UrbanSprogBlog

Win a pair of tickets to see Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D!

2012-01-31T17:30:00.007Z

Whether you're an old fan or new, there's no denying that seeing Star Wars on the big screen is an event not to be missed - especially when it's the first Star Wars movie to ever be presented in spectacular 3D.

The duel with Darth Maul, the harrowing Tatooine Podrace, the first meeting of R2-D2 and C3PO, and the introduction of the Star Wars Saga's tragic hero, Anakin Skywalker, are all back in an all-new 3D presentation of Episode I, an experience that promises to truly surround you with the Force.

...and we at Urban Species are giving away 3 pairs of BFI IMAX tickets to fans of our Facebook Page and followers of our Twitter feed.

The competition rules are quite simple; Share this photo ..or tag it with either yourself or a friend by 6/2/12 to be in with a chance.

Winners will chosen at random
Shows between 9/2/12 - 23/2/12
BFI IMAX, Southbank, London only

...Happy tagging!!

: ^ D

Book IMAX Tickets Here!

ROOTS MANUVA ON TOUR!!! JAN/FEB2012

2012-01-24T13:32:00.006Z

Roots Manuva is back on tour again with new material to play from his latest studio album '4everevolution' with support from a full live band including Urban Species' very own 'Hash Bassey' on guitar and bass.

Kicking off in Glasgow this Thursday and taking it worldwide to Australia and New Zealand through February and March. See dates below or check out http://www.rootsmanuva.co.uk/

Don't forget that Urban Species sell official Roots Manuva and Banana Klan merchandise...you can check out the range here.

In the photo below you can see the man himself sporting one of our old Marvel T-shirt designs, the Silver Surfer, from a gig at Koko 2009. My guess is they were performing 'Kick Up Ya Foot'...

Artist	Date	City	Venue	Buy
Roots Manuva	Thursday, Jan 26th	Glasgow, GB	Arches	Buy
Roots Manuva	Friday, Jan 27th	Manchester, GB	The Ritz	Buy
Roots Manuva	Saturday, Jan 28th	Leeds, GB	Leeds Metropolitan University	Buy
Roots Manuva	Monday, Jan 30th	Birmingham, GB	HMV Institute [formerly Barfly]	Buy
Roots Manuva	Tuesday, Jan 31st	Brighton, GB	Concorde 2	Buy
Roots Manuva	Wednesday, Feb 1st	Norwich, GB	Waterfront	Buy
Roots Manuva	Friday, Feb 3rd	Bristol, GB	Anson Rooms - University of Bristol	Buy
Roots Manuva	Saturday, Feb 4th	London, GB	Roundhouse	Buy
Roots Manuva	Sunday, Mar 4th	New South Wales, AU	Playground Weekender
Roots Manuva	Thursday, Mar 8th	Sydney, AU	The Hi-Fi
Roots Manuva	Friday, Mar 9th	Brisbane, AU	The Hi-Fi
Roots Manuva	Saturday, Mar 10th	Melbourne, AU	Prince Bandroom
Roots Manuva	Sunday, Mar 11th	Victoria, NZ	Golden Plains Festival	Buy

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - The IMAX Experience (12A)

2012-01-19T13:16:00.002Z

17 January - 2 February

This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organisation's name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this. Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) used IMAX cameras to film key sequences, during which time the picture will expand top and bottom to fill the entire height of our giant screen (over 20 meters high).

Make sure you enjoy the film on the biggest screen in Britain as it's the only place in London to see all the action at its biggest and best.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_imax

The Pyramids - 2 Day Residency at Cafe Oto

2012-01-16T15:24:00.003Z

Wednesday 18th January 2012
Tickets : £10 adv / £12 on the door

Thursday 19th January 2012
Tickets : £10 adv / £12 on the door

£18 two day pass

Door Times : 8pm

A two day residency of "Deeply spiritual Afro psychedelic music" from The Pyramids!

At the dawn of the 1970s, saxophonist Idris Ackamoor, flautist Margo Simmons and bassist Kimathi Asante were embedded in the radical artistic hotbed of Ohio's Antioch College. Idris Ackamoor had cut his teeth with Albert Ayler's alto player Charles Tyler in Los Angeles and had his own free jazz outfit called “The Collective” with Margo Simmons and three other Ohio musicians; Kimathi Asante had played in a handful of obscure acid rock bands before being tapped by Sonny Sharrock's “Brute Force” but like many of the musicians caught up in the gestalt at Antioch, it was under the tutelage of Cecil Taylor and participation in his 40 member Black Music Ensemble that Idris, Kimathi and Margo began to galvanize a vision of the free black music they would soon play as The Pyramids.

Young, vital and filled with an insatiable wanderlust, the trio set sail in 1972 for a year long cultural odyssey through the heart of Africa by way of the fertile expatriate cultures of Paris and Amsterdam. Kimathi suggested the name while they were in France: “The Pyramids”. The group liked its evocation of the symbolic monuments of African and Egyptian culture. Steadfast and timeless. After numerous performances throughout Holland and France the group headed for an amazing journey throughout Africa where they had the rare opportunity to study and play with Alhassan Ibrahim and the King's drummers of Tamale, Ghana. In Nairobi, Kenya the group made treks to the countryside to study, experience, and record the music of the Masai and Kikuyu tribes.

The Pyramids returned home with a name, a sound, a look and a singular vision that infused their high-energy fire music with hypnotizing Pan-African melodies, propulsive polyrhythms and a deeply spiritual Afro psychedelic music. In the span of just over 5 years together, The Pyramids cut three stunning independently produced albums including "Lalibela" (1973), "King of Kings" (1974), and "Birth/Speed/Merging" (1976) that drew heavily upon their shared experiences abroad. As well, the band migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area and became a local phenomenon in the avant-garde jazz musical community.

By 1977, after a performance at the UC Berkeley Jazz Festival the group had disbanded.

Now, close to 40 years since the founding of the group, The Pyramids have been “rediscovered” and in the past nine months the band has toured Europe three times performing with original and new members at major jazz festivals, concert venues, and clubs throughout the continent! In a spectacular comeback the band has performed at Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Enjoy Jazz Festival in Heidelberg, Germany, Berlin’s leading theatre Volksbühne, ÜberJazz Festival in Hamburg, Prague’s Palac Acropolis, Worldwide Festival in Séte, France and the Dutch State X Festival. The Pyramids just have been signed to Disko B Records in Munich for a two-record deal. Disco B Records will release their recently produced album, “Otherworldly”. "THEY PLAY TO MAKE MUSIC FIRE! THEY PLAY TO MAKE THE SOUL BURST FROM THE BODY!"

LONDON SUPER COMIC CONVENTION 2012

2012-01-04T17:46:00.004Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!

We trust you had a fun filled festive break and are eagerly excited about the year ahead....

To wet your appetities a little here are details of the first major Comic Convention happening in London this year...

General Info

London Super Comic Convention

Saturday, Feb 25th, 2012 (10:00 - 18:00)

Sunday, Feb 26th, 2012 (10:00 - 17:00)

ExCeL London

One Western Gateway

Royal Victoria Dock

London

E16 1XL

Admission

1-Day Pass: £15

2-Day Pass: £25

Kids 11 & under are free if accompanied by a paid attendee

STAN LEE Headlines the London Super Comic Convention

Stan Lee, legendary comic book creator best known as the man who created the Marvel Universe, will be the headline guest at The London Super Comic Convention 2012 - his first Official Comic Convention in the UK for nearly 40 years.

Organisers of The London Super Comic Convention 2012 are going all out to make the inaugural event unique and special for all attendees, by giving them a unique opportunity to interact with Stan, who will be soon celebrating his 89th birthday and created many of the most enduring comic book characters and pop culture icons of the last 50 years

Attendees can look forward to having their comics signed, their photo's taken and watch Stan “The Man” in action on guest panels.

Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to see Stan Lee in 2012.

For more info and tickets please go to http://www.londonsupercomicconvention.com/

Urban Species Xmas Party & Exhibition @ The Lion, Stoke Newington

2011-12-20T15:00:00.004Z

Thursday 22nd Dec 2011 @ 19.00 pm

So, its that time of year again,
When the hair gets let down,
And the seasonal spirit takes over

We, at the Lion and at Urban Species
would like to thank all the artists that have graced
our walls, and all the lovely people who have attended
our Art Shows.

Come and join the fun and let us High 5ive u in person

Lots of art to look at and buy,

Free Wine

Christmas HipHop and Rock party tunes

Don't miss, it's gonna b Awesome!!!

http://www.thelionn16.co.uk/
http://www.urbanspecies.co.uk/

Jordan Wilcox - Freerunner - Sponsored by Urban Species

2011-12-16T14:58:00.011Z

Jordan Wilcox (Born April/19/1993) Is a Young man who is a unique athlete Creating his own style and living the sport of Freerunning.

Jordan Is from the West Midlands of England in a town called Cheltenham. He Started his journey of Freerunning at the age of 12 and then continued to progress and evolve his style and learn new movements, Some that people would not think could actually physically work.

It began because since the age of a small infant he used to run around climbing areas, Climbing trees and generally being adventurous until at the age of 12 when he realised there was a name for creative movement being expressed in which ever way feels creative to yourself to get from point A to point B was by using the internet to type in "flips, Stunts" etc and it answered Freerunning.

Now Jordan kept training around his area of Cheltenham, Discovering new spots and areas ideal for his movment, Learning more and more, gaining flow, Listening to his body and the movement. He had an idea of uploading footage he started to gather and started producing videos of himself and growing a fan base on youtube. One of Jordans unique points is his creative style and movement and is also noticeable by his appearance, 1 example is his like to the colour red. he later noticed that the sport was increasingly growing in population and discovered by various forum websites that Other freerunners created jams and gatherings. Jordan Jammed and got together with lots of other freerunners because it is a way socializing with the community of other freerunners and sharing the love for the sport as well as training together.

Until the age of 14 Freerunning was purely just an amazing activity for Jordan to do, Then he was noticed firstly by the Gloucestershire Echo Newspaper who wrote an article constructing of 2 pages all about him and freerunning, Then at 15 he was sponsored. This widened the opportunity for him and decided to aggree to sponsorship and promotion. Now it became a professional experience for him. He has performed in many different locations now for many companies and organisations to generally give people that have not heard of Freerunning to have the chance to be involved with something such as this. for example Jordan has worked at Sports Displays, events, featured in Documentaries and starred in many different bits of tv, media and internet sources etc. Jordan likes to expand the knowledge and would like the public to see Parkour and freerunning as a way of fitness, to show Freerunning is a healthy and acceptable lifestyle.

Jordan now is invloved with lots of practitioners from around the globe and is involved with his sponsors. His sponsors have been great step to him from over the years of being involved, setting up bits of media to get in with and from there he has promoted himself, Getting himself into Shoots to star in, TV, Reading and web material, Shows, Performances and various other places.To see his work with himself and with his solo/team sponsors and organisations go to his youtube here.

Meet Me in St Louis

2011-12-14T15:16:00.003Z

Meet Me in St Louis

Dir. Vincente Minnelli | 1944

Returning once more to the big screen, Judy Garland dazzles in Vincente Minnelli’s classic musical, Meet Me in St Louis. Charting the ups and downs of the well-to-do Smith family as their beautiful city is on the verge of hosting the spectacular 1904 World’s Fair; the film embodies the very essence of nostalgia and remains a firm favourite for families everywhere. Made during WWII, Meet Me in St Louis is a delightful musical film – and one of the greatest musicals ever made. It screens as part of a season of MGM musicals running throughout November and December at BFI Southbank.

Enjoy its spectacular magic at BFI Southbank and in selected cinemas nationwide from 16 December.

We have 2 pairs of tickets to give away for you to catch this classic Musical over the festive season.

Simply email paul@urbanspecies.co.uk with 'Meet Me In St Louis' as the subject and provide your details.

The Day the Music Died

2011-12-12T17:38:00.007Z

Running: 14th December 2011 – 4th March 2012

Following the untimely and tragic passing of Amy Winehouse, Proud Camden celebrates her life with an exhibition of portraits of musicians whose passing was untimely and tragic. Proud Camden presents The Day the Music Died, a look back at the musicians that have made a significant cultural impact and whose lives were tragically short-lived.

Including a portrait of Amy Winehouse by photographer Mattia Zoppellaro as well as the other celebrated members of the Forever 27 Club: Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin, and going right back to the death of Buddy Holly in 1959; all the musicians featured in the exhibition have made a significant contribution to the history of popular music. For the first time Proud Galleries will exhibit portraits of musical greats such as Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin and Syd Barrett, whose impact has been profound in each of their different musical spheres.

