WONGIE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: elderbrook & rudimental - something about you

dir: luke davies

WONGIE INDIE DANCE SONG OF THE WEEK: sub focus & rudimental feat chronixx & maverick sabre - trouble

sub focus & rudimental feat chronixx & maverick sabre - trouble
with so many talented people in on this song you'd think it'd be one big hot mess! but instead the perfect blend includes sub focus kicking up the drum n bass, rudimental on classy musicality, chronixx on a reggae tip (he was just in the area when they recorded his vocals) and maverick sabre soulfully rounding out this mix. it works people! now turn this up!

WONGIE HOUSE SONG OF THE WEEK: rudimental feat j angel - healing

rudimental feat j angel - healing
seemingly out of nowhere, the drum n bass band rudimental have released this deep soul house number which the band have been playing all summer as a crowd favorite. with all the essence of what you love of rudimental tracks (the horns, the soulful vocals - sans breakbeat) this really is 7 mins of club bliss. turn it up!!!

WONGIE SOUL HOUSE SONG OF THE WEEK: rudimental feat anne marie & will heard - rumour mill

rudimental feat anne marie & will heard - rumour mill
so nice to see rudimental working with up and coming UK young soul voices for their latest single 'rumour mill'. taking out their usual drum n bass beats for a low key house groove, this is definitely a fun cool number that lasts into the late night. just wonderful!

VIDEO PREMIERE: rudimental feat foy vance - never let you go

rudimental feat foy vance - never let you go
gearing for the release of their new album 'we the generation', rudimental offer up their latest single with singer songwriter foy vance. it's a more lush drum n bass sound but sadly underusing the songwriting skills of it's vocalist (more lyrics please). hopefully the other album collabs with talents like mnek and lianne la havas will be more brilliant. fingers crossed!

NEW RUDIMENTAL!: rudimental - never let you go

rudimental - never let you go
they're back! the rudimental boys seem to be entering into a more mature sound which incorporates their drum n bass beats but really it's about the lush arrangements surrounding the song. to be honest, the song is a bit too 'catch phrase-y' for my taste, but hopefully their other stuff will be great. we shall see!

youtube music awards videos: ed sheeran & rudimental / kygo & parson james / shamir / fka twigs / charli xcx / martin garrix & usher (video premieres)

after taking a year off, youtube returns with it's video music awards by world premiering 13 new videos by a wide variety of artists, check out some of the musical highlights below:


ed sheeran & rudimental - bloodstream


kygo feat parson james - stole the show


shamir - call it off


fka twigs - glass & patron


charli xcx - famous


martin garrix feat usher - don't look down

WONGIE INDIE DANCE SONG OF THE WEEK: ed sheeran vs rudimental - bloodstream

ed sheeran vs rudimental - bloodstream
giving his new single 'bloodstream' for his buddies rudimental to do a reworking, ed sheeran's latest track turns into a pretty epic drum n bass jam that just needs to be blasted on LOUD. should we start a new genre called acoustic folk dnb? i'm game! damn is this good!!!

THE BRIT AWARDS 2014: beyonce - xo / disclosure feat lorde & aluna george - royals + white noise / bastille & rudimental feat ella eyre - pompeii + waiting all night / ellie goulding - i need your love + burn / katy perry - dark horse / bruno mars - treasure

though i can't say the performances were AMAZING this year, here are some highlights (which will be updated with new ones - so keep coming back!) of last nights event!


beyonce - xo


disclosure feat lorde & aluna george - royals + white noise


bastille & rudimental feat ella eyre - pompeii + waiting all night


ellie goulding - i need your love + burn


katy perry - dark horse


bruno mars - treasure

NEW MIX: rudimental feat becky hill - powerless

rudimental feat becky hill - powerless
it's the album that just keeps on giving! officially single number 6 from their debut 'home', this time the rudimental boys rope in last years drum n bass pop hit 'afterglow' vocalist becky hill (and currently the bands touring partner) to their already impressive collaborations on the album. will there be a single #7?

WONGIE SONG/VIDEO OF THE WEEK: rudimental feat emeli sande - free

rudimental feat emeli sande - free
oh boy, this ticks so many boxes in the things that i love. firstly the beautiful song with the soulful emeli on inspiring vocals. then the video by stu thomson is at once a heartwarming story and also a visual feast in sports videography (extreme sports athlete jokke sommer is cray!) just wonderful stuff here!

WONGIE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: rudimental feat foxes - right here

rudimental feat foxes - right here
shot at the tiger temple in thailand, director josh cole has pretty much given rudimental a short action film with tigers, action and crazy crane shots that are amazing! rudimental has consistently commissioned wonderful storytelling videos that remain in your head way after you've seen it (this one is no different) love this!

WONGIE SOUL SONG OF THE WEEK: john newman - love me again

john newman - love me again
the raspy soulful voice behind the #1 rudimental smash 'feel the love' gets his official first single in the form of this retro soul number that throws in house chords and a killer bridge breakdown. the whole experience is pure joy and ecstatic in the best of ways. i can't wait to hear the rest of this debut now!

HOT COVER: rudimental - now (paramore cover) (live @ bbc radio 1 live lounge)

rudimental - now (paramore cover) (live @ bbc radio 1 live lounge)
the wonderful rudimental posse add some reggae flava on paramore's current rock anthem 'now', not only do they put a wonderful spin on the track, but they also throw in a bit of bob marley's "sun is shining" to the mix. gosh i love these live lounge sessions!

