Ross Allen's Meltdown: Jay Strongman, Greenmoney and All Hallows Eve

Well I'm back... I'm going to keep it brief this week as I only got off the plane yesterday morning and there is a lot to do. Don't worry I will be filling you in on my exploits and musical ruminations on Malawi and the South eastern part of Africa next week, in the show and in the missive. So all those of you that can't be bothered with my long winded witterings are saved for a week. Needless to say that it was the best Lake of Stars festival that i have been to and I have to take my hat off to all the organisers and volunteers that put it together it was ace and was bigger and better organised than ever. No mean feet when you are over 5000 miles from home in a pretty remote part of Africa. Still, as I said, more of that next week. There were some great live acts and DJ's too.

Still back to the now and the show we broadcast whilst I was away was a real treat for me to record. Prompted by the imminent release of DJ History's - Catch The Beat book, a compilation of the great late 80's/early 90's fanzine Soul Underground. Frank B rang me and asked if I would be interested in interviewing one of the contributors Jay Strongman (pictured). I don't think he realised the significance of this man in my musical life - the answer was yes and this show is the result. I loved every minute of it.

The Meltdown 18th October 2010: Stream / Download

Stream: Lazer Sword's debut album

Our friends at FACT magazine are currently treating us to an upfront stream of San Francisco's much-fancied next-level electro-styled hip-hop producers Lazer Sword.

Having been bubbling under the surface for a while now, with their modern take on hip-hop, electro and synth-funk winning them support from the UK’s LuckyMe and Numbers crews, Lazor Sword's self-titled debut album - released next week - should see them shift their career into third gear, combining rap, 8-bit, Jimmy Edgar, Justice and more into a space station production line, lit in neon.

Besti-mix 40: Raffertie

Wow, how time flies. It seemed like only yesterday we embarked on a mission to showcase the great and the good of Bestival by giving you lot an exclusive Besti-mix right here every week. And now we’re up to mix number 40... and we’re celebrating middle age in the only way we know how, by throwing a massive party... with dubstep and UK bass wonder Raffertie at the controls. Packed with exclusives from the Planet Mu producer as well as upfront remixes and low-end bangers from the cream of the UK’s underground – including Roska & Untold, SBTRKT, T Williams and Pariah – this is the natural successor to Ramadanman’s storming Besti-mix from earlier in the year.

As Raffertie himself says, Besti-mix 40 contains “some brand new originals and remixes, as well as tracks from other artists that I have been playing for a while, some that I have only just found and brand new material that will be coming on my record label Super Recordings in the coming months.” Enjoy!

Download: Besti-mix 40 Raffertie

Bestimix 40: Raffertie by Bestimix on Mixcloud

Tracklisting:
1.  Raffertie – Painted Faces (unsigned)
2.  Greymatter – Only To Fall (Wolf Music Recordings)
3.  Funkineven – A Heart Pound (Eglo)
4.  Randomer & Adverse – Alize (Home Park Remix) (Super)
5.  SBTRKT – Hide or Seek (Young Turks)
6.  Breech – Fatherless (Ramp Recordings)
7.  Untold – Anaconda (Guarachero Refix) (Hemlock)
8.  Roska & Untold – Long Range (Numbers)
9.  Lo:Tek – You Don’t Know My Name (Super)
10. Raffertie & Poppy – Untitled (unsigned)
11. T. Williams – In The Deep (Deep Teknologi)
12. Warrior One – Lord Of Bashy (Foamo Remix) (Mixpak Records)
13. Raffertie – Bread & Honey (Don’t Cry Recordings)
14. K.L.A.M. – Funky 4 (Hot City Remix) (Fool’s Gold Records)
15. Raffertie – Rank Functions (Super)
16. Taylor – CMB (Raffertie Remix) (Super)
17. Raffertie – The Fey Grace (unsigned)
18. Raffertie – Plait (unsigned)
19. Raffertie – His Counting House (Super)
20. Bang On! – Hands High (Raffertie Remix) (Big Dada)
21. Randomer & Adverse – Alize (Super)
22. Pariah – The Slump (R&S)
23. Rudi Zygadlo – Filthy Logic (Raffertie Remix) (Planet Mu)
24. Raffertie – Visual Acuity (unsigned)

Camp Bestival 2010 on Super-8

With a wintery chill in the air it can be hard to remember the wondrous sunshiny days we spent together this summer, however we've got just the cure ready and waiting to warm the cockles of your heart. Our friends at Tactful Cactus have lovingly edited together all the beautiful footage they shot on Super 8 (and 16mm) film earlier this summer at Camp Bestival.

