Zvuloon Dub System - Anbessa Dub

When Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, the man known as Ras Tafari, visited Jamaica on April 21, 1966, more than one hundred thousand Rastafarians were waiting at Kingston Airport to see the man they revered as the Messiah. For a brief moment, still celebrated by the faithful as Groundation Day, the two countries came together. 18 years later, in 1984, an Ethiopian Jewish family, members of the lost tribe of Israel, walked across the desert, making the long track to their homeland. And now those three cultures – Jamica, Ethiopia, and Israel - merge on the new album by Tel Aviv-based Zvuloon Dub System, called "Anbessa Dub" to be released on July 1st, 2014 (Pre-Order June 17th).

“It’s a natural mix,” explains drummer Asaf Smilan. “We started out in 2006, playing roots reggae, all very ‘70s. I’d also loved that old Ethiopian music since I first heard it, about 10 or 15 years ago, but I didn’t have any Ethiopian friends to discover more about it. Then Gili Yalo joined as the singer in 2009. He’s from Ethiopia. And once he came, everything changed.” That change didn’t happen overnight, of course. But fooling around at rehearsal, they took an old song in Amharic, the Ethiopian language, and transformed it into something that connected the dots between the classic Ethiopian soul of the early 1970s and roots reggae. “We liked it,” says singer Yalo, “and the crowd liked it, so we did more and this whole new sound was born.” Yalo was the catalyst, but his has been long journey, covering many miles and a number of years, to discover exactly where he belonged musically. He’d grown up in a Jewish family, a member of Israel’s lost tribe, in Gondar, in the north of Ethiopia, in a house with no electricity or running water. “The Jews could live there, but not own land,” he recalls. “They used to work with their hands, making tools and knives and plates. We’d have meat to eat once every few months.”
In 1984, as drought started to grip the country, the family made the decision to go to the land of their distant ancestors – Israel. Yalo was just four years old at the time. “We walked across the desert for two months, all the way to Sudan,” he recounts, “and then we were in a refugee camp for several months after that. Finally, one night, trucks took us out into the desert and we got on an airplane. The next thing I knew, we landed in Israel. After all I’d seen in my life, it was like going 100 years into the future.” It was on that trek that he first realized he was destined to be a singer. “My father carried me on his shoulders most of the way, and I drove everyon e crazy singing old songs that I knew. My mother felt that singing was my true calling – and I haven’t stopped ever since.” And with Zvuloon Dub System he can not only explore the Jamaican music he loves, but also know his roots he’d been forced to denied for so long, due to the difficulties face integrating into Western society.
What the band has created is a unique fusion that’s based in Tel Aviv, but looks equally to Kingston and Addis Ababa. And they’ve refined the sound until it feels utterly natural, the mix of the reggae offbeat with horns and chord changes from Ethiopia. Anbessa Dub, which although not a classic dub album, is filled with the atmosphere of vintage Jamaican roots reggae, mixes old Ethiopian songs arranged in the Zvuloon style, along with some originals, like the opener “Alemitu,” where the arrangement moves smoothly between Lee Perry’s studio and a downtown Addis club in 1973. It’s completely convincing, in part because of the equipment the band uses in its studio. “Everything is analogue,” says Smilan. “We take all those old sounds as reference points, we record onto tape. We do it the real way.” One person who liked what he heard was Mahmoud Ahmed, the voice behind so many legendary tracks in the Golden Age of Ethiopian music. “I found out he was coming to Israel,” Smilan says. “I got his number and sent him a demo of a song we wanted him to do. He liked it and did a session with us. He was a complete perfectionist in the studio, listening to what he’d done and wanting to do it over until it was right. His friends said that he told them it was the highlight of his trip.” The result, “Ney Denun Tesesh,” sounds as if it would have been perfectly at home in the classic Ethiopiques series, but it’s just one in a series of standouts on Anbessa Dub, with Yalo’s soulful voice shining throughout. The music flows perfectly, Africa and the Caribbean in perfect sync. “When we play in front of Ethiopian people here it’s very special,” Yalo observes. “Parents think the culture has been forgotten here, but hearing us, they know it’s not. We even use a krar (an Ethiopian lute) and a maskino (one-string violin) mixed in with the sound.” This summer they’ll be taking that Anbessa Dub on the road, with a tour of North America and a date at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “We want to go into the studio while we’re over there,” Smilan says. “I want to take the riddims from this album and record Jamaican artists singing about Ethiopia, Haile Selassie and the Lion of Judah. To celebrate the triumvarate.”
Legend has it that Menelik, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, traveled from Ethiopia to meet his father. He stayed for a year, and his father showed him great favor. But when Menelik returned home, he took something holy with him – the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets handed to Moses by God. Some believe it’s still carefully hidden in Ethiopia, which took as its national symbol the Lion of Judah, the same one that watches over the Jews. The same lion that guards Jamaica’s Rastas. Those three lions come together in the music of Zvuloon Dub System, and together they make the sweetest roar.

