Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts

Before we kick off our Top 20 of the year, let us first state that such a task as to dilute a year in this way is actually impossible. However, we stayed away from the tune round up, that would have been a headache more painful than a New Year hangover and stuck with 20 or so artists that have in some way touched our ears and hearts this year. This should in no way be viewed as the definitive 20, well ok maybe it should seeing as we've said it is but before you go shouting and screaming about those we left behind, know one thing... we don't really give a shit. Nobody knows better than us the wealth of talent that should have made it's way into the chart type post but that's just the way the cookie has crumbled this time and these are the chocolate chips that fell out. It's also a great excuse to get up some tracks we never got round to and revisit some classics. So in no particular order let us begin...


Hudson Mohawke

Following up excellent definitive 2008 album releases from Harmonic 313 and Flying Lotus, Warp continued to invite post Hip-hop producers into their indie electronic world this year. But perhaps surprisingly it wasn't the album from the greater established Prefuse 73, good as it was, that got us most excited but rather the first offical solo album from HudMo, half of the Heralds Of Change with the equally as endearing Mike Slott, who would have joined his LuckyMe bredren with perhaps Rustie and Dema also if they had been just a touch more prolific this year or we could be bothered to do a top 30 instead.

Download: Crookers Feat. Kardinal Offishall And Carla Marie - Put Your Hands On Me (Hudson Mohawke Remix) / alt link


Foreign Beggars

After a good few years trying to drag the dying UK Hip-hop scene into the now, looks like Foreign Beggars became one of the few to finally make it to the other side, and we're so glad they did. With rhyme skills galore, a VIP guest list that includes the likes of Dubbledge, Kyza, Badness, Ben Sharpa and Guilty Simpson, plus a perfecty tuned ear for a quality beat their United Colours of Beggatron album was truly, in the words of Dead Prez, 'bigger than...'

Video: Foreign Beggars & Noisia - Contact


Stagga & Monkey

Yes we realise that we're highly biased in this what with them being family but we aren't giving them undue props, they've both earned more than enough stripes this year with some truly killer releases. Both have developed different styles and sounds with equal power in neighbouring arenas but we still can't seperate the two in our heads, even with them now residing in completely different countries. Luckily they have been working on new material together so watch out for that in the new year.

MONKEY & STAGGA - ORIGINAL MISTY by Chrome Kids


Bassnectar

Whilst there are now artists adding Dubstep elements to Hip-hop, Bassnectar kinda got it arse backwards, or perhaps visionarily forwards, he was making stomping bass heavy digital Hip-hop beats first then realised that his style was equally suited to making dirty jump up dubz. When we half jokingly refer to Hulk Hop, it's primarily his bulky, mean and bouncing beats that we have in mind.

Download: Groove Armada - Superstylin (Bassnectar's Superstylin Smashup) / alt link


Joker

When gypsy punk Gogol Bordello sang Start Wearing Purple, he was reffering to a certain crazy woman's choice of clothing, Prince is perhaps the most famous purple fanatic and as well as being a touch eccentric himself he does make some incredible funk, or did at least. So it seems only right that the crazy deep digital funk of Joker's dubz is reffered to as the 'purple sound' right? We're pretty sure that's not the reason, we're just rambling lyrical but either way, already with a heavy artillery of tunes under his belt, this year saw the young Bristollian step up yet another gear to become one of the scene's most wanted artists, and rightly so too.

Download: Sean Paul - So Fine (Joker Remix) / alt link


Spoek

Not so much an emcee as a beat seeking missile, Mr Mathambo has been on a round the world trip of dope producers sampling every bass heavy flavour out there. Already in our high esteems due to his groundbreaking work with Sibot as Playdoe, 'the post-apartheid, post-hip hop, poster boy' has truly helped to push forwards the African scene this year and has also been as prolific on his blog as he has on the mic.

