Cuando lo vivas, lo entenderás.

Bizitzen duzunean, ulertuko duzu.

When you live it, you will understand.#BilbaoBBKLive pic.twitter.com/4Icf5nZhPd

— Bilbao BBK Live (@bilbaobbklive) November 28, 2023

The festival, set in the mountainous Basque city of Bilbao in Northern Spain, will run from 11 July to 13 July 2024. The annual event can trace its origins back to 2006 and is held on a special complex built specifically for the festival on the slopes of Mount Cobetas. Last year’s edition featured the likes of Artic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine, Idles, Róisín Murphy and Pavement, and cemented the festival as one of the best on the European music festival circuit.

Watch the music video for the classic track “Firestarter” by The Prodigy below:

Big beat pioneers The Prodigy will make Bilbao BBK Live their fourth summer festival appearance, after it was announced that they will be playing Reading and Leeds 2024 along with Hellfest and Isle of Wight festival. Meanwhile the festival is scheduled to be cult trip hop collective Massive Attack’s only summer outing, with the group last performing at Connect festival in Edinburgh in the summer of 2022.

Watch the music video for “Unfinished Sympathy” by Massive Attack below:

Canadian indie rock outfit Arcade Fire are also set for a busy summer after attaining headline slots at not only Bilbao BBK Live 2024 but also Shaky Knees in Atlanta and both South American editions of Lollapalooza in Brazil and Chile.

Watch the music video for “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire below:

See below for the full line-up of Bilbao BBK Live 2024:

Airu, Alvvays, Arcade Fire, Cymande, Death From Above 1979, Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba, El Columpio Asesino, Ezra Collective, Floating Points, Folamour (A/V), Jimena Amarilo, Jordan Rakei, JPEGMafia, Jungle, Khruangbin, Los Bitchos, Massive Attack, Mulatu Astatke, Nerve Agent, Noname, Overmono, Parcels, Queralt Lahoz, Ralphie Choo, Sen Senra, Shinova, The Prodigy, Underworld, Zea Mays.

Tickets for the event will be available for general sale this Friday 1 December from 9am and will be available to purchase here.

Photo credit: Sharon Alagna

“Whenever I Want”, which was released on the 3^rd April, is Mura Masa’s first material released as an independent artist since his 2015 debut EP Someday Somewhere. The track was released on Mura Masa’s new label Pond Recordings. The artist from Guernsey wrote on his Twitter that the single is the “first of a new series of records” and that it is the start of a “new era” for him.

new music tomorrow. Love u x pic.twitter.com/hNxpNMRyeH

— xander (@mura_masa_) April 2, 2023

The song samples vocals from the beginning of American hip hop collective Outsidaz’s track “Macosa” featuring rapper Eminem and sets it to a scatty jungle beat.

Sending the viewer on a nauseatingly dizzy trip, the music video features a 360-degree rotating camera rig and stars fans of the artist spinning in a warm-lit liminal rave setting. The video was shot by London-based directors known as the Reids, brothers Ed and Will, who have previously worked with brands such as Nike, Adidas, Converse, Stone Island, Dazed Magazine, i-D Magazine, and Hypebeast.

Watch the video for “Whenever I Want” below:

Mura Masa, aka Alexander Crossan, takes his alias from the legendary Japanese swordsman Sengo Muramasa. He first started making electronic music using Ableton Live at 16 and later uploaded it to Soundcloud where it was picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJs. His self-titled debut LP was nominated Best Recording Package and Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018 and he took home the award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical the following year for his remix of Haim’s track “Walking Away“.

One of Crossan’s best-known tracks is 2016’s “Love$ick” featuring American rapper A$AP Rocky which skyrocketed to number one on the Spotify Viral charts in both the UK and the US. Recently, the artist achieved huge success with the single “Boy’s a Liar pt. 2” he co-produced for Pinkpantheress and Ice Spice, which peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Known for his collaborations, Crossan’s discography is crammed with a variety of other stars such as Charli XCX, Nile Rodgers, Christine and the Queens, Damon Albarn, Slowthai, Clario, Lil Uzi Vert, Shygirl, Ariana Grande, and Stormzy. For his LP demon time, he collaborated with Lil Uzi, Shygirl, & PinkPatheress on his cover of “Baby Cakes”  and with Pa Salieu & Skillbeng on his single “Blessing Me”.

