Culturereggae, via our cohorts and collaborators in Sama Roots Soundsystem, are nailing our colours to the mast. We've always believed that Roots Reggae should play to everyone. After all, it's the only way for it to capture a new audience.

At Bassweight Carnival in Sheffield we intend to put theory into practice. It's a monthly session, at Yellow Arch Studio, that has the free spirit of a warehouse rave. The 'Bassweight' moniker comes from the chest cavity shuddering b-lines of Dubstep that the younger crowd are so devoted to. Like a carnival different sounds, playing different styles, string up around the place and the revellers can either roam around or take their pick.

At the end of October, those original rockers, RDK Hifi made the trod from Brixton. Despite being faced with a crazy youthful crowd of halloween costumed ravers, Markie Lyrics and Knatty P kicked up the place.

With good vibes and a Rootical selection RDK showed that the Dubstepping crowd can get with something other than just hardcore digital Steppers. It's not called Universal Roots for nothing!

The Guardian

(November 2009)

"We are free" said Ras Kayleb, on the mic for Channel One, at the first University of Dub in it's new venue. No more running the gauntlet of paramilitary security, scanning ID and paying to step outside for a smoke. A chapter in the history of the UK's biggest Roots dance was closed and a new one was just beginning.

There were good vibes at the Scala. The atmosphere was relaxed but it still felt like a big dance, like an event. The really good news is that a sound like Entebbe can still be part of the story. If Entebbe are able to write part of the next chapter we can be assured that the scene won't lose it's melody, good selection or it's Roots.

The Lone Warrior is battling onwards in the Unification Dub Cup. Abyssinian is a sound that doesn't follow fashion and even a pre-amp meltdown, jumping needles and skipping CDs weren't going to stop Matt from progressing to the semi-final. Culturereggae remains totally impartial of course, but maybe Abyssinian is the one for all the neutrals to get behind?

It's difficult to be non-aligned when it comes to Notting Hill Carnival. Distance and crowd congestion makes it injudicious to attempt to reach both Aba Shanti and Channel One on the same day. They are two systems that are astride the summit; both could easily wear the crown of number one sound, but my allegiance has always been with Mikey Dread. Channel One's corner was configured differently this year, in recognition of the fact that it has utterly outgrown it's intimate beginnings. The i-trol tower was switched to the opposite side of the street making more room for the masses. It made it easier for the people to savour those impromptu and sometimes theatrical vignettes, when an artist thrusts through the crowd to take the mic. My favourite little cameo was from Gappy Ranks. His 'Heaven In Her Eyes' has been a smash hit of old school proportions. A genuine British Reggae hit. The Peckings production has been reverberating from radios and car stereos and causing big people to venture back into record shops. Gappy had London's number one tune by a mile, so there was no chance of him contributing politely from the other side of the crash barrier. Some of the Channel One crew looked taken aback by the forceful way that he vaulted the barricade to plant himself at Mikey's shoulder. He gave a brief but most self possessed performance. Wonderfully assertive, the young man has star quality.

The Guardian

(September 2009)

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"I think everyone goes through a time in their life when they experience something that's incredible and you're always kind of chasing it back, trying to re-create the feeling."

So says Matt Abyssinian in the new Unification Dup Cup feature. For him that time was in the late eighties when 'Weed Them Out' and 'Screechie Cross The Border' were booming out of the sounds like Shaka and Tubby's that came to play every other Friday in Southend. You can hear this in the music he plays and the vibe that he carries today. We are all products of our time.

One of the great things about Reggae is it's longevity. Most other forms of black music can only control the clubs and dancehalls for a moment before they've morphed into yet another new style or micro-genre. It won't be too long before we can say that Reggae has been around for fifty years. A lot of people have experienced that first incredible excitement about the music in that time. That's a whole heap of people trying to hold on to their own special vibes. They aren't all going to agree, but if we respect their works within the business we should be interested to hear what they've got to say. I believe that the people who are interviewed by, or contribute to, culturereggae have something to teach me about the music. Unfortunately these insights aren't available anywhere else. So if you want something doing ...

I didn't start this site to hear my own opinions, which is why it's taken so long for any editorial to appear. However, that quote from Abyssinian got me thinking about the way that such a longstanding art form as Reggae music keeps evolving. I was also inspired by Stryda's call to the big soundsystems to "school and steer" their new audience. There is a never ending procession of new people discovering Reggae for the first time. Inevitably there are also people who find that the latest change is just a step too far, that the vibes they liked have finally faded away. We don't hear from them anymore. Maybe that will be me one day, but while I've still got the energy, it's still my time. I'm going to try to hold onto the vibes that I love and to stop them from fading out. I want to be enjoying what's happening in the present if I possibly can. I don't want to be constantly talking about the past.

It's the same with everything. You've got to do your bit - or you can't complain that you don't like how things turned out.

Callum 'The Guardian' Grant

(July 2009)

contact e-mail: info@culturereggae.co.uk

culturereggae myspace: www.myspace.com/culturereggaezine