million streams in 5 days ain’t too shabby! Bieber also managed to score his first number 1 single in the UK. Elsewhere in the charts, Stereophonics claimed their sixth number one album ‘Keep the Village Alive’ , while Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour secured his second-ever solo chart-topper, with ‘Rattle That Lock’.
There’s always space for more festivals and that’s exactly what Reading and Leeds Festival organisers have done. Their new festival ‘Community’ will take place in Shoreditch and Hoxton this November (3-5), showcasing emerging talent across 11 East London Venues. Acts include The Japanese House, Petite Meller and Blonde. Red Bull presented Future Underground this month, with headline performances from Hudson Mohawke, Charlie XCX and Skepta. With the headline acts only announced 24 hours in advance, the underground event was supposed coincide with the launch of TFL’s 24 hour tubes (Damn you strikes!) Thankfully Future Underground went ahead, featuring guest performances from Action Bronson, Lionbabe, Giggs and more. The event raised money for charity ‘Wings For Life’ and took place in the incredible underground venue at Collins Music Hall in North London. Check out my Instagram for some highlights of the night. The United Nations launched an exciting Campaign this month called ‘Global Goals’. World Leaders have committed to 17 Global Goals, with the aim of ending extreme poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and fixing climate change by 2030. To launch the Global Goals Campaign, The Global Citizens Festival took place in Central Park, NY, with headline performances from Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Coldplay and Pearl Jam. Check out some of the highlights, include Ed joining beyonce for an acoustic version of ‘Drunk in Love’, while Coldplay collaborated with Ed on ‘Thinking Out Loud’ and ‘Yellow’. The EMA nominations were unveiled and unsurprisingly, Swifty leads the pack with 9 nominations. Ed Sheeran is set to take on hosting duties with Orange Is The New Black’s Ruby Rose at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan on October 25th. Get voting here! Here in the UK, the MOBO awards nominations were announced with top nominations for FKA Twigs, The Weeknd and Mark Ronson, while Lethal Bizzle and Skepta are up for Best Grime Act. The 20th MOBO Awards ceremony is set to take place in The First Direct Arena in Leeds. (Nov 4) Cast your votes here.
In music streaming news, Jay Z’s Tidal has hit 1 million subscribers. To mark the occasion, Jay Z is set to perform at Tidal X in Brooklyn (Oct 20) with Beyonce, Usher and a host of other acts. Google Play Music hit back at Spotify and Apple with their very own family plan set for release later this year. (6 people for $14.99 pm, £TBC) Chromecast unveiled plans to rival Sonos, with Chromecast Audio; turning any speaker into a connected device. Chromecast are working on further app integration including Spotify and iPlayer Radio. At £30, it’s a bit of a steal! Former Radio 1 DJ, Chris Moyles, kicked off his new breakfast show on Radio X (formerly XFM) this month. He joins the new lineup of DJ’s including former Radio 1 DJ Vernon Kay, Dan O’Connell, and Kaiser Chief’s very own Ricky Wilson. Comedy Dave won’t be joining Moyles, but newsreader Dominic Bryne will be part of the Breakfast show. Anyone still missing ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks? Sky 1 has announced details of their very own comedy-music-panel show titled ‘Bring The Noise’, featuring Ricky Wilson, Nicole Scherzinger, Tinie Tempah and comedian Katherine Ryan. Elsewhere on TV, comedy duo Ant & Dec, are set to host the Brit Awards for a second year running. What will PJ & Duncan have in store for us Feb 24, 2016. In more serious news, Dubstep pioneering producer & DJ Benga, took to Twitter to open up about his mental health issues, which resulted in his early retirement from Djing in 2014. He explained how his bipolar was ‘Brought on by drugs’, while his schizophrenia was ’A result of excessive touring’. While Mental Health issues are still met with prejudice, ignorance and fear, it’s great to see Benga being so open about it and raising much needed awareness for others.
Booking crew assembled – check. Laptops ready – check. Multiple tabs and browsers open – check. Refreshing finger primed and ready to click for your life – check. Yes, it can only mean one thing … Glasto!! Legendary Festival ‘Glastonbury’ announced it’s ticket sale for 2016. Tickets go on sale October 1 (Coach package) and October 4 (Standard weekend tickets) and will cost £228 + bf. Don’t forget to check out the usual banter on twitter and watch your timeline fill with mutual hatred for the ticket provider and those lucky ticket holders. Anyone planning a trip to Vegas soon? Then you’re in luck! Lionel Richie has announced plans for a residency at Planet Hollywood in April/May and September/Oct 2016. Be sure to pop in and say ‘Hello’. After the success of his Glastonbury performance, you’ll be ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ ‘All Night Long’… what a ‘Truly’ perfect venue for Lionel.. ok I’ll stop with puns now. I just have such ‘Endless Love’ for him. Muse announced details for their Drones World Tour, which will see the band perform in the round from the centre of the arena. The Maccabees have added further London dates to their tour, which sees them play 3 nights at Brixton Academy. The group are also preparing for their feature-length documentary ‘Elephant Days’, focusing on the writing and recording of their latest album.