Mura Masa also announced he’ll be playing two dates in California this month in between his performances at the Coachella weekends.

The tour, supporting Liv.e’s latest album Girl in the Half Pearl, will include five UK dates in Leeds, Liverpool, Dublin, Manchester, and London. The artist will travel to Europe in June before heading to Australia and finishing in Japan. Liv.e is also performing at Øyafestivalen and Lowlands Festival this August. For tickets and more information see here.

hay now us tour finished for now this spring/summa lookin thiq!! europe, australia & japan! pic.twitter.com/3A02Ap8h42

— Liv.e (@oliveosun) April 4, 2023

The Dallas-born Los Angeles-based singer started the first leg of her tour in March playing dates across North America including a few sold-out shows. She’ll also be performing on the Stephen Colbert Late Show this Friday the 7^th April.

25-year-old Olivia Dean, also known as Liv.e, didn’t originally plan on a musical career having grown up in a family of musicians. Her dad played Blues and was embedded in the Gospel scene and her brother is a drummer. However, after finishing a degree in architecture and object design at the School of the Institute of Chicago Art she decided on a career switch. Her debut EP F.R.A.N.K. dropped in 2017 and the following year her EP Hoopdreams won her fans in Erykah Badu and Earl Sweatshirt. After touring with Earl on his Fire It Up Tour in 2019 and featuring on his EP Feet of Clay her popularity only grew. In 2020, she released her debut album Couldn’t Wait to Tell You to critical acclaim.

The singer’s sophomore album Girl in the Half Pearl was released on 10^th February. It’s a mosaic of genres meshing neo-soul, alt R&B, and hypnagogic pop sometimes with jungle beats and at others with a touch of psychedelia. It’s no surprise that it has been praised by Pitchfork, Loud and Quiet, and Vulture magazine.

Liv.e’s struggles with heartbreak are evident in Girl in the Half Pearl. The singer told Pitchfork: “I didn’t have anybody to talk talk to, so I wrote this album. I had to get this shit out of me. That’s why I’m so glad the album is out, because I feel like an open wound that’s hitting the wind. It feels nasty, but it feels kinda like, “Ahhhh”.

Watch the video for the album’s lead single “Ghost” here:

See below for Liv.e’s UK and Europe tour dates:

21/05/23 – Headrow House – Leeds
22/05 – 24 Kitchen Street – Liverpool
24/05 – Workmans Club – Dublin
25/05 – Yes – Manchester
26/05– ICA – London
31/05 – Le Hasard Ludique – Paris
10/08– Øyafestivalen – Oslo
18/08 – Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen

The band are now due to tour from March through to August next year. These newly scheduled dates will be supporting their most recent album ‘Loving In Stereo’, which was released back in August of this year via Caiola Records.

Jungle where set to embark on their tour next month, with dates in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands all scheduled for January and February. However, in a recent statement Jungle said that due to the “new restrictions being put in place due to the Omicron variant” of COVID-19 in forcing their hand when it comes to rescheduling those gigs, which will now take place in May and June 2022.

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They then continued “The safety of our fans is the most important thing to us at this time, and as much as it is disappointing we also have had the chance to upgrade the venues in Berlin, Cologne and Amsterdam, so more tickets for these rearranged shows are back on sale now. Wishing you all a healthy end to the year and see you in 2022. Be safe. With all our love and gratitude.”

To find out more information and to purchase any available tickets for the rescheduled tour dates you can go to the band’s website here.

As well as the the rescheduled tour dates fans will also get to see Jungle a little later in the year as they are set to support Billie Eilish on some of her UK and Ireland tour dates in June 2022. Both Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks and Canadian singer/songwriter Jessie Reyez will also be supporting.

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Nia was a part of a long list of new Rinse Residents for Autumn 2021. The list contained names such as Kumail, Halfports, Watch the ride,  Ana Kim, Breaka, Izco, Bailey Ibbs, Pretty Hood and 18 other DJs including Nia Archive.

Nia is a 21-year-old artist breaking out in the Jungle scene, she is a producer, singer, songwriter and director and was brought through in 2020 by the E150 mentorship who help Women to progress in Jungle and Drum and bass.