Download: Ed Orable feat Spoek - Dance No More (Monkey Safari Remix) / alt link


Mumdance

After catching our ear with his B'more style Evil 9 remix, Jack Adams proceeded to kill it on every level. With a slew of remixes that largely featured Jammer and / or Badness on extra vocals he went on to become the collaboration king sharing the boards with Brodinski, AC Slater, Toy Selectah and Drums Of Death amongst others, adding a touch of Grime soaked South East UK Tropical flavour to everything in his reach.


High Rankin

Known to us for his big, dark and brutal remixes that not so much rocked dancefloors as picked them up and shook the living shit out of them, yet his No Money For Guns EP on Hervé's Cheap Thrills label showed a refreshing diversity that we believe is set to spread out even further. Although everything he does is still pretty huge, mind you he is a big lad.

Download: Daedelus - For Withered Friends (Mumdance & High Rankin Remix) / alt link


Mochipet

Arguably the king of crunked up digitally mutated music, yet shockingly overlooked on MAH's West Coast Rocks programme, the Godzilla suited don of Daly City has also helped to pave the way for such Chrome Kids favourites as Flying Skulls and...


Th' Mole

Made up the bulk of the year's Fre-Releases along with his alter ego DJ 0.000001 (one millionth) and produced some monstrous beats in the process. His DIY ethos, nursery rhyme style delivery and madcap musical adventures make him difficult to fit into the accepted boxes but that's just why we love him so much.

Download: Narch - Chained Up (Mochipet Remix feat Eazy E) / alt link

Download: Th' Mole feat Warrior Queen - Jump Jack / alt link


Robot Koch

The chirpy Berlin based beat freak has always been light years ahead of his time it seems, his crew Jahcoozi were making 'now' music a good few years back and his work with RQM and Cerebral Vortex helped to prove that at least some emcees weren't being left behind. With a fantastic full length release in the shape of Death Star Droid and large selection of singles, mixtapes, remixes and exclusives all assaulting our eardrums from every direction in such an enlightening way, it has most definitely been good to have Robot Koch firmly on our radar this year.

Download: Robot Koch - Gotom Sen (Shlomo Remix) via XLR8R / alt link


Raffertie

Another big lad who doesn't exactly make small and subtle music, infact his tracks are possibly as large as it gets with skull ripping basslines, the kind of drops that would give an acrophobiac a heart attack and enough dirt to keep an allotment going for a year. We've had a taste of his leanings towards the Hip-hop side too with his Foamo remix and we are eager beavers gnawing at our nutsacks waiting for more.

Download: Foamo - Wardance (Raffertie Remix feat Shiftee Moova) / alt link


Mix N Blend

South Africa and Cape Town in particular has given us some of our favourite music of the year and Mix N Blend are a shining example of how their scene have got it so right. Dubstep without a hint of pretension that still manages to drop as heavy as anything else, plus their album on African Dope showcased a variety of styles that certainly do the name justice yet never gets lost amongst the madness.

Download: Mix n Blend feat. EJ Von Lyrik & SFR - Tantrum / alt link


George Lenton

It kind of feels like Mr Lenton has came out of nowhere and with a noticeably low number of 'official' releases to his name his inclusion here might seem a tad premature but regardless he has still managed to unleash some of the best tracks of the year. Although Troll carried the same Network sample as a few other tunes his version seeme to be the definitive summing up of the mood of the nation and kicked off our Pimp My Tour Bus mix perfectly. His blurring of boundaries between Dubstep and 'Hulk Hop' or even pop and underground sits perfectly with our point of view also.

Download: Erik Hassle - Hurtful (George Lenton Remix) / alt link


Troublemaker

One of those artists who manages to keep a big profile whilst remaining just under the radar. Some might say this is a perfect position for an artist but we can't help but feel the whole world needs to recognise the skills of Hollyrock's finest. Tracks ranging from 130bpm Dubstep style tracks (why aren't even more artists doing this?) to big and beefy Hip-hop via the occasional Electro Pop tune. His diversity might be confusing to some but it's certainly endearing to us here.

Download: Big B - Sinner (Troublemaker Remix)


Akira Kiteshi

Originally a duo of Steven Hyslop and Tommy Forrest (still alive under the name AK Kids) Akira Kiteshi stomped many a speaker with their no holds barred beats, and as a solo warrior Forrest has in no way lost any of the projects power, infact he goes from strength to strength. With so much hype surrounding Glasgow it's good to see somebody holding the corner for the Scottish capital of Edinburgh hard and with a number of releases on labels such as Black Acre and Muti Music cementing credibility there's no sign of this ronin needing to commit seppuku anytime soon. For more information check out his interview over at BwompBeats.

Download: DZ - Just Rollin' (Akira Kiteshi Remix) via BwompBeats


Elucid

When we first caught him rhyming over a Kode 9 beat it was so refreshing to hear a New York rapper approaching Dubstep in a different way, and then we discovered his Police and Thieves album. What one of the best albums of the year was doing just sitting there as a free download on his MySpace is anybody's guess but we're so glad it was. The follow up Sub Bass Diet gave Elucid a firm spot on this Top 20 and a VIP pass card to the Chrome Mansions stereo. The fact that he included our good friend Metabeats (don't worry he'll certainly be in next years chart!) on the album was extra icing for a hella tasty cake indeed.

Download: Elucid - By The Block (Child Of The Sun) / alt link


The xx

Undoubtedly an inclusion on many a blog round up this year and not without reason. There were many pretenders to the coolest band crown this year but none quite got the level of straight up sonic sexual healing that oozed out of their self produced debut album. Inspired some fantastic remixes from the likes of Lunice and Nosaj Thing as well.


Renaissance Man

We have to thank Pelski above all other blogs for properly introducing us to the new wave of minimal tech artists that have a decidedly tropical leaning. We could have picked any one of the Sound Pellegrino roster to represent but as Renaissance Man was our first proper hit, we'll include them as the definitive door to our new addiction.

Download: Florence & The Machine - You've Got The Love (The xx Remix / Renaissance Man Edit) / alt link


Don Diablo / Chew Fu

It may be cheating to have a joint place but we honestly can't choose between these two Saturday night dancefloor favourites. Don Diablo not only makes the best all out new skool Disco about but has managed to help turn Example from a Hip-hop try hard to a rallying voice for the party generation. Chew Fu on the other hand has been relentlessly adding his golden touch to a number of bootleg hits this year that have gradually seen him move further into the official arena and up in the size of dancefloors he fills. They've perhaps got a little too big for our tastes lately but there's no doubting his latest hit with Wiley is a beast that isn't just tearing up the charts but ripping it a new hole that Chew Fu will be more than capable of filling.

Download: Don Diablo feat Example - Pussycat / alt link

Download: Chew Fu & Steve Clisby - Purple Rain / alt link

And to help us round up the year completely, here's the MP3 of that Mystro track we posted as a video yesterday.

Download: Mystro - 2009 UK Rap Up / alt link

That's it for us this year, we shall be out and about New Years Eve so hopefully catch you then, otherwise see you in 2010 mofos.

We've been bumping his F.D.T. hard here at Chrome Mansions (review soon come) but the mighty Mystro gives us the best run down of 2009's goings on yet, rhyme style.

Jack Beats make their San Fran debut this Friday alongside Sticky K and a host of others. This is gonna be MASSIVE so if you're in the area reach down.

(YSI) AC Slater - Jack Got Jacked (Jack Beats Remix, Thrills Dubstep Refix) / alt link

(YSI) TC - Where's My Money (Caspa Remix) (Jack Beats Edit) / alt link

(YSI) Jack Beats - What (Foamo Re-edit) / alt link

(YSI) Major Lazer feat Supahype - Jump Up (Sticky K Remix) / alt link

(YSI) The Score - Girls Gone Wild (Sticky K Remix) / alt link

(YSI) B. Rich - Make Me Dance (Sticky K Remix) / alt link

Two of us headed to different festivals this weekend, although neither quite hit home for us. Tommy B headed to Lovebox where an over hyped bill were lost to an apathetic crowd and I failed to find anything above middle of the road at Glade. Still, hopefully these write ups are a call to demand more rather than just the grumblings of two disaffected music lovers. Read on and find out...



I had already decided that no matter what I did for this weekend, I wasn’t going to Glade. The idea of a muddy K fest where marshmallow teenagers rock dead eyed to repetitive beats just didn’t appeal.

Still, Glade is somehow where I ended up, and to be fair things had changed. The crowd were somewhat older than before, although maybe it was the same crowd that had stuck with it all these years. The site itself has been relocated to Winchester, a damn good move, as despite a fair amount of rain on Saturday, the site never got anywhere near to the quagmire Glade became a couple of years back, infact most of the mud had pretty much dried up by Sunday.


The music too appeared to have been given a boost. Hudson Mohawke, Drop The Lime, Rusko, Tomb Crew and Mumdance were all in attendance and perhaps if I had managed to catch one of these it may have saved my experience. I was also assured that some of the Techno such as Carl Craig and Dave Clarke Was superb… but somehow I managed to miss them too.


It didn’t start off like that. On the Friday I had written down a list of DJs I wanted to catch that day, starting with A Skillz in the early afternoon. We were already in fairly good spirits thanks to the pair of cockney wideboys who had somehow blagged their way into being emcees and proceeded to tell the crowd numerous times that they were 'the fucking bollocks'. The music was pretty standard Breakbeat though so it was a relief when A Skillz came out and proceeded to drop some funked up flavours that got us all bubbling, then we bubbled some more, then we got bored. It’s not that A Skillz isn’t a good DJ, he is, but we had to wander just how many times he had dropped that same set of cut up classics, surely he must be bored of it by now. We certainly were.


But boredom seemed to be the order of the weekend for us. Every tent we went in either had a big bag of same old same old, or simply droned on with no real fire to it. I hear Rusko dropped some killer tunes, including a great DJ Cable mash up which we’ve included below. The first Dubstep DJ we saw though was Pinch, possibly the most bored looking DJ there. Maybe it was just seriousness, he was certainly playing serious (or was it boring?) tunes, but we’re at a festival rather pissed up and so needed something with a bit more meat on it. My girlfriend became quite vocal in her disapproval so we left pretty sharpish. Not that the crowd could have raised more than a serious grumble between them. I also managed to miss Baobinga and ID’s first reunion in 8 months as I left the Boomtown tent just before, meant to return straight away but made it back just after they’d finished, rather inexcusable really when you consider the manageable size of the festival. So you see, even though I can rant about how shit the music was, and the fact that there was far too much bloody Psy-Trance for my liking, it might just be bad luck, and the fact that I made really bad decisions like agreeing to join a load of friends to watch Underworld whilst Drop The Lime were on, then losing them all and only making it out of the crowd after I’d already wanted to stab myself in the ear for the offensiveness of that inoffensive fluffy drivel.


Not that I had a bad time either really, but that pretty much meant giving up on the festival and relocating to the backstage area with a bunch of new experimental drugs such as Megatron and Run DMC (okay maybe these were just our names for them) and just sitting it out with good friends, good randoms and good tunes on the iPod.

(YSI) DJ Cable Vs Tempa T Vs Rusko - Mr Muscle's Hype / alt link

(YSI) Baobinga & I.D. - Jump Up & Buck (DJ Manaia Mash - Baobinga Edit) / alt link

(YSI) Drop The Lime - Tabac Theme / alt link


Although the Glade line-up was packed to the brim with some of the best up and coming electronic producers, I was subjected to a much more accessible and 'music friendly' festival: Lovebox. While nothing had really appealed to me from the line up, which seemed mainly to consist of a variety of acts lombarded together to suit all tastes, the combination of an 80's loving 21 turning girlfriend and the prospect of seeing Duran Duran in the flesh were two forces I was unable to keep apart.

I headed to Victoria Park with an open mind and keen to see a number of eclectic acts. For ages i've been dying to see the Hot 8 Brass Band, and as soon as we stepped onsite the heavy trombone and horn blaring melodies could be heard from miles away. If you haven't heard their rendition of Sexual Healing I suggest you have a quick detour now to check it out. This put me in the right direction for what I hoped would be a great day of live music.


