Thanks to everyone who came down to the shows this week - the Homecut launch parties were fantastic (check out a nice doc piece on the London show here ) and Mad Ferret was crazy - highlight had to be Homecut drawing in over 500 people for their show on Friday. Big! We then had Souleance over for a few shows - thanks to Dom Servini for having on his radio show on Colouful Radio - you can have a listen here and also for the incrdible night at Life Bar on Wednesday. Fulgeance and Soulist rocked a packed crowd - pick up their debut EP here, and check out their mix for Paris DJs here . Hold tight!

Two incredible releases for you this week as well as some great gigs. First up is the debut album from Homecut. You’ll be familiar with the Homecut single ‘I Don’t Even Know’ which has been winning fans across the globe and getting plays on BBC Radio One and MTV Base in the process. The album continues the fine work with a little help from guests including Corinne Bailey Rae, Soweto Kinch, J-Live, Ty and Andreya Triana. Also this week is the debut release from Souleance. A collaboration between producer Fulgeance and DJ / promoter Soulist, the French duo have crafted a diverse 5 track EP for First Word. From the uptempo disco hip hop of One Step to the brooding latin of Manana this is already picking up praise all over, with Gilles Peterson selecting one track for his latest Brownswood Bubblers compilation. We've also got some great live shows this week, including three launch parties for Homecut, the 2nd of kidkanevil’s new London residency at Vibe Bar, and a First Word takeover at Manchester’s Mad Ferret Festival. Check the myspace for details.

Thanks to everyone who came down to the show at the South Bank on Friday. Homecut smashed it! All the favourites off the album and a lovely cover of Umi Says too. Nice! This week we've got a brand new podcast up on iTunes. It features Gilla in conversation with Testament discussing the Homecut album and previewing some new tracks too. Well worth a listen. Just search for First Word Records on iTunes and get subscribed.

Thanks to all those who've bought the Homecut single - we made the iTunes Hip Hop top 10 last week which was great! Anyway, there's more Homecut news this week - the video for single 'I Don't Even Know' is done and looks awesome. Big ups to the people at Texture Films! You can see it here: http://tinyurl.com/puf5g5 For London-based Homecuteers, you can check the band live this week for FREE! They are playing at QEH at the South Bank Centre. It kicks off at 5.30 and it totally gratis. Info here: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/calendar/productions/homecut-47316 Finally, we're delighted to announce the signing of our first international signing Souleance. The French duo of Fulgeance and Soulist have combined to make a fantastic fusion of disco, hip hop, funk, soul and more. The Le Monde EP is out at the end of the month and is already picking up praise from Gilles Peterson. Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/souleance

More music for you this week, with the new single from Testament's live project Homecut. 'I Don't Even Know' features guest vocals from double Grammy Winner Corinne Bailey Rae and Mobo Winner Soweto Kinch. A soulful slice of jazzy Hip Hop, this is gonna be one of the big tracks of the year. It's backed by 'Not Far To Go' an uptempo disco-hip hop track perfect for the summer dancelfoors. You can pick it up exclusively at http://www.itunes.com/homecut and vinyl fans can get the limited edition 7" by clicking the link on the right. To hear more from Homecut check out http://www.myspace.com/homecut