Saturday 30 April 2005

New Touch


New Touch, originally uploaded by chantelle.

On shelves now. In this issue Roll Deep (by me), Akala, Tony Jaa, Dynamo, Richard Pryor, Faith Evans (by Ms Collins), Teedra Moses, Juggy D & Jin, The Channel U debate (featuring me, and I'm not looking too tidy), and as usual a whole lot more.

Friday 29 April 2005

Kiss Show

On the Kiss site it's currently under Joe Ransom. But it's Logan. http://promo.kissclients.com/kissplayer/a_logansama.shtml

Thursday 28 April 2005

When I'm Ere


Roll Deep, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Roll Deep, pictured: Target, Flo Dan, Bubbles, Riko, Trim, Breeze, Jet Li, Roachee, Danny Weed, Scratchy. When I'm Ere video now showing on Channel U. Ace & Vis said “Yeh, we been on a mad one as usual. You got to check our website to see the brand new Roll Deep video. We went to the shoot and had a chat about videos, their manor known as 'Wileout' and why Wiley almost missed the shoot. The Roll Deep man dem are all crazy so were in good company! You can check the pictures, chat and video. It’s big." http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/djs/aceandinvisible

Do We Play? N-O

Go to the music section on www.ka-no.com and there's a backstage freestyle uploaded. More to follow apparently.

DJ Clash

Xtra UKG DJ Battle Royale. 1Xtra announces its first DJ battle 'UKG DJ Battle Royale', a live clash of the hottest emerging names on the UK Garage/Grime scene. 'UKG DJ Battle Royale' will build up over four heats which will be broadcast live every Friday night (2am-6am) throughout May on the M1X show  hosted by Aftershock (Terror Danjah's collective) and DJ Q on rotation. The four heats will also be simulcast on the '1Xtra Presents' slot on Radio 1 (Friday nights 3am-5am). The grand final will be broadcast live on 1Xtra on bank holiday Monday 30th May. Each heat will include four DJs who will each throw down a 10 minute mix. After the M1X show comes off-air, the mixes go online for the listeners to vote for a week's duration. The winner of each heat will be announced on the following week's M1X show. For the final heat on 27th May, listeners will be invited to vote by text between 4am-6am. The winner of the final round will be announced at the end of the show. The four heat winners will go forward to the grand final which will be hosted by Aftershock & DJ Q. The final will be broadcast live on 1Xtra  on Monday 30th May at 5pm-7pm. Each mix will be 20 minutes. For the rest of that week, listeners will again be able to vote online for their overall winner. The overall 'UKG DJ Battle Royale' winner will be announced on the M1X show on Friday 3rd June and highlighted on all the UKG shows during the week. The winner's prize will be hosting the Xtra Talent slot (Sunday nights 3am-6am) for 1 month in June, a mix on Richie Vibe Vee's show on Weds 1st June and a pair of Pioneer CDJs plus mixer and case.

The names of the DJs for each heat will be announced.
Broadcast Schedule: 1Xtra           Radio 1
Friday May 6th         2am-6am 3am-5am Heat 1, hosted by DJ Q
Friday May 13th        2am-6am 3am-5am Heat 2, hosted by Aftershock
Friday May 20th      2am-6am 3am-5am Heat 3, hosted by DJ Q
Friday May 27th      2am-6am 3am-5am Heat 4, hosted by Aftershock
Monday 30th May 5pm-7pm The grand final, hosted by Aftershock & DJ Q

Wednesday 27 April 2005

Live-o


*FINAL-PLAN B FLYER (BACK), originally uploaded by chantelle.

Remix Fury

If you're a regular on the RWD forums you'll already know about the official remix competition. If not sign up and head over to the booth. Lady Fury wrote:Hey, its Fury Here, this is the acapella for ''Too much drugs'' featuring Lady Fury, Oozie & Rzarecta the video is due out in early summer and to celebrate this fact i have decided to do a remix competition for ALL producers, the aim is to promote some of the unheard talent around the uk, the producer that makes the best remix (chosen by Fury) will recieve the chance to be on the B-Side of the 12" record, also please watch out for the boys remix featuring names like Bashy, Shizzle & Mc Narstie to name a couple, produced by S.K.I.T.Z Beatz both male and female versions are set to be underground (and possibly overground hits) so producers get remixing and when it comes out in the shops, don't download it, BUY IT, support YOUR MUSIC! Good Luck! Rules :: NO BOOTLEGS, BEAT MUST BE 138BPM, YOU MUST USE THE ACCAPELLA. DEADLINE :: MONDAY JUNE 20th.

Tuesday 26 April 2005

Bitchin'


bitchin, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Sovereign is giving away four tracks over at www.ladysovereign.com. You have to be a VIP, but expect most of you already are. The first official single on Island looks set to be released in July so this should keep ya'll going until then.

Big Hype

If you've been reading some of the forums you'll have caught a whiff of hype surrounding Big Seac. While yes it is true he was sadly shot and stabbed a few days ago, he isn't on his death bed, and appears to already be back working. It seems people find this sort of 'news' exciting. You won't be saying that when it's you or your boy getting shanked? And let's face it there's bare people getting shanked these days. It's a bigger threat than guns. The combination of news, computer games, tv programmes, music videos... violent imagery at every turn, has left us desensitised. People embrace this sorry state of affairs like they're on Heat magazines dick. Go shank yourself and think about it. Mugs.

Time 4 Plan B

Kidz can be downloaded for free over at www.time4planb.co.uk. He's also playing at Enterprise on the 13th and 20th May. The accoustic session is meant to be off the wall so gonna try and check it.

Album Updates

Ok... so Kano's album isn't far off. Home Sweet Home's production credits are as follows; Mikey J, DaVinChe, Terror Danjah, Diplo, Paul Epworth, Kano, Fraiser and Tipsy. Having been fortunate enough to hear some clips it's a really interesting first album. Boy done good. Won't say too much until I've had chance to listen to it properly. Kano's club tour has also just begun so go to www.ka-no.com for dates. As for Roll Deep the final line-up is slightly shorter with Wiley, Danny Weed, Target and Dirty 4orts (Eurogang) cutting the crust. Unfortunately Boogieman hasn't made it on but there's still plenty of strong tracks and let's not forget Wiley's plan to get Creeper 2 & 3 out by summer. Sovereign's album won't be dropping for a while but she's hard at it. Basement Jaxx are currently working on Blah, Blah while she lines up her next single which I can now tell you is going to be called 9-5. The new stuff is way beyond anything she's done before and can't wait to see her with the full band... Lethal B's album is going to be dropping on J-Did or V2... apparently. No real details yet though. Look out for the new videos on Channel U.

