Issuu

PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR UK TALENT

£1.50

EDITOR’S LETTER Hiya! Welcome to our brand new exciting magazine; The Style Playlist, dedicated to the best of British talent in the UK. I bet you’ve been waiting for a multi genre music magazine to hit the shelves...well here it is! We’ve got so much planned for you in the next couple of months, and we’re working on a website so look out for that! Now I know we’re only halfway into 2013 but I’ve somehow managed to find my favourite song of the year! Rudimental ft Ella Eyre - Waiting All Night = THE ULTIMATE EARGASM! There’s something special about the amazing simplicity of the beats that makes it the perfect anthem for the summer season. ...and while we’re on the subject of the summer season let’s talk festivals! Who’s ready for Wireless? Unfortunately I didn’t get a ticket (boohoo, cry with me guys)... BUT I did manage to get a ticket for my future husbands one off concert... that is THE Frank Ocean of course !!!!! Head over to page 20 to see our fashion picks that we think will make the perfect festival look-at-me-now outfit!

Leah J.. xox contact us www.thestyleplaylist.co.uk @TheStylePlaylist The Style Playlist

. . xoxo

my fut ure husband

Page 20

May 2013

What’s inside Special Feautures...

23 In every issue...

20 festival picks 10 Top ..get your outfit sorted! Designer 15 Fashion ..Get to know “AMN” Du’Montts 18 The ...The Big Interview to watch 22 Ones ..new artists of 2013 the Bloggers 24 Meet ..Britain’s best bloggers!

And the rest...

6 Controversial couplings 13 ..Dresses and heels? Style tips 7 ..pull off the pinafore tips 27 Blogging Scout ..advice from Britain’s best 8 Style ...London’s best dressed! Social media & music 30 Best of British ..fame from the web 12 ..Style Profile: Alexa C Questions with.. 14 Six ..”Hubert & Calvin” we’re listening to 28 What ..the hottest music! Reviews 29 Music ..plus album of the month Review 32 Event ..i luv live @ XOYO Wars 34 Band ..Disclosure Vs Rudimental Monthly must haves ..our picks for payday!

marketplace.asos.com

STYLE TIPS 3

ways to style our ITEM OF THE MONTH!

Who would ever have thought we’d be wearing the same clothes we were rocking more than a decade ago! 90’s fashion is making a comeback, the denim dungarees, the jelly shoes, the backpack..even the Doctor Martens! The crazy clothes that used to once cause us to cringe have made its return! We’re absolutely loving this denim pinafore dress that it’s got to be our item of the month!

“Comfy + Casual”

“denim overload”

“preppy schoolgirl”

Dress it down with a cool pair of trainers! Add on a camo jacket to give it an edge!

Not everybody can rock the double denim look that will have you standing out from the crowd!

Call this the ‘cool school uniform’ look. Pop on an aran cardigan to finish off the outfit!

What should we style next? Let us know what you want to see next. Tweet us... @TheStylePlaylist

STYLESCOUT Need a new wardrobe but lacking inspiration? The Style Playlist scoured the fashionable city of London to find the best dressed girls of this month! Oh London, the city of style! Which girl looks the best? We couldn’t decide! We absolutely LOVE Kayley’s jeans! Mom jeans are defo one of our fashion faves!

Location: Oxford Street Photography: Leah Johnson

Stella, 22 CHINA

ANTONIA, 19 EAST LONDON

Jacket; Korea, Sweater; Berlin, Trousers; Rokit, Shoes; Office, Bag; eBay

Trousers; Topshop, Denim Shirt; Topshop, Trainers; Choice, Bag; Zara, Jacket; Brick Lane

GRACE, 18 WILTSHIRE

ALICE-MAY, 18 WILTSHIRE

KAYLEY, 20 SOUTH LONDON

Jacket; Vintage, Skirt; Topshop, Top; Zara, Hat; Topshop, Shoes, Office

Top; eBay, Hoodie, Nike, Jacket; Barbour, Skirt, Topshop, Hat; Result Headwear, Shoes; All Star