With Halloween just around the corner, you can look forward to some Halloween themed events, such as Vevo’s Halloween in Manchester, featuring James Bay, Little Simz, Wolf Alice and Years & Years. Knife Party are set to take to take over Brixton 02 Academy on Oct 31st with Sleepy Tom, Jacob Plant and Shift K3y, only to return Nov 2nd for the Haunted House extravaganza with Dillon Francis, Flosstradamus and Monsta.
Ok, after that rather lengthy roundup, let’s get on with the music. Check out my September Selections below:
1) Flux Pavilion – What You Gonna Do About It’
Pioneering Dubstep producer/DJ Flux Pavilion (AKA Josh Steele), unveiled his debut album ‘Telsa. The 13-track LP is co-written by Isa the Machine (Florence + the Machine) and Arthur Baker, and features collaborations from artists such as Riff Raff, JakkCity, and Soulsonic Force. ‘What You Gonna Do About It’, serves up a nasty, bassy-heavy thumper of a track, with its eerie synth motifs and chiptune style elements. Telsa serves as the follow up to his previous 3 EP’s in 2013, followed by various remixes in 14/15, including Skrillex’s ‘Recess’. The UK producer is kicking off his US tour in NY in October, before heading to the UK for 4 dates. Flux makes a welcome return and progresses his sound with such force and style. Telsa is availble now on iTunes.
2) SG Lewis – Shiver (Honne Remix)
Yes, Honne featured in last month’s favourites too with ‘Loves The Jobs you Hate’, but they seem to be on a roll at the moment, so just go with it and enjoy their impeccable production work. The London based duo (Andy Clutterbuck and James Hatch) unveiled their latest reworking of SG Lewis’ single ‘Shivers’, which sees Honne infuse such ambience and groove into the already mellow track. Keeping JP Cooper’s effortless vocals intertwined throughout, Honne’s production creates an ethereal state of mind with their smooth synths and chilled house vibes; futuristic soul at it’s finest. Their latest EP ‘The Over Lover’ is available now , while upcoming dates include Patterns in Brighton and Deaf Institute in Manchester, with a headline performance at London’s Oval Space.
3) Florence and the Machine – Queen of Peace (Hot Chip Remix)
UK electronic band, Hot Chip, have remixed Florence + The Machine’s ‘Queen Of Peace’, taken from her recent album ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’. Premiering as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record, the reworking gives the single a funky, house-driven electro vibe with striking synths, while still retaining Flo’s commanding vocals. Hot Chip’s remix is available now while upcoming dates for the group include 02 Academy Bristol (Oct 13) and 02 Academy Brixton (Oct 22-23)
4) Icarus – Ride This Train ft Aniff Akinola
Bristol brotherly duo Icarus (Tom and Ian Griffiths), unveiled their latest single ‘Ride This Train, which premiered with Pete Tong on Radio 1. ‘Ride This Train’ serves as the follow up to previous singles ‘Gold’ and ‘Cassia’ and delivers a thoroughly rousing single with infectious horns, driving bass lines and smooth, captivating vocals from Aniff Akinola. ‘Ride This Train’ is available now, via their own Fly Boy label.
4) Alex Metric – Drum Machine ft The New Sins
Alex Metric unveiled his new single ‘Drum Machine’, taken from his forthcoming EP, Ammunition Pt 4. Featuring the vocals of Lou Hayter from The New Sins, ‘Drum Machine’ serves up a wonderfully minimalist approach, filled with infectious vocals and beats, or as Metric refers to it when speaking to Noisey – ‘An experiment in limitations’, considering he only used 1 drum machine throughout. The 4-track Ammunition EP, features collaborations from AMTRAC and The Knocks and is available via iTunes October 9. Metric is currently on tour in the US with Zedd and Dillon Francis.
5) ZHU x AlunaGeorge – Automatic
Producer Stephen Zhu, (AKA ZHU) who brought us that infectious single ‘Faded’ in 2014, has teamed with AlunaGeorge for his new single ‘Automatic’. Automatic delivers a hypnotizing single, with Alunas vocals as enthralling as ever, and slick production throughout from Zhu. Taken from Zhu’s forthcoming and cryptic Genesis Series Project, other artists set to feature include Skrillex, A-Trak, Gallant and more. Upcoming dates for ZHU include Voodoo Music & Arts Experience in New Orleans, while AlunaGeorge are touring North America.
