LISTEN AGAIN - Ne-yo on DRIVE TIME WITH MR SILK Tuesday 10.08.2010

Latest tracks by Bang103.6FM

He’s a Grammy award winning singer, a songwriter, composer, and producer, one of music’s most talented and prolific artists and a man who needs only one name: Ne-Yo.  In less than five years, he’s produced three No.1 albums, sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and collaborated with everyone from Michael Jackson to Tim McGraw.  After taking a few years off to work on several films, Ne-Yo’s now back with his fourth project, Libra Scale, a stellar effort that’s sure to race up the charts and catapult the R&B superstar to even greater heights.

Libra Scale is a monumental concept album that tells the story of the rise of R&B’s first superhero squad, The Gentleman, a trio of garbage men who are granted all that they’ve ever wanted–special powers, money, fame, women– after encountering a mysterious figure.  The only catch?  The men must use their powers to fight crime in their city and must never ever fall in love.  Not a problem until Jerome (Ne-Yo) meets Pretti Sinclair, a vivacious, no-nonsense beauty.  He quickly captures her heart.  But all goes awry when after a night of passion, Pretti Sinclair contracts a strain of Jerome’s superpowers and suffers an adverse reaction that effectively drives her crazy.

Soon Pretti Sinclair morphs into ‘Diamond Eye,’ a stunning, but diabolical monster intent on destroying Jerome and the city he has sworn to protect.  Plagued with guilt, Jerome nurses his broken heart at the local bar, while Diamond Eye terrorizes the city.  At this point the mysterious figure who initially gave him his superpowers reappears with an ultimatum: let Diamond Eye/Pretti Sinclair both die and the city is saved or allow Pretti Sinclair to live and reverse all the damage Diamond Eye has done, but Jerome must die.  Will he choose “the love of his life” or his own “love of life?”  This dilemma fuels Libra Scale.

“Every one of my albums has had a point, some kind of message,” Ne-Yo explains.  “The underlying question on this album is money, power and fame vs. love.  Weigh it out on the Libra scale.  Which will you choose?  It’s really a question of morality.  I want people to question how they live their lives.  I’m showing them the pros and cons of both sides.”

It took Ne-Yo three months to write Libra Scale’s intricate back story, which draws heavily from the world of comic books and science fiction.  “I’m a huge comic book nerd,” he says proudly.  “I have been since I was kid Spider Man, Japanimation.  I love all of that.  I also felt that with the emergence and success of movies like Iron Man and Wolverine the climate was right to take this type of chance with this project.”

Once the story was complete, the songs poured out easily.  In less than four months he wrote and recorded 60 songs, 12 of which ultimately made the album.

For party records like “Chamapagne Life,” a bubbly-drenched ode to living lavishly, the singer spent a month doing “research” in Miami’s hottest spots.  “One night we went to the club with DJ Khaled and bought about 50 bottles of champagne,” he recalls.  “We were ordering 10 bottles every 10 minutes.  In Miami the bottles have sparklers on them, so everybody is looking at us like, ‘who are these guys?’”  It’s one thing to hand a girl a glass of champagne.  It’s another thing to hand a girl her own bottle.”  He laughs loudly.  “Oh, the difficulty of my life.”

Inspired by Michael Jackson’s cinematic videos of the 80s and early 90s, Ne-Yo initially dreamed of creating a 45-minute mini movie to be packaged with Libra Scale.  Costs, however, proved prohibitive and he’s now decided to release a series of extended music videos, which will each run from 7-10 minutes.  It’s ambitious, he acknowledges, but well worth the creative and financial investment.

“You want to know the one thing that really inspired this whole idea?  Boredom,” Ne-Yo declares.  “I was looking at the music industry and I was absolutely bored by the R&B genre.  Everyone is doing the same thing.  It’s all about simple beats, going to a party and being the flyest guy there or having sex with every woman you meet. That’s why Lady Gaga came out and blew the world up because she brought back the entertainment factor.  She gives you something to look at other than a person standing on stage singing a song with a bunch of dancers.  Her videos are movies.  Her concerts are like plays.  What she’s doing for the pop world is what I’m hoping to do for the R&B world and music in general.”

