Da Ill Out Hip Hop & Funk Session is launching this Sunday at the Adam & Eve pub on Bradford Street in Digbeth, Birmingham kicking off at 8.30pm till late.

This night is headed up by Jahmai ‘Jam Fu’ Jones from Smash Bro’z representing the new generation of DJs and dancers coming through this fair city. Breaker – slash – DJs always make a good combination, think; DJ Timber, Dek 1 and Ill Boogs from Breakin’ Bread. Dancers have the true authority of what makes up the ingredients of a good dance floor so this night is well worth a look and a listen and it is FREE! For more information peep here.

Every Sunday starting on the 27th June.

FREE ENTRY

DJ’s on the night:

Sister 45 (Mama Feel Good)
Rumblefish
Jam Fu
Jordan
James

Spread the word YO!

Lead by award winning saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch and featuring a stellar rostra, The Flyover Show returns to Birmingham with dynamic and challenging performances on the 29th May. Now in its third year the unconventional inner city festival transforms the grey space beneath the Hockley Flyover into an oasis of cultural expression, celebrating generations of black British music and art. For the first time this show explores the specific theme of black female identity.

Not long now until this year’s Flyover Show, well worth a look if you are in Birmingham. Especially like this year’s theme! For more info check here. For the revolution see the video below…

She is a You Tube star recently signed to Amy Winehouse’s label. When you hear her speaking you think perhaps another grime artist…when you hear her sing you think…sh*t this girls got pipes.

One to help get you through the week…

Found this site – full of; Funk, Soul, Boogaloo, Latin, Afrobeat, Rare Groove, Reggae, Rock samples, podcasts and pictures by DJ Botany 500. Well worth a look and a listen. Peep here.

The web is going buck wylde for Erykah Badu‘s recently leaked track “Jump Up in the Air Stay There”, featuring Lil Wayne and Bilal. The Independent online says this…

The song is a web-only bonus to the singer’s boldly titled new album, ‘New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh’. If Badu can afford to throw out a song as strong as this as a mere bonus, the signs are good for the rest of the record. The singer has also made a video for the song which is playing at erykahbadu.com. It’s one to mess with your head. Billed as “a story by Erykah Badu”, it begins with archive footage – including snippets of Hitler, Jackie O, a giraffe, Bill O’Reilly and Barack Obama – followed by hand puppets. It then takes a turn for the psychedelic as the screen goes purple and a kaleidoscope emerges, using images of Badu’s head and hands pulsing in and out of each other. Shortly thereafter, four Lil Wayne heads appear in another kaleidoscope. It’s all quite dizzying, but a fine complement to a wonderfully strange song.

Check it here.

So us Mamas are back in our old stomping ground The Bulls Head in Moseley tomorrow night for Freestyle. Sam Redmore is the main man behind Freestyle which has a regular slot every Friday hosting many top local heroes and folks big in the DJ game such as Adam Regan and Bootsy plus many many more .

A musical feast of funk, soul, hip hop, house, disco, rock, latin and reggae, as well as everything in between.

We are looking forward to our slot on Friday and will be providing our discerning listeners with a whole manner of Afrocentric rhythms and soulful waxy bits. With only a nibble on the door at £3 after 10pm and a whole bunch of drinks promos we think it is well worth a frequent.

Friday 19th February 2010

Sister 45 & Bobbalin Hot (Mama Feel Good!)
Sam Redmore (Leftfoot)

Bull’s Head, Moseley
9-2am, free entry before 10pm, £3 thereafter

All the details can be found here. We look forward to seeing you then!

I used to favor sporting an over sized can in the early days of my DJ career. I believe they were Sony MDR-piecesofcrap V7ooDJ. So called ‘Professional DJ headphones’ with a swivel mechanism earcup. This ‘swivel mechanism earcup’ meant that the bit that enabled your can to stay closed around your ‘shell like’ would snap off and one would have to fashion a replacement using cable ties to keep them strapped on to your face. I am pleased to say that I am ‘over’ my penchant for over sized cans and cheap crap and now am on the look out for something far more stylish and audibly effective. So whilst on the hunt I came across this bunch of beauties… Some might be best plugged into your Sony Walkman whist the others more suitable for the DJ fraternity, to be used in a more industrial way.