Sunday 24 April 2005

Because I Can

From Creeper Vol. 1 Brazen, Eskimo Relay, Riko, Trim & Wiley, Wiley & Breeze

Chicken & Beer


Chicken & Beer, originally uploaded by chantelle.

If I wasn't on the other side of the world on May 7th I'd be heading to France for the Chicken & Beer party. The promoters are bloody nice blokes it has to be said. Had the pleasure of meeting them at Forward. Etienne was cooler than anyone in Easy Rider and Johan had one of the tightest beard plaits I've ever seen. It's a look I might bus' on my armpit hair should I ever decide to grow it... The guys also do Radio Clit and have put out a promo cd recently. It's certainly different but if like me your into the spice of life, sample their delights. I never thought I'd hear Thuggish Ruggish mixed with Gwen Steffani but with Radio Clit you should never be sure what to expect.

Burnt Out

From CMU Daily... With the growing download sector busy propping up Apple Computers and the hopes of the whole music industry, it was probably unfair to expect it to sustain a magazine too. Yep, word has it that Rip & Burn, the music magazine
launched last year and specifically targeted at the digital music scene, is no more, although an online version may launch in the near future. The fact that the magazine has failed to build a big enough readership soon enough may be a sign that, despite the hype, the digital music space is still relatively small. Or it could be a sign that music, at the end of the day, is just music, and building a magazine around a mere delivery mechanism isn't enough of a USP in the crowded music media space. But whatever, it's always sad when another music title leaves the newsstand...

Have to add it seems ironic that it's has folded on the same week downloads are incorporated into the UK singles chart. Looking at the midweeks it was a surprise, why I don't quite know, to see so many bands and acts I'd never heard of. Surely a good sign though in weeding out more shit pop music. So brappage to that and a tear from my right eye for all over at Rip & Burn. It was great while it lasted (and they paid nicely).

RWD Lovers


RWD Lovers, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Here's RWD Mags reviews of their own RWD ACCESS ALL ARTISTS stage held on 16th April @ the UMF.
"It was the first time RWD hit the UMF and all was a success, we had performances all day and many enjoyed the live magazine experience. Here's the low down: It all kicked off around 1pm and the first punters were afraid to go onto the fresh carpet with most were taken aback by the area itself. As people approached RWD's Access All Artists many a 'rah' and 'wow' were heard by RWD staff and it was then when we new it would go down well. The first set was from the Twice as Nice crew consisting of DJ's Scottie B and Ironic, with Kool J finding himself as the host for the day. They went on to be great hosts, mic controllers and we thank them for their excellent performance. The day continued with dance and MC competitions intertwining between the PA's and showcases. With Lady Fury and Nutz and Bolts- who got the crowd hyped, Dogzilla - smooth PA with a great crowd reaction, Matthew Knowles, (Beyonce's dad and head of Sanctury Urban), Delinquent feat. Shah who performed 'Ghetto Queen', Roll Deep who lively performed album material and even Wiley turned up, Donea'o - great vocals and a great reaction, Akala who dropped both versions of 'Roll with us', Aftershock showcase with Bruza (the cocky cockney), No Lay and Unorthodox who were the crowd favourite, SLK with Flirts and co smashing it as usual, Newham Generals big bars from all three, Ruff Sqwad another crowd favourite, Essentials who murked still even with people running to see Kano on the main stage, Firecamp (feat. 2Face, 2Lippy but No Lethal) with Fresh, Ryda and co. helping the showcase, Mastabeatz showcase with Skepta, JME and Dan and finally, Jammer and Ears turned the heat up at the end to sum up a great day."

As I wasn't there I couldn't possibly comment.

Saturday 23 April 2005

Take A Trip

If you go over to Scandalbag they've uploaded audio from Riko on a bashment tip over at Rhythm Factory the other week. There's also a recent Rinse session up there but don't forget rinsefm.com also boast a download section now with regular updates. If you're still looking for more visit www.riddim.ca

Montreal Mirror


Montreal Mirror, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Scott C has done a really good piece for the Montreal Mirror. In keeping with my usual antics I was late getting my quotes to him but interesting to hear Charlie Dark raise some points.
Read here

Magic Sundays


Magic Sundays, originally uploaded by chantelle.

UK crew watch T4 tomorrow (as in Sunday) after you have your fry up and catch Dynamo. A must see magician who wowed the crowds at i-D Live, UMF and The Jumpoff to name but a few. Collins gave me the tip off so nice one. Times he's on are 14:45, 15:50 & 17:20. "Man, this kids GOOD!" David Blaine. "The best magic I've ever seen up close" Jools Holland. "The dopest magician I've ever seen" DJ Jazzy Jeff. "The next David Blaine"  X-Zibit. "Dynamo's got tha tricks (and I've got the hoes!)" Lil Jon. "DAMIEN the OMEN!" Avid Merri.

