Mix Monday: John Eden and Grievous Angel

John Eden and Grievous Angel have done an excellent job of helping me forget the bleak mid winter with this beautiful selection of classic Lovers Rock. John has compiled a selection of his favourite tunes and handed it over to GA for dubs, effects and mastering. The result is an hour of bittersweet Lovers Rock classics overdubbed with spaced out sirens, horns, and whistles. You can read John's note on the mix here and GA's here. With this on the stereo, the curtains closed, and the heating up full, I could almost pretend that it wasn't December in SE17.

Grab it here

New Release: The Phantom EP

Our good friends over at Senseless Records have just dropped this cheeky little bubbler. Having recently put our records from Venezuela and the Caribbean, this, their final record of 2010 sees the label look east. The Phantom aka 23 year old Bartosz Kruczynski hails from Warsaw, Poland and makes unique tropically flecked future bass music; shards of skeletal UK Funky, speaker shaking R&B and deep house devastatingly spliced with glacial synths and deep, deep sub bass.

This, his first EP for Senseless sees three original tracks of completely individual RnB, Classic House, UK Funky mutants backed by hot reworkings by Brenmar, (Wow!), Hackman, and Kruczynski's fellow countryman, Zeppy Zep.

The EP is out next week and you can preorder it here. As a taste you can grab the Zeppy Zep remix of Night Game below:

The Phantom - Night Game (Zeppy Zep remix)

Ruffnek Diskotek at The Black Swan, Bristol, THIS SATURDAY

This is will be the last large Ruffnek Diskotek for the forseeable (don't fear, we shall be continuing our Bi-monthly slot at Cosies, Portland Sq!) so we intend to go out with a BANG!

It is a great surprise to all of us that Disrupt (and Soom T) have never before performed in Bristol, but that's the reality so we're addressing that. It also made sense to make the most of the occasion and bring in the awesome Mungo's Hi Fi soundsystem to present them on.

The rest of the line up speaks for itself - Mungo's will, of course, be spinning too; Ruffnek favourites the Heatwave (full crew I understand); Serocee will be returning to mic (because he enjoyed the last Monster Bass so much he insisted on joining us for this one!), Quest doing the deep deep dubstep thing (and on that rig!); and some bunch o' knobheads who call themselves Dub Boy and Monkey Steak.

Lemonade - Remain In Jah (Murderbot Remix)

Lemonade - Remain in Jah (Chrissy Murderbot remix)

Just found that the Stereogum website are giving away the above mp3 this week. Can't say I'm that up on Lemonade, but anyone who's heard me DJ recently will know how much I'm feeling the Juke and how much I'm feeling those steel pan tracks. (I put this down partly to the nostalgia of my school days and having the chance to play as part of a band in our Year 9 music classes). I reckon Chrissy's nailed both aspects in this remix.

We got a big Steak House exclusive to give away later this week, so take this post as a bit of a warm up ;)

Mixtape Monday: Jack B Nimble.

I was DJing in Nottingham the other week when a character emerged out of the gloom and pressed a CD into my hand. The character in question was mashup Maestro Jack B Nimble and the CD was his latest mixtape. Ranging everywhere from Funky House to Bashment to Bassline to Balkan Beat with a smattering of breaks and even a smidgen of Chaka Demus. Its bascially an hour of straight up party bangers, perfect for a drab autumn Monday.

You can stream or download it below.

Jack B Nimble – Mashup Mix (Stream)

Jack B Nimble - Mashup Mix (Download)

Tracklist

Freestylers - ruffneck ft. navigator

zed bias ft. mc rumpus & nicky prince - neighborhood 09 (roska remix)

der dritte reim - swing bop

buraka som sistema - kalemba ft. pongo love

brackles - rawkus

schlachthofbronx - farafina ft. ete kelly

jinx in dub - ska warz

chaka demus & pliers - tease me

cut & run - exodus

project bassline - drop the pressure

the bug - poison dart ft. warrior queen

ed solo & school of thought - babylon breaks

squire of gothos - bounty ice cream

?

zen mechanics - cbr

schlachthofbronx - di finga ft. doubla j

parker - where's my monkey?

deville - quente demais ft. jimmy luv (kanji kinetic remix)

rdx - daggerin'

shantel vs. mahala rai banda - mahalageasca

yyves la rock - zookey (lift your leg up)

herve & toddla t - shake it ft. serocee (donayo remix)

freestylers - ruffneck 09 ft. navigator (pirate soundsystem remix)

warrior one - king riddim ft. lady chann

toddla t - boom dj ft. trigganom & helders

high contrast - natural high

headhunter - prototypes (modeselektor's broken handbrake remix)

kode 9 & the spaceape - curious ft. ms haptic

lv - cctv ft. dandelion

evergreen and landlord ft. danman - jah rain

poirier - no more blood ft. face-t

RUFFNEK DISKOTEK THIS SATURDAY!

