New Year New Love - Cecile

Just finished playing our New Year's Eve set at Fabric and thought I'd pop up a quick happy new year message with musical accompaniment by Cecile.

Happy two thousand and wine'n'grind!

MP3: Cecile - New Year New Love

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Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Thursday 01 January 2009 | 2 comments

Collie Buddz - Herb Tree

Some might say that Collie Buddz is too obsessed with singing about weed - certainly his marijuana leaf necklace is a little ridiculous. But I really don't care when the tunes are this good:

MP3: Collie Buddz - Herb Tree

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The rhythm track is pretty fresh, with its crisp drums and acoustic guitar. I also like the subtle way he likens his plants to a woman:

I got a little herb tree in my garden
This little fat ting she a mi darling
When mi water the trees look how di bud swell

It reminded me of Wayne Marshall's Marry Wanna on the Ice Cube riddim:

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Tuesday 13 January 2009 | 5 comments

The Heatwave Chart - January 2009

It's almost all about the ladies this month, with new tunes by Jamaica's Tifa (pictured), Natalie Storm, Cecile and Spice alongside Ms Dynamite (England), Sanell Dempster (Trinidad & Tobago) and Jazmine Sullivan and Nicki Minaj from the USA.

Plus Busy Signal with my favourite cut on the Baddaz riddim, Wiley's stand-out vocal on Danny Weed's excellent Activity riddim, another Collie Buddz ode to the herb and dancehall-soca from Mr G aka Goofy.

1. Tifa & Natalie Storm - Talk of the Town - listen
2. Ms Dynamite - Bad Gyal aka Hot Like Fire - listen
3. Busy Signal - Hustle - listen
4. Sanell Dempster - Touch Meh Up - listen
5. Jazmine Sullivan & Cecile - Bust Your Windows (Tony Kelly Remix) - listen
6. Nicki Minaj & Sasha - Beam Me Up Scotty - listen
7. Wiley - Hummer Activity- listen
8. Vybz Kartel & Spice - Ramping Shop - watch video
9. Collie Buddz - Herb Tree - listen
10. Mr G aka Goofy - Work Mi A Work - listen

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Friday 16 January 2009 | Add a comment

Video: Ragga Twins acapella

I spent yesterday afternoon in the studio with the Ragga Twins. They were voicing on Mr Benn's latest production, the Stutter riddim, and it was sounding big!

After the session, twins Deman Rockers and Flinty Badman recorded us a short video acapella:

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Sunday 18 January 2009 | 1 comment

From the vaults: Missy Elliott refix of Sleng Teng

The second in our series digging up previously unreleased Heatwave music. Like last month's Capleton refix, this is another Henry creation which he actually put together in summer 2003 before we'd even started calling ourselves The Heatwave.

MP3: Missy Elliott - Pass That Sleng Teng (The Heatwave Refix)

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Video: Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch (original version)

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Monday 19 January 2009 | Add a comment

Welcome to Barack

We've already heard Obama-themed songs from Mavado, Cocoa Tea, Sizzla, Capleton, Mykal Rose, Beenie Man and Beniton The Menace.

Now for Barack's inauguration today we're weighing in with contributions from Bugle, Barrington Levy, Busta Rhymes, Kardinal Offishall and Alston Becket Cyrus.

Sadly, as far as I'm aware there's still no sign of imaginary puntastic revoicings like Sizzla's Solid As Barack or Sister Nancy's O-Bam-Bam-a. We can only hope!

Bugle's ironically titled, optimistic yet oddly melancholy Supremacy is my favourite of these three tunes:

MP3: Bugle - Supremacy

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I started picking out a couple of quotes to use in this post but in the end transcribed nearly half the song. It's a pretty powerful lyric, though is perhaps a little premature in its conclusion; Obama's election alone won't solve the problems of racism and inequality.

Black people a we run the world and it evident
Cos we a move from slavery to president
All over the world we have life again
Yuh nuh see say dem White House nuh white again

Yuh nuh see say civil rights don't apply again
Power to the people we dem can't deny again

How mi know say black people a survivor
From di back of the bus to the driver
We're coming from the banana boat
To come be the pilot pon the plane

Remember Paul Bogle and Nanny dem
Nelson Mandela, Luther King, Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey dem
Dem set the ting we haffi honour dem

Huey Newton, Angela Davis, Steve Biko, Bob Marley dem
Don't forget Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson and Frederick Douglass
Cos dem fight fi human rights, now a new man rise
Obama rise the banner we have new born life, yes

Calypso legend Alston Becket Cyrus is similarly optimistic but there's certainly no tinge of melancholy in his euphoric, uplifting song. Even though he lists some of the serious domestic and international issues which Obama's presidency will have to grapple with:

The economic crisis, terrorism
Global warming, foreclosures - all await him
Plus Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan
I believe Barack will fix them one by one

MP3: Alston Becket Cyrus - Barack Obama

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Finally, dancehall veteran Barrington Levy teams up with rappers Busta Rhymes and Kardinal Offishall for a pacifist hip hop jam:

MP3: Barrington Levy, Busta Rhymes & Kardinal Offishall - No War

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Apparently reggae singers Cherine Anderson and Cocoa Tea will be performing at the inauguration celebrations, which will surely be considerably more enjoyable than watching Will I Am and Sheryl Crow murder Bob Marley's One Love.

