Music Fashion Style

The Correspondents – A sexy twist on the 1930s

Beginning a set with a rendition of Jungle Book’s I wanna be like you can seem like a daunting task for some, but not The Correspondents.

This truly imaginative duo, comprising of DJ Chuckles and Mr Bruce, allow no time for talking, just pure 1930s big band revamped for the 21^st Century.

Whenever these gents start a gig, there seems to be an influx of men in bow ties and ladies in high-wasted flapper dresses. Their sets drain any energy out of the room; just watching Mr Bruce strut his stuff leaves the most athletic out of breath. The Wandsworth swing-hip hop outfit never fail to impress at their gigs, ending with some incredible drum ‘n’ bass style finales, topped with lyrical virtuosity.

The Correspondents Live at The Globe

Chuckles, the musical mastermind, effortlessly selects jazzy and bouncy hip hop, which allows for Mr Bruce to MC, scat, sing and work his voodoo over the crowd.

The Correspondents, when they can drag themselves away from the usual London haunts, play some pretty exciting gigs, as well as the major festivals including Glastonbury and The Edinburgh Festival.

Their debut release, The Rogue EP, is available for download from www.soundspurple.com.

The Destroyers – Are you ready, ‘cos here they go!

http://www.adrian-burrows.co.uk/?p=225

When you find yourself down on one knee in the mud at Glastonbury, among a few thousand people listening to a story about a mouse – you know you’re watching The Destroyers.

The 15-strong group of instrumentalists, vocalists and composers describe themselves as specialising in turbo-folk mélanges of gypsy, Balkan, Klesmer and beat poetry. Formed in Birmingham, a small group of gypsy-folk enthusiasts decided to play Eastern European music at a makeshift jazz venue in someone’s basement. As the band grew, so did their scope and talent.

The Destroyers have been everywhere this summer; including the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury, Shambala and Bestival. Their live show is certainly something not to be missed; they take story-telling to another level. If you keep up with these 15 turbo-folkers, you’re in better shape than you think. Their shows are manic and get even the sceptical of gypsy toe-tapping.

Following the launch of their debut single “Out of Babel” and their huge show to mark it’s release in their home town of birmingham back in July, the Destroyers are now releasing their lomg awaited debut album of the same title, available right now via their own website – http://thedestroyers.co.uk,

Catch them live in Birmingham at the Town Hall on October the 11th for a birthday celebration with The Old Dance School & The Toy Hearts.

Alternatively have a listen to their music online at their http://www.myspace.com/thedestroyersplaymusic

Mr Elephant’s news and reviews #3

“Mr Elephant shakes its trunk at Shambala”

Something magical has been happening in a heavenly forest, tucked far away near Market Harborough.

This weekend, the Mr Elephant collective donned its wellies and raincoats to experience an assortment of emerging and established talent from the Midlands and further afield.

Birmingham favourites, the Destroyers and Boogie Dave put the city firmly on the Shambala musical map. Bristol’s finest gave the crowd the what for, introducing acts such as Yes Sir Boss, Bizali and Carnival Collective. The revellers were privileged to see legendary acts such as Dub Colossus and The Egg, and were treated to a secret gig by Coldcut. Take a look at some of these sexy highlights and delights:

Kokolo opened the Shambala Stage on Friday afternoon. The New York afrobeat band meshed together funk, dancehall and polyrhythms. Bizali followed shortly after offering a Róisín Murphy wannabe attached to a Bjork sounding band from Bristol.

Moving over to the second alfresco stage, delightfully situated next to the ground’s lake and manor house, Miss Cecily played a beautiful set on the Lakeside Stage. Miss Cecily performed with a talented six-piece band encapsulating jazz and soul to Latin and klezmer.

By way of a birthday present, Coldcut played a secret AV set for the last hour of the roller disco in the Kamikaze Tent. The set offered 80’s delights and feel-good samples from classics such as Little Miss Sunshine (Super Freak) and the iconic Hiphopopotamus rap from Flight of the Concords.

Another of Birmingham’s regulars, The Apples, kicked off the evening’s entertainment delivering their signature explosive live experience. The Tel Aviv musicians spontaneously kicked ideas up and down the stage in a torrent of decks, horns, double basses, drums and electronic effects. They, of course, finished with their fantastic Rage Against the Machine cover Killing in the name of.