Everyday Soundclash

Autumn seems to be the season of the Soundclash. After the recent 1Xtra and RBMA clashes it’s the turn of Bristol reggae selector Mr Benn to throw down the gauntlet. Nice Up’s DJ Shepdog steps up to see who can build the biggest riddim out of Arrested Development’s People Everyday. You can grab the tunes below and vote for your favourite over on the Nice Up! Blog.

Mr Blennd - Everyday Champion

DJ Shepdog - Everyday Wig

Dreadsquad feat. Ward 21 & Lady Chann‏

Things I didn't know before.
1. Reggae is big in Poland.
2. Polish reggae is really good.

This has been proven to me this week by Dreadsquad, two hot producers from Lodz. Their new record features the mighty Ward 21 and Lady Chann and is a straight ahead reggae banger. Backed by fierce jungle, dubstep, funky and bashment refixes the EP is well worth checking.

You can listen to a promo mix below and the whole EP is out this month.

SF003 Dreadsquad feat Ward 21 & Lady Chann PROMOMIX by Dreadsquad

MONSTER BASS 4 this Saturday

Monster Bass returns to The Black Swan this Saturday!

The Mungo's Hi Fi Soundsystem is returning in all its glory supported by a wealth of bashment, funky & dubstep talent!

Dub boy's Gurt Tropical Mix

Following on from my 'Dancehall Nice Again' mix for Dont Panic earlier this summer, I was recently asked to compile a new mixtape for the Tropical crew up in Leeds.

These guys have been putting on wicked parties & pushing the tropical and karnival sound for a little while now, so I was delighted to be able to put together something that showcases some of the tunes I've been playing recently......

Dub Boy's Gurt Tropical Mix:

Download

Stream

1/ DJ Mujava - Mugwanti (Out Here)

2/ Qui Papa Pasi (dub)

3/ Steve Angello & AN21 - Flonko (Hard House Banton refix) (white)

4/ Maxwell D - Sexicano (Dub Boy special) (dub)

5/ Roundtable knights - Calypso (Made To Play)

6/ Natalie Storm - Look Pon Me (Pushking remix) (dub)

7/ Kidkut - Lilt (Applepips)

8/ Daniel Haaksman - Kid Conga ft MC Miltinho (Dubble Dutch remix) (white)

9/ Artifact - Imur2 (dub)

10/ Tayo - Salvador Riddim (dub)

11/ Man & Man - La Cabouret Hollogramme (Lazy Flow remix) (Poirier edit) (dub)

12/ TOK vs Rishi Romero - Defence vs African Forest (Mycon Deep refix) (dub)

13/ Jera - Miss U (dub)

14/ Baobinga & I.D. ft Rubi Dan - The Future (dub)

15/ Sticky - Dusk Til Dawn (dub)

16/ Maxwell D - Gully Hype (white)

Hanuman: Mix for DJ Mag.

Apologies that its been a bit quiet round here recently. No excuses, just summer laziness. Anyways, we're back now with plenty new music!



I was recently asked to compile a podcast of my favourite Karnival beats for DJ Mag and the resut is below. I'm not going to say too much about it apart from that its my favourite Funky, Kwaito, and Soca bits of the moment. I'd welcome any feedback so have a listen and leave a comment here or get at me on twitter.

Hanuman - Steaktone Karnival Podcast for DJ Mag.

1. EL B – Que Pasa Papi
2. Geeneus ft Ms Dynamite – Get Low (Crackish)
3. Cajmere feat Dajae – Brighter Day (Underground Goodies mix)
4. Chrissy Murderbot feat MC Zulu – The Vibe is so right
5. George Morel - Bouncing Sax
6. Baobinga feat Spyda - Criss Like HD (Poirier Remix)
7. Tayo- Salvador Riddim
8. Heatwave feat Natalie Storm – Play Di Ting.
9. Baobinga feat Killa Benz – Wine Up
10. Hanuman & Rob Pollinate – Bubo Bubo
11. Warrior One - I Don't Need You
12. DJ Cleo – Shapa Bafana Shapa
13. Altered Natives – Rass Out
14. DJ Mujava – Mugwanti / Sgwejegweje
15. DJ Choice – Mabencane
16. Big Nuz – Ungebasi (Remix)
17. DJ Cleo ft Bliksem - My Ma Se Kind
18. Machel Montano - Congo Man
19. Machel Montano – No Behaviour
20. Faye Anne Lyons - Get on
21. JW & Blaze – Palance (Road mix)
22. Mr Vibes - Ting (For the Road)
23. Maddzart – Carnival is Mine
24. Timmy - Bumpa Catch a Fire

If you're finished with this one then please go and get Atki2's Karnival mix for the Year of Mixtapes blog. This is his take on Karnival with plenty of hot Bashment, House, and Funky on there.

