PUKKELPOP LAUNCHES FUND FOR VICTIMS OF STORM
Organisers of Pukkelpop have announced that they are launching a fund to support the victims of the storm which hit the Belgian festival last month, and the families of those who died.

As previously reported, four people were killed when a freak storm hit the festival site on the opening day of this year's event (the death toll had originally been stated to be five, but was later dropped). Those who died were killed when a stage collapsed, but other lighting rigs and large screens also fell and around 70 people were injured. The event was initially postponed, and was then cancelled.

The Steunfonds Slachtoffers Pukkelpopstorm (or, in English, the Support Fund for the Victims of the Pukkelpop Storm) will act as an independent organisation with its own board, members of which are due to be announced today.

In a statement, the festival said: "Despite this crucial independence, Pukkelpop will stand ready, now and in the future, to make sure that the Pukkelpop organisation continues to provide the fund with the practical support it needs. Everyone taking part in the establishment and operation of the fund - now and in the future - is doing so from a sense of social engagement on an unpaid volunteer basis".

Information on the fund and how to donate money to it can be found here: www.pukkelpop.be/en/faq/relief-fund

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CONRAD MURRAY PROSECUTORS URGE JUDGE TO BAN JACKSON FILES BEING HANDED OVER TO INSURERS FOR CIVIL CASE
Prosecutors in the upcoming Conrad Murray trial have asked the judge hearing the case to stop the release of documents from the LA emergency services and coroner's office, which relate to the death of Michael Jackson, to the insurers of the late king of pop's doomed O2 London residency.

As previously reported, insurer Lloyds Of London is locked in civil litigation with the O2 residency's promoters AEG Live. Lloyds insured some of the planned Michael Jackson live shows, but is refusing to pay out since their cancellation, arguing Jackson and AEG failed to tell the company about all the prescription drugs the singer was taking on a regular basis, and as such the insurance policy is void. The insurance firm requested various papers relating to Jackson's health and death to aid its legal case against the live music giant.

But prosecutors leading the case against Dr Conrad Murray, the medic accused of causing Michael Jackson's death by negligently administering the drug Propofol, fear that if confidential papers are handed over they may be leaked to the media, and if published could jeopardise the trial.

According to the Associated Press, a filing from the District Attorney's office says: "The pending criminal case against Conrad Murray regarding the death of Michael Jackson has received significant, unrelenting media attention. Because of the heightened media interest surrounding this case, it is more likely that a leak to the media or a similar compromise in the confidentiality of these documents would occur".

The judge is yet to respond. Jury selection for the much delayed Murray trial is due to kick off next Thursday.

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TOM HIBBERT DIES
Popular music journalist and former Observer columnist Tom Hibbert has died from complications brought on by diabetes. He was 59.

Hibbert dropped out of a course at Leeds University in the early 1970s to pursue his ambitions in rock music and journalism. The former didn't go so well, despite stints in various bands, but he did manage to find some employment in the latter domain, albeit for home-improvement magazines. In 1980, he was able to combine his two passions when Felix Dennis launched a new title called New Music News, capitalising on the fact strikes were hindering the publication of both NME and Melody Maker. Hibbert wrote reviews for the short-lived title and his refreshingly sarcastic writing style got noticed.

Though it was as a pop interviewer for subsequent employer Smash Hits that Hibbert came to most music fans' attention, managing, as he did, to turn in entertaining copy whoever his subject might be, even with the tedious ones. This was the hey-day of the pop magazine, and Hibbert's writing was part of that success, so much so when, in 1987, a certain Margaret Thatcher asked to be interviewed by the pop mag ahead of that year's General Election, it was Hibbert sent to chat with the PM. She revealed that she admired Cliff Richard and her favourite song was '(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?', perfect material for Hibbert.

In 1986, he moved to a new title then being set up by Smash Hits publisher EMAP, Q magazine. There a special column was created geared towards Hibbert's writing style and interview approach, 'Who The Hell...', and he spent many years travelling the world to interview all sorts of celebrities from the music world and beyond, meeting with and writing about TV stars, business leaders, comedians and politicians along the way. A column in The Observer followed in the mid-1990s.

