I recently posted both live and radio ripped versions of Blind Faith, Chase & Status' new single featuring Liam Bailey. This is due to feature on next year's new album, No More Idols - released 31st January.
To promote this album, Chase & Status have announced a UK tour that will start in March 2011. Tickets for this tour are going on sale this Friday, 3rd December. However, you can jump the queue by accessing the 24 hour pre-sale that starts 9am Thursday here.
I stumbled upon this track on Twitter as RobdaBank shared it as his tune of the day. I can hardly resist checking out tracks that my favourite artists recommend, because believe it or not, they themselves have great taste in music.
So this track, I Know from David Lynch. The first impression I had was that it has a Bond movie feel, a real classy number. I can picture a slow motion scene with this playing, maybe in a casino. The sample gives the track a creepy feel, and reminds me of Garbage or early Goldfrapp.
The song is available for download on iTunes, and includes a double A-side track Good Day Today.
The video for Shy FX's new track Raver went live on the Digital Soundboy YouTube channel yesterday. The video features some huge names from the music scene (even Pete Waterman!). Remix is very much the word with this track, as Breakage, MJ Cole, Skream, B.Traits, Attacca Pesante, Benny Page and Shy FX himself have all provided bootlegs which are are available to listen to on YouTube.
The track itself is strong, but I am expecting more from the remixes, as the artists given remix duty are more to my taste. Kano does a good job on the vocals and can do no wrong at the moment, with his album Method to the Maadness doing very well.
This track is due to feature on Shy FX's new album, Larger Than Life, due in 2011, but will also be released as a FREE download alongside the remixes on December 6th.
Part time dubstep promoters UKFDubstep are taking advantage of the festive season by releasing an album containing the best of their uploads. The video above is a 10 minute mix giving you a taste of what you can expect from the album.
UKF are prolific uploaders of all the latest dubstep and drum and bass, and if your track doesn't make it onto their channels, your chances of being successful are significantly slimmer. They have 152835 subscribers on YouTube, and their uploads regularly receive 6 figure hits.
A lot of their subscribers have been urging them to bring out a CD, but these things are easier said than done. Thankfully, UKF have been able to release an album on iTunes. This would be a perfect gift for someone starting to get into dubstep, or for anyone you know is a fan of UKF.
You may remember that last week here on The Disc Jockey Blog I shared and reviewed the video for Love Goes Down - Plan B's latest release from his album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks. I also shared the Doctor P remix, which I thought was very good.
Well, a different remix, this time from Danny Byrd, has surfaced on Plan B's YouTube channel. This takes a very different approach to Doctor P and is more melodic, and a bit of a feel good tune. I've been a fan of Danny Byrd for a while, but he has shot to mainstream fame through Ill Behaviour - A bootleg on Wildchild's Renegade Master.
He's really found success with the melodic drum and bass tracks, and it's working very well. This remix of Love Goes Down is very radio friendly and I can see it getting a lot of plays on Radio 1.
The second instalment of Gorillaz in Dressing Room is on YouTube for us to enjoy as Gorillaz promote their tour of Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia though December.
You can buy tickets for next month's tour here, and you can watch Murdoc's World Tour diary here.
Adidas Originals have been going to great lengths to promote themselves around London and this is a very small part of what they are doing.
This is taking place at the Earlham Street store, which is near Covent Garden. This is very close to where I used to work in Soho so I know the store well and recognised it from the video above. I know that there are a lot of budding MC's out there so this is a great opportunity for someone to get noticed. Def Jam are the biggest hip-hop label going and have helped names like NaS and Jay-Z get to where they are today.
As Adidas say:
From the 25th to the 27th November, we invite all budding MCs, gamers and music fans alike to head down to the adidas Originals Earlham Street store and have a go rocking the mic with the ground-breaking new console title, DEF JAM RAPSTAR. Winners of the mic 'battles' on the day will win some huge prizes courtesy of Def Jam Rapstar, adidas and Nokia and the chance to battle Roll Deep live instore!
Think you got what it takes??
From 5pm Thursday 25th November to 7pm 27th November @ adidas Originals store, Earlham St, London WC2
You can find more information on the Facebook page here.