Amy Winehouse, 2007, Milan © Mattia Zoppellaro

Nina Simone © Steve Double

Including iconic portraits of some of the most important musicians from the 20th Century by the most eminent music photographers including: Freddie Mercury by Peter Hince, Joe Strummer by Steve Double, John Lennon by Tom Hanley, Phil Lynott by Ian Dickson and Jeff Buckley by Merri Cyr. This exhibition is a memorial to the artists who have shaped the sounds we listen to and love today; the artists whose contributions have given birth to and shaped movements like punk (Vicious), rock & roll (Jones), grunge (Cobain), psychedlic rock (Hendrix), folk (Drake) and psychedelic folk (Barratt), to name but a few. Immortalised by the greatest music photographers, this exhibition is a chance to pay tribute to these musicians whose influence has been so significant and whose lives were sadly cut short.

Date: 14th December 2011 – 4th March 2012
Launch: Tuesday 13th December
Times: 11am to 5pm Mon – Sun
Entry: Free
Address: The Horse Hospital Stables Market Chalk Farm Road London NW1 8AH
Website: www.proudonline.co.uk

TRIANGLE presents OSSIE / HACKMAN / JAMES FOX @ CAMP, LONDON

2011-11-29T14:28:00.002Z

TRIANGLE PRESENTS....
------------------
OSSIE (Hyperdub)
HACKMAN (PTN/Greco Roman)
JAMES FOX (Take Records/Well Rounded)
2-22's (Resident)
Paul Cross (NTS)
------------------

Triangle returns to CAMP's basement yet again with their strongest lineup to date. Ossie [Hyperdub] is set to prove that his critical acclaim is not just confined to producing, bringing his his undeniable mixing skills to proceedings as displayed so keenly in his recent mix for FACT. A night which showcases the very best new talent is further strengthened by the presence of Bristol's Hackman who has the stamp of approval from Greco Roman, and Rinse' favourite James Fox. Having graduated from the confines of smaller venues Triangle is now a Friday night force to be reckoned with, promising an unpretentious night of quality beats & all round good vibes.

Urban Species' very own Paul Cross will be helping to warm up the vibes so we have a pair of Tickets to give away for the night.

Simply answer the question below and send your answers to paul@urbanspecies.co.uk

Q. What radio station is Paul Cross affiliated with?

£5 before Midnight

2nd December 2011
Just off Old Street roundabout
Be there

BOILER ROOM #74 Numbers Takeover

2011-11-22T11:34:00.002Z

#74 Numbers Takeover/ Jackmaster b2b Spencer, Mosca B2B Deadboy, Redinho (LIVE), Randomer & A Very Special Guest

This show will be broadcasted live from 8pm – 11pm, Tuesday 22nd November 2011.

Please note the event itself is now by invitation only, you must be on a guest list to get in.

Everyone else, you get to watch amazing music, free, live, online.

BROADCAST URL: boilerroom.tv/live

Glaswegian dance music squadron Numbers have had an incredible year, and now they’re descending upon Boiler Room to showcase what they’re good at – as well as giving us a sneaky peak as to what their next year might sound like.

It should also get you in the mood for their warehouse party in a couple weeks time.

CAXTON PRESS - GLOBAL FACTION

2011-11-22T11:31:00.001Z

Onedotzero - Adventures In Motion 2011 + Competition

2011-11-18T13:00:00.006Z

23 - 27 November 2011

onedotzero and BFI Southbank join forces once again to present a deliciously, digital and diverse array of adventurous, artistic endeavour, packed into five days of curated compilation screenings, features, installations, live audio-visual performances, bar nights, education, presentations and discussions.

Staying true to its original remit that saw it championing the work of then-unknown visionaries like Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham and Jonathan Glazer, as well as pioneering VJ-ing and interactive installation work from UVA, Jason Bruges and Daniel Brown, the festival continues to serve up the very latest in moving image and interactive arts.This is the place to sample the intersection of art, design, cinema, technology and entertainment. The idea of convergence and collaboration permeates the festival programming and BFI spaces, providing opportunities to meet and mingle with like minded creatives, inspiring new thinking, new ideas and new experiences for all ages.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank/film_programme/november_seasons/onedotzero_adventures_in_motion_festival_2011

Urban Species will send a few of our roaming reporters to the festival to witness the spectacles this event has to offer. We would also like to give you a chance to win 2 tickets to any showing/screening at the festival ( except the BUG event as that is sold out ) .

Simply send your answers to the following question to paul@urbanspecies.co.uk.

Q. What year was onedotzero founded?

New Kingpin and Deadly Hunta album!

2011-11-08T20:18:00.004Z

Announcing the release of OUT THE BOX by the explosive and socially conscious London based lyricist KINGPIN and featuring DEADLY HUNTA.

Digital copies available from online retailers NOW!!!!

Physichal copies available from Suspect Packages

CLICK HERE TO WATCH OUT THE BOX VIDEO

LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS - BFI film tickets + poster competition

2011-11-01T23:05:00.005Z

Our friends at the BFI have once again supplied us with goodies for all your thespian sensibilities. We have a pair of tickets to give away as well as a film poster for a runner up...(it may or not be the image below)

- - -
LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS
Dir by Marcel Carné | France 1945 |190 mins
New Restoration by Pathé
- - -

In the Parisian theatre world of the early nineteenth century, the fates of four men - a brilliant mime artist, a great romantic actor, an aristocrat and a ruthless master criminal - are intertwined. All four love and are loved - at least for a time - by the beautiful, free-spirited Garance. Shot during the German Occupation, Les Enfants du paradis triumphantly overcame the constraints of wartime and was premiered in the recently liberated France of 1945. Widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, its spectacular magic can be fully appreciated only on the big screen. Now at last, Pathé's new 4K restoration will enable audiences to experience Marcel Carné's masterpiece in its full glory.

Released 11th November. Grab all the information here

To be in with a winning chance simply message us on facebook OR email info@urbanspecies (with 'BFI competition' as the subject) the answer to this question: "What is LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS translated into in English?" Easy like un, deux, trois!

BFI London Film Festival Archive Gala

2011-10-27T16:28:00.003+01:00

The First Born, Miles Mander, 1928

Gala Screening

Thu 20 October | 19:30 | Queen Elizabeth Hall

A live performance of Stephen Horne’s new score accompanies this screening

- - - -

The sex lives of the upper classes come under scrutiny in this tour de force of late silent British cinema.

A philandering politician, the double standards of the upper classes, jealousy, miscegenation and a generation torn between centuries of tradition and a more modern morality... the plot of The First Born feels not unlike a lost episode of Downton Abbey. However, the film was expertly co-scripted by Alma Reville (Mrs Alfred Hitchcock) and it's hard not to see her influence in raising it beyond old-school melodrama to be a tour de force of late silent British cinema. Sir Hugo Boycott (Miles Mander) and his young bride (a pre-blonde Madeleine Carroll) have a passionate relationship, but it founders when she fails to produce an heir. This is a surprisingly 'adult' film and made with both elegance and invention. Particularly surprising among Mander's sometimes Hitchcockian box of visual tricks is a handheld camera sequence that allows the audience to become voyeur as Boycott stalks the marital bedroom to find his wife in the bath. The story is oddly reflected in reality: the 'first born' is played by Mander's own son and it was well known that the leads were involved romantically - well enough known to bring Mander's wife to the set to demand an explanation. This major new restoration by the BFI National Archive includes reinstated missing footage and the reintroduction of a beautiful range of tints.

- - - -

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1686

- - - -

BFI London Film Festival

2011-10-26T15:14:00.006+01:00

Les Enfants du paradis, Marcel Carné, 1945

New Restoration by Pathé

Sun 16 Oct | 12:00 | BFI Southbank

- - - -

In the Parisian theatre world of the early nineteenth century, the fates of four men - a brilliant mime artist, a great romantic actor, an aristocrat and a ruthless master criminal - are intertwined. All four love and are loved - at least for a time - by the beautiful, free-spirited Garance. Shot during the German Occupation, Les Enfants du paradis triumphantly overcame the constraints of wartime and was premiered in the recently liberated France of 1945. Widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, its spectacular magic can be fully appreciated only on the big screen. Now at last, Pathé's new 4K restoration will enable audiences to experience Marcel Carné's masterpiece in its full glory.

- - - -

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/1677

- - - -

We will be running a poster competition on our facebook page in a couple of weeks to coincide with the release of 'Les Enfants...' on the 11th Nov 2011.

#66/ DAEDELUS, JAMES PANTS, CHERRYSTONES & EVM128

2011-09-19T20:15:00.002+01:00

DAEDELUS, JAMES PANTS, CHERRYSTONES & EVM128

"It’s fun to do takeovers and see how a whole bunch of like-minded people put together a show – but now and again it’s also fun to throw together a whole bunch of artists we’re relly just want to bring to you guys and see how it pans out.

This week, we’ve done just that. Though if you look a little deeper, they all totally sit alongside each other. We’re pretty adament that anything could happen in those three hours though."

The event is now broadcast only unless you find your self on a guest list so here is the url for that:

BROADCAST URL: boilerroom.tv/live

Check the website here:

Sri McKinnon's MINDSCAPES exhibition + Put Me On It (live music)

2011-09-15T16:12:00.003+01:00

Check out Sri McKinnon's third solo London exhibition - Mindscapes
The event kicks off from 6.30pm and goes on until 1.00am.
Music comes courtesy of First Word Records DJs.
www.firstwordrecords.com
The exhibition coincides with the launch of a brand new series of PUT ME ON IT Live events downstairs at the same venue. The night features special live performances from Dego (4Hero/ 2000 Black), singer/multi-instrumentalist Tanya Auclair and Resident DJ Eric Lau.
More info here:www.putmeonit.com
Exhibition running until Thursday 6th October 2011.
The City Arts & Music Project
70-74 City Road,
Islington,
London.
EC1Y 2BJ
www.srimckinnon.com
www.thecamplondon.com
Everyone welcome!
Facebook Event Page here

Juice Aleem live at FAT GOLD CHAIN + freestyle tournament

2011-09-14T20:19:00.005+01:00

Polymathematical Master of Ceremonies JUICE ALEEM stars as London's monthly live hip-hop showcase FAT GOLD CHAIN's headline performer-

Juice Aleem (of New Flesh/Coldcut/Gamma/Big Dada) rep has a high octane meta-live show so expect jewels from his critically acclaimed solo album JERUSALAAM COME (album of the week in Metro, Guardian) plus cuts from the next project. Juice Aleem will be joined by Shadowless family Elai Immortal & Justice Hotep.

Also, if grown men casting slurs upon each other over beats in rhyme form, for the sake of a cash-money prize and chicken dinner is your thing; arrive promptly for Fat Gold Chain's traditional freestyle battle.

Reach Charlie Wright's in Shoreditch this Friday - 8pm to 11pm

Facebook Event Page here

STAR WARS UK announce BT Tower Lightsaber... What!?

2011-09-13T23:56:00.003+01:00

According to Star Wars UK's official Facebook page, THIS is happening Thursday evening: Check the drop

"LONDON FEELS THE FORCE AS STAR WARS®

BLU-RAY LIGHTS UP THE CAPITAL TO CREATE THE WORLD’S LARGEST LIGHTSABER

LONDON, UK. (September 12, 2011) – As the UK becomes the first country in the world to releaseSTAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA on Blu-ray, London will feel the Force like never before as droids, Stormtroopers, Jedi and the Sith invade the city in a week-long Star Wars spectacular culminating in the galactic transformation of the BT Tower into the World’s Largest Lightsaber™.

The week commenced with a rude awakening from the Dark Side, as Darth Vader and a sinister fleet of Stormtroopers took to the streets in an Imperial March that will sent shivers down the spines of Londoners. The march began at St. James’ Park where they joined Changing of the Guards activities, before proceeding to HMV on Oxford Street to meet shoppers as they queued to get their hands on the highly anticipated Blu-ray release.

Star Wars legend Anthony Daniels (C-3PO in all six episodes) will provide a lighter touch on Tuesday 13 September as he meets fans at the grand opening of the HMV at the new Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, signing copies of STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA on Blu-ray. The loveable droid was central to all six smash hit movies and Daniels’ portrayal makes him a favourite with manyStar Wars fans.

On Thursday 15 September, from inside the exclusive star-studded launch party at the top of the BT Tower, Daniels will press a button lighting up the London skyline for one night only as it morphs into a Jedi Knight’s elegant weapon of choice, projecting a giant ‘blue ray’ of light from the top of the tower.

In the words of Darth Vader himself, “This will be a day long remembered” by Star Wars fans in the UK and across the world. "

May the force be with you…

Seanie T featuring Roots Manuva 'Move Your Shoulder' video

2011-09-09T18:46:00.001+01:00

Released on MooSicLondon 12th Sept 2011 from Seanie's forthcoming album 'Scribes Of A Versitillion

Brett Ewins: In-gallery appearance and Art Exhibition of Brett Ewins: Judge Dredd, 2000 AD, Skreemer...