Check out this fantastic short film and please share the video on your Facebook, Twitter, email to friends and family, tap the shoulder of the person next to you at work, offer them a cuppa and let them see the joyous short film soundtracked by David E. Sugar's 'Cambridge Sums'... taken from the album 'Memory Store' on our Sunday Best Recordings record label (& available on iTunes now!)

While you're there, today is the last day to vote in the shortlist round of the UK Festival Awards so we'd be extremely happy if you'd show us your support and head on over to uk.festivalawards.com now to cast your vote for:

Camp Bestival:
The Family Festival Award
Best Medium Sized Festival
Best Headline Performance - Madness at Camp Bestival

Bestival:
Best Major Festival
Best Dance Event
Best Headline Performance - The Prodigy at Bestival
Virtual Festivals Critics' Choice - Chase & Status at Bestival

Please vote at: uk.festivalawards.com

Thank you!

Radio da Bank: Toddla T hosts the show

Toddla T sits in for Rob da Bank with Radio 1's leftfield show - from techno and bleeps to ambient and acoustic...a two hour eclectic mix of music from the UK and beyond. Toddla brings you the Saturday Skank, 6 O'Clock Snooze and his take on What's on Rob's Rod - Toddla's Tiddler!

Checkout the tracklisting below and get yourselves over to bbc.co.uk/radio1/robdabank to listen again online at any time this week...

Rusko — Feel The Music - Mad Decent
Skepta ft Preeya Kalidas — Cross My Heart (DJ Fresh No Dubstep Mix)
MJ Cole & Wiley — From The Drop (Mele 'Pulse Flex' Blend)
T.E.E.D — How Far - Greco-Roman
Mumdance ft Trimm — What Imma Say
Lone — Pineapple Crush (Manchester Warehouse VIP Mix) - Cheap Thrills
Scissor Sisters — Any Which Way (Tensnake RMX) - Polydor
Untitled
Storm Queen — Look Right Through - Environ
Shake Aletti — Work - Moda Music
Kleeer — Tonight - Atlantic

SATURDAY SKANK
Mr Lexx — Dem A Pree
Wildlife — Galang So ft. Major Mackerel

Chilly Gonzales — Knight Moves - Gentle Threat
The xx — VCR (Four tet RMX) - Young Turks

6 O'CLOCK SNOOZE
James Blake — Limit To Your Love - R&S

Shy FX — Raver (MJ Cole RMX) - Digital Soundboy
Heavyfeet ft Misko — Are You Dumb (Dre Skull RMX)
SBTRKT ft Jesse Ware — Nervous - Numbers
Magnetic Man ft Jon Legend — Getting Nowhere - Columbia
The Hi-Fives — Its What You Do
Gyptian — Hold You (Toddla T RMX ft D Double E)
Giggs — Hustle On (Shy Fx & Benny Page RMX) - XL
Tinie Tempah — Illusion - EMI

ROB'S ROD BUSINESS TAKEN CARE OF THIS WEEK WITH TODDLA'S TIDDLA
Plump DJs — System Addict
Puretone — Addicted To Bass
Robert Palmer — Addicted To Love
Alan Braxe — Addicted
Konshens — Addicted To The Music
The Count & Sinden — Addicted To You feat. Bashy

Le Corps Mince de Françoise — Ghandi - Heavenly Recordings

TODDLA T'S BEST AND IMPROBABLY GREATEST RECORD IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW... POSSIBLY...WELL AT LEAST FOR THIS MORNING... MAYBE
The 2 Bears — Church - Southern Fried

