Dutty Artz is just about to drop their premiere release, featuring the bangin ragga stylings of Jahdan Blakkamore. I got hold of this tune “Go Round Payola” and can’t stop playing it since:

Flip side with tracklist after the jump… ([More →])

Philly-based beat meister Diplo and UK house/bass producer Switch have each assisted M.I.A. to create the sick riddims that she sings over, they’ve toured together, and now they’re finishing up a joint album. Diplo produced a lot of the music on Arul and Switch traveled all over the globe with M.I.A. to help her record the songs for Kala. Last year, Diplo went to Jamaica to record dancehall’s superstar deejays (rappers) for a new project with Switch. I can’t wait to hear these tunes, they’re going to be wiiiiiiiicked!! Diplo and Switch’s bumpin electro-influenced dancehall-hip hop hybrids with thick Jamaican patois rapping on top? Sounds perfect! ([More →])

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 →])

I live in the kind of haus where random zines and propaganda often appear and disappear like time-traveling nomadic visitors. This week, an issue of Cyclic Defrost from January 2005 appeared on the kitchen table. Cyclic Defrost, one of the most exciting and well produced zines on experimental music culture, is based in Australia; and the fact that I picked up an issue from January 2005 and thought it was something fresh will attest to how ahead of the game their content is. This particular issue featured an interview with DJ/Rupture about his travels, his music, his influences, etc. A Boston-native who was living in Barcelona at the time of the interview, Rupture is an extremely active experimentalist who mashes everything from world music to breakcore and makes it sound good. Rupture recently teamed up with one of NYC’s hottest producers, Matt Shadetek, to form the multi-media platform that we often Big Up on this site: Dutty Artz. ([More →])

When asked to describe the sound of The Bug, Kevin Martin responds, “Beats, Bombs, Bass, Weapons, Congestion, Space, Concussion and Seduction.” !!Sounds Beautiful!! Martin [the man behind the bug] has refined an arsenal of tuff tunes (with Flowdan and Warrior Queen passing the mic) and wicked remixes (for Ghislain Poirier and Thom Yorke of Radiohead) into dangerous dubplate killahs! Perhaps the don of toxic dancehall finished construction on his urban-legendary soundsystem and now makes distorted ragga dubs on a barricade of bassbins instead of a pair of studio monitors! “Poison Dart” is The Bug’s most recent weapon of choice: a staggering riddim made razor-sharp by Warrior Queen’s defiant tongue. It’s a heavy tune that aches to be played BiG and LouD in an open space where the bass can unfurl into the wide wobbling synths that decay into long echoes.

HearingTest has the brand new video for “Poison Dart” and details on the remixes by Skream, South Rakkas Crew, Stereotyp and a Flowdan version that will accompany the originals to be released in December. I’ve even posted Warrior Queen’s lyrics for “Poison Dart” which aim Warrior’s wisdom at young shottas inna de dance. If your native tongue is more patio than patois, these subtitles might help. ([More →])

Ghislain Poirier - Montreal’s instigator of electronic mayhem - has a new album called No Ground Under. Ninja Tune released the LP in Canada, but it won’t be released in the US until early 2008. The first single off No Ground Under is the ragga/dancehall tune “Blazin” featuring Face-T. The EP single includes the original album edit and remixes by The Bug and DJ C. In the meantime, here are 2 different remixes of the same song that are not part of either release: a Modeselektor remix and a second remix from DJ C that’s more of a mashup. ([More →])

A few of ragga and dancehall’s most prolific powerhouses have teamed up with the urban dub/hip hop/electronic music label Metatronix to create a bumpin album of hybrid remixes. Dominated by the vocal talents of Anthony B, Sizzla and Capleton over furious music production by The Bug, High Priest, DMX Krew, Eliot Lip and more, this album is going to be bumpin trunks in urban neighborhoods worldwide. ([More →])

Greensleeves is 30! A record store and label that has done so much for reggae music, from roots to jungle, is celebrating 3 decades in business with a double disc compilation release. The album contains 30 songs, each representing a different year in the history of the legendary label and it’s available on CD as well as digital download. Both versions include artwork, sleevenotes and an interview with the founders of Greensleeves.