We headed to the main stage to watch a very tired yet impressive Mr Hudson. I'd heard mixed reactions about his performances, but his new songs blended well with his old stuff from his days with the library, even if hanging out with Mr West a little too much may have inflated his ego a little. A tired and past it Kano came out as a 'surprise guest', much to the disappointment of a crowd who seemed little into getting into the full swing of things.

DJ wise i managed to catch a little of the Horse Meat Disco guys at the Relentless arena, who seemed to be trying to fight a pretty poor soundsystem and again a crowd who never really had it in their heart to dance. Even when DJ Sneak came out, one of the sets id been waiting for the whole day, I could only manage about 10 minutes before I had given up trying to get into the swing of things.


One reccuring theme of outdoor festivals this year has been poor soundsystem's, and none was more obvious with N*E*R*D's arrival on the main stage. Playing a variety of hits from all three of their albums, Pharrell and friends seemed to be desperately trying to get the Lovebox crowd to get into such classics as Run to the Sun and new cuts such as Sooner or Later. However, it took a triple header of Lapdance, Rockstar and She Wants to Move, complete with a total stage invasion, to get anyone to really start to enjoy themselves. It was all a bit of a wierd experience to the carnage I had seen at Glastonbury.


However, the amount of corporate advertising thrown in your face, from the Pimms bus parked right next to the fringe stage to the Relentless, Rizla and Gaymers areas all leaving their corporate imprints on the festival goer, it was no surprise to the lack of enthusiasm of the crowd to fully immerse themselves in the experience. It almost seemed people were more interested in getting freebies from certain stalls, i.e. a Warehouse poncho, or had turned up solely to see the headliners Duran Duran, than a general sense of people wanting a unique musical experience.


Don't get me wrong. The downpours changed the mood of the site and, ashamed to say, Duran Duran were bloody brilliant, pulling out a bag of hits and an awesome array of songs which have been used by some of the greatest producers, samplers, rappers and DJs the world has ever known (N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S). It just seemed a letdown for a Groove Armada fan and a festival lover to see such a marketed boutique event be so openly sold off to the highest corporate bidder. I recognise the importance of sponsorship in keeping festivals financed, but surely it is an interesting question to ask fellow chromesters.... Does external advertising damage the ethos behind festivals? In the VIP Gin / Vodka bars or charging double the ticket price in the prospect of posh loos? Im not sure, but I know i've had more fun watching local djs spin amazing tunes with everyone openly involved than massive djs and bands with disinterested crowds.

(YSI) Kid Cudi - Day N Nite(DJ Sneak Bang Acido Mix) / alt link

(YSI) Pharell Vs A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It Like That / alt link

(YSI) Hot 8 Brass Band - Get Up (Diesler Remix) / alt link

Slowly the Glastonbury memories are starting to return and so we can begin to tell you a little about our weekend adventures. We all had completely different experiences so will try and bring you at least a couple of viewpoints but this is how it pretty much went down for me...

Having been in attendance at the festival since I was a knee high nipper it seems to be almost against the Glastonbury way to plan out your weekend and flap around stressing about getting to see all the acts you want... so I never do. In fact I generally spend most of the time not seeing fantastic acts, which this year included Hudson Mohawke, Q Tip, N.E.R.D., Don Diablo and erm Bruce Springsteen and it works out pretty well for me. The main issue is I really can’t deal with the big stages or the Dance arenas, when people complain that Glastonbury has lost its way and become too commercial, they have obviously spent too much time in the wrong parts.


My lady friend and I did make one bold mission to the Dance arena. We tried reaching over to see Raffertie in the Dance Lounge on Thursday night but the times were changed and so we managed to miss his set. Feeling just a tad disappointed and left in the middle of the masses, who were being visited upon by a biblical thunderstorm, we vowed not to set foot over that end of the festival for the rest of our time there and so stayed safely on the other side with the futuristic dystopian dreamlands of Shangri La, Arcadia and Trash City.

