"Reggae music has been sampled and used as a source of inspiration by other styles of music for years . Isn't it time that the Dub scene started to reap some benefit? Drum & Bass dominated for a long time but it never did that much for our scene. However Dubstep has emerged over the last five or six years and as a result we could be entering a positive period here in the UK. It's a scene that's inspired by soundsystem culture and is less hectic than Drum & Bass. A lot of the DJs use acetates because they want a standard of sound and the producers have an extreme attention to detail. I think it could really help out the Dub scene.
Roots and Dub Reggae isn’t as popular as it once was in the UK with today’s teenagers whereas Dubstep is. Teachings In Dub and a Dubstep night called Subloaded were originally under one roof. It's great when a young crowd, who've come along to hear Dubstep, venture into a Reggae room. They hear a Reggae soundsystem for the first time in their lives and it can start the fire burning. We've got some Dubstep producers doing remixes of Dubkasm tracks from the album 'Transform I' and it has brought us more media attention. We've secured a distribution deal and the company that took the album were always enthusiastic, but it really helped to be able to tell them about the remix project and that DJ Pinch's mix of 'Sangue Brasileiro (Brazilian Blood)' was featured on his big selling debut album. These links help out. It doesn't mean that we're switching in any way. Dubkasm will always be Roots Reggae. However I'm pleased that links to contemporary Dubstep producers, the subtle Brazilian twist and the effort that went into perfecting the music, mastering and artwork have combined to make people outside of the Reggae scene take notice. It’s shown me that it can work!
As a promoter with Teachings In Dub, my job has been to get people in the dance. We've achieved that and I was delighted to be able to give the platform to a Bristol sound last time. Negus Melody were coming off the back of a good session at St Pauls Carnival, so we felt that they were ready. I'm always trying to come up with line-ups that haven't been done before and combinations that allow one less familiar sound to come in alongside an established player. However, as a promoter I have to stay focused. Sounds need to have been doing a lot of work and have got themselves noticed. It is about the love of the music, but it's also a business venture. A lot of money is at at risk and the promotion has to work.
The 'Transform I' launch party with Dub Judah and Afrikan Simba was a success; but it did make me start to wonder how many people attending actually know the artists or buy the records. Some people are in denial about this. They see events that are rammed and are fooled into thinking that the music and message has a large following. However the majority of people these days have come for the vibe and a bit of bass. They have no idea when it's dubplate time or who the artists are. If our music isn't reviewed in any magazines or fanzines, how is a new person supposed to find out about it?
Some risks need to be taken to see if people will support the artists. When producers release a tune they should do a video and get it on Youtube. Technology means that videos and decent artwork can be done by anyone. Artists in the UK have a real fight and struggle and that's why I've got to hand it to people like Reality Shock who've formed a crew to bring in artists and showcase them. There's no reason why soundsystem can't go hand in hand with singers and players. It used to; you'd have Coxsone playing and there'd be nuff artists lining up to bust their style on the sound. It's great to see a singer or deejay face to face and hear the song that you've been listening to at home done live.
The 'Give Jah The Glory' session in France was proof that this can work. Zion Gate Soundsystem looked royal and rootical. A true Rasta Roots sound. They also had four microphones set up in a row. There was live keyboard, harmonica, three melodica players and two saxophonists, as well as deejay Afrikan Simba and singer Dub Judah. To come as a soundsystem, but to be able to offer all that as well, is the best of both worlds. The energy was great and people were there to appreciate music rather than just get a load of bass in their chest and go home drunk.
I was also inspired by the great event that Young Warrior put together in Brixton prior to Notting Hill Carnival. The vibe in there was really positive. Roger Robin was one of the acts. He took the stage looking and sounding like the Reggae star that he is. It gives people more to talk about and more memories to go home with. There was also a strong focus on artists at this years Notting Hill Carnival where Aba Shanti-I Soundsystem gave a platform to The Ras Ites, Keety Roots, Blood Shanti, Prince Malachi, and Digistep. Give thanks for the soundsystems but let’s not forget the singers and players. We need more star quality!”
"Well, since I was last on culturereggae Digistep and I have released the Dubkasm album 'Transform I'. It's been going really well and after just over a month on sale we're going for a re-press. We've been busy doing live shows to promote it, having Digistep over from Brazil means we can finally represent as Dubkasm in the dance.