6) Bonzai – KBG (Knicker Bocker Glory)
Introducing 19 year old artist Bonzai, who has released her debut single KBG via Mura Masa’s label Anchor Point. While not much is known about Bonzai, except for the fact she’s half Irish/half American and was raised in Dublin, she certainly makes an impact with the unique sounding KBG; a playful track, with distorted vocals and quirky, edgy production. Upcomings dates for Bonzai included support Mura Massa at Patterns in Brighton (Oct 19) and Village Undergound in London. (Oct 20) ‘KBG‘ is set for release October 2nd via Anchor Point.
7) Frances – Let It Out
Berkshire-born Frances , made a strong impact with her debut single ‘Grow’ back in July. Now, the talented singer/songwriter has unveiled her latest single ‘Let It Out’, serving up a wonderfully personal and fragile song, showcasing Frances’ melodic ability and tender vocals. Having recently appeared in Radio 1’s September Live Lounge Month, the 21 year old shares management with Disclosure and Sam Smith, firmly positioning herself as a rising star with plenty of promise. The ‘Let It Out’ EP is available Oct 16 via iTunes, while upcoming dates for Frances can be found here.
8) Tame Impala – Let It Happen (Soulwax remix)
What.A.Remix!! Yes Belgian groove gurus Soulwax have superbly remixed Tame Impala’s ‘Let It Happen’, propelling it to even greater heights than the already captivating original. The stirring synths add to the rousing atmosphere, while frontman Kevin Parker’s echoed vocals are kept intact above some funky bassline and uptempo grooves throughout. Be prepared to get thoroughly lost in the beauty of this 9-minute track, available now on iTunes. Upcoming dates for Tame Impala, include Manchester Arena (Feb11), while their London date will take place at Alexandra Palace (Feb 12). No dates announced as of yet for Soulwax, but a remix like this one will keep us going for a while!
9) Swindle – Mad Ting ft JME
Major Oof Alert! Yes xx Swindle has collaborated with JME on his latest single ‘Swindle’ and serves up an absolute monster of a track, mixed with a bit of strings, brass, jazz and Grime… what’s not to love? Swindles beats are gritty and infectious, while JME’s flow is as skillful as ever.Swindles use of instrumentation, pitted against some heavy-weight Grime, makes ‘Mad Ting’ an absolute stand out track. Taken from Swindles album ‘Peace, Love and Music’ and released via Butterz, the album also features collaborations from Flowdan, JME and TC. Upcoming dates for Swindle include Band On The Wall in Manchester (Nov 6) and Rich Mix in London (Nov 26), while JME has just announced plans for his headline gig with Skepta in O2 Academy Brixton (Dec 18)
10) The Fog vs Chus & Ceballos – Been A Long Time (Mark Knight Remix)
Mark Knight has reworked ‘The Fog vs Chus & Ceballos ‘Been A Long Time’. While the original vocal from The Fog dropped way back in ‘93, it’s safe to say Knight has breathed new life into the track, infusing a pulsating and infectious bassline, with plenty of groove throughout. The single serves as the follow up to ‘Second Story’; a previous Essential Tune for Pete Tong, and certainly lives up to that caliber as he blazes through with this fist pumping smash. ‘Been A Long Time’ is available now via Stereo Productions.
11) Special Request – Amnesia
Paul Woolford returns under his moniker Special Request, with his new Jungle inspired body of work, titled ‘Modern Warfare’. Single ‘Amnesia’ premiered with Annie Mac as her hottest record and delivers a throwback to dance music, as it dips in and out of ‘ravy’ dance breaks, eerie undertones and mesmerising bass heavy vibes, mixed with some lighter vocal hooks and infectious house piano. Upcoming dates for Special Request include The Warehouse Project in Manchester (Oct 16, Nov 7), Village Underground in London (Nov 6) and In:Motion, Bristol (Dec 4).‘Modern Warfare’ is set for release Oct 30 via XL Recordings in a series of 3 EP’s.
12) Jimmy Edgar – Let Me Tell You
Berlin-based Detroit producer Jimmy Edgar, unveiled his new single ‘Let Me Tell You’, taken from his forthcoming 5-track ‘Shine’ EP. With his pulsing house-style chords, infectious vocal loops and industrial, futuristic vibes throughout, ‘Let Me Tell You’ delivers on all fronts with such creativity and skill. Check out his FB page for a Q&A on his production techniques. The ‘Shine’ EP is available now via his own Ultramajic label and gives us a taste of what’s to come for Edgar in 2016. Upcoming dates include Tribal Sessions at Fire, London (Dec 11)
Check out the full playlist below with over 70 minutes for your listening pleasure!
As we’re halfway through the calendar year, it’s time for some music stats and records that I know you’re just dying to hear …. ‘Uptown Funk’ continues to dominate, with a total figure of 1.93 million sales worldwide, while Hozier’s ‘Take me to Church’ and OMI’s ‘Cheerleader’ were also high sellers and came in second and third places respectively. Rihanna on the other hand, has become the best-selling digital artist of all time, surpassing the 100 digital singles award mark. The best selling album of the year so far goes to Sam Smith for his album ‘The lonely Hour’, beating off competition from Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. We’re only six months in and a lot can change over the next six months.
