Interview with Ben Up and Barnabas talk Channel One (Part 1)
Posted inINTERVIEWS

Interview with Ben Up and Barnabas talk Channel One (Part 1)

Franklyn “Ben Up” Irving and Stanley “Barnabas” Bryan are two of the last surviving team members of the legendary Channel One studio and entertainment empire. Owned by the Hookim brothers and based at 29 Maxfield Avenue, Channel One’s productions dominated Kingston's reggae scene from the mid-to-late 70s. Driven by a crystalline studio sound and the radical drumming of Sly Dunbar, Channel One became as in demand as Studio 1 the decade before.
Sonic spaces, spiritual bodies: The affective experience of the roots reggae soundsystem
Posted inMUSIC HISTORY

Sonic spaces, spiritual bodies: The affective experience of the roots reggae soundsystem

This paper advances a new understanding of spirituality within the geographies of religion. It builds on the premise that spirituality is latent within every body, and argues that it becomes manifest in response to an affective experience. Such experiences are often sensory in nature, rendering spiritual affect an embodied phenomenon that can be understood through the concept of an “embodied hierophany”.
Interview with Twinkle Brothers
Posted inINTERVIEWS SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE

Interview with Twinkle Brothers

Let’s do this" says Norman Grant, lead singer and more visible half of Jamaican duo Twinkle Brothers, striding towards his interview, seconds after stepping off the stage. Burly and grey around the beard, he still has a youthful look about his face – especially when he smiles. Norman and Ralston hail from in Falmouth in the parish of Trelawny on Jamaica’s north coast.
Interview with DUB JUDAH
Posted inINTERVIEWS SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE

Interview with DUB JUDAH

Dub Judah, born Christopher George, emerged as a prominent figure in the reggae music scene, renowned for his distinctive sound and unwavering commitment to the roots reggae tradition. His journey from humble beginnings to international acclaim, marked by his perseverance, is a testament to his talent and dedication to his craft, inspiring many along the way.
Interview with Prince Alla
Posted inINTERVIEWS SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE

Interview with Prince Alla

Dubbed "The Gentle Giant", Prince Alla (born Keith Blake, St Elizabeth Jamaica) is one of roots reggae's most irrepressible and warm-hearted characters. His demeanour is something of a contrast from the anguished dread-serious biblical tones of his records, which take Old Testament Stories and place them in the context of societal injustice in Jamaica and the world.
SHEBEEN : NOTHING BUT A HOUSE PARTY
Posted inMUSIC HISTORY SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE

SHEBEEN : NOTHING BUT A HOUSE PARTY

It is not a glamorous room; the ground floor of a small terrace house. Weasel has made an effort to smarten it up; there are posters of reggae artists, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight and, stuck incongruously over a speaker, a big poster for The Great Rock & Roll Swindle; holes peel back from the walls, showing the bare skeleton of wood.
Interview with EARL “CHINNA” SMITH
Posted inINTERVIEWS SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE

Interview with EARL “CHINNA” SMITH

Everything is stories, but the truth lies in the real story. You understand? Because the way mi come up as a likkle youth – you know what my greatest story was? Christ story. As a likkle youth, I hear about this man that is oh so perfect. The Bible say mark the perfect and hold the upright. So I hear about this man that would die for our sins
Interview with Donovan Kingjay
Posted inINTERVIEWS SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE

Interview with Donovan Kingjay

 #ReggaeRoast #Soundsystem family member Donovan Kingjay has had a long and illustrious career in #Reggae music. From his time with Sugar Minott's Youthman Promotion Sound & Phillip "Fatis" Burrell right through to working with Conscious sounds Bush chemists & Channel One Sound System, Donovan has always been in high demand as a singer & entertainer. 
Interview with Count Matchuki
Posted inINTERVIEWS SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE

Interview with Count Matchuki

His stage name of Count Matchuki derived from his habit of chewing matchsticks.He initially worked on Tom Wong's Tom the Great Sebastian system and later the Tokyo the Monarch system, before moving on to Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat Sound System.He added talkovers to the songs, emulating the jive talk of American radio DJ's at the request of Dodd, who became familiar with the US style on his visits to the States to buy records to play on his sound system.