Duck Sauce — Barbra Streisand - 3 Beat Blue
Chase & Status — Hypest Hype
Jamie Woon — Night Air - Polydor

R.I.P Gregory Isaacs

Camp Bestival 2010 Photography by Jamie Baker

youtube.com/watch?v=to3jUWPVVao

Our good friend and photographer extraordinaire Jamie Baker took some incredible photos at both our festivals this year. Check out this video slide show of his photos from Camp Bestival 2010 set to a soundtrack of 'Flea Market', David E. Sugar's forthcoming single from his 'Memory Store' album on our Sunday Best record label.

You can also view all these photos on our Camp Bestival Facebook page

Besti-mix 39: Robortom

Besti-mix 39 is compiled by Tom Middleton and Rob da Bank’s new collaborative project Robortom, whose reworking of composer Tom Hodge’s update of Paganini’s classical favourite ‘Caprice #24’, called ‘Paganini Rocks’, enlists the vocal talents of Au Revoir Simone and fuses dance and classical music to stunning effect. And Tom Middleton's Liquatech remix of this track provides a suitably delirious peak-time finale to this dancefloor bruising, peak-hour, club-smashing selection that includes tracks by Josh Wink, Dirt Crew, DJ Sneak and more.

Set to infuriate Middle England, send Classic FM’s phone lines into meltdown and have thousands of clubbers punching the air in celebration, ‘Paganini Rocks’ - the soundtrack to the 2010 Orange RockCorps show - will be released on our very own Sunday Best label on 6 December (although look out for it on iTunes from 31st October).  But which one of the Robortom duo is behind Besti-mix 39? Rob da Bank, or Tom Middleton? We’ll leave it for you to guess... answers on a postcard to the comments section, below!

Download: Besti-mix 39 Robortom

Bestimix 39: Robortom by Bestimix on Mixcloud

Tracklisting:
1. Tom Middleton - Gliding (Liquatech Mix) - Urban Torque
2. Jaidene Veda, Osaze - Sunday (Jimpster Mix) - House Is The Cure
3. Kruse & Nuernberg - The Brush (Tom Middleton Liquatech Mix) - Dark Energy
4. Dirt Crew - Deep Cover (Roberto Rodriguez Remix) - Mood Music Records
5. DJ Meri feat. Eva - Warmer Days (Cylon Liquatech Instrumental) - Unknown
6. Bas Amro - Thrill - CDR
7. Lovebirds - Transverb - Knee Deep
8. Josh Wink - Minimum 23 (D'Julz Remix) - Ovum
9. Hiro - Ruby Likes Bells Too - Tronic Sole
10. Tim Green - Revox (Justin Martin Remix) - Dirty Bird
11. DJ Sneak - Love (Mendo 2010 Remix) - DJ Sneak Classics
12. Robortom feat. Au Revoir Simone - Paganini Rocks (Tom Middleton Liquatech Mix) - Sunday Best

Abracada on tour

Showcasing some of the finest new talent France has spawned since Daft Punk and pals, our friends at Abracada hit the road this month on their Magical Ecstasy Tour!

A traveling party brigade featuring their roster of artists, including Pilooski, Brodinski, Yuksek, Villa and more, this tour couldn't be any more cool and celebratory in a Parisian-style if it rode into town on a bicycle sporting a beret and wearing onions around its neck.

If you're not yet familiar with the new wave of French house and electro stars, check this short promo clip out... we'll see the rest of you 'pon the floor at one of the dates below...

Abracada tour dates

Oct 21st : NYC (Hiro Ballroom)
Oct 23rd : Amsterdam (Flex Bar)
Nov 4th : Paris (Social Club)
Nov 5th : London (XOYO)
Nov 10th : Bruxels (Libertine Support)
Nov 20th : Glasgow (The Arches)

Radio da Bank: Squarepusher pops in for a chat + What's on Rob's Rod?

