The much-loved Hi-Lo Jamaican Eating House has been an established fixture on the Cowley Road for over 30 years, and its unique charm is known all over the world. It holds a special place in the hearts of locals, students, academics and musicians alike. In an area which has changed greatly in recent years, the Hi-Lo is an East Oxford institution and a community hub – a genuine independent local business where people can enjoy good food and drink, music and company into the small hours.

Oxford City Council’s Environmental Health department are recommending that the City Council’s licensing committee reduce the Hi-Lo’s hours from 0200 to 00.30, with no special function nights and to remove live and recorded music as a licensable activity from the licence. They claim that the restaurant and bar is causing a public nuisance and that the management will not comply with any newly imposed licence conditions.

The venue’s licencees have taken notice of complaints and have recently installed sound insulation in the walls and between the floors above the restaurant. This is in addition to the existing acoustic lobby and triple glazing. They are looking at further ways to reduce the noise that can escape.

We ask that these steps be acknowledged, along with the high esteem in which people regard the Hi-Lo, and that Oxford City Council approve the venue’s license.

For those that haven’t guessed, the Hi-Lo was the primary inspiration for this video.

THE DROP
Championed by David Rodigan, and according to DJ Derek, “The best thing to come out of Reading since Huntly and Palmers biscuits”. It’s been a couple of years since the now London-based 8-piece last graced the Skylarkin’ stage; since then they’ve wowed audiences and won fans at festivals all over the country, including a marathon five night stint at Secret Garden Party and a roof raising appearance at Boomtown Fair. Expect booming basslines, rocking roots and culture, extra echo-chamber and soul-drenched vocals.

MR BENN & MC SOULS LIBERATION
A regular visitor to Skylarkin’ since he first rocked our Brixton residency in 2006, we love Mr Benn. Accompanied by MC Souls Liberation, this bashmanic duo also form one half of Bristol Hi-Fi (along with Queen Bee & Massive Attack’s Daddy G). Get ready for some serious dancehall bounce.

COUNT SKYLARKIN
Count Skylarkin is a cartoon character. He likes drinking Super Juice and socialising with friends.

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Skylarkin’ Soundsystem
Friday 3rd February at The Cellar, Frewin Court, Oxford
9pm-3am | £5 advance/door
Facebook event

DJ FORMAT
+ Indecision + more

The south coast’s finest makes his first appearance in Oxford for some years courtesy of Count Skylarkin & Peepshow Paddy’s festival-conquering side-arm – the Disco Shed Soundsystem.

Mix-tape maestro, producer extraordinaire, one-time Jurassic 5 tour bus driver (true!) and one of the best DJs around – with his third album Statement Of Intent about to drop, we can’t wait to get DJ FORMAT down The Cellar. Strictly limited advance tickets are just £5 from wegottickets.com. Arrive early!

www.djformat.com/ / www.discoshed.com / www.wegottickets.com
10pm-3am / £5 adv

Facebook event

www.skylarkinsoundsystem.com / www.soundcloud.com/count-skylarkin
The Cellar 10pm-3am / £5 (£4 advance/before 11pm)
Facebook event

A long time ago, I had an idea for a reggae remix. I messed around with doing it live in my DJ sets, then enlisted my friend Harvey K-Tel, who turned a sketchy notion into a rocket-fuelled junglist reality. A major label signed us and gave us some cash. Then they forgot about us, and we spent two more years trying to get our tune back so we could release it. Happily, we spent the aforementioned cash on a video. Massive thanks to Seb Burnett and Joe Wood at Rumpus Animation. The 12″ is finally out in January 2012, but you can download it now for one week only from Juno.

DJ DEREK
DJ Derek is not the standard turntable spinner: he used to be an accountant, has a major cardigan habit and is now 69 years young! Derek started his love affair with music in the 1950′s as a washboard player in a skiffle band, before taking up the drums. Realising his taste was contrary to popular music and not enjoying the “wishy washy rock ‘n’ roll” of that era, he turned to the R&B sounds coming out of black America.

In the thirty-odd years that followed, Derek not only packed up the drums and saw the end of his accountancy career at a chocolate factory, but took the bizarre step to become DJ Derek. Influenced bythe influx of Caribbean immigrants to his native Bristol, he began to explore the “Sweet Memory Sounds” of ska and reggae. Since then whether satisfying large crowds around the world or punters at a back street St Pauls pub, DJ Derek has continued to blow away audiences with his unique selections.

His blend of reggae, dub and ska has made him an icon for many in the industry, including a host of Jamaican producers and Massive Attack. This ska and reggae maestro creates an unusual act – a middle aged white man in a suit and tie who MCs in Jamaican patois and has an incredible collection of 35,000 reggae, ska and dancehall tracks all transferred from vinyl to minidisc.