Atki2 - Karnival Mixtape

1. Bunji Garlin; We Done Dey (Iron Island Refix)
2. Atki2 & Dub Boy ft. GRina; Flower of Life (Dub / Idle Hands)
3. Donaeo & The Heatwave ft. Rubi Dan, Capleton, Vybz Kartel, & Danny English; Party Harder (The Heatwave Refix)
4. DJ Mujava; Please Mugwanti / Sgwejegweje (Out Here)
5. Magic Fly ft. Ricky Rankin; Those Two Sounds (Mr Benn Remix) (Bastard Jazz Recordings)
6. Sizzla; Money We A Make (Shaolin Temple Riddim)
7. Delly Ranx ft. Focus Ryte; Wine It and Climb (Shaolin Temple Riddim)
8. Joe; Claptrap (Hessle Audio)
9. Busy Signal; Step Out (Acappella)
10. Atki2; Electric Wasp (Dub)
11. Natalie Storm; Look Pon Me (Acappella)
12. Hard House Banton; Flonko Bants Bootleg
13. Pamputae; Wining Master
14. El-B; Que Pasa Papi (Dub)
15. Geenius ft. Ms Dynamite; Get Low (Crackish) (Dub)
16. Donovan "Vendetta" Bennett; Jonkanoo Riddim (Don Corleon)
17. Ill Blu; Bullion (Hyperdub)
18. Bunji Garlin; Fire Now (Acappella)
19. Geiom; Eyl Booty (Berkane Sol)
20. Rita Indiana; Los Poderes (Dutty Artz)
21. Sticky ft. Marvin Brown; Too Bad Mine (Steak House special)
22. Sticky ft. Lady Chann; Eye Too Fast
23. Papi Sanchez ft. Shabakan; Guayamo o Peliamo
24. Enur ft. Natasha; Calabria (Ministry of Sound)
25. Pitbull & Lil Jon; Anthem (Calabria Riddim)
26. Smutlee; Hot Wuk / Calabria (Smutlee Blend)
27. Maxwell D; Don't Care
28. Sticky ft. Ms Dynamite; Rude Gyal
29. Rymez ft. Juza; African Air Horn Dance
30. Ghislain Poirier; Coco Drunk (Ninja Tune)
31. Vybz Kartel vs Lil Silva; Clarks (DJ Shredah Remix)
32. Sticky ft. Marvin Brown; Jack It Up
33. Baobinga & I.D. ft. Rubi Dan; The Future (Dub)
34. Chief Boima; Techno Rumba (Uproot Andy Remix) (Dutty Artz)
35. Busy Signal & Machel Montano; Wooeii Gal Wooeii (Juke Boxx)
36. 3 Suns; Give It Up

Dub Boy - Dancehall Nice Again

Dub Boy - Dancehall Nice Again Mix

A few months back, Dont Panic asked me to compile a mixtape for their website. Here is the result!

It's been over 2 years since I last made a dancehall mixtape, and in that time I had become somewhat bored of the turgid RnB, Hip Hop, American-aping sound dancehall had gone down.

However, to my delight, in the last few months dancehall has begun to revisit it's 80's & 90's digital and tinpan roots. This mixtape is a summary of some of my favourite tunes from recent months, plus some original dancehall anthems......

Download here: Dub Boy - Dancehall Nice Again

Tracklist:

Beenie Man & Richie Spice - Streets Is Getting Hot (Cooking Soul rmx)
Kieth & Tex ft Shabba Ranks - Dukku Dukku (Soul Force rmx)
Mungo's Hi Fi ft Brother Culture - Black Paul Bogle
Mungo's Hi Fi - From Di Ghetto
Mungo's Fi Fi - Bogle Riddim // Rihanna & Assassin - Rude Boy rmx
Demarco - Skull Inna Belly
Assassin - Bam Bam
Busy Signal - High Grade
Pinchers - Bandelero
Papa Levi - Speed Rapping
Super Cat - Come Down
Mikeylous - Country Mi Ting Deh
Leisure All Stars ft Lady Chann - Friday Night (rmx)
Crookers ft Poirier & Face-T - Arena
Busy Signal - Dem Call The Police
Degree - Weh Yu Come From
Elephant Man - Request
Timika Marshall - Whine And Go Down
Red Dragon - Duck
Shaka Demus - Bad Bad Shaka
Busy Signal - Food For Di Pot
Mr G - Guilty Mouth
Alborosie - Blue Movie Boo
Shabba Ranks - Trailor Load A Girls
Risto Benji - Passport Buddy
Leftside ft Syon - Nuh Other Girl
Serani - When It's Cold
Elephant Man - Yuh Are Di Wife
Vybz Cartel ft Gaza Kim - Twice My Age
Beenie Man - VISA // Ward 21 - Cosa Nostra Riddim
Timberlee - The General
Mr Lexx - Dem A Pree // Weedy G - Best Trick Riddim
Mercilous - Country Boy
King General - If I Was A Rich Man
Top Cat - Ganga Smoker
Mr Benn ft Blackout JA - Police (Magic Fly 7" rmx)
Mungo's Hi Fi ft Mikey Murka - Old Time Dance
Mungo's Hi Fi ft Lady Anne - Sound Get A Beating
Mungo's Hi Fi ft YT - Precious Diamond
Lutan Fyah - Yu Looking Hot
Tarrus Riley - Children A Pree We
Busy Signal - Government Gone Luuu
Gappy Ranks - Nerious Joseph - Soul Rebel