The journalism career came to a premature end in 1997, however, when Hibbert fell ill. Although he survived a bout of pneumonia and acute pancreatitis, despite three months in intensive care, he never fully recovered, and subsequently retired from his media work, much missed by the many readers of his work in the music community and far beyond.

He is survived by his wife Allyce.

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JAY-Z BEGINS WORK ON NEW ALBUM
Now he's got a baby on the way, Jay-Z needs to earn a bit more cash. Babies aren't cheap, you know. Luckily, he's already started putting together a new album, the follow-up to 2009's, 'The Blueprint 3'. The news was revealed by producer and frequent Jay-Z collaborator No ID, who, by the way (because we forgot to mention this) has just become Exec VP of A&R at Mr Z's previous employer, Universal's Def Jam Records.

Producer of five tracks on 'The Blueprint 3', No ID told Billboard: "Jay has started again. He played me a couple of things. I gave him some music while we were at the 'Watch The Throne' sessions. But with Jay, you never know what he's really doing, thinking, planning until it's really done... I'm sure he'll make a decision one day to make an album very quickly, like he usually does. He's one of the best, period. I think he's at a place where he has visions of what he wants to do, and it's not really dependent on any of us. It's dependent on his vision and he's gonna do it, [and] hopefully I'll be involved".

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BEADY EYE TO FORCE SECOND ALBUM ON THE WORLD
Liam Gallagher has said that Beady Eye will record a second album "whether people like it or not". As the former Oasis frontman admitted earlier this year that his new band's debut hadn't been the success he'd hoped for, he's probably thinking it's "not" more than "like it".

He told BBC 6music: "February or the end of January, we will be in [the studio] doing our album. We've got enough material for another record and that is what we shall do, whether people like it or not".

Of his brother Noel's solo material, the first batch of which is due for release next month, Liam said: "I have sung on half of [the original versions of those songs], [and] it was a lot better when I was singing on them. But I am sure people will like the soft approach".

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NEW JAMES BLAKE EP
James Blake is to release a six-track successor to his Mercury-nominated eponymous album. Entitled 'Enough Thunder', the EP is due out through Atlas on 10 Oct, which might just be soon enough to capitalise on any hype generated by next week's Mercury Awards show.

Alongside four solo originals and a well-loved cover of Joni Mitchell classic 'A Case Of You', it will feature 'Fall Creek Boys Choir', Blakey's collaboration with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. If you haven't yet sampled the sparse, sputtering sounds of the latter, do so here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aqKA_2UUy4

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NIKI & THE DOVE ANNOUNCE EP
So far, Swedish odd-pop darlings Niki & The Dove have stood adoring comparisons to Björk, Fleetwood Mac, Prince, and Kate Bush. Perhaps the duo will sound more like themselves on their new EP, 'The Drummer', which is set for release via Mercury on 17 Oct.

"'The Drummer' tells a story about a wrestle at night, in a no mans land, where everything is uncertain", they say in unison. "It's about the inevitable question of if you're choosing the right direction in your life or not".

Following an appearance at Bestival on 11 Sep, the band are booked to join Wolf Gang and SCUM on next month's NME Radar Tour, later supporting Hurts for a trio of arena dates, which all sounds very nice for them.

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HTRK TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM NEXT WEEK
Brilliant dark art rock outfit HTRK will release their second album, 'Work (Work, Work)', through Ghostly International next week. Work on the album began prior to the suicide of bassist Sean Stewart in March 2010, and was completed earlier this year.

The downbeat, industrial sound of their previous releases is preserved, Jonnine Standish's eerie, detached vocals looming over it all. You can download two tracks from the album here - ghostly.com/releases/work-work-work - and stream one of them, 'Synthetik', below.

soundcloud.com/ghostly/06-synthetik

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TI SIGNS BOOK DEAL
So, that TI has got very busy very quickly having been released from jail earlier this week. Not only is he already being filmed for a new reality TV show, but he's signed a deal with HarperCollins to publish his debut novel as well.