Elaborate concepts and visuals aside, at its core Libra Scale is vintage Ne-Yo: sophisticated songwriting, beautiful melodies and a voice that’s as supple as it is powerful.

“I was listening to a lot of old school Stevie Wonder when I recorded this album,” he says.  “Albums like Talking Book, Inner Visions, Music on My Mind.  I was also listening to a lot of Michael.  The Victory album, Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous.  Michael didn’t just make songs or videos.  He made moments and that’s what I’m always striving to do.”

For the lead single, “Beautiful Monster,” he re-teams with StarGate, the Norwegian production duo that, over the years, has helped him create classics like So Sick and Miss Independent.   “Those guys are like my brothers from another mother,” he says of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen. “They’ve mastered the art of complex simplicity.  They figure out what melodies pull at the heartstring, what sounds make a person want to continue listening.”  On the sumptuous guitar-led ballad, “She Is,” Neyo collaborated with country music veteran Luke Laird.

“ I’m a huge country music fan,” he says.  “It’s one of the last musical genres where story telling is still sacred.”

As one of the industry’s most sought after songwriters, Ne-Yo has gladly shared his prodigious talents with his fellow artists, penning number one hits for Beyonce (“Irreplaceable”), Rihanna (“Take A Bow”) and Mario (“Let Me Love You”), as well as chart toppers for Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Kanye West, Lionel Richie and many more.  All three of Ne-Yo’s previous albums–2006’s “In My Own Words,” 2007’s “Because of You,” 2008’s “Year of the Gentleman”—have gone platinum and produced a slew of top 10 hits, including “Sexy Love,” “Because of You,” “Mad” and “Closer.” Hollywood has also embraced him, both in front of and behind the camera.  He’s written music for films like The Princess and the Frog, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire and I Can Do Bad All by Myself.   Meanwhile, he’s appeared on screen in handful of films, including Stomp the Yard and Save the Last Dance 2.  Two more films starring the singer— George Lucas’ Red Tails and Columbia Pictures Battle: Los Angeles—are in the pipeline.  Music, however, will always be his first love, he says.

When asked how he’s evolved as an artist, Ne-Yo’s answer is simple:  “I’m not afraid anymore,” he says.  “When you’re first starting out you try so hard to get in the business and when you finally do get in, you don’t want to do anything to piss anybody off.  You’re afraid you might get kicked out.”

“With this album I really want to drive home the fact that I’m an artist thru and thru.  This is 100 percent an expression of myself, with no apologies made and no playing it safe.”

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!

Kele Le Roc joins Mr Silk on Drivetime - Wednesday 3-6pm

Don’t miss Kele Le Roc on Drivetime with Mr. Sillk on Wednesday from 3pm on BANG 103.6FM

After releasing the promo single “Let Me Know” in 1995, Kele was touring with the likes of Mona Lisa, Horace Brown and Total. She would go on to record her debut album “Everybodys Somebody” in L.A. collaborating with the likes of Coolio and the late Roger Troutman. The Debut single “Little Bit Of Lovin” was released in 1998, a huge success reaching no 8 in the UK chart. Following on from that, the sophomore single “My Love” would go on to be Kele’s signature hit, again hitting no 8 on the UK chart, making Kele Le Roc a household name and a force to be reckoned with. She won 2 mobo awards for her successful releases and would go on to become one of the most recognisable voices in UK Soul/R&B/House and Garage. Never scared of crossing genres and expectations. My Love (Garage Remix) would go on to dominate the UK club scene, making Kele a featured artist on countless house & garage compilations as well as touring Ayia Napa and several other party islands over the years.
Kele has gone on to collaborate with the likes of Basement Jaxx , Courtney Pine, T-Power, Shy FX, Omar, Damage, Lee Henry, Estelle, Shola Ama and Lemar to name a few.

