Writer's Block

Writer's Block is one of London's premier spoken word events and indeed movements! My dear friend Zayna Daze has been singing the night's praises for what seems an eternity!

I have the pleasure of performing at this fine event this Sunday the 13th at the Juno bar in Shoreditch alongside...
Zayna Daze
Mikill Pane
14th (a london based duo... I could not find a weblink for love nor money!!)
Nate
Anthony Anaxagorou

Shuanise (The magnificent)

Shuanise is a singer, nay human being, that makes us joe averages sit up and take notice. Blessed upon blessings with her voice, charisma and beauty she shines out completely peerless in an increasingly dull music market.

Born in Dallas and raised in North London she is an unusual hybrid, mixing her native Nigerian roots with glitch hop influenced beats. "Kingdom" is just one of her majestical musical offerings... I became entranced by her melodies, harmonies and spoken word riffs. Another release Voice Of Reason EP on Up My Alley is intimate, sensual and introduces us to her innate ability for killer vocal arrangements.

She has collaborated with many of the great and the good including TOKiMONSTA- (Solitary Joy) and Duktus (On the Brownswood Bubblers track "Wide Eyes").

"Wide Eyes" is certainly one of my most treasured tracks of the last few years...

"to find true self..one must live within... and as I took off my mask and opened up my eyes.. gold dust hit the floor... WIDE EYES"

fLako & Shuanise - Untitled

I am now extremely lucky to call Shuanise a truly close friend. She is a person that radiates light and has often mused that "Music has been my biggest healer throughout my life". How lucky for us (the listening public) that we gain such joy from her musical meanderings. We are now working together as a deliciously dulcet trinity with the similarly vocally blessed Zayna Daze.

As Shuanise implores us "tune your ears" and lets make it in a shuanise now now time signature.

Requiem & Belle 'Crazy Little Thing'

So. (DRUM ROLL). For your delectation and delight listeners comes the first video from Requiem et Belle . We had absolute PUUUUUUUURE jokes making this video! Requiem and me met at a Rodney P gig when I first moved to London about 6 years ago from the grimy north in search of streets paved with record deals and cheesy chips. We hit it off musically... loving Ninja Tunes, Dub and Uk hip-hop and all sorts of musical genres inbetween and he has since become one of my best mates.

"Crazy Little Thing" has it's genesis in us wanting to do something less floaty and more up tempo and I think it shows off Requiem's rather sublime production techniques. Lyrically this song charters the journey of sexual deprivation and yearning I was going through in a rather protracted long distance relationship...hence its more natty live title of the "sex song".

I am happy to say that there has already been such a wicked reception to our tune...which is GRRRRRRRReat! So keep sharing this beauty and commenting. It has already been featured in a number of blogs including Pinboard Blog and Tru Spinna Personally my favourite quote comes from the gorgeous Eva Lazarus "..you minx i wish i could lick your voice! its so tasty!" If that doesn't incur your interest... then god damn it...I dont know what will. Your support is always muchos appreciated people..please keep it coming.

There are so many talented people to thank for this video and in a weepy Oscars stylee ( but without the A-list laxatives and cocaine) I would like to extend massive big ups in the area to Director/Producer: Dave Goodall Assistant Directors (&Additional Animation): Justin Lowings and Kooch Chung Artwork/Art Direction: Jess Wilson and the wonderfully talented Kristine Moen on Hair and Make-Up.

Prose - My Baby ft. Belle

So Steady and Efeks (AKA UK Hip Hop dons), have released their first long player for your listening pleasure! It has been a long time coming...but it was worth the wait I believe. "Force of Habit" blends Steady's compulsive crate digging and love of boombap hip hop with Efeks carefully crafted lyrics and passionate delivery.

I first met these two whippersnappers at a cypha in the crack den that was Dragon bar where I would warble and they would respectively rap and and fiddle with mpc's. It was the start of something dead spesh (An Industry term). Indeed this very open mic spawned some prodigious talent including Sabira Jade and Om Unit. Anywho, I do indeed have a little ditty meself on the release called "My Baby". My favourite tracks are "The Basics" (feat.haiku & crusada), "Departed" and "Run for the Hills" -feat.ed strong & king kaiow of the i.r.s.

Listen to a snippet of Prose - 'My Baby' ft. Belle

Please go and support quality hip hop my bredren! BUY IT! None of this dodgy pirate styley download bizzzzzness. LINK TO BUY

DO IT CAMPERS! I URGE THEE!

Teebs - Why Like This (Belle's Refix)

Teebs is a talented producer and visual artist, first picked up by Flying Lotus (Brainfeeder) as his protege, alongside talents like Kutmah, Strangeloop, Daedelus, Samiyam and Tokimonsta.

I am a huge fan of his work and was completely blown away by his his rather scintillating set at the last Brainfeeder night in London. I have been humming away to "Why Like This" from the Ardour album and thought I would do a refix in my room! My lyrics may be sparse, but I hope are a reflection of music's unbelievable universality and it's unending ability to touch souls and minds across borders and seas.
Please share/comment/let me know what you sailors think....

Teebs - Why Like This (Belle's Refix) by ouicestbelle

Do I like SEX?

Now then campers,
As some of you who been lucky enough to come close to my fabulous personage...you will know of my feminist leanings. I had some of my heckles raised to within an inch of boiling point upon reading a recent article by our beloved posh teddy bear that is Stephen Fry. Now I love our national saviour of Twitter as much as the next non homophobe homosapien...however, I am slightly concerned and bemused that he seems to be able to pigeon hole my hetereo sex drive with such deft accuracy. No Stephen, I dont have sex to keep my man happy...to keep him in a relationship, to make sure I get my puke making cath kidston kitchen set. I do it ( unsuprisingly), because I like to (in the words of Primal Scream) get my ROCKS OFF...GET MY ROCKS OFF HUNNNNNY.

I really dislike being schooled on my sexuality, let alone by someone who has no experience of my particular sexual persuasion. Perhaps many straight women's reticence to form similar camp cottaging clubs stems from them wanting to have a shag that lasts more than 3 minutes flat? Can women decide on their own how they feel about sex for once, rather than their adherence to some kind of arbitrarily chosen sexual code from the 1950's. Perhaps this is the price that you pay for having been educated at the well known free swinging University of Cambridge. Ah I thought not. I would prefer it if, after eons and ice ages of misogynistic misanthropes deciding where I have sex and with whom that, for once I get a choice in deciding how my sex life runs.

Zayna Daze

There is a lady I know that seems to have boundless creativity, whether it be blogging, singing, filming...pretty much anything she turns her dainty hands to turns to gold.
I met Zayna Daze whilst performing on the same bill at a Spredluv event, I was immediately struck by her sweet vocals and command of her trusty loop box. I love chilling, writing and collabing with this woman.



Check her video below recorded on an impromptu brainstorming sesh at the Vortex Jazz bar in Dalston. We are currently working on a lil Ep together with the mega talented Shuanise... so watch out for the takeover...

Belle's Brainstorm from Zayna Daze on Vimeo.