After 63 years, NME announced plans to become a free weekly music magazine, while the Official Chart has moved to Fridays with Greg James, to coincide with the new release day for singles. There’s been so many great new singles unveiled this month from Disclosure’s collaboration with Sam Smith on ‘Omen’, Eric Prydz’s incredible ‘Opus‘, to Pharrell’s ‘Freedom’, which coincided with the Apple’s streaming service, Beats 1. Speaking of Apple’s new streaming service, Dr Dre has secured a new show on Beats 1 called ‘The Pharmacy’, and is also set to release his first solo album in nearly 16 years. Other albums set for release over the next few months include Chvrches ‘Every Open Eye’ (Sept 25), John Newman’s ‘Revolve’ (Oct 16) , Rudimental’s ‘We Are The Generation’ (Sept 18) and Disclosure’s ‘Caracal’ (Sept 25) featuring a whole host of guest artists such as Lorde, The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Gregory Porter and Kwabs, to name a few. In streaming news, more people in the UK are streaming music online, with reports reaching over 500 million. Eager to cash in on the online music streaming service, Amazon have announced plans for Amazon Prime Music to rival Spotify. Speaking of Spotify, Prince has followed taylor Swift and removed all his music from the streaming service. There’s been plenty of music beef the past month, starting with Taylor Swift vs Nicki Minaj, which prompted Ed Sheeran to jokingly stir trouble with Bruno Mars. What wasn’t a joking matter however, was the spat between Meek Mill and Drake, where Mill accused Drake of not writing his own lyrics. Queue a diss track from Drake and plenty of online coverage, and you’ve got yourself one nasty fight.
Following his successful set at Glastonbury Festival, Lionel Richie achieved his first number one album in over 23 years! Fans were still reeling from his classic performance, that ‘Lionel Richie & The Commodores’ jumped 103 places, fighting off competition from Florence + The Machine. Later that month, The Chemical Brothers claimed their sixth number one album with ‘Born in the Echoes‘, making them the only dance act to achieve 6 number one studio albuns. The MTV VMA’s were announced with Taylor Swift leading the pack with 9 nominations, closely followed by Sheeran with 6 and Beyonce, Lamar and Ronson with 5. Are we running out of music ideas? French DJ David Guetta, has only gone and remixed well known nursery rhyme ‘If You’re Happy And You Know It’, while Avicii took on a more well known dance classic and reworked Faithless’ ‘Insomnia’. Australian DJ duo Mashd N Kutcher have started a new craze at gigs, where they troll the audience with Spandaau Ballet’s ‘True’ just at the pivotal drop.
Festival Season was well under way with festivals such as Lovebox, Latitude, Lollapalooza, Longitude (All the L’s), EDC, Secret Garden Party, Melt!, T in the Park, Open’er and Wireless, to name but a few. Now in August, we can look forward to V Festival, Creamfields, Electric Picnic, Reading & Leeds, SW4 and Notting Hill Carnival. In the meantime, check out my favourites from July:
1)Alessia Cara – Here (Lucian Remix)
Rising NYC producer Lucian, puts his spin on Allessia Cara’s ‘Here’. Lucian takes Cara’s airy vocals and infuses them with some weight, courtesy of some viby horns, trap snare rolls and a swelling bassline that drives the track along. Top that off with some glitchy style effects in production and Lucian certainly delivers on all levels. Previous collaborations for Lucian include Remmi and M. Maggie. An exciting producer on the rise, so grab yourself this free download now.
2) Rudimental – I Will for Love ft Will Heard
Festival favourites, Rudimental, unveiled their new single ‘I Will For Love’ Ft Will Heard. You might remember Heard’s vocals from Klangkarussell’s ‘Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine)’. Heard once again lends his infectious, soulful vocals to deliver yet another euphoric and uplifting DnB single. Having premiered as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record, Rudimental also took part in Radio 1’s Ibiza20 celebrations on San Antonio’s sunset strip. Their new album ‘’We The Generation‘, features a whole host of guest artists including the late Bobby Womack, Lianna La Havas and Foy Vance. ‘We The Generation’ is set for release September 18th, while ‘I Will For Love’ is available now. Full dates for their ‘We The Generation’ World Tour can be found here and you can also catch them at Fusion Festival in Birmingham.