One of the shows was in Italy. Digistep and I flew from Bristol, Afrikan Simba from London and we linked up in Rome. Obviously we've known Simba for a long time but when you travel together, as we did in Brazil last year, it creates a real bond. We were invited over by LDM Soundsystem and during the day they took us to a pro-marijuana demonstration. Hundreds and hundreds of people all smoking herb in front of the Vatican, it was unbelievable. It wasn't the image I expected to see! Loads of soundsystems were playing all kinds of music, from Techno to Reggae, off the back of trucks. It's not legal but so many smokers come out for that one day a year that nothing can really be done about it. Herb smoke was in the air, Simba was in his element, we couldn't have timed it better!
We played at an event in a huge outdoor venue that was actually a squat. It was very well organised, cheap to get into and with very little noise restriction. Something like that in the UK would attract so much red tape it would be impossible. It was right in the middle of Rome, with beautiful weather and there we were under the moonlight playing on LDM soundsystem which sounded criss!
Each time we play it will have a slightly different edge but while we're promoting 'Transform I', we're featuring mostly dubplate cuts to tracks off the album. We've cut lots of Dubkasm acetates of course, but we want to represent specific other studios as well. So we'll be cutting dubplates from Black Legacy, Dub Tech, Aba Shanti, and some local bredrins such as Daddy Roots.
We held the launch party in Bristol and, as that's our home city, the edge we took was to feature 90% Bristol produced tunes. This went down really well and it felt like a real celebration of all the hard work that had gone into the album plus a good tribute to Bristol. The first vinyl disc I played was, "Rock Bristol rock, St Paul's jammin" by Black Roots from the eighties.
I've wanted to play at SubDub for a while, it's one of the big dances in the UK. It was a great experience to go up to Leeds and do it. You couldn't ask for a more lively crowd. Iration Steppas had everybody jumping up and down. Mark had worked them into a frenzy and it was tempting to come crashing in with a year 3000 type tune. However we'd planned to start off with Revival, we wanted to represent the music culturally and spiritually as this is what people expect from us after hearing Dubkasm releases and listening to the Sufferah's Choice show; we had to stand firm. So I came in with Peter Tosh, Fred Locks and Dennis Brown. A real Rootical intro. The reaction was amazing. The crowd were really responsive and locked onto the vibe. I was determined to play 'There's A Love', the Christine Miller track off the album, which is a real one-drop. That might have seemed a bit risky, but it really worked. It shows that those tunes have still got a place in the dance. I found that really encouraging, especially at such a big Dub arena.
SubDub and University Of Dub (and I'd like to think Teachings In Dub could join this list) are the most popular soundsystem nights. There are people in attendance at all three who have a genuine knowledge of the music, the artists, the selection and the message; but there is also a big section of the crowd who are just there for a night out. It's not a specific soundsystem that's drawn them there, it's the recognized name of the night itself. SubDub is an institution. The younger brothers and sisters of the original crowd are in the dance now. When something becomes that established, it's very strong. At SubDub you're able to play to a big crowd, the promoters are able to make some money and are in the position to book a less well known soundsystem now and again because they know a crowd is coming.
It's had some criticism from die-hard Roots-ites who say that some of the newer, younger crowd don't know how to behave. The newer crowd do change the vibe, but the fact is, there aren't coach loads of Roots-ites travelling up the motorway to ram these dances, or any dance. If it is a message thing, then it's pointless preaching to the converted forever anyway. The message has to be handed on. People might not know the vibes at first. I spoke to somebody recently who admitted "I was one of those people, staggering around, not knowing what was going on". He kept coming back, started to listen more carefully to what was being said through the soundsystems, to buy music and got deep into the lyrics. He's now a conscious Roots selector. That nights like SubDub are able to bring in a young audience is crucial for keeping the music alive. Otherwise who's going to continue to buy the music, support the dances and build new sound systems with youthful drive and energy?
