Right…now how do I start this shit? It’s probably best to start with an apology for the fact that this review has taken 2 weeks to write! It’s all been a bit fuzzy, and very busy here at Blunt Manor, what with gigs, festivals, birthdays, illness, hangovers and a general lack of sleep, so sorry it’s taken so long to get this review done.

Urban Picnic Sounds - 2 days - all the Blunt Beats Residents and special guests. A Victorian bandstand in a park with a soundsystem and sunshine (allegedly)….that’s the deal.

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Midweek comes round at a hell of a pace these days. The weekend finishes, there’s a bit in the middle, then it starts again. Must be the good weather. We’re not complaining…Anyway, I’m rambling. The point of this post is to remind you all in webland that we’re live on air tonight from 20:00BST (which is GMT+1 for you international lot), like we are each and every Wednesday.
Sets tonight look like this:

8.00-9.20 - DJ Hughes on the Dub tip….just what you need for the sunshine.

9.20-10.40 - Old Skool hardcore from Marcus Hurley. This is the first of a 2 part show from Mr Hurley (the second part will be on next weeks show) - This weeks show concentrates on vintage hardcore and drum and bass from 92-94. Nice

10.40-00.00 - Agent M steps up, and sets you up for the late night chill with some downtempo, left-field beats.

Right then….We’ll catch you 8.

Global warming ain’t all bad. The weathers been scorching for this time of year here at Blunt HQ. In fact, we’ve been able to have the first of our infamous barbecues already, and believe me, that’s no mean feat in April, in the UK.

(Big up to the Riot Control crew in Brooklyn for providing the soundtrack to this meat-eating fest!)

Anyway, once the sun comes out, so does the reggae! It’s natural cause and effect. Physics in action, my friends. DJ Hughes has made musical reference to this equation in his latest creation. The Sleng Teng mixtape. It’s a selection of tunes on the Sleng Teng riddim, and mixed and blended by Mr Hughes himself.

A tracklisitng for this mix is below:

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That’s right. It’s very nearly that time of the week again. Tomorrow (Wednesday) will see the Blunt Family back at HQ, for 4 hours of live radio, hijacking the airwaves from 8pm BST.

In tune (pardon the pun) with recent shows of late, we’ve made this weeks show a bit of a themed one. It’s going to be something of a Breakbeat and Drum and Bass excursion this time around, from 3 of the resident Blunt Beats Djs who are old enough to know better….

The running order for tomorrow night looks like this:

8:00-9:20 - Marcus G Hurley with a selection of classic old-skool drum and bass.

9:20-10:40 - Agent M with some more drum and bass, a bit of old-skool, and some breakbeat thrown in for good measure.

10:40-00:00 - DJ Hughes continues on the d n’ b tip up until midnight.

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It’s that time of the month again. We’re back for more beats, chinwags, and shandies, down at the Hat Factory in Central Luton. For those of you that aren’t aware, once a month, we take our Wednesday night live radio sessions, and put ‘em in a cosy bar…The whole thing is streamed live as per our usual radio shows, but you the public get the chance to come and see us doing our thing live, say hello, and have the odd tipple. Can’t be bad.

The night takes place at the Hat Factory, Bute St, Luton, Beds, tomorrow night (4th April), and runs from 8 until midnight. There’s no charge on the door (’cos we’re nice like that), and the venue has a fully licensed bar.

We’ve been doing this for a couple of months now, and to positive responses. We’re hoping to be able to move this project to an even more comfy bar in the same venue in the next couple of months, and we’ll keep you posted on that.

Sets this weeks from DJ Hughes, Agent M, and the Erbalist. As the flyer suggests, expect a mixture of hip hop and funk sounds through til the midnight hour. Nice. See you there

Of course, if you’re unable to make it down in person, the whole evenings music will be streamed live on Blunt Beats Radio courtesy of our good friends at Level 1, and, it’ll be available for download for the following 7 days. No excuses. In person, at the bar, in your front room, or on Tuesday mornings on the download tip. We’ve made this session as accessible as we can. Enjoy.

He’s been at it again….DJ Hughes has locked himself away, and recorded this little gem, just for us at Blunt Beats (and you guys in webland). This mix is specifically based on UK breakbeat/hardcore label Shut Up And Dance. For anyone over about the age of 25, this label is legendary, and responsible for more warehouse anthems than you can begin to imagine.

From acts like the unmistakable Ragga Twins, to the dreamy vocals of Nicolette, SUAD records really were the only crew you needed to know about back in the day! This mix will take you on a tour of East London warehouse parties, circa 1991. A tracklisting for this little excursion is below. Continue reading…

Just a quick heads up people…We’re out and about, with our record boxes in tow this weekend. The full Blunt Beats family will be at Melting Pot at Charlie Browns, Midland Rd, Luton. The club is literally staggering distance from the main line rail station, taxi ranks, and handy food outlets!

Melting Pot is a good old-fashioned rock and roll night, with guest live bands, and Melting Pot resident DJs. Check out the Melting Pot Myspace site for more details. There’s 3 bands on the line up at this gig - Delphian Complex, Broken Dolls, and Kamikaze Pilots. It’s a 9pm start, and goes on ’til very late. It’s 4 quid before 11 - more after.

However, then fun for us is going to be in the other room… - All the Blunt Beats DJs will be in attendance, and we’ll be dropping the finest in soul, funk, disco, hip hop, reggae, and whatever else we see fit, complimenting the live element of Melting Pot very nicely. Top stuff. We’ll see you there. Enjoy it. We will.

We’ll be live from the Hat Factory (Bute St, Luton) on the first Wednesday of the month, starting on the 7th February. Entrance is free, there’s a licenced bar, and we run from 8pm ’til midnight. Tunes will be provided from the Blunt Beats resident DJs, and the whole night will be streamed LIVE via Level 1

Did I say it’s free to get in, and there’s a licenced bar????

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That’s right. You did read the title correctly. Now you can listen to a continual stream of of mixes from the Blunt Beats crew and special guests, whenever you please. Continue reading…

Some quick radio news - Next week Blunt Beats Radio will be going out over the webwaves as normal, but will be broadcast live from The Hat Factory in central Luton town.

Those lucky enough to be in the Luton area next wednesday night will be more than welcome to pop down and catch the tunes first-hand, whilst relaxing in the plush surroundings of the fully-licenced basement bar. We’ll be running from the usual show times, 20:00 - 00:00 BST, and the playlist looks like this: Continue reading…