Saturday was brought into its prime when Zion Train followed the enigmatic Royal Gala and picked up the pace ten-fold. Described as one of the best dub acts around, these guys have been leaders in the roots reggae field for over 15 years and the energy and dynamic still remains. The crowd was worked up into a dub frenzy, with the band feeding the crowd some of their classics tunes.

The Correspondents, made up of DJ Chuckles and Mr Bruce, filled out the Kamikaze Tent on Saturday evening. The set started with their rendition of Jungle Book’s I wanna be like you. With some masterful MCing throughout, Mr Chuckles dropped the genius Ghost remix of It’s all love and finished off with some incredible drum ‘n’ bass with lyrical masterfulness.

Crazy P Soundsystem took the tempo down after The Correspondents with her soothing voice and dancefloor groves. The Bays followed at a drowsy 1 o’clock in the Kamikaze Tent, bringing the mood into a different dimension with their musical adventure of drum ‘n’ bass, techno and hypnotic beats.

Slightly deflated after all those nitrous balloons, Sunday was put into fifth-gear with some mind-blowing dancing from Tikambilanie. This collective brings together rhythms and dances from Zambia’s seven main tribes and got even the most temperamental of toddlers stamping their feet.

Sunday evening saw the Carnival Collective bring out the sunshine with their enchanting drumming. This extraordinary collective used their traditional Brazilian instruments and percussion to play reggae to break-beat, encapsulating the carnival that is Shambala.

The eagerly anticipated Dub Colossus closed the Shambala Stage shortly afterwards. The might of the lead vocalist took many somewhere more spiritual than they’d been all weekend. The set took the listener on a journey of African musical heritage, capturing some of Ethiopia’s finest performers. Shambala was truly privileged to see this performance.

This festival encapsulates what every festival should: innocence, general sillyness and tea! Happy 10^th birthday Shambala.

Check out this year’s Shambala photo album and see if you can spot Mr Elephant in action.

For more crucial rantings and ramblings about Shambala pick up a copy of this month’s Night Times.

emily_poser@hotmail.com

Birmingham’s weird and wonderful summer

Sometimes it takes a hard slap in the face (or your average out-of-body experience) to realise that you’ve been doing the same thing week-in, week-out for about four and a half years. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun? The number 50 bus to work, the same over-priced warm beer accompanied by unobtrusive house music or the majestic trips to Cannon Hill Park to feed the only duck left in the city.

Now, my friends, is the time to inaugurate Random Monday’s Club with your buddies, Sexy Thursdays with your capably sexy neighbour and Weird Weeknights with your mum – they’re all bloody good options!

Summer is about to get eccentric and there’s plenty of tomfoolery to be had in Birmingham whilst you’re learning to love the rain. Here’s a list of some juicy activities to get your teeth into:

Kings Heath Scrabble Club

Kings Heath Community Centre, 7.30pm every Tuesday

Now, to the modern dyslexic out there this may seem like a frightening thought, but this club is a sociable affair and fun can be had by all. Beginners and professionals alike are welcome. The aim is to play three games between 7.30pm and 10pm with a break for tea and Penguin biscuits.

This week saw a fight break out between Ralph and Mavis over an illegal double word score.

Stitches and Hos

The Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath, last Tuesday of every month

The widely acclaimed (and featured in the Daily Mail) Stitches and Hos monthly meet has encouraged even the most sceptical swines to have a go at all things knitted, crocheted and stitched. All are welcome – you don’t even have to know your cross from your fisherman’s rib stitch!

Birmingham British Sub Aqua Club

Stechford Cascades Leisure Centre, 8.45pm every Monday

You won’t believe it, but you can actually go diving with blue fish tuna, great white sharks and barracuda, right in the city – they’re rectangular and made of foam, but that’s fine. Birmingham, sometimes mistaken for Barbados, actually has a diving club to which anyone is welcome to join and learn to dive with friendly and qualified coaches.

8bit Lounge

The Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath, starts Tuesday 1 September

Ever laid awake in bed and thought about what it feels like to beat your older brother at Street Fighter? Yes? Well this is going to be right up your garden path. On offer is a menagerie of arcade games, arcade theme tunes, game inspired music, robotics, hacking and circuit bending, along with a collection of games consoles for you delight from the 80s and 90s.