2011-09-09T02:43:00.005+01:00

Following the success of the DC Comics Art Exhibition - a collaborative venture between Urban Species (t-shirts, prints, artwork, customizations) and curator Chu Maclean, we are proud to announce our next project:

"The Art of Brett Ewins Exhibition" - Featuring the man himself present in the flesh so prepare for signings, pictures, photographs, books

"In 1977 Brett co-created the indy comic Sometime Stories which led on to a long run of series for the UK's 2000AD, including Judge Dredd, Judge Anderson, Rogue Trooperand the hit series Bad Company.

In the US, Brett co-created Skreemer for DC's Vertigo line and futuristic PI, Johnny Nemo.

Abandoning the comics industry to concentrate on writing novels, Brett produced the indy collection The Dark Gate for Cyberosia. This year his imagery was featured in a major exhibition of new urban street grafitti by the IFC Collective in London."

A new retrospective, The Art of Brett Ewins was published this year by Sky Pirate Press.

And like we did with the DC Exhibition, expect some music, some drinks and some good conversation on our launch night.

http://www.urbanspecies.co.uk/
http://www.thelionn16.co.uk/

Time	13 September at 19:00 - 13 October at 19:00

Location	The Lion Gallery 132 Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 0JX London, United Kingdom

Check out the Facebook page here

DC COMICS: The 52 new #1s - Release Schedule

2011-09-06T19:27:00.005+01:00

Justice League #1

SEPTEMBER 7

Action Comics #1, Animal Man #1, Batgirl #1, Batwing #1, Detective Comics #1, Green Arrow #1, Hawk and Dove #1, Justice League International #1, Men of War #1, O.M.A.C. #1, Static Shock #1, Stormwatch #1, Swamp Thing #1

SEPTEMBER 14

Batman and Robin #1, Batwoman #1, Deathstroke #1, Demon Knights #1, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1, Green Lantern #1, Grifter #1, Legion Lost #1, Mister Terrific #1, Red Lanterns #1, Resurrection Man #1, Suicide Squad #1, Superboy #1

SEPTEMBER 21

Batman #1, Birds of Prey #1, Blue Beetle #1, Captain Atom #1, Catwoman #1, DC Universe Presents #1, Green Lantern Corps #1, Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Nightwing #1, Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, Supergirl #1, Wonderwoman #1

SEPTEMBER 28

All-Star Western #1, Aquaman #1, Batman: The Dark Knight #1, Blackhawks #1, The Flash #1, The Fury of Firestorm #1, Green Lantern: New Guardians #1, I Vampire #1, Justice League Dark #1, The Savage Hawkman #1, Superman #1, Teen Titans #1, Voodoo #1

Win two tikets to see re-release of Terrence Malick's classic "Days of Heaven" at BFI

2011-09-06T16:25:00.004+01:00

Terrence Malick's 'Days of Heaven' re-release features as part of a Terrence Malick season at the BFI Southbank, which will be running through September and October.

'Days of Heaven'

Widely recognised as a pinnacle of the golden age of 70s Hollywood filmmaking, Terrence Malick's foray into American pastoral has now been digitally restored, the subtle pictorial alterations supervised by the writer-director himself.

In 1916, after trouble at work, Bill (Richard Gere) leaves Chicago for Texas, together with girlfriend Abby (Brooke Adams) and his sister Linda (Linda Manz). Passing as siblings in order to find work, the lovers keep up the pretence when it becomes clear the shy farmer they work for (Sam Shepard) - rumoured to be dying, with no one to inherit his fortune - has fallen for Abby. Famously encouraging cinematographers Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler to shoot during the crepuscular 'magic hour', Malick created a rapturous, visually sublime meditation on American history and myth that is at once lyrical, epic and resonant in its tantalising echoes of the Bible. The pervasive sense of profoundly beguiling mystery is further enhanced by Ennio Morricone's magnificent score and Linda's inarticulate yet strangely expressive, even wise narration. A masterpiece.

Days of Heaven runs until 30th September, and do win two tickets to go see it on any date, simply find us on facebook and message us the answer to this: What is Terrence Malick's latest release as director and stars Brad Pitt?

Check details for Days of Heaven, considered one of the most beautiful films ever made (The Guardian) here.

The DC Revamp is Here!

2011-09-03T15:09:00.005+01:00

In June, Senior VP at DC said

"we are relaunching the entire DC Universe line of comic books with all new first issues. 52 of them to be exact.

In addition, the new #1s will introduce readers to a more modern, diverse DC Universe, with some character variations in appearance, origin and age. All stories will be grounded in each character's legend - but will relate to real world situations, interactions, tragedy and triumph.

This epic event will kick off on Wednesday, August 31st with the debut of a brand new JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, which pairs Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, together for the first time. "

Exciting times or what? Whether a cynical/cunning marketing plug or an ingenious comic book revolution, it's difficult to see anyone rival this strategy for excitement or technique.

With Justice League #1 already online and on stands, by September 21st, we will witness #1 roll-outs of Batman, Batgirl, Green Arrow, Swamp Thing, Green Lantern, Batwing, Superman, Justice League DARK, Hawkman, Flash, Captain Atom, Wonder Woman and so on from the DC Pantheon. 52 titles. Check the image below. We'll be keeping you up-to-date with the exact release schedule as well as get some reviews up.

And also view our fantastic DC range here at Urban Species

2011-09-01T11:28:00.002+01:00

Free party and killer DJs to get a dance on to? And it's free? Head to another GULLYVERS dance, this Saturday. Hit the Facebook page here.

new Roots Manuva video - Get the Get (featuring Rokshan)

2011-08-31T17:44:00.002+01:00

Roots Manuva aka Canadian Park Ranger (featuring Rokshan aka Bags are for girls)

Get suave!

Roots Manuva's Banana Klan at Living Bar in Brixton

2011-08-31T17:36:00.003+01:00

We have word that Roots Manuva's effervescent Banana Klan will be rocking it at the Living Bar on Coldharbour Lane (Brixton) this Friday. And it's only £3 'til midnight to get your skank and hip-shake on. Get in! 9:30 til late

Grab your Banana Klan merchandise exclusively from Urban Species here.

Thrilling concept art from BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

2011-08-30T20:26:00.004+01:00

Take some moments to breathe in these thrilling concept-art images from BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY via Carlos D'anda.

Check out our DC/Batman range on our website URBAN SPECIES

We've scooped these from the nice guys at Comic Book Movies.

Killer Transformers Costumes

2011-08-30T20:02:00.003+01:00

Raaaah! Check out the Optimus Prime & Bumblebee costumes below if you haven't already:

Check out our cracking Transformers range here:

2011-08-30T19:56:00.001+01:00

Funki Dred, The Doctor’s Orders & The Social present
SubSoul
“The real over ground sound”

8pm-1am Every Saturday
@ The Social, 5 Little Portland Street, London W1W 7JD

with residents
Jazzie B
Spin Doctor
Chris P Cuts
& special guests
Playing a fun packed mix of whatever they like!

==================================
September Line Ups
3rd - Spin Doctor & Jazzie B
10th – Spin Doctor & Chris P Cuts
17th – Chris P Cuts & The Last Skeptik
24th – Chris P Cuts & Jazzie B

October Line Ups
1st: Jazzie B & Spin Doctor
8th: Chris P Cuts & Ben Waist
15th: Spin Doctor & Chris P Cuts
22nd: Jazzie B & Chris P Cuts
29th: Jazzie B & Spin Doctor
==================================

With 8 months under their belt SubSoul have already banished any thoughts of fake tans and champagne swilling posers when it comes to thinking of partying in the West End. Each and every week a fun loving crowd of real music lovers have been descending on the legendary Social to hear the brilliant line up of resident DJs and guests including Eric Lau, Jazzi Q, DJ Khalil, Fitzroy the Buzzboy, DJ Lok, The Last Skeptik, Kyri R2 and more play a soulful blend of the platters that matter old and new.

As the old saying goes if it ain’t broke don’t fix it so SubSoul continues throughout the summer with the straight up party philosophy that has seen it become popular so quickly. With word spreading like wild fire this is the underground party for those looking for the overground sound!

Jazzie B: The original Funki Dred
Playing and making records since 1977, Jazzie is one of the few true international legends of modern soul music. With Soul II Soul he’s scored Number One hits all over the world; has won two Grammies and an Ivor Novello award; and received an OBE and the keys to no less than seven American cities – some states even celebrate a Soul II Soul Day. As busy now as he’s ever been, deejaying all over the world, and with a BBC London 94.9 radio show, Subterranean Soul presents him with an chance to spin the records that played such a large part in his early success on the sound system scene.

Spin Doctor: The hardest working man in Hip-Hop.
The driving force behind The Doctor’s Orders, Spin has been promoting and rocking parties in London for longer than he might care to mention and while best known for his dedication to Hip-Hop his passion for all genres is undoubted and he is more than ready and willing to show the extent of his collection at this new night.

Chris P Cuts: Star in the making.
Already establishing himself as one of the most exciting DJs on the underground party scene Chris P will be expanding his reputation and experience with his first residency. Always fearless in the variety of his selection he will be building on his reputation week by week.

www.thedoctorsorders.com

London Philharmonic Orchestra plays concert featuring (y)our favourite video game music: + win two tickets!

2011-08-18T16:50:00.005+01:00

As a Sci-fi and fantasy fan, and an ardent music fan, when City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra delighted aural receivers with their 'Sci & Fantasy Symphony' series' (featuring music from Dr Who, Lord of the Rings, Stargate, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Holst's Planets, Thunderbirds and Red Dwarf), it was a transcendental: a joyous and giddy experience. A woman even fainted during Mars, which added to the pathos of the whole affair.

And now in London, I hear that the London Philharmonic Orchestra are doing a concert playing scores from VIDEO GAMES. I'm wall-crawling with excitement right now.

"Experience total orchestral immersion in the worlds of Advent Rising, Halo, Bioshock, Dead Space, Mass Effect, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Splinter Cell, Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, Myst, World of Warcraft,Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Angry Birds, Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Enemy Zero, 007: Blood Stone, Little Big Planet, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid"

The concert takes place on the 2nd of September and you can grab further information and tickets here.

COMPETITION:

To win a pair of tickets to the concert, answer this: What is the name of the protagonist in the Splinter Cell games series? Ha, we weren't going to ask you a Mario Bros question now were we? Add us on facebook, then message us the answer. Splendid.

TRIANGLE featuring XXXY, 2-22s, Dave Chambers & Paul Cross + COMPETITION

2011-08-17T02:17:00.003+01:00

CAMP 19.08

70-74 CITY ROAD

xxxy (Orca/Ten Thousand Yen)
2-22s (Resident)
DAVE CHAMBERS
PAUL CROSS (NTS Radio)

Triangle relaunches. From our previous homes at the Big Chill House and Concrete onto and down into the basement of CAMP.

We are massively excited about this one, and so should you be. xxxy has been on our radar for sometime now, so we're pleased to have him down to CAMP to help create what should be an awesome night.

Contributing to proceedings is resident DJ 2-22s, Dave Chambers and NTS Radio's Paul Cross

£5 All Night

Here's a mix by the resident:

http://soundcloud.com/triangle-3

Facebook page here

COMPETITION: To win yourself two tickets all you have to do is ask. Yup, it's that nice really.

Email: paul@urbanspecies.co.uk

SOUNDCRASH presents DJ YODA at Roundhouse: AV set on a full sized cinema screen

2011-08-11T15:02:00.005+01:00

Presents

UK EXCLUSIVE OF DJ YODA'S ALL NEW AV SHOW

ON A FULL SIZED CINEMA SCREEN!

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF...

DJ YODA

WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS

THE TRANS-SIBERIAN MARCH BAND!

THE ROUNDHOUSE- CAMDEN-LONDON

SATURDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2011

www.soundcrashmusic.com

http://www.transsiberianmarchband.com

Soundcrash presents the ultimate audiovisual dj in the ultimate audiovisual venue!

After selling out the IMAX and KOKO DJ Yoda steps it up a couple of gears and produces a new live AV spectacular worthy of the legendary Roundhouse! Acclaimed by critics and loved by masses of sweaty, happy crowds the world over, DJ Yoda’s audiovisual extravaganza reaches a whole new round-shaped level. Blink and you’ll miss out on tickets!

The night presents a live collaboration between master Turntabilist DJ Yoda and Balkan Brass group The Trans-Siberian March Band, the night promises a magnificent mix of beats, brass and musical experimentation. Lots of DJs have re-mixed Balkan Brass, DJ Yoda does it first live!

Duncan Beiny aka DJ Yoda is no ordinary scratch DJ. His seminal How To Cut & Paste series showcased a tongue-in-cheek mixing style that prompted Q Magazine to declare him “one of the ten DJs to see before you die”, whilst Hip Hop Connection voted him “one of the top three DJs in the world”.

Originally a hip hop dj, DJ Yoda has been steadily incorporating a myriad music styles into his shows with a view to create exhilarating musical collages, from reggae to drum’n’bass, kuduro to country music - and often at the same time! - concocting an intoxicating blend with one single aim in mind: to get the party going!