STYLO G EXCLUSIVE REGGAE ROAST INTERVIEW!

REGGAE ROAST CHAT WITH STYLO G BEFORE HIS UPCOMING RELEASE WITH THE LABEL

Interview With The Revivers

Back in the mid-nineties there was something of a flourish of Ska/Reggae bands in California. Some just saw it as a passing fad but now some 15 years on there is still a very close knit and energetic scene there with many bands out regularly plying their trade. The Revivers are just one of those bands and their dedication to “reviving” the sounds of early Jamaican Reggae from the late 60’s and early 70’s has not gone un-noted. They have supported some of Reggaes true legends like Michael Rose, The Mighty Diamonds and Ska pioneer Eric “Monty” Morris as well as with fellow “revivalists” Hepcat, and The Aggrolites. Due to their authentic sound they have also supplied backing for the likes of The Wailing Souls, Ras Michael and most recently Pat Kelly. They are now about to release a single through Reggae Club 69 and with all this in mind I took a chance to catch up with them and find out more… 

You formed in 2009, how did you all meet?

-We have all known each other for years before forming The Revivers. Tom (organ), Mike (lead guitar), Tony (vocals), and I (Mano, rhythm guitar) all met in High School when we formed The Debonaires in 1995. Tony stopped playing with Debonaires a few years later, but we stayed in touch, and eventually he and Brent (drums) became good friends and wanted to start a new band. Brent had been a fan of the Debonaires for years; he is the youngest in the group, and helped form The Revivers. We had a few line-up changes, but asked Mark (Bass) from the Skeletones to play bass for us, and that sealed the deal. We had all been a part of the Southern Ca. Ska/Reggae scene since 95 and have played in various bands, so we formed the Revivers as more of a fun side project at first for the love of the music.

There appears to be quite a vibrant Ska/Reggae scene in California why do you think that is?

I think when it first started to make waves in the early/mid-nineties; it was a trend with younger fans just like anything else, Punk, Rockabilly, etc. It was something new and different for the younger audience, and a lot of the original Ska/Reggae legends were still alive and touring as well, like Desmond Dekker, Laurel Aitken, The Skatalites, and Justin Hinds to name a few. This spawned a huge influx of traditional style bands, particularly in Southern California, which was solidified and promoted heavily through Luis Correa at Steady Beat Records.He would record bands, put out compilations, and promote shows regularly, which really gave the scene some uniformity and consistency. Everyone would dress their sharpest, the music was great, and all around, the Ska/Reggae scene was unifying people from different racial and economic lines. Ska and Reggae fans tend to develop such a deep love of the music and feel such a connection to it that they become lifelong fans, which is why I think the scene continues to survive today. Many of the bands and fans from the nineties heyday are still around today.

Despite having been together for three years now you have only brought out one 10” E.P and now this new single for Reggae Club 69, ‘Reggae Fever’ b/w ‘Medical Operation’ any plans to go in the studio and record more for an album?

Our plan for the near future, after we play some gigs to promote the new 7" release, is to focus on writing original material for our first full length release. We plan on making it like an LP, with the A side being originals and the B side being covers of boss Reggae tunes.

Boss Reggae or as it’s sometimes known ‘Skinhead Reggae’, do you find being labelled a Skinhead Reggae band causes you any problems? Here in Europe I feel there is still a stigma attached to the skinhead name.

-There is definitely still a stigma that comes along with the term skinhead here in the States as well. Within the Ska/reggae scene it is understood and accepted that original skinhead culture has nothing to do with racism, however I constantly have to explain that to people who have no idea. We don’t necessarily go around boasting that we play Skinhead Reggae, but like Bob Marley said, “Who feels it, knows it”.

Your shows contain many authentic renditions of classic hits and obscure rarities, have you tried to model yourselves on any particular group?

-It’s interesting because a lot of our favourite groups were really the same combinations of musicians who had different studio names for different producers The Dynamites, GG All Stars, Harry J All Stars, Mudie’s All Stars, The Crystalites, The Upsetters are some of our favorite groups. I’d say we definitely try to go for the Jamaican style sound of Skinhead Reggae vs. the UK bands, but we like many of those groups too. In fact, referring back to the California Ska/Reggae scene, it's actually very similar to how it was in 60's Jamaica as far as how a lot of the musicians have played in various groups together with different names. If you were to trace the musicians and bands from today back to the early 90's you'd see it's almost like a family tree, and all of the musicians have a strong connection and friendships with each other just like a family.

