DJ Shadow has a new full length album out in October on Island records. Its called The Less You Know The Better. The first singles were I Gotta Rock and I'm Excited which features Afrikan Boy and the LP will also feature Tom Vek, Little Dragon and Talib Kweli.

The Soul Mavericks, an eight-strong breakdance collective from London will challenge the greatest b-boy crews from around the globe at the 16th annual B-Boy Championships - World Finals on 16th October at the O2 Academy Brixton.

Brand new from DJ and producer The Last Skeptik comes this addictively eerie bricolage of massive drums and funk addled bass. The filth on the snares sits on top of your brain and shakes any juice out all over the floorboards. An anthem for anyone that's ever spewed hatred about the lateness, or lack of, a train (or steam engine for you older types), 'No Train!' is an ode to the small town of Beek en Donk in the Netherlands, which has no train station. Woe is them.

"If people are telling the story of hip hop in the UK, that means that my name has to get called up, and that has been good for me, as a lot of people have been trying to tell the story this year…"

An evening of Live Music and discussion with various perspectives and voices from Musicians, Thinkers, Writers and Spoken Word Artists to Community Members in aid of providing an alternative Narrative to the mass media lead perspective / explanation behind the recent riots.

Whilst scrolling through the endless hell of facebook the latest IRS album Speaking Volumes came into my field of vision and moments later through my headphones. As with all the great UK Hip Hop groups IRS is underrated and overlooked, meanwhile Idris Elba’s on TV trying to tell us that So Solid were one of the most significant things in Hip Hop’s history – as AC would say, ‘Dickheads!!’.

I wrote these lyrics while helicopters were flying overhead and sirens blazed through the streets, I felt upset at the misrepresentation of my community and culture as a whole and wanted to speak out as i believe many others would like to do too. I was also alarmed by the reckless attitudes of those who have given up on the system and felt that only people from the community could reach out to them before things spiralled out of control.

As the mayhem in London continues, we share this Funky DL track "Whatever Happend To?". Obviously the solution is bigger than music but we also all know how influencial music can be and the message in this song "may" just touch someone...

As the third night of riots kick off in numerous parts of London, Tottenham exclie Rowdy T drops his take on what is going on. Whilst people in suits condem the actions and brand the rioters as criminals hear the voice of a disposessed youth and understand how this can happen when it is apparent that they feel they have no stake in society and the police can act with impunity.

The festival season is in full swing both at home and abroad, with The Big Chill (4-7 August) and Sziget (8-15 August) creating the ultimate start to the eighth month. One man who is certainly making the most of his air miles, with an imminent mini tour of Australia, and having recently returned from what Time Out has described as “perhaps the summer’s most beautiful festival”, Soundwave Festival (July 21-24, Petrcane, Croatia), is of course Mr Thing.