Video: Noisia and Mayhem feat. KRS-One

Drum'n'bass cool cats Noisia have yet another awesome music video under their belts.

In a slightly back-to-front sequence of events, this short film is for a track called 'Exodus' that was actually released three years ago, featuring rap rep KRS-One.

Noisia fan and visual artist Alexander Lehmann contacted the Dutch trio before 'Exodus' first came out, suggesting he make a film for them. They agreed, and this project started in 2006.

The video, an alien invasion story, was released earlier this month and has proved an internet hit. It is in the same apocalyptic vein as a previous Noisia video I blogged about, 'Machine Gun'.

Keep up the good work, lads!

Exit Festival 2010

Only one week to go before ticket prices go up for the awesome Exit Festival in Serbia (they're currently just £85 plus booking fee).

The lineup this year looks pretty good, including Missy Elliot, Chromeo, Chemical Brothers, Ms Dynamite, Josh Wink, D:Bridge and Hudson Mowhawke.

Nothing, however, can beat the year I went - 2007 - when I caught Beastie Boys, Wu Tang, Prodigy, Groove Armada, LTJ Bukem, Pendulum and the greatest act I've ever seen, ever, ever: Snoop Dogg.

Exit is a cracking festival with great weather, really nice people and an amazing location. A word of advice from Gravity Skanker though: don't camp. It's way too hot, and there are good cheap apartments nearby you can rent for far less hassle!

www.exitfest.org

Hospitality moves to Fabric

Following the closure of Matter ('for the summer'), Hospitality has moved its next event, on Friday 2 July, to Fabric.

Personally I think this is awesome news - no more horrific Tube journeys home at 6am!

SeOne club reopens as Debut

 Dry your eyes, there's some good news after all.

Huge London Bridge venue SeOne club, which closed in April, has reopened under new management.

It's now called Debut, and kicks off tomorrow night with a party hosting everything from 'multisensory' art installations, to live bands, to DJs playing hip hop, dubstep and electro. And - tadah! - the launch night is called 'Debut'.

It looks like the new bosses are taking a different tack, with Debut being geared towards live music and corporate events. But then again, that's what they said years ago when Camden Palace closed, only to return again as Koko - and I've had my fair share of rave-ups in that gaff since then.

www.debutlondon.co.uk

Matter closing

Oh my days. As if this hasn't been a bad enough week already in terms of dance music events going down the plughole.

Matter nightclub at the O2 in Greenwich is set to close - at least for the summer. The rumours, which have been heavily circulating on the net for days, were confirmed by DJ Yousef on an online forum.

He said: “You may as well hear it from me. Due to many reasons, the main one being the lack of transport to the venue, Matter has shut for the summer. Sad times. They are an amazing bunch down there.” The post was later removed.

As representatives of Matter are unavailable for comment, it's unsure whether scheduled parties beyond this week's Halcyon night will still go ahead.

I've had my suspicions about the club's fortunes for a while now. Yes, it has some huge promotions in there - such as FWD, Stanton Sessions, Ram and Hospitality - which are mostly a sell-out. But as was pointed out by the owners of SeOne club when the London Bridge venue announced its closure recently, one sell-out a week still doesn't pay the bills for such a huge venue.

In addition, I've noticed its forerunner Fabric - owned by the same people - has been 'diversifying' in terms of its events. A club that was once every promoter's dream destination, the unattainable pinnacle of venues with a select few partners, is now hosting many lesser-known promotions. This is no bad thing - in fact it's healthy for the music scene - but it does point to a situation in which the sibling venues are jostling for space. Perhaps there is only room for one of them.

Event magazine reports that Matter lost £1 million in the first year after it opened in 2008, and was £3 million in debt according to the same accounts.
 
To follow the discussion online, try the Dogs On Acid forum. 

Rusko at Thekla, Bristol

As someone who is totally, utterly obsessed with clubbing, I know I'm not alone. I've been very lucky to get to know some of the capital's top ravers over the years - the people who you're guaranteed to see at every party, year in, year out; people who share the same obsessive need to skank it up each weekend with a big fat smile on their face and a hug when you see them.

I love those guys (you know who you are), and one of my top ravers - a fellow dubstep and DnB-head like myself - is Holly (who is probably going to kill me for writing this post about her). She's the one with the gas mask and the Sub Soldiers T-shirt raving it up at the front, usually at Fabric.

Last weekend she invited me to Thekla in Bristol for a massive dubstep night. I couldn't go, but she sent me a link to a video of Rusko's set, which made me kick myself for not being there.

Various people (particularly some holier-than-thou music journalists I shan't name) turn their nose up at Rusko in the belief that he's too mainstream, appeals to a young audience, or not highbrow enough. Bullshit. He rocks a crowd, and I think this video proves it.

Seeing as this is a blog about clubbing I thought I'd share the clip with you, so you can spend seven minutes imagining you're there. Have fun.

Breakfree: new night in Crystal Palace

If you're still pissed off about missing out on Krafty Kuts at Matter last night, here's something to lift the spirits. 

Westow House in Crystal Palace is starting a monthly breaks night called Breakfree - its launch party features the ever-charming Soul of Man, aka Justin, father of Finger Lickin' Records.

First event is on Friday 11 June and best of all, it's FREE!

Click here for the Facebook event page.  