This week Rob da Bank's special guest is Squarepusher aka Shobaleader One who pops into the studio for a chat. And Rob's got another catch of the day on his rod as he continues with his potentially award-winning new feature, 'What's on Rob's Rod?'. Plus, he brings you loads of excellent, brand new music including 'Rob's Best And Improbably Greatest Record In The World Right Now... Possibly... Well At Least For This Morning... Maybe...' and this week it's Gandhi by Le Corps Mince De Francoise.

Checkout the tracklisting below and get yourselves over to bbc.co.uk/radio1/robdabank to listen again online at any time this week...

2 Bears — Church - Southern Fried
Uffie — Difficult (SebastiAn Remix) - Ed Banger
Chilly Gonzales — I Am Europe - Boysnoize
Raffertie — Rank Functions - Super Recordings
Jonquil — Fighting Smiles - Dovecote Records
Johnny Flynn featuring Laura Marling — The Water - Transgressive
Vato Gonzalez — Badman Riddim (Friction Remix) - Ministry Of Sound
Hot Chip, Bernard Sumner & Hot City — I Didn’t Know What Love Was
Gold Panda — Marriage - Notown
Bassnectar — Fun With Synthesizers - Distiller

CHAT WITH SQUAREPUSHER AKA SHOBALEADER ONE
Squarepusher presents Shobaleader One — Into The Blue - Warp

David Axelrod — The School Boy - EMI
Scott Walker — Boy Child - Fontana
Squarepusher presents Shobaleader One — Endless Night - Warp
Primal Scream — Come Together - Creation
Art vs. Science — Parlez Vous Francais (Decibel Mix) - San City High
Teed — The Waulking Song - Greco-Roman
Dutch Uncles — Fragrant - Memphis Industries
James Blake — Limit To Your Love - R&S

WHAT’S ON ROB’S ROD?
The Prodigy — Out Of Space - XL
Lemon Jelly — Spacewalk - XL
Fake Blood — Mars - Cheap Thrills
Babylon Zoo — Spaceman - EMI
Spiritualized — Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - Dedicated
Daft Punk — Aerodynamic - Virgin

Maverick Sabre — Inside featuring Footsie - Mercury

ROB’S BEST AND IMPROBABLY GREATEST RECORD IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW… POSSIBLY… WELL AT LEAST FOR THIS MORNING… MAYBE
Le Corps Mince de Françoise — Ghandi - Heavenly

Cherry Ghost — Finally - Heavenly
Duck Sauce — Barbara Streisand (Sigma Remix) - 3Beat
Mirrors — Hide N Seek - Skint
Wolf Gang — Lions In Cages - Atlantic

Bestival TV specials!

With the winter chill setting in there really isn't a better time to kick back on your comfy sofa and get cosy in front of the telly, and for once there's actually something worth watching - a series of Bestival TV specials!

Following on from our takeover of the airwaves a few weeks back we're back on Channel 4 with a series of 15-minute shows that get you up close and personal with some of the biggest names on the Bestival bill, with backstage insights and performance footage from our Year of the Fantastic.

The first special starts late tonight (at 12.30am), hosted by Rob da Bank, and starring long-term Bestival faves Hot Chip.

On next week's show this year's Saturday night headliners, The Flaming Lips, will be offering an in-depth glimpse into their kaleidoscopic world. Dizzee Rascal's high-octane outing will be put under microscope on Monday 1st November and finally on Friday 5th November one of 2010s biggest success stories, Ellie Goulding, will be laying bare her art for all.

So make sure you join us once a week on Channel 4 f or the next month to relive some of the highlights of one of the best Bestivals ever!

Bestival TV specials (all Channel 4)
Tuesday 19th October 12.30am (Monday night) - Hot Chip
Tuesday 26th October 12.30am (Monday night) - Flaming Lips
Monday 1st November 11.45pm (Monday night) - Dizzee Rascal
Friday 5th November 12.30am (Thursday night) - Ellie Goulding

Sunday Best Podcast: Autumn Leaves

Sunday Best #53 – Autumn Leaves by Sunday Best Podcast

Julian and Andy from Sunday Best play new music from the latest Sunday Best signings Sound of Rum and David E. Sugar and give the world exclusive first play of Beardyman’s first recorded material for the label!