3) Lianna La Havas – What You Don’t Do (Grades Remix)
London based producer Grades, has delivered a new remix of Lianna La Havas ‘What You Don’t Do’. Grades works his magic yet again, dispersing elements of funk, garage, house and soul throughout. Grades cleverly intertwines the vocal between the retro sounding synths and chiptune inspired elements. Upcoming dates for Grades include Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall
4) Tazer x Tink – Wet Dollars (Original, Redlight and Tazer VIP remix)
Chicago based rapper Tink and UK producer Tazer have collaborated on their new single ‘Wet Dollar’. The infectious beats and stylings from Tazer mixed with Tinks effortless flow and groove, delivers a collaboration that just oozes creativity and imagination. With Tink being referred to as the new Aaliyah, be sure to keep an eye out for her debut album ‘ThinkTink’ due later in September. Redlight and Tazer have taken the single a step further with their own remixes. Tazer’s VIP remix goes in a bit deeper than the original with a driving bassline that just hooks you right in, while Redlight infuses his unbeatable deep house house vibes with looped vocals throughout. Upcoming dates for Tazer include Sheffield Foundry in September, while Redlight is set to perform at Bestival.
5) Fekky ft Skepta – Way Too Much
Grime MC Fekky has enlisted Skepta for his new Splurgeboys produced single ‘Way Too Much’. Having previously worked together on ‘Still Sittin’ Here’, the Grime duo compliment each other’s styles with Skepta owning the hook and jumping on one of the verses, while Fekky’s flow anchors the track along with the simple, yet infectious beats. ‘Way Too Much’ is taken from Fekky’s forthcoming album ‘El Clasico’. Upcoming dates for Fekky include Reading & Leeds and Grime Live, while Skepta is set to appear at Bestival and Ceremony Festival.
6) Nero – Two Minds
‘Two Minds’ is the latest track from electronic trio Nero and follows previous singles ‘Satisfy’, ‘Dark Skies’ and ‘The Thrill’. While we’ve come to expect their trademark gritty synths, broken beats and thunderous bass, ‘Two Minds’ takes on a surprising and slightly tamer direction with a bit of future-house. Alana’s efford vocals remain on point throughout. Having debuted as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record, various remixes have started to surface, including dnb producer Dimension and Nero themselves with their Nero ’92 Minds Remix Their highly anticipated new album ‘Between II Worlds’ is set for release August 28th via MTA Records and serves as the follow up to their 2011 debut ‘Welcome Reality’. Pre-order now and receive 3 free tracks. Upcoming dates for nero include Sziget and V Festival.
7) Lion Babe – Impossible
Lion Babe duo, Jillian Hervey and Lucas Goodman, unveiled their latest single ‘Impossible’. The track serves as the follow up to the Pharrell assisted ‘Wonder Woman’, gaining them some well earned attention. ‘Impossible’ delivers a retro, uptempo spin on r&b, mixed with Jillian’s vibrant vocals and Goodman’s infectious production stylings. The NY duo have also been announced as one of the artist collaborations on Disclosure’s new album ‘Caracal’ on their track ‘Hourglass’. ‘Impossible’ is available for release now via Polydor Records. Upcoming dates for Lion Babe include Bestival with a headline performance at Heaven in November.
8) Chvrches – Leave A Trace
Chvrches unveiled their lead single ‘Leave A Trace’ from their forthcoming second album ‘Every Open Eye’. While their debut album ‘The Bones Of What You Believe In’ delivered a string of hits from ‘The Mother We Share’, ‘Gun’ and ‘Recover’, ‘Leave a Trace’ is the first new material to surface from their highly anticipated second album. The Glasgow based trio consistently deliver infectious melodies and dark synth pop textures, while Lauren’s piercing vocals give the middle finger to previous relationships and heartbreaks. Having self produced by the album themselves, ‘Every Open Eye’ is set for release September 25th via Glassnote, while ‘Leave A Trace’ is available now. Upcoming dates for Chvrches include V Festival, Electric Picnic and Alexandra Palace.
9) Lay Z ft JME and Frisco – That’s What I’m On
Lay Z has premiered his new single ‘That’s What I’m On’, featuring his BBK Brothers JME and Frisco. Produced by the UK’s most influential grime producer, Teddy Music, the MC’s take turns jumping on the verse , adding their own unique spin and flavour, throwing back to a real old school grime vibe. Mix that with one one catchy hook and some sinister and dramatic sounding beats , and it’s a win-win situation.
10) Duke Dumont – Ocean Drive
Duke Dumont unveiled details of his new EP Series ‘Blasé Boys Club Part 1’. The first single to be taken from this is ‘Ocean Drive’; an 80s disco-pop track, with heavy synths and plenty of bass guitar. While ‘Ocean Drive’ is more mellow than previous chart toppers such as ‘Won’t Look Back’ and ‘Need You’, it nevertheless features some catchy hooks from legendary house vocalist Robert Owens. Dumont commented: “I’ve been thinking of adapting the release format from a traditional album for a while. The Blasé Boys Club series will be my outlet for music which would have previously been considered songs for my albums. Rather than the old format of the LP, the new way allows me the freedom to bring music to people quicker , and more regularly.” The 4-track EP ,is set for release Oct 2 via Virgin EMI. Upcoming dates for Dumont include V Festival, Creamfields and The Warehouse Project, before embarking on a full live tour
11) Max Jury – Great American Novel
Time to slow the pace don’t a bit. Introducing 22 year old American singer/songwriter Max Jury, who just unveiled his new single ‘Great American Novel’. The single serves as the follow up to last years ‘Something In The Air’ and ‘All I Want’ EP’s and showcases Jury’s effortless vocal and melodic songwriting skill. The ballad offers simple piano accompaniment, while the stirring strings provide real depth and emotion. Having recently supported Rufus Wainwright on tour, upcoming dates include The Roundhouse in October. Expect a debut album later this year but for now, ‘American Novel‘ is available now via Marathon Records.
