About Us
The Heatwave is a collective of DJs, MCs and producers from London and Bristol. We make music, play out all over London, the UK and Europe including our monthly Heatwave Affair, compile CDs and DJ mixes and write about the music we love: dancehall reggae, bashment, hip hop and more from the UK, the Caribbean and around the world.
Our infamous DJ-friendly refixes - including dancehall versions of Kelis's Trick Me and Lily Allen's LDN - have been released on the Punchline and Heatwave labels and are loved by the likes of David Rodigan (Kiss FM), Gilles Peterson (Radio 1), Mr Scruff, Seani B (BBC 1xtra), Daddy Ernie (Choice FM), DJ Yoda and 100% Dynamite.
Our monthly Caribbean/Latino soundclash at Rhythm Factory, Heatwave vs Mas Fuego, did much to pioneer the reggaeton sound in London back in 2005/06, and also featured reggae/dancehall performances from grime and hip hop MCs like Riko Dan, Klashnekoff and Rodney P. We play regularly at club nights and festivals such as Bestival, Womad, Fabric, Koko, Bar Rumba, Herbal, 333, 93 Feet East, Cargo and Notting Hill Arts Club.
We also run the Scandal Bag label, responsible for a couple of releases from Jamaican artist Quality Diamond, including the ragga jungle anthem Let It Billie produced by DJ C (Mashit). However, we're now concentrating on The Heatwave label, which saw its first release in April 2008 featuring vocal cuts on our Piano riddim by Roll Deep's Riko Dan and our own MC, Rubi Dan. Warrior Queen's version of the riddim, Things Change, was released by Soul Jazz Records in March 2008.
We make mixes and compilations, including our widely-acclaimed retrospective of Jamaican-inspired MC in the UK, An England Story, which was also released by Soul Jazz Records in March 2008. As well as writing our blog, we contribute regularly to magazines including FACT, Shook and Woofah. In the past, we've also written for publications such as StraightNoChaser, Undercover, SOS and musicalbear.
