News
195 news in 2005
All reggae / dancehall news
December 2005
Jah Cure & Irie FM, the sequelWe told you a few weeks ago about the artist Jah Cure, who had been "banned" from the airwaves of Irie FM (the biggest Jamaican radio station) because it had…
- Rebel Salute 2006
Just a few days after Sting, Rebel Salute, a festival organised since 1994 for Tony Rebel's birthday and regarded ever since as one of the biggest roots…
Dub Meetings #3 and more...Dub Meetings, the capital's dub rendezvous, returns on 21 January for its third edition, again at the Cabaret Sauvage. After Abashanti and Jah Tubby's, it is…
- King Riddim: the end, live
After several years of activity marked by the albums "La Jungle" in 2001 and "Positif ?!" in 2004, the members of King Riddim have decided to bring the band…
Big dancehall mix #51 by K-zaSelecta K-za, who holds court every week on the airwaves of Generations FM, is back in the racks with the 51st volume of his Big Danchall Mix mixtape. As with…
Groundation: "Dub Wars"After the LP "Dragon War", which offered the dub versions of the album "Hebron Gate", the Californians of Groundation are repeating the experiment on a full…
- Arawak, 2005 French champions
The Guadeloupe sound Arawak was crowned 2005 French Sound System Champion at the end of a night held in Paris, at La Loco, on Sunday 18 December. Arawak, who…
- Christmas in Jamaica
Lucky souls who plan to spend the festive season in Jamaica will have the chance to catch some particularly impressive shows. Besides Sting, with its endless…
- Josie Mel in France
Josie Mel, heard recently in a duet with Lutan Fyah on Rasta Still Deh 'Bout (watch the video), will be in France in early 2006. For now only two dates have…
- Dub Side of the Moon… live!
The Easy Star All Stars, musicians from the American label behind the superb reggae reworking of the Pink Floyd classic "Dark Side of the Moon" (see review)…
- Damian "Junior Gong" Marley on tour
After the success Damian Marley has enjoyed across the Channel with the release of his album "Welcome to Jamrock", nominated twice at the Grammy Awards, there…
Sting 2005 line-up finally revealedThe Supreme Promotions team, organiser of Reggae Sting, considered one of the biggest reggae/dancehall events in the world with 20 editions already under its…
VIP 2, ten years on10 years after the release of the first volume in 1995, the VIP compilation is back. "VIP 2" presents itself as a tribute to the founder of the Atomic Dogz…
Papa Tank's new albumPapa Tank returns with a second album, "En attendant", on the hip hop label Nouvelle Donne (Disiz La Peste, Factor X…). Besides the featuring with Elephant…
- Ja'sound festival, 2006 vintage
After the great success of Ja'sound #2, which welcomed nearly 21,000 visitors last summer, the Festimusic team has decided to do it all again and is already…
20 European artists on the Rodeo riddimAfter the success of Seeed's Rodeo riddim produced by Germaica, the label from across the Rhine extends the experiment, this time with an album of European…
Dis ya time one riddim albumThe French label Special Delivery Music returns with the release of the one riddim album "DIS YA TIME" on CD. In addition to the 10 tracks already released on…
November 2005
Telethon night in French GuianaThe association ART Communication is organising a concert whose proceeds will go to the Telethon taking place on 2 and 3 December. Reggae Party, the name of…
Bushman on tour in early 2006After his tour with Warrior King last year, Bushman is back in France. This time he will be accompanied by Ilu & Elsa Green, and Ritchie, whom he will present…
New label: Soul VybzNews from French production, and not the least: the sound systems Soul Stereo and Vibes so nice have teamed up to launch their own label, Soul Vybz. The Same…
Minanoh at New MorningMinanoh, who has just released a maxi "Douce Agression", will play New Morning on 27 November in Paris. He will be backed by Ital Groove with Myriam Betty on…
Stone Love celebrates its 33rd anniversaryThe Stone Love sound system will celebrate its anniversary in Jamaica on 10 December. For the occasion, they are putting on a concert that already promises to…
Kardinal Offishal back in the racksThe Canadian rapper and DJ, who has already made a name for himself with numerous collaborations (Bounty Killer, Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Akon, Ludacris, to…
