Having scored huge critical acclaim and won the Mercury Music Prize for his debut album Boy In Da Corner, Dizzee Rascal has pushed urban music another rung up the evolutionary ladder with his stunning new record, Showtime.
My initial reaction to catching Dizzee Rascal live in London’s Electric Ballroom in the heart of Camden was that it’d be funnily akin to hearing Cash on Nashville’s Grand Old Opry in the '50s. He’s an artist performing during his peak, in the environment that inspiried the music, surrounded by the very fans that put him where he is.
Alter Ego, Mylo and Dizzee Rascal had almost as good a year as Annie Mac - who swapped a Queens University English Lit course for a high profile slot on BBC Radio One...
Dizzee Rascal’s third album is an inspired affair, building on the basic sonic template of his acclaimed first two albums and adding new layers of audio trickery. Make no mistake about it – this is one mean sounding record.
Musically, it’s akin to taking a high-speed walk around the dodgy fringes of Notting Hill Carnival – gritty hip-hop and digital ragga get roughed up beside aggressive d’n’b basslines, psycho garage and Playstation FX.
With a roster featuring such luminaries as The White Stripes, Electric Six, Dizzee Rascal and The Avalanches, the XL label is right now occupying a position in the British music industry roughly equivalent to that of Real Madrid in the Champions League.
He’s just knocked Lady GaGa off the top of the UK charts with his banging new single ‘I’m Not Alone’. So why is CALVIN HARRIS so worried about sounding like an oldie chasing after his fading youth?
This year's Trinity Ball is looking to be bigger and better than ever, with the likes of Buck 65, The Rapture, The Charlatans, Dizzee Rascal and Soulwax all among the artists announced so far
I’ve always felt that remix albums were a bit of a scam, expecting fans who already bought the album proper to shell out again for a collection of reheats. However, when the album in question is the latest slice of funk, rock and whatever you’re having yourself from musical chameleon Beck and your remixers include the likes of Air, Ad-Rock and Dizzee Rascal, perhaps it’s time to sit up and take notice.
Champagne corks are popping in the Fionn Regan camp following the news that his The End Of History album has been shortlisted for this year’s Nationwide Mercury Prize.
Tom Baxter's second album, Skybound, has just topped the Irish album chart. But it was a record that only got made after Baxter personally financed the sessions with his other talent of figurative art painting.
Roots’ two previous albums have been credited with influencing everyone from The Streets to Dizzee Rascal, but Awfully Deep is easily his most consistently worthwhile offering yet
A special exhibition focussing on musical inspirations as been lined up for The Music Show, which takes place at the RDS in Dublin this weekend, Saturday October 4 and Sunday October 5.
"When it’s not swinging, her mood is mostly downbeat, melancholy and soulful. Her greatest asset is her smoky voice, reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald with a pop sensibility."
Shystie is a fearsome MC from, we can assume, London, and she races through her debut single like a woman possessed, giving all comers what for, while the musical backing flows with subtle invention.
Snow Patrol are among the top acts on the bill for the Children in Need show being organised by Take That's Gary Barlow at London's Royal Albert Hall on November 12.
The lineup for the Belfast festival at Queens has just been announced. Running from 22 Oct - 7 Nov, the event will cover lots of activities including film, comedy, dance, theatre and more.
So, how was it for you? On reflection, 2003 was a good year but one that offered little in the way of genuine surprises. Not that we didn’t go looking for them. As always the hunt was on to find the next big thing, the one new act that would define 2003 in years to come.
Tinchy Stryder is the fast-talking Star In The Hood who’s pretty much dominated the charts in 2009 with a nagging brand of infectious hip hop. Hot Press caught up with the Prince Of Grime to see if we can figure out his formula for Number Ones.
The Cronin Brothers have come a long way with their group The Aftermath since leaving Longford to make their fortune. With friends like the Kaiser Chiefs and fans like Chris Moyles, they’re on the brink of making it big.
A new organisation of musicians has written to Barack Obama protesting against the use of music to torture detainees. Also: a closer look at the individuals behind the recent An Bord Snip report, which recommends systematic fleecing of the poor in order to keep fat-cats in the style to which they’re accustomed.
Radiating disinterest Tinchy Stryder performs alongside an equally bored looking DJ and an only slightly more enthused MCing wing-man, all against the backdrop of a light show to rival The X Factor.
He’s made the Man U and Ireland right-back positions his own this season, and is playing what he admits is the best football of his career as a result. As the Republic gears up for a play-off crack at World Cup qualification, JOHN O’SHEA talks about life under Trapatonni, and reflects on another successful year at Old Trafford.
From Neil Hannon’s orchestral manoeuvres to Brian Kennedy’s literary debut, the Belfast Festival at Queen’s looks set to provide some of the cultural highlights of the season.
As if gracing the top 10 with the Dizzee Rascal and Chrome-assisted ‘Dance Wiv Me’ wasn’t enough – didn’t they have spelling tests in the schools they went to? – Calvin Harris plays a DJ set in Dublin’s Spy niterie on August 3.
