Mavado - Neva Believe U

Never Believe You opens with something of a rhetorical question from Mavado to production team Daseca:

I wonder if is a next hit song this?

Believe it. Cinematic strings, a pulsating electro shuffle and Mavado's mournful x-rated serenade. Plus a detuned, delayed piano riff almost giving it an offkey hardcore/rave feel. Massive.

MP3: Mavado - Neva Believe U

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Baby Tash comes with a cocky counteraction that does the trick as well:

MP3: Baby Tash - Now Him Believe Mi

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And German DJ/blogger Tim Turbo has put his own four-to-the-floor electro twist on the Mavado original. For more electro-bashment bass business check out his weekly podcast for the excellent Seen blog, Tim Turbo Thursday.

MP3: Mavado - Neva Believe U (Tim Turbo Remix)

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Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Wednesday 01 April 2009 | 21 comments

Our weekly radio show on Rinse FM

We've now got a show on London's number one pirate radio station, Rinse FM - tonight and every Thursday from 1-3am.

In reality we won't make it every week due to bookings like our residency at Big Chill House. But we'll be there most weeks, playing the latest and greatest dancehall/bashment and UK/Caribbean rave.

If you're in London tune in on 100.4FM, listen live worldwide via the website stream or catch the podcasts a day or two after the fact with the Rinse blog. So there's no need to miss a show...

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Thursday 02 April 2009 | 5 comments

Busy Signal - Beep

We've already heard Vybz Kartel's articulate attack on the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission's ban on slack lyrics, which applies even if expletives are beeped out.

Now Busy Signal has added his voice to the chorus of protest with a powerful vocal over the heavy one drop beat of Shane Brown's Indiscretions riddim:

MP3: Busy Signal - Beep

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Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Wednesday 08 April 2009 | 5 comments

Video: Assassin - Same Ting Again

This was one of my favourite non-dancefloor songs of last year: a dark, brooding rhythm track perfectly suited to Assassin's serious and thoughtful lyrics. There's also a wicked Bugle vocal on the same riddim.

Now Assassin's shot a video which is as powerful and high quality as the song itself:

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Saturday 11 April 2009 | Add a comment

Tanya Stephens - Reminiscing

The first new tune from Tanya Stephens in a long long time. It's nice to have her back with this cut on the one drop reggae of Baby G's Good Love riddim:

MP3: Tanya Stephens - Reminiscing

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But speaking of reminiscing, I miss hearing Tanya on bashment rhythms; for the last few years her releases have been almost entirely reggae songs. I'd love to hear more new tracks in the style of Touch Me No More (Diwali), Please Me (Tai Chi), Draw Fi Mi Finger (Filthy) or Addiction (Bollywood).

Her clever and provocative feminine/feminist lyrics and nasal MC/deejay delivery made her one of my favourite dancehall artists, male or female. And as much as I love Natalie Storm, Cecile, Tifa, Macka Diamond, Timberlee et al, Tanya's more bashy style is sorely missed in a scene where men still dominate.

Last August it was reported that she would soon be releasing her seventh album, Infallible, as well as a novel called Behind These Shades. Neither project appears to have materialised yet, but hopefully they will before 2009 is out.

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Tuesday 14 April 2009 | 2 comments

Trouble Vision and Chew The Fat this Friday

This Friday night we're playing Trouble Vision at Corsica Studios in Elephant & Castle. We're in the Dirty Canvas room alongside Chef, Joker, Oneman, Mumdance, Tomb Crew, Reecha and DJ Magic.

Then immediately afterwards we're hosting room three for Chew The Fat at The Arches in London Bridge alongside Nice Up, playing dancehall reggae, hip hop, jungle and more.

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Tuesday 21 April 2009 | 1 comment

The Heatwave Chart - April 2009

The first lady of UK dancehall, Suncycle's Lady Chann, is on fire right now with her wicked vocal on Sticky's Fugitive riddim, a bashment/funky/garage stormer with an amazing piano hook.

There's more genre-blending niceness courtesy of the remix of YT's Dubplate featuring four drum'n'bass legends as well as Aidonia jumping on Inflation by Crazy Cousinz.

Plus brand new dancehall tracks by Cecile on Kirkledove's lovely Hot Peppa riddim, Busy Signal on a Bam Bam relick for 2009 and Stinking Rich by Gappy Ranks.