Clive’s Easylearn Music Schools

Dickens Heath School, Solihull, starts Tuesday 15 September, weekly

Free, yes free. Sorry did you hear that? Free adult guitar lessons are starting in September. Places are limited, so get booking or forever hold your peace.

What lies beneath

Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, from 11am onward on 16 August
Find out what, and who, lives under the surface of the ‘secret pond’ at Cannon Hill Park. The event is again free, but you may have deal with some pesky kids asking how snails have sex or something, actually that would be quite interesting eh? Nets provided, wellingtons advised.

In fact, the much-loved park has community events on most weekends over the summer.

Outdoor showing of Moonwalker

New Elizabethan School, Stourbridge, 5pm onwards on 29 August
With pre-movie entertainment from the local radio station (maybe skip that bit) starting at 5pm, Moonwalker will be screened at 8pm in loving memory of Mr Michael Jackson to commemorate what would have been his 51^st birthday.

The Travelling Picture Show

West Midlands, June to September

This summer, kids (and grown-ups) will have a chance to feast on film. Inspired by the classic Saturday matinee experience, the Travelling Picture Show will be popping up in arts centres and community venues all over the region with a lorry-load of short films, animation and features from across the world.

Other nights to look out for this summer include: the swing based Sugar Foot Stomp, the excellent Coffee & Cake by The Other Woman’s Club and Mr Elephant’s very own Cinephonic/Intermix; all offering a twist of lemon and some ice in your warm lemonade. And one last thing, keep your eyes peeled for ArtsFest running from 11 to 13 September.

Do you know of any peculiar nights happening near you? Then email: emily_poyser@hotmail.com.

Written by Emily Poyser for Mr Elephant Presents

Supersonic Sound Wave by Emily Poyser

Monotonix in crowd by J D Robinson

Synonymous with bringing anything to the table, Supersonic Festival offered willing musos experimental delights from around the globe. This three-day miscellany of music brought together folk, breakcore, metal and chaotic beats – a daunting task for some, but not Supersonic.

The Capsule gang: the masterminds and curators of the festival, now into its seventh year, took over the Custard Factory in fantastic style – utilising the factory and outside spaces for not only music, but cheeky pockets of artwork and film.

It had been passed down the grapevine that 2008 was going to be hard to beat, but Capsule seem to have recreated the perplexing balance of eclectic and experimental. The weekend seemed to offer a platform for new and emerging Birmingham talent, alongside established and international acts.

People came from all corners of the UK to descend on a not-so-sunny Birmingham, almost selling out the festival on all three nights.

Friday’s highlights

Friday saw the bemusement begin in supersonic style with Drum Eyes belting out psychedelic sounds in the Factory Club. Scorn followed shortly after with stirring downtempo minimalist beats and deep baselines. The former Napalm Death drummer Mick Harris served a unique fusion on trip-hop and dub revellers.

The Custard Factory outside stage, inhabited by a 300-strong army of hardcore Sunn O)) fans, were treated to their juxtaposition of ambient sounds and black metal. Accompanied by only their guitars and what seemed like an unnecessary amount of amps, Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley couldn’t fail to make an impact.

Smoke filled the outside stage through which droning guitars, feedback and other sound effects could be heard at an incredible decibel level.

Thirty minutes into the performance, still with no discernible beat, body numbers had reduced significantly; the mob of hardcore fans persevered in classic style.

Sunn by J D Robinson

The only endurance test which could follow the might of Sunn O)) was Venetian Snares, aka Canadian mind-bender Aaron Funk.

This legend could be described Aphex Twin meets your little cousin f**king around with your old breaks records, whilst drumming a skip with chop sticks. He seems to have mastered experimental electronic blending anything from reggae to classic techno at around 4000 bpm!

Saturday’s highlights

Saturday saw an arcane line up, with Nisennenmondai welcoming the evening on the outside stage. These fine Tokyoites gave definition to Japanese punk, with the female three piece enticing the crowd into a frenzy.

