Hello, hello. Short editorial this week, because the weekend has been the sort of busy that ends with cereal for tea. But I will say this: the Set of the Week is an absolute gem. Bakey drops four tracks in the first seven minutes, which is the DJ equivalent of doing nought to sixty before you've found the seatbelt, then tears through UKG, speed garage, breaks and dubstep without once checking his mirrors. Sets like this are the reason this newsletter exists.

Record of the Week: salute - lip service (Extended)

A Record of the Week from Atlantic, one of the biggest pop labels on the planet, rather than some tiny garage imprint run by a guy on ketamine and White Monster? It does feel odd. But there are only so many Reese basslines a man can hear before everything starts to sound the same, and this newsletter was built on one simple rule: “music where bass is the protagonist”. lip service obeys it. Garage-infused production that would sit happily in your sweatiest warehouse, with a brighter, higher-energy edge. Dare I say it, “poppy”. It's a great listen.

Plenty more to get your ears around.

Tom (japanese.knotweed)

The good: Arts Council England is handing DJs and producers £10k to £20k, closing 29 October
Open to anyone earning £5k+ a year from music who isn't signed to a major. Bring 25% match funding and expect an answer by 22 December. Early Christmas present, anyone?
Read it on Arts Council England

The bad: Digbeth's clubs are fighting a £1.75bn rail scheme, and one says moving would cost £100k
XOYO Birmingham, Club Colette and komunal all sit in its path, and komunal says the move is a hit it "may not survive". £1.75bn on trains to a city with nowhere left to go out.
Read it on Mixmag

The ugly: Amazon wants to cut US songwriters' streaming rate to 13.4%
The rate is due to hit 15.35% next year and publishers want 20%. Amazon wants to go backwards. A firm that delivers toasters by teatime, but can't afford the person who wrote the song.
Read it on Complete Music Update

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Bakey @ Mixmag Lab London: I've been clicking around this one like a man hunting for his car keys, because there are so many moments I need to hear again. The drop around 8:10 is simply mind-bending. I'm digging out a full tracklist, so keep an eye on the japanese.knotweed socials. People need to know the bangers.

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