New Stock At ukrecordshop.com

And this is in their words, not mine... Remember they ship worldwide...
Terror Danjah - Sonar - FL Records £5.99 Another head banging track from Terror. Both sides are equally good grab this before they all sell out.
Terror Danjah - Piano Madness - Aftershock £5.99 What can i say Terror Danjah is the man of the moment, with tracks like this and others that are being played on dubplate at the moment this guy is on fire
Danny Weed - Shank Riddim Aka When Im Ere £6.49 A massive anthem which also has a Wiley Kat remix on the vinyl
Morphic Sounds - Code Red EP £5.99 Four tracks on this EP, this track to watch out for is Sinister Interlude.
Crazy Titch And J2K - Stop (Davinche Remix) £5.99 What a track this has been played by all the top DJs on 1xtra and has finally been released
Musketeers Ft Lethal B And Fumin - Shogale Riddim £5.99 What a tune!!! A nice bass line with a well produced break. This has a anthem written all over it as it has the big bwois of the moment Lethal B and Fumin on the vocals
Ciara - 1-2 Step (Delinquent Remix) £5.99 The second release from the U.S singer this time she gets an official remix from the top boys in the UKG game. Delinquent give a great remix with UKG written all over it and bringing the sound back to the main stream.
Da Phuture - Summer Vibes £5.99 A big EP with four big tracks including two DJ SKI mixes
Scott Tonic - The Jazzmatazz EP £5.99 The Follow up to the hit EP, this is filled with more bumpy bass lines and beats
DJ SKI - The NW7 Project £5.99 Four well produced tracks this is for all the 4x4 fans out there
James Lavonz - Never Gonna Change £5.99 Four bad tunes on this piece of vinyl. It has four mixes to suit any DJ
Crazy Titch And Keisha - Gully (ED Case Remix) £5.99 Ed Case has proved that Grime vocals can be remixed into 4x4 smash hits. This is one of the best remixes out and is full of energy. The flip side has a 2 step mix as well, this is a vinyl that cant be missed.
Afrodisiacs - Tell Me Its Real £5.99 This old skool UKG classic gets a 2005 refix.
Sparks And Kie - Fly By Mega Mix £5.99 This is a long awaited remix that has been battered by DJ EZ for some time now.
Ruff Sqwad And Wiley - Jam And Pie £6.49 This is a very limited test press and has four big anthems, It also has a Wiley remix with the instrumental of Jammers - Murcal Man
J - Sweet - Kerb £5.99 What a tune this has been rinsed by DJ Cameo and has been all over the Tape Packs. Grab your copy of this big bwoi club hit before there all gone
Ruff Sqwad - Anna £5.99 This is the track that has been battered by all the Djs on all the major stations. This is also one of the biggest tracks that is getting air play on Channel U.
Old Skool Boots Volume 2 £6.49 This has four of the biggest UKG anthems all on one piece of vinyl. It has both the TJ Cases classics on there as well as two other massive anthems
Macabre Unit - Everday Life - Slimzos Recordings £5.99 Macabre Unit are proving that they have got a lot to show. This is another hit to add to their name. The track has been been on dub for a while now and finally gets released.
Hector (Regal Players) - Rude Boy - Frog Music £5.99 The first release from this massive anthem. It has been circulating around on dub for some time and has finally been released
Fresh - Realion £5.99 This is one of the biggest tracks out at the moment. It features REMEDEE, SHIZZLE, FLIRTA D, NAPPER, SOULJA KID, JME, RYDER, BABYCHAM, SPIDER B, LETHAL B & NEEKO so you know this is going to be big
Flirta D - Warp Speed £5.99 Another heavy weight track from the North West MC. Sick bass lines and those great sound effects
About 2 Ft Anita Kesley - Mislead £6.49 You may remember this track back in the day. It was a big anthem on all the dance floors around the country. Limited 10 copies of this old skool anthem so be quick to grab your copy
Dragon/Desert Storm - Why I Love You - Riddler Records £5.99 An out standing record with four quality tracks on the vinyl. This is for all those that love their old skool beats
Paul Johnson - She Got Me On (Todd Edwards Remix) £5.99 A big remix from Todd Edwards with banging 4x4 beats and those deep bass lines
Tushan - Back In The Day (Qualified Remix) £5.99 Another heavy weight remix from Qualified. Grab your copies of these 4x4 bangers while you can
Low Deep - The Take Over EP £5.99 The follow up to the smash hit Str8 Flush. This EP is jam packed with four big bwoi tunes and is worth every penny. This is exclusive to UKRecordShop.com & is Distributed By UKRecordShop.com
Mario - Let Me Love You (Likkle Man Remix) £5.99 These are at again with a hit remix grab your copies of this massive Rnb track
Nu Cee Collective - Bass Bop £5.99 An old skool anthem that has been re-pressed
Venom Crew - Prawpulyun £5.99 A massive tune with every bi mc in the scene and is back in stock so grab your copies while you can
Essentials - Shut Down Shop £5.99 Another hit from the South London Crew
JME - Serious £5.99 A massive anthem that has been on dub for a while. Grab your copies of this while you can
Skepta - Private Caller £5.99 You may have seen the video on Channel U. This is your chance to grab the vinyl quick b4 they sell out.
Jammer Fire Hydrant EP £6.49 The biggest release in the Grime scene at the moment. This has the 5 big bwoi riddims on it and is worth every penny
Lewi White And Jammer - Grave Yard EP £6.49 Featuring 6 tracks that are guaranteed to wake the dead... this one cannot be missed! Do not blame us if we are sold out very soon... its selling fast!
Jammer - World Destruction EP £6.49 Featuring 6 tracks that are guaranteed to start world war on the decks... this one cannot be missed! Do not blame us if we are sold out very soon... its selling fast!
Wiley - Ice Pole Remixes £5.99 This has just been re-pressed fro the last time so if you missed out this is your chance
Trim Monkey/Dizzee Rascal - Mic Check/Unreleased Track £5.99 Another bootleg so be quick to grab your copies
Bossman - Bongo Eyes 2 £5.99 Last few copies left of this massive anthem
Alias - Warriors £5.99 Last few copies left of this club smash
Bossman - Bongo Eyes 1 £5.99 The original club smash is back and is very limited
Wiley - Fire Fly EP £6.49 Another big bwoi EP from Wiley.
Lowdeep - Straight Flush £5.99 This has been out for some time and is one of the biggest tunes on road at the moment so be quick as stocks are running low.
Vader And Crazy Titch - Straight Remix £5.99 Another remix of DJ Mondies Anthem

DVDs And Cds
The Untapped Project - Industry Lockdown Vol 2 £14.99
This is the one of the best DVDs out at the moment and talks about the controversy about weather UK Hip Hop and Grime (UK Garage) are the same thing. The DVD is out to answer that very question with interviews, freestyles and live performances. The DVD features the likes of Skibadee, Mike GLC, Crazy Titch, Wiley, Akala, Sms and many more. The DVD also comes with a mixed CD which is hosted by DJ Cameo. This is very big DVD so make sure you get your copy!!!
Southside Streets Volume 1 £7.99
Bringing you the finest in South London, this is one of a kind... includes freestyles & interviews with South London MC's & Artists...
Mike GLC - A Long Good Friday £13.99
You may have seen Mike GLC on Channel U with a number of hits on there. This is his own official mix CD and DVD. The mix CD is mixed by DJ Uneek.
Crazy Times Volume 1 £14.99
Crazy Titch takes you through his life in the scene in 2004. Follow him through raves, on holiday, to the barbers. Nothing's been left out as the camera followed him to places other DVDs cannot go!! Comes with Mix CD.
Ruff Sqwad - Guns N Roses Volume 1 £8.99
A heavy mixed tape from the E3 crew. This mix tape is one of the best out on the roads at the moment. It has features from the likes of MC's like Wiley, Trim and many more.
Lord Of The Mics £9.99
Never before has anything like this been seen, Hotheadz promotions brings you to lord of the mics, the top boys of the game have all come together to battle it out, but only one can be the lord of the mic.
Practice Hours £9.99
Meridian Crew, Ruff Squad, Crazy Titch, J2K, Wiley, Trim, Riko, Karnage, Bigga, Jammer & Ears, Kano, All In One, SLK plus many more....
Risky Roadz £14.99
Risky Roads DVD!! This is the biggest DVD after Lord Of The Mics! The roads are real... Well over 3 hours of footage
Aim High DVD £14.49
Target presents Aim High Volume 2, CD & DVD Spectacular featuring the likes of Wiley, Roll Deep, D Double E, J2K, Godsgift, Crazy Titch, Kano, Riko, Bruza, Donae'o, Ruffsquad plus many more...
Run The Road £9.99
'Pure Garage' is dead. Long live 'Run The Road'. This is what the scene has been lacking for so long, a mainstream platform showcasing the most credible artists coming out of the streets the way EZ's PG comps used to.
Bars Vol 2 £7.99
The foolow up to the first one which was massive so be quick to grab your copies of volume 2 which is even better
www.ukrecordshop.com