These headphones (pictured above ) are called the TMA-1 Headphone, an iconic, striped to basics, headphone designed as a DJ tool and developed in collaboration with leading DJs, produced by Aiaiai. They are rumoured to be launched in early 2010 – so any time now, as soon as batman gives them back. Kibishi has the story here.

If your bag is to experiment with colour then Aiaiai Track headphones come in a lovely range of muted tones like peaches and cream with good reviews on sound quality. Peep here for more info. UK stockist here.

AIAIAI and Kilo Design have again created a headphone which gives an overall great experience for eyes and ears.

Or for the bolder amongst us or those young folks who like to coordinate their cap to their laces, to the tongues on their sneakers, to their T shirt, to the turn-up of their jeans… peep these from Urbanears – available in a plethora of colours peep here for the wow. And here for the buy.

The Urbanears Plattan headphones are all about style, which unfortunately doesn’t leave much room for great sound in this case. Beware of mushy bass, nasally mids, and an absence of clarity.

And finally these were released at the end of 09 and are already pretty slippery to get hold of…

adidas Originals expands its diverse product portfolio by launching premium DJ headphones in collaboration with Sennheiser. Renowned as THE staple equipment for recording and DJ-ing, Sennheiser’s HD 25-1-II has been at the forefront of monitoring headphones for more than 20 years.

The adidas Originals touch is evident in the iconic 3-Stripes and Trefoil logo as well as the ever recognizable blue adidas color scheme, while the Sennheiser build quality ensures perfect sound fidelity, from crystal clear highs through to crisp basses.

The adidas Originals HD 25-1-II headphones by Sennheiser will be available in select adidas Originals Stores across Western Europe from the beginning of December 2009 and online at shop.adidas.com from December 1st.

Quoted from highsnobiety.

Marlena Shaw started performing at the age of 10 but was discovered by Chess Records in 1966. She released her first two albums on their subsidiary Cadet Records. She moved to Blue Note Records in 1972, and was that label’s first female artist. She also recorded one of the Disco Era’s biggest hits – a remake of “Touch Me in the Morning” on Columbia Records. Marlena Shaw’s version of “California Soul” is arguably the best version of the record which was written by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson and made famous as the soundtrack to the advert for processed reconstituted, reshaped chicken served in a bucket.

Other  artists who have versions of “California Soul” are The Messengers, Marvin and Tammi, Brenda the Tabulations, The Gimmicks, Gerald Wilson, Fifth Dimension, Nick Ashford and The Undisputed Truth to name but a few.

Friday 19^th March

Leftfoot Presents

Marlena Shaw (Live)

DJ’s Sister 45 & Griffy

Hare & Hounds, 106 High St, Kings Heath Birmingham B14 7JZ

Another legendary artist stops off at the Hare & Hounds for an unforgettable evening of real soul, funk & jazz music.  Marlena Shaw has recorded music for labels like Blue Note, Cadet, Verve, Columbia & Concord Jazz.   With classic tracks such as “California Soul” & “Woman Of The Ghetto” being sampled by DJ Shadow, St Germain and Gang Starr, her influence on modern music is undeniable. DJ support comes from two of Birmingham’s most soulful ladies; Sister 45 & Griffy.

NB: Due to the small capacity of the room, there will be two shows (details below).

Please be aware which show you are buying tickets for (early bird tickets only available for Show 1) Both shows will have the same playlist and length.

Show 1: Doors open @ 8pm (Live show starts @ 8.30pm)

Show 2: Doors open @ 10.30pm (Live show starts @ 11pm)

£15 Advance / M.O.T.D

(Very limited £12 early bird tickets available for Show 1)

Advance tickets available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk /

0844 870 0000

Info: 0121 444 2081 / info@hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk