The hectic times we live in!

The only sensible thing to do is settle down with a a quality smoke, a comfy jacket (much like Jimmy Saville in the picture on the left, God bless his soul), and some good music.

This is by far the best way to offset the gloom of the wind and rain that appears through you double-glazing and those brown envelopes with windows falling through the letterbox.

So, in an effort to chill you all out and bring stress levels down a touch I’ve had a quick peek through our audio archives and thought it was time to revisit this little mix.

Now, Phillies aren’t cheap, and bottles of Hennessy dont grow on trees in these credit crunching times, so I’m not going to give you either of them. What I can do is supply the good music mentioned above.

This downtempo mix is aptly entitled “FeetUp“, and is a Sunday-afternoon-esque mix including a couple of Blue Note numbers, along with a touch of BoomBip and Portishead, via Massive Attack, and Pete Rock, and a dash of George Benson.

A full tracklisting is below, and you can download the mix itself here.

Best get to the shop for those Phillies.

FeetUp – Tracklisting

1. Battlefield (Joe Causell Remix) – Wild Magnolias (Blue Note)
2. You Can Do It (Baby) – Nu Yorican Soul feat. George Benson (Mercury)
3. Kiss (DJ Smash Remix) – Bob Belden Project feat. Jimi Tunnell (Blue Note)
4. Black Star – N’ Dambi (Organic Soul)
5. Five Man Army – Massive Attack (Wild Bunch)
6. Lost And Found – DJ Shadow (Mo’ Wax)
7. Strangers – Portishead (Go! Beat)
8. Elephants Ball – BoomBip (Mush)
9. Smoking Room Only – Pete Rock (BBE)

This band are getting more like Bob Geldof every day (but thankfully not in looks!). They realise times are hard, so from their charitable hearts, this is another free gig, so, no excuse not to be out for a boogie and a lager and lime in Dustable in May then (?)

Those of you who have been following us for some time will be aware of our Urban Picnic Sounds project. For those of you looking blank, this is when your resident Blunt Beats DJs and some very special guests take to the festival vibe and provide two days of funk, soul, reggae, jazz and whatever they damn well like to create the backdrop soundtrack to the summer barbecue in your head!

We’re back for our tenth year this year at the Rhythms Of The World Festival in Hitchin, Hertfordshire on the 15 and 16 July. Over half a dozen stages with hundreds of acts over two days.

Importantly, Blunt Beats are there all weekend representing Urban Picnic Sounds with special guests this year including old-skool reggae renegade DJ Derek and a very exclusive set from hardcore supremo Billy Daniel Bunter playing funk and soul sounds on the Saturday afternoon just for you lucky people!!

We’ll be putting out full details of our full lineup for the weekend over the coming weeks but you can find out more about the festival and buy tickets here (it’s gonna be a good one even if we weren’t there this year! Reggae maestro and the voice himself Junior Murvin will be headlining the Sunday with some classic reggae vibes, so that’s where we’ll be when we’ve finished out sets!)

With a sound base of quality songs, this catchy, harmony led reggae and rap fusion outfit are sure to make you pin back your ears and pay attention. Very fresh indeed. Check them out on Facebook here.

For those of you in the Hertfordshire area this weekend, you can catch this lot live at the Coach and Horses pub, in Stevenage Old Town on Friday 27th April. The night starts at 8pm, with support from reggae duo Goldust and our very own Erbalist laying down some vintage reggae wax on the night. If you’re round this way there’s no excuse. They’re not even charging on the door! We’ll see you there!

Well, essentially we are, we’ve been in somewhat of work, life and band-induced comas but are finally staring to show signs of life. Record collections are also growing once more and rest assured we’ll be letting you into these with forthcoming radio shows and mixes in due course, as they say.

Right now we’re gearing up for the Rhythms Of The World Festival in July (thanks to the Afghan and Kazza for taking care of logistics), but we’ll have more music and views for you before that.

We just thought it would be polite to let you know we’re alive and still kicking (and the kicks will get harder).

1-sweet potato pie (connected)- Kool Hertz – Funk Weapons

This is a great hiphop track with the well know sample of Stereo Mc’s “connected” from back in the 90’s. nice production with tight lyrics and a sure fire way to get any floor nodding and rocking to this one. Available vinyl only.

