Love Music Hate Racism free carnival this Sunday

This Sunday's Love Music Hate Racism free carnival in East London's Victoria Park celebrates the 30th anniversary of the first Rock Against Racism concert, which took place in the same park back in April 1978. It's not just rock acts performing any more, though funnily enough RAR's inaugural event two years previously featured a singer called Carol Grimes - and there's certainly a lot of grime artists performing this weekend.

Bashy, Chipmunk, Jammer, No Lay, Roll Deep, Tinchy Stryder and Wiley are all appearing alongside other artists and DJs including Akala, Alex Mills, Benga, Dennis Bovell, DJ Hype, Heartless Crew, Jocelyn Brown, Juggy D, Nihal, Ny and Skream. If the weather's nice it'll be unmissable...

Here's the Roll Deep track Racist People from Wiley's Tunnel Vision Vol 2, which includes eloquent verses from Scratchy, Trim and Wiley himself:

MP3: Roll Deep - Racist People

Last year an official Love Music Hate Racism video was made for the same track without Wiley and Trim but with the addition of Riko Dan and his memorable line, "BNP - your time soon dun out". Indeed.

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Friday 25 April 2008 | Add a comment

RWD In Stereo on MTV Base

I already posted Rubi Dan's video of Ghetto's performance at the RWD In Stereo event we played at Cargo last month. Now here's an MTV Base feature on the night filmed for Trevor Nelson's show The Lick, with live footage and interviews with the likes of Wiley, Hattie Collins, Chipmunk, Spoonface, Jammer and Chantelle Fiddy:

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Monday 21 April 2008 | Add a comment

Heatwave sets in New Cross and Shoreditch this weekend

We're playing alongside Wiley and Tomb Crew at Amersham Arms in New Cross tonight for the Deadly Rhythm vs No Pain In Pop night, and then at the Patchwork Pirates monthly Thugs'n'Hugs at The Legion in Shoreditch on Saturday.

Fully expect to see Wiley (and the crowd) doing the Rolex Sweep, as described by him and Skepta in their eponymous follow up to Wearing My Rolex:

MP3: Wiley & Skepta - Rolex Sweep (Radio Rip)

Check the video below for the full dance - I can't help thinking that it would've been better if it was simply restricted it to the Signal Di Plane-esqe sweep of the arms without the other Macarena-style elements.

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Friday 18 April 2008 | Add a comment

Video of Ghetto at RWD In Stereo, Cargo

Video that Rubi Dan made of Ghetto performing live at the RWD In Stereo event we played earlier this month. There's a longer video of the 'grime allstars' onstage - Skepta, Jammer, Chipmunk, Wiley and others with Roll Deep's DJ Maximum on the decks - but we haven't worked out how to get it off Rubi's phone yet...

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Wednesday 19 March 2008 | Add a comment

Elephant Man’s Dancehall Gym

Elephant Man's long-awaited project for P Diddy's Bad Boy Records is finally coming to fruition with the release of his Let's Get Physical album on 8th April. The album features collaborations with the likes of Swizz Beats, Assassin, Yung Joc, Wyclef Jean, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Kat Deluna, Shaggy and Busta Rhymes, which rather unsurprisingly hints at it being very much aimed at the American hip hop/R'n'B crossover market. Hopefully it'll still showcase Elephant Man at his straight up dancehall best - certainly the title implies that it's going to be a high energy jump up affair and this promotional video of Ele in his dancehall gym underlines the 'let's get physical' message:

The Energy God demonstrates some of the biggest Jamaican dances of the last few years including Row Di Boat, Scoobay, Summer Bounce, Ova Di Wall, Willie Bounce, Signal Di Plane, Gangsta Rock, Tek Wey Yu Self And Badman Forward Badman Pull Up. It's pretty hilarious when he hits himself in the face with his chain while doing the Out and Bad. The Jamaican Dance blog is also a good place for videos of the latest dance crazes sweeping dancehalls and bedrooms worldwide.

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Monday 17 March 2008 | 1 comment

Riko Tells The Truth

Roll Deep MC Riko Dan's The Truth Vol 1 is out this week - an essential double CD set featuring the London city warlord spitting over grime, bashment and reggae instrumentals, always with the same devastating flow. I just ordered my copy from HMV where it's only £5.99 including shipping costs - and it's also available from UK Record Shop. Watch out for his wicked vocal on our Piano riddim, which you can now hear on our MySpace and will be out on 7" vinyl in early April. In the meantime, watch the man himself in action:

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Tuesday 11 March 2008 | 1 comment

Rubi Dan YouTube Business

A couple of videos of our MC Rubi Dan on the mic, one freestyling and the other recording his track Bad Bwoy in the studio with producer/rapper JZA. We haven't fully got on the YouTube thing yet but, partly inspired by the excellent Dutty Artz TV, are planning to make a lot more video content and get it online this year. For now you can see all of Rubi's videos here or subscribe to The Heatwave YouTube channel.

Rubi Dan - Freestyle

Rubi Dan - Bad Bwoy

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Friday 15 February 2008 | Add a comment

Bar Rumba Booty Bounce

Played Bounce at Bar Rumba last night which was as busy and hype as ever. No photos this time but I did just come across this footage from one of the previous booty battles there:

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Sunday 03 February 2008 | Add a comment

Timberlee & Tifa - Tinky Winky

Brand new song from Timberlee, an upcoming dancehall MC who's showing a lot of promise at the moment. Her cut on the Rae riddim, Bubble Like Soup, is a lively, saucy bashment smash which can't fail to excite. This tune also features Tifa and it seems like together they comprise "the ladies from the Badda Badda gang" according to Ward 21's creative powerhouse Suku (one of Ward 21's first hit riddims was called Badda Badda). The talented, ahead-of-their-time artist/producer foursome who produced and featured on Bubble Like Soup and are both behind the mixing board and in front of the camera here:

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Thursday 29 November 2007 | Add a comment

Alicia Keys Goes Reggae

Alicia Keys doing some nice work to cement the global status of reggae/dancehall by inviting Jamaican legends Junior Reid, Chaka Demus & Pliers and Beenie Man onstage with her at the American Music Awards:

Posted by Gabriel Heatwave | Friday 23 November 2007 | Add a comment