News
347 news in 2008
All reggae / dancehall news
December 2008
Sting: Mavado and Kartel face prosecutionSo caught up in their clash, Mavado and Vybz Kartel forgot about the law. The Jamaica Star reports that the two artists are facing prosecution for using…
Vincent ''Tata'' Ford has diedAn entire generation is fading away: two years after the death of Mortimer Planno (see the news of 07/03/2006), Vincent "Tata" Ford, another of Bob Marley's…
Sting 2008: and the winner is...The mountain has given birth to a mouse. The much-anticipated clash between Vybz Kartel and Mavado ended up fizzling out. Ninjaman, on bad terms with Kartel…
Jamaican dance loses another figureThe endemic violence in Jamaica does not spare artists. The dancer David Alexander Smith, known as Ice, died on 26 December, shot in the street by individuals…
Win 50 Summerjam DVDs!Last summer, Reggaefrance and Realize Prod headed to the Summerjam Festival in Germany, entrusted with making the official video of the event. The result: 74…
Last Christmas for the CDChristmas 2008 could well see the last gasps of the CD format. According to forecasts by the research firm Gartner, CD sales will no longer be the main source…
Rebel Salute to celebrate ObamaThe 2009 edition of Rebel Salute, the Jamaican festival organised by the singer Tony Rebel, will pay tribute to Barak Obama, the 44th President-elect of the…
Tarrus Riley: new album for 2009Three years after the success of his previous opus, "Parables", Tarrus Riley will be back with a new album (his third) in March 2009, his producer Dean Fraser…
Reggae-Est.fr's webTV is launchedLaunched in October, the webTV of the site Reggae-Est.fr, which specialises in the French scene of the Grand-Est region, now broadcasts continuously, 24/7…
DJ Red Eyes: ''The Beginning''DJ, composer, producer and regular Reggaefrance contributor for years, DJ Red Eyes has been active on the reggae dancehall scene since 2000. He has just…
Linval Thompson is backAs we told you a little while ago, in the wake of a duet with Warrior King, the veteran Linval Thompson is back with a new album. "Ghetto Living" ends almost…
High Tone releases its Dub BoxThe dub band High Tone, who need no introduction, are releasing a dub box that will delight collectors. Available since early December exclusively online, the…
Reggae Calendar 2009It has become a habit: for five years now, as the new year approaches, the French association Kingston Kids has published a calendar. The 2009 vintage brings…
Ziggi Recado on tour in FranceWith his new album, "In Transit", coming out on 12 January in French shops, the young Dutchman will tour France at the start of the year in support of this…
Summerjam launches its Christmas offerApart from a few artists (Pablo Moses, U-Roy and Seyni & Yeliba), the line-up for the 24th edition of Summerjam, which will take place from 3 to 5 July 2009…
Sound Quake, the labelWe knew Sound Quake the record shop and the sound system; from now on we'll have to reckon with Sound Quake the label. The Germans have added a new string to…
- A star-studded Sting
The Sting is finally revealing itself. With Jamaica's night of the year three weeks away, we finally know the artists who will take the stage on the night of…
Amzone Birthday BashmentAmzone, our home-grown Dancehall Queen, will celebrate her birthday next week at the Nouveau Casino in Paris. For the occasion, she has invited plenty of…
Grammy Awards: the reggae nominationsThe artists who will compete in the "Best Reggae Album" category at the 51st Grammy Awards are known. Few surprises, as they are mostly artists who have…
Daweh Congo still goingSince his debut in 1999 with the album "Militancy", Daweh Congo has carried on his career somewhat on the margins, rarely attracting the spotlight compared…
- Sting: the provocations are flying
With the Sting looming, the provocations between artists are starting to feed the gossip columns. The artists have been trading barbs for several weeks ahead…
Chris Blackwell and the golden age of reggae"The golden age of Jamaican music is behind us": it is with this pleonasm that Chris Blackwell describes the music scene of his island. The famous producer…
November 2008