Damian Marley, Welcome to FIFAThe success of Damian Marley's Welcome To Jamrock shows no sign of fading. After climbing into the Billboard Top 20 Hot R&B Hip Hop Singles, the track is set…
- Chuck Fender will not be in France
Announced for several weeks (including on Reggaefrance until this morning), the concert planned for 12 November at the Palais des Congrès in Montreuil with…
- Lee Scratch Perry, back in Jamaica
Exiled in Switzerland for years, Lee Scratch Perry is preparing to return to Jamaica to record his next album. It is Mediacom, which had already teamed up…
Anthony Cruz leaves Fifth ElementThe creation of his label Shan Shan Music, which we announced last week and on which his next album "Mama Blessing" will come out, cast doubt on the future of…
World Clash 2005 CD availableWorld Clash 2005, held on 8 October in Brooklyn, New York, is finally available on CD. Relive the whole of this clash, which saw the historic victory of…
- Jah Cure banned from Irie FM
The Jamaican radio station Irie FM has decided to remove all Jah Cure tracks from its programming, the daily Jamaica Star reports. Behind the decision are…
New Bob Marley track, SlogansA new compilation devoted to Bob Marley is coming out this month. "Africa Unite: The Singles Collection" will span two CDs. All the tracks from "Legend" are…
- Brick & Lace sign with Geffen Records
The two singjays of the female duo Brick & Lace announce the signing of a five-album deal with Geffen Records, an Universal subsidiary. Blending dancehall…
Matisyahu, Judaism and reggaeIncreasingly prominent on the New York scene and in the North American media, Matisyahu has reached a new stage following his recent signing with Sony. This…
- Projects for Anthony Cruz
Anthony Cruz has decided to take his career in another direction and will launch his own label, Shan Shan Music, next month. The arrival of the The formula…
October 2005
- Elephant Man at P. Diddy's
Rumour has it, and has done for a while, that Elephant Man is moving closer and closer to Puff Daddy's Bad Boy label. Contrary to what some media recently…
Mr. Vegas is backA new Mr. Vegas album is announced for this autumn. We already know that this opus will be titled "Constant Spring" and that a video has been shot to support…
- Josie Mel back in Europe
To promote his new album "Rasta Still Deh Bout", due in December on the German label Minor 7 Flat 5, Josie Mel plans to return to tour Europe in early 2006…
- Vybz Kartel's second album
Originally planned for October, the second opus from the prodigy Vybz Kartel looks set to be pushed back somewhat. Whatever the case, the DJ recently…
- One Drop Anthems
With the success of young artists determined to return to a more spiritual reggae after the dancehall decade, Greensleeves is opportunely devoting a…
Fantan Mojah at GreensleevesRevealed in 2004 with his hit Hungry, on the Invasion Riddim, Fantan Mojah is about to release his first album. Signed very recently to the British label…
Gyptian, the new sensationThere is no need to introduce Perfect, I Wayne, Natty King, Fantan Mojah, Bascom X or Ghandi, the torchbearers of the new Jamaican conscious scene, but it is…
- Spotlight on Aidonia
While it is true that the current trend in Jamaica is towards a reggae revival, the dancehall scene is not left behind and has its share of promising young…
- Plenty of people on the net
After Jah Cure and the recent facelift of his website (see news of 13/10), a new batch of official artist websites has just appeared. Earl Chinna Smith has…
Kiprich's first albumKiprich's first album has finally been announced on VP and should land in the racks in mid-November. "Outta Road" naturally compiles the deejay's biggest hits…
Sean Paul sets the charts alightSean Paul looks well on course to surpass the sales of his previous album with his new one, "The Trinity". Released in 2003, "Dutty Rock" had won over the…
Winston McAnuff: A Drop TourWinston McAnuff will be touring with the Bazbaz Orchestra (Camille Bazbaz, Yarol Poupaud, Jerome Perez, & Christiane Prince), with whom he made his latest…
- Vybz Kartel goes into business
Following the example of several Jamaican artists, Vybz Kartel has decided to cross to the other side of the fence by setting up his own booking agency…
A new website for Jah CureThe official website dedicated to Jah Cure has been completely overhauled. Two versions (Flash and HTML) now let you discover a biography, news (for now, an…
- Natty King, Richie Spice, Culture tour...
