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@miccheckmediauk
You. Are. Not. Ready... We knew we’d need special artists to kick off the new Studio Sessions series the right way but Kay Rico and B Blades went into full savage mode with this one. Add in Pezmo on the decks supplying the beats and you’re dealing with the perfect recipe for all kinds of lyrical mayhem. The boys didn’t disappoint. Feast your ears...
#Back2Bars is finally here!!!
That’s right people, we’ve been plotting, stockpiling the hardest MCs from in and around the North West of England to compile the ultimate freestyle series. No frills, all skills - it ain’t about your rep, your hype, your brand management, we’re taking it straight back to bars and beats - real grime music.
And to leave you in no doubt about the levels that’ll be on show, we’re getting this thing kicked off with Preston’s very own Netch. Brace yourself for the fire, and don’t say we didn’t warn you.
The Drop Vol. II
The Empire Strikes Back. Godfather II. The Winter Soldier. You just can’t have a sequel unless you’re prepared to take things to the next level. Which is why we took our time bringing together only the very best of Manchester’s underground urban music talent to produce the second volume of The Drop mixtape. Grime, trap, RnB, hiphop - there’s truly something for everyone on what has to be one of the most diverse and deep music compilations around right now. Expertly mixed by our very own DJ Squal, The Drop has truly dropped!
So, click the links below to sample the smooth sounds and sick riddims for yourself on our mixcloud page.
The Drop Vol. II (part 1)
The Drop Vol. II (part 2)
Shooting the Game
So yeah, we’re suckers for collaboration. Love it in fact. Which is why we were excited to work with talented Manchester grime artist, JRage, to film the music video for his street anthem, The Game. He provided the performance and (suitably) atmospheric wardrobe, we provided the videography. But what really elevated the aesthetic in our opinion – providing a grimey visual feel that perfectly dovetails with the track – was the desert dust and sulphurous lighting of the location in which we did most of the shoot; an abandoned underground car park right in the heart of the city which somehow manages to evoke, at least to our minds, a sort of weird and dingy apocalyptic vibe – like Mad Max minus the sunshine.
Anyway, the video just went live yesterday and so, generous souls that we are, we thought we’d share the results of our sweat and tears on this project with you. Take a look below.
The Risky Roadz Manchester Cypher Goes Off!!!
So we recently connected with the legendary Risky Roadz, a true pioneer of grime music over the last 15 years, to put together what is, in our humble opinion, one of the sickest cyphers you’re likely to see.
We brought together some of the hottest upcoming talent in Manchester right now - including Feeemo, Kay Rico, Alpha, Larboonz, Ragoloco, Aitch, P1 Caps, and Scarlito - we then put down a beat, turned a camera on them, and basically let them do their thing.
What resulted was pretty special to say the least, but don’t take our word for it, you can check it out for yourselves below.
Mic Check TV Interviews P1 Caps
Righteous Lion caught up with Mancunian grime and hip-hop artist, P1 Caps, to his discuss unique approach to MCing and his plans for the future. Check out the interview below.
Mic Check III: The Inside Story
Mic Check MCR head of operations, Leigh ‘Dubz’ O’Neill, shares his insider perspective on the latest Mic Check live music event.
Ok, so if you’ve read my last piece you'll know my emotions before a mic check event....
Well, this was completely different. I was calm, confident, and had everything under control.....
I wish!
All joking aside, I was a lot calmer, and slightly more prepared (I think). The build up to our 3rd event was spot on, although a little last minute...
But the doubts still crept in again - the usual, will the artist's turn up? Will the decks work? Will we have an audience? Or will it be an embarrassing flop, which we really cannot afford to happen as we try to help build the urban music scene in Manchester.
I spent hours on the phone to Zest and DJ Showdem these past few weeks.
The fact we changed venue from the gritty and grimy but atmospheric Sandbar is what made me most nervous. We are no longer in the city centre. Instead we are in (the somewhat controversial) Levenshulme area, which is still trying to improve its rep from the days of the Palace night club and its memorable fist fights...
We’ve booked Dice Lounge, which inside is a very classy cocktail bar, but outside is surrounded by takeaways and (without being ageist) old man pubs filled with regulars which probably have their own designated seats.
So, I begin to think, will people actually travel to Leve for a grime night, a genre that – as we know – already has its own demons?
The night is here, doors open at 9pm, slowly but surely people arrive at the club, though not too many. The team look a bit anxious. It's now 10pm and we have maybe 20 people here. A half hour later I go outside the front doors hoping to see a group of clubbers heading towards me. Instead I see two people actually leaving the club behind me. I turn to Zest and say “What do you think?” as i ask, Missy Gunn says “Where is everyone?”
And then, within 10 minutes all the doubts are gone. It seems like I blinked and by the time my eyes opened again I was squashed into the DJ booth with Showdem. The place was suddenly packed.
You can sense there’s something special in the air as Righteous brings out the first act. The crowd is electric. Act after act gets up to perform, each one fully smashes it.
RKC and Kayel are now up – Showdem had told me beforehand that no act is getting a reload, this is a showcase, not a set – RKC and Kayel barely get past the intro before Showdem spins the track back. To be fair he had no choice as they couldn’t be heard over the crowd going crazy.
But in all honesty the levels were super high throughout the night, from the first act to the last. I don’t think I could pick a favourite performance if I tried.
Conclusion....
Quality night put together by a quality team.
Quality artists supported by an organised and legendary but underrated DJ in Showdem, whose advice and input has been highly appreciated.
So until Oct 14th I'll put my pen away.