David E. Sugar joins the guys for a chat in the studio about his debut LP ‘Memory Store’ and dan le sac and gets on the phone too for a quick chat from sunny Reading. Bumper edition!

You can subscribe to this podcast and make your world a richer place for evermore via iTunes, Mixcloud/SundayBestPodcast or Feedburner. Do it!

Ewan Pearson's Bollywood set at Bestival in 4D

Ok fair enough, calling this 4D might have been a little ambitious of us... but what we do have here is revered DJ/Producer Ewan Pearson's set in Bollywood at Bestival this year captured simultaneously on 4 cameras by the people from b@ TV. And that's still pretty impressive right?!

Click here to check it out in all its 4 dimensional angled glory.

There are also Bestival sets by Rob da Bank, Professor Green and Tom Middleton to immerse yourself in, with more to follow soon ... all here.

In da Merrimaking hood y'all!

You may have seen Ellie Goulding sporting this fine animal hood at Bestival this year and stood transfixed by its wonder. Or maybe you missed it, gallivanting about elsewhere on the site having the times of your lives with your mates.... but are now staring at your screen transfixed by its wonder. And you're thinking... not only does that look really cool, but it might also keep me ears warm as winter approaches, where can i get one?!

Well that would be telling...







... oh ok, you can get them from Meg and Harri, at merrimaking.co.uk. They hand make each one to your specifications and send them off to you for as little as £20... a furry hooded bargain!  And they have also created their own takes on the worlds of Capes and Sweatshirts.

So why are we telling you this?  Well the girls first came up with the idea at a festival and really they are ideal festival wear... bright, colouful, silly, warm. They also use re-claimed fabrics as much as possible and they seem like very nice people. So why not shout about them ey? x

Besti-mix 38: Solar Bears

We’re super excited to present our 38th Besti-mix, lovingly compiled by one of our favourite new acts, Solar Bears - makers of dream-like psych, kraut and ambient soundscapes that evoke the sounds of synth legends like Giorgio Moroder, John Carpenter and Klaus Schulze.

Irish duo John Kowalski and Rian Trench’s recent album for Planet Mu, She Was Coloured In, is a woozy masterpiece we recommend you check out pronto, mixing hazy post-rock, laconic disco and lush melodic grooves. And you can get more than a flavour of their personal tastes by downloading this exclusive mix, which expertly joins the old and new, taking in classics from Radiohead, LFO and Pink Floyd alongside new electronica from Gold Panda and the ‘Bears themselves...

Download: Besti-mix 38 Solar Bears

Bestimix 38: Solar Bears by Bestimix on Mixcloud

Tracklisting:
01 LFO - Blown
02 Fur - Friends
03 Radiohead - Morning Bell
04 Twin Sister - Ribbon Bow
05 Gold Panda - You
06 Root Manuva - Witness The Fitness
07 Harmonia - Notre Dame
08 Young Montana - Hot Heathrr
09 Massive Attack - Exchange
10 The Incredible String Band - Painting Box
11 The Velvet Underground - Venus In Fur
12 The Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday
13 Solar Bears - Bear Mountain
14 Pink Floyd - The Great Gig In The Sky

Ross Allen's Meltdown: Kanye, Zinja & Africa!

My last missive before I go off on a well deserved bus mans holiday to Malawi where I will be DJing at the Lake Of Stars festival and not doing much else. I am off tonight so will be out of your hair for a few weeks so I want to leave you with something special and, I hate to say it but, the show below is a very good one. There is so much good music around right now, or at least around me!

The opening track on this week's show (see tracklisting below!) has been doing my head in all weekend and I was itching to get it to you. Not that it is super upfront, it is in the shops/online right now, taken from an excellent compilation that several of you had tipped me to before - i don't think anyone had played me this track though. The compilation is another corker from Honest Jon's and features new electronic dance music from South Africa, with a traditional feel in rhythm and instrumentation - Marimbas etc, it is full of great tracks but the Zinja tune is just amazing. It has the feel of an early house tune - rough and raw, super fast but supremely soulful. I have played it so many times over the last week and posted it on Facebook and everybody seemed to love it. It's amazing when you are listening to so much stuff that something can come along and blow you away but that is why I am in it I suppose. It sounded great at the club too...