Trail-blazing into the world of the audio-visual he has pioneered a new artform using cutting edge technology that he has been instrumental in developing to scratch and mix visuals on top of his DJ sets. Drawing from sources as diverse as classic movies, obscure television shows, or viral youtube clips, you can find him cutting up the Indiana Jones theme tune to full on dubstep, or dicing and splicing the Muppet Theme with M.I.A. in amongst the inimitable audiovisual whirlwind that is DJ YODA.

Bumblebee of Transformers Costume

2011-08-07T17:26:00.001+01:00

Badass

Doctor's Orders present Blitz the Ambassador & The Stepkids (STONESTHROW)

2011-08-02T12:27:00.003+01:00

"A blindingly bright clarity drives Blitz the Ambassador. With a spot-on sense of flow, he name-checks Basquiat and Lumumba, evokes lovelorn sighs on Accra buses, émigré alienation, history’s shadows. All set to swirls of brass, distorted guitars, and the crackle and pop of old amplifiers.

With a lightning-fast mind, the political boldness of Chuck D, and the sixth groove sense of Fela Kuti, Ghanaian-born, New York-based MC, composer, and producer unleashes psychedelic Afrobeat colors and triple-time rhymes with a sound clearly born in Africa but honed on New York Streets.

Blitz grew up when the fierce promise of Afrocentric, intellectually discerning rap was at its peak. In the Accra of his youth, the golden age of Hip-Hop lived on long after rap began to go (Dirty) South in the U.S. Blitz and his brothers and friends became avid fans of groups like Public Enemy, one of the few major Hip-Hop names to tour Ghana, memorizing raps verbatim to impress the cool kids at school, studying the flow of masters from Rakim to Q-Tip.

Surrounded by a profusion of other music in Accra, from the highlife swaying at a nearby soccer field to the kora and drums played for chiefs and sub-chiefs. Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, and local reactions to rock and funk all made their mark, spinning on the sometime unreliable family record player.

Stone’s Throw Records’ latest discovery The Stepkids are a psych –soul outfit that have drawn comparisons to Rotary Connection & Animal Collective fusing Soul, Funk, Punk, Jazz & African Rhythms into a psychedelic sound for the 21st Centaury. All three members write, sing and engineer their sound as one with a focus on the whole. “What excites us about this band is this band itself; it’s about creating an entity where the entity itself is what’s important.”

Having all cut their teeth on the East Coast Jazz / R&B Scene they have all individually recorded solo projects, score movies, share stages with the likes of Alicia Keys, 50 cent & Laryn Hiil but is as this collective with a common purpose and unified voice that they are set to take the world by storm as The Stepkids step into the spotlight.

Tonight presents a change to hear two of the freshest and most exciting acts to hit London for a while. With both having such unique takes on such established sounds this is the chance to look into the future’s exciting re-interpretation of the past."

Support DJs Spin Doctor & Charlie Dark

8pm-Midnight
Wednesday 3rd August 2011
@ Cargo Courtyard, 83 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY
(Old Street Tube)

http://www.thedoctorsorders.com/diary_blitz.html

Banana Klan and Earth's Fastest Man - Roots Manuva and Usain Bolt!

2011-08-02T12:20:00.002+01:00

And it's quite apt that at this show in Berlin, the fastest man to have ever ran on Earth (probably), one Usain Bolt graces the stage with Roots Manuva for Witness the Fitness.

Grab your exclusive Banana Klan gear here .

Super 8 - win a pair of tickets to see the film at BFI + T-shirt giveaway

2011-08-02T11:34:00.006+01:00

J. J Abrams, bringer of such cinema smashers as Cloverfield and Star Trek, as well as stints on Lost and Alias, brings us another Summer IMAX experience at the amazing BFI: SUPER 8.

It's the year 1979 (which is numerologically significant in itself - go do the knowledge) and a group of friends start to notice strange happenings around their around their town after a mysterious train crash.

Check the trailer below...

To win a pair of tickets to experience this chiller/thriller haunt, which opens at BFI Southbank on the 5th of August - simply answer:

"Which classic sci-fi series did Abrams bring to the big screen in 2009?"

Simple isn't it? Easier than a Vulcan mind meld. Along with your tickets also choose one of the t-shirts from the Urban Species range below we've decided to throw in (Check sizes etc here). Email your answers to filmcompetitions@bfi.org.uk and make sure make 'Urban Species' the subject. All the best and enjoy!

Interview: ANTI-POP CONSORTIUM'S H-PRIZM

2011-07-21T18:27:00.003+01:00

H-Prizm aka High Priest is the smokey voiced uber-cool high rap scientist of the polymathematically dope group that is Anti-Pop Consortium. For those that don't know; make sure you check out the digi-bounce, unorthodox accompanied flows, supremely brought forward on neck snapping singles such as Volcano and Apparently from their latest album Fluorescent Black (Big Dada).

Perry Dominoes caught up with HP for a swift-blade interview in run-up to their forthcoming shows in the UK.

What is your concept of the divine/God and what role does this have in your life? Our appreciation of the small things in life help us grasp a vast concept like the divine.

Who are your favourite superheroes and supervillains? Dr Manhattan, Batman, Daredevil, Stick, Black Goliath, Doom, The Vision, Adam Warlock, Thanos, Spiderman, Black Panther, etc.

What inspires and motivates you to make music now vs. around the time of your first record release? The same thing - having a sound that is individual, impactful and dynamic.

With strange-noize and electro sounds making comfortable ways in mainstream hip-hop and music these days, how are APC approaching the next project in regards to sonically being ‘anti-pop’ – is this imperative/do you care? We have to evolve, show growth and stay committed to innovating.

What is your ideal dinner? A great meal with my family.

If you could score any film, which would it be? The John Coltrane story or A (new) Akira live action Movie.

If you could have any other rapper/singer’s voice, who would it be? Marvin Gaye.

Your house burns down but one record is safe… which is it? My harddrive.

What books have you recommended to anyone else recently? Malcolm X. Manning.

When can we expect the next record? FYaaaahHHHH (Fizzy Womack [of M.O.P. voice)

(Can I somehow find a copy of Shopping Trolleys Crashing?!?!) Come through the show. We got it for cheap.

If you could learn any new skill what would it be? Objective Coding [Objective coding is creating an index of objective summary data from a document, and (if discoverable), would include such information as dates, author, recipient and title – Wikipeda]

What are the best and worst things about this digi-age? Connectivity

Finish this sentence. If you don’t listen to the latest APC record you will-- Miss the mothership.

Go see APC live!

London: A Bird on the Wire presentation
Monday 25th July @ PLAN B, Brixton, 418 Brixton Road, London, SW9 7AY
Support by HLI (Sensei C & Elai Immortal), Slugabed, Raffertie.
DISCOUNT TICKETS
https://birdonthewire.ticketabc.com/events/anti-pop-consortium/
Code is BOTW. Enjoy!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Birmingham: A Fantastic Damage presentation
Tuesday 25th July @ HARE AND HOUNDS, Kings Heath, 106 High St | Kings Heath | B14 7JZ
Grab tickets here
Support by HLI, Felix the Spacecat, Sigmund Freud and others

The Boom Bap! Featuring DJs Excalibah, Eric Lau & T-Sparks

2011-07-20T16:53:00.002+01:00

"The Boom Bap! is an alternative hip-hop night in East London that blurs the boundaries between audience and DJ. How? By letting the audience become the DJ. They can pre-submit tracks to play, listen to emerging producers and beat makers, participate in open decks (think open mics but for DJs) and trade their unwanted vinyl! The night is also about instigating the intimate relationship between audience and DJ; by returning back to the age where the DJ did not conform to the status quo, playing commercial tracks to prove their popularity, but spun tunes that actually enlightened their listeners!

It is a collaborative effort between J9 and DJ Excalibah. Both of whom are avid hip-hop enthusiasts attempting to provide a decent alternative to the milieu of retro nineties hip-hop nights currently plaguing Shoreditch. This night is for the discerning hip-hopper who will be entertained by the sounds of Camp Lo to Sa-Ra right back to George Clinton. So, expect a night playing homage to jazz, breaks, rare groove, funk and soul which has all influenced the hip-hop aesthetic as wells as anything else we feel like playing."

Check out the Facebook page

Cinema Review: Solaris at BFI, Southbank

2011-07-20T15:19:00.003+01:00

Directed by Andrey Tarkovskiy
Reviewed by Inshra Russell

Based on the book by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem, Solaris is a Russian science fiction epic told through the eyes of Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis), a psychologist who is sent to investigate the mysterious behaviour of the scientists on the space station based above the ocean planet Solaris, believed to posses intelligence. After spending some time on the station, widower Kelvin discovers that the Solaris Ocean does indeed have the ability to materialize memories into pseudo-reality, when his wife Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk) who had committed suicide ten years ago comes into being, arising questions in Kelvin of whether this mysterious intelligence is a curse or a blessing. This creature, in the body of his beloved wife begins to mean more to Kelvin then his true wife and as time passed Hari turns more human, only to realise that she is not. It is a very human-like love for Kelvin that ultimately drives her to destroy herself for the sake of his wellbeing.

The theme of love is what champions in this film over the loneliness that ensues from space science. Solaris is a comment on the importance of mankind needing each other rather than being an advocate of investigating extra terrestrial life.
Scenes of water and liquid are also evidently playing a role to articulate the life that it provides on earth as opposed to the insanity that the scientists were being driven to stationed on an ocean of liquid intelligence that plays into their subconscious memories of love.

Over 2 and half hours long, Solaris is slow to get into the action and once there, lingers a little too long on most everything. A film that writer Lem wanted to disown the rights to and director Tarkovskiy expressed as his least favourite, Solaris, which is part of the BFI’s collection of Soviet Space Odysseys had the audience, a full house, sitting dead still throughout and not making a peep even when the credits finally rolled in the end. Banionis’s expressions remained somewhat exactly the same throughout and Bodarchuk’s desperate and suicidal love for Kelvin fails to provide any strength as the one of two female speaking roles in the film. The only time anyone made a sound was when a dwarf (who we never see again) attempted to escape Dr. Sartorius’s (Anatoli Solonitsyn) chamber as Kelvin questioned him of the plausibility of Solaris. It was a chuckle from a few members of the audience and the only attempt at laughter for what felt like mistaken comic relief. Overall, Tarkovskiy’s Solaris is a gripping and entertaining story told at a crawling pace, its deeper meaning of human truthfulness emphasised in the mise-en-scène, if you’re lucky enough to be awake to notice it.

Secure a viewing at BFI, Southbank. Details here

Anti-Pop Consortium live in London (Bird on the Wire) and Birmingham (Fantastic Damage)

2011-07-20T15:08:00.006+01:00

"Antipop Consortium are an American alternative hip hop group. The group formed in 1997, when, High Priest, M. Sayyid and producer Earl Blaize met at a poetry slam in New York City.[1] They are notable for their stream-of-consciousness lyrics and musical references to contemporary composition methods.
They released several tape singles and two albums primarily on Dan the Automator's experimental hip-hop label 75 Ark before being signed by Warp Records in 2000. Their releases were met with mixed reviews from the mainstream music and underground hip-hop press alike, although they are noted for their inventiveness and the experimental electronic productions contributed by all members. They were frequently compared to other rappers with unorthodox lyrics, such as Kool Keith, MF Doom and Aesop Rock. In 2001, they opened for Radiohead during the European leg of their Amnesiac tour and subsequently toured with DJ Shadow."

London: A Bird on the Wire presentation
Monday 25th July @ PLAN B, Brixton, 418 Brixton Road, London, SW9 7AY
Grab tickets from here
Support by HLI (Sensei C & Elai Immortal), Slugabed, Raffertie.

DISCOUNT TICKETS
https://birdonthewire.ticketabc.com/events/anti-pop-consortium/
Code is BOTW. Enjoy!
-------------------------------------------------------------

Birmingham: A Fantastic Damage presentation
Tuesday 25th July @ HARE AND HOUNDS, Kings Heath, 106 High St | Kings Heath | B14 7JZ
Grab tickets here
Support by HLI, Felix the Spacecat, Sigmund Freud and others

Tee Junkie show us love for Wonder Woman T-shirt

2011-07-19T15:00:00.002+01:00

Tee Junkie - a connoisseur site for all things T-Shirty have shown us much appreciated love for one of our Wonder Woman tees.

Posted by Kay who can also apparently twirl a lasso:

"In a time when the whole world seems to be going superhero mad, in a really macho way, it’s nice to be reminded that everything in life is not all testosterone.

Wonder Woman – remember her? She had the best hair, and the worst dialog, ever. Also a lasso, as I recall. Anyway, Green Lantern, Captain America, all those guys … they had nothing on Wonder Woman, who, when still a little girl, blew out the birthday candles on her cake with such force that the cake entered orbit. I never really got that one: if she was an Amazonian princess, how come she had a birthday cake with candles on? Also she had bullet-proof bracelets, which I wanted as a kid."