Jeans; eBay, Shirt; eBay, Trainers; Offspring, Jacket; H&M, Bag; eBay

Island,

Scrufizzer,

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLINGS

Where to find AMN? AMNCLOTHING @AMNCLOTHING AMNC_

a big following behind The Du’Montts because now we’ve got the right kind of music coz we just finished in the studio and we’ve perfected what we want our music to sound like. Millie: It’s just basically about getting to the next level and making music that will be timeless. We don’t want our music to have an age with it, we want everyone to listen to our music, we want Justin Beiber fans to listen to our music, we just wanna appeal to everyone. TSP: If you had to duet with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why? Millie: Oh I have a list, it’d be Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Boyz II Men and hmmm...I’ll love to do a song with Bruno Mars. His new album is so amazing, I’ll just love to do a song with him. TSP: Thank you so much girls and The Style Playlist wish you all the best! Good luck! MORE INFO ON THE DU’MONTTS.... www.thedumontts.co.uk The DuMontts @TheDuMontts

Quick fire questions Nicknames? Hope: Bonnie and Madame! Millie:...or people refer to us as The Katana’s

Favourite food? Hope: Lasagne Millie: Chinese

Favourite song? Hope: Boyz II Men - Don’t let real love pass you by Millie: Stevie Wonder - As

Favourite shop? Millie: H&M Hope: ..we love a bargain!

Celeb crush? Millie: Hope has a massive crush on The Rock, she even has a marriage plan! Hope: Yeah, The Rock! I’m in love with him! Millie: I fancy Bruno Mars, I could take his girlfriend’s place quite easily I think!

Guilty pleasure? Millie: We’re obsessed with The Real Housewives of OC, NY and Beverley Hills!

Biggest fear? Millie: Not getting where we wanna be with our music

Pick 2 of the folllowing; love, health, money Millie: Love and health Hope: No, love and money! Millie: Hope man! What’s wrong with you? Hope: I say love and money..actually, I say health and money! Millie: Hope we’ve gotta have words after this!

bbc.co.uk

What we're listening to... 2

THE

TOP 10 MUSIC CHART

WE LOVE

HOUSE MUSIC B.Traits feat Elisabeth Troy ‘Fever”

You either love it or you hate it but house music is slowly taking over the music scene. The rhythmic sounds have got us cutting a whole lot of shapes! Check out our pick of top 5 hottest house sounds. 1. Playtime Productions “Our Time”

Rudimental feat. Ella Eyre ‘Waiting All Night”

Haim ‘Falling”

2. duke dumont “The giver” 3 . a ppl e botto m “let you” 4. lana del rey “b lue je a n s” ( mk dub ) 5. storm queen

King Krule ‘Rockbottom”

Disclosure ‘You & Me”

Chris Malinchak ‘So Good To Me”

London Grammar ‘Metal and Dust”

James Blake

“look right through” ( mk dub )

‘Retrograde”

The 1975 ‘Chocolate”

M.O. ‘Ain’t Got Time”

MUSIC REVIEWS

5 star music Essential listen Decent stuff Erm... Don’t bother!

Wretch 32 ft Shakka “Blackout” British rapper, Jermaine Sinclair, also known as Wretch 32 is back with his first single off his forthcoming Sophomore album featuring the phenomenal vocals of unsigned artist Shakka. Surely this great collaboration will give Shakka the long-awaited recognition he deserves. Mellow verses are delivered by Wretch 32 accompanied by his outstanding wordplay, along with Shakka’s strong vocals, this is bound to be a winner for the mainstream fans.

Duke Dumont

“Need You (100%)”

Jakwob ft Maiday “Fade”

House producer Duke Featuring the distincDumont has teamed tive, breathy vocals up with MNEK and pop of Maiday. producer princess A*M*E to give Jakwob has stepped us a 90s/techno/house- away from the duby type of tune. With such step that he’s used to, catchy lyrics “I wanna to give us an ambient/ be the one you call drum & bass/minimal everyday and night, sound. The sensuality are you gonna be of Maiday’s voice grabs the one who’s always your attention from the gonna treat me right” very start as she delivmakes it feel like the ul- ers bitter lyrics through timate club classic. The a powerfully captivatchorus is followed by ing performance. Jakmutiple “mmmmms”, no wob has excelled once other words are needed again with this his sumaking you appreciate perb production made the beat when it drops. up of breakbeats and A great dance track! endearing melodies

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Daughter “Human” Breaking away from their usual melancholic vibe of previous songs, “Human” is an upbeat track from their debut album “If You Leave”. Although it’s a more uptempo track it also has a mesmerising sound which screams energy! The vocals of one third of the trio,; Elena Tonro, are perfectly sang over a relaxing acoustic instrumentation which somehow manages to build up momentum to provide an exciting finish towards the end of the song.

