Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash will be coming to the UK to host and DJ at the Alizé Remixed party on the 25th October 2008 at Paper night club in London.

Alizé remixed 2008 was a nationwide competition and UK club tour in search of the freshest DJ talent within the UK. The winners from across five regions each received £1000 cash and got the opportunity to hit the turntables alongside a legendary DJ legend including Jazzy Jeff and Tim Westwood!

The grand finale ends on 25th October 2008 at Paper nightclub with the ultimate legend Grandmaster Flash!

Grandmaster Flash who has featured on songs such as Chaka Khan’s “I Feel For You” and Blondie’s “Rapture” is an icon in hip hop and pop history!

With his group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Flash was the first hip hop artist ever to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And on his own, Flash is the only hip hop DJ ever inducted.

But what Flash is famed for is being the grand showmaster of DJs. Techniques he invented back in the day are still being imitated today - cutting, mixing, scratching, spinning, juggling with his elbows, fingers and toes… Grandmaster Flash is the King! He’s even DJ’d for our very own Queen! The tour will start all over again in Jan 2009 and Jazzy Jeff and Grandmaster Flash will be joining us to do it all over again!

Date: Saturday 25th October

Venue: Paper, 68 Regent Street (nearest Tube Piccadilly Circus)

Price: £20

Age: Over 21

Time: 9:00pm – 3:00am

www.alizeremixed.com

Posted by Anna Nathanson

Kano Live

KANO LIVE with special guests Wiley, Skepta, Tinchy Stryder, Neon Hitch and the Thirst

September 30th @ INDIGO 02, LONDON

“The neighbours aren’t happy,” Kano grins about the residents either side of ‘140 Grime St.’ “They’re pissed off with the loud music!” Despite disgruntled habitants at 138 and 142, Kane ‘Kano’ Robinson has returned to the residence of his musical conception. He describes his new album ‘140 Grime St’, as a return to his teenage bedroom where he would write lyrics and record them onto mixtapes while his brother DJ’d. “I’m going back to where I grew up.”

Raised in the golden era of pirate radio, Kane Robinson quickly found notoriety on the underground circuit as a lyrical leviathan. Sidestepping the pitfalls of his East London environment, he honed his delivery alongside the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, developing a confident poise absent anywhere else in the capital. Standing out from the rest of his peers, on his 18th birthday Robinson was offered the chance to make the leap from the underground to the mainstream in the form of a record contract with 679/Warner. Knocking back promising prospects in sport and academia, the young MC made the transition to an artist and accepted the proposal – and he has never looked back.

Released in 2005, Kano’s debut ‘Home Sweet Home’ was quickly heralded as an urban classic. With appearances from Mike Skinner, and production from himself, Mikey J and Fraser T Smith, Kano built an eclectic fanbase; a heartthrob and a hood hero both, singles like ‘Brown Eyes’ and ‘Nite Nite’ proved he could create chart hits with credibility. A MOBO performance of typical Me was pronounced by Public Enemy’s Chuck D as ‘The best performance,’ he had seen in a long time. However the standout track for many will be ‘P’s & Q’s’ – an underground anthem and a seminal grime classic.

The sophomore effort ‘London Town’ arrived in 2007 and offered an insight into London living. As well as further cementing his position as a commodifiable musician, the record featured noticeable musical contribution from Kate Nash, ex-Blur frontman and Gorillaz brainchild Damon Albarn who sang and produced on the single ‘Feel Free’, and UK garage/R&B poster boy Craig David with whom Kano released ‘This Is The Girl’. Both tracks hit the top 20. The album also showcased Kane’s Jamaican heritage, with a noticeable reggae influence most epitomised by the collaboration with dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel - ‘Buss It Up’ which fused dancehll and grime effortlessly.

As one of the few underground star’s to cross over to the mainstream, Kano has appeared in NME, i-D, RWD, Dazed & Confused (ETC ETC), been playlisted on Radio1, Choice, Galaxy and Kiss and has performed everywhere from Glastonbury to Jools Holland. Among the awards won, Kano was named Best Newcomer at the MOBO’s, Best UK artist at the BET awards and was nominated for a BRIT award.

After all the awards, accolades and acclaim, why is Kane revisiting the place where it all started? “You could say I’m going back there, but I’m going forward at the same time,” Kane states about ‘140 Grime St’, an album that represents the cycle of his career so far. “The album really tells a story. It begins with me in my bedroom wanting to get out, but the end is me after I’ve been through the whole industry scene and now I wanna do it my own way.”

