Archive for February, 2015

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February 26, 2015

Nozstock (@Nozstock) : The Hidden Valley [Event]

Nozstock is a festival that is new to my ears, but it has actually been running for 17 years this year. Set in rural Hertforshire and at their home and run by the family on their working farm.

The father and daughter combination of Noz and Ella have curated one of the country’s most charming and beguiling festivals, surrounded by verdant rolling hills and imbued with a true sensation of escapism.

Nozstock logo

Independent and just a little bit left-of-centre, Nozstock brims with diversity, creativity and excitement. Reassuringly welcoming, it has evolved from 50 friends gathered at the original event in themed 90s and flourished into an intimate musical odyssey joining the dots between pop, ska, folk, funk, soul, indie, drum and bass, psytrance, house and a whole lot more, now firmly established as one of the country’s leading boutique festivals.

Nozstock is thrilled to reveal a very special headliner for this summer: NY-based Wu-Tang Clan, who not only proved to be the most revolutionary rap group of the mid-’90s but are arguably the greatest ever hip-hop group of all time

If your a drum & bass head then Nozstock has its founding roots within this culture. This year Hospitality will be present with London Elektricity, Etherwood, Danny Bryd, Metrik, Krakota and MC Wrec who take over The Cubicles on Friday. DJ Hype will be there along with Ed Rush & Optical, Deekline, Rinse FM’s Uncle Dugs, Ratpack, Slipmatt, Kenny Ken and Billy Daniel Bunter.

 Other acts include Jungle stars Congo Natty, heavyweight bass-basher Dillinja, the beatboxing Beardyman. 

Across the weekend trail-blazing hip-hop, bass music, grime, dubstep and raucous beats come from a brilliantly diverse range of DJ and live acts. Dr Syntax and Pete Cannon have produced for Action Bronson and Punchtown, whilst the Dead Players trio of Jam Baxta, Dabbla and Ghost Town are the chameleons of rhyme. They are joined by Ruffnek Diskotek w/Dub Boy, Dutty Inspectors and Ghost Writerz, Mr Woodnote & Eva Lazarus, Smokey Joe and The Kid, Gypsy Hill, Solko, Sounds of Harlowe, Octo Pi & Koncept, Scope, Modify Perspective, Remidy M.C and Trafic M.C and many more to be announced.

Nozstock – The Hidden Valley

Friday 24th – Sunday 26th July 2015

@ Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire, HR7 4LS

Tickets from £80 teen / £105 adult
www.nozstock.com / @Nozstock

www.facebook.com/nozstockthehiddenvalley

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February 23, 2015

Pixie’s Tracks Of The Week (@DeliBricks) (@NewhamGenerals) (@JHusMusic) (@Stormzy1) (@IsaiahDreads)

This week I pick five of my hottest tracks from last week from some old skool G’s to some up and coming MC’s.

Deli Bricks ft Corleone & Snap Capone – Fly Birds

UK underground rap at it’s finest with the first track to be heard from Deli Bricks new forthcoming mixtape ‘Finessin’ which is out 30th March. He’s joined by two hard barrers Corleone and Snap Capone for a street track. All three bring different elements and flows to the track making it one to bang out loud.

Newham Generals – Levels

A heavy, grimey, bassline track that I heard they played with My Nu Leng one of the producers for the track at Fabric on Friday setting the club alight. D Double E & Footsie show why they are Grime’s General’s as they pack the tune full of ad libs and punch lines.

J Hus – No Lie

J Hus has quite a buzz around his name at the moment and I myself named him as one to watch out for this year. His style blends Afrobeats and Rap and is a sound so fresh that people can’t seem to get enough of it. ‘No Lie’ is a pretty catchy track too that I can hear going off in a dance.

Stormzy – Know Me From

Stormzy who is everybody’s favourite MC and is set to cause some serious damage to the UK music scene. He returns with his debut single ‘Know Me From’ produced by Z Dot and featuring his mum in the video. He is just sick, no more needs to be said.

Isaiah Dreads ft C4 – Foolish

This upcoming, one to watch fresh Grime MC by the name of Isaiah Dreads is going to be a problem. At just 17-years old and from Dorset he brings something new to the Grime scene, his journey and lyrics. ‘Wait For Me’ produced by Preditah is a bouncy, go follow your dreams kind of track. He shows off his exceptional flow here too.

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February 23, 2015

East St (@EastStreetEats) [Food Review]

If you’re shopping in Central London particularly around Oxford St/Bond St make sure you pop in to cure those weary feet and get your eat on, or before your about to head into Soho for drinks with friends. East St is perfect for a quick and tasty dinner! The menu will also suit most people as it’s quite varied.

This little gem of fresh pan asian cooking is just situated off Oxford St, closer to Tottenham Court Road end, and brings a mixture of street food from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and Korea. It brought me back to the time of eating at the Hawker markets in Singapore or the street food stalls when I went to Bangkok, and I wondered as I sat down how authentic it was going to be.  Street food in these countries for me is completely different to eating in restaurants and I hoped they would capture the beauty of it. 