James Blake - Overgrown

James Blake is back with his second album, an impressive tracklist which will leave you mesmerized. A lot has change since his last debut album. Blake has ditched the dubstep and has given us a more R’n’B/electronic sound. “Retrograde” has a sultry sound (this is an essential listen!) accompanied by his wonderful falsetto. “Digital Lion” has a house vibe to it whilst “Take A Fall For Me” takes on more of a hip hop style. A phenomenal album full of heartfelt emotion.

Social Medi a +

Alex Day

“...beat Justin

Timberlake in the iTunes chart!

“

ho would ever have thought that the wonders of social media would land you a record deal. Justin Beiber, Esmee Denters and Dondria are amongst the biggest names that have the platform of YouTube to thank for their worldwide fame. They’re no longer YouTube sensations thanks to the likes of Usher, Jermaine Dupri and Justin Timberlake who decided to take them under their wing. But we’re all about UK talent so let’s focus on the best of British! Alex Day, a 24-year old singer/songwriter from Essex is one of Britain’s most popular YouTuber’s. Thanks to his guitar and YouTube channel, the folk/electronic sounding singer managed to beat Justin Timberlake in the iTunes top albums chart! With no record label, no nothing, Alex Day had his YouTube fans for his newly found success. Once upon a time it was all about Myspace, the popular social networking site where

artists would advertise themselves by promoting their music in the hope that they’ll find fame. But it’s safe to say that Myspace is officially DEAD… in this day and age YouTube now seems to be the new way of being discovered.

YOUTUBE STAR OF THE MONTH Courtney Bennett

Singing in the comfort of your own could turn you into a music sensation. Over 4 billion videos are viewed on the video hosting platform aka the opportunity unlocker...and amongst those viewers is a very important person in the music industry somewhere in the world. 22-year-old R’n’B singer, Alexa Goddard, promoted herself through YouTube and managed to get a spot in the UK top 40 chart. Then there’s Ria Ritchie who was spotted by Plan B after he stumbled across her YouTube Channel of Ria singing away in her bedroom. What started off as covering other artists’ songs has now turned into Ria collaborating with the likes of Disclosure along with the release of her album earlier this year. To be a YouTube sensation, you need a huge following behind you. A huge following = the road to discovery. But it’s not only YouTube that can lead you to fame! With the likes of Dropout UK and Link Up TV, there’s a number of ways you can get noticed for your talent! Dropout UK is an online music and entertainment platform from indie to rap to rock to mainstream, it is all about capturing the independent acts the UK has to offer. Then there’s Link Up TV who specialise in unsigned and emerging talent. A newly founded way of gaining fame is through FameTube. Launched in January 2012 the recently born platform dedicates itself to promoting the undiscovered artists who are looking for long awaited recognition...and the best thing about it is its free! So remember, the more you get yourself out there, the higher the chance of you being discovered!

Our YouTube star of the month is 19-year-old Courtney Bennett. The singer/songwriter/lyricist who hails from West London has been singing from the age of 11! Songstress Courtney is known for gracing the YouTube platform with her remixes of various hip hop/R’n’B/neo-soul covers. The ‘modern day Aaliyah’ takes influence from the likes of Lauryn Hill, Marsha Ambrosius and Erykah Badu. Keep your eyes open for this young talent! Where to find Courtney Bennett.. YOUTUBE: “Courtney Bennett UK” SOUNDCLOUD: “Courtney-Bennett” FACEBOOK: “Courtney LDN” TWITTER: @CourtneyLDN

event REVIEW Monday 15th April @ XOYO

Ayanna Witter Johnson

Adam Moss

n Monday 15th April, a number of music lovers came together at XOYO, in London’s Old Street, to support the best in UK home grown talent. The music showcase, entitled; I Luv Live provides a platform for the best upand-coming artists from around the UK, giving them a chance to flaunt what they’re made of. The host Ras Kwame, managed to set the vibe for the evening. The former Radio 1xtra DJ got the crowd ready for what looked to be a promising night. First to take to stage was winner of last months open mic session, Jelisa-Shanel. The singer/songwriter began her set with an original song titled; “Keep Running”. The uptempo reggae/R&B/pop sounding song was followed by a more mellow track; “Wasted”. The songstress explained the slowed down track was about the lows of being in a relationship. The cool, calm and collected JelisaShanel oozed confidence proving she was a worthy winner of the open mic session.