Robinson is referring to his new independent status as label owner of BPM Recordings. Rising above label politics, Kano has taken the reigns to his career into his own hands after an amicable split from 679. Full creative control has allowed him to produce the most challenging project of his career whilst tackling what is probably the first fully conceptual grime album ever. “140 beats per minute is the tempo,’ Grime’ is the vibe and the community I come from and ‘Street’ is where we came up, and who the music appeals to,” says Kano of the album’s concept.

‘Hustler’ is the first single from the album, and it exemplifies the cyclic evolution of Kano as an artist with the first verse directing the listener with TomTom-like precision through the life of a pre-signed Kano whilst the second verse presents the mature MC who he is today. “It was the perfect single cos it explains so much,” he shares. What with the hefty horns and hypnotic hook, some have likened it to the classic ‘P’s & Q’s’. “Wow that’s a lot to live up to,” Kano smiles knowingly.

Grime legend Wiley provides the beat and a verse on ‘Anywhere We Go’ which sees the long awaited collaboration between the grime pioneers. “I respect Wiley as a producer and an MC,” Kano remarks. The two heavyweights throw respect for each other back and forth as they reference each other’s standout lyrics. “That’s a mutual respect thing. Wiley was one of the people I listened to on the radio coming up, I used to recite his lyrics in my bedroom.”

Another artist who has contributed a beat is Skepta from the highly lauded Boy Better Know collective, while DaVinChe, producer of ‘P’s & Q’s’ provides the soundtrack for ‘I Like It’ and ‘Don’t Come Around Here’. The latter is a forward-thinking song that relays street tales from the perspective of victims of crime. “It’s putting out a positive message without preaching,” Kano says. “ It’s doing it in a way that young people can connect with. It’s not one of those bohemian coffee house poetry corner protests. It’s a hard beat which kids can bop their head to, but if you really listen to the undercurrent of the track it’s a positive message I’m trying to get across and it relates to the time that we are living in.” What starts off as a dark foreboding song is soon flipped on its head by a clever twist as Kano addresses gun crime, single parent households and the lack of positive black role models. “It’s not gonna change the world - that’s a bigger job than any track,” he admits. “It’s just my way of addressing the kids.

As well as DaVinChe, Wiley and Skepta, the album also sees long-term collaborators Ghetto and Mikey J (who produced 9 of the LP’s 16 tracks). Completing the narrative, the album’s finale ‘Aim For The Sky’ sees Kano in a thoughtful mood as he analyses his progression from day one up until the present. Is he ready to be his own boss? “It’s going well so far,” he smirks before adding, “I haven’t had to fire myself like Alan Sugar!

The next step is to take the album on tour, with Kano planning a full-blown assault on venues in the UK as well as Europe. The tour, which will hit clubs as well as traditional venues may be as groundbreaking as the album with plans to involve all the album contributors along the way.

Also not wanting to disappoint fans who he has accumulated along the way, Kano is hoping to jump into the studio very soon to record a follow up album to be released early next year. “The next one I’m just gonna go crazy. Explore more genres. Work with artists outside of the scene and just make an international album that will put my name on the map.”

“What I wanted to get across with ‘140 Grime St’ was the vibe and the energy of the scene. I also wanted to cement the position I have, my situation and how I’m trying to move forward through the industry,” concludes Kano. “It’s just MY story.”

Posted by Anna Nathanson

Writer's Block @ Juno Bar

Writer's Block @ Juno Bar, Shoredich High Street is THE place to be for those rich in creativity, bored of the mundane and ready to open their minds, chill, be inspired and spend less than a fiver in the process.

Free Before 7.30pm, £2 thereafter.

October 8th is an Open Mic Special, meaning YOU can do anything you want to. (obviously in keeping with the quality, we oh so love).

Headliners for October include:


♦Farrago Poetry Slam Champion Keith Jarret

http://www.myspace.com/elespaciodekeith

♦The honey-soaked vocals of Jaz Elington


http://www.myspace.com/jazellington


♦ Alim Kamara, the lyrical scholar

http://www.alimkamara.com

♦ Songress Sarah Williams- White

http://www.sarahwilliamswhite.com

PLUS
♦ Black History Month inspired Short Films


This makes Wednesday October 8th the BIGGEST Writer's Block line up so far.

Expect to cry with the sheer joy of it all.

See you then! Remeber to spread the good word and arrive early!

Lovewritersblock.com

Posted by Anna Nathanson

Sway Update

Sway signs to Akon’s Kon Live label
After months of rumours and speculation, Sway has now officially signed to Akon’s Kon Live label. The multi-album deal applies worldwide with the exception of Europe and the UK where Sway retains his celebrated independence and will continue to release through his own Dcypha Productions outlet. Sway is the first European artist to be signed by five time Grammy nominee Akon and joins the star’s Kon Live and Konvict Muzik roster of talent alongside the highly successful T-Pain, famed for his collaborations with Kanye West and Lil Wayne, singer songwriter Colby O’Donis and Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall who recently celebrated a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 with Dangerous.

