Hip hop has always been a male dominated industry. It’s probably something to do with the blatant misogyny in the lyrics, or the sexually explicit imagery in the videos. Whilst big female icons such as Missy,  Nicki, and Lil Kim have paved the way for the girls to be taken more seriously,  back in the …

A few years ago whilst looking through the Glastonbury line-up, trying to decide which acts to see and which I’d have to miss, I stumbled across a little known singer-songwriter called Ed Sheeran. He was playing numerous times over the weekend on various tiny stages. I remembered the name because his song ‘The A Team’ …

Ever get fed up of your music collection?  Tire of all the usual indie guitars and house beats? Well maybe you need something completely different. Something unlike anything else you have been listening to. Keep reading. ‘Hear You’ is the new album from Japanese math-rockers Toe, released on Topshelf Records. It is predominantly an instrumental …

These anniversary editions of classic albums come round every now and then, making those of us who bought them back in the day feel really old. We’ve celebrated the releases of ‘Screamadelica’ and ‘Nevermind’. Now it’s the turn of ‘The Sound Of McAlmont and Butler’ by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, and vocalist David McAlmont. …

Who didn’t love Lana Del Rey’s breakthrough hit ‘Video Games’? It was unique, sexy and classy. It was unlike anything we had heard, and rightly gave Ms. Del Rey her place on the map, and giving her her first top ten single. Since then, reactions to this sultry singer have been somewhat mixed. Her follow …

The pressure is on for Oxford-based art rockers Foals. With such a flawless back catalogue of  albums, can their forth and latest effort stick to the same high standards of its predecessors? When their debut ‘Antidotes’ was released in 2008, it was a completely new sound to anything around at the time. It inspired a …

Dr Dre is without doubt one of the all time biggest players in the hip-hop game, both as an artist and a producer. As a solo artist he has had slayed us with huge anthems such as ‘Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,’ and ‘Still Dre.’ As a producer and label boss he has launched the careers …

You only have to listen to the early tracks from York based indie-pop band Maven Fiction to hear their great potential. Their patriotic anthem ‘This Is My England’  has a brilliantly lo-fi video of the fresh faced duo walking around London, complete with more red busses than you can shake a stick at. Add to …

Bluetones frontman Mark Morriss has been a busy boy of late. The singer and his former band mates recently announced they would be going back on the road to celebrate their twenty-year anniversary. And now Morriss has just released his brand new solo album, ‘The Taste Of Mark Morriss’ on Acid Jazz. Basically speaking it’s …

Bands that produce dance music are rarely known for their longevity. There are no long term benefits, and certainly no pension plan. Dance music trends move on so quickly that the most you can hope for is a few hit singles and maybe even a moderate selling album. Make your money while you can, then …