Brand new from Skepta and N-Dubz, this is trending on YouTube. Skepta's been trying to break into the charts with his most recent releases, and I was a big fan of Rescue Me that came out in the summer.
So here's this collaboration with N-Dubz. I'll be honest on this one, I think it's quite poor. The bars are OK but the chorus is a real let down, as is the production. It all sounds a bit cheap, as on YouTube commenter put it:
"Put your hands in the sky like you're trying to touch a plane."
Gorillaz are promoting their tour with some elaborate YouTube sketches on their channel. Conveying Murdoc as a rockstar in his dressing room, this is a bit of fun to raise awareness that tickets are available.
Off the back of their Plastic Beach release, and being a group made up of computer generated imagery, the Gorillaz tour is sure to add something very different to your average tour. Plastic Beach was a great album, and they followed up quickly with the release of Doncamatic, featuring Daley.
Sure to be entertaining, you can get your tour tickets here.
As promised, there is a studio version (radio rip) of Blind Faith, Chase & Status' brand new track featuring Liam Bailey that had an exclusive play last night on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show.
This is taken from the new album No More Idols, which we can expect to drop in January next year.
Just heard the exclusive first play on Radio 1. Chase & Status have come out with Blind Faith, featuring vocals from Liam Bailey.
At present, the only version I can link to is a live version that was uploaded 3 weeks ago, but I am certain a studio version will hit the internet extremely soon, and I will make sure that it makes its way here.
The track itself is huge, it's at a dubstep pace and Liam Bailey's vocals work so well over the top. It sounds like something you'd hear in a movie sequence, and just suggests something epic. I'm a big fan of this "ballad" like music, that just exceeds emotion.
The exclusive play was on Zane Lowe's show, and he was able to talk to Chase & Status after the exclusive play. They confirmed that the album No More Idols is finished, and will be out January 2011. This is great news as I'm expecting the album to be out of this world. More Than A lot, their previous album, was so diverse and there were some real anthems on there.
Since then, they've brought out some amazing tracks, working with Plan B, Tempa T, and Mali to name a few. No More Idols is definitely going to be packed full of heavy hits, and Blind Faith is just a taste of what we can hope to expect from the January release.
EDIT: The studio version is available to listen to here.
The official video for Plan B's Love Goes Down is available to watch now on YouTube.
Plan B's album The Defamation of Strickland Banks is on the face of it, very different to his previous work. It's a more soulful album, with a bit of jazz, but it does contain some rap elements. I bought the album on the week of it's release, and it's a firm favourite with me.
If you watch all of the videos to come from the album, you will see it's trying to tell a story. I'm finding this really interesting to follow as it's like piecing a jigsaw together. Every release from this album is prompting a remix from the who's who of electronic music: Recluse was remixed by both Nero and Netsky, Stay Too Long was remixed by Pendulum, and Love Goes Down is no different, as remix duties go to Doctor P.
More drumstep than dubstep, this is a strong song on it's own. As with a lot of Plan B remixes, the sample is used sparingly to create a more original track. I really like the riff and would happily play it out in a set.
Channel 4 has come up with a new tool to create sentences, and the best ones will get featured on TV!
They have a library of words (not that large) that you piece together to make a sentence. This features a number of Channel 4 personalities and it will be interesting to see what kind of sentences people come up with!
Mine is fairly mundane but it's a first go and it gives you an idea of what Channel 4 Twist is about.
Nero have come out with a remix of NERD's collaboration with Daft Punk, Hypnotize You.
I'm a huge fan of Pharrell's voice, and the sample is used well on this track. Nero are one of the pioneers of what I would call "liquid dubstep" and this one's a bit of a floor filler.
With over 4 million hits since its upload 2 days ago, Rihanna's collaboration with Drake for What's My Name? is sure to be a huge hit in the charts.
Every song Rihanna does at the moment tops the charts, which has earned her the right to work with some great artists like Jay-Z and recently, Eminem. For this new track, she gets to perform with Drake, a real rising star in hip-hop.
