Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

Last year saw East Londoner Kwasi Danqua , aka Tinchy Stryder deliver the biggest underground-crossover hit of 2010. The sensational “Game Over” featured a stellar array of the finest UK MC’s: Giggs, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah, Devlin, Example and Chipmunk who all collectively shaped a track that celebrated the best in UK urban talent and created the biggest hype of the year. And now Tinchy Stryder has reunited with multi-platinum selling N Dubz’ Dappy to bring you a new smash - the new hotly anticipated single ‘Spaceship’ scheduled for release 13th June 2011. Fashion entrepreneur Tinchy Stryder spent the first half of this year developing his eminent brand and accessories brand Star In The Hood. Due to phenomenal demand, Star In The Hood has expanded greatly, it is available nationwide and is now being stocked overseas in stores all across Europe. In addition to overseeing his rapidly growing business, Tinchy also recently partook in the well documented Jamie Oliver series Dream S...

Fresh from touring with Jessie J and supporting NDubz on their sold out Arena tour, Encore are ready to make their mark on contemporary British pop music with release of the remarkable ‘Tit For Tat’. ‘Tit For Tat’ is released on July 17th 2011 and, true to Encore’s trademark blend, manages to combine a banging baseline and a gritty production with soulful vocal melodies, edgy rhymes and sweet harmonies. Encore are Pierre Joseph, Cairo Woodword and Mark Asari, initially three solo artists who were already making a mark in their own right on the urban music circuit. A preliminary collaboration session in the studio, after meeting at an open mic night in early 2009 eventually led to the creation of Encore; an urban boy band with a distinctively pop edge. Creatively the boys emerge from all walks of their deferring musical lives. Mark is a noted songwriter, Cairo a producer and Pierre a rapper. Together they create the perfect blend of smooth vocals, head bopping beats, individual lyrics ...

‘The One’ is the second single from urban trio Encore, aka singers Mark and Cairo and rapper Pierre. DaVinChe (Tinchy Stryder and Kano) lends his production skills on this dubstep infected track, smoothly ridden by Encore’s narrative songwriting style and slick vocals, taking us through a tale of relationship woes. Encore’s debut album will follow later this year and 2011 has already been a busy year for the boys. The group have been in the studio working with top writers and producers from both sides of the Atlantic including DaVinChe, RedOne’s production team (Lady Gaga), Nate Walka (Jamie Foxx ‘Blame It’). They released their debut single ‘Wind Up’ on Valentine’s Day, and have also shot two new videos. The first video is for the ‘The One’, and the second for their street track ‘Cold/Pretender’. The grind doesn’t stop there though, Encore are confirmed support acts for both Jessie J and N-Dubz’s UK tours throughout April. Get ready to give a standing ovation… Encore new single ‘THE...

Following on from their triumphant Royal Variety performance, which saw the band perform for Prince Charles, N-Dubz announce their first release of 2011, brand new single ‘Morning Star.’ Released via All Around The World & Island Records, ‘Morning Star’ is the third single from the Camden trio’s most recent Top 10 album, ‘Love.Live.Life’ with over a quarter of a million copies of the album sold in a month. Another example of the band’s trademark euphoric pop, on this all new radio edit Dappy and Fazer wax lyrical on this brand new single version, about missing someone special, while Tulisa’s sweet, sing-along chorus introduces flavours of the Rose Royce classic, ‘Wishing On A Star’ to a whole new generation. 2010 has been another phenomenal year for N-Dubz. In December they announced their first UK arena tour; the first UK Urban act to embark on such major venues. The Love.Live.Life 10-date tour will see the band play to their biggest audiences ever, taking in every part of the co...

Fresh from a show stopping performance and fourth award win at the recent MOBOS, urban pop super-group N-Dubz triumphantly return with their new single ‘ Girls ’, released via their new musical home, All Around The World & Island Records on 13th December 2010. ‘Girls’ is the second single from their highly anticipated new album ‘ Love, Live, Life ’ (released November 29th) quickly following their recent Top 10 smash ‘Best Behaviour’. Written by the band and Jim Jonson (Beyonce, Usher. Lil Wayne), ‘Girls’ is a slick celebration of the female form, showcasing edgy beats and tough lyrics reminiscent of early N-Dubz hits. Representing a universal love for women, ‘ Girls ’ features a contagious hook that flows over the band’s trademark electronic synths and gritty urban beats. The N-Dubz furore continues this winter with the release of their third album, ‘Love, Live, Life’. In May 2010, N-Dubz signed a five-album deal with Island Def Jam records in the U.S. Recorded in LA and Miami an...