MAGAZINE #2 - November 2010 INTERVIEWS Bob Andy Neil Perch Tiken Jah Fakoly IN BAMAKO Independent VoYces Literary Fair Apple Gabriel UK Flu Dubmatix Sonia Pottinger On The * * * * Level Volume 2 * Irie Up * Rise Up * Lee Perry * Tayo * Adele Harley * Mikey General * Dennis Brown * Bushman * Protoje United Reggae Mag #2 - November 2010 Want to read United Reggae as a paper magazine? In addition to the latest United Reggae news, views andNow videos you online can... each month you can now enjoy a free pdf version packed with most of United Reggae content from the last month.. SUMMARY 1/ NEWS •Sonia Pottinger - Lee Perry - New riddim - The Mighty Three’s Mikey General - Bushman - Adele Harley Protoje - Mark Wonder - No To Guns campaign! Sylford Walker - Luciano - The Camel Riddim 3 - 9 2/ INTERVIEWS •Interview: Tiken Jah Fakoly in Bamako, Mali 10 •Interview: Neil Perch 18 •Interview: Bob Andy 21 3/ REVIEWS •Mortima Hardly by Natural Black 23 •Rise Up 24 •UK Flu 25 •David Rodigan - Fabriclive 54 •Dubmatix - System Shakedown 26 •Penthouse Showcase Volume 7 27 •Teach Them Right by Apple Gabriel •Reggae Bubblers - Man Heart So Cold 28 •Dennis Brown - The Crown Prince Of Reggae •Lee Perry - Kiss Me Neck 29 •Scientist Launches Dubstep into Outer Space 30 •A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen by Taj Weekes and Adowa •Errol Dunkley: Live In London 31 4/ IN THE SPOTLIGHT •In The Spotlight: Independent VoYces Literary Fair 32 5/ PHOTOS •Linval Thompson and The Mighty Diamonds in Paris 34 All the articles in this magazine were previously published online on http://unitedreggae.com.This magazine is free for download at http://unitedreggae.com/magazine/. Not for resale. United Reggae. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduc tion in whole or in part is prohibited. - News 3 Sonia Pottinger passed away Lee Scratch Perry: Secret Education As reported by Jamaica Observer, Mrs Sonia Pottinger For those of you in the Los Angeles area, don’t miss passed away this week. She was the most important Secret Education, a rare exhibit of Lee Perry’s art. Jamaican woman involved in music business and the first Jamaican female reggae record producer. Ms P. “Dem Passwords Art Gallery is pleased to present the opened the Tip Top Record shop in 1965 and began first solo exhibition of paintings, drawings and video producing local artists the following year. Her first by Lee Perry. Perry began decorating his Black Ark single production was Every Night by Joe White and studio walls in the 1970s with strange and eccentric Chuck. She produced artists from the mid 1960s until writings, paintings and pasted elements alongside the mid 1980s : Bob Andy, Marcia Griffiths, Alton El- (and often over) the work of Jah Wise, the Rasta artist lis, U Roy, Big Youth and Culture among others on who adorned the Black Ark with its distinctive art- her Gay Feet, Tip Top, Rainbow and High Note labels. work. For the past 20 years, Scratch has continued to In 1974, she bought Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label create, building found-object sculptures in his yard shortly before his passing. and covering every surface both inside and outside of his home with spiritual graffiti. In the 1980s, Perry The works of Lee Perry, Coxsone Dodd, Bunny Lee added photography and video to the mix and began are rightfully celebrated, but Pottinger’s productions styling his wardrobe with mirrors and other objects were always top ranking. of private spiritual signifiance.” The exhibition runs from November 13 to December 11. Another sad news for Reggae Community. May the grand lady of JA music rest in peace. HELP Jamaica! 2011 Calendar Last year the charity HELP Jamaica!, that aims to es- tablish library and education projects in underprivi- Irie Up new issue! leged Jamaican communities, released a calendar Back in January of this year we reported on the launch with all the proceeds going towards helping their of a new bimonthly magazine called Irie Up. It would projects, well this year they are repeating that and appear that the magazine has been a success and have just released their 2011 calendar. now as they edge towards their first anniversary they have just published issue 6. As with last year all photog- raphers who provided their In this time the magazine has grown to include CD photos and the graphic de- and vinyl reviews along with its usual mix of technical signer worked for free and of- insight into soundsystems and production, varied in- fered their photo-material and terviews from greats like Sugar Minott and U Brown time voluntarily. The money to newer names like Japanese collective Tribe Sound raised by