The video shows the two getting very close and may spark rumours, but I'm saying nothing. Rihanna looks very good in this video, which I'm sure will please the male audience. I'm gonna throw it out there and say I'm a fan of the red hair, but it seems a lot of the people commenting on YouTube aren't so fond of it.
It's my 100th post here on The Disc Jockey Blog, and I've been reliving some old memories through my collection of videos I have taken.
Back in 2008, I went to the DMC World DJ Championships - A competition where scratch/beat juggling DJ's compete for a pair of gold Technics 1210 Turntables.
That year saw some great routines, from DJ Skully, DJ Final, and the winner - DJ Fly of France. There was also a showcase from the 2007 winner, DJ Rafik - One of my favourite routines since the electro hip-hop takeover of DMC.
Another showcase on the night was from host Killa Kela, a british beatboxer. This ended up being the highlight of my night and it went a little like this.
There's some classic tunes he recreates in this routine, like Golden Skans, Everyone Nose, Renegade Master.
I came away inspired from this and beatbox to myself almost daily. I'm not ready to perform on stage or anything but I really enjoy doing it.
This prompted me to buy Killa Kela's album the following year, Amplified is more electric dance but incorporates beatbox elements within its production. It's a really feel good summer album, and features Bashy and Tinie Tempah.
I find this track similar to Burnin' Up that was released by Skream last year with Memories of Third Base. It uses the same sample, and has a slow breakbeat/jungle feel. It has a great jingle to it and is very easy on the ears.
A classic dubstep pace, I find this track a bit similar to Benga's On a Mission. I think it's the synths that make me feel this way. This track is again easy on the ears, and not the cut throat noise competition that I've seen in a lot of new dubstep over the past year.
Now I have saved the best for last here, this is Untitled. Untitled by SKREAMIZM
This reminds me of The XX. The xylophone just gives this track a lullaby feel and makes it so relaxing. I could drift off to the this every night. I think it's quite similar to Getting Nowhere on the Magnetic Man album. I do think this track could benefit from some vocals, but I also think it's brilliant as it is.
Skream's Outside The Box album, featuring tracks similar to the above, is available to buy/download from Amazon.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to even use my decks recently as the needle needs replacing, and I have more important financial commitments before I can splash out the dollar.
I do miss using my decks, so have been reminiscing over my past mixes, such as the one above. The interesting thing I've found about my 2010 mix is that it has not attracted anywhere near as much attention as my first few goes.
My 10 Minute Progressive Mix is my most successful, attracting over 2,000 hits. I'm not only proud of the hits - but it's also my smoothest, cleanest mix to date. Very happy with that one.
But why has my 2010 Mix not had the hits?
There can be several reasons as to why this one hasn't done so well, hopefully embedding it on this blog will increase the exposure:
It's Not as Good as the Others
This could be the issue, and I would put it down to that had not been for the fact that I'm pretty happy with it. I didn't want to upload something that wasn't clean, as I had set the standard with my Progressive Mix. All the feedback I have received on this 2010 Mix has been positive, and it's clean.
The Tracks Used Aren't Popular
A lot of the traffic directed to my videos comes from people searching for the tracks that are listed in my mix. If people aren't searching for those tracks, they are less likely to see my mix. All the tracks I used however were contemporary, and popular at the time of uploading. I still enjoy listening to them now.
It Didn't get the Exposure
My other videos had been embedded on dubstepforum, in a thread I had started called Post Your 10 Min Minimixes. I hadn't posted the 2010 Mix as by that time the thread had run out of steam, and I'm not one to dig up an old thread! However, the 2010 Mix was featured on Russian blog Viteker.ru and been recommended on Facebook. I think it's had equal exposure to my other mixes, but people feel less need to share this one.
It Wasn't Interesting for People to Share
My Progressive Mix was very conversational. I'd named it "progressive" because of the way the mix evolved from beginning to end. Some of the viewers on YouTube took it to mean that I was using "progressive dubstep" tracks, of which there are no such thing! This sparked debate on the video, and will have caused people to share the mix more. This is not the case for my 2010 Mix - this was a run of the mill mix, not doing anyone any harm, and not causing anyone to talk.
I think my last point is the most likely reason that the 2010 Mix has not done so well. I also think that the exposure is a factor and it's one of the points I'm trying to solve in embedding it on this blog.