Read the whole piece on the tee junkie website

Direct link to this Wonder Woman t-shirt >

Urban Species

Cinema Review - LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD

2011-07-14T10:36:00.002+01:00

Last year in Marienbad (au L'année dernière à Marienbad is a surrealist piece from 1961, lauded as a cinematic masterpiece; it's obscure and non-linear narrative inspires much debate in regards to any extractable plot.

Last Year In Mariendbad's praise has won it a Golden Lion at the Venice film festival and an Academy award for original screenplay, as well as commendations as essential cinema schooling. Having said that, there's the fracas to its enigma of being rated as one of The Fifty Worst Films in a book by The Medveds (originators of the Hollywood 'Walk of Shame' and Golden Turkey awards)

The plot, through repetition ciphers of dialogue, and sweeping long shots with no chronological imperative establishes a first man attempting to convince a woman he meets at a grand Château social gathering that not only did they meet the year before; but they very well fell in love and that she has been waiting for him. A second man (probably the woman's husband) assumes his dominance by 'never losing' supremely orchestrated Nim matches to the first man.

The combination of sweeping shots; never-ending corridors and spiral staircases; repeated dialogue; flashbacks; flash-forwards and detached performances from all the leads exude a dream-like, transcendental quality. The score is usually simple crescendos or organs, with the overall effect a somewhat jarring timelessness loop. The viewer is abandoned from any plot resolution as how is it possible to make concrete judgement with no means to discern reality from imagination or dream? And that's the point.

This is french Dada-ist. Check the movement. Sure, it makes for fascinating and at times witty viewing. But the 'perfection' of the environment; the depletion of humanistic traits; the ornamental garden (where trees cast no shadows mind you) and once again I utter; the oft-repeated dialogue draws bee-lines to the theatre of the absurd..

Reclined in my BFI seat at Southbank, I couldn't help but feel like I was in on Alain Resnais and Alain Robbe-Grillet's joke... the sterile and polished exterior; the decay of decadence; renders all meaning defunct, leaving one protagonist on a mission (Persuasive? Unreasonable? Mesmerising? Abusive?)to connect some links between hearts.

Do go watch it. For what it's worth, view it as a meta-film, or an epic poem with visual stimulus. Feel free to love it or hate it. Next year you may not even know.

By Perry Dominoes

What's on at BFI Southbank

Skriblah - Belly of the East (video by Global Faction)

2011-07-13T16:53:00.003+01:00

Bet you want some revelatory shades like in this video right?

"'The Little White Dot' is the long awaited debut solo album written and produced by UK Hip-hop virtuoso Skriblah DanGogh and it's coming quicker than you think! To get your appetite going we've hit you with this brand new music video directed by Global Faction. The track entitled 'Belly Of The East' is produced by Grime & UK Rap producer Smasher who has also produced for the likes of Devlin, Durrty Goodz, Ghetto, J2K, Klashnekoff, Roll Deep and more. This video is just a kind reminder us of why Skriblah and Terra Firma are so well respected in the scene.

Skriblah DanGogh a.k.a Crown Prince of Terra Firma is the renowned lyricist who arrived on the scene as part of the infamous hiphop crew and blazed trails through the industry with heavy hitters like 2006 smash 'The Foundation.' Skriblah is equally well known for his solo guest features with some the brightest urban talent including Emmanuel Jal, Klashnekoff, Twin Cities, K-Nite 13, Phoenix the Icefire, Global Faction and Louis Slipperz. Advocating intelligent hip-hop, DanGogh has always been lauded for his verbal ingenuity, and his new album is no different. He couples esoteric lyrics and metaphors with bold, authentic hip-hop beats - a winning combination which inevitably draws the listener into his world. A world which explores his unique perception, addressing issues that range from very honest and intimate accounts of personal development, to frank more deeper concepts such global issues.

Whatever it is that Skriblah says it's said with integrity and realness, the key to any great Hip-Hop artist. His album 'The Little White Dot' features production from Smasher, Beatbutcha, Sleeping Giants, DJ Slademan to name a few and gives the fans what they've been longing for: a deeper understanding of the "solid earth philosophy" from the skribe who designed it. This album is the end of the beginning, and with a second full-length album in process it serves as a prequel to Skriblah DanGogh's personal legacy."

Gullyver Returns

2011-07-13T16:47:00.002+01:00

Get your two step (and more) on for a killer night for party vibes. And it's FREE so all you broke-asses have no excuse!

Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

2011-07-13T16:36:00.004+01:00

These photos have been floating about for a hot minute or two but we thought we'd share how scary Tom Hardy (Bronson, Inception) looks as BANE. The infamous man who 'Broke the Bat'.

Check the Knightfall trilogy. Also recommended is Bane of the Demon. Enjoy...

Check out our DC and Batman range on

our website

DARK KNIGHT RISES teaser poster revealed

2011-07-12T13:08:00.005+01:00

Thought we'd share this...

Nolan's Batman trilogy finale The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Josh Pence, Nestor Carbonell, Michael Cain a year from now. We cannot wait!

Marvellous DC comics, An exhibition of Awesome!

2011-07-11T11:40:00.002+01:00

"This coming tuesday, the Marvellous DC comics begins a months reign at the infamous Lion Gallery in Stoke Newington.

The generous fellows at Urban Species on Cheshire st, off the World Famous Brick Lane have given us these incredible artworks of Classic Marvellous DC comic book heroes.

Relive your childhood revelries, as you gaze upon the Awesome Might of the Classic Comic Gods. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman to name but a few...

Come and Join us with Free Wine and Kick Ass music, for a night Super Hero Awesomeness!"

Curated by Chu Maclean

Venue: The Lion, 132 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0JX London, United Kingdom ·

Batman: Year One - animation trailer

2011-07-07T17:55:00.003+01:00

Written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli - BATMAN: YEAR ONE is a plunge into the Dark Knight's origins; much of which inspired the Nolan classic Batman Begins.

See below for the first trailer for the animation DC Comics are releasing...

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Click here to see our Batman range of merchandise.

BFI Urban Species Shout Out

2011-07-07T14:21:00.005+01:00

A mighty thanks to the amazing BFI (southbank), with whom we also enjoyed the premiere of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, did us the grace of shouting out our forthcoming Transformers vs Technics range in their newsletter

Toddla T with Roots Manuva - "Watch Me Dance" video

2011-07-07T14:03:00.002+01:00

Last week we dropped knowledge on the forthcoming Roots Manuva album/ free download/ etc - a version of this song wth Toddla T will feature on the '4everrevolution' album. In the meantime get your dancing shoes on to this video

Spin Doctor's Birthday BBQ and Hip Hop Pub Quiz

2011-07-06T14:19:00.002+01:00

Spin Doctor, DJ Vadim, Mr Thing,
Jehst (DJ Set), Kidkanevil, Eric Lau, The Last Skeptik, Excalibah, Bruce Wayne, Chris Read,
Chris P Cuts, Kyri R2, DJ Lok, Pings
& live graffiti by Dan Kitchener
FREE all day!

Hip-Hop pub quiz (1pm start / £2 per player / teams max of 6 people)
BBQ & Full Menu Served all day. Kids of all ages welcome until 7pm.

For the last two years Spin Doctor’s FREE Birthday bash has been the party of the summer. Once again the hardest working man in Hip-Hop has called in favours from some of his musical mates to mark his big day with an incredible line up of DJs each spinning 1⁄2 hour each in the summer sun.

As ever there will be a BBQ to enjoy as you bump to a summer soundtrack of Hip-Hop, Soul, Reggae and beyond. For those looking to exercise their grey matter Spin will be hosting the latest edition of his ever-popular Hip-Hop Pub Quiz (kicking off at 1pm) with prizes galore provided by the generous people at Dephect clothing (www.dephect.com) and Rap & Soul Mailorder (www.rapandsoulmailorder.com).

As if all this was not already enough to temp you out for a full days fun we also have the phenomenal Dan Kitchener (http://www.dephect.com/users/dan-kitchener) painting one of Cargo’s walls that have previously been blessed by the likes of Banksy.

DOCTOR'S ORDERS SITE

Facebook

Cinema Review - TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

2011-07-04T14:07:00.003+01:00

26th June 2011 we were the Lucky ones, blessed with tickets to the Imax premiere of Transformers: Dark of the Moon...

Beer at the cinema, free treats and water with the coupe de grace, my personal favourite little finishing touch the most 80's retro 3D shades imaginable. This was not simply going to the movies, it was a perfect red carpeted celebrity filled Sunday evening.

Now in this day and age, when you say Transformers to me, before last weekend I would have shuddered. But alas I am an eletist of the old school... Transformers? Kids today, wouldnt know a Transformer if it bit it in the ass. Regardless there is never an occassion where walking in to a new experience with a closed mind is an option, not in this world.

Oh how I was due to swallow my words, its not the same dealio, not by any means. But it was graphic entertainment at its best. This is not something to be watched in the comfort of your living room, lone wolf or posse, get yourself to a big screen and melt into the seat.

Leonard Nimoy is back for any and all incredibly geeked out chicks such as my self who have been crushing on him since back in the teleportation days his presence alone is enough to make your insides sky rocket a little further than any other mere mortal could.

Shia LeBeouf is as entertaining as ever in his clearly natural geek state, Rosie HW has a placid background charm that suits the film far better than her predecessor, and in true Michael Bay style the out dated casting of a token black guy is optimized by throwing Tyrese in the mix.

Dont mean to be getting agro with that comment, but aren’t we a little bit past that? Like ooh look we included one of you people, and of course his body puts the rest of them to shame. Us ethnic minorities we just have the natural edge in that realm, come on America catch up.

But alas the humans are the downfall... its all about the bots. In many respects on an underlying level Mr Bay pays tribute to the 80's animated film. Anyone who has seen that as many times as I have could spot the detailing a mile off, that element alone turns this film from a regular cinema experience into something a fair bit more intellectually worthy.

It runs on about 20mins longer than it should, but the action and those graphics really are something incredibly special, if nothing else will win you over that will. To conclude for you cool kids it gets the Urban Species stamp of approval. This one's worth a watch.

Peace out,

Miss Phoenix. x

Urban Species at London Film and Comic Con

2011-07-02T13:17:00.006+01:00

Urban Species is proud to anounce our presence at this years London Film and Comic Con.

We hereby cordially invite you all to join us for a fun filled weekend of cross convergent multi media based madness. That's right, I said madness; so crazy I'm not even wearing my glasses as I type. There will be hot chicks in tight clothing even hotter men greasing themselves up, and lets not forget the most important element the latest funkiest freshest garms going. Including our ranges of officially licensed DC Transformers & Technics products.

Miss Phoenix and Miss Lowy Clark will be your personal shopping assistants for the exceptionally fun filled weekend of the 8th-10th of July. With the occassional flying visit from the Most beautiful Mama Supreme to make sure neither of us isn't getting away with something a little bit too naughty. Our boys get to take it easy for the weekend, but they will surely be drifting about and contact details for all the team will be at hand at all times.

This is due to be a fantastic event Located in the heart of London town. With a huge variation in companies exhibiting every kind of relevant product imaginable. Be there, there's no two ways about it. We will most definately make it worth your while.

Peace out Cool kids. Miss Phoenix

www.urbanspecies.co.uk

London Film and Comic Con

The Transformers are here... Rock your Transformers t-shirts as Dark of the Moon graces the big screen

2011-07-01T14:35:00.002+01:00

We've watched Transformers: Dark of the Moon and we loved it [review coming soon]

In conjunction with the film release; do check out the flashy range of Transformers t-shirts we at Urban Species are presenting for your tastes...

Check out all the designs here... tell us what you think

2011-07-01T14:00:00.002+01:00

Statik Selektah, Spin Doctor, DJ Excalibah & The Last
Skeptik
Only 100 tickets left!
Discount tickets & Free CD for all!

The Doctor’s Orders “The Kings of the capital’s Hip-Hop scene” (Time Out) are celebrating another incredible year with thier first ever boat party on the Thames. As the temperatures have been cranking up this is the perfect way to party and now you lucky people not only get discounted £10 tickets but also a free double disk mix CD for everyone on board!

To grab you discount ticket simply go to the Ticketweb link and enter the promo code "boat" and follow the steps from there!

As always he is joined by a dream team of London's best DJs in the shape of Spin Doctor, The Last Skeptik & DJ Excalibah so tell a friend to tell a friend and grab your tickets now! Joining them is none other than Statik Selektah. Having learnt his way round a studio under the tutorage of none other than the legendary DJ Premier creating his own take on the classic Boom-Bap sound of Golden Era Hip-Hop he has gone on to produce tracks for Nas, KRS One, Mobb Deep, Foxy Brown & MOP among a host of others. Now heading his own Show Off Records Stat makes this rareLondon appearance rocking the boat in true NYC style!

http://www.thedoctorsorders.com/

Roots Manuva's new album announced by Big Dada!