It's the promoter's responsibility to assemble a crowd. It's the responsibility of the soundsystems playing to school and steer that crowd. Over the last ten years a lot of sounds have played up to the new crowd and are content to just get a loud cheer. They'll do whatever it takes to get that reaction, rather than show that there's a culture, a livity and a message attached to the music. I might get in trouble for saying this, but too many people are keeping their views to themselves. They only share them in private or behind names on forums. The only way to get through to the new crowd is in the dance. It has to be the soundsystems' job to do that. Nobody else can educate them. You've got to give thanks that a promoter has done his or her job and assembled an audience to hear what you have to say. Don't let that new audience dictate how you play; show them how it's done.
Keep the cultural, Rootical vibes alive!"
DJ Stryda
(June 2009)
"It's been a mission, but I've finally got a test pressing of the Dubkasm LP 'Transform I' in my hand. It's amazing to have something physical after all the work, all the travelling and all the communication back and forth between Bristol and Brazil.
Even the artwork was a big undertaking. The album will have a gatefold sleeve and we commissioned a Rasta brethren of ours who's an artist from Gloucester to do a painting based on the track titles. I've had trips to Gloucester to make sure he got the work done in time and then we had to scan in the giant painting and piece it all together. A huge amount of time has gone into how the album will look as well as how it sounds. Vinyl and CD copies of the LP will be in the shops from Monday 27th April. Record collectors need to listen out to the radio and watch out on-line because the first hundred copies are a numbered limited edition available on extra heavy vinyl. These one hundred copies will be released prior to the official release date, we'll be announcing how to get them soon.
It's all part of the build up to the launch party at Teachings In Dub on April 25th in Bristol. Dubkasm will be playing on Iration Steppas sound system. Some of the guest artists who feature on the album will be touching the mike; Afrikan Simba and Ras B plus a rare and special appearance from Dub Judah! There will be live sax, dubplate versions of tracks from the album, guests on the mike and then we'll hand back to Iration who'll close the show.
The Teachings In Dub dances have continued to be successful this year. Shaka did the last one and it was ruuuff! I've always been a real Shaka-ite, so it was a real honour for us. Quite a few younger people come and I guess some of them weren't sure what to make of it. This man not saying anything, just playing records with long silences in between. It was a brand new experience, probably so different from the seamless DJs they're used to. Shaka is so good at forcing people to adapt to his pace. Suddenly everyone's looking towards the picture of His Majesty on the wall and the energy is totally focused.
The dance was booked to close at 5am, but I paid for an extra hour on the night and had a chat to the security. Shaka just continued going through and anyone who missed the last two hours really missed out. He pulled dubplate after dubplate out of the bag. Shaka and Young Warrior got on the mike. It was a real flash of the old vibes. I'm content for a long time now.
So far this year people have loved the guests that we've had on the Sufferah's Choice radio show. But somebody did make a valid comment when he said that he locks on to hear the latest tunes that are out at the moment, so that he can then go on-line and order them. That's important because if you have too many special guests and dubplate exclusives you're not doing the job that you're there for. So I'm trying to balance it so that it's not guests every week. A couple of shows a month I will do myself with all the latest tunes that people can actually buy or that will be out soon.
Some of the guests have caused a real stir. Russ D did a brilliant pre-recorded set, dubplate from start to finish. and I'm looking forward to Ras Muffet who's coming in live towards the end of March. A true highlight was Keety Roots. Afterwards he was on the phone to a couple of people and he was saying "I feel really vibesed up, like I've just done a dance!" Me and Negus Melody were in there skanking around the studio, bawling out and asking for rewinds. Keety was dread, I loved his energy. I've really noticed this year that a persons character comes over on the radio. Andreas from Meditative Sounds was much more laid back but he played some tunes I've not heard for ages and opened up some memory cells! I like to leave it open for record collectors like Andreas to play tunes that they've picked up along the way. I always love to hear what people decide to pull out of the collection and share with the listeners."
DJ Stryda
(March 2009)
"Sufferah's Choice has always been about getting exposure for the music and the message. 2008 was another busy year.
I was really pleased to be part of the 'Musically Mad' DVD last year. I thought they did a really good job getting it together and the way they packaged it was excellent. I organised a screening at a cinema in Bristol and that was a real highlight of 2008 for me. It was absolutely packed out and the atmosphere in there was fantastic. We had students coming along, people like Massive Attack, elders of the Rastafarian community and all the local Roots sound system crowd. At the end the whole cinema applauded. Afterwards we span some tunes in the bar next door and people came to reason about it and talk it over. It would be so nice if more things like that could happen.
