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 →])

Classic Kode9 & the Spaceape tune and video. “Audio Addiction” vid directed by Mo Stoebe & Jasmin Jodry…

Kode 9 & Spaceape - Audio Addiction

Audio from Kode 9’s SONAR set:

Burial - “Speedball2″:

Burial - “Stairwell”:

([More →])

Burial is such a unique artist and his music almost defies classification in any genre. His music hovers somewhere between dub, experimental electronica and psycho-acoustic phenomena. It leans more towards dub and dubstep, but often times sounds like dub played on a slow speed. Burial unearthed his sophomore album of experimental dubstep on Hyperdub last week, titled Untrue. His self-titled debut, released last year, was praised by music critics of all different tastes - even dubbed Album of the Year by The Wire magazine. ([More →])

This is the mix that Kode 9 made for Mary Anne Hobbs’ radio show featuring music from Burial’s new album Untrue.

From all I have read on the web and in glossy magazines, few are able to decipher a complicated music subject and share it with the masses better than Martin Clark. Clark writes “The Month In:…” features for pitchf*#k, and I need to find out where else he gets published because I learn so much from each of his installments. I’ve mentioned his column before, usually in reference to grime, but I’ve never really drawn attention to the man and his writing abilities. I just wanted to point this out to you because I know some of you love to read and write about music yourselves. That, plus Clark’s gone and done it again - he’s written a fantastic article about what’s happening right now in dubstep and grime, how the music is beginning to draw from its rich cultural history, and how this will bode for the future. He weaves short stories together about the different musicians making moves right now, with commentary on the fresh and upcoming albums. He describes the hardships of urban youth in the UK and ties it into the music’s lineage, rooted in the UK Jamaican diaspora. ([More →])

What’s this? A good-old-fashioned soundclash for the betterment of humankind? It must be a Dubraizer! Thursday (tomorrow), Londoners get a chance to hear amazing dubstep while making a difference in the community. Corsica Studios is hosting Dubraizer! to benefit an urban youth group - CJ S Media Workz - that are working to build an arts and media academy for disadvantaged kids. Think Beat Street and get over there tomorrow to get down with your city. You won’t find such a lineup of professional bass scientists anywhere else for a mere £5! ([More →])

What What? Logan Sama has been hired by Kiss FM? Ok, so I’m behind the times, but what a loss for Rinse FM listeners! Well, Rinse can’t let that stand in the way of having a great time at the Rinse 01 Record Release party. It’s set for August 17th at The End and the party is a joint collab between Rinse and FWD>> to forward the release of Geeneus’ Rinse 01 compilation. ([More →])

3 big parties with some very major players: Barcelona is already in party mode for this weekend’s SONAR Festival. Just about the time the post-festival fog clears, Wiley and Boy Better Know Crew will be throwing down at Wiley’s retirement party in London. Come July, The Bug and Vex’d come proper along with Virus Syndicate thanks to Big Dada, Ninja Tune and Mary Anne Hobbs.

BBC Radio 1 At SONAR Festival

The big one is of course, the SONAR Festival this weekend. So many great bands are going to be showcased and mingling in the leisurely Barcelona sun, including, but not limited to the Beastie Boys, Devo, Sunn O))), Wolf Eyes, Modeselektor, Richie Hawtin, FM3 and on and on and on…. For complete details refer to the Sonar Festival Lineup posting on HT and the SONAR website.

As promised, Mary Anne Hobbs has curated a showcase for BBC Radio 1 at the SONAR Festival:

RADIO1 UK DUBSTEP SHOWCASE

SONAR Festival, Barcelona, Spain

June 15th, SonarLab stage 12-3am

Skream
Oris Jay
Kode 9 and The Spaceape
Mary Anne Hobbs

Oooh ooh oooooh, I am SO jealous! I want to go melt away in the Barcelona sunshine with the sounds of Skream and Kode 9 and The Spaceape washing over me!

Instead, I laid in bed last night, listening to the sounds of Kode 9’s wonderful mix for the SONAR Festival that they are featuring on their website. It’s a stream, so you can’t keep it, but while you are there, you can find many other audio streams from featured artists.

SONAR’s website also featured a great article about Dubstep music, with Mary Anne Hobbs and Oris Jay. If you are curious to see what it’s all about, that’s one place to start.

Wiley’s Retirement Party

Or rather, Wiley’s record release party for Playtime Is Over in London:

WILEY Live (Playtime Is Over Album Launch Party)

@ Cargo, Rivington St, London - Thursday 21st June
10 Quid advance
Wiley, Live
Boy Better Know Crew (including JME, Skepta)
Loefah
Illa Man

My two favorite quotes thus far about the new album are:

“Snare-ripped tsunamis through to solipsistic mediations on lost friendships, all battered into shape though Wiley’s soopa-tight vocal style. Immense.” -Clash

“Playtime is Over is so important, not just to him, but to the future legacy of grime, and what it might mean in 10 years time.. Brilliantly grime, fuelled with anthems and sing-alongs and deserves to go down as his greatest work to date.” -Independent Music Magazine

BOH! Big UP the WILEY! Big Up the Boy Better Know Crew! Big UP the SPIRAL!

Finally (for today anyway), in July:

Ninja Tune And Big Dada Night: Curated by Mary Anne Hobbs

Saturday July 7th @ The Big Chill House.. Kings X.. London

The Bug + Ricky Ranking + MCs
Vex’d
Oris Jay
Ben Sharpa & Konfab from Capetown
Virus Syndicate
Mary Anne Hobbs

9-4am… £5… Funktion One soundsystem & heated roof terrace :)

For anyone who is a regular listener of Mary Anne Hobbs’ show on BBC Radio 1, you are already familiar with Ben Sharpa and Konfab, and recognize what a treat it is for them to be visiting the UK for this show. If you don’t know who they are, be sure to check out both of their music$paces. These boys are HOT! and spit fire into the microphone! Capetown was lucky enough to become the new stomping ground for D Planet who has a studio there, and records music, like what you hear these boys chatting over. Fine, deep, dubsteppy stuff. Check out D Planet’s music$pace as well…

LINKS

Ben Sharpa
Konfab
D Planet’s music$pace