When I was writing this month's column, I could not get my head around that it is September! I know we always say it, but I cannot believe how quick this year has gone! There are quite a few things happening this month, I have also included a piece on "UK Unsigned" for the artistes and musicians et al who read the column, which may be helpful to you.
Vauxhall Tribes 2006
The event, which is on Sept. 9th at Kennington Park, will house the UK's hottest urban talents, from Beatboxing and Turntablism to Bboys and Streetdance - all under one roof in an environment that will allow the audience to get up close to the performers and learn more about their arts.
The talent includes:
The Disablists: the UK's top turntablists, recently DMC International Finalists, blending Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, Reggae, Ska, Soul, Funk and Motown into smooth flows. With five turntables and three mixers, they piece together original hooks and remix well-known anthems for blinding sets. Something could maybe done about which decks they use/prefer.
Funkstylerz: Handpicked from the underground streetdance scene, both in the UK and worldwide, Funkstylerz are the UK's no. 1 BBoy & Hip Hop Dance Company - a break-dance company that incorporates the original street dances of breaking, popping and locking. Together & individually, Funkstylerz have performed worldwide with artists such as Sean Paul, Gwen Stefani, Busta Rhymes & Madonna, never failing to create & amaze an audience with versatile and explosive performances.
Flawless: Current Street Dance Weekend UK Champions, Flawless were most recently crowned the International Champions at the 2005 Street Dance Weekend International Championships USA v UK event which saw them take on the AmountBoyz from the US.
Shlomo: has had huge success with Foreign Beggars and is now working along with other UK beatbox talents such as Faith SFX and Killa Kela to break the limits of beatboxing. DJ Excalibah described a Shlomo show he saw as "the most fantastic exhibition of beatboxing ever", "it's some serious musical composition, from hip-hop to breaks and drum n bass; well worthy of the standing ovation he got at the end of his set." SOS Magazine, Issue 6.
We would be keen to put you in touch with the artists if you would like to pursue this.
Should you need more images of the event/artists then we'd be glad to send some over, including a film loop we have compiled.
Film loop of the acts can be seen at www.myspace.com/vauxhalltribes also check out the website www.vauxhalltribes.co.uk
International Web2.0 Gurus at "Media in Transition" conference in Munich
The Media in Transition 2006 Conference, hosted in Munich, Germany, will be discussing the structural transition in the media industry - how the Internet is modifying the way media is produced, distributed and consumed.They have invited innovative Internet media companies, researchers and strategists from U.K., Canada, U.S.A. und central Europe to Munich for two intensive days. Media technology is not only a receiving device, but also a transceiving and transmitting device. Economies of Pull and Push vs. Pull Models. The big growth potential in media business lies in the area of user generated content. This requires a new kind of thinking - especially for decision makers in media, which are the target group for this conference. On September 7 and 8 international top speakers will be presenting in the forum of the Goethe Institute Munich. So if this is the sort stuff you are into then you can get more information at the www.mediaintransition.com
2006 MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards are held annually in the U.K. to recognise artists of any race, ethnicity, or nationality performing music of black origin. Although the BBC TV think it is a Black Music Event here is a quote from their website! " Time to celebrate the best Black music from around the world "It's amazing to think an organisation like the BBC does not know what MOBO means. This year's event will be held at London's Royal Albert Hall on September 20th, 2006
UK UNSIGNED – THE UK'S BIGGEST TALENT PROJECT FOR UNSIGNED TALENT
After 6 years of operation, UK UNSIGNED is now the biggest talent showcase project for UK based (non-televised) talent. With over 50 showcases and workshops around the country, UK UNSIGNED also extends to over 20 categories, providing the broadest possible based to consistently give new talent a platform to showcase their skills.
On Saturday 30th September they go to Cambridge for the last UK UNSIGNED heat outside of London for this season. This will be at Parkside Community College, Parkside, Cambridge, noon to 5pm. they are looking for talent in all our categories including Singer/Songwriters, MCs, Dancers, Poets and Cover Version Singers. Winners go through to the grand finals for £10,000 worth of prizes.
The UK UNSIGNED Grand Finals will be on Sunday 26th October, 2006 at the Clapham Grand, 21 – 25 St Johns Hill, London, SW11. There will be two shows, a matinee from 2pm – 5pm, and an evening show from 7.30 – 11pm. This will be followed be a showcase of the category winners at the Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, London, E8 on Sunday 18th February, 2007.
This show will feature finalists in the category of Vocals (including teens & 20-30s), MCs, Dancers and Singer / Songwriters for those who perform original tracks. Guest celebrities include ITV's X Factor's Voices With Soul and new signing to Virgin Records, R'n'B sensation Nathan
UK Unsigned goes as far north as Scotland, as far west as Wales, as far east as Peterborough and as far south Weymouth. They cover all ages, and also give a special platform for live acts and singer/songwriters of original music.
Whilst music remains the main focus of UK Unsigned, other areas such as UK UNSIGNED Film, UK UNSIGNED Drama and UK UNSIGNED Fashion have given new UK based talent a real platform from which they can gain a stake in the Creative Industries. This is a fund raising show to support their youth development programs which are UK UNSIGNED Schools and UK UNSIGNED Youth Centres.
Check out the website www.ukunsigned.net
UBERNOISE - Debut album "Other People's Mouths"
Well, when UBERNOISE contacted me to reveiw their album, I said yeah OK send me a copy. When I first started to play it I thought the name fitted them well!
On first hearing it, you think female Streets, but not as urban. However, when you get to the third track you start to listen more intently, as the lyrics really stand out and are very meaningful. There is certainly more talent in the songs than one would first assume and it becomes compulsive listening ! I ended up listening to the whole album! I suggest that you give it a listen, it was released on 22nd August, so you should be able to at least order it fromiTunes Music Store, it's on Sugarstar Records.. Try their website www.ubernoise.co.uk
Well that's the lot this month keep the e-mails coming in
[email protected]
Bandit A&R Newsletter
Helping unsigned acts/songwriters target their material to the right people. [email protected] / http://www.banditnewsletter.com
Songlink is for Songwriters who need to place their songs www.songlink.com
If you are a performer and you want to showcase to the industry then this is for you www.thebedford.com They show the shows live on the internet
Want to get your music into films ???
Then you need to check this out. Cuesheet Music Report
http://www.cuesheet.net e-mail: [email protected] |