DMZ All Nighter

SATURDAY 7th MAY is when we can all hook up and 'Meditate On Bass Weight'. Souljahz on the night: DIGITAL MYSTIKZ + LOEFAH + SGT POKES, HORSEPOWER (Benny Ill & Lev Jnr), MARK ONE & VIRUS SYNDICATE, HATCHA & CRAZY D, SLT MOB, D1, DJ PINCH Sat 7th May @ 3rd Bass - St. Matthews Church - Brixton - SW2, 10-6am, £ 7, £ 5 members and nus *sound supported by 12k TurboSound System* www.dmzuk.com

Wednesday 20 April 2005

Support The Cause


iD grime feat1_may05, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Remember 12 pages of the above in new issue of our fave fashion mag i-D. I've also teamed up with Sam White for the first time in print to bring you Mizz Beats (nice work girls). Pix from i-D Live at Cargo will be in the following issue x

Tuesday 19 April 2005

The Sweet Grime of Summer


The Sweet Grime of Summer, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Wiley - Snow Storm Riddim
Lo Deep - So Right Now
Big Seek - Yeah, Nah (*or something like that)
JME - Baraka
Plan B - Sick To Death
Roll Deep - Heartbreak Ave Remix
Kano - Mic Check Remix
Dexplicit - Blazer (instrumental *think that's what it's called)
Doctor - Fire Hydrant freestyle
D Double E - Gunman freestyle

Saturday 16 April 2005

Asbo Bars Pirate DJ From Rooftops

By Matheus Sanchez, Evening Standard
15 April 2005
A pirate DJ who ran an illegal radio station from the top of a tower block has been banned from every roof across an entire borough. Dean Fullman, 23, otherwise known as DJ Slimzee, has received what is thought to be the first antisocial behaviour order of its kind for his Rinse FM broadcasts. The garage station, among the most popular in the pirate scene, helped launch the career of Mercury Prizewinner Dizzee Rascal. But council officers and the broadcasting authorities say such stations steal electricity, damage buildings and interfere with other radio signals - including those of emergency services. After a year-long hunt by Ofcom and Tower Hamlets officers, Fullman was caught by surveillance cameras at Shearsmith House in Stepney. Fullman, of Gernon Road, Bow, received a three-year conditional discharge at Thames Magistrates Court after admitting operating a pirate radio station and causing £10,000 of damage by erecting broadcast equipment. The court agreed to Tower Hamlets council's request for an Asbo prohibiting him for five years from entering any roof of any building over four storeys without permission.

Thursday 14 April 2005

When I Wish


wil & jme, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Sometimes I'll look for a beat
Yet find nothing that's quite as sweet
But I want to be just like you
Even with so much work to do

Our source is still the same
We call it the mind by name
I just need to find that skip
And a couple of flows that I can flip

My words have a touch of art
Be it psychosis or from the heart
But I haven't the voice of reason
The one that makes you the hit this season

Not that writers are second rate
Do you know how many of you that I think are great?
Yet grant me a wish that makes me the dapper
And for just one day I'd be like you, a rapper

London 05/05


DSCF0367_1, originally uploaded by chantelle.

The new i-D magazine is out today and it's with great pleasure we present to you London 05/05. In conjunction with the i-D Live night recently held at Cargo this 12 page feature has gathered up some of the street movers and shakers, including those behind the scenes. The initial list Hattie and I sent to i-D contained over 100 names but it was physically impossible to get everyone together on the same day. Of course we could never be definitive. What we hope to have provided is a snapshot of a scene in progress. Hope you enjoy. *I was going to tell you who's in it but don't want to spoil it.*

Wednesday 13 April 2005

Kiss Me Quick


kissing, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Congratulations to Logan Sama for securing a show on Kiss 100 FM, the sound of a fun, young, London (well it is now). More details, as in times and start date, to follow but for now Logan Sama pulls out some of hit freshest instrumental dubs that you should be watching over the next couple of months: DaVinChe - Hooks, Dexplicit - Unknown, DOK - Unknown, Footsie - Scars Remix, JME - Barraka, Rapid - Underground Remix, Ripper Man - Fields of War, Skepta - Trample, Wafa - Gunman 2, Wiley - Avenger. For now hear Logan Sama on Rinse 100.3FM every Friday 7-9pm or log onto www.rinsefm.com. And Matt Jam Lamont didn't get sacked so Logan could have his show, ok?

*Did anyone know you could actually get kissing barbies? I'm in shock. Do you know what I'd do to get my hands on a barbie that could lips me?*

Twelve Grimey Ones


sovereign, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Dirty Dozen which appeared in a recent issue of Blues and Soul with Lady Sovereign...

Your name's Sovereign but would you kiss the ring?
Eugh, nah mate you're disgusting. What do you mean why? Ahhhh!

If you had to get random would somebody who would it be?
I wouldn't mind getting random with Andre from Outkast. I'd let him dress me up in some of his clothes then we'd make some beautiful music.

When did you last break the law?
Last night, smoking innit. But I've moved on from hash, I had a bit of skunk. I don't see smoking weed as breaking the law either really.

Once I was sick and my cat ate it, has anything like that happened to you?
This is disgusting yeah, can't believe I'm telling you this it's grim. I was in the bath once and I'd left a packet of sanitary towels on the floor. My dog came in and ran off with a load. By the time I got downstairs the dog was covered in them and had left a trail of torn up sanitary towels all over the lounge.