2011-06-30T14:18:00.002+01:00

Well, Well, Well and by Gosh! Big Dada have just announced details for Roots Manuva's new album plus details on a free download so read below to get as mightily excited as we are:

NEW ROOTS MANUVA ALBUM!

Exciting news here at Manuva Towers - as you may have already heard, on September 26th (in the UK and Europe, October 11th in the USA) Roots Manuva will release a brand new studio album, '4everevolution,' via Big Dada/Banana Klan. The album is just a few seconds under an hour long, consists of seventeen tracks and covers every style from wonky reggae through pop-funk, street spitting, straight up hip hop, sung ballads and epic death-disco. We think it's his very best work since 'Run Come Save Me.' We're wondering (whisper it) whether it might be his best album... (sshh) ever.

TRACKLIST

You good people are the first to see the tracklist. It runs:

1. First Growth
2. Here We Go Again
3. Skid Valley
4. Who Goes There?
5. Watch Me Dance
6. Revelation
7. Wha' Mek?
8. Takes Time To
9. Beyond This World
10. Go Champ
11. Get The Get
12. Crow Bars
13. In The Throes Of It
14. Noddy
15. Much Too Plush
16. The Path
17. Banana Skank

The album mainly revolves around Roots' own production and voice, with contributions from Banana Klan stalwarts including Ricky Ranking and Daddy Kope. In addition, on three tracks Mr Manuva introduces talented young singer Rokhsan. Other guests include Skin and Cass Lewis from Skunk Anansie. Production, meanwhile, comes from as far afield as Australia, Rodney Smith's travels allowing him to meet beatmakers and producers all over the world.

WATCH ME DANCE

The first taste from this epic is already out and about in the form of "Watch Me Dance". A dirty little funk ditty with its origins in Ricky Ranking's earliest live performances with the Manuva band, Rodney demoed the track 18 months or so ago and then gave the parts to Toddla T to see what he could do with them. They both agreed that the results sounded more like a Toddla T track than a Roots Manuva track, so that version gave Toddla's new album its name, but Rodney's own version is also out and about and picking up plays....

FREE DOWNLOAD

We're excited and we want you to be excited, too. That's why we're offering you a chance to download Roots Manuva's version of "Watch Me Dance" for free. Go to the link below, enter your email address and it's all yours. If you're already on the mailing list with an up-to-date email address, don't worry - you won't start getting double mails! And please - be sure to tell your friends, tweet it, Facebook it and make sure as many other people as possible know this is out there. That's all we ask of you!

Get "Watch Me Dance" for free here.

Is "Watch Me Dance" typical of the album that follows? No, it isn't. This record is so varied that we couldn't really pick a track to represent it. Just treat is as representing one facet of the many facets of a great recording artist... And those of you who look for deep lyrical content from Roots Manuva - don't worry, there's more than enough of that on the record to hold your interest!

KEEP UP!

Times change, things move on. You probably signed up to this mailing list two or three years ago. We would highly recommend that if you wanna keep up, you keep up via Twitter and Facebook, too. There will be some special contests, offers etc, through these channels, so it's definitely worth it!

Twitter:
@rootsmanuva
@bigdadarecords

Facebook:
Roots Manuva
Big Dada Records

Kidz Cool It review of Green Lantern

2011-06-28T21:07:00.002+01:00

The Kidz Cool It philosophy is a simple marvel - why bother with what decadent middle-aged people have to say about the Green Lantern eh? Kidz Cool It goes straight to the vortex of children's thought to bring you reviews written/spoken BY children FOR children. Here is Tobias rocking our very own Green Lantern t-shirt. Join the corps!

Watch the review on kidzcoolit website here.

http://www.kidzcoolit.com/

Gullyver: Free London Club night

2011-06-28T20:57:00.005+01:00

This gets your attention doesn't it? [Sorry feminists]

Check out the Gullyver's Facebook pageDJs MK and A-Cyde bring the heat via old and new Hip-Hop, Bashment, Soul, Funk, Grime, Raggae, Electro... Basically, everything to get ya foots to stepping.

Urban Species shout out on Green Lantern UK Facebook

2011-06-28T20:42:00.002+01:00

Power to the people and the Corps! Check out our shout out on Green Latern official UK Facebook page. We loved the film (escapism is a glory) - check our exclusive t-shirts/prints and so on here.

Letter from Michael Bay ahead of Transformers: Dark of the Moon release [Basically, "watch it in 3D!"]

2011-06-27T03:36:00.003+01:00

Thank You Note From Michael Bay
06/26/2011

I just want to take the opportunity to thank all the fans around the world for letting me have fun with the Transformers franchise. It has been a wonderful opportunity to have worked with about 4000 crew members around the world. These artists are some of the very best in the entire film business. I’m honored to have had you work along side me. We had an amazing time.

‘Dark of the Moon’ has some of the most technically challenging sequences ever shot. And shot in 3D. I must urge you to find the very best theatre and see this movie in that format. 3D was a forethought, not an afterthought in this movie. I’m glad Jim Cameron and Steven Spielberg really convinced me to shoot in this new technology. We used and invented many new techniques to make the 3D sharper, brighter and more color contrast. I think theatre owners heard their audience that they need to respect the specs of the projectors and not dim the bulbs to save money.

Many theaters are presenting it in the brand new 7.1 sound, which is awesome. This is the most complex, intricate sound track that me and my Academy Awarding winning sound team have done. They really out did themselves to make this a big picture experience. Hopefully you will have as much fun watching this movie as we all had making it.

Thanks,

Michael Bay

While you get your Transformers hype on, check out our dazzling new range here:

Transformers is out 28th June nationwide and stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Ken Jeong, Patrick Dempsey, and John Malkovich

Roots Manuva Takeover

2011-06-23T16:11:00.003+01:00

The ecclesiastic-ish fearless wordsmith of unique idioms is the man called Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva. Taking charge of his disciples (full live band), here begins a plethora of shows working towards the next album, which is bound to be a scorcher.

We're gonna do some time-hopping so stay with us:

The Big Feastival

Friday 1st of July will see Roots Manuva share stage with the likes of Soul II Soul in a celebration of good music, and good food. Whilst enjoying the soundscapes, there are several pop-up restaurants that will offer culinary company at Clapham Common. And did I say 'Under 12s go for Free?' Well they do. With all profits going to The Jamie Oliver Foundations & The Prince's Trust, it's for a great cause. Save the Children!!!

Check out the Big Feastival here

Cowley Road Carnival - Fiesta in the Park, Oxford

Saturday 2nd of July, you are able to catch Roots Manuva headline a super select of raggae artists like Kanda Bongo Man, Brassroots and Carnival Colective. Soundsystems will be rocked by Skylarkin Soundsystem among others so a fine day this will be. Just need my cricket bat and whites now.

Grab your tickets via here.

Austria shows

I applaud their bio of Roots Manuva section saying "Roots Manuva is characterized by his guts regarding experiments." Nice.

Check out the details for this Friday's Austria show here.

Saturday Austria show details are here

Grab your Banana Klan (Roots Manuva's Collective) T-shirts straight from Urban Species.

DOWNPOUR this Thursday presents Part2ism, Evm, Mau'Lin, Moody Boyz + residents at the Horse and Groom

2011-06-22T14:16:00.004+01:00

Part 2 (New Flesh/ Big Dada)

Part 2, of seminal Hip Hop group "New Flesh" is special guest for the evening. Best known for the "Universally Dirty" album released on Big Dada & his collaborations with Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Beans (Anti-Pop Consortium), Juice Aleem, Roots Manuva, Ty, Speech Debelle, Fallacy, Lotek and many others.

THE MOODYBOYZ (Studio Rockers)

Tony is an acid house & Dub legend, having released tracks on XL Recordings , collaborated with KLF & completed remixes for the likes of Lee Scratch Perry , Roots Manuva & Erykah Badu.

Now the boss of seminal label Studio Rockers Tony is continuing to push the boundaries of electronic music.

EVM (Meltdown )

With a release on Ross Allen's Meltdown records imminent, this talented beatsmith is gaining support from the likes of Giles Peterson, Huw Stephens & many more.

MAU'LIN (Ho - Tep)

With an awesome release on Alexander Nut's Ho - Tep label under his belt, we had to ask Mau'lin down to spin a few records for your listening pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry7L-5CKrLM

ONOE CAPONOE (Audio Doughnuts)

West London's Onoe Caponoe is preparing to release his Album with Seminal label "Audio Doughnuts" and is currently making waves with his brand of spaced out Hip Hop . Not to be missed.

PLUS +++

SWELL (Downpour)
ROGUE N JOSH (Downpour)

Facebook Page

The Horse & Groom, Shoreditch

Curtain Road, Shoreditch

London, United Kingdom

6pm - 2am

Why you should NEVER leave your laptop on stage whilst another DJ performs [via DMC]

2011-06-21T21:13:00.003+01:00

Check this video out (courtesy of DMC).

Peace to DJ Motek.

Not that we say you should foresee Nunchaku threats, but still. Good advice!

www.dmcdjchamps.com

Real Roots Reggae-Raggastep Fri 24th June FREE!

2011-06-21T13:30:00.001+01:00

"Come as you are, leave with Jah blessing"

PLAYING SELECTIVE UNDERGROUND BEATS FROM THE VOLTS, CLASSICS AND NEW FUTURE SOUNDS...!

REGGAE BEATS:
Classics, Ska, Mash-ups, dubstep, Roots and Culture +
RARITIES!
Raggastep / Dubstep / Reggaestep

http://www.realroots.co.uk/

DJs:

Sattamann (Real Roots)
(Reggae specialist, flavored with funk and soul, strictly vinyl)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GXFn-D-Cd8
http://www.myspace.com/realrootsevents

DJ Paulo (Real Roots)
Spent half his career searching out rare tunes from back street record shops from around the world. From hip-hop to funk with reggae beats too.

DJ Rosco (Step:One/Real Roots)
Playing as everyone on this special night rare and classic old skool reggae beats.... Dubwise me selector.
http://www.myspace.com/djrosco

DJ King Boco (Blue Slims Radio/Real Roots) T.B.C.
Killer selector with to notch productions to go with! Check them out -http://soundcloud.com/soundspotboco

MC:
Simon Mandala TBC

5 RAVEY STREET, SHOREDITCH, LONDON. EC2A 4QW
(opposite the Griffin pub)

Nearest tube station OLD STREET TUBE
Nearest rail Liverpool Street
0207 739 7746

VIDEOCRASH SOLID STEEL SUMMER SPECIAL @ XOYO featuring Hexstatic, Quantic, DJ Food & others

2011-06-17T14:09:00.003+01:00

The last Videocrash/Solid Steel special was such a good night we just had to do it all over again, and this time with added tropical heat courtesy of Will Holland, akaQuantic, playing his trademark cumbia driven funk in Room 2! The main room will see live AV sets from audiovisual pioneers Hexstatic, perennial innovators Dj Food & DK and Bristol’s Dj Cheeba. Bring on the beats and visual treats!

In The Basement:

Hexstatic “Trailer Trax” (Live AV Show)
Dj Food & DK (Live Av Show)
Dj Cheeba (Live Av Show)

Top Floor:

Quantic (on the decks)
PC (The Cinematic Orchestra)

Charlie Shazer officially launches KidsLoveInk East at our HQ ground-floor

2011-06-16T22:15:00.004+01:00

World renowned tattoo artist Charlie Shazer officially launches KidsLoveInk East in association with Tony Vegas (Scratch Perverts). This is the second London branch of the 'KLINK' family, located at Cheshire Street- just off Brick Lane.
A tattoo artist of over 13 years, Charlie began his career in Islington's Fine Line Tattoo before going on to manage Metalmorphasis in Soho and has also guested extensively at the legendary Tattoo SEEN in the Bronx, New York. Coming from a graffiti background, all of Charlie's work is custom drawn and ranges from traditional tattoos to his speciality, beautifully intricate Japanese designs.

KLINK East is open 6 days a week, Tuesday- Sunday. To make an appointment, call Charlie on 07943 605 417, mail chrlshzr@gmail.com or just drop in!
14 Cheshire Street, London E2 6EH
Check out some of Charlie's work at www.charlieshazer.blogspot.com

So whilst you get your ink, do remember that we haven’t disappeared. Bruce Wayne taught us that so many cool things take place below the surface so we will be alive and kicking in our own Batcave. Still the hub for our fantastic range DC range featuring Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash etc; our merchandising of international artistry and your own customization needs. Fly by and say Hi. www.urbanspecies.co.uk

Videos you should check out: Caspa, El Crisis & Thunder & HLI

2011-06-16T14:21:00.003+01:00

Caspa - 'Fulham 2 Waterloo' from forthcoming album. Stream the single here.

