BBC to showcase new urban music

Digital station 1Xtra has staged a series of live music events

BBC radio station 1Xtra is staging a showcase in a bid to uncover new British urban musical talent.

1Xtra's Homegrown weekend will broadcast three days of exclusively British music, including established acts So Solid Crew and Roots Manuva.

The digital station is also planning a live broadcast from the Medicine Bar in Birmingham, which will feature unsigned and so far undiscovered acts.

The special starts on Friday at 1900 GMT, and lasts until late Monday night.

1Xtra's programme editor Willber Willberforce said the station has been keen to showcase new talent since it started broadcasting in August 2002.

"There is so much talent out there, we just want to do as much as we can to bring it to our listeners," he said.

"By shining a spotlight on the scene in this way, we aim to give even more support to this vital element of the UK music scene," he added.

Non-stop music

The 54 hours of non-stop music will include a whole range of black music genres, including dancehall, reggae, hip-hop plus drum and bass.

Part of Saturday's broadcast will return to "old skool" classics from artists such as Mica Paris and Soul II Soul.

After a year on the air, the station has become the most successful of the new digital broadcasters.

According to official figures, 1Xtra pulled in an average of 331,000 listeners per week, putting it ahead of Five Live's Sports Extra service.