selling this calendar and just generally keeping people informed of what will go directly towards HELP is happening on the reggae scene the world over. Jamaica! and helping them establish their first own Education Centre in Cas- In this latest issue you will find interviews with Inter- sava Piece, Kingston 8. Hilmar Keding (Chairman of nal Dread, the Swedish analogue specialist and Ire- HELP Jamaica!) said “The making of this (our second) land’s Dub Investigation talks about productions and charity-calendar was again a very positive experience future projects. On the techy side they meet the Gag- - everybody we asked to be involved in producing geldubbers, who have developed a fully independent the calendar immediately and generously agreed to solar powered soundsystem that opens up a new support the worthy cause and without this The 2011 range of possibilities for sound crews. Then there is a HELP Jamaica! Charity Calendar would not have been look at what is happening in the Czech Republic with possible.” the story of reggae, dub and soundsystems, from the fall of the Iron Curtain and the rise of the free tekno The calendar, on high-quality DIN A3 paper, features soundsystem scene to the roots and dub revival in some great photos of the colourful people and mag- Prague, plus an introduction to and brief history of nificent scenery that can found in Jamaica. There are the soundsystem scene in Manchester, England and only 500 copies of the calendar available, twice last much more. years and that edition proved so popular it was sold out before the beginning of December. News 4 Summertime by Billie Jean Riddim The New Day Sheya Mission Wasn’t it just yesterday or . Oh maybe a few hours ago when the increasingly wicked Irie Ites Riddim George Gershwin's Summer- A few years back with the ar- time has to be one of the from out of France dropped their most recent re- rival on the big stage of Reg- most covered songs in Ameri- lease, the Party Time & Take A Lick Riddims com- gae music of artists such as can popular music - from Billy pilation? Well apparently they’ve absolutely no Queen Omega, Khari Kill and Stewart's stuttering tic-infested time to waste at all and were hard at work back others, Reggae from out of the horn fest to Sam Cooke's more on things immediately afterwards because what home of Soca, Trinidad, was leisurely campfire ballad rendi- going quite nicely. A few years tion. It's also well represented they’ve come up with this time, is arguably just as on and while it seems things in Jamaica: whether by Lloyd crucial. Billie Jean is far more than “just a girl who have slowed down just a bit, Clarke’s jaunty ska cut, B B thinks that I am the one”, she’s also the namesake there’re still very interesting Seaton’s brooding early reggae of a classic riddim which the team at Irie Ites has occurrences, and one of the lament or Jimmy Riley's mili- now remade. most recent would definitely tant stalker for Dennis Brown’s be the New Day Riddim from label DEB. up and coming Trini Reggae As usual, they’ve lined up a stellar cast of big time label, Jah Light Records. This This modern acts with the star this time around being smooth Roots riddim is now set summer Sizzla Kalonji who brings forth the dominant Po- to be released to the rest of the brought world very shortly. a new ad- lice Oppression and the Reggae legend is joined dition to by the likes of Mark Wonder, Daddy Rings, sur- the ranks. prisingly Konshens and Elephant Man as well as Its singer label regulars Lutan Fyah and Spectacular. Also, is jazzy Irie Ites has done a mix of all the tunes in a Hip- chan- teuse hop style which is something that they’re also be- Sheya coming known for. Mission, and its producer is Jonah Goldheart who helmed Anytime Irie Ites has something new, it’s almost Daweh Congo's impressive certain to be big and listeners can find out just last album 'Ghetto Skyline'. Laid down in Stockholm, the how big their take on the Billie Jean Riddim is very smooth, slightly chilly feel to soon on 7” Singles and in December on CD and Appearing on the New Day Jonah's recordings works with digital downloads. Riddim are veteran Trini art- Mission’s cool stately voice ists such as Mr. Royal [formerly over a very traditional swung Royal Dainties], King Solomon, roots reggae rhythm in the Ras Pilot and Gounzman whose mode of Bob Marley's cut of tune on the riddim, What Mon- Natural Mystic. The result is key See, was reportedly quite a lingering affair that recalls the local hit in Trinidad. Manasseh's reworking of Lord Creator's Such Is Life with the Listen to a quick sample of singer Judith - particularly on the New Day Riddim courtesy the dub.