Back in 2008, we set up residence at Maida Vale studios for a weekend and invited a dozen very excited new artists to record a session. The acts were chosen from throughout the UK by our local and regional shows, and their tracks were played out on air in the weeks following their session.

It was a fantastic experience for the bands, and there was a great atmosphere down at Maida Vale. Here are some of the highlights from the 2008 Weekender:

This month, we're doing it all again, with a fresh bunch of acts (fourteen this time... two louder!). After much deliberation and chin scratching, our panel has invited the following acts to come on down to the legendary Maida Vale studios:

• Pegasus Bridge  (Staffordshire)
  
  
• Louise Golbey (London / 1Xtra)
  
  
• Straight Lines (Pontypridd)
  
  
• LeaLea Jones (London / 1Xtra)
• MidiMidis (Reading)
  
  
• The Mouse Outfit (Manchester)
  
  
• NIXA (London)
• Crucibles (Hull)
  
  
• Violet Violet (Norfolk)
  
  
• Django Django (Edinburgh/London)
• Viva Sleep (Wiltshire)
  
  
• JK  (London / Asian Network)
• We Show Up on Radar (Nottingham)
  
  
• Ms. Darks (London / 1Xtra)

We'll be recording in Maida Vale studio 3 (where Bing Crosby made his last ever recording) and studio 4 (where countless amazing sessions were recorded for John Peel's show). Each act will get to record three songs, and their tracks will be broadcast across our radio shows. We'll also put photos and audio streams here on the site, so keep an eye out for those in the next couple of weeks.

You can read more about the acts taking part in this year's Weekender, or listen to them on our MySpace Music playlist.