2 -Insane Bangers – Krafty Kuts and Feature Cast – Insane Bangers

What can I not say about this fantastic label this is their brand new releasefrom the boys out of the fingerlickin house of music. Each of the 4 tracks is a monster in its own right from funky disco breaks to hiphop breaks with a phat dubstep bass and dirty synths throughout. Available on vinyl only

3. Your love keeps lifting me higher- Jackie Wilson – Columbia Records

This classic Chicago soul record released way back in 1967 is instantly recognizable and is a tune love by old and new. Lovely feel good lyrics and big sounds from what would have been a live band when originally recorded. Available in every format for vinyl -mp3

4 Loopers Delight – dj Twister aka Vinyl cat – botb Poland

This is the bomb!, a serious jump up floor filler from the legendary twister. If you are not familiar with this artist he is the king on mashups and this one is no exception with the rappers delight laid on top of a sister sledge disco classic. This track should keep you shaking it from start to finish you need this in your life. Digital mp3 download

5 Renegade’s Revenge – Qdup Foundation – Bombstrikes

This track has been kicking about for some time and has now been released on to digital format and the best this for you guys is that its FREE! To download. The track is a kickass hiphop breakbeat slammer from A-skillz features a sample used again and again through the years , you will know it from “wildchild-renegade master” but this is the original vocals and it’s heavy. This should see the floor burning with the smoke from people’s feet when you drop this.

So get downloading, buying and supporting great music in all formats and I will be back next month with a few more gems for you to get your teeth into.

Without sounding like an old man whos losing his marbles (I’m 33 this week), sometimes it’s good to re-visit the classics. In this world of X-Factor mania, and “skin feeling visibly younger”, sometimes you need to cut out the nonsense and go back to basics.. Every once in a while we all need reminding that quality should always be the watch-word.

Which is what we’re doing here.

Here’s an exclusive mix from Blunt Buddy (and blood brother to our own Doug) Prolifik, in memory of the late J Dilla.

Quite simply, it’s some on-point hip hop and soul, perfect for the current sunshine we’re having. I know this mix is a couple of years old, but it’s always good to take something like this back off ice once in a while and give it a listen. Remind yourself whats important. In this case it’s slick rhyming and tight snares, deep beats and soulful breaks, in tribute to the man, J Dilla. Not Ant and Dec talking to some dizzy bird who wants to be Mariah Carey, or some daft fecker in lycra who fancies himself as Michael Jackson on roller skates.

So, take the advice of this old man. Pour the Kool-Aid, pitch up on the stoop, hit play, and transport yourself back to the good old days, with some smooth beats from one of the best producers who was ever in the game. A full tracklisting is below.

1. Intro – ‘Coastin’ (Taken from Vintage)
2. Think Twice – Jay Dee (Welcome to Detroit)
3. Fall N Love (Dilla remix) – Slum Village (Fantastic Volume II)
4. 4 Moms – Jay Dee (A.T.C.Q – The Love Movement)
5. Dime Piece Remix – Dwele (The Shining)
6. Time: Donut of the heart – Jay Dee (Donuts)
7. Untitled – Slum Village (Fantastic Voulme II)
8. Inside My Love – Minnie Ripperton
9. What Love Is (Alternative) – Slum Village (Fantastic Vol. II)
10. You Cant Hold The Torch – Busta Rhymes ft. Q-Tip (The Big Bang)
11. No Liver Than This – 1st Down
12. Track 10 – Jay Dee (BEAT CD ‘05 *3)
13. Lets Take it Back – J Dilla (ruff Draft EP)
14. Clap Your Hands – Guilty Simpson (Chrome Children)
15. Outro (MED – Push)

Right then, best fill the cooler with Red Stripe and find your sun hat, as its time one again for the Family Blunt to present Urban Picnic Sounds 2010, live that the internationally-acclaimed Rhythms Of The World Festival. This year, it’s taking place on the weekend of the 24th and 25th July, with over 170 acts, and 20-odd thousand friends coming together to hear a variety of quality artists from across the world, and the musical genres.

We’re back once again at the single DJ-only stage at this internationally-acclaimed festival. You can check the website tags (“Urban Picnic Sounds”) for info on our previous outings. Essentially, the Blunt Beats crew and some very special guests provide a laid-back soundtrack to the whole weekend via our Urban Picnic Sounds stage. Expect lots of classic soul, barbecue funk, lounging jazz, head noddin’ reggae, and all manner of sunbathing beats. Guests this year include Baron Sound, DJ Herb, Hannah Brown, Reggae-MATT-ic, DJ Widedubz, Morocco, and Adam Williams.

I don’t need to give this one a hard-sell. It’s a great festival, with a cool laid back vibe, and Blunt Beats on the turntables. Simple.

Just to get you in the mood, here’s a link to a couple of sets from previous Urban Picnic Sounds events, courtesy of our very own Doug, and guest Adam Williams.

We’ll see you there!

Right…Those of you who have been following us for some time will realise that the website hasn’t been updated for a while. Those of you who have just found us will probably think not much has happened with us since early April. Not so.

Essentially, we’ve had a bit of a pow-wow/board meeting/cup of tea and a chat here at BBHQ, and have decided to make a few changes.

For years now, we’ve been putting out a weekly 4hour live radio show (available for download for the following 7 days) across a variety of musical styles. And jolly good fun it has been, too. However, although we get good feedback from our listeners, we’re acutely aware that a 4-hour show is a hell of a lot to download in todays snappy 20-minute podcast world. Also, if this weeks music genre isn’t your style, then you’ll have to wait for another show (and another week) for something that might be up your street.

