LISTEN AGAIN… Terri Walker joins Mr Silk on Drivetime - Friday 23rd July 3-6pm

Don’t miss Terri Walker on Drivetime with Mr. Silk on Friday July 23rd only on BANG 103.6FM

Inhale…every decade or so a talent so breathtaking emerges onto our airwaves leaving such a definitive footprint that when we become submerged in a pool of trends, those artists’ footprints allow their resurgence to calm the storm and be true music pioneers…. Terri Walker is that artist

After a tough A&R bidding war Terri found her home with Def Jam UK/Mercury, resulting in her landmark 2003 debut album entitled ‘Untitled’ winning her Four Mobo nominations and a short listing for the coveted Mercury Prize. The follow-up album ‘L.O.V.E.’ simply served to broaden and educate her fan base showcasing her chameleon artistry. “ I never have a particular concept or story in mind when I work on an album, my voice, tone and melodies are all colours. I’m constantly painting pictures- romantic, theatrical, vulnerable, or utter debauchery and they’re all a part of my gallery”

With two critically acclaimed albums, live shows that rival legends and the support and respect of some of the industries long standing connoisseurs under her belt. British singer-songwriter Terri Walker is back. Not that she really went anywhere as her 3 year hiatus as it would seem was far from a dry spell, writing and recording in the US with Grammy award winning producer Salaam Remi of Fugees “The Score”, Amy Winehouse, Nas fame (I wont go on) as well as lending her vocals to one of the most anticipated films of 2008 “Sex In The City” soundtrack boasting collaborations with Fergie (B.E.P) Al Green and songstress Jennifer Hudson.
Lending her vocals to songs with Badly Drawn Boy, Duran Duran, Lemon Jelly…as well as sneaky teasers of her own projects with Miami based producer Belle Vue a house driven collabo that will heat up the clubs ‘Muy Caliente’ and adopting an alias as “Chanelle Love” with Salaam Remi “Champagne Flutes” that is a Bossa Nova ensemble set to give you seductive chills and romantic daydreams, you know those generational love song classics that are a fixture embedded in your up-bringing from your mother dancing and cooking on a Sunday morning to a teen fantasizing about their first time… Her list of credentials read like that of a music fairytale. And with an industry that lends itself to comparisons she has a firm understanding of her position “Terri Walker is the new Terri Walker”

Terri’s musical influences are closer to home than most conventional artists who are poised to say they are inspired by the greats Stevie, Aretha…Of course she is a fan of Lauryn Hill, Whitney, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita baker, Whispers, Heatwave, Simon & Garfunkel, joni Mitchell. Naughty by Nature, Fugees, soft rock the list can go on and on…but her mother is in fact the biggest inspiration of them all with a record (yes vinyl) collection to rival Norman Jay, she makes the best A&R as the obvious bias expected is sometimes a wish for Terri but nothing outweighs her passion and love of ‘Great Music’

A reflective Terri says “Surround yourself with family and peeps that really love you and don’t pull no punches! I wish id always listened to those that really know me!”
From an unconventional upbringing in Germany to selling out a headline show at The Forum, or her defining performance at Cherry Jam where she brought the roof, walls house down literally! Her mother dancing, screaming and crying standing on a table. It’s easy to understand why Terri is a media darling and public favourite, so effortlessly infectious, warm and humble she just wants to make ‘Great’ music and it will come as no surprise that she is contemplating forming her own record label. A stable where pure thoroughbreds are born and raised to be champions, veterans and footprints in our musical history books as Miss Walker has achieved for herself…So brace yourselves as she is currently forming a Hip-Hop Soul masterpiece! And in some ways has come full circle as she recently inked a distribution deal with Hip Hop mogul Damon Dash under the newly reformed Roc-A-Fella imprint with Def Jam Records. Salaam Remi serving as the maestro with a medley of solos from producers such as James Yarde (her debut album “Untitled”) Ski Beats and Belle Vue. An album she promises you will just “rock your head from side to side” to. And now exhale…it reads like a lifetime in music, but for Terri Walker this is only the beginning…

Missed the show? why not listen again!