The tracklisting is: Example - Kickstarts (Bar9 Remix)
Trolley Snatcha - We Rock the Forest
Subscape - Midnight
Nero - Innocence
Subscape - Let Me Clear my Throat
Doctor P - Sweet Shop
Massive banger available for *free* download tomorrow 8th Novemberfrom the Chase & Status website.
Tempa T and Chase & Status collaborated for Radio One's Big Weekend over the summer and performed a jumped up version of Next Hype, Tempa T's iconic track, that gets quoted everywhere I go!
So, coming to the conclusion that it's a match made in heaven, they have collaborated once again to bring Hypest Hype to our ears, and I am loving it! Chase & Status show their versatility once again, delivering this track with a catchy hook, and Tempa T giving his signature aggressive lyrics that we've all grown so fond of.
The video showcases footage from the festivals over the summer, and the whole crew look to be having a great time performing.
Russian outfit Underways have come out with a new parkour video using Jay-Z's classic 99 Problems as their soundtrack. There's some really impressive gymnastic ability shown in this video, utilising both strength and agility.
It supports the point I made last week that a lot of good things are coming from Russia, in terms of hip-hop and urban culture. Technology is advancing at a rapid rate, allowing just about anyone to record a high quality standard of video. This can only be good as it allows things like this to surface and be broadcast globally.
You can follow these guys on their Facebook page, and even check their website here.
It's quite a slow news day today, so I thought I'd blog something I've been liking for a while. Now, I've never shopped in Clarks - I've never really seen them as my sort of brand - but I really like this advert.
The main thing that hits me is the music, a soulful 60's feel. Play this sort of music to me and I'm yours, it's that easy. The song is Shawn Lee's Kiss The Sky featuring Nino Moschella.
The advert is set using the backdrop of Hong Kong, with Giants roaming in their Clarks footwear. It's really attention grabbing, and Hong Kong really is a stunning place.
I have to come back to the music though; it's made me realise that music is the most influential thing I find within advertising. If an advert has a good soundtrack, I will pay attention. It's also great marketing for the artist in question - I took the time to find out who the artist is, and am subsequently now a fan.
So all you corporate advertising types - If you want to sell to me, use good tunes! It makes all the difference.
Huge track. Featuring the who's who of UK grime/hip-hop, Tinchy Stryder gives us a taste of what's to come in his new album Third Strike with this new tune Game Over.
Highly anticipated, this track features Giggs, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah, Example, Devlin, and Chipmunk. The layout of the track and the video reminds me of Busta Rhymes' Touch It, as that featured just about everyone in mainstream US hip-hop at the time.
Each artist gets a 30 second spit on the beat, apart from Giggs who seems to get a good minute out of it. The nature of that track has sparked a mass of comments on the video, rating each spit out of ten. They all go hard though and have produced a track that is causing a massive stir on the internet and is set for chart glory upon its release.
Absolutely loving this track today. A fairly standard of format of female lyrics over a liquid dubstep track, but when it's done well, it's so great on the ears.
It reminds me of Nero's early remix of Boy Crisis' Dress to Digress. It gets a bit more jumpy halfway through the song, and the change of pace really gives the track another dimension.
Scorcher and Wiley have had their problems in the past, but all that can be forgotten about with this huge track Terms of Agreement.
Wiley's been a busy man lately, collaborating with MJ Cole recently, and now this track has emerged today. His new material is looking very promising. Terms of Agreement has a catchy hook, jumpy backing track and will surely storm the charts upon its release which is yet to be confirmed.
All the way from Russia, Masta Mic has come out with a Halloween beatbox. Apart from the pumpkin, there isn't a lot of Halloween action going on to be honest, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
He uses his mouth, a keyboard, and a loop machine to recreate One (Know Your Name) from Swedish House Mafia, Pianjoo by Eric Prydz, and We No Speak Americano from Yolanda Be Cool.
I like the improvised feel that looping always gives, and he made the video interesting using his sense of humour. Eastern Europe has really been intriguing me lately, there are a lot of videos coming from Russia that are right up my street. Parkour, beatbox, dubstep - they've got it all going on and I love it.