12) Denney – Lower Frequency (Shiba San Remix)
French DJ and producer Shiba San, unveiled his latest remix of Denney’s ‘Low Frequency’. Arguably one of the biggest underground hits of the year from Denney, Shiba San’s deep house vibes infuses the track with rumbling basslines and infectious looped hooks, reminding us to ‘feel the bass’. Shiba’s heavy remix and wobbly basslines builds and builds to deliver one exceptional dance floor filler. Upcoming UK dates for Shiba San include The Warehouse Project with MK and Groove Armada.
13) Riva Starr – The loft ft Dajae
Italian DJ and producer, Riva Starr, unveiled his new single ‘The Loft’ ft Dajae. Having previously collaborated with Fatboy Slim on ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’, Starr once again works his magic on ‘The Loft’, serving up another house classic filled with soul. With it’s infectious vocal hook ‘there’s no party like a house party’, Starr reinvigorates house with it’s funky basslines and looping melodies. The three track ‘Loft’ EP is available July 13 on Cajual Records and also features Cajmere (Green Velvet). Upcoming dates for Starr include Rooftop R2 in Marseilles, France.
14) Etherwood – Light My Way ft Eva Lazarus
Lincoln DJ and producer Etherwood, unveiled his third single ‘Light My Way Home’, taken from his highly anticipated second album, ‘Blue Leaves’. ‘Light My Way’ features the stunning, emotive vocals from Dub Mafia’s Eva Lazarus, that soar effortlessly above Etherwoods stirring beats and exhilerating melodies. ‘Light My Way’ serves up a captivating drum ’n’ bass classic. With plenty of support from Netsky, Sub Focus and TC , as well as plenty of airtime across Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Etherwood is an exciting, rising artist in the drum n bass scene. ‘Blue Leaves‘ is set for release Sept 4 via Medschool Records.
15) Eats Everything ft Tyga VS Audion – Dancing (Again!)
Eats Everything aka Daniel Pearce, has reworked Tyga vs Audion’s ‘Dancing (Again!)’. The already infectious single, takes a darker turn, with its techno infusions and electro grooves throughout. Like Tiga’s ‘Bugatti’, ‘Dancing’ serves up an infectious hook that you won’t be able to get out of your head for a long while. ’Dancing’ is set for released via Disclosure’s Method White; the new club-focused division of their Method Records and follows previous releases from Jonas Rathsman and MJ Cole. Upcoming dates for Eats Everything include Creamfields and The Warehouse Project.
Check out the full playlist below, with over 1 hour for your listening pleasure:
So Solid Crew have announced their stellar support line up for their final performance at London’s O2 (Oct 5th only). Helping them bow out in style are some of the most exciting acts in urban music.
First up is Tottenham rapper Wretch 32 (Tractor, Pop, Hush Little Baby), currently working on his third studio album and promoting his lead single ‘Blackout’. Joining Wretch is multi award winning Ms Dynamite (Dy-na-mi-tee, Lights On, Gold Dust), fresh off supporting Major Lazer’s UK tour and making a return with new material. ‘The best looking fat man on the planet’ – AKA Radio 1/1Xtra’s Charlie Sloth and recent Sony Radio Award Bronze recipient brings the hottest hip hop beats, while Mobo Award winning Grime artist Lethal Bizzle (Dench) and platinum selling rapper Chip complete the all-star support line up.
The South London garage collective, whose debut album ‘They Don’t Know’ released in 2001, was the first UK urban act to have a platinum selling album. With massive hits such as ‘They Don’t Know’, ‘Haters’ and the legendary #1 single ’21 Seconds’, the multi award winning crew are responsible for today’s biggest hip hop crossover and breakthrough stars.
