Superhero status in our reality.....

Check this out! Jordan Wilcox, one of our favourite up n comin Free runners sent us some pics of his latest stunts out and about his hometown of Cheltenham

At 17 he's well on his way to becoming a champion of his sport, entering regular competitions around the country. We think his style of PHAT!

So what is Freerunning?

Freerunning is a sport which is completed by performing many different movements to get through, under and over obstacles that surround you. They could be walls, drops, bars, rails and virtually anything. And in the last few years it has been brought to the media in many different ways such as adverts, movies, websites, Local media and much more.

Jordan explains how he got into it:

I got into this sport about 5 and a half years ago now when I was about 12. Always as a kid I would jump around the school climbing frames and over bars in local parks and so on but I never knew there was a name for it until I heard the name "Freerunning" and saw how people were throwing themselves in mid air and landing back to their feet on youtube. In the past 5 years I have made many life achievements. One of the achievements I am really proud of is my sponsorships and work i have received from companies. My Main Sponsor is with
Urban Species and I'm proud of that. I train in many places and travel as much as possible going to jams around like London, Bristol or Wales. Freerunning is also very social and can also be used to meet friends and have fun as well as train hard.

More images will be uploaded on our website soon. For video footage I recommend this!

Ty on Faada'a Podcast

Spoonface popped into the offices the other day for a lil catch up and to order some more customised Tees from our resident artists....

He's been up to all sorts recently, so in the next week I will be informing you lovely people of all things Faada and we've even managed to sneak a little competition in, details coming soon!

Recently a certain Hip Hop rapper visited the Faada Studios, and we have a snippet of the podcast right here for your enjoyment....

So go make a cuppa, open those choccie bickies and chillax to the sounds of Ty...



And if you want to hear Spoonface's full radio show, - then you can download it here:
http://faada.co.uk/podcast/01-05-10.mp3

More details on this popular Radio show next week :-)

Peace.

Ty week special!

This week is a homage to one of Musical Artists Ty Chijioke

He's been in the public eye so much these past few months and we're so proud of all he's doin, but somehow there are still peeps out there who aint in touch wit his vibe????

So this is our way to make sure the whole world knows his style!

Ty has been on the scene for well over a decade, working with the true Guru's of HipHop, such as De La Soul, Arrested Development and even performed alongside Black Twang.

He doesn't just specialise in HipHop, Scratch Perverts and Basement Jaxx have all had a piece of him. So I bet there's at least one song in his repertoire that you'll know.

And in 2010 he's come back hard with a new Album titled 'Special Kind of Fool'. This time he's been collaborating with a real mix of up and coming Artists such as Roses Gabor - grime singer famous for recent collaborations 'Stupid' by Redlight and 'Dont let go' by the infamous J2K. Plus many more, I'll leave it up to you to do some self discovery....

So, his recent single is called 'Emotions' and its beautiful....when I first heard it, my heart tingled with happiness. Its a tribute to all things old skool, emphasising the sad decline of Soul in modern HipHop, where nowadays Rappers just bitch about gang rivals and how much dollar they got. Ty is asking the world to get in touch with themselves, get that community spirit and actually interact with your fellow man. Forget the front and be true to yourself!

So thats why we've done our own competition! Where you can win a signed copy of his new Album! All ya gotta do is answer an immensely simple question...Details are HERE so get crackin!!

More details coming up on Ty's events, and there's some pretty cool stuff I wanna let you know about, like a Ty Q&A showcase at the British Music Experience, Live gigs and even more competitions.

WATCH THIS SPACE

Exclusive Tectonic Fabric Mix - Hear it here first!

Pinch - Promo Mix (May2010) by fabric

Since its formation in 2004 Bristol based Multiverse has been one of the key creative studios for developing the city's flourishing culture of forward thinking electronic music. Based around their recording studio in the heart of the city the collective has consistently nurtured and supported electronic artists, both nationally and internationally, in the process creating a series of seminal releases that have helped shape today's current musical landscape. Through their network of labels which includes Tectonic, Kapsize, Earwax, Caravan and Build, the work of the studio has focussed on exploring the uncharted spaces between genres, bridging together today's cutting edge sonic possibilities with electronic music's rich and diverse musical history. This intention has been accomplished with a strictly artist led approach and a commitment to supporting the work of new and innovative musicians and composers. The fruits of this creative labour are reflected here in this celebratory compilation.

In an interview with Fabric Pinch discussed Tectonic's new quarterly residency,

"The growing confidence and support has (luckily for us) led to Tectonic joining the FABRICLIVE family, and it is certainly testament to the growth and evolution of dubstep, in all of its multifarious permutations, that Tectonic will be diving straight into Room One come Friday 11th June."

To celebrate the occasion Pinch has put together this promo mix - so get your ears round this and your groove in their direction :-P

Recommended festival - Nozstock 2010

NOZSTOCK FESTIVAL 2010

ROWDEN PADDOCKS, BROMYARD, HEREFORDSHIRE, HR7 4LS

DATES: 9^th – 11^th JULY

WEEKEND TICKETS: £75 (inc camping)

PETE AND THE PIRATES, GAGGLE, LOUIS BARRABAS, JACK BEATS AND DJ GAMMER ADDED TO NOZSTOCK LINEUP…

THE BLOCKHEADS | STANTON WARRIORS| CASPA & MC ROD AZLAN | SUB FOCUS | HIGH CONTRAST | GABBY YOUNG AND OTHER ANIMALS | CHIEF | 3 DAFT MONKEYS | TALONS | APPLES | THE ANOMALIES | KONCEPT | SICKNOTE | DEX | OCTO PI | URBAN TRAMPER | KARMA JUNKIE | VIVIAN COMA | PETER BRUNTNELL + MANY MORE TBA

Deep within the rolling Herefordshire countryside there lies a secret waiting to be discovered…

And Urban Species is here to show you the way! This festival is small in size but well worth the dollar, with such an amazing line up, you really cant go wrong this July, so for all you ravers out there, CHECK IT OUT and be part of something fantastical....

