PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: LIFE AT 140 #6

The first installment of Life at 140 in 2013 features January's round-up in the world of grime including tracks from JME & Wiley, Spooky and MIK as well as a look ahead to Butterz' 3rd birthday celebrations next month.

Read up over at Clash here: http://www.clashmusic.com/features/life-at-140-6

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: ARTIFACT - THE WAY IT DO / WE TRAPPED

Having garnered support on Uncle Albert over the last few months, namely for his excellent release on Local Action, Bristol's Artifact's first offering of 2013 is predictably bold and bright. Earmarked for great things for some time now, his magic lies in his ability to blend smooth house rhythms with big, upfront techno beats, all of which are more often than not underpinned by garage-led dance floor swagger. A recent guest mix for Swindle on Rinse FM also highlighted Artifact's new-found reach within the ever-blurring electronic landscape.

Double A side 'The Way It Do' / 'We Trapped', complete with a remix of the former by Manchester's Damu, is as heavyweight as they come. The Way It Do deals with a world of abstract sound that meets coarse, shuddering bass lines head on, whilst a series of punchy vocal drops provide that all important momentum for the floor. On the flip. We Trapped is another well-curated number, this time utilising sci-fi, space age sounds to create maximum impact whilst Damu's remix of The Way It Do does away with the vocal in favour of bubbly, reworked bass lines and some outer-wordly synths. A great taster of what to expect from one of 2013's hotly-tipped producers.

'The Way We Do / 'We Trapped' is to be released on February 4th on London-Berlin based label somethinksounds. 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: SR x UA MIX 015 - RUDE KID

The 15th mix in the Sonic Router x Uncle Albert series and first of 2013 comes from one of grime's cornerstone producers, Rude Kid. After signing with Sony / Relentless last year, 2013 looks set to be a defining year as he looks to make the transition from underground to mainstream, a journey he insists won't sacrifice the sounds that he has become so revered for. With this in mind, I managed to catch up with him on the pressures of working with a major label, his favourite MCs and the infamous 'Are You Ready?' sound bite.

Listen / download the mix and read more over at Sonic Router here: http://www.sonicrouter.com/2013/01/rude-kid-sonic-router-x-uncle-albert-mix/

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: TRENDS - WHIPLASH EP

Having only recently provided an explosive mix for the Sonic Router x Uncle Albert series, news of Trends' forthcoming release on Mixclique Records, an imprint headed by fellow producer Neon Beats, was always going to garner some interest. Based in Oxford, Trends, a producer very much in the Spooky / Waifer mould, made waves in 2012 with his hard-hitting, 8-bar style and new EP 'Whiplash', seems to have set 2013 a pace on similar footing.

Although still to strike a chord with some of grime's more established tastemakers, something about Trends makes him hard to ignore. There is certainly an element of nostalgia to his beats too but rather than just revisit old ground, his influence seems to transcend it, a fact made all the more apparent on Whiplash, a 4-tracker of serious grimy credentials. 

First track 'Selecta', complete with Soul Plane sampling, is archetypal 8-bar paradise, whilst title-track Whiplash is somehow even more raucous in its delivery, working a flurry of gritty bass stabs with Spooky-esque ferocity. 'Fuzz Buzz' is a little less unrelenting, although in my opinion this is no bad thing as it packs a whole lot of dancefloor swagger, whilst last track 'Mirrors' carries on where Whiplash left off, embracing the raw, stripped-back sounds of grime circa 2004. Agreeably not for everyone but for fans of grime's formative era, this is an EP of real integrity.

Whiplash is to be released on February 8th as a digital bundle and will be available from all good online stores.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: NU BRAND FLEXXX - AIR MAX

I was granted the opportunity to choose my first track of the day for 2013 over at Clash Music today and opted for Nu Brand Flexxx's 'Air Max', a track taken from their recently released 'The Trip' EP. Renowned over the years for their iconic, care-free take on grime, Air Max joins the dots between the crew's nostalgic formative years and their more current, trill-inspired sound. The video is pretty good too!

Read up and watch over at Clash here: http://www.clashmusic.com/news/track-of-the-day-71-nu-brand-flexxx

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: LIFE AT 140 #5

In my latest 'Life At 140' piece, I round-up the festive period's happenings in the world of grime. December's top 5 tracks include efforts fromWiley, Walter Ego and Ruff Sqwad. 

Read more over at Clash Music: http://www.clashmusic.com/features/life-at-140-5

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: UNCLE ALBERT IN 2013

As Uncle Albert enters it's third year of online existence, it seems only right to wish everyone a happy new year and look ahead to what 2013 should bring!

The Sonic Router x Uncle Albert Mix series is now 15 mixes deep and will continue to cast the spotlight onto some of the most exciting new and established grime-centric talent over the next 12 months. 

You can listen back / read up on all 15 here: http://www.sonicrouter.com/category/sr-x-ua-mixes/

The 'Life at 140'  monthly round-up column for Clash Music will also remain a firm fixture on Uncle Albert in 2013, alongside regular articles, features and interviews - interviewing Wiley and D Double E last year practically made my life at 24 years old.

With regards to my record label Coyote Records, we are currently prepping the third release, this time a vinyl-only exclusive from Girls Music protege Walter Ego. The two-track 'Wavey' EP is expected to be out in late February. You can preview the artwork from Sheffield's super-talented Elliot Holbrow below. 

Thank you for continuing to take your time to read Uncle Albert and all the best for a happy and prosperous 2013.

If you want to send tracks / promo material or require any other info then please get at me on tomasfraser88@gmail.com

Anything regarding Coyote Records: coyoterecordsuk@gmail.com