The 21-year-old singer released her debut project Headz gone west during the peak of the coronavirus lockdown in 2021, despite her music being high energy music made for raves and parties the project was well-received during the height of the pandemic and the 5 track project currently sits on 3.3 million Spotify streams.

In an interview with UKF the young songstress said this about making and releasing her music during the pandemic, “It’s mad. Sometimes I think about it and I’m like – wow… During lockdown, I’ve been focusing on making music and creating. I don’t think anyone will ever have this much time again, so I’ve tried to make the most of it. I’ve been able to create lots of little videos to go alongside my music too.”

With the country reopening the 21-year-old has been able to finally get out and perform her music to live crowds. Just last week Nia performed for the first time in Brighton to perform her songs and DJ a jungle set at an intimate venue just under the Brighton train station, The green door store.

 

 

 

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Just a week before her performance she released her new track “Forbidden Feelingz” which currently sits on a quarter of a million Spotify streams with a video released on Nia own youtube channel.

Nias Rinse residency kicks off on the fourth Thursday of November and will run all through autumn.

Watch the video for Nia archives new song “Forbidden Feeelingz” here:

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Jungle, a duo comprising of Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, are set to release their third album ‘Loving in Stereo’ which is out August 13th. ‘Loving in Stereo’ will become Jungle’s third album, after their brilliantly received 2014 studio album ‘Jungle’ and 2018’s ‘For Ever’. We can expect great things for the upcoming album, as Jungle commented to press that their new single “gives listeners another taste of the energy we’ve delivered on this album”.

Listen to the single and watch the new music video once and the energy that bounces through ‘Talk About It’ cannot be denied. Jungle have mastered the inclusion of strings, passionate drumming and the incredible vocals of Josh Lloyd-Watson to ensure energetic brilliance in their new track. ‘Talk About It’ proves yet again why Jungle have earnt themselves a reputation for unique and effortless music.

The same can be said for the music video of ‘Talk About It’ which features a talented group of choreographed dancers in a basketball court. Directed by J Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland themselves, and choreographed by Nathaniel Williams and Cece Nama, the aesthetically pleasing video is the perfect accompaniment to the track. It’s hard to believe the video was filmed in one shot, every detail from choreography to the storyline makes Jungle’s new release a masterpiece. Jungle truly put energy and effort into every one of their productions.

Speaking about the music video for ‘Talk About It’ to press, Jungle said “the video is high energy and was one of the last we shot during the week of filming”. They also commented that “you can see that the dancers are at their limit and that gives an incredible atmosphere to the performances”.

You can watch the music video for ‘Talk About It’ here.

The EP available on 28^th April will arrive along with the title track ‘Headz Gone West’, with Complex describing the track as “Inspired as much by Erykah Badu as she is by Remarc, jazz, soul, R&B, liquid drum & bass, jungle, late ‘80s rave nostalgia, Jamaican soundsystem culture, UK garage… and yet it all fits together perfectly.” The single also includes a visual courtesy of Delphino Productions, championing her DIY aesthetic as she walks the deserted streets of London drenched in psychedelic effects.

Releasing the same day as the extended play is the visual for one of the unreleased tracks titled ‘Crossroads’. The track is expected to hit the same tone as that of the title track, blending genres in an experimental yet soulful manner. Nia spoke on her process saying “Making the EP was super fun! I had a little DIY set up in my room and I would sit up all night making loads of quick beats for fun… some of them I would end up proper vibesing to and so kept working on them. Overall, the project is massively inspired by my love for breakbeats, jungle and D&B”. With the climate changing and the lockdown restrictions ending, we can hope that Nia Archives music makes its worthy debut in clubs across the country. Whilst we wait for the extended play you can stream her new single Headz Gone West below, with the visual also available here.

Jungle posted on Instagram: “Really excited to finally share this with you… Watch ‘Keep Moving’ and pre-order your copy of our new album ‘Loving In Stereo’ now! Link in bio. Massive amounts of love to everyone who helped out making this a reality. Such an incredible cast and crew! We couldn’t do it without you! We hope you enjoy it!”