Staying in East Asia, Japanese band Corrupted played their first gig in the UK and offered Space 2 (the Custard Factory’s warehouse space) a bleak and forceful sound. The band demonstrated brutal riffs-drones, as well as a drummer who maintained an unbelievable striking force on improbable slow tempos.

Bobby Previte and VJ Benton offered a fully immersive audio-visual experience straight from New York. Zu, scheduled slightly awkwardly afterwards, shifted down-gear and left the crowd somewhat indifferent.

The reminder that music festivals shouldn’t be taken so seriously came in the form of Monotonix.

Easily the hairiest men at the festival, the Tel Aviv trio closed the Saturday night on the outside stage in unparalleled style. By far the most energetic performance of the festival, these guys sported some courageous shorts and offered some old-fashioned entertainment.

The equipment, originally set up amongst the crowd, moved to all four corners of the venue throughout the performance (with kit being passed everywhere, it’s a miracle if they got it all back). As the drum kit and singer edged the crowd further away from the stage, enticing havoc at the back, VJ Blendstate and the front of house team were almost taken out.

The crowd numbers soon doubled, then tripled to a full house. The crowd sat down thanks to the singers barking instructions and one guy almost got a clout round the head – carrying the debacle on for a further ten minutes.

Banned from most venues in Tel Aviv, hopefully, they’ll be frequenting the city a little more often.

Monotonix by J D Robinson

Sunday’s highlights

A credit to Capsule’s programming, Theo (aka Sam Knight) worked his one-man magic on a rainy afternoon. To see this talent live is something of wonder with his looped layers of delicate sounds echoing on the factory walls.

Each song moved effortlessly to the next as his impressive guitaring and drumming baffled an attentive crowd. His rhythmic melodies and beats induced a trance like state as he improvised and worked off the crowd.

The Black Country’s finest industrial export, Head of David, played their first live show in 23 years as the original line-up. Sunday’s headliner, Italian legends Goblin followed with nothing out of the ordinary.

Goblin by J D Robinson

Old Supersonic favorites Caribou closed the outside stage offering building blocks of divine melodies. Programmed as a “perfect slice of bedroom psychedelia from someone for whom melody and emotion are ten times as important as collectible obscurity”, they certainly didn’t disappoint before bed time.

Time and time again, Supersonic gets described as the best organised music event in the Midlands by gig-goers, crew and artists. Everyone seems willing, friendly and this creative hub becomes a place where metallers meet the folk fairies.

And don’t forget the cake…

You can listen to this tomfoolery and genius on Rhubarb Radio and catch a look on the Flickr group.

Photos taken from Flickr group – Jwrobinson’s photostream

Review written by Emily Poyser on behalf of Mr Elephant – emily_poyser@hotmail.com

With the big day just 24 hours away, we feel the need to feature not 3 but 6 promoters/residents that you can expect to be shaking your touche too this saturday. Everything is shaping up really well, and i’ll be posting the schedule of treats we have in store in the next couple of hours.

For now however its over to 2 more guests repping their connected brummie events on the beach.

Up around 2am on the beach will be one you’ll all know -

Drop Beats Not Bombs, the online presence for the bi-yearly anti war event that donates 100% of its profits to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Campaign Against Arms Trade.

Our aim is to educate the people on these important issues whilst they have a good time. So from the start we have made it our mission to put together an event that comprises of a broad spectrum of sounds and styles.

From Drum & Bass to Techno to Indie to Hard House, we aim to leave you breathless as we relentlessly seek out the cream of up coming talent as well as established acts/artists. And we hevent even mentioned the incredible visual displays at every event. This truly is a full on assult on the senses.

http://www.dropbeatsnotbombs.co.uk/

While head honcho Boogie Dave will be representing with his other event My Bass in the mini warehouse, up and comer DJ R Caine will be representing the breaks stage on the beach. Here’s a little bit more about the stage and him

Rcaine runs the breaks stage along with Nuskoolbreaks.co.uk owner Jimmy Brayks and the next event on 08/11/2008 promises to be one of the best to date.

This time the breaks stage is under the arches of adderley street with a line up bigger than ever including Napt, Baobinga, Tom Real, The Beat Assassins, Subsource (live), Ben & Lex, Richie Balboa and Rcaine vs Doc Vin. Visuals will be supplied by VJ Air and all will be broadcast live on NSB Radio.