COUNT SKYLARKIN
Count Skylarkin stumbled into DJing in the late 90’s after his mixtapes proved a hit with customers at a South London cafe. The lauded DJ, promoter, garden shed enthusiast and all-round dapper dan behind Skylarkin’ Soundsystem, an hour in the company of the Count guarantees jumpin’ jivin’ rockin’ swingin’ reggae, ska, soul, dancehall and rhythm & blues, turntablism, hip hop acapellas, aching feet and grins all round.

LAID BLAK (onstage 11pm)
Regular visitors to these parts ever since they first crossed paths with Count Skylarkin on The Wailers UK tour in 2009, Laid Blak have established a reputation as one of the foremost reggae bands in the country. Tracks like ‘Red’ and ‘Bristol Love’ have found their way onto national radio to become modern-day UK dancehall classics. Most recently, the patronage of Ed Sheeran has brought the 7-piece to their widest audience yet. Onstage at 11pm sharp, you really won’t want to be missing Laid Blak.

Listen:
RED http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqW_oCa5slw
BRISTOL LOVE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BSpJ2-8Lu8

PLUS
COUNT SKYLARKIN & INDECISION
Desta-Nation DJs vs House of Roots
Trashy DJs in Room Two

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REGGAE CHRISTMAS 2011
Christmas Eve at O2 Academy, Oxford
10pm-3am | £8 advance/£9 door
www.o2academyoxford.co.uk
Facebook event

EAST PARK REGGAE COLLECTIVE
East Park Reggae Collective have been rocking crowds in their native Leeds and beyond since they were formed in 2005 by Johnny Tomlinson and Gentlemen’s Dub Club and Submotion Orchestra’s Tommy Evans. In the years since the 9-piece have performed at festivals all over Europe, and now boast a four part horn section behind the sultry vocals of Anna Stott. The 2011 line-up features Oxfordian Rowan Perkins on drums (aka Debian Blak – original sticksman Evans left the band in 2008) and the band’s debut long player ‘Three Stripe Science’ is out this month on First Word Records.

JSTAR
Unbelievably this is a first ever appearance at The Cellar for our old buddy JSTAR. Famed for his remixes and re-edits, JSTAR is a fixture at Outlook Festival and has plied his trade right across the continent. If reggae, hip hop, dubstep, dancehall and moombahton is your thing, look no further.

COUNT SKYLARKIN
Count Skylarkin spends his days humming rocksteady, tapping his fingers to drum & bass and his toes to dubstep. If that sounds a little disjointed then it’s probably because he’s got the radio on 5live. He is dead good at DJing though.

SNSBLDNCHL DJs
Authors of the terrific SNSBLDCHL blog and hosts of The Library’s ‘Lord ‘av Mercy’, get down early for some serious roots, dub and dancehall selections.

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Skylarkin’ Soundsystem
Friday 2nd December at The Cellar, Frewin Court, Oxford
9pm-3am | £5 advance/door

DJ DEREK
DJ Derek is not the standard turntable spinner: he used to be an accountant, has a major cardigan habit and is now 69 years young! Derek started his love affair with music in the 1950′s as a washboard player in a skiffle band, before taking up the drums. Realising his taste was contrary to popular music and not enjoying the “wishy washy rock ‘n’ roll” of that era, he turned to the R&B sounds coming out of black America.

In the thirty-odd years that followed, Derek not only packed up the drums and saw the end of his accountancy career at a chocolate factory, but took the bizarre step to become DJ Derek. Influenced bythe influx of Caribbean immigrants to his native Bristol, he began to explore the “Sweet Memory Sounds” of ska and reggae. Since then whether satisfying large crowds around the world or punters at a back street St Pauls pub, DJ Derek has continued to blow away audiences with his unique selections.

His blend of reggae, dub and ska has made him an icon for many in the industry, including a host of Jamaican producers and Massive Attack. This ska and reggae maestro creates an unusual act – a middle aged white man in a suit and tie who MCs in Jamaican patois and has an incredible collection of 35,000 reggae, ska and dancehall tracks all transferred from vinyl to minidisc.

THE ERIN BARDWELL COLLECTIVE
The Erin Bardwell Collective play proper, authentic ska, rocksteady and early reggae and have collaborated with a myriad of legendary acts, from the fabled Studio One engineer Sylvan Morris to The Selecter’s Neol Davies. The band have delighted audiences all over Europe and even recorded at Byron Lee’s studio in Jamaica. Onstage 11pm sharp – not to be missed!

COUNT SKYLARKIN
More bounce from The Count, ready to rock The Cellar once more after a summer schedule that saw him play no fewer than 13 major music festivals.

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Skylarkin’ Soundsystem
Friday 4th November at The Cellar, Frewin Court, Oxford
10pm-3am | £5 advance/door

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STAY IN FOR FREE IF YOU BUY A TICKET FOR INTRODUCING PLAY MR SCRUFF BEFOREHAND
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Dub Of A Preacherman – Count Skylarkin & Harvey K-Tel by Count Skylarkin

…and the b-side…

Count Skylarkin & Harvey K-Tel – Freak U Higher by Count Skylarkin

Stay tuned.