What Dirty Dozen question would you ask yourself?
Maybe the best rumours I've heard about me. There's some good ones at the moment, apparently I've got five kids and am checking Riko.

If I said I'd pay for plastic surgery what would you have done?
My little toe, I think it looks a bit funny. I don't want it removed, just corrected.

Who was the last person you kissed?
My mum, she's just had an operation and I went to visit her in hospital. She's doing a lot better now.

Where's the weirdest place you've slept?
When I was little, well about 10, I used to make a tent in the garden using two chairs and a sheet, one night I stayed in it all night. Then the next morning my brother cracked my head open. He threw a pile of mud at me but there was a stone in it, nearly knocked me out.

Do you have groupies?
I have some mad fans, some stalkerish ones. A lot of these ones want me to meet their mums which I think's well weird.

Favourite porno?
Whatever's on, at home I only have normal TV so it's whatever channel 5 come up with. I watched some funny ones on the D12 tour, Titch had one Booty Call, he had a whole pile. He said to me 'duh, stupid' cause I'd been spending £6 a night on them at the hotel.

What's your ultimate fantasy?
I don't know but it would probably involve marshmallows, chopsticks and nestle cream, if you've ever tried it you'll know what I'm talking about.

So, what underwear are you wearing?
Well I've got this bra on, it's one of those naughty ones from Anne Summers with no top half. It's black and baby blue. I've got shorts on, no knickers. And one sock.

www.ladysovereign.com. She has a 4 track EP coming out soon.

Tuesday 12 April 2005

Plasticman Actually


Plasticman Actually, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Twenty two year old Chris Reed aka Plasticman hasn't been spending much time at his humble Thornton Heath abode of late. Hell no. Since hooking up with Rephlex Records, taking over Croydon with his dubstep-grime mashup's and producing some breathtaking moments of musical mayhem, it's been one long arse journey around the world... Plasticman breaks it down…

Name: Plasticman

History: Started DJ'ing in 1999, got on a few swag pirates in 2000 by doing a few guest shows. 2001 - started playing darker UKG in a crew called Fearless Crew under another alias, "DJ Darkstar". 2001/2002 - started working in a record distribution company and began writing brief reviews for RWD mag under the Plasticman guise. By 2002 I had left the company and started producing under the Plasticman name to further my DJ career. 2003 I had a few decent releases and people were taking notice. At the end of 2003 I started on Rinse FM. 2004 did the Rephlex deal and began getting more recognition out of the UK. And now, I'm still on Rinse, still making beats and running my label - Terrorhythm Recordings.

Achievements:
Noteable ones - Having two number one tracks on the 1Xtra chart. Playing in Japan, Belgium, France, USA, Austria and Holland at the age of 21. Being the youngest ever tutor at the Red Bull Music Academy in Rome this year. Signing with Rephlex is also probably one of my top achievements.

Ambition:
Just to help people get really into grime - whether it's played with or without vocals. I want to re-create the dancefloor scenes we used to see in Ayia Napa before UKG died. People raving again. It's starting to happen already - I'm not the only person involved in the scene who wants this i'm sure!

What are you working on at moment?
My album which should be getting a Rephlex release later in the year after the summer. I'm currently trying to put together a 4 deck mix CD. It's really complicated though and has been getting the better of me for the last few weeks! I just want to take my DJ'ing career further really - thats the whole reason I started making music. I've also been collaborating with some very big MC's. I can't say much at the moment but just watch this space - you won't be disappointed.

How about your label plans?
I want Terrorhythm to be a label for the whole scene to be proud of. I'm trying to make it look and run as professionally as possible. I've made some basic merchandise available online and the feedback has been great on it. I just want to have a label that people who aren't into grime can access easily - it caters for all tastes in grime music from basic riddims for MC's right up to the kind of twisted bangers you would hear at FWD.

You've been touring world with Rephlex could you tell us more?
Yeh Rephlex took Mark One and I to the USA in March last year. Since the release of the compilation album ('Grime') they've gathered interest for me from promoters around the globe. I went to France to represent Rephlex in November with Luke Vibert, Ed DMX, Bogdan Raczynski and Ceephax. Most of the other bookings have come directly to me though - Brussels was a good one, in a train station which was shut for one night! I went to Japan with Pascal and Hazard from True Playaz - it was really good to share the experience with people like them who are veterans to the whole touring thing!

Let's talk global then. Most people don't even realise the underground UK dance scene is popping abroad, right?
True. Belgium was mad - around 2000 people in a massive train station, the people were really up for it and I took Nika D and JSD out there with me. Japan was absolutely crazy - I really like going to other countries almost like a tourist, and just being surrounded by the culture there was unreal - almost like being on another planet, and the hospitality was first class. Rome was probably the most beautiful city I've seen on my travels - I went into the Colosseum and saw all the old ruins when I wasn't listening to all of the great music at the Red Bull Academy. Amsterdam was.... well, Amsterdam! The party there was really good, DJ Gomes is working extremely hard out there for our scene and he had a really good crowd of educated grime supporters. Austria was a funny one, I got an indirect flight which was delayed and meant I missed the change-over in Germany, which resulted in my bags (and records!) getting left behind as I got on my connecting flight to Austria. My bags arrived just 20 minutes before my set and I got to the club with about 5 mins to spare! France was massive - a huge indoor festival called Nordik Impakt, I was playing in the "chillout" room, but as the night went on it got less chilled out by the minute! At one point in my set Luke Vibert told me I had more people in our room than any other room in the venue, and he could see them all dancing from the VIP lounge which was up on a blacony overlooking the huge hall. There must have been around 6,000 people in the room at that time. Half of which were skankin' to FWD riddim! This trip provided me with one of my funniest experiences - as I was playing my set I noticed a really wasted couple trying to make love to each other at the front of the crowd. All the people around them were too busy raving to Wiley's Ice Cream Man tune to notice, but I didn't miss the opportunity to grab the video camera and record the err... "beautiful" moment they were attempting to share!

How did you get involved with the Redbull Music Academy?
Zed Bias called me one day to tell me I had been shortlisted for the annual event to appear as a guest tutor on the academy. I was really pleased to find this out, as he told me there were three people on the committee to put my name forward, none of them from the UK. It was a good feeling to think people outside London let alone the UK were actually into the new sound, and they were prepared to give me a great opportunity to share my knowledge of the scene with a group of extremely talented musicians from around the world. It was an amazing experience for me - the kalibre of musicians involved there was absolutely astonishing. I met some really cool people and also got the opportunity to see Rome, the city. I rate that trip as one of the most life changing experiences in my life - it really made me realise how far I've come and how I must never take for granted all of the experiences I've had in my music career.

