As soon as I saw the lineup for the Bang Face Weekender, I started researching flights to England. It’s that exciting! Alas, the dollar is weak and gas ain’t cheap, so it’s only wishful thinking for now. This happens every year with some music festival or another and the lineups just get more siiiiiick every year. Bang Face hails itself as “A Neo-Rave Explosion of Acid, Jungle, Rave Hardcore, Drum & Bass, Breakcore, Techno, Electronica and Abstract Dance” which only hints at the range of amazing talent presented each year. The 3 day festival takes place at the end of April at Camber Sands and features three different staging areas - the Rave/Jungle/Breakcore Room, The Electro/Bass/Techno Room and a round-the-clock chill-out room. ([More →])

Ninja Tune is releasing an epic compilation album called You Don’t Know: Ninja Cuts that drops March 11th. It weighs in at 3 CDs, stacked with 50 Big Tunes from 1998-2008, from Mike Ladd to Pop Levi and from Roots Manuva to Wiley! Last year, HearingTest featured a few of the tracks that made the cut:

The version of “Free” by DJ Kentaro on You Don’t Know: Ninja Cuts is actually an “Armani XXXChange Remix” and the version here is the original edit from Kentaro’s Ninja Tune LP Enter. (I don’t have the remix yet)

2 Amanda Diva videos - “40 MCs” with Q-Tip and her debut single “Supa Woman” from the Life Experience EP:

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Almost a full year after its UK release, Dizzee Rascal’s Maths + English will finally get a proper release in the US. Of course, the album had more UK appeal, from Dizzee’s dialect to his collaborations with other UK artists Lily Allen and the Arctic Monkeys. That might be why it was nominated for a Mercury Prize and a MOBO in the UK but received little recognition across the pond. But the album also features a collaboration with Underground Kingz Pimp C and Bun B on the track “Where’s Da G’s”, so it should do well in the States too. ([More →])

I love this new grime vid with 3Face, Tinchy Stryder, Nolay, wretch 32, and Nasty Jack called “Different World” (Blackjack Remix). Some Alice In Wonderland kind of shizzle…. Of course, Nolay brightens up any mix.

The new Erykah Badu video for “Honey” is absolutely stunning! Check it out:

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The TS7 Bassline remix of “Unappreciated” featuring Cherish:

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Mumdance and Jammer added to Diplo’s remix of Black Lips’ “Veni Vidi Vici” for an ultra-smooth grime tune:

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Flo Rida’s “Low” gets the remix treatment from DJ Tuco:

DMX, Jr Reid & Dawg E Slaughter drop “Bad Boys” for GQ’s soon-to-come album Let Em Know:

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Kat DeLuna and Busta Rhymes - “Run The Show” from 9 Lives:

Wyclef Jean dropped his new album Wyclef Jean’s Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant last month and it sounds pretty good, what I’ve heard so far. A wide range of artists guest on Carnival II, from Lil Wayne and Sizzla to Paul Simon and Shakira. Watch the videos and listen to a few tunes right here. ([More →])

Ever wonder what everyone else is listening to? Today’s list of Top Rankin Tunes is compiled from what was most popular among ([HearingTest]) readers in 2007. This is definitely the most pop-oriented of all the lists; starting with the the most-played tune: Alicia Keys and Jr. Reid’s reggae soul remix of “No One” followed by the tune that Jah Cure released at the same time he himself was released from Tower Prison. These two tunes were receiving thousands of plays per day for weeks! Recently, the audio CD that comes with Ghostface Killah’s new book “The World According To Pretty Toney” has been streaming pretty much round the clock on computers around the globe and linked to on numerous hip hop BBs. Other big contenders include Foxy Brown’s don diva anthem with Mavado - “We’re On Fire” - released during her incarceration in Rykers Island and the club anthem of the year in UK - T2 and Jodie Aysha’s incredible infectious “Heartbroken” which puts the bounce in Bassline music! ([More →])

Kano recently released his new single “Feel Free” featuring Damon Albarn. I don’t think the elusive Gorillaz musician appears anywhere in the video, but we get to follow Kano around London in the dark of night. “Feel Free” is the second single off of Kano’s latest album, London Town. Albarn and Kano also performed together for Scratch Africa Express in 2007, which you can watch here as well. ([More →])

Digging through the ([HearingTest]) audio archive for the Top Rankin Tunes of 2007, I discovered that most of my favorites could be summed up as shotta anthems. So, I pulled out 10 tunes for Top Rankin Shotta Anthems of 2007. These selections are from the archive of tunes featured on ([HT]) over the last year: ([More →])