Kele has never stopped doing her thang and is back to reclaim her throne in British Urban and Dance music. (Awaiting updated biog)

Rising Tide has been delivering music skills and event management training and industry development initiatives in Hackney since 1999. Providing specialist training, mentoring and live performance opportunities for hundreds of aspiring young musicians, songwriters and producers from the Borough,
the Hackney-based charity has built a solid reputation supporting the development of some of the hottest new urban music stars from singer/songwriter Kersha Bailey to the country’s hottest producer Labyrinth (Tinie Tempa, ‘Pass Out’).

Working alongside high profile artists, producers, choreographers, other industry professionals and the hottest young talent in Hackney, Rising Tide is proud to present its programme for Young London: Into Music* in 2010

‘RISING STARS’ MENTORING PROGRAMME April – July 2010

Twenty aspiring young musicians, performers and producers from Hackney will work one-to-one with Industry professionals and Rising Tide Mentors over a 3 month period to hone their professional skills and prepare for a live show, performing alongside high profile artists at Indig02 on 17th July 2010

SPOTLIGHT LDN @ Indig02 on July 17th

A ticketed live music event at London’s premier venue, featuring performances by the ‘Rising Stars’ alongside some of the UK’s hottest talent including; Nate James, Cherri V, Kele le Roc, Princess Nyah, Mz Bratt, Scorcher, All About She, Nfa, Kirstenana, and Crazy Cousinz.

*Young London: Into Music is a key strand of CREATE – the cultural partnership of the London Boroughs of Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The five Boroughs are working together with leading venues, arts organisations and festivals to develop CREATE into a major international annual festival leading up to and following 2012.

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

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”.

The Idris Elba Documentary - This Thursday on BANG 103.6FM

Don’t miss Mr. Silk’s interview with Idris Elba on Thursday 18th February on BANG 103.6FM

He was featured as one of the “Ten Hottest Men on the Planet” in the April 2004 issue of Essence magazine and again in the November 2005 issue.
Idris was chosen as one of People Magazine’s annual 100 Most Beautiful People in the World, in May 2007 and appeared on the August 2009 cover of Essence magazine.

After a stint in the National Youth Music Theatre, Elba worked the night shift at a Ford factory in Dagenham, London in 1989 and ‘90. Elba started acting in secondary school (Trinity Comprehensive, Barking Road, Canning Town) with encouragement from his drama teacher.

In 2008, Elba starred in the horror film Prom Night and Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla. In January 2009, Elba starred in horror film The Unborn. He also starred in Obsessed, alongside Beyonce Knowles and Ali Larter, as an asset manager who has a beautiful wife (Knowles) and thriving career until a temp office worker (Larter) begins stalking him. Obsessed was a box office success after it took in $28 million in its opening weekend.Obsessed was released on DVD on August 4, 2009.

Elba will star in Dark Castle’s adaptation of DC/Vertigo’s The Losers. He will be under the direction of Sylvain White in the role of Roque, the second-in-command of a black-ops team out for revenge against a government that did them wrong.

Filming will take place in Puerto Rico and the movie is scheduled for release in April 2010.Elba will be seen in the 2010 thriller Takers also starring Hayden Christensen, T.I., and Paul Walker. Elba is currently filming the 2010 film Legacy. He posted a picture of himself from the set on his Twitter page.

In the film, Elba portrays a black ops soldier Malcolm who returns to Brooklyn, after a failed mission in Eastern Europe, where he undergoes a journey looking for retribution.

Idris Elba has joined the cast of Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Thor film, in which he will play Heimdall.

We talk about his music and his plans for the future.. Its definitely one you don’t wanna miss make sure lock in..

High Class Problems Volume 1 is available to download on iTunes from 8th February, released on Hevlar Recordings.

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