You have been the backing band for the likes of The Wailing Souls and Ras Michael did you have to change your sound at all for these acts?

-Yes we had to adapt to each groups different styles, which can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. As I mentioned, we have all played in several groups in the past, Mike, Tom and I have backed up other artists as well, such as Ken Boothe, Dennis Alcapone, Derrick Morgan, Stranger Cole, The Maytones, The Cables, and Prince Buster, so we were a little more accustomed to learning material and being patient and accommodating while working with these artists, who can be quite particular about their backing bands and how their music is performed. The Revivers most recently backed up Pat Kelly on Sep 17 in San Francisco, which we were selected for specifically because that is the style of Skinhead Reggae that we usually play. So we didn’t have to change up our style much for that gig, except for a few Rocksteady tunes, which we love as well.

So far your career has definitely seen you more as a live band than a recording band with many gigs across the United States any plans to visit Europe or The Far East?

One of our main goals as a band is to tour Europe. We've heard great things about the scene out there, and are familiar with a lot of the bands that come from there. We've had the opportunity to go in the past, but couldn't because of people's family/career responsibilities. It’s been hard to coordinate enough time off at the same time to make a worthwhile tour possible so far, but we haven't given up yet! We're trying to make it possible summer 2012.

Meet By The Rivers

By The Rivers were formed in Leicester in the Spring of 2010 by Nile Barrow and Jordan Birtles, who have been friends since birth. The band quickly became a 6 piece, inspired by all genres of music.

This outfit of talented youngsters write and perform catchy songs in a reggae style. A music they have an obvious passion for. They sing songs full with social comment and positive messages that affect the youth of today. This band speaks truth about modern living through their brand of Roots Reggae for a new generation!


Read more about them in an interview at.........