WONGIE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: rudimental feat ella eyre - waiting all night

rudimental feat ella eyre - waiting all night
BMX champion kurt yaeger lost a leg to an accident back in 2006 and through sheer determination and with the support of his buddies, the guy found his joy back. it's a pretty amazing journey and it's all captured (re-enacted perhaps...) here for this wonderful new tune by rudimental. awesome!

WONGIE FM: Best of 2012 #1-10

 Best of 2012: #1-10

1. Disclosure feat Sam Smith – Latch
Slinky and sexy and smoldering in the best of ways! This was the song that made evenings exciting and perfectly soulful. Throw in the fact that these UK dj producers are just so smart with the musical twists throughout the track and you have, in my book, the best thing of 2012!

2. Fun. – We Are Young feat Janelle Monae / Some Nights / Carry On
I honestly thought these guys were a one hit phenom, but then anthemic song after anthemic song came out of their debut album and well... it was too wonderful to ignore. Easily the best songwriters of 2012 and the strongest debut of last year too.

3. Usher – Climax
I just wanna make things clear, I'm not a fan of most of Usher's songs, but THIS diplo produced slow burn just crept in and just lingered. It was probably too subtle for fans of cheesy r&b, which is why it didn't do so well, but damn I blasted this over and over and over again throughout the year.

4. Rita Ora – R.I.P. / How We Do
Easily the best pop gal of 2012, Rita Ora brought her London streetwise sense to her music, offering songs that leaned just a little to cool-town but not too much to alienate soul pop fans. Throw in the fact that she is damn gorgeous (that smile!) and you have one of THE debuts of the year. Now lets party and bullshit!

5. Jessie Ware – 110% (If You’re Never Gonna Move) / Wildest Moments
There was an easy reason why Jessie Ware's beautiful soulful voice and dynamic debut got her a nominee slot in the prestigious Mercury Prize, her mere presence on the music scene offered a voice that was at once exciting and fresh, but also mature and heartfelt. Speaking of the latter, "Wildest Moments" was born to be THE love theme for a soundtrack! Someone make it happen already!

6. Rudimental feat John Newman – Feel The Love
2012 offered up the return of drum n bass (or whatever the new term is called these days) and no other track celebrated that return than with this #1 smash by Rudimental. What made the song even more amazing is the subtle intro of jazz influences that eventually overtakes the song by the end (it's 2 songs in one yo!) Just brilliant!

7. The Lumineers – Hey Ho / Stubborn Love
Taking the reins of the collective roots musicana movement, the Lumineers specialize in singalongs that you don't feel stupid wailing along to. I discovered them on a TV show (which shall be nameless since it would kill any street cred I have ;) but, they soon, like for many people, became part of my soundtrack of 2012. Making rustic cool for the masses, I sure love these guys.

8. Stars – Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It
Thanks to Stars, THIS was my mantra of 2012. Whether this is because I've hit that age that every song offers up a reason to contemplate my life or the fact that I love songs that remind me of the 80's, you can't NOT get a chill when you hear the lyrics, "Take the weakest thing in you and then beat the bastards with it. And always hold on when you get love so you can let go when you give it." Brilliant. 

9. Emeli Sande – Next To Me / My Kind of Love / Naughty Boy feat Emeli Sande - Wonder
My favorite artist of 2012 was also one of my favorite acts of 2011, so Emeli Sande has done a solid job of keeping my love for 2 years running (no wonder her debut is the biggest selling album in the UK for 2012!) With song after song telling stories that I completely relate to, Emeli is a powerhouse that will only get bigger in the years to come. Love.

10. Alex Clare – Too Close
Who'd have thought that Internet Explorer would actually help someone? Reviving interest in a song that was considered dead back in 2011, "Too Close" quickly got picked up again by radio stations and ended up one of biggest songs of 2012 (one that had a dubstep bass during the chorus, how's that for crossover!) But the true reason for it's success is Alex's soulful growl that just rips through the breakup song. Powerful and exciting, this song has no place BUT in the top 10 for 2012!

want to hear the rest of the chart? check them out with each click below:
#1-10
#11-20
#21-30
#31-40
#41-50
#51-60
#61-70

2013 ONE TO WATCH: angel haze - werkin girls / gossip folks / love of my life / hell could freeze

get ready for the world domination of brooklyn based female rapper, angel haze. kicking into the scene this year with her highly popular underground mixtapes, angel haze is working on being an artist that is uncategorizable, which means collaborating with surprising producers (check out her track with drum n bass superstars rudimental below) and writing highly personal songs about her troubled childhood. all this love with no official commercial release yet, but it'll happen! you have been warned!
angel haze - werkin girls

angel haze - gossip folks (missy elliot) from the awesome classick mixtape, check out angel's flow as she raps over missy's classic track!

angel haze - love of my life (erykah badu)
nice to hear angel's vocals, adding to her ability for all around domination in 2013!

angel haze x rudimental - hell could freeze
working with the hotter than hot rudimental!

10 SONGS YOU NEED TO BE OBSESSED WITH NOW: rudimental feat john newman & alex clare - not giving in

rudimental feat john newman & alex clare - not giving in
somehow the boys of rudimental found a way to match the genius of their uk #1 summer hit 'feel the love' with this melancholic soul n bass gem featuring the hardened vocals of john newman AND alex clare. of course the jazz influences are filtered throughout the beats and the level of genius continues to shine with this act. can you tell i'm a fan?

WEEKEND CATCH UP: rudimental feat john newman - feel the love

rudimental feat john newman - feel the love
[sure it sets itself up as your standard top 40 drum 'n' bass track (actually it's a UK #1!), but it totally exposes it's soul jazz leanings with a trumpet and an all male choir, transforming the song into something totally different by end! kind of genius really!]