The Meltdown 11th October 2010: Stream / Download

Tracklisting:
Zinja Hlugwani - Nawagagazani My Love - Honest Jons CD (from the album Shaagan Electro)
WAR0017 - Surfin' - WAR 12"
Rye Rye feat MIA - Sunshine - NEET CDR
Stush - Me Nuh Run From Dem - CDR
General Levy - Breeze - Necessary Mayhem 7"
Top Cat - Sess Weh Yuh Waan - Necessary Mayhem 7"
King Kong - Riddle Me This - Firehouse 7"
Don Jahson with Well Pleased & Satisfied - Zion Train - K.I.M. 12"
Paradise - Paradise A Go Go - Big City 12"
Child Rebel Soldier - Don't Stop - GOOD Fridays download
Kanye West - Christian Dior Denim Flow - GOOD Fridays download
Plugs Atomz feat Psalm One & MC Adad - Now Baby - BBE download
Charles Sheffield - It's Your Voodoo Working - Excello 7"
Ann Cole - Got My Mojo Working - Baton 7"
Evelyn Freeman - Waterboy - United Artists 7"
Afrocubism - Djelimady Rumba - World Circuit CD (from the album Afrocubism)

Part 2
Sylvester - I Need Somebody To Love - Fantasy LP (from the album Mighty Real)
Anthony & The Camp - I Like It (Dub Mix) - Jelly Bean Records 12"
2 Bears - Church - Southern Fried 12"
The Lawn Chair Generals - Music - download
Gegenheimer - 21.4(The IPS Player) - Rush Hour download
LV feat Okmalumkoolkat - Boomslang - Hyperdub CDR
Kid Adrift - A4 In Ecstasy (DJ Distance Remix) - Island CDR
Danny Breaks - Jelly Fizzle - CDR
Break feat Die - Slow Down - CDR
Bladerunner - Back To The Jungle - Critical 12"
The Ambassadors - Ain't Got The Love (Of One Girl On My Mind) - BBE download

Hear new Various Production tracks!

Following a lengthy break - rudely but brilliantly interrupted by their recent remix for M.I.A - London duo Various (formally Various Productions) - who made one of our various dance albums of the last decade - are back, with a new EP, which made its debut on their new website this week.

Featuring three new tracks from the pair, as usual with Various the EP features collaborative artwork by London’s David “Bonesy” Bray, though it's a radical and enticing new direction compared to the band's previous illustrative style.

Two of the new tracks - ‘Lost’ and ‘Gain’ - can be streamed below. Each month, the group promise to update the site with new music, artwork and video. A white label release is also forthcoming. We can't wait to hear more...

Loss by Various

Gain by Various

Radio da Bank: A-Z of Phoenix + a Campfire Special

Phoenix take Rob da Bank through the 26 songs that made them the group they are today, plus they chat about growing up in Versailles in France, discuss why it took us so long in the UK to take them to our hearts and talk about what it's like to play a gig while the stage is on fire!

Listen again online here and check their A to Z tracklisting below...

Ariel Pink - Credit
Alain Souchon - Bidon
Chris Bell - I Am the Cosmos
Cristophe - La Dolce Vita
Elliott Smith - Angeles
MGMT - Flash Delirium
Alain Bashung - Gaby Oh Gaby
Spectrum - How You Satisfy Me
Bob Dylan - I can't Leave her Behind
Dinosaur Junior - Feel the Pain
Philip Glass - Resource from Koyaanisqatsi
Tangerine Dream - Love on a Real Train
Serge Gainsbourg - Marilou sous La Neige
Brian Eno - Needle In the Camel's Eye
D'Angelo - One Mo' Gin
Kanye West - Paranoid
Daft Punk - Veridis Quo
The Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
Lou Reed - Street Hassle
Elli et Jacno - Tic Tac Tic  
Velvet Underground - Rock n Roll
My Bloody Valentine - No More Sorry
Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World
Generation X - Kiss Me Deadly
Beach Boys - Meant For You
David Bowie - Modern Love

Plus Rob revisits his Campfire Special show from Maida Vale studios which features an acoustic performance from Mystery Jets, plus Rob is joined by Laura J Martin, Lucy Farrell and Jonny Kearney.

