African Brothers

Thursday december 3 there's a party in Watt Rotterdam called Roots Reggae Reunion.
Two of the performers of the night, Tony Tuff and Sugar Minott, used to be in a group called African Brothers together (with Derrick "Bubbles" Howard). So for the two of them this really is a Roots Reggae Reunion!
Anyway, a good opportunity for me to drop this heavy, heavy tune!



(Btw Frankie Paul and others are performing too!)

Distant Relatives

Nas and Damian Marley are distant relatives.

Squingy RIP

Legendary MC Squingy of Bass Odyssey died after a long illness. Here a little clip to remember the big man...

Numbernine 5 Year Anniversary

Jogging Joe's store Numbernine gets 5. Big celebration tonight with Tommie Sunshine (US), Amateurs de Vinyl (Paris) and Wazari Sound. Should you come? Is the pope a Catholic?


Yes.

RIP: A Remix Manifesto

Interesting documentary about remixing and copyright laws. Screens this saturday at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam.

Also check ripremix.com

Ghetto Dictionary

Oldie but goodie.

No Gaza/Gully Clash At Sting 2009

Apparently contrary to popular belief in dancehall circles, there will be no Gaza vs. Gully at Sting 2009. While it’s safe to assume that both artistes will perform at the show, Sting promoter Isaiah Laing has reportedly said this year will not be about Gully/Gaza, as they already did that last year and they will set the trend and come with something new for Sting 2009. More on this soon!
via Dancehall.mobi

Next Week's Events

Gappy Ranks is the rising dancehall star out of the UK. You might know him from hit tunes like Stinkin Rich and Heaven In Her Eyes. Next tuesday (tonight: Ladies Night) he will perform at Jamrock.



The day after that (wednesday 25th) Barrington Levy will perform in de Melkweg in honour of the Cannabis Cup 2009(?). Levy started recording in the late seventies, enjoyed big success in the mid-eighties and continued to score hits in the nineties. Truly a legend. Go to see go to see.


Barrington Levy in the Milkyway

The VP Records Story

"The story of VP Records is the story of Jamaican music..."
link via funkyharlem.com

Bolt Action Mixtape

OK. I know I'm late with this one. Aidonia and Federation. Only the maddest mixtape of the year!
Download

Badman Blues volume 4

Holland's no.1 Herbalize It just released this double mix, just in time for the holiday season. No real badman tunes on this one, just roots, reality and culture; ah gallis grooves dis!

Download here.
Click images to have a better look at the tracklists.
PS: Happy 11th anniversary.

Lion D @ Toppa Toppa Wednesday

Lion D will be in Amsterdam this wednesday to promote his just released album The Burnin Melody. Support by Toppa Top Wednesday residents 90Degree Sound.


Don't miss this upcoming youth!

myspace.com/liondmusic
myspace.com/manjahfyah
bitterzoet.com

Amsterdam Reggae Festival Rundown

The organisation of the Amsterdam Reggae Festival could have been a little smoother, but it was the first edition (and it was sold out) so bigup sameway.
Here's something about the performances (in chronological order):

Punky Donch
Good band with some fresh sounding tunes and Papiamento lyrics. As I said before: the surprise of the night.

Serani
The first Jamaican star of the evening. As a pure dancehall artist I think he was programmed too early, but Serani and DJ Biggie really did their best. Thing is, they only addressed the ladies, who made up about only 50% of the audience... No Games of course got a big forward.



Richie Spice
An artist with a bag of hit tunes but performing live just isn't his specialty.

Duane Stephenson
Duane Stephenson put on a really solid show, he's got a beautiful voice and big tunes. The band that accompanied him was lot better than Richie Spice's too. The energy level was a bit low for the time of the night though. He could have better been in Serani's place and vice versa but again, no offense to the organisation...

Jah Cure
Best performance of the night. He did a a lot of his older tunes and ended with his newest hit Call On Me. Just great.


What an artist.

Shabba Ranks
Jah Cure gave the best performance but Shabba Ranks' performance was the most legendary. It's just not fair is it?
It was Shabba's first show in Europe since '93 and nobody knew what to expect. It would already have been a pleasant surprise if he didn't just suck, let alone be pretty impressive, which he was. After an over-the-top opening (2001: A Space Odyssey theme) he kicked off with some classics like Caan Dun and Dem Bow. Then some Roots & Culture and he ended with some duets with Selena Serano, including Mr Loverman. As the hosts said: historic.




Big up 1st Priority, see you next year.

Revitalised Bunker

The bunker in Amsterdam-North, in an old dock, was already the perfect location for an underground roots and culture session, but now it got even better, because it's revitalised!

Punky Donch- Sensimilla

The Aruban/Dutch band Punky Donch was for me one of the revelations of the Amsterdam Reggae Festival. More on ARF coming soon!

Shabba Ranks Announces Performance

If you are a bit sceptical towards the 2009 Shabba, go read the optimistic post about him on the Heatwave blog.