The Havana Cultura live tour will be visiting The Sage, Gateshead on Saturday 3rd July, one of only two UK dates. The tour is the latest in a series of cultural projects from Havana Cultura, celebrating fresh talent across all artistic disciplines. Powered by Roberto Fonseca and his acclaimed band, the concerts will feature Cuban star Danay (described by Gilles Peterson as ‘Cuba’s Jill Scott’), as well as Ogguere, one of the hottest and most inventive hip hop acts in Cuba.

This July Room3Recording studio in Sunderland is 3 years old. To celebrate this all recording sessions from today until the end of July are only £75 per weekday booking and £80 per weekend booking, so book up soon to avoid missing out on these great prices.

Resident producer Neil Basset has over 10 years in the music industry and was a founding member of The Golden Virgins who released their debut album on XL Records (home of the White Stripes and The Prodigy) in 2003, I have also toured europe and the UK extensively, drumming with such acts as The Golden Virgins, Former Cell Mates, School of Language, Lucas Renney and playing at such festivals as Glastonbury, T-In The Park, Reading, Leeds, Secret Garden Party, Electric Picnic, Metropolis.

So whats been happening in the studio over the last 3 years? Well, they've have recorded such artists as:

The SDF Collective were a band I had heard of in the NorthEast scene but I had never actually heard the band but we were waiting for Robots in Disguise earlier in the year and we were treated to the sounds of this local trio. I had only heard of the band and didn’t have a clue what kind of musical vision they had. Well I was shocked and amazed as I moved to the beat. Imagine early Selish C***, Underworld and Arab Strap forming an unlikely supergroup. It is a sound of a dystopian future, dance beats bouncing around indesirable lyrics. I have since received their demo and it perfectly highlights why I was enthusing to anyone who would listen about the band. It is rare to be excited for local groups and they certainly are a one to watch out for as they storm a venue near you with their synth fused dancefloor assaults. Never mind your hip stylised local Indie pop bands, this is where local music is exciting and challenging.

myspace.com/sdfcollective