December 8th, 2010

2010 Live Grime Roundup

Right, time for a bit of an end of year Grime round up…

Listening to the songs and sets on radio is all well and good but for me the best way to experience Grime is live and in a rave. So first up is some of the best club nights this year. I know a lot of the readers of this blog are based in America or Japan so I have chosen my favourite videos that give you an idea of what the Grime rave scene is about.

The first event of the year was Pigeon Face in Shoreditch. It was freezing, snow everywhere but loads of people still made it along and the night was quality. Check D Double E over Frontline at 3:00 “think you’re a big boy cause you got a beard, bullets will make your face look weird” wheeeeel. Griminal, Lil Nasty and all of the OG’z were on top form that night as well.

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December 7th, 2010

Hard Nips EP Out Now!

Hard Nips Cover Art

Hard Nips have arrived from the far east brandishing a riff-heavy, post-punk sound laced with the angelic strainings of vocalist Yoko Sawai. Whether playing parties for Vice Magazine or CMJ gigs alongside the likes of Sean Lennon and TVOTR’s Tunde Adebimpe, this Brooklyn-based four piece commands the attention of any room they play. Known for their magnetic stage presence and rowdy antics (on stage and off), these women are living breathing rock and roll. With this four song, self-titled EP, they bring the right riffs, the right hooks and a no-holds-barred bravado that is winning hearts and minds.

You can grab the Hard Nips EP from iTunes and other fine digital retailers or grab the vinyl from the Mixpak Shop.

Also, if you’re in New York, be sure to go to the Hard Nips record release party tonight at the Cake Shop. Full details here.

December 6th, 2010

Natalie Storm Mixtape!!

We’ve been waiting for this mixtape from TNT badgyal Natalie Storm for weeks now. It’s finally dropped and boy are them some surprises! It’s downright filthy: both its beats and its lyrics deliver some big dirt. There’s some recognizable tunes on there, flipped Natalie style (with help from Federation’s Max Glazer), like an amazing relick of ‘Bam Bam’ and ‘Too Girly Girly’, not to mention big tunes from the last few years, like ‘God Bless Me’. There may also be a little Mixpak release hidden in there too somewhere, alongside some new and exclusive tracks.

Be warned, if you thought this was a bashment mixtape, think again. This is everything Natalie Storm represents: some serious cross-pollinating across bashment, funky, reggae and straight-up dance bangers. ‘They call me perfect Storm for a reason’. Too right.

DOWNLOAD via Federation Sound.

Catch Natalie on East Village Radio tonight at 6pm ET.

December 5th, 2010

Sunday Jam: DJ Traxman

Footwork vs The Doors? Who’d have thought? Thankfully DJ Traxman did!

DJ Traxman – This Iz Da End

December 4th, 2010

Talen feat. Lady Saw – Batgirl (Kalbata Remix)

I caught this big track for the first time on Greenmoney‘s radio show last week. It’s from Swiss outfit Talen, who’ve been repping the EU-JA connection by teaming up with artists such as Sizzla and Cutty Ranks for their EP Kingston Book, not to mention tracks with Ward 21 and Turbulence. This remix from Kalbata takes their collab with the first lady of slackness, Lady Saw, and adds some outrageously dubby 2-step vibes. If you liked The Bug & Warrior Queen’s ‘Poison Dart’, you’ll love this.

Check out the rest of their tracks on Talen’s soundcloud.