IRON LYON - GET WELL SOON!!!

Our homey and newest member of the Faction - DJ Iron Lyon headed down to Miami at the beginning of this month for what was to be a sunny winter away from New York City filled with new residencies at huge Miami clubs and tons of beach action. Three days after arriving to Miami he purchased a scooter, pictured above, to get around town and B-line for the beach. Miami life at any price came to a smashing halt though when a city bus side swiped and then ran over our boys arm the day after his purchase. 12 days later we finally heard from Iron Lyon who had been recovering in a Miami hospital with an arm that was broken in four places. He's doing ok now but with not much feeling in one of his hands - djing is out of the question for now until his arm heals more and he goes through some rehab. We're all hoping that things will be back to normal by mid January and he'll be back on the wheels destroying it like only he can. HEAL UP and stay safe homey...and LAWSUIT too!!! Hahaa...we wish you all the best and a speedy recovery.

Tony Matterhorn Faction Dubplate Session (video)

So we been chillin and illin lately but not really bloggin at all...took a lil hiatus but we've got lots to tell still. Lets get you caught up. The Tony Matterhorn concert that happened this past November 11th was wicked and Matterhorn smashed it. Before the show we linked up with him to cut some dubs. Here's one of the dubplates we cut - Tony Matterhorn's 2010 banger "Madd" on the Sprite Riddim which he also helped produce.

RAP at Calabash w/ the Faction - Friday November 12, 2010

After almost a decade in the business, the Faction has finally come together to put down a Party. If it goes well we'll be doing it as a monthly or bi-weekly. The first episode of RAP takes place at Calabash this Friday with DJs Arems and Tanner dropping nothing but Golden Era Hip Hop and good Rap music all night til 2am. The city has been lacking a good Friday where you can hear Rap music for a while now so lets take it back and drop some shit to make your head nod. It's 5 bucks to get in and we'll be celebrating my birthday so we don't wanna hear your shitty excuse if you were thinking of not coming. If you haven't checked out Calabash yet - you've been missing out. This two level spot features a Caribbean restaurant upstairs and a spacious club in the basement. It's located at 428 Carrall Street between Pender and Hastings - around the corner from Fortune downtown Vancouver. Come thru, eat, drink, dance and celebrate. DOO THISS!

Tony Matterhorn w/ Razz n Biggy plus DJ Arems at Motel Nightclub Thursday November 11 in Vancouver

For the first time ever, Tony Matterhorn will be reaching all the way to Vancity to do a show with Razz n Biggy at Boom Blast inside Motel Nightclub this up coming Thursday. I'll be djing as well alongside Lt. Irie plus we'll be celebrating my Birthday which is that actual day - so come thru!!! Matterhorn will be performing all of his hits including Dutty Wine, Goodas, Sidung Pon It and brand new chunes as well. Tickets are only $25 so make sure to be there and support Vancouver's Dancehall scene. You can link me for tickets or cop them at Dipt or online at CLUBZONE.COM Peep what Tony's special message for Vancity:

Legendary Dancehall Artist SHINEHEAD w/ DJs JFX and Arems at Fortune Nov 3, 2010

This Wednesday November 3rd don't miss the legendary Shinehead with guests DJ JFX and DJ Arems. First 50 pre-sales available now for only $7!!! Carl Aiken a.k.a. “Shinehead”/ “2Face”, began his artistic career circa in 1980, via the dancehall sound systems of New York where he paid dues until March of 1988 when he was signed to Elektra Records with the help of his long time friend – the legendary: “Jam Master Jay” of hip-hop pioneers: “Run DMC”. Already coming to the majors with a name for himself, not to mention tremendous talent, charisma and statesmanship, he stayed with Elektra Records until January 1995. In conversing with Shinehead and watching his concert, you get the idea of an articulate, yet “rough-n-rugged”, real-live, charming ragamuffin Peter Pan. His songs and live performances are generously seasoned with high energy, humor, plain old common sense, harsh reality, socio-economic commentary, matters of the heart, positive coaching in self esteem, especially for children & adolescents, tastefully done covers, craftily done twists of familiar tunes and yes his own brilliant originals.

In lieu of the show, I put together this mix featuring 6 Shinehead chunes, 6 Faction Dubplates and 6 more huge foundation chunes you should be familiar with. Grab the mix here!

DJ Arems - Fiyah Foundation ft Shinehead

1. Shinehead - Rough and Rugged
2. Burro Banton – Boom Wa Dis
3. Tenor Saw – Golden Hen
4. Half Pint – Substitute Lover (Faction Dubplate)
5. Shinehead – Billy Jean
6. Shinehead – I Just Called To Say I Love You
7. Ed Robinson – Knocking On Heavens Door
8. Terry Linen – Worlds Greatest (Faction Dubplate)
9. Buju Banton – Murderer (Faction Dubplate)
10. Johnny Osbourne – Little Sound Boy
11. Capleton – Jah Jah City (Faction Dubplate)
12. Barrington Levy – Unda Mi Sensi
13. Marlon Asher – Ganja Farmer (Faction Dubplate)
14. Shinehead – Collie Weed
15. Ninja Man – Murder Dem
16. Junior Reid – One Blood (Faction Dubplate)
17. Shine Head- Gimme No Crack
18. Shinehead – Start An Avalanche

Free Up Two Year Anniversary at Shine Nov 3, 2010

Dancehall night at Shine has been THEE night for fans of Jamaican music for over 9 years. As the night formerly known as Bruk Out began to dwindle in numbers a few years ago a new energy was brought to the night by Loud Entertainment and it's unstoppable line up of residents for the night. For two years now DJs Rexx, Hoppa, Chizzle and Arems have been nicing up the dance with big chunes and many a dubplate. Free Up is the only night you'll see big DJs from across the globe rolling thru to bless the dance floor and regular dub fi dub mini sound clashes between Vancouver's various Sound crews. Make sure you're there this Wednesday as we celebrate two years of pure FIYAAH with special guest sets from DJ Grafta and the Faction's own DJ Tanner. Hit up @djarems or @djtannervan for guestlist on twitter or on Face Book.

