Dub & Reggae

Latest Dub & Reggae News

Earth Rootz and Reggae Festival

[ July 24, 2010 to July 26, 2010. ] We don't have a lot of information about the Earth Rootz and Reggae Festival, except that it promises to be "a reggae Woodstock," boasting "freedom in the vibes of Rootz reggae". The festival includes 2 days of reggae music performances on 3 acres of of land in a 216-acre plot. The festival organizers note that "naturallity [...]

Featured Dub & Reggae News Stories

Sean Kingston Face Drop free MP3 download

Face Drop, Sean Kingston’s 2nd single from Tomorrow, follows Fire Burning on the Dancefloor with more of his pop reggae sound but takes a different course with more significant lyrics. Face Drop is a dancehall pop story of Sean Kingston’s response to a beautiful girl who puts him down for his weight. Sean’s response is that [...]

Sean Kingston’s free Fire Burning on the Dancefloor free MP3 downloads

Sean Kingston’s sophomore release, Tomorrow, is being announced with its first single, Fire Burning on the Dancefloor. RedOne produced the track, following on his work on Lady GaGa’s Poker Face and Kat DeLuna’s Whine Up. Tomorrow blends reggae, dancehall, and pop into a breezy summer tune. Some have compared it to RedOne’s production of Kat [...]

In Brief

• European reggae and dancehall DJ Waxfiend, famous for his Jamrock event, has released a new playlist on 22Tracks, which includes tracks from Mavado, T.O.K., Vybz Kartel, and others (who add up to the most popular 2009 dancehall artists according to Jamaican youth). 22Tracks is a digital jukebox of playlists created by premier DJs in 22 different genres, including dubstep, reggae, and dancehall. #
• Germany's Big Up Magazin gave a quick review of Noiseshaper's latest release, Satellite City, continuing their "Soul Dub Style" of music making. Noiseshaper is made up of Axel Hirn and Flo Fleischmann. Satellite City is their 4th album, with tracks ranging from poppy reggae to deeper dub. Big Up gives it a generally positive review, but notes that it isn't as strong as the duo's previous releases. Their first hit was the 2000 dancehall single The Only Redeemer, followed by All A Dem A Do and Rough Out There and subsequent work for Sly & Robbie. Satellite City includes vocal appearances by Juggla, Jackie Deane, blues legend Wayne Martin, and others: Brit rapper Sherrez appears on Satellite City's title track and Washington DC soul singer Sketch Walton performs on Big Shot, the album's first single. Videos of 4 Noiseshaper tracks - Big Shot, Satellite City, We Rock It, and Got It Bad - are available on their official website. You can also hear more on their Myspace page. No free downloads though. #
• Pissed Pat is putting together a monthly dub reggae radio show and looking for 4 DJs to help out. Read more about the radio show here. #
• Queens, NY-based reggae label VP Records has announced the forthcoming release of JACKSON LOVERS: A Reggae Tribute to the Late King of Pop. The Michael Jackson tribute album features reggae covers of Jackson's top songs, including Human Nature by Tarrus Riley, You Are Not Alone by Duane Stephenson, Thriller by Singing Melody, The Girl is Mine by Lukie D and Tony Curtis and Never Can Say Goodbye, which was recorded by the late Dennis Brown back in the 90s. The 12-track album is scheduled for release on October 6, 2009. Tarrus Riley's Human Nature cover was included on his recent Contagious album and is already popular in Jamaica. Tito Jackson performed at the 2009 Reggae Sumfest show, which was dedicated to Michael Jackson's memory. You can order the new JACKSON LOVERS tribute album at VP Reggae, here. #
• Just got a press release from KC Jockey - new release is Rub Your Body. According to the promoters he "combines the musical crossover success of Sean Paul, Shaggy and recent pop breakthrough Sean Kingston, while consistently delivering his own signature call and response that devout fans pine for." I guess it's cool to name drop every current top 10 dancehall pop star in a release, but they lose me when they say "his capacity to attune his vocal delivery to any beat, in any genre, has indefinitely catapulted his star" and so on. You want to make art? Pick your voice and blast it. As someone much smarter than me once said, it's better to create something new, because followers have to spend their energy keeping up with trends. More specifically, Mojo Morgan also released an album that demonstrated his ability to sing to "any beat, in any genre," and the album sales weren't on fire. If it's not a winning formula for reggae royalty from Morgan Heritage, then it's probably not a great play for a newcomer. As to the track? It's pretty standard pop dancehall fare. If you're interested, check out KC Jockey at http://www.myspace.com/kcjockey. #