Checkout the tracklisting below and get yourselves over to bbc.co.uk/radio1/robdabank to listen again online at any time this week...

Woody Guthrie — Car Song (Riding In My Car) - Disc Records
Melodica Melody and Me — Piece Me Back Together - Everybody’s Stalking
Stornoway — Watching Birds - 4AD
Kurt Wagner And Courtney Tidwell presents Kort — Incredibly Lonely - City Slang

Lucy Farrell and Jonny Kearney Live Session
Lucy Farrell and Jonny Kearney — Stand Up Show (session track) - click to watch video
Lucy Farrell and Jonny Kearney — Hares On A Mountain (session track)
Lucy Farrell and Jonny Kearney — Lullaby (session track)

Bob Dylan — Moonshiner
Kid Canaveral — You Only Went Out To Get Drunk Last Night
Otouto — Astronauts - Two Bright Lakes
MGMT — It’s Working (Air Remix) - Columbia

Laura J Martin Live Session
Laura Martin — Spy (session track)
Laura Martin — Tom (session track) - click to watch video
Laura Martin — Duckie Duckie (session track)

Serge Gainsbourg — Bonnie and Clyde - Fontana, Philips, Mercury

Rob's Best and Improbably Great Record In The World Right Now
Chromeo — Don’t Turn The Lights On - Floor Bangers

Mr Sun — Sharon Lois And Bram
How to Dress Well — Ready For The World (Twins Mix) - Lefse
John Martyn — Solid Air - Island

Mystery Jets Live Session
Mystery Jets — Dreaming of Another World (Session Track) - click to watch video
Mystery Jets — It’s Too Late To Talk (Session Track)
Mystery Jets — Flakes (Session Track)

Fairport Convention — Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Island

Maida Vale Live Session
Frank McConnell — Kum Ba Yah (performed by Laura J Martin, Mystery Jets and Jonny Kearney and Lucy Farrell) - Classic Fox Records

Laura Marling — Darkness Descends - Virgin

We've made the UK festi awards shortlist but need you to vote once more please!

The first round of voting for this year's UK Festival Awards is over and we're stoked that both Camp Bestival and Bestival have been shortlisted for a combined total of seven awards, so thanks!

Now it's crunch time, so we would hugely appreciate your continued support by voting for us again!

Bestival is up for

Best Major Festival

Best Dance Event

Best Headline Performance - The Prodigy at Bestival

Virtual Festivals Critics' Choice - Chase & Status at Bestival



Camp Bestival is up for

Family Festival Award

Best Medium Sized Festival

Best Headline Performance - Madness at Camp Bestival



Please Vote Now: uk.festivalawards.com

Ross Allen's Meltdown: Ninjas, 2 Bears and 1 Dave Lee

Hi there...I hope all is good with you in our wet and wonderful world. Another week and another show, and another guest. Its always a pleasure for me to hang out with Dave Lee aka Joey Negro aka Akabu and he joined us for hour 2 of the show this week. One of those guys that know so much but don't get too hung up on the details, unless asked/pushed...most definitely a musical expert and not a swot more like the class joker!

Have a listen he has some classic lines and some great tunes, the new Akabu LP is a good one and it was a good excuse to get him in and have chat about every thing from pre-acid house house, juggling a recording career, running a label and DJ ing all over the planet - which seems to be the modern default position for most DJ/producers - I think he just does it a whole lot better than most people and has been doing it since 1988.

There are some great tunes played both brand new and old, well one, from NY DJ hero from back in the day Johnny Dynell, of which Dave had a special Larry Levan dub mix with dub being the appropriate word...