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The single was accompanied by a music video directed by Charlie Di Placido, who has also directed videos for The Vaccines and Dodie, and Josh Llyod-Watson, who is one half of Jungle. The video was filmed in one shot, and the simplicity allows the track to take centre stage. It is filled with impressive dancers – choreographed by Nathaniel Williams & Cece Nama – and bold outfits.

Jungle is formed of Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. They released their debut single The Heat in 2013, and were nominated for the BBC Sound of 2014. Their self-titled debut album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2014. Their second album, For Ever, came out in 2018.

Speaking to NME on their new album, McFarland said: “We went into The Church studio in London, which for us is a big move because it’s us opening ourselves up. The pressure’s on because you’ve only got a week, and you’ve got string sections coming in, you’ve got all these parts. It’s all kind of chaotic and magical, and I think that that’s why there’s that energy to the record – everything just went up a level.”

Templeman’s unique new track is a delightful fusion between indie-pop and dark disco. Produced by Tom McFarland of indie collective Jungle, the track is a perfect pairing between two bright talents. After a bizarre voiceover sample of what sounds like an airport announcement, a captivating bass riff and deep drum beat kick together and the song begins.

Shady is about self-preservation. In the first verse, Templeman broods over the aftermath of a complicated relationship. Templeman croons: “Trying to figure it out/Trying to see what it’s about/Hoping to make some sense of this/Starting to wrap my head around it.”

However, Templeman does not maintain this narrative for long, quickly realising that looking backward is time wasted, and remaining in the moment is vital. Templeman sings in the self-assured chorus: “Do you really think I’m sorry?/I tried to move it along/But this is over, baby.”

Templeman’s confident narrative continues in the catchy outro, “I could be someone/Someone that’ll lie/But I’d be missing the real person I am” - Templeman makes it clear that he will willingly walk away from a relationship that is not serving him. 

 Along with some new material, Templeman shared the visual accompaniment to Shady on YouTube earlier today via Penguin Musics’ official channel. The lyrics video features Templeman’s defiant lyrics floating in front of a digitalised sunset background. The Shady visualiser can be watched in full here.

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i’ve got a new song called ‘shady’ out, listen now via my bio!i’m also gonna be going LIVE with @Tromcf from @jungle4eva tomorrow at 7pm to talk through the writing/production process of Shady. join us on ig liveeee on my page

A post shared by alfie templeman (@alfietempleman) on Nov 10, 2020 at 2:15am PST

In an official statement, Templeman spoke out on Shady and the meaning behind it. According to the talented multiinstrumentalist, Shady is about trying to stay present. Templeman explained that Shady is “about trying to stay true to myself, doing what I want to do in my life and trying to avoid all the arguments and shady people that come with it. No more negativity, more making sense of the past, and enjoying what the present has to offer.”

Templeman took to Instagram to ring in the release of Shady. Sharing a snippet of the lyric video, the post has obtained over 6000 views from excited fans.

Within the post’s caption, Templeman announced that he will be going to Instagram Live tomorrow night to chat with Tom McFarland about the making of the collaborative Shady. Fans will be able to tune into the live stream via a link on Templeman’s Instagram bio tomorrow night. 

The latest extended play from Alfie Templeman is the multigenre EP, Happiness in Liquid Form. Happiness in Liquid Form premiered on July 17th via Piccadilly Records and contains songs such as Maybe This is Time, Obvious Guy and My Best Friend.

Since his blinding debut EP Like An Animal in 2018, boy wonder Templeman has made some serious waves on the British music scene. Circa Waves guitarist Kieran Shudall said of Templeman after working with the artist on Lemonade: “I have been bowled over by his talent, and the new stuff he’s releasing now…He plays loads of instruments and produces his own music. I thought, ‘This lad’s incredible!’”

Alfie Templeman will embark on his first-ever UK tour next year. The ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ tour will begin in Leeds in April 2021 and end in Camden in May.

Shady is out now. The confirmed dates for Alfie Templeman’s UK 2021 tour will go as follows:

22/04/2021- Brudenell Social Club – Leeds
25/04 – Rough Trade – Bristol
26/04 – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow
28/04 – Night & Day, Manchester
29/04 – The Bodega – Nottingham
04/05 – Camden Assembly – London