Juice Aleem live at FAT GOLD CHAIN + freestyle tournament

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

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

"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

Roots Manuva's new album announced by Big Dada!

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

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

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

Jon Phonics/ El Crisis & Thunder Single Reviews

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