Richie Spice and Natty King will be in Paris for the first time on 17 November, alongside Alpha Blondy and Culture. Produced by Mediacom, this landmark date…
Dub Meetings, the new rendezvousAfter the success of the Paris Dub Club, the dub scene has a new rendezvous: Dub Meetings. Under this banner, two international sound systems will meet every…
A European champion for World ClashA historic event in Brooklyn last Saturday at World Clash: the German sound Sentinel came out on top in this tough contest, thus bringing continental Europe…
- MOBO Awards: Damian Marley wins
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origins) have delivered their verdict: Damian Marley took the trophy in the Reggae category, propelled by the locomotive that…
- Mighty Crown confirmed in Paris!
The Japanese sound, winner of, among others, World Clash 1999 and UK Clash 2005, will indeed be in Paris this month, for the first time. On 20 October, at the…
September 2005
I Wayne at the MOBO awardsWith his first album out only recently and already smashing it just about everywhere, I Wayne has just been nominated at the MOBO (Music Of Black Origin)…
- Voice Mail's first album is ready
That is what Oneil, one of the members of this vocal trio, which has simply become unmissable over the past few months, recently announced. Only the packaging…
World Clash 2005: back to BrooklynWorld Clash 2005, to be held on 8 October over the Columbus Day weekend, returns this year to its original home, Brooklyn. It was indeed the place that marked…
Winter Splash 2004 DVDLast year London hosted the Winter Splash, a show on a grand scale bringing together some of the most prominent young Jamaican talents: the Fifth Element of…
- Elephant Man: release pushed back
The release of Elephant Man's new album, originally planned on VP Records for the end of September, has been pushed back. Energy God's next opus, "Over Di…
Typical Féfé & Tiwony, vinyl release...After the great success of Typical Féfé and Tiwony's latest album "Revolution", released in April, the vinyl edition is now hitting the racks. Equalize…
- I-n-I Riddim dethrones 220 Sound
Facing off in the 4th edition of the Urban Trophee clashes at the Péniche Allternat (Paris), I-n-I Riddim from Brittany and 220 Sound from Normandy went head…
The return of the FUGEESYou surely remember the FUGEES, the trio of Haitians made up of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, who scored a genuine smash in 1996 with the release…
- French sound championship: the pools
Following the draw held this weekend at La Loco to determine the order of the pools for the French sound system championship, we invite you to discover them…
Senegal Sound ClashThe clash is gaining followers in Africa: for the first time in Senegal, a sound system clash will be held in September. Organised as a championship with…
Virgin Islands, the connectionFrom the very first hour, activists in establishing the Virgin Islands sound in Europe, the Rise Up Crew keeps moving forward and announces the creation of…
- Rootsdub becomes Reggae Discographies
Rootsdub, which provides internet users with remarkably detailed discographies of reggae artists, is changing its name and address and becoming Reggae…
LMS, London 2 Paris...After almost two years without news, the Morgan family's younger siblings, Laza, Myriam and Shy Poo (better known as LMS), are back with a fourth album, still…
August 2005
Shaggy ''Clothes drop'' in SeptemberFollowing the success of his last album in 2003, Shaggy is back with a new opus, "Clothes drop", co-produced by Geffen Records. Remember that his "Big Yard"…
Championship 2005: the detailsWe now know which sound systems will face each other in the sixth edition of the French Championship. The draw, which will split them into three pools, will…
Cecile's debut album pushed backSigned to Delicious Vinyl Records since 2003, the singer Cecile has just left the label, explaining that her collaboration with them had not followed the…
- Sean Paul: new album
Sean Paul is releasing a new album, "The Trinity", on VP. After "Stage One" in 2000 and "Dutty Rock" in 2002, it is his third album (hence the title), on…
Ja'Sound: ending on a highThe second Ja'Sound Festival, which wrapped up last Saturday after four days of concerts, has drawn up a largely positive balance sheet. The attractive…