Set within the idyllic grounds of a 17^th century farm Nozstock retains a family friendly atmosphere that people return to year on year. From the pear tree lined orchard to the converted barns, secret areas, cinetent, coppice and glistening lake guest promoters play host to a rich musical tapestry of punk, dubstep, drum and bass, psy-trance, ska, acoustic, classical, folk and blues. In addition there are a whole host of treats for the kids in this year’s all new Little Wonderland kids area. Here the little ones can learn how to make carnival costumes, puppets, listen to stories or just kick back for a well deserved nap.

However it’s not just the creative vision, performance art, and visual splendour that sets Nozstock apart, there is a real underlying sense of community with locally produced food, farmers market, craft workshops and the BBC Hereford and Worcester Introducing Stage promoting local talent. With early bird tickets costing a mere £65 (until April 12^th) Nozstock offers unparalleled value for money and an opportunity to become part of the family. Get involved…

BUY TICKETS FROM: www.skiddle.com

**EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW**

Interview with Akala, weds 28^th April 2010-04-30

By Mamasupreme

Album Launch @ East Village

As I walked into the packed bar, I could feel the vibrations from the incredible sound system, and I in the distance I could see a young man rocking out on stage.

Akala’s performance was fast, furious & raw. His sound is really rocky, which mixes so fluidly with is incredible rapping skills. I was very pleasantly surprised, as this was the first time I’ve seen him perform his own music. The last time I saw him was at Shakespeare Hip Hop, a government funded charity helping kids to learn about Shakespeare, where he also blew me away.

Well onto the interview :

Congratulations Akala, how does it feel ?

Really good, amazing, pleased.

Your single XXL, I get the msg it sends out, let’s hear your actual msg to the boys & girls listening to your music.

I’m talking about the fact that how commercial Hip Hop has become & now has an inaccurate stereotype. It’s very clear, watch it on youtube, as it’s not going to be shown on tv!

How has your journey been musically, when did u start, what were the influences in your large family?

Music has been part of me since birth, my mum has always had lots of music around, Niomi & I used to put on performances for our Mum constantly as well!

Apart from u both, any other talents in the fam?

Watch this space, they’re on the way!

How has your sound changed over the yrs?

It’s getting broader, I’m thinking outside of the box more & more. I’ve created my own show & my own style & it’s getting better.

Where should we expect to see you this year.

A lot of festivals, and basically all over the UK this year! Next major gig is on Friday 28th May at the Roundhouse, Camden where's I'll be rinisin it out with the likes of DJ Luck and MC Neat, Lazy Habits, Izzi Dunn (Gorrilaz, Roots Manuva), and swing hop duo The Correspondents.

Also check out myspace page for more UK gig details.

Explain your sound in 3 words :

Rap/ Rock/ Electro

Tell me about Hip Hop Shakespeare, has it had the desired effect?

What are your plans for this in the future?

Hip Hop Shakespeare is a permanent part of my life.

I have a tremendous duty to educate the young people. I want to change their perception of Shakespeare with the influence of hip hop.

It’s a great feeling to be inspiring young, impressionable people.

What does the future hold?

LET THE UNIVERSE DECIDE.

Let the energy guide me, I am pleased with my journey & I want to continue to learn…

Akala's new single XXL is causing quite a stir....Have a listen, see what you think?

OPEN exhibition taking over Urban Species

Welcome to the next installment of Urban Species Pop up shop creativity. As of Thursday next week the store will be transformed into an exhibition space for all to come and experience.

OPEN is a week long ASSEMBLY project combining a fine art exhibition and program of events, curated by Nicholas E. Lawrence and Luke C. Kemp

OPEN brings together exciting new work from 18 emerging artists from around the world.

OPEN is not just an exhibition, it is an artwork in itself; an investigation into new possibilities for mediating the relationship between an artwork and its audience.

OPEN functions as an exhibition space, stage, discussion forum and social hub.

OPEN embraces both the commercial history of the space at 14 Cheshire Street and the access to the wide and varied audience which the location allows.

OPEN presents visual and performative artwork that is at the cutting edge of current fine art practice.

LIST OF ARTISTS

Zulfiya Akhmetova
Gwen Bajon
Ahmet Civelek
Alex Du-Preez
Karen Garratt
Jenifer Heggarty
Sophie Hoyle
Luke C. Kemp
Nicholas E. Lawrence
Antony Priddle
I K Reid
John Richert
Marta Santuccio
Alex Valy
Stephen Williams
Susannah Williams
Jessica York
Madalina Zaharia

All details about the exhibition programme and list of events is on their FACEBOOK Page so please come and support creativity at its rawest.

For further enquiries please visit www.openexhibition.info

or email assembly.contact@googlemail.com


Urban Species Crew