We did venture into the Pyramid area to catch some of The Specials set but it wasn’t until Ghost Town that the miserable magic of Terry Hall truly seemed to fit the proceedings, that was their last tune and pretty much the last thing I can seem to remember as a friend with a big bag of horse tranquilizer helpfully ensured an early return to my tent only to re-emerge around 4am to carry on. Bouncing from Bashment in Trash City to Balloons at the Stone Circle would generally seem like a culture shock if it wasn’t for the fact that Glastonbury is carefully tied together with an anything goes attitude that makes it all seem as equally strange as it is perfectly normal.


The Bassline Circus dome in Shangri La seemed like the perfect home for our set as it sat like the central hive raised above an area that was part Brave New World and part Star Wars. The place was spilling out the door and the crowd were well hyped for some dirty bass heavy beats thanks to some killer sets from live Dubstep troop Engine-Earz and Radio 1’s Bobby Friction, not to mention the Circus’s own off the wall antics which sit sharply on the edge of both the street and the stage. The set itself couldn’t have really gone better, and even though security weren’t too pleased at the stage invasion that got completely out of control, we figured it was a pretty good sign we were doing alright.


Sound seemed to be a major issue throughout the festival though, something they really need to sort out in future (as well as the 8 hour queue to get in on Wednesday), it didn’t help that Bruce Springsteen apparently ordered all the sound systems turned down during his set (a fact that our boys Sicknote were most upset about, check one of the band's blog). Hot 8 Brass Band put on a decent show but the sound was plain awful, and was even worse some of the other times we went past the Jazz World stage. That might have been part of the problem with Roots Manuva's show on that stage, but actually it was more likely the rather poor selection of tunes (didn’t he notice nobody actually bought his last album) and having the stage presence of an agoraphobic, albeit a mildly enthusiastic one. Dizzee Rascal was also rather lacking in the performance department although he has a strong enough repertoire of crowd pleasers to help the masses not notice, and masses there were indeed. He has firmly cemented his move from bad boy Grime artist to golden boy Pop star and the amount of grannies, trannies, teenagers and ravers singing / rapping along in the crowd certainly proved that. There was also the obligatory tribute to Michael Jackson, which consisted of Semtex playing a few instrumental bars of about four Mikey tracks whilst Dizzee acted like he was going to rap over them… but didn’t. Of course the death of Jacko was the main conversation of choice over the weekend and it was surprising how quickly the T Shirts announcing it started popping up everywhere.


The other main topic was whether to watch Blur or Prodigy (again the T Shirts joined in the conversation), we avoided this problem by spending this period in our tent, I can’t really tell you much about what we were doing but it involved some 2CB and a higher level of tantric than an Indian holy man could hope to reach. Even though Blur were supposed to have been amazing, I could almost guarantee that I was having a better time than anyone actually there watching them. We eventually made it back into the festival to catch the last bout of rain and miss a fantastic show from Chrome Hoof at Trash City due to an overt queue aversion.


I guess the main way to sum up the different approaches to Glastonbury is: the package tour way, where you see all of the sights and sounds you’re supposed to and vow to get your money’s worth. You marvel at some things, taking plenty of photos, but then you get disappointed a lot, complaining that it’s not like the brochure and being stuck with the rest of the package tour crowd on their stag and hen parties; then there’s the backpacker way where you wonder off the beaten track, discover the dodgy back lane bars with that great little band that nobody’s ever heard of, meet shed loads of people then lie to your family about how you got to see The Boss / Machu Picchu but lost your camera so don’t have the photos to show how great it was.


We had definitely overdosed on Michael Jackson by the time we left Glastonbury and things aren't going to ease off for some time yet, but seeing as it was the biggest news of the festival it's only right to add our tuppence worth. Here's a bunch of our favourite tributes that have rolled in so far. Tributes if not for the King Of Pop himself, then for all those poor buggers who paid ridiculous amounts of money to go and see him this month.