I'm a massive fan of SKisM, and you will have seen a few of his tunes right here on this blog. I love the remix of Foreign Beggars Get A Bit More, as well as the Back Off that featured on Plastician's LA Mixtape.
So what now for SKisM, time to bring out an EP isn't it?
Yes. Down With The Kids is out 8th November on We Will Never Say Die Records, and SKisM samples his own voice, which works surprisingly well!
You can preview the tracks from the EP here - it includes remixes from Funtcase and Matta. Matta remixes my Back Off which I mentioned earlier and samples Jonah Hill playing Seth in Superbad (in case you were wondering).
You can also get a free download of Power which is featured on the EP here.
Off the back of his Australia and New Zealand tour, he's made a short documentary showing his rise in the dubstep scene, the problems he's faced, and how he makes his productions.
I think you'll agree there's a good sense of humour with this video, the North Korean march is hilarious!
Now to really show your love for SKisM, there's a package available on the release of the EP. In this package you get the EP across all formats (digital, CD, vinyl) as well as extended documentary footage and a SKisM t-shirt, bargain!
There's also a free download available for everyone - Never Say Day Vol.7 - Mixed by SKisM. This features unreleased tracks from Bare Noize, Skrillex, Noisia, Flux Pavillion and Foreign Beggars - All of which I am a big fan of! This mix is available on Mediafire.
This track comes from LA producer Bare and features a vocal from MC Messinian. I was a bit reserved when I saw the producer was from LA, as the vast majority of dubstep I've listened to and like has been produced right here in the UK.
Plastician went out to LA last year to promote dubstep to the hip-hop community, and came out with a really good mixtape. I thought it was great that dubstep was spreading over there, becoming popular with some of my favourite rappers.
Now, I think this track from Bare is a decent effort, although it does succumb to the "noise competition" that I've mentioned in previous posts. This is where the producer just throws too many obscure sounds into the song so it just sounds like noise. Some people love this and will proceed to comment with "this tune is dirtier than...".
For me, I like the song to flow better, have some rhythm generally. Having said that, I think Bare has some great potential, and I think it's great that people from the USA are giving dubstep a really good go. Listen to the track, and judge for yourself.
Very sad news today, as Technics announce they are to cease the production of turntables. On the face of it, this sounds awful for turntablists, but there is a silver lining.
I have a pair of Technics 1210 MKII turntables, and they are built so well. I honestly believe that when I die, they will be in as good condition as they are now, and I even bought them second hand!
There are enough Technics turntables in circulation for you to find some if you ever feel you want them. DJing is an evolving art, a lot of people upgrade to digital, so there is always someone selling a pair of Technics. This brings me to my next point.
Will Technics Turntables become collectors items?
Maybe. I think the units that were actually used in competitions will be worth something. I also think that the general price of a second hand Technics turntable will rise as they will be harder to come by.
Why has Technics made this decision?
It was always going to happen. Vinyl is dying out, unfortunately. So many DJ's are upgrading to digital, and there just isn't the market there used to be for traditional turntables. This is a business decision for Panasonic, and I can hardly blame them to be honest.
How Long will it take for vinyl to follow?
Not soon - I hope! I live for vinyl, I think it give a much warmer sound, and I enjoy using it to mix. The difference with vinyl is that there is still a large market for it. I find it very easy to walk into BM Soho and spend £100+ on vinyl. The key thing here is that although Technics have ceased production of turntables, there are still a lot of them being used. This, coupled with the fact that there are other brands producing turntables, means that vinyl will live on for a while yet.
Now, as a tribute to Technics, let's see the turntables in action. This video is Plus One (from the Scratch Perverts) with his routine, that won him the 2001 DMC World Title.
You may remember, at the beginning of last month, I blogged the new single from Gorillaz, Doncamatic.
Well, Joker has come out with a relaxing dubstep mix, using the lyrics from Daley, who features on the original track. This is a typical Joker remix in my opinion and very easy on the ears. I like the way that Joker is doing his own thing, and not making it a noise competition like other dubstep producers out there.
The single is out November 22nd on Parlophone records.
on Amazon.