How has the recent closure of Big Apple, a shop integral in pushing the Croydon and grime sounds, effected you?
It's made record shopping a mission! It's also made it more difficult for me to link the Croydon heads for new dubs. I think it's probably difficult for young people in the Croydon area to get hold of new records now. If they don't drive, getting to Independance is difficult and it's the closest store to Croydon. I expect the online stores of shops like Uptown, Independance and Rhythm Division have been much busier since Apple closed down.

People often get it twisted about what you play, how would you describe your style?
It's just my take on grime music. I've always been a grime DJ and I started producing purely so I could further my career in the scene. I think the reason people get it twisted is because I try so hard to sound original, whereas a lot of other producers in the scene just bite whatever is the top selling sound at the time, and therefore fall into the boundary of a typical grime production. When producing my tracks I try to make it sound interesting enough to stand alone in a set without an MC on top of it, which normally means making it more complicated. As grime is generally publicised as a pretty simple and minimal genre, any kind of attempt to make it sound complex is going to confuse people who aren't really in the know.

Dubstep/grime - what's the difference to you?
Dubstep takes massive influence from dub reggae. People like Digital Mystikz show such a clear link between the two genres in their production and for me they really represent the sound more truly than anyone else in the scene. Dubstep tends to sway more towards the sub bass and steers clear of anything synthy, which gives it a really analog sound. The beats are normally quite spaced out which gives it a slow feel, but the beats are also regularly backed up by drum loops - usually ethnic sounding loops - probably an influence from the jungle scene which a lot of the producers involved grew up on. The sub bass is the key element here, as it is the main component of the track. The bass really helps the tune along, and fills in all of the gaps left by the usual absence of any catchy riffs or melodies. Grime for me is normally slightly more simple in the beat department but is more busy than dubstep in all other parts of the tunes. Riffs and hooks are normally present to help carry the track through and make it more "song-like". I think that this is due to the evolution of grime from UK Garage - which was always very catchy in it's melodies. The basses in grime are less subby and normally make up part of the midrange of the track, as it is important the bass sounds are heard as well as felt. The main difference for me is that Dubstep is usually designed to be played on it's own, whereas grime is more designed for vocals or MC's. This is probably the main reason my sound is always confused by a lot of people - by making a grime track sound more complex I'm twisting what a lot of people believe to be "playstation" music from what they've read in the press. A lot of people who aren't really in the know about our scene would place me in the dubstep genre because of this.

You can book Plasticman via Live Agents (liveagents@hotmail.com).

Sunday 10 April 2005

Sick To Death


Sick To Death, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Real sick hearing these pricks talk shit,
Get their throats slit cause they're talking to me like I'm thick,
And I'm real tired of all these bullshit guys,
They best go hide cause I'm looking for them on the sly,
Cause i've had it up to here, right up to here,
Might have to do it Reservoir Dogs style and slice off the ear,
Cause I've had enough of bredders acting tough,
Trying to get rough when it's obvious they're ain't rough enough...

If you've listened to the 1Xtra sessions, recently viewed warscribe.blogspot.com or had your ear to the ground you may have already heard some of Plan B's material. Right about now Sick To Death is speaking volumes to me. And this is a proper exclusive that I've kindly been given permission to donate for your listening pleasure (next stop Tofuhut). Click the link below or drop me a line and catch some of this here mindset

Plan B


So to the 2nd part of last night...

Ended up on Cameo's 1Xtra Pirate Sessions where Essentials, Kano, Demon, Ghetto and Big Seek (or is it Seec?) were performing. Was actually loosing my 1Xtra virginity and like most first times it resulted in a few (minor) complications, a bit of pain but thankfully, there's no need for a transfusion (yet).

Heard the Tsunami track for the first time and although of course recommend supporting it (as in buying it when it actually comes out) I don't actually like it. Produced by DaVinche and JD and featuring an entirety of MCs and singers including Aleesha Mis-Teeq and Nathan, it just doesn't rock my world. Nor does the remix. In all fairness the beats are probably tuff but haven't heard instrumentals yet so overall judgement reserved.

As we all know you have to filter through the weeds to find the flowers, grime needs a serious visit from Ground Force (but then which scene doesn't).

Later on the evening it transpires Demon started calling for Roll Deep and not long after Riko. Someone later mentioned Wiley too, not entirely sure if that was Demon or Ghetto though. Everyone seemed surprised except maybe Essentials who were blatently going for Lethal B earlier on at Cargo (much to the crowds amusement, these clubs are different, not even a gun finger to seen). As you'd imagine, hell has started to freeze over today as Riko, Trim and Syer B (officially the latest Roll Deep member having parted company with OT) took to the Rinse FM airwaves. I haven't heard the audio yet but word is it wasn't pleasant. Roll Deep are back murking the airwaves (very interesting selection from Max and Karnage) as I type.

I crawled in at about 4am and didn't think much of it. And I do hope I won't need to think much of it cause it would be a shame if the two camps allowed seemingly pointless beef to divert attention from their record label projects, both of which equate to a much bigger picture. Need I go into it again?

When relaying events to Miss Collins she recommended anyone in this to watch Beef. I will be and taking notes because for various reasons sometimes we feel we're in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a long story and not one for public consumption but trust me, I'm nearing the front line.

Where's Skepta?


Skepta, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Saw Skepta out with JME, Wiley and Maximum last night. They'd popped into Destination Out @ Cargo where Katie Pearl, Essentials, Crazy Titch, J2K and The Mitchell Brothers were all performing. JME and Wiley sprayed some bars but Skepta, come on why were you lurking in the shadows? And as Skepta duly noted I've never uploaded a picture of him (another blog reader you see), here we go. And if this ain't Skepta then he's gotta have a twin brother.
Big up Remerdee for the CD too, give that a spin tonight. Think it's in shops now folks.

Mike Skinner popped in later in the evening to bless the crowd with his verse from Routine Check. I cut out after that anyway... the rest of the night to follow.

Saturday 9 April 2005

Is It Love?


Is It Love?, originally uploaded by chantelle.

For those that didn't pick up a copy of the Lady Sovereign Random single with limited edition artwork or manage to nab The Sov... here's how it read.

