The 2007 Brit Awards winners were announced yesterday via ITV1 in the UK. And we're elated to relay that Amy Winehouse and James Morrison picked up Best Female and Male Artist of the year. And aside from the onslaught of rock acts who dominated the awards (see Arctic Monkeys and The Killers ), Nelly Furtado was recognized as the Best International Female Solo Artist. If the awards were the last thing on your mind last night or you don't own a...

Ken Batie (1960 - 2007), best known for his contemporary jazz show on Atlanta’s WCLK Jazz 91.9 FM called "Hot Ice In The Afternoon," passed away Monday, February 12th. He will be remembered for turning the next generation of listeners onto jazz and soul music, having broken many Giant Step-family artists like India Arie, Omar, Donnie, Incognito, Brand New Heavies, and Jiva , while pushing the boundaries of WCLK’s strict jazz repertoire by playing...

Talib Kweli , a truly independent artist in 2007 so far, has not only self-released a collaborative record with Madlib but also just finished the video for his second single "More or Less." The track features Talib's right-hand producer Hi-Tek , and the video, which was funded by his indie label Blacksmith records, is said to have used green-screen technology in spite of its smaller budget. Kweli declared,...

The Rapture's new label, Throne of Blood , will spill February 16th at hipster club Studio B in Brooklyn. The night kicks off the debut of not only their new label but also the re-incarnation of the band, who will perform their first-ever live electronic set. The celebration will be broadcast live via Viva-Radio.com so those who can't be in the NYC area can still check in and catch their new sound. Riding high on 2006's...

Last night at the 49th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Gnarls Barkley , who performed during the show, stood up and took a bow not once, but twice, for both Best Alternative Music Album for St. Elsewhere and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Crazy." For their perforamance, Cee-Lo and Dangermouse did a slowed down rendition of their pop hit dressed as pilots with a 16-piece backing orchestra. Other...

As we approach the one year anniversary of J Dilla's (R.I.P.) death, we'd like to take a moment of silence in remembrance. And then we'd like to let you know about all of the tribute nights around the world where you can hear his works in the appropriate environment with the right people. If you missed Monday's tribute at APT (NYC) with Spinna and Waajeed of the Platinum Pied Pipers – which was a complete success despite the 10 degree weather – you can catch...

Viennese G-Stone artists Makossa & Megablast are following up their 2006 dutty club shaker "Kunakua" with a full length of the same name (out in March). Having already gained the support of a phalanx of DJ's including Rainer Truby, Gilles Peterson, Michael Ruetten and Laurent Garnier , M&M's debut effort aims to please the same discerning DJ's and fans. The album is heavily influenced by dub and African music while remaining well grounded in an...

Louie Vega , one half of Masters at Work and Nuyorican Soul and long time Giant Step friend outdid himself last Sunday, performing original material at the Super Bowl XLI pre-game show. With Cirque du Soleil acrobatics and Vega's flashy-yet-authentic latin music, the pre-game show took on a much more festive air than years past, despite the unfavorable rainfall. Here is clip of Louie Vega and Elements of Life band performing at the Super Bowl....

"I CALLED THIS "BIRD FLU" BECAUSE THIS BEAT GON KILL EVERYONE!!" blogged Sri Lankan (via London) MC M.I.A. a half year ago. At last, she’s posted her "new" song "Bird Flu" on MySpace and the accompanying video (which she personally funded) on YouTube (see below). It’s sure to cause a...

On March 26th, Matthew Herbert will release Score (!K7), a compilation showcasing several of his film soundtrack productions – many which have gone unreleased and even a couple that got rejected as demos. Included in the 17-song CD is also a ballet written for performance art piece "Set Boundaries." Herbert is a true believer in electronic and found-sound music as more than simply dance floor wallpaper. And aptly in his consummate style, Matthew's sampling...