STEAK 003 - Shipping Friday

Its finally here! Steak 003 goes on sale on July 5th but Boomkat are shipping for this Friday! You can grab the physical here and the digital below with 3 Bonus tracks.


Read full review of Riddim Team EP - Baobinga on Boomkat.com ©


Here's what people have been saying:



Crammed full of party heat, this is one beautiful bashment session that all should check out.
Pathaan, IDJ.

There are very few labels that put out music as infectiously danceable as this. Makes you want to dagger every living soul with a Red Stripe in hand.
Markle, DJ Mag.

Go and shake your shizzle to it.
Anne Haack, Heart in Migration.


Get on it!!!

Zarbak Mr Gasparov Remix

Mr Gasparov's killer remix of Pocz and Pacheko's Zarbak for free, are you mad? Clearly the good people at Senseless Records and Fact Magazine are, and I'm linking this straight up here on the Steak House Blog too:

Pocz & Pacheko - Zarbak (Mr Gasparov Remix)

Yep, we love Mr (Pedro) Gasparov's beats here at the Steak House, and putting 1975 on vinyl was one of the reason's we started this label in the first place.

Pedro's also behind booking the first full Steak House showcase, which will be happening at this year's Boom Festival in Portugal. Baobinga, Octa Push, Mr Gasparov (of course), Monkey Steak, and even MC Zulu to host - full Steak House crew in full effect on the Friday night. But more info on that to follow....

Mr Benn - Vuvuzela Riddim

Steak House favourite Mr Benn has put up a brand new riddim for free download today, and its big, bashy and topical! The man himself explains:

"The Vuvuzela seems to be the biggest cause of controversy and divided opinion at this year's World Cup, so I thought it would be fitting to make a track based on the aforementioned horn...

"I bought a Vuvuzela from Lidl and knocked this up in an afternoon - perfect for all those world cup parties going on!

"Love them or hate them, you can't ignore them - the king size rave horns known as vuvuzelas are a massive part of this years world cup finals. I personally think they're great, and would quite happily take one with me to all my DJ gigs.

"Download from my soundcloud page here:"

Mr Benn - Vuvuzela Riddim

Also worth mentioning that Mr Benn's new single "Police" featuring Blackout JA is out now - this one has been a proper Ruffnek Diskotek anthem for a long time, wicked to see it finally released. This surely means that his album must be soon to follow.... :)

STEAK 003: Full Previews and FREE Atki2 Remix

Following on from their own EP, the latest offering from Hanuman and Atki2’s Steak House imprint sees Baobinga, Poirier and a host of MCs join the Steak House Family.

STEAK 003 sees the label moving into bashment territory with the original Bass Music badman Baobinga serving up three prime cuts of juicy vocal raggastep. Backed by a remix by Karnival king Poirier, this record is crammed full of party heat. The record is due out on 12" and digital on July 5th but, because we're nice like that you can stream the whole EP here. There's even a completely free remix for you to download from Steak House co-owner Atki2.

A1: Wine Up ft Killa Benz Uptempo dancehall pressure with anthemic vocals from Rodney P cohort Killa Benz. This is the perfect soundsystem weapon for the summer skankers!

A1 Baobinga - Wine Up Ft Killa Benz by Steak House Records

A2: Raggipahop ft Rubi Dan Original London badman Rubi Dan takes the mic on this bassy bashment monster, combining thunderous drums and epic synths for that special dancefloor rush
A2 Baobinga - Raggipahop ft Rubi Dan by Steak House Records

B1: Criss Like HD ft Spyda (Poirier Remix); Ninja Tune’s finest Ghislain Poirier takes the reigns on the remix, pushing ‘Binga and Spyda into Trini Road March Territory.
B1 Baobinga - Criss Like HD ft Spyda (Poirier Remix) by Steak House Records

B2: : Criss Like HD (Original Mix) The orignal dancehall heater feat jungle legend Spyda (as featured on Pendulum’s massive Tarantula) Lush synths tumble over trampling beats.

