The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 1 March

T BREAK 2013 OPENS FOR SUBMISSIONS
Since 1996, T in the Park's T Break stage has offered a vital opportunity for up-and-coming Scottish bands to get their music in front of a gigantic live audience. Over the years, the judges have picked some future titans of the music business to appear on the T Break stage, including Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro. Established bands take the stage alongside the young hopefuls, ensuring a packed crowd. Today, submissions open for T-Break 2013; check the T-Break website for details of how to enter.

A panel of industry insiders – radio DJs, journalists, promoters and label A&Rs – are selected to judge the entries, eventually choosing the cream of the crop to put together this year's bill. Last year saw winning performances from Beerjacket, Nevada Base, Randolph's Leap, Roman Nose and TeKlo, all of whom had a busy year of gigs, recording opportunities and press attention following on from their appearance. Previous years have seen appearances from the varied likes of Conquering Animal Sound, PAWS, United Fruit, and Discopolis.

T Break is open to musicians of all genres and each year attracts talented acts from across the musical spectrum. To get involved entrants must be 18 or over, live in Scotland, and must be currently unsigned – full details on how to submit demos are available here and here. Entries must be submitted before the deadline of midnight on Friday 29th March. Are you planning on entering this year? Or is there an act you would particularly like to see playing this year? Tell us in the comments below.

HASHTAG GENRES MEETS TNGHT & THE BRAINFEEDER FAMILY
In perhaps the most exciting episode yet of Red Bull Music Academy's excellent mini-documentary series on internet-based musical subgenres, the film-makers speak to the extended family of the Brainfeeder label run by Flying Lotus, credited with giving birth to the thriving LA beat scene centred around the club night Low End Theory. FlyLo weighs in with a definition of 'beat,' Gaslamp Killer and Shlohmo explain the significance of MySpace in the creation of Brainfeeder, and TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke and Lunice) explain the philosophy behind their stripped-down productions.  

FESTIVAL WATCH: SONAR TOKYO, SECRET GARDEN PARTY, EXIT DANCE ARENA, END OF THE ROAD
Sónar's plans for world domination continue apace this year – with the original festival still going strong in Barcelona, and sister-festivals taking place in Rejkjavik and São Paulo, as well as the sixth annual outing in Tokyo (6-7 April), and a new 'taster festival' in Osaka, previewing some of the acts to play in Japan's biggest city. Confirmed so far for the Sónar Tokyo event are LFO, Karl Hyde, Sherwood & Pinch, Boys Noize, Darkstar, Actress, Illum Sphere, Om Unit and xxxy, among others. Full lineup so far and tickets here. 

Secret Garden Party (25-28 July), which takes place near Huntingdon, started in 2004, and has gained a reputation as one of the most enjoyable and well-run boutique festivals in the UK. They've just announced their initial lineup, with more to come, featuring live performances from Soulwax, Django Django, Big Youth and Wolf Alice among others, plus DJ sets from Evil Nine, and Mo' Wax founder James Lavelle (AKA UNKLE). In perhaps the wierdest booking of the Summer season, the Secret Garden Party will also feature a lecture from eccentric cultural theorist, former messiah and anti-lizard campaigner David Icke. Details and tickets here.

We've already told you about the lineup for Serbian festival EXIT (10-14 July) – joining recently-announced headliners Atoms For Peace will be dance music stars such as Dubfire, Pan-Pot, Matador and Appolonia. Full details and tickets here.

The End of the Road Festival (30 Aug - 1 Sep) takes place in Dorset, with a focus on well-known alt.rock and experimental bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Warpaint, who eadline this year. They've also got appearances from East India Youth, Ethan Johns, Indians, The Leisure Society, and Cass McCombs. End Of The Road won Best Small Festival in 2011 at the UK Festival Awards - definitely worth your consideration for some tent-based shenanigans this Summer. Full details and tickets here.

NEW MUSIC: TRICKY, TODDLA T
This week the UK hip-hop scene welcomed the return of rapper/producer Adrian Thaws, better known as Tricky. Working with a new singer, Francesca Belmonte, and launching his next album on his new label, False Idols, the undisputed master of pre-grime-era UK hip-hop is back with a vengeance, and on incredible form, if first single Nothing's Changed is anything to go by. The album, also to be titled False Idols, will feature vocal collaborations with Nneka, Peter Silberman (of The Antlers) and Fifi Rong. It is slated for release on 28 May. Grab a free copy of the single from his site, or stream below.