Iron Lyon - Inna Dancehall Stylee Mix CD

New Faction Sound Crew member DJ Iron Lyon put this mix together recently for all the dancehall heads. The mix ranges from old school to the latest hits and includes a few Faction dubplates for good measure. Download this boom bam bang mix and enjoy yo self.

Iron Lyon - Inna Dancehall Stylee

New Dancehall Night Starts This Thursday Oct 21st - BOOM BLAST

A brand new night to catch Reggae, Dancehall and a lil Soca starts this Thursday October 21st at Motel nightclub (fomerly the Wild Coyote). Residents DJ Arems and Rico Uno will be joined by guests each week starting out with Lt. Irie this week plus special perfomances by Jahfus and B-Kenyan. Lots of good drink specials, Stevie Ranks on the mic and a brand new club playing Boom Blast big bad chunes til 3am every Thursday. DOO THISS! Huge concert announcement coming soon - stay tuned.

New Faction Sound Crew Member - IRON LYON

I'm not sure why it took us so long to announce our new Faction Sound Crew member Iron Lyon but it's definitely over due. Many of you have noticed his name mentioned in our dubplates and some of you have gotten the chance to meet him. We've been linking up with Iron Lyon for over a year now and put him down with the team this past summer. Iron Lyon is an accomplished DJ and MC with many residencies in New York City and a brand new EP out on Fat Beats Records. We first met in New York through our mutual homie DJ Theory and collaborated on a few gigs in Brooklyn last year. Since then Iron Lyon has come through Vancouver and Toronto and is poised to make another pass through Vancity in November. Here's a rundown of his bio:

Iron Lyon Bio

Rocking the turntables since he was 14, Iron Lyon has produced numerous mixtapes, toured Japan as well as the U.S. & found his home in NYC for the last decade where he has become a well-known mixtape & club DJ. Lyon combines his roots in turntablism, his natural party rocking skills & his knack for reading a crowd spinning a diverse blend of hip hop, reggae, r & b, classics, electro and more. Recently Iron Lyon has DJ’d alongside the likes of DJ Premier, Questlove, Q-Tip, Funkmaster Flex, Kid Capri, Biz Markie and many more at large venues including Santos, Brooklyn Bowl & his current residency Greenhouse. Iron Lyon also has recorded & released two full-length albums featuring artists like Sean Price, Craig G, C-Rayz Walz, Ed O.G. & Slim Kid Tre where he showcases his lyrical abilities as well as his scratching skills. In addition, Lyon works in the South Bronx as a teacher for an after school program called Urban Art Beat where students learn to write, record & perform as well as music production & dance. Whether it’s from behind the turntables, on the microphone or in the classroom, Iron Lyon is dedicated to the art form, to the people & to the music.

In the coming weeks we'll be posting material from Iron Lyon including mixtapes and tracks but for now you can get to know him by downloading his first LP and the new single of his latest EP. Make sure you cop the new Foundation EP on Itunes or Amazon or even purchase it on VINYL. For more info on Iron Lyon visit his website IRONLYON.COM

DOWNLOAD Iron Lyon's "Time Capsule" LP


DOWNLOAD the first single of Iron Lyon's latest EP "The Foundation":

Iron Lyon- Keep On ft. Slim Kid Tre (of The Pharcyde)

Elephant Man Faction Dubplate Video Plus Vancouver Concert Footage

Elephant Man came through Vancouver with surprise guest Bramma and tore down a show October 3rd at Caprice. Some video of that show is viewable below. Faction Sound Crew linked up with them a few days later for a HUGE dubplate session. We asked for "Too Bad Mind" but the riddim wasn't available so we went for Haters Wanna War on the Buzz riddim. Watch what Ele does on the second verse! A BIG CHUNE!

Here's a a recap of the entire Vancity concert as well.

Remembrance Day Party at Fortune with Dj Tanner and Dj Psychology

Wed November 10 at Fortune Sound Club is gonna be a big night everybody!! Not only is the next day a holiday and is Dj Tanner gonna be ripping the decks but the hommie Dj Psychology repping MTL will be tearing it down as well. OH, and there is also 350 confirmed guests for the Lotus Awards afterparty. So take all the money out of your banks and and make sure you head down to fortune this remembrance day holiday cause we going off!

Leftside aka Dr. Evil w/ Federation Sound's Max Glazer at FREE UP October 6th

FREE UP WEDNESDAYS is proud to present, straight from Jamaica, Leftside aka Dr. Evil this Wednesday October 6th inside Shine Night Club with special guest Max Glazer of Federation Sound out of NYC. You may be familiar with Leftside's tracks but many people don't know that he's a sick producer and responsible for many of the biggest riddims out today. Make sure to roll thru cuz tickets are only $15 dollars in advance and $20 at the door. Big ups to Illi of Grind House Sound for the dope video.