The regular 'Teachings In Dub' event, that I run in conjunction with the Bristol Reggae Society from the University, had an even higher profile last year. The club that we started it in had two floors and a good friend of mine, DJ Pinch, is one of the forerunners of the Dubstep scene in Bristol. So it seemed ideal to have Dubstep upstairs and Roots downstairs. Dubstep has got a large following which is growing all the time, especially among the younger crowd. It was a way of getting new people in the dance. They could wander down and see something like Mighty Tabot and Aba-Shanti and experience vibes like that for the first time. It worked really well, but then that club closed. So we took it to Trinity Centre which only has one arena so Subloaded and Teachings In Dub went their separate ways. With Iration Steppas and King Earthquake as the first line up at Trinity the dance was a roadblock. It did turn out to be a bit controversial though. Teachings In Dub isn't a clash arena. It isn't Teachings in dubplates! It's Rasta messages being taught through the music. I was disappointed that it turned into a confrontation between the sounds. It ended up being an argument on the mike for lengthy periods - with not enough music. I know that any die-hard Roots-ite, who knew what was being said, would have understood where the dance was going. The problem was that we'd timed it for the students, for the freshers. For some of them it was their first Roots & Culture sound system session and they'd come to hear music, obviously. That was why I intervened and said that the clash vibes had to stop. Both sounds adhered to that straight away and were respectful, and there's no hard feelings. For someone who's been in the scene for a while, that kind of confrontation makes sense and you can follow it. I don't want to eradicate it altogether. It's just as somebody else said "it wasn't the time or the place". We've got Shaka next at Teachings In Dub and I'm really looking forward to that as I was unable to go to any of his dances in 2008.
I was so busy last year because we were working on the Dubkasm album. It feels like it's taken forever. Digistep is in Brazil and I'm here in Britain, so we had to do it in blocks. For example the latest single with Dub Judah started with Digi sending the basic version of the riddim. I linked Dub Judah and went to Dubtech Studio in Nottingham to record him. We then laid berimbau and conga drums in Rio when I visited at the beginning of 2008. We finally got it , and the rest of the album, mastered in Sao Paulo on my recent trip to Brazil with Afrikan Simba. I've arranged for the launch party to be at the end of April in Bristol at one of the Teachings In Dub. We'll be playing on Iration Steppas soundsystem with some of the artists featured on the LP. Digi will be back from Brazil and living full time in the UK then. We're making ourselves available to play live as Dubkasm, with Simba and other guests, from May onwards. Brazil in November last year was a test of what it could be like in 2009 and it went so well, it was better than we hoped. It showed us that the package can work. The album should be in the shops in April and the reason we made the Dub Judah 7" a limited press was simply to encourage sales of the LP. Our little Roots community pocketed all over the world are used to buying 7", 10" and 12" on vinyl, but not many of them purchase albums. Hopefully some people who missed out on the single will get it on the LP. Dub Judah's was one of our favourite vocals and we thought that if we were going to make it limited, we'd make it special at the same time. It's a special tune to us and it took a long time to realise. Anyone who's released records knows that when you upgrade the packaging it all goes up in price dramatically - but we still went for it! Glossy full picture sleeve, full colour label and vinyl that's double the thickness of a normal 7". We hope it sounds, feels and looks like something special. The feedback has been good. But don't worry, our next 10" or 12" releases will be back to normal. I'm not going to make every one limited and expensive. There was a reason for doing it on that one; Dubkasm aren't about hype. I'm a record collector, I don't want to see every 7" costing £10!
Talking of which, it was great to be playing Roots records to an increasing number of on-line listeners to the Sufferah's Choice radio show. I've been soldiering away on the radio down here in Bristol for years. People from outside the area had heard of the show, but when Passion Radio went on-line it brought it to their front door. Being able to tune in on the internet has made a massive difference. It feels to me that nearly thirteen years of hard work is paying off. People are enjoying the show worldwide. I feel really blessed.
Happy New Year."
DJ Stryda
(January 2009)