THE FORUM TEN-YEAR REUNION – IT’S ON!
It’s a decade since the glory days of the legendary Late Nite Flava events at The Forum in Cardiff, and this Bank Holiday Sunday, there’s a special event to mark the occasion!
Urban Fusion’s Cult Couture event at Number 10 in Cardiff is a revival-themed night consisting of R&B, hip hop, UK garage and old school classics. But it also acts as the official Forum reunion, with original DJs Mark Devlin and Kid Fury lining up alongside the Urban Fusion crew and DJ Silver to relive the times when The Forum used to pack in 1,500 to 2,000 eager urban music clubbers every single Saturday, with the biggest guest DJs and acts in the land.
It all happens at Number 10 in Mill Lane, Cardiff on Sunday 24th August from 10pm to 4am, with free entry for all before midnight. You can check out and join the Facebook group for the event here:
Click here
VINTAGE RADIO – MORE CLASSIC MATERIAL
We’re on a proper reminisce vibe now! Last month’s vintage audio offerings went down so well - particularly the recordings of classic Swing Shift shows from Galaxy 101 - that we’ve been plundering the archives again, Indiana Jones-style, to bring you more.
First off, we go back to the end of 1996, the first year of the Swing Shift. Here are the year-end mixes from Mark Devlin, alongside Soul Power’s DJ Diggz and The 3pm Crew’s DJ Lynx. Each DJ chops up some of their favourite tunes of the previous 12 months. Not the biggest hits of ’96, which is what makes it so interesting. This is the alternative selection! Here we go with the links.
Mark Devlin year-end mix, 1996
DJ Diggz year-end mix, 1996
DJ Lynx year-end mix, 1996
Now, on a year to the show broadcast on Boxing Day 1997 from 9pm to midnight, the first of two year-end shows dealing with all the big tunes of that particular year. If you remember the hip hop and R&B tunes of the mid to late 90s with affection, you’re guaranteed to be nodding your head to some of these. And there’ll be so many favourites you’d forgotten all about!
The Swing Shift, year-end 1997. Part 1
The Swing Shift, year-end 1997. Part 2
Now, a treat for all reggae dancehall/ bashment heads, (or ‘ragga’ as we used to call it back in the day.) This mix dates back to June 1997, when MD had just returned from his first trip to Jamaica, gassed up and armed to the back teeth with a world of new 7-inch single hotness!
Mark Devlin ‘fresh from Jamaica’ ragga mix, June 1997
Finally, here’s another entire edition of the Swing Shift, this one broadcast in the new late-night timeslot of 12-3am on 27th February 1998. This one’s been selected for no other reason than it was a particularly lively show, with a broad selection of music representing the fantastic late 90s sound. The live studio guest is a very young Lethal, who ends up jamming in a freestyle session with SS regular Kelz, the mix comes from DJ Kim, and there’s a phone link for the New York Update with the Brooklyn brother Mark Ricketts.
The Swing Shift, 27/2/98. Part 1
The Swing Shift, 27/2/98. Part 2
The Swing Shift, 27/2/98. Part 3
Listen, zone out and enjoy…
BANK HOLIDAY URBAN ANTHEMS ON FM107.9
On Bank Holiday Monday, 25th August, Mark Devlin will be hosting a special two-hour Urban Anthems show on FM107.9, dealing with nothing but R&B, hip hop and reggae dancehall classics.
As well as ripping through bona-fide bangers from the glory years, MD will be airing a half-hour mix from London’s DJ Chippie, who tears through 90s anthems at a devastating rate, and engaging in some nostalgic banter with the legendary Kid Fury.
