News: Glastonbury Festival launches the Emerging Talent Competition

The observant among you may have noticed this year's Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition logo appeared on the blog's sidebar a few weeks back, and yesterday Glastonbury Festival launched the competition.

The Emerging Talent Competition gives new acts based in the UK and Ireland the opportunity to compete for a slot on one of the main stages at the Festival and a £5,000 PRS for Music Foundation Talent Development prize in order to help fund further songwriting and performance development. Two runners-up will also be awarded a £2,500 PRS for Music Talent Development Prize.

Acts have one week to enter, from 9am on Monday 19 January until 5pm on Monday 26 January. The competition is open to all genres and entries can be submitted via the Glastonbury Festival website. Previous winners include Stornaway, The Subways and last year's winners, M+A.

Entries will go through an initial panel of 40 of UK music writers will compile a longlist of 120 acts, and once again I delighted to say that BlackPlastic.co.uk will be one of those writers judging initial entries. The longest is then shortlisted to 8 different acts by a judging panel that includes Michael and Emily Eavis, with the final winning act being decided at a live final at the Pilton Woking Men's Club in April.

Stream: Hope - Silk Cinema

Lovely debut track from 22 year old Tamworth singer Silk Cinema. I am a bit head-over-heels with the soft electronic production on this one - sets off the soulful vocals to beautiful effect. Can't wait for more!

EP Review: 101 Reasons - J-Felix

101 Reasons is a love letter to 80s funk and groove - an impressively infectious slab of synths melodies and reverb soaked drums.

Marking his debut release for Tru Thoughts, Brighton based J-Felix wastes no time demonstrating his musical affection. This title track sounds like pure 80s joy - smooth vocals sets against synthetic drum pads and rough electro bass lines conjur up memories of some of the decade's best sounds. It's derivative, but effective.

Lady T is a little looser, more hip-hop influenced in its swinging beat, p-funk sounds and vocodered vocals. It is a limbered-up but laid back moment of smooth funk.

Finally the EP is closed out in the form of So Nice (It's Got To Be). Big crescendo orchestral synth kicks, rim shots and filtered vocals are played up to the max - equally retro, but sadly ever so slightly less joyous than those two other offerings. Where Lady T and 101 Reasons feel insistent and urgent, So Nice feels just that... Nice. Still, based on two of the three tracks here, J-Felix has delivered an impressive debut and looks like one to watch!

101 Reasons is released through Tru Thoughts on Monday, but you can grab it now from them directly here. Listen to the title track below.

Stream: Thinking About It (ROOM8 Remix) - Just Kiddin'

Doe-eyes pointing at you on this big infectious piece of electronic pop. ROOM8 have a number of remixes under there belt and this new one of Just Kiddin' track Thinking About You has Balearic disco vibes all over it.

Stream: All In My Head - Pat Lok feat. Desirée Dawson

This new single from Vancouver producer Pat Lok sees him partner with label Love & Other and vocalist Desirée Dawson to create a lush new summer-inspired deep house joint. Desirée secured a spot on this track following a random encounter where Pat happened to hear her singing on a street corner in their home city. The resulting track is full of exactly the kind of warm summer house vibes that the UK feels a million miles right now, so stick it on, close your eyes and dream of summer.

Look out for the single from 9 Feb, complete with remixes from Howson's Groove, Gold Fields, Cyclist and SYRE.