D-Joust

D-Joust is one of the biggest DJ competitions out there covering the whole of the UK and now Europe. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the local rising talents to make a name for themselves on the circuit and gain exposure all over the UK and Europe.

There are 3 categories in this year’s competition consisting of the London/South, Midlands/North, and Europe.

Rcaine is behind the midlands and northern side of the competition and is confident with the talent on offer up here; we will have someone go all the way and take the crown in London November 15th.

The DJ’s already through from the midlands/north are Mogs, Tom EQ, Miss B and Enigmatik.

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Before Russ you can expect to hear our very own resident dj – Marc Reck who will be representing the dj side of inspired Project X Presents.

“Project X Presents is like nothing else you ever experienced, and was started back in 2004 by 5 friends, including local musician and comedy promoter Rich Batsford, and Birmingham Based Dj and Event Promoter Marc Reck.

The one off 8 hour shows are a culmination of about a year of work for each one, and feature around 100 participants, including a range of musicians, bands, VJ’s, Dj’s, comedians, engineers, dancers, choreographers, costume designers, make up artists, performers, and set designers, all working together to create a omnimedia wonderland of sound, light and performance.

The main body of the event takes place in the main room – in which the audience is surrounded by three stages housing a seamless procession of music, spoken word, visuals, performance and dance – all carefully sequenced and woven into an 8 hour journey, with participants comprising of some of the most talented in the region, each producing work specific to the event and it’s theme.

Expect to see experimental electronica through to balkan gypsy jazz, from mesmerising piano through to big breaks and drum and bass. From energy fulled ska to impovised dance, from interactive performers to intelligent experimental visuals, Project X Presents draws on all of Birmingham’s creative talents to take you on a journey like never before.

A separate room offers a change of pace and the chance for the audience to interact with giant toy-like installations from Object – X, alongside some cutting edge djs, and weird and wonderful suprises.

Project X Presents is, as one reviewer put it – “Simply like nothing else out there” – More details can be found at our website, and feel free to get in touch if you would like get involved – www.projectxpresents.com

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Inside in the Night Times mini warehouse you can expect to see these guys :

Mybass began as the brainchild of three underground DJ’s who sought to conceptualise the element of bass for the purpose of a single night. What came to pass was the launch of a rave filled with an eclectic range of open-minded revellers intent on feeling, if not hearing, Dubstep bass weight. The legendary Loefah and Emalkay more than accommodated the basest of these ravers desires! Since this phenomenal initiation, the likes of Komonazmuk and Headhunter have graced Mybass events, demonstrating the promoters’ endeavour to cater for the whole spectrum of the Dubstep movement. The fluid nature of Mybass has led to its founding deejays throwing free parties incorporating genres such as D&B and Breakbeat, whilst remaining zealously true to the Dubstep sound. Upholding their nonchalant form, the three often unite with other promotions to host events showcasing the best in Birmingham’s underground talent, amalgamating the Mybass style. This night is the epitome of an ‘anything goes’ ethos.

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We are formerly co-promoters of the legendary night Urban Disturbance, which continues to grow in success. We now present to you a new night of heavy bass coming from musical genres across the board focussing on reggae, dubstep, old skool and drum and bass. For the time being we are exclusive to the venue set in the spotlight of live music and DJ’s, the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath, thereby offering an alternative site to come and have a great night out. Bringing a party vibe to one of the suburbs of Birmingham, never charging more than a few quid entry and having a reasonable finishing time of 2am, [sic]… allows you to escape the confines of the city centre and listen to some of Birmingham’s finest DJ’s, in an intimate environment. [sic]…acts as a brilliant warm-up to what the rest of the night may have in store for you or you can get boozed up, have a dance and leave feeling happy and satisfied. Transforming the inner space using an assortment of artwork, VJ artists and weird but wonderful moving images demonstrates that we want the evening to be a multi-sensory experience.

Our next party called ‘[sic]…in ya Hare’, takes place on Friday November 14th with DJ-X summoning sounds from the darkside, Escape mixing Jungle and Pace incorporating insatiable old school beats into the mix.

It’s wrong to mention Christmas when we’re only in September, but we should let you all know that we’re putting on a fancy festive fandangle on Boxing Day called ‘[sic]…on Santa’. So, if you need an excuse to escape the family then this is a very good one.