LISTEN AGAIN - Giggs talked to Mr Silk on Drivetime - Friday 4th June

Don’t miss an exclusive telephone interview between Giggs and Mr. Silk on today’s Drivetime 4-7pm on BANG 103.6FM

“I didn’t even think it would get that big,” Giggs frankly reveals about the anthemic freestyle that has propelled him to the forefront of the underground scene. “Really I just wrote that track for myself, I didn’t even think anyone else would like it.” On that count, it’s quite fair to say that the South London spitter was very wrong! The track which starts off, “If you’re talking the hardest…” doesn’t even have a name, but can regularly be heard seeping out of kids’ mobile phones, as well as beating out of the radio thanks to the likes of Tim Westwood, DJ Limelight and Big Ryde.

Tune into Drivetime on BANG 103.6FM with Mr Silk, Friday 4-7pm to find out more

Lynnike & Sefa chat to Trey Songz.. Listen back

So we got to catch up with man of the moment, Trey Songz on our show on Tuesday. It was kind of emotional (hearts were pounding, armpits became sticky…lol). This guy has every woman in the world screaming and dribbling at the mere mention of his name, so getting to talk with him again (we interviewed him for the 1st time a couple of years ago) was an absolute honour!

LISTEN AGAIN - Teezy on Friday’s Drivetime with Mr Silk and Bank Holiday Monday’s Best Of British Takeover

Don’t miss Teezy on Friday’s Drivetime with Mr Silk, 4-7pm and on the BEST of BRITISH Special on Bank Holiday Monday, 31st May on BANG 103.6FM

Teezy, also dubbed as the Fresh Prince of Hip Hop, was born Kye Lawrence Hughes on 5th July.

This teen dancing-sensation made tidal waves within the music industry with his smash hit début single, “Take Your Shoes Off” which reached Number 8 in the official RnB charts, released independently in March 2008.

The track was produced by one of the most sought after producers in the UK, Harmony (aka ‘H’ Money) and was arguably one of the biggest songs of 2008, being play-listed up and down the country on many regional radio stations and national TV stations including: MTV Base, Flava, Channel AKA and V:MX. Harmony, who has produced tracks for many successful chart topping artists including, Omarion, Craig David, Jamelia, Marcus Houston, FDM (Fundamental), Lloyd, Kelly Rowland and MIMS. Harmony saw the massive potential in Teezy and was very enthusiastic in collaborating with him on Take Your Shoes Off and other unreleased tracks.

Take Your Shoes Off rocketed Teezy into the hearts of thousands of adoring fans all over Britain and around the world. Remarkably, although Teezy has not released any new material since his follow up track “Tootsie Roll” in 2009, which was another successful release – he still holds the adoration of his female fans to this day.

At the tender age of 9 years old, while attending the prestigious Sylvia Young’s Drama School, Teezy was also chosen by Roc Nations very own founder and global superstar, Jay Z, out of 500 young hopefuls to star as his ‘Mini Me’ on the ‘Hard Knock Life’ tour due to his outstanding performance skills and his phenomenal stage presence. During this successful promotional tour of the UK, Teezy and Jay Z appeared together on many music television shows. Over the years Teezy has been blessed to keep this relationship intact, which has led to Teezy hanging in the out with the likes of Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland on numerous occasions while they have been in the UK.

While Take Your Shoes Off and Tootsie Roll where being promoted, Teezy received close to 3 million views on his MySpace page and therefore was placed on MySpace’s Most Viewed Profiles Chart above Chipmunk, Ironik, Tinchy Stryder and even Fundamental (FDM) but unfortunately his MySpace page was mysteriously hacked and deleted late last year. Although this was a major setback for Teezy we are confident that after the release of his “Comeback” single he will once again be at the forefront of the conversations of thousands of admiring teenage fans around the UK and reclaim the seat as the original teenage heart-throb and once again be crowned “The Fresh Prince Of Hip-Hop”.

Don’t miss an EXCLUSIVE Trey Songz interview with Lynnike & Sefa on Tuesday’s Drivetime

Catch an exclusive telephone interview between Trey Songz and Lynnike & Sefa on Tuesday’s Drivetime 4-7pm on BANG 103.6FM

Trey Songz is one of those artists that those in the know in the UK have been championing since his 2005 debut, but due to his successful career performing, acting and producing fans here have only seen him once on these shores in a sell out show with J Holiday in 2009. UK fans have had to make do following him via his popular social networking platforms, whilst constantly demanding he come back to the UK.