Visit their web site at:  www.bytherivers.co.uk/

and join them at: www.facebook.com/bytherivers  &  twitter.com/#!/bytherivers

2-TONE & THE SPECIALS

September 1979, I’m 11yrs old and I’ve just started senior school. My Action Man has been consigned to the dustbin, I’ve suddenly found an interest in girls, after eyeing up the shapely curves of the ones in 5th yr, and now I’m hearing this new music in the shape of 2-Tone on the radio. Life will never be the same again.
To be honest the first 2-Tone single to grab me was Madness’s ‘Orange Street’ or a least that is what I thought it was called for the first few weeks as I always seemed to miss the bit where the DJ said what it was! What I had been drawn in by was in fact ‘The Prince’ and you can be sure “an earthquake was erupting” in my mind and ears. I had always liked music, and my dad always had it on in the house, Beatles, Rolling Stones and Elvis that type of thing, especially really loud on Sundays after a few beers lunch time. What I was hearing now though was something completely different from what I’d heard on the radio before, all that easy listening, user friendly ELO, Boney M, and Bee Gees, it said nothing to me. 2-Tone on the other hand was music that even at my tender age I could appreciate was saying something. The country was in a right old state, and even I knew that when I went to football, and dad drove through Southgate then Cockfosters past all the piles of bin bags lining the streets that something wasn’t right with the place. I know we’d had punk, but that just seemed to be all scattergun anger, with its smash the system, let anarchy rule, we don’t care attitude. Now though the Sex Pistols had long since split and Vicious was dead, what was going to fill this musical void? 2-Tone, and the Specials in particular, were singing about things that were real and I could relate to. Even songs like ‘New Era’ and ‘Concrete Jungle’ bore some resemblance of what was happening in my life. In early 1980 I started going to the local disco for under 14’s on Friday nights with a group of friends. Walking down the street in my Harrington, Fred Perry (Mum used to get them 2 for 1 out of Peter Craig catalogue. They were the days eh before they went all trendy and top prices!!) , cherry and green Tonic trousers, topped off with white socks (hard to get in my home town then) and loafers, we thought we were the mutts nuts. This however, back in the early eighties, was also the time of numerous youth tribes and you had to be a bit careful of were you went. There were Punks, Teds / Rockers, Mods, New Romantics, Skins and Casuals were just starting to rear their heads, so if we weren’t careful a group of 12yr old ‘Rudies’ were easy pickings, and we’d get chased, though luckily never caught, a few times. Once in the disco things were different, most of us there were Rudies anyway and the dance floor would become packed as soon as the DJ stated on anything 2-Tone related. It was then as well that I first heard some of the original recordings that the 2-Tone bands had covered, and other tunes as well. The DJ would sometimes play Prince Buster’s ‘Al Capone’ after ‘Gangsters’, perhaps he was trying to educate us. I admit that these did not always go down too well, but seeds had already been planted.
Back then my entire pocket went on records and other 2Tone related stuff. There was a shop in town that was run by some old Hippies, and in amongst the incense, tie-dye and scatter cushions you could buy badges, posters and 1”wide ties emblazoned with your heroes on, also every so often you could even grab a t-shirt with your fave band on. I remember I brought one with a picture of The Specials with a picture of the ‘Do Nothing’ cover, weeks of saved and hoping it didn’t sell. I also brought ‘The 2Tone Book for Rude Boys’, which was a great read and told a brief history on how all the bands had formed. It was almost like a bible to me. In fact if it had a checkerboard design on it I was after havin’ it. ‘Cause that was the other thing with 2Tone…..the strong image. Walt Jabsco, the checkerboard, it was simple yet strong. Even the Beats Go-Feet label and the Madness’s M with trilby hat were classic and cool, but the best thing of all was the stage presence the Specials had. I can remember when I first saw them on ‘Top Of The Pops’ and later on ‘Rock Goes To College’ being totally captivated by their performance. Lynval and Horace running round the front of the stage like lunatics, Jerry jumping up and down, with the keyboard swaying, like some demented devil, and then Terry, in total contrast, with an almost bored with it all look, amazing.
By 1981 2Tone was close to blowing itself out, Madness and The Beat had both released one single and then gone off to do their own thing and Dexy’s Midnight Runners had turned down the chance to release on the label as they didn’t want to be associated with ‘a movement’, but also I think because they thought Jerry would want too much control. I think as well that a lot of young bands maybe saw signing to 2-Tone would perhaps stifle their creativity as it was so associated with ska. The release of ‘More Specials’ tried maybe to break that mould as it broke away from the ska/ punk sound that had worked so well on the first LP. It’s odd mix of lounge muzak and various styles from the funky soul of ‘Sock it to ‘em JB’ to the rockabilly of ‘Braggin’ and Tryin’ Not to Lie’ (available on the free 7” that came with it) I found most disconcerting and took a bit of getting used to. Then of course in the summer of ’81, while we were all waiting to see what the band would come up with for a third LP, they released ‘Ghost Town’. The timing and essence of this record could not have been better as rioting broke out across most of England’s major cities. The song also served notice on The Specials who split while at the top with a number one on their hands, and also began the slow death of 2-Tone as a label. At the end of ’81 a big change happened for me to as my school closed and we were sent packing to another school up the road. Most of the boys in the year I joined happened to be Mods, and as 2-Tone was now no more I slowly drifted. Ironically on starting there as a rudie I got a bit of stick for still liking 2-Tone, as it was considered ‘old-hat!’. But with no new sounds to buy it wasn’t much of a jump to start hanging around with them. I started frequenting a local Mod club on Thursdays and in 1984 went off on my first scooter run to Morecambe Bay, even though I was only 15 and so too young for a license. In the August of that year I also went to the I.O.W scooter run. The rally was held in a couple of big fields just outside Cowes and was the biggest rally of the year. For those of you not in the know, there were two types of scooter rally in the early 80’s there were Mod rallys run by the Phoenix Society. These were strictly Mod orientated events and there were the National Rallies. Now the national rallies were more open with all types of scooterists present there were Skins, Psychobillies, Punks and well just about anyone who enjoyed riding scooters. The thing is despite this mix of clans at the all-night discos the music was still Northern Soul, but in 1984 that was all about to change and imagine my joy after arriving there on the Friday lunch time and making our way over to the music field when, in between a couple of old northern soul numbers I heard Neville’s dulcet tones burst forth from the speakers with “BERNIE RHODES KNOWS DON’T ARGUE!” ….aahhh, I was back home again.

These links are for an informative docmentry about legendary UK Rude Boy Label 2-Tone, that was broadcasted by channel4 in 2004.

It tells the story of the label and The Specials, Madness, The Beat, The Selecter, Rico Rodriguez...

http://rapidshare.com/files/97805696/Two_Tone_Britain.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/97806103/Two_Tone_Britain.part2.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/97805803/Two_Tone_Britain.part3.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/97799741/Two_Tone_Britain.part4.rar

DJ Mikey J - Interview

Mikey, you are currently a DJ for Radio Ceredigion in Aberystwyth Wales, have you always lived and worked in this area?

No. I moved to Wales from London in about 1990. I took early retirement from British Telecom, used the lump sum to buy a derelict property in Aberarth, & I’ve
Been rebuilding it ever since.

Where did your interest in reggae come from?