B2 Baobinga - Criss Like HD ft Spyda (Original Mix) by Steak House Records

FREE DOWNLOAD:Wine Up, Atki2 Remix.
Steak House and Monkey Steak cohort Atki2 has done a hot dancehall remix of Wine Up which you can grab below (thanks also to Chrissy Murderbot for mastering it!). Its limited to 100 downloads so be quick!

Baobinga ft Killa Benz - Wine Up Atki2 Remix by Steak House Records

Mix Monday: Kid Kameleon EXCLUSIVE MIX

A very special exclusive mixtape this week comes courtesy of San Francisco based DJ, Writer, and all round bad boy Kid Kameleon. KK first came to our attention way back in 2004 with a pair of mixes he did for Kid 606's excellent Shockout Label. The absolutely shocking and even more shocking mixtapes mashed together Breakcore, Dancehall, and Electronica with quirky pop in a genuinely new and exciting way. Since then he's been building a name for himself worldwide with a series of devastating DJ mixes, articles and podcasts for XLR8R, and as part of SF's Surya Dub crew

This time the kid has turned his attention to future garage/post dubstep/ Wot do you call it with his Stop asking me what Genre this is mix. KK has been at the forefront of those pushing this sound in the US and his mix is a showcase of the hot new tunes of the moment.

You can grab Part 2 exclusively from the Steak House Blog below. Part 1? Thats over on the excellent Frite Nite Site.

Kid Kameleon - Stop Asking Me What Genre This is Part 2.

Tracklist:

Buzzard and Kestrel - James Blake
Stop What You're Doing (James Blake Remix) - Untold
Starfox - Kuedo
Apple Hi - Lone
Wind It Up - Mark Pritchard and Om'mas Keith
A Rustling - Shortstuff
Behave - Shortstuff
No One Likes A Smart Ass - Untold
Rawkus - Brackles
London - Barry Lynn
Triple Bypass - Unknown / Hate
Tongue Riddim - Baobinga & ID
Bad Girls - Untold
Universed - Al Tourettes
When I Rest, I Rust - Al Tourettes
Minimalistix - Skream
Soul Solstice - Autopilot
Constant - XXXY
Night on the Wonk (Gemmy Remix) - Wedge & Aesoteric
Bleeps From Outer Space - Quarta 330

Direct download here.

Stop Asking Me What Genre This Is Part 2 by Steakhouse on Mixcloud

Jumping Back Slash: Exclusive Indlovu Iyajaiva Mix.

This week is an excellent one for Global Bass Music. Not only do we have the previews for STEAK 003 up but we've just heard that one of our very favourite labels have a new release due out on the 21st June. Pollinate Records, the London based label responsible for the killer Ibhithi series of tunes recently had been keeping a few tricks up their sleeves for this, their first full release since 2008's The Artworks Formerly known As Prints. Turns out that the Ibhithi tracks that we heard earlier in the year were just the tip of the tropical...ahem...iceberg. There's a full Ibhithi release on the way with a clutch of hot new afro-house beats as well as fattened up, remastered versions of the earlier tracks for those not fortunate enough to grab them previously.

The excellently monikered Jumping Back Slash is the man behind the Ibithi series. Hailing from the frozen tundra of Wigan in the north of England, he currently resides in Capetown, South Africa. His tunes marry the heavy kwaito grooves of his adopted homeland with a classic house sensibility and killer bassines. This is a record not to sleep on.

To celebrate the release, JBS and Pollinate have kindly given us an exclusive mix for the blog of some of the hottest kwaito and underground house tunes from South Africa at the moment.


The mix is the perfect antidote to the banality of the 'official' World Cup anthems by K'Naan and Shakira.

Grab it below and play it LOUD!



Tracklist:

Intro (Nkosi Sikelele Africa - Mahotella Queens)
DJ Tapatso - Dictionary Remix
DJ Mu Elvan - Bass To Bass
DJ Pacco - Lady Senbone
DJ Bazzy - Sun Of The Soil
DJ Mike Vs DJ Pacco - Slow Poison (Snake)
DJ Pacco - Destroyer
DJ Mike - Dzudza Mazeze
DJ Adjuster - I Am King
DJ Adjuster - Marathon
DJ Call Me - Mama, I'm Sorry




JUMPING BACK SLASH - INDLOVU IYAJAIVA [Mix for Steak House] by Pollinate

STEAK 003 - BAOBINGA

Here in the Steak House we're absolutely thrilled to announce our new signing to the label, the original Bass Music badman, Baobinga.

Serving up three prime cuts of juicy vocal raggastep, Baobinga is joined by some of the UKs finest bashment vocalists., Killa Benz, Spyda, and Rubi Dan. A hot remix by Karnival king Poirier completes the package.