In the words of Righteous Lion
Mic check 1-2
Could this be the most important conversation happening around Manchester's music scene right now? We caught up with the immensely talented Lance Hargreaves of GRiM, P Wynter, and Akcadamy backstage at Sonder Festival to discuss the evolution of Manchester's urban music culture.
Mic Check III was an Absolute MONSTER!!
Well. What can be said about last night? Mic Check III was quite simply epic. There was P Wynter’s and Garbage Man’s brash and intelligent lyricism. RKC and Kayel’s showstoppingly ballsy and demonstrative performance. The dark and typically robust bars of JRage. The playful panache and wordplay of messrs Feeemo and Aitch. Then of course there’s the oh so smooth quicksilver delivery of Kay Rico, DJ Showdem’s relentless popping beats, the charismatic boldness of Big Boy Eazi and Tantzz, the visceral intensity of Sly and Kious, and... well... just too many other highlights throughout the night to mention.
To say, ‘if you missed it, you missed a lot,’ would be an understatement. So instead we won’t say anything. We’ll leave it to those who attended and performed to do that. Below is just a sample...
JE, Tantzz and Kious, a few of the stars of the night, making their appreciation known for what was an incredibly positive and enthusiastic atmosphere (above).
Has to be said this was a common theme throughout. People were excited as much for the way the incredible talent in this city was being brought together into the same forum to shine, as they were for the electric performances.
Well.. who’d argue with that?
Alongside the music itself, some of the major highlights for us were the conversations had with artists behind the scenes following their performances as they were interviewed by our very own irrepressible grime geek, Mikey Fennell.
Of course, we’ll have more to come on that over the next few days and weeks so stay tuned for footage of all the artist interviews from the night; and be sure to follow us on instagram, Facebook and Twitter for further updates on what we’ve got coming down the pipeline. And believe me when I tell you, we’ve got a whole lot. Watch this space...
SonderFest is off the hook!!!
Sonderfest could quite simply be the urban music festival to end all urban music festivals. To see such an eclectic, diverse array of talent being brought together to occupy the same musical space was, at the risk of sounding a little poetic, sublime.
After being granted frontstage and backstage access for the weekend, Mic Check got the chance to speak with some of the night’s top performers and get their thoughts on how the underground music scene in Manchester is continuing to evolve.
We’ll have that interview - featuring Jack the Rapper, Lance Hargreaves and the lead of Shady 80s, P Wynter - coming soon, so watch this space. In the meantime here are some snaps from the Saturday night gig at Spear Street’s Soup Kitchen which hosted one of the hottest line ups of the weekend.
Jack the Rapper kicked things off in style, laying down his incredible razor-sharp delivery over some heavy hip-rock and funky basslines. Live music has rarely sounded this good. The energy was crazy.
When sweet vocals meet buzzsaw lyrics, sick keys and heavy metal guitars the effect is, well, stunning. One of the highlights of the night.
And then the ultimate highlight of the night as Lance Hargreaves of G.R.i.M, and friends, rushed the stage for an impromptu jam, spitting mad bars over the live band and sending the crowd half way apoplectic.
That's right!! Just days to go to what's shaping up to be one of the sickest urban music nights of the year. An incredible line-up of live acts featuring some of the most talented artists in Manchester, including... well, just watch the trailer above and see for yourself. Mic Check III, July 8th at Dice Lounge, 936 Stockport Road, Manchester. Doors open from 9pm.
Just two weeks to go! Get ready people.
Be ready people and mark the date in your diary as the third instalment of our Mic Check live events will be taking place next month on July 8th at Dice Lounge in Levenshulme.
With a new venue and performances from P Wynter, JRage, P1 Caps, Kay Rico, Aitch, Feeemo (to name just a few) this one is gonna be special!
Stay tuned for further updates as the night approaches and be sure to follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram.
MIC CHECK III, @Dice Lounge, 936 Stockport Road, Levenshulme.
The Drop, VOL. 1
Yep. We went ahead and put together what is possibly the biggest and most comprehensive compilation of tracks from strictly Manchester-based artists you’re ever likely to hear, featuring new and popping artists like Aitch, Feeemo, Kay Rico and P1 Caps, and some legends of the Manchester scene like Rem Luca, Fiasco, P Wynter and Manchester Hypes...
Because we can? Maybe. Because we like to be good to you? Definitely. But mainly because the talent in this city is simply boiling over. But don’t take our word for it. Have a listen for yourself. We’ve got the full album available to download, free of charge, when you click the link below. Like we said, we do like to be good to you...
The Drop, VOL. 1
Behind the Scenes of Blvck Diamond’s New Video - Money Talks
Alright. We’ll be honest. We were pretty excited when Blvck Diamond invited us along to the video shoot for their latest single, Money Talks. And watching them work was as special as we expected.
On set, we talked with producer and singer-songwriter for the group, Kay Angz, to get a little insight into what inspired the single and video. You can take a look at that - as well as some snaps from behind the scenes of the shoot - below.
The Mic Check Manchester Radio Show is Live!!
It’s true. When it comes to showcasing quality music we’re never satisfied... a quarterly live event to promote the best urban music in Manchester? Not enough. An online channel featuring interviews and freestyles with the city’s underground talent. Still not enough.
We needed to push it to another level, which is why today we’re launching the Mic Check Manchester Radio Show. We’ll have in-studio interviews, exclusive mixes from the city’s best DJs, and some of the hottest urban music from around Manchester and beyond. Every Sunday night, 9pm-11pm on Radio Diamond.
You can listen in live by clicking the link right... here. Or catch up with some of the best sets and mixes from past episodes by visiting our mixcloud page using the link below.
Mic Check MixCloud.
P1 Caps spits serious heat over this dark-minded classic beat!!