Here goes another one we’d anticipated from previous reports of Rozay guesting on the new set.

Produced by ’40′, and super-cold.

First of three leaks Drake’s proposed to drop in the coming hours. Doesn’t sound like it’s been mixed-down entirely but the pudding is there.

The strip club/mother topics that popped up in his past content show signs of development along with his own self-awareness on this one.

Growth also in Noah ’40′ Shebib’s atmospheric weave of seasonal affective disorder sounds and trademark filtered drums hinting ‘Take Care’ may have more layered stylings in the fold, than the lukewarm ‘Headlines’.

Narrative-driven album material > street-single material. Then again, unconfirmed weather this will make the LP out October 24th.

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Alicia Keys’ debut album Songs in A Minor, the singer and her label held a competition for fans to submit their own interpretive remixes. The challenge was to remix 1 of 3 songs that appeared on her Grammy Awarding album – ‘Fallin”. ‘Butterflyz’ and/or ‘Rock Wit U’. The winner would then be chosen by Alicia Keys and would win a bunch of prizes, including an audience with the lady herself.

‘Rock Wit U’ is one of my personal favourite songs off the album, with it’s elaborate 2-minute introduction and Alicia’s low-registered, hypnotic vocals – it’s very much reminiscent of rich sounding instrumentation of the 70′s Soul movement. So messing with it – in any way – is always quite brave but when it’s done well, like this is, the gamble pays off.

Duality, the winner of the ‘Rock Wit U’ competition, has produced an impressive and somewhat cinematic equivalent to Alicia’s original, with demanding chords, reverbed BV’s, knocking drum patterns and some electronic influences – his winning entry has really impressed me. I like that it’s captured an alternative dimension but retained the natural dark undertones of the original.

You can listen to the other remixes here.

Little Dragon drop the video for their new single ‘Brush the Heat’, taken off their new album Ritual Union – have a look-see..

It’s still difficult to fathom that Amy Winehouse is no longer with us – but as always, the lasting legacy of her music and her talent is something that will ensure she is never forgotten.

As we get ready to embrace (or not embrace) a slew of “new music” from the her back catalogue we are treated to her last great recording – a duet with the legendary Tony Bennett (one of Amy’s personal idols). The song, entitled ‘Body & Soul’ got it’s initial (sneak peak) debut at the MTV VMA Awards last month. Recorded for Bennett’s forthcoming album Tony Bennett: The Duets II, the song and official video will be released on September 14th, Amy’s birthday, with all proceeds going to the new foundation set up in her honour.

Looking healthy and beautiful and sounding impeccable – this is how we should all remember Amy…

Brand new video from everyones favourite masked producer, this one features singer Roses Gabor…

Always eager to start a new project, Robin Hannibal releases a fresh new solo EP today via good ol’ Plug Research. Having a hand in all the music production, the instrumentals,  providing all the vocals, and writing all the lyrics, Bobby fuses modern, abstract production with classic songwriting.

Appreciative of his work with Quadron and Boom Clap Bachelors, I am eager to get tucked into this one. Stream below and grab yourself a copy here

I really enjoyed Reekbok’s interview with Lauryn Hill where she discussed her seminal debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. I find it fascinating to hear artists discussing their work – outside of promotion, with the clear objectivity only years passed can bring.

And so it’s with pleasure I share with you Erykah Badu’s ‘episode’. Here she reflects on her game-changing first album Buduizm – without question one of the most important contemporary Soul albums of the past 10+ years. Along with D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar, this was the birth of “Neo-Soul” and all it’s future forms & derivatives. Listen as the self proclaimed ‘Analogue Girl in a Digital World’ delves into the why her debut sounded the way it did, what her mind state was during that time and recalls her first encounter with The Roots & D’Angelo.

September. Here we are.

