We haven’t featured old Georgie boy for a while, nor have we heard any decent remixes of the first single from the rap and reggae legends – so when he got in touch with a spanking new remix, we had a big smile on our face.

This one’s moving away from the filthy dubstep that he’s well known for and into something a bit more dancefloor.

Nas & Damian Marley – As We Enter (George Lenton Remix) – download

Download audio file (Nas and Damian Marley – As We Enter (George Lenton Remix).mp3)

Night night.

When an artist has a huge following of devoted fans, it makes sense to have them directly involved in the release of their next record.

Natty has teamed up with Pledge Music, a direct-to-fan platform that gets us (the fans) directly involved in the release of a very special EP.

Speaking about the campaign, Natty said…“In the middle of recording my second album Johnny Dollar, who produced my first album, passed away. I wanted to do something in memory of him, like a gig or an event with all his music but nothing came of it. Around the same time I was thinking about releasing an acoustic demo of new songs I was writing, just for the fans. So when Pledge Music approached me to work with them it was a no-brainer; Acoustic EP for the fans to raise funds for Sarcoma sufferers. I spoke with my label, Atlantic Records and we came up with a plan for releasing the EP and an acoustic tour. Also we worked out a few extra incentives for peeps to get stuck into, hopefully we can raise a good amount of money to support the Sarcoma Research Fund at the Royal Marsden”.

It’s been two years since his debut Man Like Me was released and we couldn’t be more excited about owning brand new Natty material. If you want to own your copy of this acoustic EP as well as receive exclusive updates from the man himself, head over to the website and Pledge!

Pledgers can also get their hands on some incredible exclusive items as well -- some of which are listed below.

• Exclusive merchandise including a ‘pledgers only’ Fair Trade Natty T-Shirt, hand written lyric sheets, personal video messages  and signed CDs
• A chance to buy Natty’s first ever acoustic  guitar and other signed instruments
• A personal solo performance in a fans own home.
• A chance for fans to introduce Natty live  onstage + VIP backstage passes
• A mention in the credits for the new EP
• An opportunity for a fan to either remix one of Natty’s tracks and have it played out before a live show or to spend a day in the studio with Natty remixing one of their own tracks

We’ve pledged and if you’re a fan of Natty, so should you!

For more information and to pledge, click here.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy some of our favourite songs from his debut, Man Like I.

Natty -- Cold Town --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlFYsmivi_g

Natty -- Bedroom Eyes --

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

It’s only  a couple weeks since we featured new material from our favourite Reggae boy from North London and it looks like Natty’s eager for us to hear more of his recent stints in the studio.

The title hints at a possibly gritty tale of London however it’s light-hearted. We wanted gritty!

Still decent song and look forward to the bigger sounds from the upcoming album.

Natty – Street Lights – download

Download audio file (Natty – Street Lights.mp3)

Long time since I’ve heard anything from the Natty camp so it’s nice to see his return and some free new material packed with summer soaked dub sounds.

He’s got a new album fast approaching and a string of dates in the UK where he’ll be showcasing songs of old and new.

I do hope he sticks around for a while.

Natty -- Duppydub -- download from Natty’s website

Download audio file (Natty -- Duppydub.mp3)

Days of Fire was his collaboration with Nitin Sawhney. The songs about the terrorist attacks in London. Powerful stuff although Natty needs to a loosen up a bit on stage. Seem his freeze slightly before on Jools Holland.

Nitin Sawhney -- Days of Fire ft. Natty --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ulurhU7CI

Let’s kick off the week with a couple of high quality knockers from Skream à la Rusko and Cotti featuring Doctor.

I’ve been listening to some of Rusko and Skreams original stuff and for the most part, it’s far too heavy for my liking.

These two are much more my cup of tea.

Skream – Dutch Flowers (Rusko Remix) - download

Download audio file (Skream – Dutch Flowers (Rusko Remix).mp3)

Cotti – Rise The Temperature ft. Doctor – download

Download audio file (Cotti ft. Doctor – Rise The Temperature.mp3)

Bring on Friday.

It’s the start of the week -- a busy week for me and the same probably goes for you as well. If not, I’m jealous.

If you’ve got anyone coming round to yours for a meal or a drink this week, may I suggest you play these two gems by Thievery Corporation. These are two of my favourite tracks from the D.C. based duo who frequently have guests on their worldly wise music.