So, come and be [sic]…with us!

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And on the warehouse, the Night Times are also showcasing House to Drum & Bass

The Ultra+ brand is known for producing quality events with a party atmosphere that’s second to none, the music styles range from Techno, Tech House, Underground Electro & Breaks or D&B, but the main focus is House & Techno.

The music heared at Ultra+ events is always supplied by the worlds best DJs and its some of the most cutting edge and up front dance music around.

Ultra+ was created by Ben Nott and it began in the States in 1997, at the time Progressive house and trance was the sound at these events and they where usually held in warehouse type venues, these events where a huge success and a handful had over 5,000 people in attendance.

2001, Ben moved back to the UK and started the Ultra+ brand so he could book his favorite DJs but also used it as a platform to regularly promote and play the tech house and techno sound he loves. The events were scattered until 2004 when Ultra+ was finally made a monthly resident at the now legendary Custard Factory in Birmingham.

Moving forward to 2008 onwards, Ultra+ now has residency’s at the Custard factory & Rainbow Warehouse in Birmingham, the Royal in Derby and joint ventures with brands at other venues such as Excentric, Ministry of sound-london, Honey Club-Brighton, Arches-Glasgow, Sankeys-Manchester and overseas events for 2009 include  Hacienda & Ultra+ festival in Croatia, Ultra+ in Bucharest, Sofia and Ibiza.

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Drum and Bass, Jungle, Old Skool, Breaks, Dubstep……Birminghams music for the headz. A little something for everyone who likes to go just that little bit deeper.

http://www.myspace.com/blindsiderecords

Today we are featuring two legendary techno events who will be appearing in the warehouse at our Celebrate Birmingham’s Underground Event, and from the beach, a custom made event that already developed a reputation for delivering quality events in Birmingham.

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In the main warehouse (probably around 2/3am) prepare yourselves for the might of

HOUSE OF GOD

House of God was started in January 1993 by Chris Hog, Surgeon, Sir Real & Paul Damage. Named after a seminal electro 12″ by D.H.S., House of God was intended to be an antidote to the cheesy hardcore and house nights that relied on fashion or star DJ’s rather than musical content to make a good party. Over the years, this became the core philosophy behind the HOG, using residents in all of the rooms, supporting the developing UK Techno artists and not relying on star DJ’s for the sake of their names. When HOG moved to the city centre of Birmingham in the summer of ‘93, it quickly developed into a seminal night-out for ravers. No dress code, cheap entry and cheap beer created a loyal and large following at the HOG nights in the Dance Factory. These first few years helped develop the core HOG sound of Techno/House alongside Drum n Bass and Breaks rooms overseen by DJ-X which became the template for many other nights around the Midlands and the UK. Always with an innovative music policy and some huge productions, HOG has provided the Midlands with legendary parties of all sizes at venues ranging from the 2,000 capacity Que Club to Subway City and the Sanctuary. HOG has also been responsible for most of the big names in UK Techno playing their first events in the Midlands, with Dave Clarke, James Ruskin, Neil Landstrumm, Billy Nasty, Tim Wright, Andy Weatherall, British Murder Boys among them and also helped to launch the careers of artists such as Surgeon & Louis Osbourne.

15 years on, HOG is the longest running club night in the Midlands and continues to return to haunt the Midlands underground on an irregular basis.

HOUSE OF GOD 16th BIRTHDAY – 30th January 2009 @ the Rainbow Warehouse

www.myspace.com/hogbham

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And in the mini warehouse room, check out one of the cities most friendliest and most vibrant techno events

Osmosis

So in the run up to our big Celebrate Birmingham’s Underground, we’ll be featuring a couple of brummie promoters each day, so you can navigate your way on the night, or in the maze that is Birmingham city centre (dependant on whether you’ve just jumped off the train or not).

Due to the amount of biogs we’ve currently got we’ll be featuring two promoters from the the beach on saturday and one who you can see play in the warehouse. You can also find them in one of the 16, 000 copies of this week’s Night Times.

If you haven’t already please invite your friends.. It’s free for 6 hours and drinks are £1.50 before 11.30pm!!

