ninjatune newsletter 02/03/04

[jipper]

Hi there

This is the Ninja UK newsletter - remember we do a North American one too, so if

you want that one instead click the link at the bottom of this mail.

What's In This Newsletter Then?

* New Releases: Sixtoo, Skalpel & Blockhead

* Web Stuff: Wippit, Solid Steel

* Live News: Zen TV, Strictly's Head, Dedbeat

* Bits & Bobs: Exhibition in Paris, Coldcut Play

* Competitions: Last months' newsletter winners and new competition.

*************************************************************

* New Releases

Sixtoo's debut release on Ninja Tune 'Box Cutter Emporium' is out on the 16th

March. You may have seen his name on lots of records of people like Buck 65,

Sebutones, Sage Francis and various Anticon members but know this is Sixtoo is

on some entirely other shit. Sampling live as opposed to sampling records.

Playing as a musician instead of a collage-artist. This release features vocals

from Damo Suzuki (singer for legendary Kraut-rockers Can) and precedes his

ambitious and brilliant full length release 'Chewing On Glass & Other Miracle

Cures' in May.

United Nations Of Ninja went to Poland to sign up Skalpel who have their second

single '1958' out on 22nd March. If the original makes you think of Mr Scruff

jamming with Art Blakey, then Skalpel's own remix is more like Dee-lite bashing

out a tune with Cozy Powell, and set to be a dancefloor monster over the coming

months. The package is rounded out by a deep and rough mix from Quantic in his

house style. He's never been to Poland, but apparently Brighton's a little like

it on a wet night in February.

Blockhead's incredible debut album 'Music by Cavelight' is out on 29th March.

There's been a tendency in instrumental hip hop towards the epic, the bombastic

and the plain tacky, which is why Blockhead is so refreshing. On 'Music By

Cavelight' the downtown New Yorker comes through with some of the most sublime,

understated, melancholic hip hop you're likely to hear this year. This is an

album you can play for years and get something new from it each time. The first

couple of thousand copies will also contain some instumental versions of tracks

he made with Aesop Rock.

* Web Stuff

Our friends at Wippit are still offering you UNLIMITED access to the

Ninja back catalogue plus lots of labels output at a mere £30 per year.

This is PC only at the moment mac users will be sorted soon we're

told.

bin/click.pl?a=ninjatune.net&b=text&url=http://www.wippit.com>

The Solid Steel radio show made a return to the airwaves of the BBC on Sunday by

taking over the 6Mix slot on the excellent digital station 6Music. Coldcut

kicked off the show by re-tweeking some of their hottest mixes of past months,

Strictly Kev won the applause with an amazing mix of five tunes based on 'The

Clapping Song' and producer DK hit us with an exciting blend of old, new and

downright essential music. Listen to the show again

.

A brand new Solid Steel mix goes out every week here

- Coldcut, Strictly Kev & DK make

mini-masterpieces.

* Live News

After triumphant gigs in London, Manchester & Glasgow the huge Zen TV roadshow

makes it's way over to Continental Europe. So if you want to see Jon More

(Coldcut). Kid Koala, Skalpel, Hexstatic & Blockhead all on the same night and

you live near Brussels, Amsterdam or Paris then click the link right away.

Believe us, you'll kick yourself if you miss it.

J Swinscoe, Bonobo, Sixtoo & Amon Tobin will be joining various tour dates in

North America & Japan over the next month

Strictly Kev of DJ Food will be performing his ambitious turntable

re-soundtracking of The Monkees dark & weird film Head in Birmingham this

Saturday (6th) at the Custard Factory and next Saturday (13th) at the ICA in

London

Birmingham: or London

It's nearly time for Dedbeat 4 which takes places on 23rd to 25th April. A

perfect excuse to round up some mates and spend a long weekend in a holiday camp

listening to fantastic music and getting a bit silly. Acts include Luke Vibert

and Big Dada acts Ty, Infinite Livez, Lotek & many, many more. Click

* Bits & Bobs

Coldcut have been fiddling with the frequencies again. This time they have

teamed up with playwright Hari Kunzru to produce the radio play 'Sound Mirrors'

the story of Dan, a sound engineer who, bombarded by the noises of his own life,

withdraws into the detail of sound itself. The play goes out on BBC Radio 3 at

10pm UK time on thursday 4th March. You can listen using the magic of the

internet by clicking here. Or

tune your radio to 90-93fm.

Look out for maybe an exhibition in Paris running from the 3rd to the 11th of

march at the 'Palais de Tokyo' - it's a kind of retrospective of ninja music,

artwork and merchandise - should be ace.

* Competitions

Last month's comp was to win a collection of goodies including new Ninjaskinz,

Slip Mats, a Mug and ZEN RMX/CD/DVD promo teeshirts.

We asked you to complete the following saying 'confuscius says...'

the winners were

confuscius says....i can't do nuttin' for ya man, confuscius got problems of his

own (Brad Isaacs)

confuscius says....confuscius does (Perrin Moss)

confuscius says...You're So Money! (Nick Beattie)

This months compo is to win a nice copy of the Blockhead album 'Music by

Cavelight' with the bonus Aesop Rock beats too.

On the album there is a track called 'You've Got Maelstrom' so what would be the

alert noise when some arrives? Send answers to [email protected], make

your subject 'Bill Gates Is Sexy'

that's all for now

Ninja UK

[DudeAsInCool]

confuscius says...You're So Money! (Nick Beattie)

lol :P

[cube]

i blockhead