Both of these songs blend seamlessly into the background of conversation and help set the mood for any dinner or drinks party.

Thievery Corporation get their soft dub sounds spot-on for Amerimacka with guest vocalist Notch.

Thievery Corporation -- Amerimacka ft. Notch --

Warning Shots ups the tempo slightly and the hindu-inspired vocal effects throughout display how perfectly they merge completely different kinds of music.

Thievery Corporation -- Warning Shots ft. Sleepy Wonder and Gunjan --

Still haven’t seen them live yet. It’s on my list though.

Thievery Corporation -- Radio Retaliation (Live at Merriweather Pavillion) --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQdPz2MmEW4

I live just on the edge of the Notting Hill Carnival in London and most years I avoid it but this year, I ventured down.

Now as usual, I spent Carnival drinking rum and wondering around aimlessly until getting caught in a huge crowd of people and before I knew it I was 7 miles from home.

A friend of mine has captured some great moments from the carnival and it’s suddenly made me miss it a lot.

Will Morgan’s pictures from the sun-drenched bank holiday weekend in August are stunning and for anyone who hasn’t been before – these pics should serve as a nice taster for an event you have to experience at least once.

As well as the ones we’ve featured here, his Flickr page has a load more that all need checking out.

William Morgan’s Flickr

Here’s a track from the new Pama International album which suits the pictures perfectly.

Pama International – Equality And Justice For All –

Enjoy!

It’s been ages since Mark Ronson has done a remix – considering his debut last album was in essence a bunch of remixes, it’s no doubt he’s primarily focusing on his label and the production of his artists.

He’s clearly taken a liking to Miike Snow (it’s almost impossible not to) and dedicated some of his time to remix one of our favourite tracks from their debut album.

Light reggae and dub sounds with his trademark brass instruments make for one of the best Miike Snow remixes around.

It sounds like he might have had Andrew Wyatt (vocals, Miike Snow) round at his studio some of the melodies sound brand new!

Miike Snow – Animal (Mark Ronson Remix) –

Check out one of our earlier posts on Miike Snow with two incredible tracks from the album.

Where has the Sun gone? Need it Honolulu hot (and dry) next week for Bestival where there should be plenty of dubstepping to be done. And we don’t need to be doing any dubstepping while we’re up to our knees in mud and sloshing about in wellies and waterproofs. Bestival last year was like ‘Nam; if you weren’t there then you just don’t know!

Although Cotti isn’t due to make an appearance at Rob Da Bank’s Outer Space themed festival this year, several of his remixes and original songs should be turning up. Cotti has worked with some top dubstep artists in the last couple of years, including Rusko and Skream and he’s still only 12 years old (citation). His Sensi Dub reworking remains high on the dubstep- reggae Hall Of Fame.

Rise The Temperature has already been around for an age but has yet to see an official release. Rusko dropped it in his Essential Mix last December and it’s been on mixtapes and DJ playlists since then. The chorus is catchier than herpes!

It’s an up-tempo, tropical-holiday tune and dubstep all the way (…and one and two and THREE and four and…). It’s easy to imagine this tearing up the dancefloor with a four-to-the-floor beat -- get A1 Bassline on the case. No idea if it’s an original composition or a lift from elsewhere and don’t really care.

Cotti ft. Doctor -- Rise The Temperature

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA9sXM8RVyA

Special mention for the Doctor’s performance on vocals -- uplifting niceness. Again no idea who the Doctor is but he also lent lyrical largeness to Cotti’s Calm Down.

Cotti ft. Doctor -- Calm Down

Drop dubstep not bombs… or rain.

Guest written by Stev0 - YouTube Homepage

Some musicians have developed talents with new musical technologies that are unbelievable.

A film maker who goes by the name of Dowdenboy has picked up on some of these musicians in the UK and showcased some amazing street music.

Dub Fx is one of these and he’s incredible. Essentially he’s a beat-boxer/ singer who creates some insane sounds using his vocal talents and some basic recording equipment. The Australian native has incorporated Drum & Bass, Dub, Reggae and Soul using minimal tools to such a maximum effect.

Beat-boxing is something I never thought I could sit back and listen to whilst I work or play. Until now.

It’s my priority to get an In The Spotlight feature from him this summer!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhBoR_tgXCI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiInBOVHpO8

Who the fuck needs Ableton or Logic when you can use your mouth!

Dub Fx MySpace

Dub Fx Facebook

Dowden Boy Youtube Channel