Jelisa-Shanel

crowd with his first song “A Million Problems” inspired b y Jay-Z. Next, the lyricist performed part 1 and 2 of his track “I Know”. The song created a positive atmosphere as the UK hip hop artist managed to capture the audiences attention with his captivating lyrics. After a short 5 minute interval, next to grace the I Luv Live stage was a 5 piece band hailing from Liverpool who go by the name of Mic Lowry. The five fellas who seemed to be a hit with the ladies, pleased the crowd with their perfect harmonies accompanied by the strums of an acoustic guitar. Performing original tracks, “Stand Down” and “Restart”, each individual oozed talent with such impeccable vocals. Their set was brought to an end with a cover of Frank Ocean’s Thinking About You. An amazing group who deserve recognition.

The 4th artist of the night was Adam Moss, a guitar playing, indie artist from Suffolk. The 18-year-old performed a mash up of Wretch 32 Don’t Go along with an original, titled ‘Lights’. An emotional track describing The second act of the night was 23-year-old his journey throughout his musical career. South Londoner, Benjamin AD. The rapper/ songwriter full of wordplay enlightened the Rapper, DVS, was next to take to the stage.

Despite his “gangster-ish” persona, the south London rapper performed a song so subtle. Lyrics about “the hood and true colours” made up his heartfelt song titled “Passion”. His second performance of the night was a remake of Adele’s Hometown Glory where a female with distinctive vocals joined him on stage for a song full of deep meaningful lyrics. Ayanna Witter-Johnson was the 6th artist to bless the stage with her talent. The contemporary soul artist powerfully performed 3 tracks from her new EP, Rise Up. Joined by 3 vocalists along with her cello, this young artist is the definition of original.

just made beat, he was joined on stage by a surprise guest MC, Ghetts. The two managed to perform an amazing musical explosion. The musical showcase was nearing to an end, but not before the open mic session. A part of the show where members of the audience are given a chance to participate and showcase what they’re made of in just 60 seconds. The 1st act was Antique, a young lady who gave her own rendition of Adele’s Someone Like You. Next was Jaime who sang Jasmine Sullivan’s Need You Bad, 3rd act was Joshua, a soul singing youngster who sang a little Stevie Wonder. Next up was AK Rekz, a raw bashment artist. American rapper Zena was the next artist to showcase her 60 seconds of talent, followed by Cameron Jay who had amazing vocal ability. Pascal, a 22-year old with wife and kids was the 7th artist to grace the stage. Singers Chi-Chi and Eden along with rappers Santigo and CJ 100 were the last 4 acts of the open mic session. It was now time for the audience to decide the winner. The top 3 selected were AK Rekz, Eden and Chi-Chi. After careful consideration, R’n’B singer/songwriter Chi-Chi was announced the winner and will get the chance to perform at the next I Luv Live on 20th May.

The last act of the night was Pepstar, a multitalented producer/rapper from East London. Full of raw talent, the youngster who could be referred to as the British Ryan Leslie was a real crowd pleaser. Whilst technical difficulties were being fixed, he provided the audience with a short accapella; “Piece Of Me”. He went on to perform a track called “Winner” with the lovely vocals of Ianna Harvey and a violinist. Next he performed a reggae infused track where he successfully got the crowd to participate. In addition to his in depth freestyles, Pepstar went on to produce a mind blowing beat on stage with sounds of Despite the minor technical glitches, I Luv car components. As he began to rap over his Live was a very successful night.

Mic Lowry

Pepstar and Ghetts

Benjamin AD

The next I LUV LIVE will take place on Monday 20th May @ XOYO with performances from J-SOL - TE - FRANCES WOOD - MELANIN 9 - LEANNE ROBINSON. For tickets go to WWW.ILUVLIVE.CO.UK

They’re two of the biggest bands taking over the electronic music scene but the question is...who’s better? Well let’s find out through a little game of Top Trumps!

Major Lazer

7/10

RUDIMENTAL 34

7/10