Also, the Family Blunt is not getting any younger, and our day-jobs/lives have been keeping us more than busy. We’re all a little more spread out, both location-wise, and waistline-wise. All of this has impacted on our ability to bring you, our much-loved listener, quality Blunt Beats approved music. And we apologise.

But, we’re gonna fix it.

Rather than struggling to do a fresh 4 hour show every week that is a mammoth download file, we’ve decided to move our focus onto shorter, regular podcast/mix series based on our existing radio show brands (e.g. Dub Chamber, Soul Food, Electric Noodles etc), which will be a little bit more directed for you the listener, and a little easier for us to manage. We’ll also be posting special one-off mixes, archive sets, and material from our friends and guests.

Have no fear, we’ll still be doing live radio shows, with our resident DJs and guests. We’ll post about them here on the site, and also put details of upcoming shows on our radio page.

Essentially, “less is more”, as they say. Think of it as a new, streamlined, low-carb Blunt Beats (ok…..scrub the low-carb bit, but you get the idea)

Marcus, Adam and myself put together four hours of funk, soul, nujazz and afrobeat for your listening pleasure, with a spattering of DnB and dubstep. Grab the download while you can (before next Thursday), and check the tracklisting below.

Part 1 – Marcus G Hurley

1. Something Special – Max Sedgley (Jalapeno)
2. Let It Blow – Dazz Band (Motown)
3. Happyness – A Skillz (?)
4. Money Inc. – Mr Konfuse (Nova-Gain)
5. Azua Azua – Deela (Switchstance)
6. Funk For Me – DJ Asparagus (GAMM)
7. Afro Elements – Aroop Roy (Fresh Out Of The Box)
8. Oh Why – Defkline & Red Polo (Hot Cakes)
9. Flat Toes – Defkline & Red Polo (Booty Breaks)
10. Twang Banger – A Skillz (Insane Bangers)
11. All This Lovin’ – Gwen McRae (?)
12. Funky White Brother – Featurecast (Good Groove)
13. How Is The Party – Funk Thomas (Good Groove)
14. Punk Rolla – Grape Vine (?)
15. Pro Nails (Rusko rmx) – Kid Sister (Fools Gold)
16. Cockney Thug – Rusko (Sub Soldiers)
17. Darkside – Unknown (dub)
18. Swagga – Datsik & Excision (dub)

Part 2 – Adam Williams

1. Wu Tang – Method Man (Wu)
2. Live Sciences – Purple Zones (?)
3. Ain’t It Funky – James Brown (Polydor)
4. You Can Do It Baby – George Benson (Giant Step)
5. Carnaval De São Vicente (Jazzy Carnival mix) – Cesaria Evora (Lusafrica)
6. Infinite Rhythm – Afro Mystik (Om)
7. Attend! – ?
8. Brick House – MoD & Staffan Thorsell (Purple Music)
9. We Love This Music – Soulmagic (Purple Music)
10. Everyday – Central Living (Naked Music)
11. It’s Complete – Atjazz (Collision)
12. Fish – Mr Scruff (Ninja Tune)
13. In The Picture – The Underwolves (Compost)
14. The Sea – Saint Etienne (Heavenly)
15. Travellin’ Man – Syncopix (Hospital)
16. Natty Dread – Defidom (white)

Part 3 – Doug

1. African Rhythms (intro) – Oneness Of Juju (Shekere)
2. Funky In The Middle – Nickodemus ft. Jay Rodriguez & Ticklah (Eighteenth Street Lounge Music)
3. Psychedelic Woman (Bonobo rmx) – Honny & The Bees Band (Soundway)
4. Blow Your Horn – Quantic ft. Ohmega Watts (Tru Thoughts)
5. Why Me – Kinny & Horne (Tru Thoughts)
6. Take Me Back From Piaui (Dubben mix)- Bigga Bush (Stereo Deluxe)
7. Afrobeatnik – Gecko Turner (Love Monk)
8. Zuzukus People (Lightning Head remix) – Bigga Bush (Stereo Deluxe)
9. Mister Sinister (original Kokolo mix) – Kokolo Afrobeat Orchetra (Jamayka)
10. We Dey Suffa – Oghene Kologbo & Afrobeat Academy
11. Ilegal – Couscous Party (Love Monk)
12. Mother Earth (LP version) – Lanu (Tru Thoughts)
13. Power Brain (Hi-Perspective rmx) – Franck Biyong ft. Wunmi (Love Monk)
14. Don’t Follow Fashion – Oghene Kologbo & Afrobeat Academy (MK2)
15. Can’t Buy Me – Femi Kuti (UWE)
16. Ye Ye De Smell – Fela Kuti & Africa 70 (Universal)
17. Bukom Mashie (Quantic remix) – Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band (Bottletop)