Meleka Set For Big Year
District 6’s Meleka has just returned from a successful UK Mobo Tour, performing across the country with Smiler alongside some of the most hotly tipped new urban acts in the UK, including Josh Osho and Clement Marfo and the Frontline.
Meleka’s new single "Love You Baby", produced by Exemen, has just hit the airwaves and is enjoying early support from radio, in particular from Radio 1xtra and Radio 1 DJs Target, DJ Cameo and Trevor Nelson. It is tipped to be one of the big garage tracks of the year.
"Love You Baby" is the forerunner to Meleka’s EP ‘Next’, which features production credits from Donaeo, Terror Danjah and Dexplicit. Meleka also features on Hervé’s new single ‘Beat Dun Drop’ (Sony) which will be released next month.
Sync opportunities with CueSongs deal
23rd January, 2012
District 6 have teamed up with CueSongs Director and long-standing Peter Gabriel associate, Ed Averdieck for a licensing deal that includes a sizeable chunk of the District 6 catalogue, making it easily and instantly available for a wide range of online licensing.
Ed Averdieck says, "only a relatively small proportion of copyrights earn licensing income in syncs at the moment. But as companies’ advertising and marketing budgets increasingly shift on line, we predict that, of the 250 million websites that exist today, a proportion of them will licence music if it is reasonably priced and easy to access".
Cue's plan is to create a new revenue stream for artists and writers, consisting of hundreds of thousands of smaller sized online transactions, providing ready to go music in seconds.
Terror Danjah signs up
January 23rd, 2012
Terror Danjah may not be a household name; he’s not as well known as Wiley or Dizzee Rascal, yet he’s considered by the grime cognoscenti to be the best grime producer of all.
Terror works around the tempo of 140 bpm, and his music is part of the post-garage movement of grime. He has worked with both MCs and vocalists, from Nasty Crew, Skepta, Wiley and Kano, to Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32, Shystie and Mz Bratt. In 2011 Terror’s “Full Attention” featuring Ruby Lee Ryder performed well at radio and was play-listed on 1 xtra.
His productions are instantly recognizable from the Gremlin cackle he uses as an audio-logo to indicate a Terror Danjah production, much like Timbaland’s singing/beat boxing on his early productions. And the comparison with Timbaland doesn’t stop there, both producers worked with a signature palate of sounds; both producers use shifting, syncopated rhythms.
Despite the pared down palette he uses, Terror’s productions are full of brilliant ideas, complex rhythms and pop hooks and until now, despite being lauded by those in the know, he’s been under appreciated. Time for all that to change …
Submotion Orchestra's Finest Hour
January 18, 2012
Leeds-based seven piece Submotion Orchestra have signed the publishing to their debut album ‘Finest Hour’ to District 6.
Bewitchingly beautiful, perfectly crafted and conveying a sense of dramatic melancholy, the album is at once classic yet is utterly current.
Formed in Leeds in '09 the band originally came together when Dom Howard (aka Ruckspin) and hip label Ranking Records were commissioned to write and perform a live dubstep piece in Yorkminster Cathedral.
Rising to the challenge, Ruckspin and Tommy Evans brought together an all-star cast from the Leeds music scene to create what would become Submotion Orchestra. This was the first time a full range dub-style sound system had been brought into a venue of this kind and was heralded as a success. And ever since, playing live has been a key strength of the band.
Radio support has come from Trevor Nelson and Gilles Peterson on Radio 1, Mista Jam on 1xtra, and got picked up by LA tastemaker station KCRW in the US. DJ support has come from the likes of Laurent Garnier, Oneman (Rinse) DJ Flight (Metalheadz/Rinse), Simbad (Defected), Tayo (Kiss), plus Ashley Beedle and Rocky.
The band has built an old fashioned word-of-mouth live fan base, touring the UK and Europe to sell-out audiences, and taking in The Big Chill, Latitude, Outlook and Bestival festivals.
“Submotion Orchestra are on the rise, and for good reason” Q
Baby Blue at YoYo
October 24th, 2011
It has been a busy year for Baby Blue.
Since signing a deal with District 6 a little over a year ago, the London based MC has spent many hours in the recording studio crafting new songs with a whole slew of collaborators - Wretch 32, Davinche, Quiz & Larossi, Jacob Plant, Donae'o ...
She has been championed at Radio - Kiss, Choice, BBC Radio 1 and notably at BBC Radio 1 Extra by the likes of Cameo, Target and Mista Jam.
Her videos have gained popular support online, from AKA & Flava, and now from Virgin and MTV, the latter of whom playlisted her most recent release, "Play".
Baby Blue's star continues to rise on the UK urban scene, and this Thursday, 27th October sees the artist showcase her burgeoning talent in a first live showcase at YoYo (Notting Hill Arts Club).
If you are in town this Thursday, don't miss this exciting event.
See you there !
Chrome aims for dizzee-ing new heights
July 8, 2011
Described by one industry tastemaker as “an edgier Taio Cruz with a similar vocal presence to John Legend”, Chrome has been winning plaudits across the world since his two massive UK Number 1 features alongside Dizzee Rascal, “Dance Wiv Me” and “Holiday”.
Through his remarkable stage presence as exhibited on tour with Dizzee and his various other exciting collaborations with the Dirtee Stank camp, Chrome gained the praise of countless peers, including the likes of Benga, Akon, Adele and Duffy.
Chrome is now embarking in pursuit of his own solo chart success, with several singles and an album lined up for release in the coming months. He has been busy in the studio with the likes of Stylaz Fuego, LP & JC and The Wide Boys, and has sessions set up with Calvin Harris and Benga
With a stellar team behind him, including District 6 Music Publishing and So Empire Management, and his first single, “Wake Up” due to hit the airwaves within days, no one should bet against Chrome making it back to the top before too long.
Roy Harper at 70
July 7, 2011
"Led Zeppelin sang about him. Kate Bush sang with him. He sang lead for Pink Floyd. Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom adore him. A survivor of the golden age of folk rock troubadours, Roy Harper has bequeathed a 45 year trail of modern anthems that exemplify the singer's historic role in society, as both a finger-pointing revelator of injustice and the harbinger of earthly paradise".
Since signing a publishing deal with UK folk legend Roy Harper a little over a year ago, District 6 are genuinely proud to represent what is widely regarded as one of the very best and most accomplished bodies of work of the genre of all time. So much has been said and written of Roy over the years, and the UK is currently awash with a new round of praise and plaudits to coincide with Roy's 70th birthday.
We are overseeing the current press campaign, the rolling out of his back catalogue digitally, a physical re-issue programme, a 70th birthday show at the Royal Festival Hall, a UK tour next year and just possibly a brand new album. Exciting times for us all. To tie the entire program together, we are commissioning a covers album of some of Roy's most enduring, relevant and classic works. The list is of artists involved is already, as you might expect for such a project, very distinguished – watch this space for further details.