Hit&Run - War Dub Special w/ Kahn & Neek, Wayfarer & Kanjira, Chimpo, Skittles & T-Man - 15/11/13

Antwerp Mansion plays host to the latest in Hit&Run's sporadic string of autumn events, this time calling in a few faces that should be more than familiar to the regular crowd by now.

Kahn & Neek will be in war mode already, following up the former's recent clash with V.I.V.E.K at SubDub in London, and packing the freshest batch of heaters and VIPs. Two more Hit&Run regulars, Wayfarer and Kanjira - both sitting on material produced especially for the night - will share the decks in a repeat of their last back-to-back session down at FWD>>, and man-of-the-moment Chimpo, straight off the back of recent mixes for 1Xtra and Trap Magazine, will be bringing his usual unique blend of bootlegs and dubplate specials. On mic, T-Man and Skittles will be proving Manchester's MC indisputable mettle.

For more information on the night, including how to secure £5 advance tickets, head over to the Facebook event page.

Download: Kahn Vs. V.I.V.E.K - Live @ SubDub London, 08/11/13


Watch: Chimpo turning tunes for some of Manchester's finest in LVL 01.2

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LEVELZ - LVL 01.2

Part two of the three-part cypher series and taking things up a level - including the tempo - Chimpo brings a bag full of dubplate specials and classic grime instrumentals for the best MCs in the English language to ride.

And with the first run of events now complete, next week sees Levelz hosting the Manchester leg (where else?) of the Sound History Tour. Roy Davis Jr., Eliphino, Shola Ama, Sticky, Moony and Oscar Luweez each bring their own flavour to the evening, and all in the decadent surroundings of the increasingly infamous Antwerp Mansion. For more information, including how to purchase tickets in advance, head over to the Facebook event page over here.

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LEVELZ - LVL 01.1

We've been saying it long enough, and our friends at Hit & Run have always been ready to provide lineups that attest: Manchester is the UK's leading light when it comes to MCs. Anyone needing a convincer might listen to the cypher cut, 'Bun Ya', from DRS' 'I Don't Usually Like MCs But...' LP. And whilst the likes of Strategy, T-Man, Skittles, Fox and Sparkz may be familiar to some from their appearances in the 'feat.' bracket on some of the biggest beats from the past couple of years - without even having to mention 'Marka' - there's no better place to catch them than passing a mic, stood in between a DJ and a bopping crowd.

And that's exactly what we have here, the first in a three-part cypher session (with future episodes seeing Chimpo and Dub Phizix take to the decks): Jonny Dub mixing slick with a whole host of Manchester's finest trading bars.

Levelz is the start of something very exciting, believe us.

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Competition: Win tickets to see Riz MC, dBridge, Zed Bias, Biome and more at Hit&Run @ Corsica Studios, London.

After five years of legendary parties in Manchester, which have hosted many of today's biggest hitters' debut appearances in the rainy city, and a room 3 takeover at Fabric, the Youngsta- and Mala-certified Hit&Run crew are taking charge of Corsica Studios for their first solo venture in the capital. Headlining duties on the night will be taken on by three long-time friends and associates of the night, each bringing their own original styles to the dance: Riz MC - a familiar face from cult films such as Four Lions and, more recently, Ill Manors - with his fuming social commentaries; Exit Records boss, pioneering minimal drum & bass producer, and insistent boundary-pusher, dBridge; and UK garage don, cum-dubstep 'inventor', cum-Swamp 81 protege Zed Bias.

To add to this, the night will be hosting something of a showcase of Manchester talent; as a night known for a breaking rising talent, it seems fitting that Hit&Run should bring with them Skittles, Biome and Chimpo: three artists who have all been making major waves over the last year, and who all cut their performing teeth at Hit&Run. For more information on the night simply head over here, to the Facebook event page.

For the chance to win a pair of guestlist tickets to see all of this, and for a taste of that inimitable Hit&Run style, simply send your answer to the following question to hedmuk@gmail.com with the subject 'Hit&Run Competition', and your full name for the guestlist:

What is the catalogue number for Zed Bias's 'Stubborn Phase EP', released on Swamp 81 in December of last year?

The competition will close on July 5th, on which date a winner will be chosen by an independent third party and both announced on the Hedmuk Facebook Page and informed via email.

.Preacha.

Example Magazine: 2nd Birthday Party [Ex]:2

Example Magazine are celebrating their second birthday after a hugely successful year with a carefully selected lineup of some of their favourite artists. More details, including how to get tickets, can be found here.

.Preacha.

Featuring: Skittles

He's done a lot since first featuring on the classic Virus Syndicate release 'Contagious Vol. 1', but is now more directly following up from his 2007 album 'Two Pints Of Brandy And A Packet Of Skittles', Manchester rapper Skittles is preparing for the release of his second offering entitled 'Poor With £100 Trainers' (due for release on Estate Records in Autumn 2010). Riding bass-heavy beats with a casual yet incisive flow, and lacing his lyrics with a wry wit and poignant tone, Skittles has an undoubtedly unique sound. We caught up with him for a quick interview, and you can grab a free sampler of his second album below.

H: Firstly, what's your name, where do you hail from and how would you describe your sound?

S: Liam Kelly AKA Skittles, from the place of the champagne supernova. I sound like me; all my tunes sound different from each other, but I spit on most of ‘em!

H: Would you say you were from a particularly musical background, or was it something you found yourself drawn to naturally?

S: My dad’s a DJ, and I learnt to read music and play guitar a little as a kid, but I guess it’s something I've grown to understand.

H: When did you start to make music, and what were your early influences?

S: I can remember writing songs at a young age, but I started recording/producing music at around 16. I came in through the garage/grime era, and I took a lot from that, but was always more influenced by soul, Motown, reggae, Michael Jackson etcetera, and just people in general: people are jokes, man [laughs].

H: Would you say you still bear these early influences strongly, or has your musical taste, influences and the direction of your music changed as you've developed as an artist?

S: Yes and no: the more I learn about people the better I get at what I do. Music is emotional, I’m not arsed if I just invented it or not!

H: Both your wordplay and flow seem to fit very well with the Estate sound; how did you get involved with the label?

S: Why, thankyou. I’ve known [Manchester Hip-Hop collective] Broke’n’£nglish for time and this album is a lot more hip-hoppy, so it only seems right (and because they got Carhartt sponsorship and I thought I might get some free jeans).

H: Manchester has always been a city known for its music, but not so often for UK Hip-Hop in particular: what's your take on this?

S: This is true. There is no ‘scene’ out here, just nuff guys that make tunes. At home [laughs].

H: Does the city's Hip-Hop scene deserve more of a limelight, or is it justified that it is overshadowed by other genres?

S: Maybe; I know a lot of guys that deserve more light, but I know very few that work hard at music in Manchester, so I think they get what they deserve: work together and stop being stupid, innit!

H: What does the future hold for Skittles in terms of releases, live outings or collaborations with other Manchester Hip-Hop artists (such as your label bosses, for example)?

S: DRS and Strats [of Broke’n’£nglish, who run Estate] are on the album tracks ‘Dot 2 Dot’ and ‘Sick Tune’ but yeah, hopefully more. Next release after this album should be the live band stuff we've been working on: fucking sick, shouts to the band! Keep your eye out for shows.

H: Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add?

S: Ya man, thanks. What do you call a man with no shins? Tony. Grab the album: don't be a whoppa.

Download: Skittles - prE.P.

.Fukhed.