Music and hip-hop

Ed Sheeran - Tue 10 Jan 2012, HMV Picture House, Edinburgh

Unlikely chart-topping teen idol performs angsty ballads

3 Feb 2012

‘I have some news’, Ed Sheeran casually mentions amidst the screaming adoration, after a nice loop-pedal driven cover of 'Wayfaring Stranger'. ‘My album’s just gone triple platinum’. (More screams). Quite impressive, really, for the unlikely teen idol…

Five reasons to go see . . . The GZA

The Genius of Wu Tang approaches the Arches

1 Feb 2012

He’s a genius The Genius, to be precise. GZA, aka The Genius, (Gary Grice to his mum) is a founding member of Wu Tang Clan, along with his cousin, producer The RZA, and gravelly-voiced rap heathen Ol’ Dirty Bastard (RIP). The Clan emerged out of New…

Young Fathers - Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Fri 02 Dec 2011

Thought-out moves allowing for improvisation and spontaneity

13 Dec 2011

It was a night full of surprises. First off, early-comers were treated to a plate of chicken and rice, homemade by Young Father’s member Alloysious Massaquoi. As Jamaican street-party videos projected onto the screen and deep dancehall pumped through…

Professor Green – HMV Picture House, Edinburgh, Tue 29 Nov 2011

Confident and professional show from favourite Hackney rapper

13 Dec 2011

The majority of the Picture House crowd is screaming teenage girls and skinny chino-clad boys, eager to see their favourite Hackney rapper, Professor Green. Booty-shaking duo Rizzle Kicks warm them up with a fun, high-energy performance, featuring their…

DJ Shadow - O2 ABC, Glasgow, Mon 5 Dec

Stunning live show continues to break new ground

9 Dec 2011

For innovation and impact, genre-mashing LA turntablist DJ Shadow, aka Josh Davis, has never bettered his entirely samples-based 1996 debut Endtroducing... But his visually stunning live shows continue to break new ground, and prove DJ sets can be just…

The chart-topping ‘Read All About It’ rapper Professor Green - interview

16 Nov 2011

First record you ever bought The ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ 7”. And what!? Last extravagant purchase you made A Balenciaga jacket. First film you saw that really moved you E.T. Last lie you told I’ve never lied.

Ever been to a silent disco with a Chinese dragon?

25 Oct 2011

Ever explored a museum at night? Ever had a cocktail surrounded by thousands of years of history? Ever been to a silent disco with a Chinese dragon? Thanks to the support of RBS and The List, the National Museum of Scotland is bringing you an exclusive…

Young Fathers, Liquid Room, Tue 13 Sep

Joyless hip hop show at odds with club setting

19 Sep 2011

Club night Zzzap! is squarely aimed at the fun-loving, party-hearty student crowd: there’s a booty-shaking combo of house and techno music, an easygoing atmosphere on both the dancefloor and the smoking terrace out back, and a name spelt with three Zs…

Example

Picture House, Edinburgh, Mon 15 Aug 2011

24 Aug 2011

As Mike Skinner’s sometime protégé it’s easy to pigeonhole London rapper Elliot Gleave as the new bearer of the crown soon to be abandoned by The Streets. Yet what he does is subtly different – where both men are outright crowd pleasers, Skinner’s…

Review - T in the Park 2011

All the rain, mud and rock action from Scotland's biggest music festival

8 Aug 2011

Saturday Ke$ha proves trashy entertainment with a set that refuses to take itself seriously. A party up glam stomp though a series of electro pop hits that while low on art is high on glitter and cheap thrills (and inexplicably includes a six-foot…

Interview - Mike Slott, Eclair Fifi and Machinedrum of LuckyMe

Glasgow DIY label set for Edinburgh Festival clubnight

8 Aug 2011

Mike Slott (producer) I met Dom [Flannigan] who runs LuckyMe in Borders Books. He was sneaking flyers into hip hop magazines. We got chatting, we liked similar music and in Glasgow if you’re into a certain kind of music, you bump into the same people…

Wu Tang Clan - Legendary Weapons

New album from RZA, Ghostface Killa et al - or disappointingly not, as the case may be

21 Jul 2011

(E1) Were this legendary NYC rap crew’s identity not fragmented enough between their myriad solo albums and side-projects, there’s now apparently no such thing as a full Wu Tang Clan album anymore either. Legendary Weapons is the first ‘official’ Wu…