The record is due out on July 5th on 12" and digital and we'll have full previews up on our soundcloud very soon. In the mean time you can listen to preview clips of all the tracks on the Steak House Myspace. (link at the bottom of the post)

STEAK 003 - Details
Baobinga -Riddim Team EP
Side A: Wine Up ft Killa Benz; Raggipahop ft Rubi Dan
Side B: Criss Like HD (Poirier Remix); Criss Like HD (Original Mix)

Steak House Myspace - Click Here for Previews

Al Fingers Pass Out Refixes

Election day in the UK. Without meaning to be too political (this is meant to be a music blog after all) I'm not looking forward to the most likely result. To stop myself thinking too deeply about it I've been playing music LOUD in the office! Two tunes that have been really getting me going recently are Al Fingers' massive refixes of Tinie Tempah's number one smash, Pass Out.

Remind yourself of the original below:



Then get straight on Al Fingers' mashups below. He's given the riddim a more JA flavour by dropping vocals from Capleton and Richie Spice over the original tune. FIRE!

Capleton - Capleton Medley (Pass Out Refix)

Richie Spice - marijuana (Pass Out Refix)

Mix Monday: DJ Premier

Very quick mix Monday this week and indeed a repost from another blog but I assure you that its well worth it!

As I’m sure you all know, Hip Hop legend Guru sadly passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. Guru’s former musical partner and fellow Gang Starr founder DJ Premier put together this astonishing mix of records Guru was involved in by way of tribute.

Ignoring all the supposed beef, this mix shows not only how important Gang Starr were and still continue to be, but how well Premier and Guru worked together.

Grab it below and remember a legend:

DJ Premier - Guru Tribute Mix

1. Gang Starr – Betrayal (Feat. Scarface)
2. Gang Starr – Intro (The First Step)
3. Gang Starr – Execution Of A Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2)
4. Gang Starr – Name Tag (Premier & The Guru)
5. Gang Starr – Speak Ya Clout (Feat. Jeru the Damaja & Lil Dap)
6. Gang Starr – Peace Of Mine
7. Gang Starr – Eulogy
8. Gang Starr – Royalty (Feat. K-Ci & JoJo)
9. Gang Starr – Daily Operation (Intro)
10. Gang Starr – In This Life… (Feat. Snoop Dogg & Uncle Reo)
11. Gang Starr – Above The Clouds (Feat. Inspectah Deck)
12. Gang Starr – The Planet
13. Gang Starr – Daily Operation (Intro)
14. Gang Starr – Next Time
15. Gang Starr – 93 Interlude (Unreleased Moment Of Truth Interlude)
16. Gang Starr – The Militia II (Feat. Rakim & WC)
17. Gang Starr – Intro (HQ, Goo, Panch)
18. Heavy D. – A Buncha Niggas (Feat. The Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Guru, Rob-O & Third Eye)
19. M.O.P. – Salute Part II (Feat. Guru)
20. D&D Allstars – Hot Shit (Feat. Big Daddy Kane, Sadat X, Guru & Greg Nice)
21. Gang Starr – PLAYTAWIN
22. Gang Starr – Soliloquy Of Chaos
23. Group Home – The Legacy (Feat. Guru)
24. Gang Starr – Conspiracy
25. Gang Starr – Stay Tuned
26. Gang Starr – Zonin’

Ruffnek Diskotek / Steak House start a brand new, 2 hour radio show on Bristol's new internet radio station Hivemind FM this Wednesday. Dub Boy and myself will be doing the first session, and show will be going out every fortnight. If you've ever been to a Ruffnek Diskotek party before, you'll know what to expect, a big bassy bashy mix of dancehall, funky, garage, party electronics and dub.

The stream begins at 8pm on Wednesday 14th April. Get in the chatroom and let us know what you think!

Hivemind FM

Luke's Anger - Gift Horse EP

To my delight, I've just discovered that Luke Sanger aka Luke's Anger (producer and owner of the Bonus Round record label) is currently giving away a free 4 track EP on his website.

I'm a huge fan of Luke's style of techno - it's unhinged and unpredictable; it sounds squelchy and organic, like it's been made on vegetable synths and wooden drum machines. Oh, and the bass, the bass! I'm finding it hard to pick a favourite from Gift Horse, but I'm a sucker for "xOx Swamp", it has this irrepressible, nutty, screw-face groove - when the track came on shuffle as I was driving to work this morning, I caught myself somewhat carried away and 10 mph over the speed limit. That said, just check out those subs in "Gone Phishing", boom!

Big download for this gorgeous sunny weekend, get on it!

Luke's Anger - Gift Horse EP

Free Tune: Production Unit

Glasgow based renaissance man Dave Marcia aka Production Unit is a man with his fingers in many pies. A DJ, writer, for Clash magazine, and Producer, Dave has released on Stuff Records, Struktur, and Square Roots and has a new EP, Ghost Tracks set to drop imminently on the excellent Highpoint Lowlife imprint.

