We’re heading to see Natty and his band headline a special intimate gig in celebration of Bob Marley’s birthday.

Expect some great covers as well as new and old favourites from Natty, United Vibrations and more special guests. Tickets are only £5 and it’s guaranteed to warm the blood in these cold times.

All tickets will be on the door so get down there early.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uw133gbDuA

Natty is one of our favourite UK artists and someone we’ve formed a friendship with since starting Mahogany back in 2009.

There hasn’t been an album release since Man Like Me but his independently released EPs have in some ways been more important from an artistic standpoint. It’s given Natty freedom to write about the political, spiritual and personal aspects within himself and Change came after spending a lot of time in Africa and the acknowledgment of education and revelation can be heard throughout.

You can buy the album here and listen to a couple of the tracks we love below.

Natty – Change

Natty – SS I Love You

Natty – Change ft. Alborosie, Mic Righteous, Busy Signal and Akala

I wasn’t even born at the height of Bryan Ferry’s career so it was until his performance on Jools Holland in 2010 that I really got a taste for the gent, and I liked it!

Shameless was the song that really stood out for me and I just had a SoundCloud session looking for some tasty remixes and reworks and managed to find this triplet of treasures!

Groove Armada ft. Bryan Ferry – Shameless (Fully Bearded Dub)

Bryan Ferry – Shameless (Still Going Remix)

Bryan Ferry – Shameless (Mylo Remix)

Where the f*** did Mylo go??

Troumaca released Sanctify earlier in the week – which comes as a free download as well as a music video filmed in St Vincent town of Troumaca itself.

The culturally rich 5-piece (who you can hear more from in our Introducing post from earlier in the month) are an act that deserves a good deal of praise given their genre-blending original sound and I can’t wait to see how it pans out for them in 2012!

Troumaca – Sanctify – right click, save as to download

Download audio file (Troumaca – Sanctify.mp3)

Troumaca – Sanctify

The last time we heard from Natty was when he released the Thing’s I’ve Done EP last summer. The fan-funded release came out during the early developments of the Mahogany Sessions and through some ultra-persistent nagging, we managed to secure him as the first act on the channel.

Just over a year later and news from his HQ revealed information on a new EP, this time through Atlantic Records titled Change.

Ziggy Marley invited Natty and the band to join him on tour in the US which would be an absolutely incredible night of music so head over to his website for more info on their dates and almost as soon as he arrives back on UK soil he’ll head out on a nationwide tour.

He’ll be stopping by our headquarters first however for a very special session and we’ll keep you fully posted on that!

To wet your appetites we’ve got one of the tracks below…

Natty – JJ (Don’t Go) – click for download link

Download audio file (Natty – JJ (Dont Go).mp3)

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We grew up… loving music. And who said we grew up?

Now you can find us… in full effect, bumping on sound systems in just about every country on this planet….and perhaps other planets too.

It all started when… we got high.

If we’re not in the studio or on stage, you’ll find us… sleeping on the Burst (note: this is what the band calls their tour bus or any vehicle they are touring in], dreaming about music.

We can’t perform unless we have… the proper vibes. everything nice and easy.

You’ll recognise us by our… stage presence, the energy that we bring.

If there’s one CD allowed on the tour bus, it would be… impossible to choose! You think it’s easy getting 10 people in a bus to agree on what to listen to? That’s why they invented ipods and headphones!

Our first gig together was… confusing, since we’re more of a collective, so some of us have been playing together for 8 years or more, and some only a few years…but, for those of us who were playing on the second ever show after the release of Dub Side of the Moon in 2003 – Ive-09, Ras I Ray, Michael G, Kirsty Rock, the Chronic Horns – when we saw a sold out room singing along to the entire album, we knew we’d be on the road for a while…and here we are 8 years later!

We wish we hadn’t… waited so long to start working together.

Our favourite festival is… Glastonbury, hands down.

Buy us a drink and we’ll… drink it!

If there’s one thing we’ve learnt it’s… never take anything or anyone for granted.

If you’re new to our music, we suggest listening to “First Light” first. That song sums everything up.

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Easy Star All-Stars – Don’t Stop The Music

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hkg3b5wYiQ

Easy Star All-Stars – First Light

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkIrQDL_rcQ

For all tour dates for Easy Star, check out their website via this link.

We grew up… that is questionable.

Now you can find us in… deep.

It all started… at the dawn of time primitive humanoids assembled in improvised percussion troupes.

If we’re not in the studio or on stage, you’ll find us… in the kitchen or the laundry

We can’t perform unless we have… our Master of Ceremonies: MC Slave!

You’ll recognise us by our… outlandish costuming.

If there’s one CD allowed on the tour bus, it would be… what’s a CD?

Our first gig together was… thirteen years back. We had a guitar, a trumpet and a drum machine.

We wish we hadn’t… so many regrets.

Our favourite festival is… Lowlands!

Buy us a drink and we’ll… drink it.

If there’s one thing we’ve learnt it’s… the band that eat together, stay together.

If you’re new to our music, we suggest listening to Blackbird first.

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UK Shows

• 18th June – Brixton Academy - Tickets
• 21st June – HMV Institute - Tickets
• 10th September – Harvest At Jimmy’s - Tickets
• 11th September – Harvest At Jimmy’s - Tickets

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Fat Freddy’s Drop – Blackbird (Red Bull Studio Session)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoJ7kf_IaN0

Fat Freddy’s Drop – Boondigga

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyShbSKAhr8

After a brief stint supporting FFD, The Electric (DJ Vadim, Pugs Atomz, Sabira Jade) have added their twist to one of the standout songs from Based On A True Story.

Pugs’ bars and Sabira’s vocals over Flashback, combined with Vadim’s water-tight production does add a nice new dimension to a classic.

Check it out.

Fat Freddy’s Drop – Flashback (The Electric Remix) – right click, save as to download

Download audio file (Fat Freddys Drop – Flashback (The Electric Remix).mp3)

Christ those cupcakes look good!

Two big (free) downloads below, both completely different but fall under the ridiculously expansive genre we’ve all come to know as ‘dance’.

Penny For The DJ – Ninjas - download

The typical dubstep productions are starting to sound a pretty damn stale however Penny has done a bit of crossover with it’s dub foundations and a stonker with a wicked soundbite.

Download audio file (Penny for the DJ – Ninjas.mp3)

Tensnake – Coma Cat (SNUS Remix) – download

Coma Cat is one of our top dance tunes of 2010, SNUS’s techy house remix is a pleasure to hear.

Download audio file (Tensnake – Coma Cat (SNUS Remix).mp3)