Well I was working with a Trinidadian guy, and went to a lot of blues & house parties in the early 70’s. Then the “Tighten Up" series of lp's was released by Trojan, so it kind of grew from there, but I was more into calypso and soca at first though, as I was working as a driver/roadie/sound engineer with a band called Masquerade. I also did their disco - Pirate Sound, and then pirate radio JBC in Harlsden, then an African station, WLIB, and finally ended up on Eddy Grant’s station ICE FM. I also did some club work at Dougie’s Night Club (Harlsden) & a club in Hendon called Melanie’s. Thus, reggae became a necessity.

Which artists do you like and admire most?

I would have to say the band called "Israel Vibration”. They all suffered from polio, but overcame that, then suffered for their belief in Rastafari, as family and friends turned against them. They wrote & performed some great roots tracks. I also really like Luciano's material, in fact all the roots performers. Some of the dancehall music was good in the digital 80’s, but there were some very slack lyrics, not as bad as some of the later ragga dancehall stuff, but definitely not suitable for radio!

Is there a big scene in Wales, I know of Smokes Like A Fish, and Dirty Revolution, both of whom are more 2 Tone based, but is there much of reggae scene in Wales?

In the Ceredigion area dub reggae is quite big; we have the bands Subtronix, Zion Train & Powersteppers. Also the Angel in Aberystwyth has a reggae night, usually on Thusdays from 10.00pm until 4.00am with various dj’s playing all styles of reggae.

Have you or the radio ever thought about 'podcasting' your shows, so that they can reach a wider audience? I am sure there would be quite a bit of interest.

None of The shows are podcast as yet, but hopefully there is always a possibility of that in the future.

Anything you'd like to say?

Thanks Karl well actually there is. I’d just like to say a big thanks to the Springline, Reality Shock family, Do the Dog, Rockers Revolt and all the other small independent labels that send me music, I couldn't do it without you.
All the best - Mikey J

So if you are ever in the vicinity of Aberystwyth do try and tune in to Mikey J’s shows on Radio Ceredigion 96.6-97.4 and 103.3 FM between 10pm and 12am Saturdays and Sundays, also pop along to the Angel on a Thursday for some top flight reggae entertainment!



Shows:
Saturday Melting Pot - All styles pure reggae.

Sunday Melting Pot - Worldwide - Mystery Tour.

Radio Ceredigion was established in December 1992, to broadcast over the West Coast of Wales on 103.3, 96.6 and 97.4FM.
Radio Ceredigion is a bilingual Station which reflects the needs of the local communities. It is based at The Old School, in Aberystwyth, which houses three studios.
In March 1997 Radio Ceredigion began broadcasting on 97.4FM, reaching the Teifi Valley, North Carmarthenshire and North Pembrokeshire.
Radio Ceredigion is a station that talks to its listeners and tries to cater for most age groups, at sometime during the day. The play list is wide ranging with a variety of musical styles ranging from Welsh Pop and Traditional Dance, Garage, Rock, Jazz, Country and Western and Classical, with regional news, weather and up to date travel news and flood watch.
Radio Ceredigion has firmly established itself as part of everyday life in West Wales, with a 46% share of weekly listening.

http://www.radioceredigion.net/

Boss Sounds Festival - Review & Chris Ellis Interview

For those of you that went, and for those of you who wanted but couldn't, below is a link to a review of the Boss Sounds Festival that took place earlier this month.

http://www.reggaenews.co.uk/concert_reviews/boss_sounds_2008.asp


Also follow this link to hear Newcastle's to DJ, DJ Greedy G, as he talks to Christopher Ellis live after his quickly arranged performance, in tribute to his father Alton, at the festival.

http://www.unitedreggae.com/news/n393/102408/live-interview-christopher-ellis

Remember to tune in as well to hear Greedy's top reggae show on http://www.ne1fm.com/ OR 102.5 IN NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE (UK) between 1 and 3pm every Sunday.

Past shows can be heard again at http://djgreedyg.podomatic.com/

Interview With Angus Taylor

Here I am turning the tables on interviewer, reviewer and all round reggae connoisseur Angus Taylor, as I interview him about how he became to be involved in writing and his thoughts on the reggae scene today.


How did you become involved in writing for reggae 'magazines'?
Is it something you've always wanted to do or did you just fall in to it?

I never really had a plan to be honest. I'd been a copywriter for a few years and had a vague idea of trying something else involving writing. I did a few modules of a correspondence course where they were quite encouraging about what I was doing in terms of style. But the teachers were suggesting that the only way to make it as a writer was to pick up any work going - writing for lifestyle magazines, writing letters to newspapers for a tenner - which I didn't really feel comfortable with. Then one day I got a newsletter from Reggae News asking for contributors, wrote a piece on Lutan Fyah, started reviewing for them for free and other work followed...