More brand-spanking new esoteric UK hip-hop comes from Toddla T, who has formed a new group with singer Shola Aa, and rappers Serocee and DRS. Called simply Toddla T Sound, the four-piece have already played live in support of Major Lazer, including a set at last year's Bestival. This week they revealed their first track, Worst Enemy, slated for release on 25 March.

NEW VIDEOS: ATOMS FOR PEACE, THE BRONX, MELODY'S ECHO CHAMBER
The new Atoms For Peace video, for the track Ingenue, features some more wonderfully abstract dance moves from Thom Yorke. One of the more reflective cuts from Amok (which we reviewed here), it's a synth-led, minimal track with Yorke's emotive falsetto in fine fettle.

Confusingly-named punk rockers The Bronx (they are from LA, natch) released their fourth album back in January (we reviewed it here), and back in 2011 we gave them a five-star review for a double-header show which saw them play as themselves, and their Mariachi band alter-egos (no, seriously). This week the band unveiled the new video for raucous next single Youth Wasted. Turn it up loud!

Melody's Echo Chamber, aka singer/songwriter Melody Prochet, working in collaboration with Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, impressed our reviewer at last year's Trans Musicales De Rennes festival. Now Prochet has unveiled a new video for standout track Crystallized, which is getting a re-release this month.

FILM PREMIERE TONIGHT: RIOT FROM WRONG
Riot From Wrong is an important new documentary about the 2011 riots in London, produced by young film-makers from across the city in the wake of the violence and looting which followed the police shooting of Mark Duggan. The film, which has already been shown in the Houses of Parliament and up and down the UK, premieres in Glasgow tonight for the first time at Kinning Park Complex, at an event also featuring DJs, dancing, and the first outing of a new collaboration between beatboxer Bigg Taj and singer Anneke. There will also be the chance to put questions to the young film-makers. The event takes place tonight, kicking off at 7pm. It's free, but donations are accepted. Details here.

TRAILERS: THE CONJURING, A FIERCE GREEN FIRE
New haunted house horror The Conjuring comes to you from director James Wan, the man behind the Saw puppet, and director of recent scare-fest Insidious. With his new film, it appears Wan has edged slightly closer to Guillermo Del Toro territory, with what looks like an undertsated, well-designed chiller with the expected 'jump-out-of-your-skin' moments and a more menacing supernatural undercurrent. The trailer, which you can watch below, manages to be pretty terrifying, even though the main supernatural phenomenon is the sound of a hand-clap.

Eco-documentaries are ten a penny these days, but A Fierce Green Fire looks like it has more to offer than the standard talking-heads-over-ruined-landscape-footage formula established by previous entries in the genre. Tracing the origins of grassroots environmental movements using stock footage, interviews and activists' recollections about their various approaches to dissent and raising awareness, it examines the beginnings of movements such as Greenpeace, and features narration fron right-on Hollywood A-listers Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. 

WEEKEND CLUB PICKS: FRANCOIS K & BEN UFO
As per usual, you can get a ten-point round-up of the most unmissable events in the next week from our regular Top Ten Events feature. But in addition to that, here are a couple of very special events happening this weekend which we didn't have room for in the round-up. These are the weekend's hot tickets - get down there if you can!

RINSE FM WINTER TOUR WITH BEN UFO @ SUB CLUB, FRI 1 MARCH
One of the founders of Hessle Audio, respected since 2007 for leading the way in polished, groundbreaking UK bass music, Ben UFO comes to the Sub Club as part of radio station Rinse FM's 2013 Winter Tour for an epic four-hour set. In a rare scenario for a dance music artist, Ben UFO is known purely as a DJ rather than as a producer or remixer. But if you want a taste of why his upfront sets are so sought-after, check his Boiler Room mix below. Event details here.

FRANCOIS K. @ MELTING POT, THE ADMIRAL, 2 MARCH
House fans would be well-advised to try and scope some tickets for legendary French producer/DJ Francois K's rare-as-hen's-teeth appearance at well-loved Glasgow night Melting Pot, alongside residents Andrew Pirie and Simon Cordiner. Francois Kevorkian was a resdient at Studio 54 and the Paradise Garage, and although now approaching his sixties, is still helping to define house music's continued evolution. It's also the 12th birthday party for the 'Pot-heads, and will surely offer a taste of why Melting Pot is one of the club nights that earns Glasgow its reputation as one of the best cities for clubbing in the world. Check out the clip below, which shows Francois K. DJing at last year's Electric Frog. Event details here.

Francois K from EQTV.DJ on Vimeo.