The Signature LP release date change
In related news the release of Sway’s new album, The Signature LP, has now been moved back to 6th October. The delay is due to the late addition of Silver & Gold – a collaborative track with Akon that marks the start of Sway’s endeavours with Kon Live and Akon and which was initially held back until contracts were finalised.

Free download – The Signature LP Mixtape
As a thank you to fans and followers for their ongoing support and patience Sway offers up The Signature LP Mixtape. The riotous collection of exclusive tracks, radio clips, skits, freestyles and bootlegs once again demonstrates the North London rapper and producer’s razor-sharp skills and creativity. Highlights include tasters of The Signature LP material (Stereo, Saturday Night Hustle, F UR X, Jason Waste), and collaborations with new British talent Giggs, Styles P, Kardinal Offishall and The Wire star Idris Elba (AKA Stringer Bell). The free download mixtape is available for a limited 2 week period from www.sway.uk.com

For more info:
http://sway.uk.com/
http://www.myspace.com/swaydasafo

Posted by Anna Nathanson

B-Boy Championships on TV

Don’t miss the first episode of the Sony Ericsson B-Boy Championships TV series this Sunday 28th September. The program will be aired on Channel 4 at 8.20am.

This will be the first time that b-boy culture receives mainstream television coverage with a program dedicated to the UK B-Boy Championships World Series. Over the next six weeks, you will see some of the best breakers, poppers and lockers from across the globe battling it out for a place on the World Finals stage at London’s Brixton Academy on 12th October for the chance to be crowned as the ultimate b-boy crew on the planet.

The first episode features the Korean Elimination event which took place back in June and the following episodes will show documented footage and reports on the other elimination events. The final program will be an hour long special about the World Finals.

So please show your support by waking up and tuning in to Channel 4 on Sunday at 8.20am. However, if you miss out, don’t worry because it will also be available to watch online on the B-Boy Championships media player from the following day. This can be found at www.bboychampionships.com/

tv

Posted by Anna Nathanson

New film: Hip Hop Colony

Michael Wanguhu’s lively documentary celebrates the recent emergence of hip hop youth culture in Kenya, a nation still emerging from the hangover of British colonial rule.

Michael Wanguhu’s lively documentary celebrates the recent emergence of hip hop youth culture in Kenya, a nation still emerging from the hangover of British colonial rule. It introduces us to the movers and shakers of the scene, such as the new wave of record producers like Tedd Josiah of Bluezebra records and Steve Ominde of Soul Child records and artists such as Nazizi, Big Mike and DJ John. Originally inspired by the fashions and musical styles of the American scene, Kenyan hip hop has quickly established its own voice, with its artists rapping in both Swahili and English and dealing with topics relevant to their everyday lives.

Wanguhu’s camera follows his subjects from their homes in the ghettoes and suburbs of Nairobi through their producers’ studios all the way up to their live performances in front of thousands of avid fans, giving us a unique access to the broader picture of the culture and society of this vibrant country than we’re usually afforded. As Tedd Josiah says, “Kenya is not just about lions, giraffes and fast-running men.” Once considered a passing fad, local hip hop artists are now giving their foreign rivals a run for their money, and are now a phenomenal presence on Kenya’s TV and radio airwaves. How long before they take over the world?

Posted by Anna Nathanson

Blak Twang Launch Party

The Legendary Blak Twang's new album "Speaking from Xperience" will be released on 29th September 2008...

You are invited to an event to celebrate the release of Mistah Rotton's 5th Album.

This event will be taking place at:

The Underworld, 174 Camden High Street, London NW1 0NE

on Sunday 5th October 2008

Doors open at 7pm, performances start at 8pm sharp!!

Entry is free BUT you MUST be on the guest list to get in.

RSVP to info@rottonproducts.com

Media presence will be at this event along with some xplosive guest performances....plus lots of giveaways.

Get your names on the list early... IT'S GONNA BE A ROAD BLOCK!!!

New single Champagne Lifestyle OUT NOW
Album Speaking from Xperience - OUT 29th SEPT 08

www.myspace.com/blaktwang / www.blaktwang.blogspot.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blak-Twang/11548699316 www.myspace.com/rottonproductrecords
www.blaktwang.net

And don't forget to check out Blak Twang's new blog www.blaktwang.blogspot.com

Posted by Anna Nathanson