The Meltdown 14th October 2010 Ministry of Sound
Stream / Download (Tracklisting, and more, after the jump!)

What The xx did next...

Following their quietly triumphant show at Bestival 2010, The xx announced they wouldn't been hurrying to follow up their Mercury Prize-scooping debut album, which is why the news that one of the trio - producer (and drummer) Jamie xx - would soon be coming out with a solo 12" was greeted with the kind of excited glee normally reserved for under 5's when the "surprise guests" at their birthday party are revealed to be the cast from In The Night Garden.

Now you can hear what one of The xx did next. The band are outspoken fans of the UK's new wave of post-dubstep producers like James Blake (see below) and Mount Kimbie, so perhaps it's not that surprising that Jamie's single, 'Far Nearer' (forthcoming on Scotland's Numbers label), takes that jittery electronic base as its template, adding a welcome splash of joyous melody courtesy of steel pans...

Vote for us please!

Today's the last day to cast your votes for Bestival and Camp Bestival in the first round of the prestigious UK Festival Awards so please head over to uk.festivalawards.com now to show your support. With a mighty six nominations each, we'd be well chuffed if you could show us some love by casting your votes in our direction today so we'll be in with a chance of winning a coveted Festival Award when the shortlists are announced tomorrow. Thanks!

Besti-band 10: James Blake

Dance music wunderkind and post-dubstep hero James Blake makes music that defies easy categorisation. One of 2010's break out underground stars, the London-bred singer and producer, who has also sung with the live incarnation of Mount Kimbie, has only released a handful of 12" thus far - ‘Air and Lack Thereof’ for dubstep golden boy Untold’s Hemlock label, the quite frankly massive CMYK EP for R&S and the forthcoming Klavierwerke, which sees Blake get more minimal than ever before; some sections are just crackle and popping, filtered drums, Blake’s unmistakable voice reaching some of its most resigned depths to date. But really, it's all so good that's all you need to know...

"His mongrelised, pitch-bent production style finds kinship with dubstep’s Joker and Untold, but his secret weapon is his voice," reckons FACT magazine. "Blake sings with a sweet, honey-soaked coo that betrays his traditional background in music: one that knew the Family Stone long before it’d heard of FWD>>."

James Blake - Klavierwerke (128) by factmag

Watch Chris Cunningham's brilliant new video, his first in 4 years!

Legendary video director Chris Cunningham (Aphex Twin 'Windowlicker' and 'Come To Daddy' plus classics for Bjork, Madonna, Leftfield and others) showcased his dazzling audio visual show at New York's MoMA last week and now, for the first time, you can watch his first new music vid in four years in the form of his "audio visual remix" for the equally legendary Bestival headliner Gil Scott-Heron, whose track 'New York is Killing Me' provides the backdrop to this mesmerising homage to the Big Apple.

David E. Sugar & Fenech-Soler hit the road!

Listen up people... David E. Sugar is a new addition to our Sunday Best record label that we are all ridiculously excited about. Not only is his forthcoming album ‘Memory Store’ breathtaking from start to finish (check recent single ‘Party Killer’ for starters), but catch his live show and, bingo!, we reckon you’ve just found your new favourite band.

And as luck would have it, David and his band are just about to the hit the road in support of the very hotly tipped Fenech-Soler.

So check the dates below, buy yourselves some tickets... and everyone have fun yeah?!

1st Oct – Oxjam at The Coronet Theatre w/Faithless – London - INFO
2nd Oct – Barhouse – Chelmsford - INFO
7th Oct – Standby at Counter Culture – London - INFO
8th Oct – Fibbers – York w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS
10th Oct – Shipping Forecast – Liverpool w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS
12th Oct – Birmingham HMV Institute - w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS
13th Oct – Nottongham Stealth – w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS
14th Oct – Sub 91 – Leicester w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS
15th Oct – Kasbah – Coventry w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS
17th Oct – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS
10th Nov – Heaven – London w/Fenech-Soler - TICKETS