Definitely some goosebumps business, and one no real urban music fan will want to miss. Urban Anthems airs from 8 to 10pm UK time on Monday 25th August, and you can listen from anywhere in the world, (if you get the timezones right!) via the live stream on www.fm1079.com
THE UK THROWBACK
ON K-SERA RADIO, AUSTRALIA
Hold tight for a weekly show entitled The UK Throwback, on the new Australian radio station www.kseraradio.com
The station is part of the Australia Radio Networks organisation, and is the country’s first dealing exclusively with black and urban music. The UK Throwback will air every Sunday at 6pm Australian East Coast time, (which equates to Sunday 8am in the UK, and 9am in central Europe.) Each show will feature an hour’s mix put together by Mark Devlin, consisting entirely of classic hip hop, R&B and reggae dancehall revivals, from the early 90s to the early 2000s. The station’s other internationally syndicated shows are Clinton Sparks’ ‘Smashtime Radio’ and DJ Power’s ‘Outta Control.’
The station is expected to begin streaming live at www.kseraradio.com during August.
MD ON YOUTUBE
The new Mark Devlin channel is now active on Youtube, featuring video snippets from various aspects of MD’s movements and activities.
Uploaded now are excerpts from some live radio freestyles direct from the studios of ‘Just Buggin’ on FM107.9, footage of MD’s seminar sessions at The Rhythm Institute in Latvia, and shots of MD running around a few spots in New York alongside The Untouchable DJ Drastic. Watch out for more updates by the week.
You’ll find it all at: http://www.youtube.com/markdevlintv
MD ON DEMAND
PODCAST, AUGUST 08
We've now stepped up the format of the monthly
MD On Demand Podcast brought to you via this site.. From
now, you’ll be able to listen back to one of the current
month’s ‘Just Buggin’ shows
presented by Mark Devlin, as
broadcast on Oxford’s FM107.9 every
Wednesday night, and on the web via www.fm1079.com.
‘Just Buggin’deals with the ‘quality’,
mature end of the street soul and hip hop genres, hitting
you with cool new exclusives, as well as some wicked throwback
revivals you won’t have heard in a minute.
PART 1: Click
here to download
PART 2: Click
here to download
Recommend Broadband users
only
Click
here to launch the MD
ipod Player to listen to the podcast. (Requires Flash
Player)
Or listen to the streaming version
by Clicking
here
(Requires RealPlayer)
TALES FROM THE FLIPSIDE – UNLEASHED!
Click on the book to buy
now!
… and finally! The debut book from Mark
Devlin is now on the streets.
‘Tales From The Flipside’ is good-humoured collection of stories
and anecdotes that break down what life is really like at the sharp end of
the DJing game! It neatly shatters the common public perception that all DJs
live glam superstar lifestyles. Instead of champagne, glamour girls and private
jets, it’s more Red Bull, rough old slappers and Ryanair. Subjects dealt
with include dodgy promoters, off-key bouncers, random birds, haters, b*tch-ass
DJs and the dumb things that people say to DJs in and out of the club.
.The book’s now available to purchase at £9.99
per copy (plus P&P) from www.authorhouse.co.uk or
click on the book above to buy!
For further info. on the book, including regular
updates on interviews and reviews, be sure to check out the Myspace page – www.myspace.com/talesfromflipside -
and hit us up with those friend requests.
.Meanwhile, MD will be dealing
with signed copies of the book at various clubs on the Flipside
Launch Tour. Check the Club Dates section of the site for details
of where this is touching down. Each copy purchased in the
club comes with a complimentary ‘Flipside Classics’ mix
CD, consisting of some big R&B and hip hop club tunes from
through the years. And if you buy one face-to-face you save
on the postage costs!
.No DJ has ever done anything like this before.
You need this book in your life!
JUST BUGGIN’
Mark Devlin gets
busy on the radio every Wednesday night wih ‘Just
Buggin’ on Oxford’s
FM107.9. This is where you get two hours of cool,
bugged out R&B, street soul and hip hop to make your head
nod and put a beat in your brain.