I have noticed recently that when I've been googling for research on various pieces I've written (biographies, reviews etc), your name keeps popping up all over the place. So how do you get your work? Do artists and 'magazines' come to you or do you write your piece and offer it out?

Well there's certainly a lot of knocking on (virtual) doors to get work but once you're established somewhere work comes to you as well. Early on I had to buy records and review them then send my reviews to labels to make a link. I get a steady stream of promos through now but there is the odd big label (mentioning no names) that doesn't see the point of online publicity. I'm reasonably established online, but nowhere near enough to be acting the big I am and handing out advice! I'm currently making the transition into print which involves a lot of rejection and heartache - especially in the current musical climate!

You say "current musical climate!" How do you view the current reggae scene here in the UK? It does seem to be a dirty word. I think people associate reggae with all this new 'bashment' with its homophobic, gun carrying, gang related lyrics, and have forgotten the entire 'one love' and peace message of old.

Like most of the issues around this music, it's complicated.Certainly, in the past Britain has viewed its title as "second nation of reggae" with some complacency, and it's now rivalled (if not overtaken) by Germany, Italy and especially France. The music industry and media for their own valid reasons would rather promote rock music that appeals to a broad age range (to help sell CD's) and necessitates live tours (where a lot of money is these days) than other forms of music which are (rightly or wrongly) thought to be followed by habitual illegal downloaders. Then there is the severing of ties with the British left over the homophobia issue, and of course, the large number of different music styles which can attract urban youth.But it's not all doom and gloom. These things go in cycles. When music influenced by reggae is big - reggae is big. In the 90s, the Bristol scene, conscious hip hop and drum and bass led to an increase in reggae festivals and concert attendance. Now it's happening again with dubstep. I was at a free festival in London where reggae DJ's played all day long and the people loved it. I think the general public (and some reggae fans too) have a lot of preconceptions about what Jamaican music is, and what it should be. But with open yet critical minds we can try to break these barriers down.

You mainly do reviews of CD's and gigs. Have you ever thought of branching out into books? Perhaps on reggae / Jamaican / Rasta history or biography's even?

It's definitely something I'd like to do at some point - but I think I need to get published in a newspaper or magazine first!

Thing is Gus to get published in a newspaper or magazine, do you feel you have to write about something other than reggae? For example I saw a review for The Aggrolites - Reggae Hits L.A in one of the national papers a while ago and it received ? out of 5! They just didn't know what to make of it, which I thought was very poor not to have some sort of view on it.

As mentioned before, there are a lot of misconceptions about Jamaican music and culture that need to be broken down, and the mainstream media isn't very receptive to this. There is so much romanticism to the rock n roll myth - the drugs, the groupies, the fights, the big personalities - that many editors are quite unashamed about how happy they are that it's back in vogue. Certain artists fit the archetypes of the rock n roll myth and are seen as "good" reggae. Bob Marley (the Dylan style troubadour) Lee Perry and King Tubby (the mad genius concocting weird experiments in the lab) but most reggae artists fall through the cracks. From working in advertising I read the 22 immutable laws of Marketing and the first rule was, I think, "it's hard to change a mind once it's been made up". There is a mind set about reggae - it had a heyday in the 70s then it all went wrong - that's hard to change. There are some interesting left field and underground magazines about and traditionally these serve as springboards into the national press. But right now in the US newspaper critics are being laid off or re-assigned and the media is in a frenzy about "bloggers vs. critics" and "the death of the critic" so who knows? Maybe the internet is the place to be!

Obviously working as a writer, I'd say you enjoy words and their power, so which writers do you admire?

In terms of reggae writing, I've always liked David Katz because he isn't very opinionated (unlike a lot of writers who have an agenda or let their personal tastes get in the way of objective appraisal) and just tells you about the particulars of a tune rather than raving about it/dismissing it. Some people say his work is too "trainspotterish" but I don't agree.Then there's Chris Lane, for his great technical knowledge of music and sound production, and Dr William Lez Henry who strips away a lot of the myths and misconceptions that colour an outsiders view of the music and culture. And it goes without saying that for his knowledge and the quality of his writing I admire Penny Reel - the father of UK reggae writing - although I wouldn't (and couldn't) even try to replicate that winding, Dickensian sentence style of his!In terms of writers in general there are too many to mention but my prose style has been influenced reading Saul Bellow, and more recently, Lionel Shriver.

You obviously listen to reggae in all of its genres, so what 'style' do you look forward to hearing? Also do you have a favourite tune?

