Sheffield // DJ Format, Haggis Horns, Hot Diamond Aces & Souljam DJs: Friday 22 April

With a line up that would amount to some people’s definition of a small festival, Sheffield’s 02 Academy and the heads behind top drawer hip hop / funk crew Quality Control are about to kick off summer this Friday night. You can still get tickets for only £8 plus booking fee from Party For The People. If you’re Manchester based, don’t forget Format plays with Buffalo Brothers at Deaf Institute on Bank Holiday Sunday 1 May (from 11pm), the same ni…

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Manchester Film Screenings: Rampage (2006), Hip Hop, Mi Desahogo (2014)

…onflict and oppression, and survival becomes part of everyday life, why do people continue to create? When arms and air raids, ceasefires and aid fail to bring an end to such situations, what can art offer and what can it change?   Join us for the second in a series of special film events celebrating the power of creativity to make change: CREATE FILM FESTIVAL – HIP HOP War zones and areas of conflict are not always immediately apparent. Many wars…

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Groovement Interview / AGBEKO: Manc Afro psych-funk

…-off gig playing Fela Kuti tunes. I was new in Manchester and keen to meet people so just got stuck in! We landed a gig as part of Manchester Jazz Festival which motivated me to start writing some original tunes and then it’s just snowballed from there. Who are the artists that have directly influenced you? Why? I’ve mentioned Fela a couple of times. He’s iconic, unavoidable and essential listening! I’ve started doing a lot more digital cratediggi…

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New music / Mecca:83 – Life Sketches Vol 3

…tches has always been about collaboration. The record is as much about the people who contributed to it as it is about me. From Buscrates and Octavio Santos, to Grap Luva and Von Pea, the artists on this record are people I both admire and respect. This record wouldn’t be possible without them. Boost the signal: Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens i…

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New music / Sly5thAve: Let Me Ride ft Jimetta Rose

…g of the intro from YouTube for now! Hip-Hop has always been music for the people. An anthemic account of history from the other side, it gave a much louder voice to a whole generation and class of people who most folks would have liked to ignore.       – Sly5thAve Keep an eye on Sly5thAve’s Bandcamp for a buy link. Release is October 20. Boost the signal: Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)…

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Interview: Loose Lips present Blah Records Showcase + Masaki Uchida track premiere

…y night. It’s then evolved from there, taking over the lives of a fair few people, haha! How has Manchester treated you so far party-wise? It’s been interesting, pretty mad and always diverse. We’ve invited the likes of Mo Kolours, A Broken Camarila, Kris Wadsworth, El-B, Yak, Lord Tusk, Will Welt & Circula. The first year of Loose Lips wasn’t spent doing anything in Manchester so we still feel young in the city. Buzzing for Friday and for some VE…

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Video / Josephine Oniyama: ‘Til You

…E’s film installation, and travelled to Zimbabwe courtesy of the British festival. ‘Til You is a really special track for me. It’s about self-affirmation, about being comfortable in your own skin. And in the end that is the best time to really bond with other people and make relationships work and grow; when you finally know who you are and can help other people grow too.   Boost the signal: Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to sha…

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Record Store Day 2018: Groovement Picks

…e Dubplate Special 7″ box set (Soul Jazz) Record 1: Alton & Cedric – Black People Cedric Brooks – Soul Eye Record 2: The Officials – Distant Drums Cedric Brooks – Power To The People Record 3: Soul Brothers – Skitting Day Carey Johnson – Go Ahead Record 4: Alton & Zoot – Don’t Know What You’re Doing Brentford All Stars – The World Is A Ghetto Record 5: Jacob Miller – Westbound Train (Alternate Version) George Philip – One One (Alternate Version) S…

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Video / Balako: Jungle Music

…town of Rio. “Rio is a city surrounded by chaos and social injustice, it’s people often angered by the corruption and fragility of its make-up, but still we find a reason to smile and have fun… while still hustling” says Diogo. “As Tim Maia once joked: “Here the pimps feel jealous, the drug dealers get coke addictions and poor people are right wing. Contradictions like these create a lot of depth and inspire us to keep creating. Sometimes it feels…

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