El Crisis & Thunder - 'Could She Be Loved'. Grab here. Produced by Chemo with a profound remix by Hey!Zeus.

Watch the duo HLI (Sensei C & Elai Immortal) rock our Superman and Flash T-shirts for this single's video from their forthcoming EP

Kidz Cool It! Child reviews 'Green Lantern' after expo

2011-06-16T02:17:00.005+01:00

The premise of Kidz Cool It is a simple joy. As adults, even in our most immature Frappuccino chucking moments (or puppy cuddling; that's a much nicer representation of children isn't it aaw)we are hopelessly unqualified in judging how entertaining a film is for our kids. So why not just get recommendations from 'kidz'? FOR 'kidz'?

Watch Hag give a rating to 'Green Lantern' following MCM expo - exclusive footage

Green lantern preview kidzcoolit.com from Kidzcoolit on Vimeo.

www.kidzcoolit.com/

AutoKratz Interview + album preview

2011-06-15T15:10:00.004+01:00

AutoKratz' (David Cox and Russell Crank) 2009 debut album 'Animal' was acclaimed as 'a joyful mash of pounding electronica' (Guardian) and album of the month in Mixmag. New album 'Self Help for Beginners' (out June 20th on Bad Life records) expands the house rocking techno pound sound, and features collaborations with Peter Hook of Joy Division/New Order, Andrew Innes of Primal Scream and Jagz Kooner.

The album launch is on the 17th: "To get free guest list for our London album launch on Friday 17th June, email info@bad-life.com. You’ll then be sent the details for the show (it’s in Shoreditch).

1. You get a TV show called Cox and Crank - what would it be like?
David - We'd be the new Ant n Dec and the show would be called Catch the Banker. It'd be the same premise as The Running Man except the public would vote for the banker of their choice to be hunted down by men on steroids with chainsaws. A spin off could be Tw*t the Tory.

2. Who are your heroes? (We already know about Peter Hook and Jagz Krooner)
David - John Lydon, Bobby Gillespie, Russell Brand, Morrissey.
Russell - I'm gonna go for Anton Newcombe, Mark E. Smith and Neil Young.

3. If you could re-score any movie of any era, which would it be?
David - I think Requiem for a Dream would be good. Weird and dark.

4. Who are your favourite Superheroes?
David - I never liked any Superheroes. I always preferred the villains such as The Joker or Lex Luthor. Although I did like it when Superman turned bad in Superman III.

5.Who would win a fist-fight between Mao and Stalin?
David - Stalin for sure. Mao let himself go towards the end. He'd be weezing before his second swing at Stalin.

6. What are the best stories/times/adventures you've had doing shows?
David - One of the best was when we toured Australia as part of the Parklife festival with loads of great artists such as La Roux, A-Trak and The Rapture. It was five shows over 2 weeks and we all practically lived together. Same coach to the airport, same flights, hotels etc so that was quite funny/strange. You'd come out of your room in the morning and theres La Roux to the left and Crystal Castles to the right and then Empire of the Sun was opposite. "Morning... morning.. morning".
Russell - A highlight from that tour for me was bringing me Mother backstage at parklife to meet Busy P ....it was pretty hillarious, and he was extremely charming.

7. With access to easy technology allowing a plethora of mediocre or terrible music to be heard by the plenty; plus the devaluing of the process of creating art/ HOW do Autokratzapproach their own music/creative process
David - The process varies, it could start with a vocal melody, a chord sequence or even just a bass line. I try to keep the approach different each time to keep it interesting for myself.

8. If you could work with any vocalist for your next project, who would it be?
David - Bobby Gillespie or La Roux might be cool.

9. Which actors would play you in a film?
David - Woody Harrelson
Russell - Edward Norton could do me well.

10. Please finish this sentence. If you do not listen to the Autokratz you will not__________________________________"
David - ....ever see your friends and family again.

'Becoming The Wraith' featuring Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order)

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AutoKratz website.

SOUNDCRASH @ KOKO. Harmonic 313, Kode 9 et al REVIEW

2011-06-15T01:57:00.005+01:00

SOUNDCRASH brought forth another smashing celebration of bass heavy electronic mind melting power music

Amid scattering glitches and the shimmer of bass vibrato the groove never ceased its constant morphing as Dorian Concepts dilligently juggled it in his hands. Shifting across his table of appliances with moves which could be plucked from an eighties electro party, Mr. Dorian took the audience through a seamless stream of rhythmic consciousness driven by quirky riffs and technical wizardry.

Synyesthesia in one form is manifested as seeing sounds as colours. King Midas Sound were an intoxicated blurry haze, through which the crackle and distortion enveloped KOKO like a giant oven glove. This was tough love. Eerie vocals, channeled as if through a bunker with head nodding feminine dance steps, knob twiddling and DJ wizardry applied for an unsettling but rewarding experience.

Occasionally a DJ succeeds in hitting the nail on the head whilst grappling with the cumbersome nature of a sledgehammer. So much about Mark Pritchard, aka Harmonic 313's music is dense, hard and seamingly remorseless in its uncompromising nature. But, with a set mixing his own work with bass heavy behemoths, tonight he endlessly drops the needle on abrasive yet syncopated grooves to the sole effect of tearing up the laminate boards of KOKO for all they are worth. Endlessly switching up styles, the transitions of which ought to be jarring but which in effect give each new meander a feeling of refreshing surprise, Harmonic 313 proves his ability to marry the dysfunctional with the dancefloor and status as electronic powerhouse. This was an extension of the Detroit swing groove into event horizon looping territory. All that could have topped this was an emcee to master ceremoniously the wildin' out crowd.

And now we reach Kode 9. Really, can you trust a man who has written a book of freaking sonic-warfare to amplify sounds to a few thousand people? The french girl said it was very good "kode 9 just smashed it...it was an incredibly good night...all the line up was properly banging." And as we are still here to write and talk about it, he didn't kill us either. Thank you Kode 9.

And thank you SOUNDCRASH.

By Tom C. Grant
Edited by P. Dominoes

Clark Joseph Kent aka Kal-el aka SUPERMAN

2011-06-15T01:46:00.002+01:00

The Last Son of Krypton

"He wouldn't puff out his chest or posture heroically, he would be totally chilled. If nothing can hurt you, you can afford to be cool. A man like Superman would never have to tense against the cold; never have to flinch in the face of a blow. He would be completely laid back, un-tense. With this image of Superman relaxing on a cloud looking out for us all in my head, I rushed back to my hotel room and filled dozens of pages of my notebook with notes and drawings" - Grant Morrison on the conception of All-Star Superman

Exit Festival for your July Electro & Live Music Escape in Serbia

2011-06-14T15:07:00.004+01:00

FULL LINE UP SO FAR:

Live: Arcade Fire, Pulp, Jamiroquai, Portishead, Grinderman, Editors, M.I.A, House of Pain, Bad Religion, Santigold, Kreator, Beirut, Hadouken!, Go Back to the Zoo

Electronic: Underworld, Deadmau5, Groove Armada, Fedde Le Grand, Magnetic Man, Tiga, James Zabiela, Digitalism live, DJ Sneak, Paul Kalkbrenner, Joris Voorn, Steve Aoki, Carl Craig, Marco Carola, Joachim Garraud, Rebel Rave (Damian Lazarus, Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler) Better Lost Than Stupid (Martin Buttrich, Davide Squillace, Matthias Tanzmann), Gramophonedzie, tINI, Maya Jane Coles, UNION, Caspa A/v show, Pleasurekraft, Photek, DJ Muggs, Digital Soundboy Soundsystem feat Shy FX, Breakage, B.Traits with Donaeo, Youngman & Stamina MC, Spy feat Stamina MC, Danny Byrd & MC Dynamite, David Rodigan, The Hacker, Nosaj Thing, Loefah, Boddika, Bok Bok, Girl Unit, KiNK, Jam City, Socmin TRG, Oneman, MC Chunky, Gesaffelstein, Alexander Robotnick, Grum, Futurecop!, Mikrofisch, Cinnamon Chasers, Den Haan, Anoraak, Marsheaux

TICKETS:
First Release - 4 day festival ticket - £89 + b/f
Second Release - 4 day festival ticket - £105 + b/f
Camping ticket - £25 + b/f

Taking place from Thursday 7th – Sunday 10th July, in the magical Petrovaradin Fortress overlooking the river Danube, EXIT is crammed with 20 stages to appeal to absolutely everyone, cheap food and drink onsite and the best campsite entertainment whilst bathing in the hot Balkan sunshine. EXIT is still the coolest, most adventurous and best value for money festival experience in Europe for the discerning festival goer.

Here's the website for you to have a peruse and buy tickets.

Green Lantern Film Preview + T-Shirt Competition

2011-06-11T04:20:00.004+01:00

It's a bold logo that belongs to the Green Lantern. The logo doesn't belong to a person per-say. Well... YOU could become the Green Lantern. All you need is a Power Lantern. And a Power Ring. These majestic instruments allow a control of the physical realms through powers of force-field generation, flight towards the speed of light, invisibility cloaking, teleportation and even time travel, amongst many others. All of this only if you are deemed worthy enough (you need strength, wits, will-power, imagination) by the Guardians of the Universe to join the galactic police force that is the Green Lantern Corps.

How about a T-shirt in the meantime?

The Green Lantern movie is released on the 17th of June and features a stellar cast including Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively (yeah, the blonde from Gossip Girl) and Mark Strong.

To win ANY Green Lantern T-shirt from the Urban Species collection: simply answer "Which Superhero group that also includes Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman is Green Lantern Hal Jordan a founding member of?" Message us the answer on our Facebook page and leave us an email address for us to get back at you if you win.

Jon Phonics/ El Crisis & Thunder Single Reviews

2011-06-11T03:53:00.004+01:00

Jon Phonics - Bruk out/The One

Here Jon Phonics presents us with a healthy injection of electro bass lines and splatter patterned snare on a pair of tracks guaranteed to ram the floor. Bruck Out combines neck snapping grooves with shimmering neon synths while The One flips the sound of spacious eighties soul with twinkling digital motifs to create a glowing future scape.

Either track is as deep and cerebral as it is danceable and euphoric and demonstrate the breadth of Phonics' talent as a producer and a welcome new direction for an ever evolving artist.

Get it here on Chakra Sounds http://chakrasounds.bandcamp.com/album/bruck-out-the-one

El Crisis and Thunder -
Could She Be Loved

The word fusion is too often a dirty one, the forced cojoining of usually separate styles resulting in a mutant hybrid. However, occasionally music can combine the essence of differing styles to find a shared fundamental. As the opening finger picked guitar line of Could She Be Loved winds it's way around the speaker a misty scene somewhere between Western Ireland and Western Africa is evoked. Similairly the at once recognisably Carribean influenced vocal further blurs the lines by taking on a sea shantyish melody. All this gives the narrative of the lyrics an at once dark and timeless quality, a song which could be sang on ships for many years to come. The HeyZeus! remix further develops this cryptic atmosphere, employing warped samples of tribal singing, bamboo flutes and rattling percussion to create a sound reeking of smoke from the camp fire and the mysteries of the night. An excellent combination of strong song writing with distinctive arrangement to create a thoroughly interesting listen.

Pick it up here. http://www.kilamanjaro.co.uk/?p=161

by Tom C. Grant

DC Comic Art You Grew Up With

2011-06-10T21:51:00.004+01:00

An idea for Father's Day surely?

Art You Grew Up With have an extensive range of DC fine art taken directly from original archive material. This includes a range of collections including "retro," "covers," "inked" and even lovely "romance" with Supes and Louis Lane in courting sweetness.

For those of you with no father available to bestow gifts upon - fret not, as any DC fan will revel in these pieces featuring all the universe favourites like Batman, Catwoman, Flash, Aquaman, Wonderwoman, Green Lantern and the whole JLA.

To obtain a real flavour of this fabulous range, flick through the DC Fine Art e-book

Head over to the Art You Grew Up With website.

Harmonic 313 + Kode9 + Dorian Concept + King Midas Sound. SOUNDCRASH @ KOKO preview & competition

2011-06-08T15:43:00.002+01:00

Chuck D with voice like granite said: "Bass. How low can you go?" We're going to find out this Saturday at KOKO where Soundcrash bring the beautiful noise once again via their residency.

Harmonic 313 aka Mark Pritchard. "His latest project sees him join forces with Steve Spacek to form Africa Hitech. Their soon to be released album ‘93 Million Miles’ on Warp Records is already gaining huge critical acclaim with its explosive fusion of juke, dancehall, dubstep and anything with a BIG bassline." My goodness.

Kode9 is the terra-watt force behind Hyperdub records (Burial, Zomby, Ikonika). This guy has written a book on flipping sonic warfare. That's pretty much about how soundwaves can be weaponised to kill or at least seriously hurt you. Saturday is going to be immense.