([More →])

Ninja Tune is planning another fantastic weekend of electronic mayhem for the Montreal area! On September 28th, they will have their Ninja Tune Clockout monthly with Ninja Tune artists from the UK vs. Ninja Tune artists from Montreal - plus “exceedingly special guests!” That’s all they are revealing at this time, but you can try to guess based on the following two days of festivities… ([More →])

Fans of extreme music, experimental electronica, ragga and grime - I have a fantastic treat for you! There is an excellent interview with The Bug over on the french DubStep website. Kevin Martin (The Bug) talks about everything - how he first got involved in music, his time spent working with Justin Broadrick (Napalm Death, Jesu) as Techno Animal, his brief stint with Warner Brothers, and a whole lot more that has led up to him being a brilliant pioneering musician that blends ragga, breakcore, dubstep, dancehall, electronica, and extreme noise into totally original music. ([More →])

BIG BIG News! Fans of dancehall and reggae have often discussed the elements of homophobia, racism, sexism, and other nasties in Jamaican music. The music industry goes through cycles of acceptance and rejection of these messages in music. ([More →])

Well, it sure took awhile for me to finish editing and uploading the fotos and videos from the last 5lowershop shindig, but alas, here they are!

Doormouse, End.User, Kontroversy 396, Arson, Bonk, HRock, 666 Gangstaz, the_Stapler_, Planetsize, Rtype, Fishstix, Heartworm CELEBRATE THE RECORD RELEASE OF TEEN SUICIDE 002

this was the flyer for the event:

I apologize that so much of the foto and video footage is so dark…it is after all an underground warehouse with minimal lighting except for cool trippy stuff that doesn’t translate well to film.

here are the fotos:

Sorry! Fotos will be back tomorrow.

AND here are the videos:

this one is my favorite: it’s 5am at this point, listen to the crowd still cheering & yelling!

Thanks to everyone who came out an supported this event! Thanks to all the performers - every single one ROCKED the house! This party was off the hook fun until at least 7am! thanks to Doormouse and End.User for traveling to SF to show us a good time! Thanks to local heroes Kontroversy 396, Arson, Bonk, Heartworm, and Fishstix! AND A HUGE BIG UPS AND CONGRATULATIONS TO RTYPE - for getting Teen Suicide 002 pressed to gorgeous vinyl, mastered by the one and only Tim Xavier! Also BIG UPS & THANKS to the Teen Suicide 002 superstars - HROCK, 666 GANGSTAZ, THE_STAPLER_, & PLANETSIZE r.i.p………

To everyone else- you missed out, your only redemption is to be at the next 5lowershop bru-ha.

Here is the info on the record release, Teen Suicide 002 :

previews of the tracks are available at http://www.myspace.com/teensuicide

Teen Suicide 02 - Welcome to Bayshore EP
Four tracks showcasing the best breakcore, hardcore and jungle artists
associated with San Francisco’s 5lowershop soundsystem.

666Gangstaz - Tricknology
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a hop, skip, and a jump away from Detroit,
Todd Cook (aka 666Gangstaz aka DJ Crackhouse aka the Slime Lord) grew up
equally influenced by Jeff Mills as Soundmurderer and SK-1. His track
“Tricknology” combines the frenetic chaos and vst trickery of breakcore and
IDM with the bass and tempo of dubstep and techno. Don’t worry, a DJ
friendly intro/outro will make it a snap to mix in.

H-Rock - This One is for Ramo (Julian’s Reprise)
Victor Evans is fast becoming a rising star in hardcore techno. His track on
the first Teen Suicide melted clubs from Rotterdam to San Francisco. This
track is even better. A dedication to the movie Beat Street and graffiti
writers worldwide, this track caused teenaged girls to hug and kiss each
other with excitement in Portland. I swear, I was there. H-Rock produces
speedcore and noise as Vankmen. The “H-Rock vs Vankmen EP” is scheduled to
be released as Teen Suicide 04, as well as a debut release on Fathme
Records, good friends of ours. Look out!

The Stapler - Coldf33t
The Staper (aka DJ FVK aka SoFat! Soundsystem aka DJ Heathrow) was first
exposed to ragga jungle and hardcore through squat parties in London’s
notorious Hackney Wick. After moving back to New York City,
the Stapler started SoFat! Soundsystem, playing the finest in dub, ragga
jungle and breakcore. Now a resident of San Francisco, the Stapler has been
producing original and distinctive ragga jungle. You don’t need a duthmaster
to enjoy this, you’ll be hooked with the first bass note.

Planetsize - Binary Brotha
This record is dedicated to the memory Planetsize. A close friend to
everyone involved with Teen Suicide Records and 5lowershop soundsystem, he
passed away shortly before this record came out. “Binary Brotha” is
definitely the most insane track on the record. Breakcore without limits and
designed to rock a soundsystem, the track is also a reminder of what we
lost.