Entitled 'Power & Beauty', the book was co-written with Marvin Gaye biographer David Ritz. Apparently it's a story of two friends who are divided when they become caught up in Atlanta's criminal underworld. It is due to be published next month.

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REMEMBER REMEMBER ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES
With their new album 'The Quickening' due out via Mogwai's Rock Action label on 26 Sep - a track from which you can hear below - Remember Remember have announced some tour dates in the run up to the release.

Tour dates:

22 Sep: London, Servant Jazz Quarters
24 Sep: Glasgow, Stereo
25 Sep: Newcastle, The Cluny

soundcloud.com/theartof/remember-remember-john-candy

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

BINNACLE, The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch, London, 15-16 Oct: Sure to have the Shoreditch hip-squad flocking in their faux-disinterested droves, this Vice-hosted microfest will see performances from such up-and-comers as Active Child, Moths, and recent CMU approvees Outfit, Taragana Pyjarama and Carousels, with DJ sets from Double Denim and No Pain In Pop. www.binnacle.info

HEADSTOCK, Newstead & Annesley Country Park, 9-11 Sep: Run by musicians and volunteers, this non-profit community bash will host the likes of Swimming, Ronika, and Radio 1 beatboxing champ THePETEBOX. Existing bookings include Echo & The Bunnymen, The Lightning Seeds, Dananananaykroyd and Tunng. www.headstockfestival.com

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ALBUM REVIEW: 808 State - Blueprint (ZTT/Salvo)
The title of this retrospective is particularly prescient, since 808 State are true pioneers. It's hard to recall any other dance album from 1989, let alone one as good as the Manc group's 'Ninety'. But that's not even the start of the story, with the techno and acid sounds of the preceding 'New Build' and 'Quadrastate' EPs being hugely innovative and influential.

Whereas their last compilation in 1998 was a fairly straightforward ZTT-era Greatest Hits, this collection revisits tracks both pre and post that era, positioning itself as a "Greatest Bits" rather than just the singles. Being just a one CD affair, there's inevitably plenty of essential stuff absent, but everything present is a masterclass in how to create compelling machine-made music full of character and humanity.

'Pacific State' remains an impossibly seminal track but the likes of 'Nephatiti' and 'Plan 9' prove that they could consistently deliver soulful electronica, whilst elsewhere the collaborations with Björk, James Dean Bradfield and Guy Garvey reveal a group with a mindset that stretches far beyond just club culture.

The quotes in the accompanying sleevenotes reveal the high esteem 808 State are held in by their techno peers; quite right too - 'Blueprint' amply demonstrates a fearless sonic adventurism with music that has not dated, but actually aged gracefully. MS

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GREAT ESCAPE DELEGATE PASSES ON SALE
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, mods and rockers, punks and pop kids, and people called Morris, yes, early-bird delegate passes for The Great Escape 2012 are on sale now. And they will cost you a mere £80, a price so cheap for full access to the UK's premiere new artist festival and music business convention, I'm thinking there might have been a misprint. So, you'd probably best buy them now before someone realises.

The Great Escape convention is, of course, programmed by your good friends here at CMU, which means we are not at all biased when we say TGE2012 will be simply brilliant. Well, OK, we are biased, but it will be. Panels, debates, workshops and in-conversation interviews will cover all grounds, providing unique insights and practical advice with regards all aspects of finding, developing and monetising great new music. And that's before you consider the brilliant bands who will play, plus the many opportunities to network with thousands of music business professionals from all over the world.

Get those bargain tickets now: escapegreat.com/buy-a-ticket/ticket-info

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DUB VENDOR SHOP TO CLOSE
South London based reggae record shop Dub Vendor is to close its doors for the final time later this month, with owner and founder John McGillivray telling reporters that damage sustained during the recent riots in the area has escalated his decision to call it a day.