Next see a member of Flying Lotus' band and new recruit of Ninja Tune, Dorian Gray "using his amazing Mini Korg skills to create his unique fusion of jazz, electronica and club music which always wow the devoted crowds." The bar remains higher and higher.

The emotional future funk resonance will be courtesy of three piece band King Midas Touch for an incandescent exhibition of honest music expression.

And just in case there were any doubts regarding future sound-bombs, Alex Nut (co-founder of Eglo records) will bring even more noise for your poise. Wonderful.

To win two tickets to this meta-spectacular event: Message us on Facebook with the answer to this question: What is the name of Kode 9's book on Sonic Warfare?

Easy.

Check the Soundcrash website for tickets, etc

Comic Book Prints - Being Custodians of Art & History

2011-06-08T14:46:00.003+01:00

Did Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster know in 1932 that Superman renouncing his American citizenship in 2011 would make international news?

With comic books dominating the box-office in recent years, did Bob Kane envision his creation to be the benchmark for all other comic to screen aspirations?

Whether Jim Lee or Neil Adams; or Joe Shuster owning a print isn't simply owning a nice picture. It's having custody of a piece of the person who crafted it. It's Art. It's a little piece of history.

Grab your prints at Urban Species.

Engine-Earz Experiment Interview

2011-06-07T14:42:00.008+01:00

Harvesting critical acclaim from the Guardian and making fans of fore-bearers such as Rusko, Nitin Sawhney, Adam F and Liam Howlett; ENGINE-EARZ EXPERIMENT are melting solid rock in their path.

Such is their heat having just been touring with the likes of The Streets and Tricky. New single 'Reach You' (featuring the syrupy vocals of Lena Cullen) is spiralling to dizzy heights. The single is out NOW and you can stream the remixes here for your aural pleasure.

Here cometh a Perry Dominoes conducted interview with the Engine-Ear maestro Prash himself:

Described as the 'Massive Attack of the Dubstep Generation,' Engine-Earz Experiment's in-progress album "aims to reconcile Prash's varied musical passions; smashing what he sees as 'glass divides between genres and ideologies'; fusing indigenous musics from around the world with dubstep and elements of drum'n'bass, electronica and alternative rock." Check this BBC 1Xtra video for mind-blow effect.

I. Engine-Earz Experiment have been commissioned to produce the soundtrack to the Yug of Kali. You can have your pick of any collaborators - what would the ensemble be?

Ha Ha...by that do you mean we're scoring the destruction of this age and the beginning of the next!? I'd probably pick the same guests we've invited to feature on our album...Lisa Gerrard, Ane Brun, Akala, Jenna G, Nitin Sawhney, Get Cape Wear Cape fly to name but a few...and of course our frontman Data.

II. What was your epiphany moment for 'Yes! This is it! Music making is what I'm going to do'

Hmm it's hard to say, but probably the first time I ever played a chord on the piano as a kid, just kinda new it was the way forward - cheesy but true!

III. Who are your heroes?

Gandhi, Liam Howlett, Zack de la Rocha and of course my parents for managing to escape Uganda during Idi Amin's dictatorship to this country and raise me and my brothers.

IV. Who would win a fight between Mahatma Gandhi & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan?

Trick question - Mahatma Gandhi had a strict policy of non-aggression ;)

V. What things do you hope listeners will take away from your album?

Hopefully they will be inspired to create something themselves, whether it be audio, visual or just write something - the more people express themselves honestly i guess the closer we'll be to knowing ourselves and each other!

VI. Who are your favourite Superheroes? Why?

Ha ha probably Batman because he's just a normal dude with a load of gadgets fighting crime...slightly dubious about him being a rich millionaire beating up poor people tho, i think he & Wayne industries should be investing in some community youth programs as well - give something back Batman!!! :/

VII. If you could engineer anything to help aid the production of music - what would it be?

Probably a piece of software that linked all other DAW's so everything was finally freakin' compatible!! Also a miniature grand piano in a box that when mic'd up with a small condenser mic sounded like a real grand piano in a huge room :)

VIII. If you could engineer anything to help the advancement of humans - what would it be?

I'd make a Zero-point energy battery to provide free energy forever to everyone freeing us from the vast control grid - google "Tom Bearden" for some great research on the subject!

VIII. You can re-score any movie from any era. What would you do?

Probably John Carpenter's "They Live" using disgusting modern synthesis and a comedy Bollywood soundtrack

X. What has been the best live experience you've had on road?

Probably supporting The Streets last ever gig at Brixton Academy in London...that was just epic!! Check out Facebook page for the photos to see what i mean :) Also touring Europe in a tourbus with Tricky was an experience!

XI. All the records/CDs in your house get burnt in the fire except one. Which one?

This wins the award for the darkest question ever asked in an interview!!!! However..."Nitin Sawhney - Beyond Skin"

XII. Who has the nicest voice on Earth. Someone you could just fall asleep listening to.

Bjork

VIII. Complete this sentence: "If you do not check for Engine-Earz experiment you will________________"

...just have to wait until your friends tell you about us :)

Engine-Earz Experiment will be rocking festivals including Glanstonbury and Shambala. Visit their website to stay in the loop with new music, show dates, freebies and news. The Discovery Playlist on Youtube is also a definitive introduction to their sound.

Oozing Sexual Grooves. LUDOVIC DE PASS - BRAZILIAN SONATA/SHABBAZ

2011-06-02T23:49:00.005+01:00

LUDOVIC DE PASS - BRAZILIAN SONATA/SHABBAZ - OUT NOW WITH SUPPORT FROM LUCIANO, DEETRON, AUDIOJACK...

Citing everything from the NYC house music of Tenaglia, Junior Vasquez and MAW to the pop music of The Beatles as musical influences, Ludovic De Pass makes an electrifying debut for Claude Monnet’s Analog imprint.

Infused with Latin heat, oozing sexual grooves and with a use of percussion that could moonlight as the sound track to a David Attenborough rain forest special; Brazilian Sonata EP is as elegantly finessed, as it is innately primal.

Kicking off with the Original Mix of Brazilian Sonata, De Pass delivers a true Ibiza summer session anthem that unashamedly calls on your body to move. Layer upon layer of percussion, muted drums, dreamy synths and earthy rhythms carry faint strains reminiscent of early liquid drum & bass. Sucking you in, it’s like happening at a rave in the middle of the Amazon. Claude Monnet’s Drum Interpretation Mix takes the original and gives it an altogether darker twist, using wooden percussion samples with genius precision to evoke noises of the night, inducing a slightly more eerie feel while managing to keep the rhythm and the pace of De Pass’s Original cut.

Second track on the EP, Shabbaz, keeps with the dark and deep vibe of its predecessor. The Douala Mix blends together muted percussion, popping rhythms, sweeping filters, deep and gentle bass sounds and brush drum effects to create a gorgeously dubby, deep house track that still has its feet firmly in the South American country. With an elegantly delicate break, Douala’s edit is as much at home in a chill-out session as it is on the deeper dance floors. Meanwhile the Sugarhill Mix injects such a huge dose of funk with its bass-licking rhythm guitar, it sounds like the track wandered out of the Amazon and ended up in Spanish Harlem. The Dub, as expected, strips most of the higher elements out, but with a track so dominated by rhythmic sections, even with a reduction in parts it still maintains its chugging drive and tribal momentum.

Ludovic De Pass – Brazilian Sonata EP is released on Wednesday May 25th 2011 on www.beatport.com.

Modern Panic: Controversial Art to Push Boundaries

2011-06-01T02:56:00.003+01:00

The Guerilla Zoo presents MODERN PANIC an exciting major exhibition of over 50 international surreal, provocative and controversial modern artists in an old London abattoir.

Featuring work of provocative artists from around the world, including work from infamous prisoner Charles Bronson, Bolivian enfant terrible and coca-leaf artist Gaston Ugalde, taxidermy artist Iris Schieferstein, who's hoof boots have been sought after by the likes of Lady Gaga, the provocative Kira O'Reilly, Tank Girl comic artist Rufus Dayglo and many others.

Guerrilla Zoo Presents
MODERN PANIC 4TH- 12TH JUNE 2011
11am- 7pm

http://www.guerrillazoo.com/modern-panic

@ The Old Abattoir
187-211 St John Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 4LS
Nearest Tube/Train : Farringdon / Barbican / Angel

SOUNDWAVE CROATIA SELLS OUT AGAIN

2011-05-31T18:20:00.005+01:00

SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL CROATIA 2011
SELLS OUT IN RECORD TIME!

22ND - 24TH JULY 2011 PETRCANE, CROATIA

3 DAYS OF MUSIC // BEAUTIFUL PRIVATE BEACH // BOAT PARTIES
CLEAR BLUE SEA // OUTSIDE THE EURO ZONE

3-DAY FESTIVAL TICKES ONLY £89!

Check out what’s in store here:
http://www.vimeo.com/18954898
www.soundwavecroatia.com
www.croatia.hr

“All the quirks of a Bestival but in a far more beautiful and sunny setting” THE GUARDIAN

“Perhaps the summer’s most beautiful site” TIME OUT

Soundwave Croatia Festival is delighted to announce yet another SOLD OUT year!!

Festival promoter Rob Waller said "its amazing to have sold out in even quicker time than we did last year, the festival is going from strength to strength and the addition of a new arena this year means that we've been able to increase our capacity slightly, whilst keeping the wonderful intimate atmosphere we managed in previous years"

The festival’s capacity this year is 3000 and co-promoter Noah Ball says "Our line-ups are getting bigger each year we run, and our plans for development of the event are really exciting, we want people to see the love we put into this weekend, keeping the ethos for the weekend the same as it develops naturally within its idyllic setting.

Soundwave is Croatia’s best loved and best kept music and travel secret. A festival that stays true to its roots with three Sun packed days of the best boundary pushing music, its own private beach, ten fantastic individually curated boat parties, an amphitheatre, Run To The Sun car rally and much much more.

The festival is also much cheaper, and much less commercial than most other music festivals. With its top dollar line up combined with its low budget ticket and travel cost makes Soundwave is one of the true gems of the European festival calendar, all at a ticket price that is the same as train trip to Glastonbury AND with guaranteed Sun it is no wonder Soundwave punters head back year after year for THE party of the summer festival calendar.

Full Soundwave 2011 line up and full info: www.soundwavecroatia.com

Burn Studios partnership for electronic music innovation/ Richie Hawtin/ DJ Sasha/ Enter remix competition

2011-05-31T15:23:00.004+01:00

Burn studios partners with industry leaders to launch innovative electronic music platform

www.burn-studios.com
Ibiza, Thursday 26th May, 2011 - burn studios has today announced the launch of an innovative electronic music portal for the cloud generation, enabling music creation, discovery and sharing. Rooted in electronic music, burn studios is set to democratize music production by bringing together music makers within an open creative network and state of the art cloud recording studio. Burn studios will offer opportunities for breaking music talents from producers to DJs, to take part in exiting contests, exclusive educational and mentoring programs and get a chance to showcase their music to the world.

Richie Hawtin launches public version of burn studios’ Audiotool and becomes creative director
Legendary DJ and technology maverick Richie Hawtin was announced as burn studios Audiotool Creative Director and will spearhead the development of the music creation platform. Since launching the open beta version of the burn studios Audiotool in late 2010 and asking the music community to feedback and participate in the development of the platform, over 80,000 members have signed up. With over 300,000 visits a month and growing, its popularity is spreading throughout the world.

Burn studios announces pan-European producer contest with Sasha and Beatport
This summer burn studios will team up with legendary DJ and producer Sasha and electronic music portal Beatport to search for the most exiting and promising music producers from across Europe. Fourteen promising electronic music stars of the future will win the chance to take part in an exclusive production bootcamp at the burn studios Hacienda in Ibiza.

To be in with the chance of winning this money-can’t-buy opportunity entrants must remix this year’s IMS anthem, a track created by Pioneering DJ and producer Sasha, using Burn Studios Audiotool or Beatport’s Sound to Sample site to download remix parts. Entries must be uploaded to the cloud before 4th July 2011 when fourteen remixes will be hand selected by Sasha. The winning producers will be flown to the Burn Studios Hacienda in Ibiza. a state of the art equipped villa where Burn Studios will relocate for the summer. They will then take part in a 5-day intensive production bootcamp from 26th July to 30th July developed by SAE Institute, which includes mentoring sessions and master classes from some of the biggest names in the industry. Then, at then end of the Hacienda program, the student with the most overall votes and support for their remix will go on to be crowned winner and be awarded the incredible opportunity to collaborate with Sasha on his next release! Go to burn-studios.com or beatport.com for more info on how to get involved in the contest.

Dan White, Global Head of Burn, comments: “burn studios is the epitome of Burn’s personality, it captures the essence of the brand and blasts it into a real life dimension of energy filled passion and fearless creativity. I’m proud that we are able to ignite creative passion and bring the community together with this pioneering studio concept.”