The music of my heart is roots music. All Jamaican music has the elements i love - economy, brevity, equality between the instruments and technique. But I have always been fascinated by music that glorifies God, even though I am not religious myself; because it goes that little bit further to make its point. I do not discount any type of Jamaican music, though I have to look harder in some areas for what I like than others, for this is usually the fault of my ears being unfamiliar with a style more than anything else. It's very hard to think of one favourite tune to be honest. Groovy Situation by Audrey Hall is a tune that haunts my dreams because I haven't got it on vinyl yet!I'd just like to add that I am not a reggae expert - there are probably a thousand people I could name who are - just a writer who likes reggae. My knowledge is fairly patchy but I am learning as I go and trying to keep an open mind.

Many thanks Gus for your time.

You can find various reviews and interviews by Angus Taylor at

http://www.myspace.com/angu5taylor
http://www.unitedreggae.com/
http://www.reggaenews.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/bluessoulreggae/albums/

Interview With Horace Panter - Pressuredrop Podmatic

If you are interested in the latest news on what's happening with The Specials then pop into http://pressuredrop.podomatic.com/, where you'll find an interview with Sir Horace Gentlemen, bass player of The Specials. In which he talked about his book, his new single, and of course the long anticipated Specials reunion that has just gone down very well at the rain lashed Bestival on the Isle of White.There is also a nice big set of ska and reggae music spanning multiple eras, with some new and soon to be released tunes as well, along with many other interviews and tunes that are well worth a listen.

Enjoy, I know I did! Downlaod Or Stream

Playlist1
1The Specials - Dawning Of A New Era
2 Hepcat - Train To Skaville
3 The Pepper pots - My Little Girl http://www.myspace.com/thepepperpots
4 TSPO - Latin Scorcher
5 Ska Cubano - Carbaro Del Ritmo
6 The Slackers - Leave Me http://www.theslackers.com/

7 One Night Band - Good Times http://www.myspace.com/theonenightband
8 The Maytones - Billy Goat
9 The Aggrolites - Faster Bullet http://www.arroreggae.com/
10 Firebug - Gimmie Your Love

11 Laurel Aitkin - I Got To Have Your Love
12 Chris Murray Combo - Love Flame www;myspace.com/chrismurray
13 Toots And The Maytals - Shes My Scorcher
14 Alton Ellis - Big Bad Boy
15 The Specials - Gangsters

Interview With Horace Panter

16 The Specials - Man From C&A
17 The Specials - Blank Expression
18 Pama International - Throwaway Society http://www.pamainternational.co.uk/

19 The Specials - A Message To You Rudy
20 Lets Go Bowling - Pinstripe Suit
21 The Donkey Show - Mira Que Sabe
22 K-Mob - Highway 101 http://www.k-mob.net/
23 Babylove & The Van Dangos - Rudeboy http://www.megalithrecords.com/

24 Mungo's Hi-Fi - Under Arrest http://www.rockersrevolt.com/
25 Victor Rice - Brother
26 King Django - Tu Gornisht http://www.stubbornrecords.com/
27 The Skatalites - You're Wondering Now
28 The Specials - It Doesn't Make It Alright

Visit http://www.thespecials.com/
Buy Horace's book: Ska'd for life

http://www.musicaloccupation.com/

"This Could Be The Dawning Of A New Era!"

Scientist On Springline - Exclusive!

TONIGHT 8th July From Around 8:30pm (UK Time) Hear Steve Steppa in an Exclusive Interview with the Legendary.....

SCIENTIST

-

If you can't make it tonight the interview (recorded earlier this month) will be looped throughout the playlist for the next couple of weeks

http://www.live365.com/STATIONS/SIRGIBBS

Here to accompany the interview is a short biography on the man and how he started.

Scientist (Overton Brown) began his career building sound system audio amplifiers in the late 70's, until one day, whilst repairing a television for a friend who had worked for King Tubby's, he needed a transformer and King Tubby's was the only place to find those particular types of transformers. Overton was excited and considered himself very lucky to have the opportunity to meet this brilliant man. After that, it became a regular place him to buy special made power and output transformers for the amplifiers that he was building. King Tubby became impressed with the electronic skills and abilities of the young engineer that he offered him a job working at the studio in around 1978. He so impressed the producer with his work that he soon became his protege and with this he quickly began to make a reputation for himself with his innovative, wild mixes.
In 1980, Greensleeves released the productions of top Jamaican producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes, who was finding success with new and uprising singer Barrington Levy. Lawes was using King Tubby's studio for his voicing and final mix-downs and offered Greensleeves a couple of dub albums mixed by Tubby's exciting young engineer. The Scientist, VS Prince Jammy (1980), was released here and consisted mostly of dub mixes of Barrington tracks. This album was presented as The "Big Showdown" between the two dubmasters. Greensleeves followed this album with another proclaiming The Scientist to be the Heavyweight Dub Champion. The Scientist soon became Jamaica's top recording engineer with an almost overwhelming flow of albums released & mixed by The Scientist from various sources throughout the early 80's. Greensleeves, in particular issued album after album most of which featured great cartoon sleeves.