As well as a whole world of upfront exclusives, the show also deals with
some fondly-remembered throwbacks. So you might hear new sounds from the likes
of Amerie, Lloyd, Joe, Nas, Snoop Dogg and Yummy Bingham,
fused with the odd classic from Aaliyah, Mary J Blige or A
Tribe Called Quest. There’s also interviews with the artists
whose music we play, and frequent guest DJ mixes.
It all happens every Wednesday, from 10.30pm to 12.30am, GMT.
If you’re not in the area., the station streams live at www.fm1079.com.
Otherwise, the Playlists and Listen
Again Download links are posted weekly on this site, and/ or at www.myspace.com/therealmarkdevlin.
Be a part of it!
HOT JOINTS
The sounds that are working on the dancefloors and radio airwaves for me right now.
THE GAME Featuring KEYSHIA COLE: PAIN (Black Wall Street/ Geffen)
MCs always seem to be on to a winner when they come with a reminisce-style joint, harking back to the past times that have shaped them. It’s why Biggie’s ‘Juicy’ still carries so much resonance, and it’s territory that Game has trodden before. Here’s his strongest treatment of the idea yet, bona-fide single material with some heartfelt soulful wailings from Keyshia Cole, pitched effectively against his quickfire delivery of nostalgic soundbites. To my ears, the chiming beat sounds very similar to the one used on the 1980s soul dance track ‘Why Should I Cry’ by Nona Hendryx – but that could just be me. Either way, this one has instant impact, and emerges as Game’s strongest moment since ‘Hate It Or Love It.’
NINO BLESS: DA LIVEST (Milestone Music)
The blaze of hype and glory surrounding this underground New York MC in recent weeks has been reminiscent of that afforded to The Game, Papoose and Lil Wayne when they first appeared. And Kool G Rap, Joe Budden, Graph and Saigon have all publicly acclaimed his style. It’s not for the fainthearted; Nino is from the Mobb Deep/ MOP school of calling a spade a spade, and minces no words as he spits about the grimier side of street life, over a suitably evil warped beat. By all accounts a big hit with on-line pundits. The track’s taken from his upcoming ‘Untold Scriptures’ mixtape project hosted by Big Mike, Mick Boogie and J-Love.
CHERI DENNIS: DROPPING OUT OF LOVE (Bad Boy)
The effective result of a childishly simple formula. Bad Boy Records’ new first lady drops rich vocal meanderings over the lush, mellow chiming head-nodder of a beat from Biggie’s ‘Sky’s The Limit’. It’s in its straightforwardness that its appeal lies. The track feels no need to over-complicate things with tricky beat patterns, inventive vocal samples or overdubbed backings. It’s cool, laid-back Summery street soul of the type you might have expected from Mary J Blige or Faith Evans in the glory days of the mid 90s. At present, only an album track from Cheri’s ‘In & Out Of Love’ - the first single accolade goes to the equally soulful ‘Portrait Of Love’ – but it can only be a matter of time before this is served as a follow-up.
BUSTA RHYMES Featuring LINKIN PARK: LET’S SEE IF WE MADE IT (Interscope)
Busta’s always been one to spot a quick marketing trick, and this has frequently involved collaborations, calling on everyone from A Tribe Called Quest to The Pussycat Dolls – a very real case of the sublime to the ridiculous. This one comes in the same rap-meets-rock vein as Jay-Z’s ‘Encore’ collaboration with Linkin Park. Their abrasive, caucasian college-rock sound won’t be a hit with many a hardened hip-hopper, which leaves the novelty value of this as its main selling point, given that Busta’s certainly had more celebrated moments on-track. Surprisingly, this turns out to be produced by Miami hit-making duo Cool & Dre, and appears as the first single from Busta’s ‘Back On My BS’ album, for which we have to wait until December.