MIDGETS FIGHT CENSORSHIP
Fed up of debating the political correctness of words such as wigga, and expressions like special needs, Freedom Of Speech Revokers have launched a new campaign against the word midget. A spokesperson told The Sov 'Everyone wants to be a goddam midget since Mini Me started getting the odd menage-a-trois' but we need to cap the ass on this one. We can't all be midgets.' Batting for the opposition, Lady Sovereign said 'look yeah, whatever innit. I might not be offiicial midget height but really what you gonna do about it? Blahbarians!' (Read opinion on page 10).

RIKO SNIFFED OUT?
Prisoners at Brixton HMP were in for a surprise this week. Her majesty's sniffer dogs were called in for a random search following a tip off about a hot verse been dropped inside G Wing. One source told The Sov 'Couldn't believe it mate, there I was cooking up some noodles and this bitch was all up in my cell licking my leg and trying to hump me whenever she heard a grime tune come on Rinse FM.' Another snitch added 'It's all that bloody Riko's fault. The mug went and spat 16 bars over that Lady Sovereign tune but he was too hot. Heard he laid a right large one on her I did!' Prison officials are expected to meet tomorrow to discuss reforms that would see any future MC serving time signed to HMP Recordings, with all sales royalties going directly to the Governor.

3.30AM SHOWBIZ EXCLUSIVE
CRACK & THE LEANTALK
A source has revealed to 3.30AM that the first ever grime panto is coming to town. The modern take on Jack and the Beanstalk will see alternative grime clown, Lady Sovereign play Jack, a girl who dresses as a boy and goes around jacking people's phones. We can also exclusively reveal that the traditional storyline takes a dramatic twist when Jack comes to a grizzly end. Unbeknown to Jack her sidekick, Leantalk (Medasyn) wants her turf and sets her up, getting a shotter named Giant, to take her out for smoking his beans and cutting down his plants. Rumours that Arthur Menta will play Giant are yet to be confirmed on going to press.

NEWSFLASH: MENTA HOME REOPENS
The Menta Home for sick producers has re-opened it's doors to new patients following a barrage of ill tunes landing on road. Those responsible for the onslaught include A Rucker & Sinden and Menta themselves. Danny told The Sov "It's like we've got the plague or something, put our tracks on in a club and people start freaking out. Therapies that we plan to use on Rucker & Sinden, as well as ourselves, include listening to Donna Summer samples for 12 hour periods and bog washing along to S Club anthems. The nation need not panic just yet."

RANDOM RECALL
Copies of Lady Sovereign's 'Random' are been recalled due to faulty artwork. Ross Allen, label cheese at Casual said 'Yeah some pleb in the company thought it would be a good idea to mock up a newspaper for the artwork, what they didn't realise was how much it was going to cost me. I gotta recall that shit and get it to a good recycling plant if I wanna recoup. You should see my ink bills too man.' Sidekick Joel added 'It was his idea, I did suggest we give them out in napkins but he wouldn't listen.' To return your copy and help keep Mr Allen's Mrs in Prada panties log onto www.ladysovereign.com.

Wednesday 6 April 2005

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha


Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Found this over at the thealmightguru.com. All Barbie submissions welcome of course. Now watch your back...

Lamberts Sidewinder Statement

I would just like to clear up a few matters regarding SIDEWINDER'S 6TH BIRTHDAY SAT 2ND APRIL @ EMPIRE MILTON KENYES. Firstly i would like to thank everyone who attended this event. Unfortunately the UK Garage scene has been tarnished with a bad rep even though we all know this is blown out of proportion in the media and we also all know it is just the minority that has caused this negativity in the media and beyond. However it was notorious in the past that trouble was generated by the general public attending the dance event, unfortunately now times have changed and it has now taken a turn for the worse as particular artists that make up this very scene are now the offenders.

The only way we can drive forward and keep this scene healthy is to promote and encourage new talent which is what i intended to do at the Sidewinder Birthday, however i now realise that certain artists mentality cannot understand the long term gains of this scene and go on like complete idiots so therefore they have already ruined any chances they may have had to promote themselves especially as on this event it was being recorded by BBC 1 Xtra. Artists always have beef with each other for what ever reason this is just part of our scene, however why do they not use this to their advantage and battle this out lyrically on stage, this is entertaining just like 8 Mile, fighting and arguing on stage is not entertaining and is a insult to everyone who has paid to come to the event to be entertained. When i say battle it out i mean lyrically to entertain the crowd if you need to take this any further do it in your own time not at the events people watching and listening to you do not respect this. It's all about RESPECT, Respect what Sidewinder is doing and we will respect the artists needs, it is so simple but these artists make it very hard work which makes it even harder for me to have enthusiasm to promote these artists.

Wiley announced on the mic in the main room that I had scheduled the roll deep set at the same time as the cameo set in order to jepodise their set, in fact roll deep were scheduled to go at 2am until 2.45 then cameo to go on at 2.45 in the main room, however roll deep were delayed arriving and actually got on stage at the same time that cameo started his set. I spoke to Wiley after he went onto the mic in the main room told him the situation and then he understood. Unfortunatley the majority of these artists you have to speak to them personally before they understand!!!

Sidewinder has a very strong influence to which direction the scene path takes if these artists do not realise and start to respect this we will have not alternative to take it in another direction which could be a massive waste as the scene is full of new and unfound talent.

Thanks once again for everyones support for Sidewinder events.
Next Sidewinder is Fri 20th May @ Brunel Rooms, Swindon
UK Collection 9 Tape & CD pack will be on sale Fri 15th April

Lambert.

*Visit rwdmag.com forum for discussion on the above matter*

Trimothy


Trimble, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Who is he and why is he here?

A Cereal Killer


cocopops, originally uploaded by chantelle.

There were no Cocopops on the shelf so I went for the new Cocopops Crunchers (or something). After one mouthful my excitement faded, and quickly. Cocopops is one of those cereals you simply can't mess with. This tasted like a cross between stale anything and an economy version of Sainsbury's Chococurls (for the record, these are the platinum of all that come with milk). Who remembers when they started playing games with Ricicles back in the nineties? Who the fuck wanted dried marshmallows in their cereal? No one. Can you even get Ricicles anymore, I do hope so, I'm getting funny thinking about them. And why is it now every cereal has a nut or fruit variety. Don't kid yourself, this stuff is not real. It's made from toe nails with red food colouring you mug. Stick to chocolate cereals, they make you feel good, forget what you'll look like when you actually realise your cereal is 36% sugar and you've been eating it 365 days a year. I expected more from Cocopops but at least it did still turn my milk chocolatey. Watch your backs, the cereal killers out.