Krafty Kuts at Matter cancelled

More bad news on the cancellation front, kids. The Krafty Kuts party at Matter this Friday has been dropped.

The club night was supposed to host Krafty Kuts, Nextmen, Evil Nine and Napt. A truly awesome (if a little sparse) lineup. No reason has been given for the cancellation - I'm guessing poor ticket sales.

If you're looking for somewhere to go that night, Noise is on at Babalou in Brixton. And of course, the veritable Vinyl Touch is hosting Freestylers on Saturday night at The Rhythm Factory.

Glade festival 2010 cancelled

It's really sad news that Glade festival has been cancelled.

The event was supposed to run from 15 to 18 July at the Matterly Bowl, but delays and uncertainty in gaining the licence and police clearance meant the promoters were faced with escalating costs and legal fees. As a result, they've decided to cancel the festival and refund ticket sales.

Glade is a fantastic festival. It's free of sponsorship and corporate interference, and it champions lots of great music styles and promoters. Plus it has one of the best lineups of any festival in Britain - this year would have seen the likes of Orbital, Simian Mobile Disco, Tricky, Alex Metric and Dreadzone. 

To read the full statement from Glade, click here.

Only consolation for Londoners is that you can now come to Lovebox, which is running over the same weekend. Click here for details.

Mystery Land festival, Amsterdam

If you're looking for a European festival which isn't a mission then check out this cheeky little number: Mystery Land.

The Dutch one-day event is on Saturday 28 August and has 20 stages of dance music. Which is pretty good going for any festival. Although the lineup isn't bursting with recognisable names for us Brits, it still includes Tiesto, Tiefschwarz, Fedde Le Grand, Luciano, Emalkay, Slimzee and Tinie Tempah. Plus it's right near the airport and the charming delights of Amsterdam, so you can pack in a hassle-free weekend of partying good times.

Tickets are now on sale. Click here for the full downlow: www.mysteryland.nl (hope your Dutch is up to scratch.)

The Vinyl Touch: Saturday 15 May

This Saturday make sure you get yourselves down to The Vinyl Touch at The Rhythm Factory.

The Vinyl Touch is a club night I've been working with for ten years (in the interests of journalistic integrity I have to declare my interest here). However I can honestly also say it is one of the most fun parties in the city.

Winner of 'Best small club/event' at Breakspoll, TVT was one of the first breakbeat events in the world and it still packs out the club every time, bringing a host of DJs from across breaks, drum n bass and old skool. It was also one of the first nights to bring you the biggest names on the scene, and continues to support those artists today.

For its 10th anniversary the awesome Freestylers are returning to the club (I once scored a date with Aston from Freestylers with the words: 'Do you like aubergine?') as well as drum n bass superhero Bryan Gee and versatile music masters Dub Pistols.

To launch the event, DJ Lock-up has done a mix encompassing the vibe of the last decade's parties. Click here to download it.


The Vinyl Touch
Saturday 15 May
@ Rhythm Factory, 16-18 Whitechapel Rd, London E1
£8 members/£12

For full details of the party click here.

Fabric owner Keith Reilly edits magazine

Keith Reilly - owner and creative director of the mighty Fabric - has turned his hand to journalism this month, playing guest editor of .Cent magazine's spring/summer issue.

For this edition, themed 'Sense of Purpose', Reilly has commissioned a bunch of pieces for the mag covering art, music, architecture, film and fashion.

The magazine aims to present stories in a 'cognitive and emotionally engaging way'. Reilly calls it a 'delicate and tender fashion'. I must confess it all sounds a bit sappy to me (man up, Reilly). On the other hand I did hear him give a lecture a few years ago at an electronic music convention, and he certainly was one interesting dude. So on the balance of things, think I'll go get me a copy of this.

www.centmagazine.co.uk

Rusko 4 Sub Focus 4 eva

I love Sub Focus. I love Rusko. Now they love each other. Group hug.

The two big-hitters have performed a musical 69 and remixed each others' tracks, producing two predictably adorable lovechildren.

Check out the new arrivals here:
Sub Focus ft. Coco 'Splash (Rusko remix)'
Rusko ft. Amber Hoffman 'Hold On (Sub Focus remix)'

Calling all hip-hop heads

Check out this event coming up in Shoreditch. It's an opportunity for hip hop lovers and artists to get together to discuss, perform and network.

Sunday 6 June @ Lati Ri, Rivington Place Gallery
Event: Pro Cypher
Deets: Pro Cypher is a home for hip-hop-heads to critically discuss how we operate as a scene and how we can better the community PRO actively, perform and network amongst like-minded individuals.

If you feel you represent any of the 5 pillars:
~ Graffiti
~ MCing
~ DJing
~ Breakdance
~ Beat-Boxing
or just love the culture... then come along and help sustain our community.
Door Tax: Free (£0)

Pro Cypher on Facebook

JME and Tempa T 'CD is Dead' video

As grime videos go, this one's pretty cool.

JME and Tempa T released the video today for their collaboration 'CD is Dead', off JME's new album, 'Blam'. The track is available to download from 30 May.

Tottenham lad JME founded Boy Better Know crew, which includes his brother Skepta. They're a wicked act to watch on stage and have put out some phat tracks in the past including 'Too Many Man'. They've certainly upped their game since that video...