Singles of the month: Blood Orange - Sutphin Boulevard

Radiohead, Seafieldroad, Bright Eyes, and more also reviewed

18 Jul 2011

It’s a good month for Scots musicians, both electronic and otherwise. Probably the best ever, in fact, for 24-year-old Aberdonian Emeli Sandé with ‘Heaven’ (EMI) ●●●●, her instantly recognisable, ‘Unfinished Sympathy’-like major label debut after…

Hugh's Jukebox is Coming to Glasgow

30 Jun 2011

In the spirit of festival season, Tennent's is tomorrow rolling out some Friday fun as Hugh's Jukebox - named after the lager legend himself Hugh Tennent - will be touring various locations in Glasgow to mark the 1 week countdown to T in the Park 2011.

Ms Dynamite, Yasmin, Niki & The Dove announced for RockNess 2011

Yet more names join this year’s bill

31 May 2011

Garage MC Ms Dynamite who recently collaborated with both Katy B and Magnetic Man (who also appear at this year’s RockNess) leads the latest additions to the line-up. Joining her is female British rapper Yasmin, Highland singer-songwriter James…

Beyoncé added to T in the Park 2011 line-up

The global pop star joins an already impressive bill at Scottish festival

5 May 2011

Pop sensation Beyoncé has been added to the T in the Park bill, which is taking place at Balado from 8–10 July. She will join a host of acts such as Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and many more. Beyoncé is now one of the best-selling artists…

Kobi Onyame - Green Green Grasses

Ghanaian-Glaswegian rapper presents rought and ready album brimming with Scottish underground guests

25 Apr 2011

(iTunes) Formerly known as Jae P, Ghanaian-Scots rapper Kwame Barfour-Osei has returned here with a debut album under his new name which demonstrates ability as a vocalist and a songwriter, and real skill as a producer. Featuring a bunch of guest…

Laidback Luke, Derrick Carter, Andrew Weatherall, Beardyman, Nero and many more join 2011’s RockNess line-up

7 Apr 2011

Tons and tons of new names have been announced for this year’s RockNess. Laidback Luke, The Japanese Popstars, The Boxer Rebellion, Morning Parade, Twilight Sad, Nero, Skrillex, Beardyman, Sub Focus (live), Sons & Daughters, Broken Records, Chapel Club…

The Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon set for UK tour

The Wu-Tang Clan member comes to Scotland with new album

3 Mar 2011

Two years ago, when Wu-Tang Clan MC Raekwon announced the sequel to his acclaimed 1995 solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx …, you could’ve been forgiven for thinking it was merely some kind of clever ploy to stir up interest in a career that had…

Jay-Z's early lyrics a 'cry for help'

Music Gossip

1 Mar 2011

Jay-Z's early lyrics were a "cry for help". The 'Dirt Off Your Shoulder' hitmaker explained how his first raps were "defiant" in their message and designed to bring attention to his poor background and violent neighbourhood, the tough Marcy Projects…

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Samples King Crimson, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver - justifying the hype

23 Nov 2010

(Mercury) In the two years since he recorded the singular 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye West has opened a couple of Fatburger franchise restaurants, designed a line of shoes for Louis Vuitton, played himself as an obnoxious drunk in a Spike Jonze short…

Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man

6 Oct 2010

(Colombia) Newsflash: dubstep is still hot right now. Hence, we presume, this album from Magnetic Man – aka Benga, Skream and Artwork – a dubstep supergroup, if you will. Evidently aimed at the upper echelons of the hit parade (why else would…

Glasgow clubnight I AM reinvents Tuesdays at Sub Club

Mystery duo launch night playing electro, disco, Italo, hip ho and dubstep

15 Sep 2010

Residents: They go by the names Beta and Kappa. ‘We do a few things in Glasgow but we’d rather go with these faceless names, we might even perform in masks,’ explains Kappa. ‘It just gives you that chance to start from scratch and you know people aren’t…

Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy

15 Sep 2010

(Parlophone) South London has just coughed up another gifted young MC in the form of Patrick Ogwugu aka 'Talk of 2010' Tinie Tempah. And Rascal needs to watch his back, Disc-Overy is a fiery first effort from the 21-year-old, packed full of…

Spotify Playlist: In Defence of Kanye West

Forget everything else, it’s all about the music

7 Sep 2010

Ever since it emerged, hip hop has sampled songs to create new songs. Be it a loop just a few seconds long or a reworked entire chorus, there’s no denying that samples are the lifeblood of the genre. The process of sampling is one that has fascinated…