Dizzee Rascal @ Glastonbury 2009

Watch the full set live HERE courtesy of the BBC.

Below is semtex's footage of their mini-MJ commemoration.

DIZZEE RASCAL & SEMTEX | MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE @ GLASTONBURY 09' from DJ SEMTEX on Vimeo.

Chipmunk - 'Diamond Rings'

I heard this for the first time on Semtex's show last week, when Chipmunk was a guest. It surprised me, especially after 'Chip Diddy Chip'. He's come along way since Wiley first introduced him to the masses on Westwood about two years ago:

Asher Roth on Later with Jools Holland

A Tad Too Far?

"Jigga what, Jigga who?"

Tonight on BBC1 @ 10:35pm the 'Imagine...' series follows Jay-Z! The concept behind the program is to offer a candid insight into the lives of those who shape our outlook on the world through art. Alan Yentob spends six months with the Jigga Man, including the build up to the infamous Glastonbury gig, backstage at several of his U.S shows this year and segments in the studio this is one not to miss! But if you do, you can always catch it on the BBC iplayer for the remaining week.

“Motown had the sweet but Stax had the funk!” - Rufus Thomas

‘Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story’

When all else fails to entertain I often find myself scrolling through the realms of the BBC’s iplayer. An abundance of missed opportunities arise out of its hidden depths of viewing pleasure. Without sky+ and the complexities of a dated video recorder I miss hours of television, either through sheer ignorance or a desire to visit the pub. So on a bored Wednesday night after failing to see Heath Ledger in his much talked about role as the Joker (a long story) I dug out the BBC 4 screening of an amazing documentary on the phenomenal R&B label Stax Records.



Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and told by those behind the music, both on stage and off it, the story of Soulsville unfolds. This epic tale of Soul music provides a narrative to the South and the complex political and racial nature of a nation undergoing revolutionary change during the 1960s and 70s.

Founded in Memphis by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, the label was in stark contrast to its city. In an era in which Memphis would rather shut its only public swimming pool than adhere to new desegregation policies, Stax operated an open door policy of racial harmony. A key feature of the documentary highlights how Stax in the 1960s epitomized the new feeling of liberal racial equality.



The real delight of this documentary lies in the plethora of footage of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T & the MGs and The Staple Sisters to name but a few of the classic Stax artists. I grew up in a household of Soul and Stax was very much at the forefront of the records played within the house. This documentary is particularly pleasing in that it provides a context to the music and a visual aesthetic of which was missing from the music my Father played.

For your viewing pleasure here are a selection of classic Stax videos:

Otis Redding - ‘Shake’


Isaac Hayes - ‘Stormy Monday’


Booker T & The MGs - ‘Green Onions’


Its a fantastic documentary for any avid music fan. Particularly interesting to those in the industry also as Stax really did revolutionize the Black Entertainment Industry. Producing classic Black Cinema in the form of 'Shaft' and responsible for unleashing Richard Pryor, Stax was a revolutionary label for a revolutionary time.

The Irony Of It All

Isn't it ironic that right now on BBC 1 we have Nicholas Cage's film 'Lord of War' while on Channel 4 we have Cherie Blair's 'The Truth About Street Weapons' as apart of the 'Disarming Britain' series?

Swings and Roundabouts

In the UK we have had a long history of dance music. The cycles of music constantly change, come back, reinvent themselves and morph into hybrid mash ups of extraordinary wonderfulness. Dance music in this country is seeing a reemergence, both in "clubland" (of which it never really left, but just got a little bit stale IMO) and in the charts. Perhaps this has something to do with Ibiza, its euphoric rise again in the hearts and minds of British Ravers and the influx of cash and cool to the island in recent years. Services providing hedonistic adventures for those who were once either not "cool" enough to venture to the Island, or those who cared little for its scene have become prominent alongside the "new" VIP areas, all for a hefty price tag. Another reason may well be because 20 somethings stealing their siblings CDs can now afford and are old enough to visit the island which sparked many a story of debauchery which you were not meant to hear!

Check out BBC Radio 2's documentary series on British dance music.  Featuring a little bit of everything, but one segment I am particularly keen to check out is the slice of Northern Soul.  My Dad loves Northern Soul and I owe him a lot in terms of music education, but if I could travel back in time to one era of British culture it would be to the all night soul dances of The Twisted Wheel Club in Manchester that I've heard so much about.  

Put on your dancing shoes!  Finally the monotony of "Chip Shop Indie" as one kid at my uni poignantly summed up its wackness, may just well be over, for one summer at least!