After a shopping trip with my brother (well half way through) and me knowing it was going to be a very long day ahead we decided to go here, and saw they also had an express lunch menu with 4 main dishes to choose from for £6.95 each and the option to go for a few more for £1 extra and to add a starter for £2.50 extra. Pretty good value for money if you ask me, although there wasn’t much choose.

He went for the express lunch choosing Gomoku Yakisoba – Ramen noodles wok-fried with prawns, chicken breast, peppers, julienne carrot and bean sprouts, garnished with toasted nori and pickled ginger and added Gyoza’s for us to share. Gyoza’s or dumpling are (in this case) Griddled dumplings of minced pork, bamboo shoot & spring onion, with a soy dip. These were tasty and light and didn’t taste like they were brought in an oriental supermarket like most restaurants. The noodles from Japan were a huge portion and tasted fresh and there was the right amount of meat, vegetables and noodles.

NasiGoreng

I opted for the Nasi Goreng rice with prawns which is an Indonesian dish of spicy wok-fried rice with lime leaves, chilli, and onion flakes. This was very delicious and even when I was getting full I didn’t want to put the fork down. It’s quite a simple dish to make at home as well, you just have to get the elements right. Simple is sometimes the best for me especially when the ingredients used are good ones.

I recommend this place as a quick pan asian pit stop when your in the area especially if you like stir fry’s, curries, rice dishes and more full of flavour.

Where To Find

3-5 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1HJ      02073230860    http://www.eaststreetrestaurant.com/

 

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February 18, 2015

Toddla T Meets Protoje – England Be Wise [Free Mixtape Download]

Sheffield bass don and BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra DJ Toddla T teams up with reaggae newcomer Protoje for a brand new free downloadable mixtape. England meets Jamaica, Reggae meets Grime, Dubstep and Drum & Bass, and Toddla T meets Protoje for the awesome collaborative mixtape England Be Wise

Proteje “merks every riddim to the highest degree” as he jumps on the wickedest selection of unexpected beats from Skepta’s ‘That’s Not Me’ to jungle classic ‘The Burial’ from Leviticus, Krept & Konan’s ‘Don’t Waste My Time’ and Schoolboy Q’s ‘Collard Greens’. Bringing that genuine Jamaican Reggae sunshine to some of the deepest, synth filled, 140 Grime beats.

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February 18, 2015

Boom Burger (@BOOMburgerLDN) [Food Review]

Situated in West London on Portobello Road, Boom Burger is the new burger joint that has got everyone talking, from locals to further afield. After working the day in Kensal Rise, I walked down Ladbroke Grove and found my way to the the place, after being told by two different people to go for the normal burger and the other person the jerk chicken burger.

Let me first tell you a little bit about Boom Burger it’s described as a ‘Gourmet Burgers and cocktails with a Jamaican twist in a colourful space with a Caribbean vibe’. The founder is Josh de Lisser a young chef born in Jamaica who got his cooking influences from his family in Montego Bay.

Meeting a friend we went inside and I was quite surprised at how small the menu was, this I wasn’t expecting. To be frankly honest I loved it, I hate going to a restaurant and seeing a page full of desirable food and not being able to choose what I want because I want it all! The only downside looking around me was how small the place was and places to sit were sparse, luckily for us we came pretty early for dinner and it wasn’t busy. We ended up having a huge table to ourselves which could have seated 6 people 8 at a really tight squeeze.

rsz_boom

The food itself was delectable, I went for the Boom Burger, their signature beef burger covered in cheese and bacon jam which was a winner for me. My friend went for the Jerk Boom (chicken) which had fried plantain, rocket and mango & paw paw sauce. The jerk chicken was shredded and came in a brioche bun and was so packed it was almost impossible to eat. The Boom Burger was simple but incredibly tasty and unlike any beef burger I ever had. I was considering the Fish Boom though which consists of pan fried red snapper.

We ordered plantain fries and and normal fries as our sides which were huge portions and we couldn’t manage to finish our meals. The jerk wings and saltfish chilli fritters are definitely what I’m going to be ordering next time to mix it up a bit! There is also a choice of a Pork Boom, Veggie Boom and a Brunch Boom along with Jerk Salad and Fish Salad to keep most people happy who want to come and sample some tasty Jamaican influenced food.

The drinks menu is another thing that won me round at Boom Burger where rum cocktails take precedent and the ‘rum n thing’ cocktail for me straight away. You can also go for favourite like rum punch, pina colada or so sorrel.

This place is great to meet for a relaxed lunch or dinner if you need to get in and out of quickly and is very informal and fun. It’s delicious and inexpensive. What more could you want?

Where To Find

272 Portobello Road, London W10 5TY    020 8960 3533     www.boomburger.co.uk

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February 2, 2015

Yungen (@YungenPlayDirty) – 23 Freestyle [Music Video]

Yungen turned 23 last week and decided to keep his roll of birthday freestyles going. He states that the freestyle was made on his birthday, no pre record, and this year instead of like the last 2 he kept it the style more raw recording it outside with just him on camera over a Heavytrackerz beat.

 

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