And on a more reggae/hip hop note: Laden's sweet serenade Really Like You, Erup & Nature's Trample Dem on a relick of the Death In The Arena riddim and a big new tune from Busta Rhymes.

1. Lady Chann & Sticky - Your Eye Too Fast (Fugitive Riddim)
2. Mavado - Neva Believe U - listen
3. YT, Shabba D, UK Apache, Tenor Fly & David Boomah - Dubplate (Remix) - listen
4. Aidonia & Crazy Cousinz - Bounce (Inflation Riddim) - listen
5. Cecile - How It Feels (Hot Peppa Riddim)
6. Gappy Ranks - Stinking Rich - listen
7. Laden - Really Like You - listen
8. Busy Signal - Tie and Dye Face (Bam Bam Riddim) - listen
9. Erup & Nature - Trample Dem - listen
10. Busta Rhymes & Pharrell Williams - G-Stro - listen

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Wednesday 22 April 2009 | 5 comments

Rinse FM tonight and Curtis Lynch mix

Me and Rubi Dan are back on Rinse again tonight for our fortnightly session of the freshest bashment pre-releases, foundation dancehall and Caribbean rave music.

Given that it's St George's Day today, I thought it'd be nice to counter its traditional, often racist associations by doing a special feature on England/Caribbean crossover music. So we'll be celebrating with a whole heap of music by English artists.

Tune in from 1am on 100.4FM in London or catch the live stream on the Rinse website. If you're reading this after the fact, grab the archived podcasts from the Rinse blog.

And from our last show on Rinse, here's the half hour segment showcasing releases by North London dancehall producer Curtis Lynch, featuring tracks by the likes of YT, Top Cat and Gregory Isaacs:

MP3: Gabriel Heatwave - Curtis Lynch Special

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Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Thursday 23 April 2009 | 5 comments

Video: Tim Westwood’s Ladies’ Night

Four of the finest female MCs in the UK - Lady Chann, No Lay, Leshurr and Lioness - rhyming on Tim Westwood's BBC 1Xtra show a couple of weeks ago (via JP).

It's cool that Westwood is supporting these talented artists, but it's taken him a while - it's now four years since we had Chann and No Lay at our Heatwave vs Mas Fuego ladies' night.

The live recording from that night is pretty special, with the two of them riding the Chrome riddim to devastating effect despite No Lay's admission that, "I don't spit ragga yeah".

Of course, Chann kills it in this video - check No Lay and Leshurr's reactions to her rhymes at the one minute mark! As No Lay puts it, "Which man seh dat gal can't do it like dem? Whatever, bruv!". Indeed.

Chann tells me that her and No Lay are "gonna be poppin off stuff" later this year, which is exciting. I can't wait to hear the combination of No Lay's technical perfection and Chann's hype percussive flow on a release.

These two aside, the revelation of the video is Birmingham's Leshurr, who I'd never heard of before. Her voice is kind of small and not entirely authoritative, and she's even reading lyrics off her phone at one point.

But none of this matters once she gets into it, flowing with quick staccato crispness at 4.30 and showing off her lyrical dexterity around 8.30, cleverly playing with alternative meanings of 'contacts' (phone and eyes).

Above all, I love the interesting patterns and pronunciations that she drops from 13.20 to 14.35. It sounds like she's just invented a brand new style and a language to go with it. Really original.

But probably the exchange that tops them all is at 10.30 as No Lay interrupts Chann's saucy lyrics to big her up. The way Leshurr cracks up when Westwood turns on his (jokily?) sleazy 'charm' is too funny.

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Wednesday 29 April 2009 | 5 comments

Big Chill House, Cargo and FWD>> this weekend

It's another busy time for The Heatwave over the bank holiday weekend.

On Thursday night we kick it off with our regular dancehall reggae session, Hot Wuk at Big Chill House in King's Cross:

On Friday night I'll be playing dancehall, soca, reggaeton and more at the Cargo Free Fridays Tropical Party. So that's two free events in a row - no excuses not to hit the dancefloor!

And finally, we'll be rounding off the weekend playing a JA bashment vs UK funky set at FWD>>, making the most of Plastic People's sweet sweet soundsystem.

Posted by Gabriel_Heatwave | Wednesday 29 April 2009 | Add a comment