UK October 2013 Live Dates:
1 OCT 2013 – SHEFFIELD – THE PLUG*
2 OCT 2013 – NORWICH – WATERFRONT*
3 OCT 2013 – BIRMINGHAM – INSTITUTE*
4 OCT 2013 – MANCHESTER – THE RITZ*
5 OCT 2013 – LONDON – O2 ARENA
*Rescheduled dates from cancelled April tour, all original tickets remain valid. Tickets info available here
4 legendary crews & accompanying sound systems took to Wembley Arena last night for the ‘Red Bull Culture Clash 2012’. Presenting the best of UK House, Reggae, Grime, Dubstep and Garage, each stage went head to head in one of the biggest music clashes of the year. Hosted by Radio 1’s Big Dawg Tim Westwood and fellow Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney, it was up to the crowd (with the help of a decibel reader), to decide who should take home the coveted title and become the 2012 Red Bull Culture Clash Champion. Queue the deafening cheers and let the battle begin! Warm-up acts for the night included ShyFX, B Traits, Dismantle and Stamina MC, who hyped up the crowd with a warm up clash.
Round 1 – No Elimination The crews get warmed up and start the hype (15 minutes each)
Reigning champions ‘Channel One’ kicked off the night with their impressive Channel One sound system and massive reggae riddims. Mikey Dread and MC Ras Kayleb headed up the team in the hopes of retaining their Red Bull Culture Clash title. Channel One were representing London’s oldest and original sound systems and clearly stood their ground as they kicked off the night on a high with their reggae carnival vibes and special guests Brother Culture Navigator + Solo Banton. Forget Notting Hill Carnival, it was all happening in Wembley tonight.
Image: Redbull.co.uk
Annie Mac Presents was representing Dubstep supergroup ‘Magnetic Man’ (Skream, Benga & Artwork). With a host of special guest lined up, Redlight, Disclosure and Rudimental hyped up the crowd with some of the biggest tracks of the year. Even though it was only a warm-up round, they meant business! Annie continued to tease the crowd with snippets of TNGHT, Azealia and Kanye – just enough to get the crowd hyped up and wanting more.
Major Lazer (Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire) were up next, with their genre-defying style of reggae & dancehall. Major lazer knows how to work a crowd, with Diplo constantly jumping around the decks. He even crowd surfed in an inflatable Zorb … And yes, this was only the warm up round. Opening with a questionable Bruno Mars dub plate, followed by Fun ‘We Are Young‘, which led into the massive ‘Pon De Floor’ track – only Major Lazer could do such a segue. He followed this with Elephant Man’s Gangnam (badman) style dub plate, that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Who’d have thought, Gangnam Style at a Red Bull Culture Clash! Major Lazer was already breaking rules, as dub plates are only meant to appear in the last round. (*Update: Diplo took to Twitter to defend his actions claiming he hadn’t seen these rules and they must be clearly outdated.)
Image: Redbull.co.uk
To close Round 1, Boy Better Know had hefty support from their Grime collective including JME, Skepta, Frisco, Wiley, Shorty, Jammer, Solo 45 and Maximum. Calling out Major Lazer for breaking the rules about using dub plates so early in the game, BBK went in on a grime remix of Gangnam Style (Gangnam Fest), which received a massive reaction from BBK fans. With the warm-up complete, it was time to get down to business!
Round 2 – The Selector Sounds judged purely on track selection (15 mins)
Annie Mac Presents kicked off with Disclosure and their massive hit ‘Latch’, featuring live vocals from special guest Sam Smith. (More rule breaking as no special guests are allowed till round 4). Disclosure continued with some more crowd pleasers, including their remix of Jessie Ware’s ‘Running’. Major Lazer followed that up with an equally impressive set including Skreams remix of La Roux followed by Bengas & Coki’s ‘Night’ and the massive, yet slightly predictable crowd pleaser, House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around‘. His special guest Stylo G, took to the stage for ‘Call Me A Yardie’. Major Lazer received massive support from the crowd and it appeared he had this round in the bag. The BBK crew smashed it with classic tracks such as ‘Too Many Man, ‘Duppy’, ‘R U Really From the Ends’ followed by Wiley’s smash hit ‘Heatwave’ and ‘I’m Skanking’. Channel One were joined on stage with some live brass, and came back fighting with some trash talk against AMP: “Magnetic Man you got beat last time.” “Annie Mac, you look like a lost sheep’ “Skream & Banger…” Channel one showed their support of their iconic sound system as they confidently proclaimed: “This is real soundsystem”.
Winner of round 2 was Major Lazer (by a landslide). The crowd voted in their masses as the decibel reader went off the scale!