Dub Vendor started life as a market stall in 1976, before moving into its long-term home in Clapham Junction. A spin-off shop in Ladbroke Grove existed for a time too. Although recent turmoil in his area of south London - the shop next door to his was gutted after being set on fire - has proven to be a catalyst in McGillivray's decision to close his store, moving off the high street has been on the agenda for a while because of changes in the music retail space, and the reggae genre in the UK.

McGillivray told The Independent: "The kids over here, reggae is nothing new to them. Their perception is that it's their mum and dad's music and it doesn't define them in the way it defined previous generations. The music has moved in a different direction. And in Jamaica the music has moved away from where most people in the UK would find it relevant to them".

Dub Vendor will continue to operate as an online business at www.dubvendor.co.uk.

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SONY DROPS QRIOCITY BRAND FROM ON-DEMAND SERVICES
Well, we always said it was an odd choice of brand name, did we not?

Sony is scrapping its Qriocity brand, just over a year after it launched. Possibly because so many people were confused as to how it was meant to be pronounced. Or possibly because it turned out no one was actually all that curious about on-demand digital content after all.

Or possibly because each Qriocity service ended up with a ridiculously long name, eg Music Unlimited power by Qriocity. Or possibly because Sony chiefs think the Qriocity name has become tarnished because of that embarrassing private data spill earlier this year, though that was more associated with the much bigger Sony PlayStation Network in the press.

Anyway, from this point onwards Sony's Qriocity entertainment network will be known as, erm, the Sony Entertainment Network. And it's streaming music bit, Music Unlimited, will be known as, well, Music Unlimited. So well done to whichever branding agency was probably paid handsomely for coming up with the Qriocity name.

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MONEY FOR NOTHING ALLOWED BACK ON CANADIAN RADIO
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has reversed its decision regarding Dire Straits track 'Money For Nothing'. As previously reported, the non-statutory body that oversees standards on commercial radio in Canada, earlier this year said the 1985 track should no longer be played in its unedited form because it uses the word "faggot", which one listener had complained about.

Various presenters and heads of music in Canadian radio criticised the decision, some continuing to play the song uncut despite the CBSC ruling. They argued that no one had ever taken offence at the song before, and besides the whole point of the song is that it's the words of an unseemly character which the song is actually mocking, so the use of words like "faggot" in that context are not offensive.

Although the CBSC initially stuck by its decision, even government body the Canadian Radio-Television & Telecommunications Commission advised a re-think.

And now that re-think has occurred. The CSBC says that while the fact the song had been played unedited for 25 years had no bearing on its decision, other "additional information" had persuaded it to change its ruling. The additional information seems to be the aforementioned context of the song, and the fact the band made an alternative version without the (other) "f" word back in 1985. With all that in mind, the CSBC has decided to let individual stations decide which version of the song they play, should they wish to play the song in the first place, I suppose.

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TUPAC'S MOTHER DIDN'T SMOKE SON'S ASHES
Tupac Shakur's mother Afeni did not smoke her son's ashes at his memorial service. In fact, she would "never participate in smoking her son", a family spokesperson told TMZ yesterday.

It's an unusual statement to make, but, of course, relates to the interview EDI Mean, of Tupac-founded hip hop collective The Outlawz, gave to Vlad TV last week. It should be noted, he didn't claim Afeni Shakur took part in any smoking of her dead son's ashes. However, he did claim that he and the rest of the Outlawz did take the line "Last wishes, nigga smoke my ashes" in Shakur's track 'Black Jesus' seriously at a beach party that followed the memorial.

Mrs Shakur's spokesperson is pretty certain that didn't happen either, though. They noted that EDI Mean or one of his fellow posse members "would have had to sneak the remains past the family member in charge of keeping an eye on the ashes at the memorial".

The spokesperson said that family does not plan to take legal action against any of The Outlawz over the ashes smoking claim. Presumably because they don't believe it actually happened.

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