Clean Shots

Check out shots from Run The Road @ Fabric now online at www.runtheroad.com. Also new additions to the Kano website www.ka-no.com. Nice work Miss White. Run The Road are also joining forces with RWD on their stage at the UMF on 16th & 17th of April. More details to follow but the RWD line up looks set to be biggle. While we're here, Roll Deeps album release date is now 16th May.

Monday 4 April 2005

Pants Pants Pants


Pants Pants Pants, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Heard Sidewinder was seriously pants this weekend, glad I enjoyed my hangover elsewhere then. While looking for a picture of pants, google kindly presented me with information on No Pants Day. It drops (crap pun intended) on May 7th so off with it. http://www.nopantsday.com/ On a different note I'd recommend listening back to Plan B on the Homegrown Maida Vale sessions. Just visit www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra and look for Ras Kwame. Unfortunately you have to sit through about 45 minutes til he comes on but one to be watching so get to know now. And if you can be arsed to wait Kano and Demon round off proceedings. Why is it that you scan through on the Radio 1 listener but not 1xtra? Bent as a copper mate.

Sunday 3 April 2005

Bargain Basement


POUNDSTRETCHER, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Talking of Lord of The Decks I've just spotted on ukrecordshop.com that you can currently save 50% on Volume 2 (making it only £9.99) so get shopping if you don't yet own a copy. They've also got loads of other good bargains and ship abroad.

Saturday 2 April 2005

Lord of The Decks 3

Capo & Ratty gave me a sneak preview of the forthcoming Lord of The Decks 3 DVD. The trailer had clips featuring Mike Skinner, Kano, Jammer and Ears at Run The Road party NYC (not many gun fingers but the crowd were obviously loving it, loving it, loving it). I could tell you more but don't want to let too many cats out of too many bags. Release date is now end of April/early May but it looks set to be worth the wait. Production looks tight as well.

Unlikely Observations


ambulance, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Interesting day. Went to play basketball but ended up playing cricket. Unfortunately five minutes into my first batting attempts two young boys, running to catch my ball, collided. It was not a nice noise. The result - 1. big coconut, bleeding nose, suspected concusion. 2. Looked alright initially but concussion and potential whiplash. And an ambulance. Not saying I'm cursed or anything but It wasn't that long ago that I rescued a kid who'd been left on a bus. What was interesting was their mother and what I'll describe simply as some cultural observations (whether it's cultural or not can also be argued).

When she arrived on the scene with her daughter she didn't address her sons. Nor did their sister. Given she only spoke Bengali the kids friends translated events, still nothing. By this point 2. had stopped responding to questions, had the shakes and was scaring us somewhat so we called an ambulance. We'd already wrapped him in jumpers but needed to keep a blanket. I asked the sister if we could use her shawl and it took a lot of persuading to get if off her (to the point I was about to lose it, perhaps I was hasty, I know not if that piece of attire had deeper meaning). Then the mother asked that I go in the ambulance with the boys. I totally wouldn't have minded going but I didn't know her sons and thought it slightly inappropriate. End result was that the sister went and we departed ways.

Firstly I couldn't believe my choice to partake in cricket had ultimately ended up in two very sweet boys been carted off. Secondly the way the family reacted. Initially I thought it was just offkey but I was probably being harsh. I've had few encounters with the elder Bengali's. The mother was no doubt terrified and had little idea of what was going on. Maybe she was wondering what the heck her thirteen and eight year old son were doing sitting in the backroom of a cafe with three scantily clad white women. I'm showing my ignorance completely but the relationship between the women and the boys, the lack of affection and communication, is it a cultural/religous reasoning?

You are what you know and we tend to think what we know is superior to that of the 'others'. I don't have answers from today, nor am I suggesting supperiority, just observations, I just know if that my head had got hit that hard there's nothing I'd want more than my mother.

New Touch Out

Forget the Terri Walker issue I just told you to get, I'm late blud. All about the Mariah issue now. Inside we have Reggaeton, Nate James, Donwan Harrell (head of Akademiks), Hattie Collins' 50 Cent V Game summary, A how to make your own 50 Cent sleeve (very funny and thanks to popjustice.com), Aaliyah tribute, behind the scenes on Crazy Titch's Singalong, Snoop, The Mitchell Brothers, Tweet, Jin, an investigation into Manchesters Moss Side (by Peter Walsh whose just had his book published), Jon B, reviews (I'm back doing mixtapes alongside Blenkarn) and much more. (N.B. Jason Riley I can't believe what you said about Kano 'Brown Eyes'. When I see you next it's on, trus').

Philadelphia Citypaper

Andrew Parks' take on grime over at the Philadelphia Citypaper. I also helped him and you can view a few quotes (I remember the interview, I don't think I like being on the other side of the dictaphone. It's bloody hard, definitely got more respect for good subjects now). http://citypaper.net/articles/2005-03-10/music.shtml

Friday 1 April 2005

Go On Then


8036560_3cfb63f691_m, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Dirty Dozen

Catch my Dirty Dozen with Lady Sovereign in the new issue of B&S. It's been a month of filth when I think about it. Ess Ohh Vee and I had been discussing sanitary towels, cat sick, peep hole bras and going commando, some of which was kinda mucky, the rest plain foul. But Truth Hurts, that a whole different story. I'd been panicing about digging into the (very) private life of a woman whose music I not only liked a whole lot but that I found of great use in my own such moments. I blushed even writing the questions. I needn't have. She was game and she played it, standard even managing to answer most of the worst ones before the words had reached my lips. We giggled on the phone like teenagers talking about the first time. Well I did at least. After 40 minutes I can't deny I was flustered. For a glimpse of the evidence take a peak at the new Touch Magazine. Our very own Terri Walker adorning the cover, the issue also features fuck all, I mean loads of really interesting articles but in order to tell you about them I'd have to have the issue, and I don't. Yet. I'll be back. (N.B. Saj if you're reading this loads of spare Lloyd Banks tickets floating about, funny that).

Arena Murking

Very happy, piece in Arena this month, page of clashing fun for the men in the suits. I'm quite sure I don't match their demographic but I have to say Arena really is one of the best magazines out there right now and until recently I subscribed (nothing personal just that my flatmates flopped me on my birthday) . But has anyone noticed how much more sex there's been recently? It's erotic fiction special next issue woo hoo. Fingers are been pointed at (and not in) Justin Quirks direction but hey, who am I to speculate?