Much respect and thanks to Valerie Crawford.

Presenting YabasS

Presenting..

Yabass "real people music"

YabasS

Musician Producer and Dubplate Engineer Yabass is this months

artist showcase special at Springline. Whilst re mixing tunes for

this coming Saturday night's special for Showcase fm 'Yaba' took

time out for a quick interview via telephone from his studio in the UK..

Ed: Although your production sound is very distinct in it's own right your approach to recording and engineering has been likened to that '78-'80 Black Ark sound, who are your main influences and why?

Ya: "Well my main influence surprisingly is not Lee Perry although I like and admire Perry's productions I get more from listening to King Tubby's I think Tubby was more serious about his work where as Perry for me can be a little 'hit or miss' but when Perry does hit it's a Knockout punch! It's a great honour when people tell me I've locked into the Perry's

transmission's in my works"

Ed: Do you ever play live with a band?

Ya: "Yes,twice this year in Spain with The Manor thanks to Don Fe (Reggae Producer in Spain) and we hope to be up and running appearance wise later in the year..There's also talk of some live dubbing by Don Fe and myself ,we see bout that."

Ed: Are you a multi Instrumentalist?

Ya: "I play Drums ,Bass ,Guitar and Piano ,well you see it's because I get bored playing just one instrument so I move onto the next!"

Ed: Any musical collaborations ongoing?

Ya: "Well I've found my musical brother in The Manor so any collabs will more than likely be with him. Manors tunes are very well constructed and tuneful where as mine are more vibes and attack.You can find a great deal of my work on Reggae Dubwise http://www.reggaedubwise.com/members/90 and on myspace" http://www.myspace.com/yabass

Ed: You're part of the Mighty Jah Observer Sound System ,Tell us about that..

Ya: "I got involved with Spiderman (main Operator of Observer) about three years ago ,I rejigged his website for him renaming it Dreadsite! Observer has been around for over 30 years now and play Nottinghill Carnival every year.They are an Original Valve operated first generation roots and culture foundation sound" http://www.myspace.com/jahobserver

Ed: You easily have an albums worth of material available as downloads on Reggae Dubwise are there any plans for a Yabass CD album release?

Ya: "You know ,all the dub albums from time that I've listened to have maybe one or two killa tracks then the rest is filled out with sub standard material my aim was always to get a great sounding album and put it out on limited edition vinyl ,for me the magic went when CDs came onto the scene but yeah, that's still my aim ,one killa LP on vinyl.I probably still hav'nt recorded those songs for the album yet ,the tunes you hear now from me are warm ups..

so stay tuned"

Ed: What piece of studio fx could you simply Not be without?

Ya: "Gotta be the reverb ,it can cover a multitude of mistakes"

Ed: Recently SpringlineJamaica launched a new internet radio station called Showcase fm to air music works from the unsigned and uprising star.What are your thoughts on this..

Ya: "Well I've been waiting an awful long time for Springline ,I know there was other stations but the feel and vibe you guys give off is something you can almost touch you know ,real people playing real people's music"

Ed: The final word.....

Ya: "I just want to keep on pushing the vibe forward ,Dub music popped it's head up overground a few years back in the Seventies and then it went back underground ,maybe people wern't ready for it then? Only those of us that were tuned into the frequences those great artist's were transmitting got the message. Dub still hasn't had it's day in the sunshine but with people like Springline and Reggae Dubwise we see where it takes us"

Part of the Reggae arena for over thirty years and now

in his Fiftieth year himself the musical works of Yabass

are a true delight ,taking the listener back to those

overground dub times whilst always pushing the sonic

boundary of recording to the edge and ever forward.

His idea's and recordings come a plenty ,his collaborations

with fellow artist's combine to create a dub style within a

dub style ,it's a recognisable style from time but yet unique

in it's mighty vibe today.

If you happen to own a copy of the Alton Eliss tune "Telephone line"...

well you'll hear Yabass playing the Melodica on the recording from Chalk farm studios

Yaba also played Piano on a handful of tunes with the Skin Flesh & Bones band.

Find more of Yabass vibe by tuning into our special show this

coming saturday (5th) on Showcase fm at live365.com

Show start's in fine style at 8pm (GMT) featuring a ninety

minute showcase split into three 30 minute parts:

Part1 : Specials & Remixes

part2: Archive from Reggaedubwise

part3: Collaborations

presented at Gibbs Intl.

(The show will be followed by a brand new 'Steve Steppa presents..')

NEXT Interview with : The Manor