HipHop 32 | Cork

LiveStyles Fest 2012

This coming June bank holiday weekend holds the return of LiveStyles Fest to Cork city. This year sees the second standing of the hugely successful independent HipHop festival.

Taking place once again in and around the streets of Cork from the 1^st to the 4^th of June, the LiveStlyes Fest welcomes a host of national and international Break-dancers, Rappers, Graffiti Artists and DJ’s to the city.

The weekend festival line up includes a breakdance contest – Sick Steps

A graffiti jam – Just Writing My Name

A Youth Showcase and many more gigs, workshops and contests.

These events have international appeal with artists from Ireland, France, Poland, England, Scotland, South Africa & Nigeria. One of the highlights is the well known Sick Steps breakdance battle which is being judged by legendary breakdancer RawB and with competitors like LB & Juji taking part. In an effort to kick-start Corks breakdancing scene the judges will also be teaching workshops and giving seminars in Flava Floors Dance Studio.

Top international and Irish graffiti artists such as UK based Bonzai, Kak, Ventza & Deus, French artist Rems and Drogheda originated TDA Klann will all attend Just Writing My Name.

A quick run down of the schedule is as follows ;

Everyday :

- Just Writing My Name – Graffiti jam workshops with artists such as Bonzai, Kak, Rems, Ventza and many more

Friday :

- Opening Party @ The Pavilion Bar 10pm – A meet and greet for all those taking part and enjoying the happenings with Stevie G on the decks.

Saturday :

- Lil LiveStyles @ Pavilion – 12 noon – Under 18s event to give those up and coming a stage experience at graffiti, emcees and DJing

- Sick Steps @ Pavilion – 4pm – The renowned and well known B-Boy battle

- Free HipHop Gig @ Pavilion – 9pm – Sons Phonetic gig with support from Good Vibes Society

- LiveStyle X Crucial Party @ Pavilion – 11pm – HipHop club night with a live graffiti 2on2 battle

Sunday :

- Rap Roulette @ Pavilion – 2pm – Series of battles with some of cork’s finest and also performances from Spekulativ Fiktion, Good Vibe Society, GMC and Ophelia

- LiveStyles BBQ @ The Sextant – 5pm – BBQ with sounds from DJ’s Deviant, JusMe, DJ 1Up and Itchy Tha Killa

- Hypnotic Brass Ensemble @ Pavilion – 9pm – Performance from the legendary nine piece Chicago based brass group

- Closing Party @ Pavilion – 11pm – ’03/’04 I.T.F. World Scratch Champion DJ Flip plays a set to close out the fest in true style

Again this year the festival is being organised by Ross Herlihy & Adam O’Connor who are really making a solid presence in bringing back the HipHop scene to Cork and the nation. If your a HipHop head or just someone after a good weekend with some proper music based entertainment, then Cork can guarantee just that this bank holiday weekend. Soul, Funk, Disco, Breaks and more in a HipHop blend. Get to LiveStyles Fest.

You can check out LiveStyles on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/LiveStylesFest

On their website

http://livestylesfest.com/

You can Find Flava Floors on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FlavaFloors

Spekulativ Fiktion & K-Snatch – My Habitat

Cork natives Spekulativ Fiction and K-Snatch have joined forces and have just released their first track together, My Habitat.

Spekulativ Fiction is from Passage West and is a dedicated emcee and beatmaker, he released his first EP last year Living Proof That The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword to great acclaim. K-Snatch hails from Ballypheane and is a well known emcee for his battling in DFI and is also a member of the Cork group Rebel Faction.

The guys have teamed up to work together and release a joint effort, the Ritual EP, over the next few months. This is the first release from that upcoming project.

The track was produced by Spekulativ Fiction and starts with a raw sounding guitar sample chopped and looped which forms the basis of the track. The intro is fed well as some rhythmic toms build it until the main beat enters and Spek drops in first with his verse. Obviously well comfortable on his flow and with the beat, he delivers a good liquid verse with some nice couplets ;

fuck gimmicks

Im leaving you flat on your ass like a slab of guinness,

slap you cross’ the face with it

then proceed to drink it till the whole thing is finished

its witchcraft, my crafty ways are wicked

The drums on this track go very well over the sample and are used well as they switch up and drop in and out to change up the track and emphasise certain parts. Spekulativ is certainly aware of how to work the beat off the vocal.

The chorus comes next which is split between the two emcees. K-Snatch is on the first part where he drops a great two bar section ;

Snatch and Spek stay raw spitting classic raps,

we breath that holy type of high, we’re wafting in the back of mass

The last verse is K-Snatch’s and with no let up, the flow stays constant keeping the tempo as he ebbs back n forth over the catchy beat dropping his own flavour in his lyrics such as ;

Snatch is dope

keeping it underground like catacombs.

On a Spek beat

dirtier than tattered robes.

Not your average bloke,

session in the nude and

my saliva’s poisonous,

I breastfed off Medusa

This is the first release from the duo, coming off the future EP Ritual and if the rest of the tracks are anything like this, it will prove to be a smash. The guys will be releasing a video for the track soon. In the meantime they are going to be doing some live shows incorporating live drumming, scratching and noise artists. Stay posted for more from these guys repping for Cork.

LiveStyles Fest 2012

Spekulativ Fiktion & K-Snatch – My Habitat

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