Image: Redbull.co.uk
Round 3 – Sleeping with the enemy Time to play another systems music. This is where things get nasty! (15 mins)
Channel One didn’t follow the rules for round 3, as they stuck to their original reggae vibes instead of championing a new sound as requested. Major Lazer laid down some serious reggae roots and introduced legendary Johnny Osbourne as their special guest, to perform ‘Buddy Eye‘ and the introduction to ‘Jah No Partial‘. (More rule breaking though with use of special guest) Major Lazer closed their set with the crowd singing along to Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’. BBK were still not pleased with Major Lazers rule breaking, so decided to get nasty and spoil Majors Lazers special guest for round 4. Usher was the big special guest being kept under wraps, and BBK served a low blow by performing their version of ‘Climax’ first. BBK also hit back at the so called ‘traitor artists’ that should have been on their stage with their crew. E.g. Ms Dynamite, who was repping for Annie Mac Presents. The AMP team brought out the big guns in the form of Ms Dynamite, who was dissing BBK over ‘Too Many Man’. Maverick Sabre was the next special guest and added a creative twist to their set, as he covered Oasis classic ‘Wonderwall’. This was followed by the hilariously edited version of Diplos Blackberry advert and a skit version of Diplos ‘Express Yourself’ dance routine, involving overweight male dancers ‘Twerking’ in gold hotpants. Quite an image! The AMP crew were the clear winners of round 3 as they owned the Wembley Arena.
Image: Redbull.co.uk
Round 4 – The Decider The clashing crews play the biggest tunes in their bag. Last chance to own the battle. Custom dubplates played out here. (12 mins)
Big Dawg Westwood announced that as so many rules were broken by all teams, the previous rounds were to be wiped clean and the final round would decide the overall winner. It was anyone’s game from here on out, and each team were given 12 minutes to impress with their custom dubs, special guests and all out culture clash madness.
Boy Better Know were up first, with their final attempt to impress. They invited their first special guest Chipmunk to the stage, with a reworked version of ‘Oopsy Daisy We Killed You Again’. They continued spitting out the hits including ‘Every Gyal‘, ‘Taking The Hardest’ and once again continued the war dubs dissing the opposing teams: “Skream & Benga snorting the Charlie” and “Diplo’s a mutha’ f***** corpse in a coffin’. A lot of trash talk from the BBK crew, but their supporters stood by them. Their final special guest was the one and only Lethal Bizzle, who performed ‘Leave It Yeah’ folowed by ‘Pow‘ with Emmanuel Frimpong. There was massive support for the BBK crew, who put up one hell of a fight in their last chance to impress. It was up to Channel One to answer back with their final special guest Luciano. They once again proved that their reggae riddims stood out in front tonight against the competition. Annie Mac Presents team joined forces with a an impressive entourage for their final round. The first special guest included Katy B with ‘On a Mission’. John Newman also provided live vocals for the massive Rudimental hit ‘Feel the Love’. The one and only Example then took to the stage with his reworked version of ‘Changed The Way You Kissed Me’. Annie certainly kept the best for the final round and delighted the crowd with each surprise guest. As Annie constantly asks her listeners on a Friday night if they’re #raving or #behaving, after this set, the crowd were certainly #raving. Major Lazer set his final round in motion with a Pharoahe Monch ‘Simon Says’ dubplate, followed by a mixed combination of dubplates from RDX ‘Jump’, Nirvana ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’ and Blur ‘Song 2‘. Such a massive crowd reaction and this was even before he brought out the big special guests. First up was none other than Mobo award winner Rita Ora with ‘Face Melt’ and international R&B star Usher! Yes USHER at a culture clash, who performed ‘Climax’ on the Stalag riddim.
Image: Redbull.co.uk
The final round saw big war dubs, a lot of creativity in track selection, some serious flows and some of the biggest names in music. But it was up to the crowd to decide the overall winner. Westwood and Cairney took to the stage again and each team received rapturous cheers from the crowd. The decibel meter measured each response, and even though many believed Major Lazer or AMP had it in the bag, Boy Better Know cinched it in the end, by 4 decibels, to take home the coveted title ‘Red Bull Culture Clash Champion’ of 2012.
Image: Redbull.co.uk
Regardless of the result last night, the Culture Clash was a brilliant opportunity to showcase the best of the music scene today. Big up everyone involved for such an amazing night and all I can say is ‘ROLL ON NEXT YEAR!’
There doesn’t seem to be any stopping Calvin Harris these days. Having just secured a number 1 album on Sunday with ’18 Months‘, the Scottish producer has teamed up with fellow DJ & producer Dillon Francis (Masta Blasta, Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up), to co-produce their new single ‘Here 2 China‘.
Dillon Francis – a rising LA producer championing Moonbahton and Trap, is currently on his ‘Wet & Reckless’ tour with Baauer, Flosstradamus and Clockwork. Having previously released his work through multiple labels, including Skrillex’s OWSLA, Francis has worked closely with the likes of Diplo, Jack Beats and Steve Aoki.
Completing the triple threat line-up, is the one and only Dizzee Rascal, who returns to form as he adds a bit of Grime to this bass heavy trap anthem.
Francis announced the release on Twitter last week:
I cannot believe I got to make a song with Calvin Harris for his album…. and that fact that Dizzee Rascal is featured on it…. my mind is still blown that I got this opportunity..Hope you guys enjoy the track!! – Dillon Francis
‘Here 2 China’ is taken from Calvin Harris’ album ’18 Months’, and is now available on iTunes
RosieDTrax 