To celebrate this, Production Unit has very kindly given us a dutty remix to give away; his rebuild of Three 6 Mafia's huge joint Sipping on some Syrup. His epic mix fits the vocal over a riddim that blurs the edges between Techno, Grime, Dubstep and Bmore. This is pure dancefloor dynamite and its yours via the link below.

Production Unit - Syrup

For those that need a dose of the original you can watch it here:

Meat Love

Octapush: Free Tune

Steak House favourites Octa Push just sent me through their hot new remix of RQM featuring Baba Jahcoozi. This is just what you'd expect from the Iberian Bass Badboys; thumping bass, shattered vocals, and driving breaks push this remix into uncharted territory.

The best thing is its absolutely free. Grab it below.

RQM - You she me Ft Baba Jahcoozi (Octa Push Remix)



As a little (and shameless) plug, we still have some copies of STEAK 001 available. Grab them here

STEAK 002 in The State.

Nice review of Steak 002 in this months Dance round up in The State:

"If you really want to push it to fever pitch, try the aptly named ’Hyped Up EP’ by Monkey Steak on Steakhouse Records. The title track sees MC Zulu whipping up the crowd in hyped up Soca fashion. If you are not in the mood for Zulu’s chirpy party banter, try the instrumental mix, which is called ‘Bombeiros! ‘. ‘Haarlem Drift’ on the flip combines the booming bass drum and rolling snares of UK Funky with a hint of deep, Detroit style chords and ‘Tigris Rhythm’ combines Funky with Bollywood. A stonkingly good debut by Monkey Steak, aka Atki2 and Hanuman, who recently scored with ‘Tigerflower’ and ‘Bola’ respectively."

Mix Monday: El-B ... El-Cumbia!

El-B is an absolute virtuoso of rhythm; for my money his 2step beat constructions are among the most infectious and irresistible dance patterns in electronic music out there. In recent interviews he has been promising the next development of his sound, an amalgamation of UK Funky riddims and the more organic instrumentation of cumbia, merengue and salsa. And anyone who's heard or danced to his new "Que Papa Pasi" beat will know just how big this new stuff is...

Joe Muggs at Very Very Much managed to twist El-B's arm into recording a special mix of Colombian beats for his site at the end of last year; and now that spring has officially started, the evenings are getting lighter and the clocks have moved forward, this selection with its promise of hot summer nights, sizzling dance halls and pina coladas has got me seriously hyped.

El-B himself says that these tunes make "you have to move a hip or an elbow or something", and I completely agree. You can also really see how these styles have influenced that incredible command of rhythm that drives El-B's own productions.

El-B - Mundo Musica Cumbia Mix

Blnd: Free tune and mix.

Vienna based global bass crew blnd have been making waves recently with their cheeky bootlegs and mashups as well their radio show and blogging on under 140 and Ghetto Bazaar
Blnd cover the whole range of global bass styles, from 2step to Kuduro to Bassline to Baille Funk, and have sent us some hot new tunes recently.

One of my favourites is their dutty refix of Chris Ron and Mad Cobra's Dance; all throbbing sub bass and trampling Soca beats. Grab it below.

Chris Ron - Dance ft Mad Cobra (blnd refix)

You can also grab a recent mix for Hungary's Fuzio radio from their mixcloud here.

STEAK 002 on Sonic Router

Lovely Review of Steak 002 on Sonic Router:

"Bristol bass fiends Atki2 and Hanuman – collectively Monkey Steak - have a pretty admirable record for pulling together the best bits of many of the globe’s bass mutations. The first release for their Steak House label was strangely psychedelic, despite its often rapid-fire nature – next to Mr. Gasparov’s comparatively delicate ‘1975’, Lisbon duo Octa Push’s pair of tracks were positively manic, both furiously addictive slabs of funky-infused electro noise. Meanwhile, their recent 12” for the Idle Hands label has proven to be one of the year’s best, notable especially for Atki2 and Dub Boy’s stunning ‘Tigerflower’. It also welcomed a less obvious aspect to their sound, favouring gradual change and melodic progression over simple dancefloor action.

The second release for Steak House sees Atki2 and Hanuman further explore both sides of that split personality: both tracks on the A-side hit like a ton of bricks from the off. ‘Hyped Up!’ and its counterpart riddim ‘Bombeiros’ rattle along at a nerve-busting 150 bpm, their tightly syncopated percussion and frazzled stabs of synth more akin to Octa Push or Buraka Som Sistema’s electrified kuduro than the slightly more sedate vibes of UK funky. The presence of Ghislain Poirier collaborator MC Zulu only serves to solidify this connection, his ever-escalating excitement impressively suited to the music’s manic nature.