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Tuesday 20 January 2009 | 3 comments

Watch Out Now - The Heatwave in Brixton

I'm playing in Brixton this Friday, headlining the launch party of Plan B's new monthly night Watch Out Now. Time Out says:

Bargain! Dutty hip hop, deep dubstep, gunfinger grime, bashy electro, dancehall and jungle.

Watch Out Now is well-named with surefire heavy-hitter DJs The Heatwave and Mr Thing in the mix alongside regular rudegirls Chantelle Fiddy & Hattie Collins, Solid Gold & Fly Bryce and local boys One Type & Larry Sun. Cheap drinks too!

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Thursday 22 January 2009 | Add a comment

Mr Vegas - Dope

I'm extremely pleased to see that despite announcing his 'retirement' last year, Mr Vegas is back with brand new music for 2009.

Plus Vegas will be in the UK next month for a Valentine's concert at Brixton Academy which also features Tarrus Riley, Cocoa Tea, Etana, Jimmy Riley and Steve Face.

MP3: Mr Vegas - Dope

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Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Friday 23 January 2009 | 2 comments

Kyla - Do You Mind (Reggae Remix)

One of my favourite tunes of 2008 is given a fresh twist for the new year: a sweet lovers' rock remix. I'd love to hear more reggae tunes from Kyla - her voice sounds great over the driving drums and offbeat skank.

MP3: Kyla - Do You Mind (Reggae Remix)

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Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Friday 23 January 2009 | 12 comments

Video: Timberlee vs Dora The Explorer - Bubble Like Soup

Presumably coincidentally, two of the blogs I read both posted recently about animated music videos on YouTube.

Blackdown focuses on official and unofficial video remixes for grime tunes, while Jamaica Dancehall Music links to a number of dancehall clips.

My favourite is definitely Timberlee's Bubble Like Soup accompanied by images of Dora The Explorer, which was put together by c4unitx:

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Monday 26 January 2009 | Add a comment

Donaeo - Party Hard

Definitely one of the biggest UK tunes around right now. This is a bonafide anthem: killer rhythm track and a wicked hook from Donaeo, a veteran of the UK garage scene.

His recent releases Devil In A Blue Dress and African Warrior were among the biggest UK funky (house) hits of last year but with this he's come even harder:

MP3: Donaeo - Party Hard

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African Warrior emphasised Donaeo's Ghanaian heritage but on Party Hard he drops a more Caribbean-influenced style (his mother is from Guyana). From the opening chant referencing Harry Belafonte's Banana Boat Song to the instrumental's Jamaicanesque rhythms and the London patois of the unforgettable chorus, this is pure bashment:

Mi a go party hard
Yuh know we a go party hard

UPDATE: Don't miss the Heatwave bashment refix version featuring Vybz Kartel, Capleton, Danny English and Rubi Dan. Download it from Mediafire.

The beat wasn't actually made for Donaeo - it's a track called We Belong To The Night by Canadian house producer Suges which Donaeo jumped on. Now he's also got Princess - the singer responsible for the massive funky hit Frontline - in for a remix:

MP3: Donaeo & Princess - Party Hard (Remix)

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Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Monday 26 January 2009 | 45 comments

Video: Mavado - So Special

The official video for Mavado's So Special - my favourite tune of last year - which debuted yesterday on the influential BET show 106 & Park.

The track is still riding high in the Billboard charts along with Serani's No Games on the same rhythm (Unfinished Business), and is the lead single from Mavado's second album, due out in March.

Given that the tunes are doing so well and Unfinished Business is a relick of Dave Kelly's classic Showtime riddim, there are a few legal issues still to be resolved...

I like the yellow CGI car in the video:

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Tuesday 27 January 2009 | 2 comments

Bashment time again this Friday

This Friday is the first of our monthly dancehall workouts for 2009 at Salmon & Compass in Islington.

Time to wind and grind to the latest and greatest dancehall reggae, bashment and Caribbean rave music.

It's £3 before midnight and £5 after but we've got a couple of free places on the guestlist to give away. Just email info@theheatwave.co.uk with your names - first come, first served.

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Tuesday 27 January 2009 | Add a comment

Buju Banton - Anywhere Gal Deh (Beauty Riddim)

Back when this rhythm first came out I said it'd be nice to hear some more MCs (as opposed to singers) voicing on it. Three months on, the gruff-voiced legend Buju Banton has joined the fray with what is probably now my favourite cut:

MP3: Buju Banton - Anywhere Gal Deh

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Plus Wayne&Wax recently gave us another new vocal on the Beauty riddim, laying Glenn Frey's You Belong To The City (the Miami Vice theme tune) over the instrumental!

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Wednesday 28 January 2009 | 2 comments