UK artists doing it big!

this past week has been a significant one for UK music so it's only right that we give props to Estelle at #1 in the UK Charts. her track from a few years back '1980' had the potential to hold the top spot but never made it and with the lifespan of artists being shorter than ever these days it's good to see her persevere and get there in the end...well done!



on the reality show tip now, Leona Lewis became the 1st British Female artist to top the U.S. Billboard chart in some 20 years...and she didnt need any headline grabbing party binges to do it...just a small appearance on Oprah.

it's refreshing to see 'good' people with clean cut images getting their props this year...nothing personal against those that choose to intoxicate themselves but it was getting a little too acceptable with little shock value attached to people doing drugs upfront...says the guys who brought you one of the biggest rave anthems from back in the day 'Mr. Kirks Nightmare'...would you believe us if we told you we dont sniff, inject, smoke or even drink?

anyway...congratulations to them both...there, we said it!

Why FREE Is the Future of Business? ...You what???

this Wired.com article is a good insight on the benefits and models that exist within the FREE economy...we dont condone giving all you have away, but can verify it has worked for us on occasion.

a few years back we did what some saw as unthinkable and released some new album projects for free on the internet(How About A Game Of Chess? & It's Right To Be Civil).

no catch, a giveaway, not old material that was previously signed to other labels either, that doesnt count...1st time your hearing this it was a free giveaway, dj's that played it on their shows, did so as a result of receiving it the same way fans on our mailing list did...and there was a large discussion about this type of giveaway with many speculating that it was crazy, seriously hurting sales etc.

it wasnt all true, we'd do the same again, it took Radiohead to do pretty much the same thing for people to take notice on a global scale, Prince was in on it giving away an album as a covermount CD with a Sunday newspaper, however the 'music industry' didnt greet his generosity with the same enthusiasm as they did Radiohead even though it was essentially the same thing.

for the record, many hiphop producers have been doing this for years and within drum & bass although it wasnt intended to be this way, the AIM revolution has turned 'giving dj's your tracks' into 'giving away your tracks', as sales have declined but everybody has your tune playing out???

if anything, Radiohead needed zero marketing budget when they finally released the CD which probably got more PR as a result of their giveaway than if they'd gone down the traditional marketing route...but it's not for everyone this approach, you should start with good material/music as if the product isnt up to par, you cant even give it away for free.

Timeless - the Goldie story

The bling, the gold teeth, the rings...he's the Godfather of Drum n Bass. But is Goldie still credible?

His Metalheadz label brought us names like Photek and Dillinja and produced DnB's first chart entry with his own work.

1Xtra's Bailey talks to Goldie about his life and the different directions his career has taken.

He's acted as a Bond villian and an Eastenders baddie plus he's an artist in his own right.

***Warning: Some listeners may find some of the language in this documentary offensive***

Hear the documentary

a history of jungle drum and bass

interesting article on not only the history of jungle/drum and bass, but also hop-hop...

Erykah Badu - interview with dallasnews.com

Erykah Badu speaks about life and the subject matter on her recently released album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)...Part Two is expected later this year...check it out!