(YSI) Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Tek-Step Remix) / alt link

(YSI) Sway - The King Full Stop / alt link

(YSI) Hype On Hype Vs Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (Dirty Dub Drop) / alt link

And here's a few more from our friends over at Subservient Experiment.

(YSI) Michael Jackson - Remember the Time (Don Diablo Remix) / alt link

(YSI) The Hood Internet - Billie Wildcat Jean (MJ vs. Ratatat) / alt link

(YSI) Michael Jackson - Beat It (LehtMoJoe Remix) / alt link

Bedlam bring another massive line up to Cardiff which includes our very own Monkey & Stagga. It’s rare that promoters are brave enough to put on line ups like this in the city so this night needs to be supported to make sure it continues. These few tunes should give you an idea of who we shall definitely be checking out on the night.

The name kinda says it all with this one, Mad Professor trying to fly the Tardis on Ketamine.

(YSI) Stagga – Time Warp Dub

This one will make you skank so low you might bounce your head off the floor.

(YSI) Stagga – Rockin Down The House Dub

There's something magical and mystical about this one, the subtlest of the Eastern flavours in this selection.

(YSI) Monkey – Sometimes

When Peter Tosh says 'move ya bumbaclart' you don't really have a choice once the beat comes rollin back in.

(YSI) Monkey – Wots A Boombaclart

How convenient to have them both on the same track.

(YSI) The Black Ghosts – Some Way Through This (Plastician & Skream Remix)

High Rankin has managed to breath some new life into this one, kinda like Frankenstein and his monster.

(YSI) Chase & Status – Eastern Jam (High Rankin 100% Unofficial Remix)

A great take on the track with a Brass Band providing the music.

(YSI) Riz MC – Eastern Jam

This was originally supposed to appear on Eastern Drum and Breakz Vol 2 but was just too damn heavy compared to the rest of the album. check out his more laid back Don Leisure alter ego as well.

(YSI) Jamal – Knowledge

Toddla T is definitely the new king of Rudeboy Electro styles. This has got that classic UK Garage feel.

(YSI) Toddla T & Serocee – Manabadman

Not sure why we hadn't posted this up before but here's the last chart we compiled. As with all charts it changes each second but hopefully it gives a general idea of what we're really feeling hard at the moment. Have put links to each artist's page on Myspace so check them all out for yourself.


1. KillaQueenz – Bitches (South Rakkas Crew Remix) (Sweat It Out)

2. Qemists – Dem Na Like We (King Cannibal Remix) (Ninja Tune)

3. Food For Animals – Mutumbo (Raffertie’s Bigger Bass Remix) (Cock Rock Disco)

4. Playdoe – The Bombs (White)

5. The Lazarus Project - Aftermath (Bootleg Remix) (Cease & Desist)

6. Akira Kiteshi – ‘Pinball’ (Black Acre)

7. El Guincho ft. Kid Ice & Jammer – Kalise (Mumdance Remix) (Mad Decent / Young Turks)

8. Lowkey ft Jon McClure & Faith SFX – Revolution (So Empire)

9. Ben Sharpa – Hegemony Remix (DPlanet Remix) (Pioneer Unit)

10. Stagga ft Skamma – Sick As Sin (Rag & Bone)

11. Harmonic 313 ft Phat Kat & Elzhi - Battlestar(Warp)

12. Wiley – Cash In My Pocket (Chew Fu Small Room Fix) (White)

13. Monkey – Emanuelle I (White)

14. Flying Lotus & Declaime ft Pattie Blingh - A Whole Wide World (Ramp)

15. Herrmutt Lobby – Vampire Remix (Eat Concrete)

16. PPP – On A Cloud (Ubiquity)

17. Th’ Mole ft Warrior Queen – Jump Jack (Daly City)

18. Troublemaker – Follow The Leader (White)

19. Mos Def – Quiet Dog (Downtown Records)

20. Alien Entertainment ft. Black Canvas - Full Speed Ahead (Wellness Tunes/Alien Entertainment Recs)