Since making his recording debut in 2005, Trey Songz has patiently and artfully crafted some of the most acclaimed and compelling R&B music of the decade. His first two Songbook Entertainment/Atlantic albums, I Gotta Make It (2005) and Trey Day (2007), yielded a trio of top ten singles, Girl Tonight, Last Time, and Can’t Help But Wait. And when the latter song garnered Trey a coveted Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, it marked the validation of the faith shown in Trey by the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who hailed him as one of “the most promising R&B artists we have had since we started the company 60 years ago.” Now, with the 2009 release of Ready, Trey Songz is more than ready to claim his place in the pantheon of R&B greats.

www.treysongz.com

LISTEN AGAIN - Ty Joins Lynnike & Sefa on Drivetime - Thursday 22nd April….

Ty Joins Lynnike & Sefa on Drivetime on Thursday 22nd April

As one of the most revolutionary rappers on the British hip-hop scene, Ty embodies the intellect, talent and ferocity of an MC always destined to become a legend. Over the last decade, the Mercury Prize nominee has achieved the rare feat of establishing a legacy through his three albums and wise persona, strengthened by his amazing worldwide shows and countless appearances alongside luminaries such as De La Soul, Tony Allen and Pee Wee Ellis. Musically, he’s also worked with Estelle, Scratch Perverts, Talib Kweli, Black Twang, Arrested Development, Bahamadia and Zion I, both in front and behind the mixing desk, further proof of his relentless artistry and his evolution from roguish wordsmith from South London to an internationally-acclaimed hip-hop connoisseur.

It’s this growth that has made the release of each of Ty’s albums such a distinctive event and the debut of his fourth LP, Special Kind of Fool, will be no exception. Inspired by one of the darkest periods in his life, it’s braced itself for mass appeal, challenging the “death” of hip-hop and resurrecting its existence through provocative rhymes, masterful production and a swaggering sentiment that’ll mark it as one of the greatest albums to drop in 2010. “With this record, I was trying to say I’m fed up of being patted on the back for being different or alternative,” said Ty. “So this is raw hip-hop emotion, and people will see a different side to me. I also wanted to assure people that it’s okay to tell your story through hip hop music, whatever your story.”

Born and bred in South London, Ty’s initial taste of hip-hop came in the form of Slick Rick and Doug E Fresh’s 1985 ground-breaking hit The Show, but it was Break Machine and Cookie Crew that inspired him to pursue the path of a B-Boy. On this journey he mastered breakdancing, learned sound engineering and producing and started to develop the ability to deliver rhymes with a witty ferocity that would lead him to appear on tracks for IG Culture, MC Mell’O and DJ Shortee Blitz in the mid-90s.

Ty’s formative training also included stints at Jonzi D’s Apricot Jam and DJ Pogo’s seminal hip-hop club night The Lyrical Lounge and the obligatory guest spots on remixes before 2001 beckoned, a year which would pave the way for his mighty debut album Awkward on Big Dada. The album introduced the bespectacled craftsman as one of the most innovative British rappers the world had ever seen, and he followed this seminal LP with his 2004 sophomore effort Upward, his biggest selling album to date.

He landed a Mercury Prize nomination the same year, helped by the album’s stand-out lead single Wait A Minute and the rapid growth of his kudos which would earn him a deserved spot on the international stage. His third album, Closer, saw him continue in the same vein of creating truthful hip-hop music in co-production with his regular collaborator Drew Horley, while keeping busy with a relentless touring schedule.

2010 now presents a rapper determined to remedy hip-hop from the facade of pop commercialism, equally keen to steer it towards a promising future. His fourth album is released through BBE Records and features Erik Rico, Roses Gabor, rapper Sway, Carroll Thompson, Terri Walker, Soweto Kinch and Basement Jaxx songstress Vula amongst others. Of his new album, Ty stated: “I want this album to be a time stamp of black music history that is not compromised by the current climate in the UK, and that is welcoming of all backgrounds and cultures without cutting itself into pieces to fit into a box it doesn’t belong in.”

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