9TH WONDER & BUCKSHOT: READY (BRAND NU DAY) (Duck Down)
Within ten seconds of the beat kicking in you know you’re in safe hands, as a piece of hip hop that lovingly reinstates your belief that the genre isn’t dead after all, happily penetrates your pores. On paper, it sounds hard to go wrong with a combination of the producer from Little Brother lacing beats for one of the MCs from Black Moon. ‘Ready’ doesn’t disappoint, with each collaborator putting in a restrained and far-from-excessive contribution. The album, ‘The Formula’, offers more of the same goodness and essence, with collaborators including Talib Kweli, Keisha Shontelle and Carlitta Durand (on the single ‘Go All Out’.)
CEE-ROCK/ THE FURY: KILL DA KILLIN’ (Abstract Urban)
Any intelligent, well-observed put-down of the vacuous gangster talk and juvenile negativity in rap lyrics is always welcome, and the latest offering comes from NY wordsmith Cee Rock with the hookline ‘Wanna kill something you haven’t already killed? Try killing the killing.’ Hailing from Linden Boulevard, Queens, he shares hip hop heritage with such past masters as A Tribe Called Quest, Pharoahe Monch, The Beatnuts and Run DMC, and lacks none of their skills. ‘Killin’ is the first single from his ‘Bringin’ Da Yowzah’ album, which makes for a well-rounded and enlightening overall listen.
STYLAH: THE GIRL IS MINE/ FREE (So Empire)
A very neat little pairing from Londoner Stylah, with both tracks marking a collaboration with Tony D. ‘The Girl Is Mine’ is not, thankfully, a re-make of the Macca and Jacko 80s pop tune. Instead, Stylah and Tony set each other the challenge of successfully lyrics-ing a girl spotted in a bar, each brother’s flow dropped in relaxed and assured fashion over a gentle strings-led loungecore-style beat courtesy of Sivey, that wouldn’t sound out of place on a James Bond soundtrack. ‘Free’, produced by DJ Snips, offers positive lyrics over impassioned vocal wailings to cool, head-nodding effect.
KIDZ IN THE HALL FEAT. PUSHA T, BUN B & THE COOL KIDS:
DRIVIN DOWN THE BLOCK (REMIX) (Duck Down)
The Kidz certainly pulled a stealth move by following up their old school-flavoured ‘Wheels Fall Off’ with the moody, Southern-style roller ‘Drivin’ Down The Block’. Most followers expected more of the same organic-style business. Despite the radical shift in style, ‘Drivin’ still remains miles ahead of most of its contemporary counterparts, with producer DJ Double-O contributing a highly mesmeric beat, and passable lyrical input from MC Naledge. The remix, while the Masta
Ace-sampling beat remains unaltered, adds a few miscellaneous names on guest MC duty to retain interest further. Taken from the forthcoming sophomore album ‘The In Crowd.’
KELLY ROWLAND Featuring TRAVIS McCOY: DAYLIGHT (Sony BMG)
Here’s this month’s blatant popped-out moment. A singalong tune that’s as catchy as you like, and with happy Summertime radio play stamped all over it. Kelly carries it off nicely to the point that the inclusion of Travis McCoy, frontman of the preposterously awful Gym Class Heroes, is neither here nor there – although it may well endear the track to alternative types who don’t normally check for mainstream R&B. On a loosely connected note, has anyone else noticed how hot Kelly’s looking these days? The long straight hair thing is really working. And the basque at her recent 1Xtra live performance in Coventry was definitely a good look. Go on girl!
TRIGGADON: SHOWAAMAN (White)
If you were to make a list of the elements you’d like to hear in the ideal hip hop song, a huge chunk of The Weather Girls’ pink anthem ‘It’s Raining Men’ at the start, and looped throughout would, I’d be inclined to suggest, be fairly low on the list. Its inclusion can just about be forgiven on this bold offering from Bristol MC Triggadon, however, and things get a whole lot better and put into perspective when he starts rhyming in semi-grime style. “I’m the Showaaman, I rain on these beats’, hence the Weather theme. Get it? It certainly makes an impact, which is never a bad thing for a hungry, competitive new artist. Watch out for his ‘Legend’ mixtape for more of the flava.