The ninth month of 2011 and summer has officially finished. As the final few festivals make use of the last ounce of confidence people have in the great and unpredictable British weather, so much so they choose to sleep outside and enjoy some live music.  Bar the few left, it’s all about getting to know those cosy venues throughout the autumn season.  And I have plenty of those waiting for you over the jump.

The big hitter of this month definitely has to be Adele. And if you’re lucky enough to have a spare ticket, maybe you want to bring your favourite live reviewer with you… Just maybe.

Read more…

We first introduced you to Tyson back in March when he dropped his first single, an epic 80′s-incarnate jam called ‘Out of My Mind’ – that track is effin’ massive.

He’s back again and thankfully – with another banger. Similar to his first single, ‘After You’re Gone’ captures the essence of the rhythm & funk era of the 1980′s. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was a long lost track from some Corey Haim movie.

Might need to grow a mustache.

This song originally surfaced a while ago, but the quality wasn’t all that, so I didn’t post it up – we good now though…

Björk’s new single/app is a track called ‘Moon’ and like ‘Cosmogony’, ‘Crystalline’ & ‘Virus’ it too is taken from her (now delayed) forthcoming album Biophilla – due out October 10th.

Aside from the epic standard of ‘Crystalline’ (and it’s subsequent remix), this may be my favourite song (so far) off Björk’s new project – I really like the subtle nature of it, her voice sounds amazing too.

Here’s Goapele’s video for her new sexy single ‘Play’ taken off her upcoming album Break of Dawn, due out October 24th.

Breaking the music industry (the old fashioned way) is no easy feat, someone who knows that more than most is Charles Bradley.

Born in 1948 in Florida, raised on the streets of Brooklyn, New York – Charles grew up on hard times. His life could easily be written in to a novel or made into a film – stories of federal programs for underprivileged families, hitchhiking across America (from New York, to California, up through Canada), family tragedies – all in search of his dream. A dream he became obsessed with in 1962, when he first saw James Brown perform live at the Apollo.

It may have taken him 62 years, but Bradley finally released his first full length album this year, ironically titled No Time For Dreaming. Released and realised by Daptone Records (who ingeniously recognised his talent) the album is soaked in the deepest, most pungent Soul I’ve ever heard. Breathtaking horn sections, warm strings, soulful percussions, lead by the raw, unfiltered, weathered voice of the main man himself.

No Time For Dreaming could have only been produced by someone of Bradley’s age, era and experiences. While many artists over the past few years have consciously attempted to capture the sound of a particular period in music (some very successfully e.g Amy Winehouse, Raphael Saadiq & Adele) it’s abundantly clear that for Bradley – this is all he knows. This is not formulaic, this is not throwback, it’s not a gimmick or a concept – it’s absolute. No Time For Dreaming was built on the shoulders of giants – James Brown, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye…

And it’s for these very reasons why I believe his struggle, however hard and however long, were not in vain. Some things take time, others take a little more time – I’m just thankful Charles Bradley found his.

Download ‘The World (Is Going Up In Flames)’ for free via Charles Bradley’s website.

No Time For Dreaming is out now.

Shabazz Palaces label mates over at Sub Pop, THEESatisfaction have just hit my radar, although the Seattle duo have been bubbling among the usual bandcamp releasing material for a minute now.

But with an album on it’s way , hopefully sometime next year, the hip hop pairing put out this new track which just happens to be that flavour of head bopping, wavy hazed flow  that I want to hear from female rappers at the moment. Although I enjoy the spectacle of the Minaj’s of our day, it is satisfying aurally to hear a solid track without gimmicks and produced by the girls too.

Given the Germanic spelling of his name, I should not be surprised that Objekt kicked off the first of many (I’m sure) international Boiler Room sessions. The East London underground hideout took the essence of the Boiler Room online radio show and plunged it in the depths of a disused swimming pool in Berlin for their first show outside of the British capital.

Get into this hour long mix from the unnerved electronic enthused enigma that is currently gaining alot of favour from Radio 1′s Benji B and one of my favourite remixers from the Radiohead The King of Limbs mix ups.