The duo’s more experimental side, though, is far better represented on the flip. ‘Tigris Riddim’ is one of the most intriguing hybrids to have emerged so far this year, centred around a lopsided Arabian folk sample that curls around the beat like plumes of shisha smoke. It’s also one of the best, its cut-and-paste nature making it a pleasure to unpick on a decent pair of headphones. Though faster again, ‘Haarlem Drift’ continues in a similar vein, giving equal priority to musical development as to raw dance energy, and in doing so significantly upping its longevity. Though the scorched carnival atmosphere of Zulu’s contribution remains true to this music’s basic purpose, the slightly more exploratory bent they’re taking on the B-side suits Monkey Steak well. Long may it continue."

STEAK 002 in this month's Wire.

Mix Monday: LV Kwaito Mix for Blackdown

Just got back to Sam Atki2's house after an exceptionally heavy weekend at the Bloc festival so please excuse me if this post lacks the wit and charm of some of my others.

It's been around for a few weeks now but LV's excellent Kwaito mix for Blackdown's blog is the only thing (apart from service station patisserie) that soothed my shattered brain on the ride home. Bits of funky house and and dubby sounds mix with trampling Kwaito beats. You can grab the mix below but I'd recommend checking the blog (here) for a really interesting interview and Kwaito primer.

LV OK Zharp mix for Blackdown

TRACKLIST:

Okmalumkoolkat - OK Zharp intro
? - Ketokole
Big Nuz - Le Ngoma
DJ Killer & Nyekx aka Blackboyz - Killer in the Jungle
French Fries feat Bambounou - Coconut
LV - Dream Cargo slomo rub
Tshwara feat DJ Menace - ?
? - Bring Me Love
DJ Clock - Track 13
? - The Offering
Dikota- Track 6
DJ Cndo - Terminator
Big Nuz with Tira, Bonz Twitty - Superman
? - Nkosana
? - ?
? - Arise and Shine
Scratcha DVA - Dump
Spin - Track 3
? - ?
Zomby – Balloon People
DJ Fork and Knife vs Cabbage - Track 4
Mujava feat Tamara and K - Alostro
Brothers of Peace feat Zulu & Costa - Bop Killers
? - Wild Percussions
LV & Fletcher - Michael Jones (LV dub)

Mix Monday: Shimmy Shimmy

I've been thoroughly enjoying this mix of karnival heaters from London's Shimmy Shimmy crew recently. I had the pleasure of playing a party with The Large on Saturday and she absolutely tore the roof off the dance. A tuff act to follow!

Shimmy Shimmy - Trini Shimmy



Tracklist

Fay Ann Lyons & Macka Diamond - Still Spend (Picture Frame)
Ms Alysha - Click Click (Picture Frame)
Benjai feat. Scarface - Tanty Say (La Douma)
Busy Signal - Gal need a man
RDX - Every man need a woman (Spider Web)
Skinny Fabulous feat. Bunji Garlin & Fay Ann Lyons - Send dem come
Blaze F J W - Palance
Skinny Fabulous feat. Machel Montano - Fetting on
Lil Rick - One juk for the carnival
Leftside & Syon - Nuh Other gal (soca remix)

Monkey Steak - Hyped Up @ Ruffnek Diskotek

Got some good footage here of Monkey Steak @ Ruffnek Diskotek last week. They're playing Hyped Up featuring MC Zulu, which has just come out on Steak House.

Cosies is a small basement club so the footage is fairly murky, but believe me the club was properly bouncing to this!

Serocee - Badeng

Serocee is an MC which many of our readers may well have heard of. To my mind he's currently one of the UK's top dancehall mc's, who is as natural riding classic reggae & rub a dub riddims as he is riding contemporary uk funky, bashment & garage beats.

Over the last few years Serocee has been steadily building a reputation for energetic live performances and had recorded plenty of big tunes with artists such as Toddla T, Poirier, MJ Cole, South Rakkas Crew, Zed Bias and Redlight.

His biggest tune to date is probably his collaboration with MJ Cole, the massive 'AO', which has been all over the radio, clubs and internet for the last year or so.



To follow on from this, Serocee is releasing his new single, Badeng, on March 15th, backed with a tidy MJ Cole remix.

The track is a unique mix of dancehall, electro, hip hop & uk funky influences with a fantastic slurred vocal from Serocee, and is already recieving major support from BBC Radio 1, Kiss FM and various other stations from the likes of Annie Mac, Toddla T, Sinden, Mista Jam, Ras Kwame, The Heatwave and the Steak House Crew.

To give you a taster, you can download the promo mp3's below to tide you over til the offical release, which will be available from all the usual online outlets

Serocee - Badeng

Serocee - Badeng (MJ Cole)

(The mp3's are 64kbps by the way .If you try and play these in a club you will look like a fool, so support the artist and buy them on March 15th. Alright.... ok)