On the beach from 5pm you can find :

Loafers Lounge

DJ’s and promoters Jon Harris and Justin Bond formed Loafers Lounge in 2006 based on their shared love of chill out music which encompases many music styles. At the time there were no dedicated chill out nights in Birmingham or rooms at other events catering for the genre considering how popular chillout rooms were in the 90’s. Between them they started nights at various bars and clubs around the city including The Bull’s Head in Moseley, Atticus in Bearwood, and The Yardbird in the city centre to name but a few.

After 12 months of promoting and performing at these events the guys started to get requests from various promotors of club events to come along and host their secondary rooms at The Rainbow and Custard factory etc… These gigs led to organising the first ever chillout zone at Drop Beats Not Bombs with friends Custom Made with musicians, artists and DJ’s from all over the world appearing. Both events were hugely popular with all who attended.

They are currently booking acts and DJ’s for the next Drop Beats Not Bombs event in November which will hopefully prove to be bigger and better than the first two so keep em peeled! www.myspace.com/loaferslounge

Friendly Fire Music / Jam Jah Sound

Friendly Fire Music is a reggae collective which includes a soundsystem, the Jam Jah Sound, a backing band, the Friendly Fire Band, a record label, Friendly Fire Music, and organizes reggae events in Birmingham.

Jam Jah Mondays

Each and  every Monday night, upstairs @ the Bull’s Head, Jam Jah collective play a strictly vinyl selection of roots, reggae, one drop, dancehall and dub on the Bull’s Head’s bass heavy soundsystem, with able vocal assistance from Friendly Fire MCs.
With free entry, and nuff drinks promos, Jam Jah Mondays is the most inclusive and longest lasting reggae night in Birmingham – the best way to kick off the week, or end the weekend in niceness.
More info: www.myspace.com/jamjahsound

Friendly Fire Sessions

Every third Friday of the month, Friendly Fire Sessions is the only regular live reggae event in Birmingham,  showcasing upcoming and established reggae and ska acts from across the UK, with support from the Jam Jah Sound and live visuals by Keyah, at South Brum’s favorite live venue, the Hare and Hounds.  Bands that have performed last year include The Beat, Makating, Pama Intl, YT, Daddy Freddy, Friendly Fire Band, Hayeeryah, amongst others..
join the mailing list, download live and studio recordings, and find out more on the website: -

www.friendlyfiremusic.com

And in the warehouse after midnight :

Trigger

Human Hologram Interference Project. Our mission is to advance conciousness through low frequency bass driven music, enabling you to connect to a higher awareness of yourself. Feel your connection towards it. 2012.

Trigger was born out of Serotonin Sounds, which was formed in 1994 to bring to inner city Birmingham the ethos of the UK’s fading free party scene, due to the introduction of the criminal justice bill which was enforced that year. Trigger offered a unique, mind bending alternative to the often uninspiring ‘club’ experience, and went on to be named Trigger Your Serotonin before becoming Trigger in the summer of ‘98, as it remains to this day.

Trigger Recordings was started in 2003 to allow a greater audience to be part of the Human Hologram Interference Project through Electro Breakbeat music, and began with ‘Holographic Bassforms’, a 14 track double CD with nine exclusive tracks on CD1, and CD2 mixed by Ksmknl with an additional five Trigger classics. The release was accompanied by four double A side 12″s featuring exclusive tracks from Tipper, Si Begg, Lawgiverz, Ksmknl and Cold Fusion Mafia.

Trigger continues to utilize the most innovative DJ’s and producers from both the UK and international Electro Breaks circuit, continually pulling large crowds at allnight events, providing a unique experience unrivalled within the scene, with their Funktion One sound system and full technical support from Funktion One, to create the ultimate environment for the Trigger experience to be heard and felt as the sound travels through you, with the likes of Tipper, Si Begg, Son Of The Electric Ghost, Jnr Hacksaw and many many more conducting their experiments in sound alongside Trigger residents Lawgiverz a.k.a. R-Kidz & Noize, Jnr Hacksaw, Ksmknl, Nobody, Iytal and Skeleton.

www.myspace.com/triggerrecordings
www.trigger.uk.net

Tune in tomorrow for another 3 of the 25 events that will be performing on saturday.