Yaniss Odua and Straika D in a collector's box setThe label Legalize Hits is conveniently releasing a collector's box set ahead of the festive season from its "Hits 2 Hits" series, bringing together the first…
Busy start to the year for Greensleeves2009 will start strongly for Greensleeves, with several releases including new albums from Sizzla, Anthony B and Ziggi Recado. Announced for October (and…
Global Reggae Culture, the firstA collateral victim of the administrative closure of La Belleviloise last month, the first edition of the Global Reggae Culture, which was to be held at the…
Manu Chao meets Prince FattyAfter the series of remixes of his track Politik kills , in which Prince Fatty revisited the Manu Chao song, the paths of the singer and the producer cross…
Matisyahu is back in the spotlightWe discovered his Hasidic reggae in 2005, a year after the release of his first album "Shake off the dust… Arise". Since then Matisyahu has come a long way…
Gramps Morgan goes solo in his turnAs we announced (news of 12/11/2008), each member of the Morgan Heritage family is about to release his own solo album (though, let us repeat, without putting…
Booba feat. Demarco, have a listen!We told you a little while ago about the track recorded by Booba with Demarco, which features on his album "0.9", out today. Here is the track to listen to…
- Greensleeves has finally made money
Bought by VP Records in January 2008 (news of 28/01/2008), the Greensleeves label is showing a positive balance sheet for the first time in years, its…
Dubmatix: third album on the way"Renegade Rockers", the third album by the Canadian multi-tasker Dubmatix, will be distributed in France in early 2009. Already available for download for…
Dancehall Draft Picks, part twoDirected by the New York filmmaker Johnny Wonder, the first instalment of the documentary Dancehall Draft Picks, distributed by VP Records and sold in more…
Asafa Powell, from track to studioMuch has been said about the Usain Bolt phenomenon, and his taste for Mavado's music. For once, the four-time Olympic gold medallist at the Beijing Games has…
A Bob Marley square in MontpellierAfter Serbia, where a statue of the singer was erected, Montpellier: the place Bob Marley, in the student district, was inaugurated on Saturday 8 November…
Boulibaï session with Joseph CottonNot to be confused with Boulibaï Vibrations every weekend on France Inter: the Boulibaï Sessions are precisely the chance for Malik Boulibaï to step out of…
Peter Morgan goes soloThe Morgan Heritage family are starting to multiply their solo projects. After Mojo, it is the turn of Peter, the lead singer, to take the plunge. And he…
- Vybz Kartel is a Freemason
It's the latest rumour buzzing around Kingston: the site Outaroad is putting forward the far-fetched theory that Vybz Kartel is in thrall to Freemasonry and…
Demarco in Europe and in ParisCurrently in Europe for a long tour, Demarco will indeed make a stop in France: he will play the stage of the Elysée Montmartre on 02 December 2008 in Paris…
Busy end of the year for Jim MurpleThe Jim Murple Memorial have been criss-crossing the roads of France for more than ten years, and they are not about to stop. The band will be playing all…
Sebastian Sturm invites Aswad and Kiddus ITo mark the release of his second album, "One moment in peace", on 17 November, the German singer Sebastian Sturm, discovered with "This change is nice" two…
Daddy Mory releases his ''Anthologie''Daddy Mory has just released his latest project. Simply titled "Anthologie", this box set of three CDs and a DVD brings together Mory's first two albums in…
King Shiloh returns to Dub StationFor their 11th edition, on Saturday 8 November at the Trabendo, from 11pm, the Dub Station nights have invited back the Amsterdam sound, King Shiloh…
World Sound, the world music magA newcomer on the music press scene: World Sound, which will be on newsstands in mid-November. On the bill in the first issue of this bimonthly devoted to…
Byron Lee has passed awayHe had only just been decorated with the Order of Jamaica (news of 27/10/2008): the following week, Byron Lee died. He passed away yesterday, Tuesday 4…
October 2008
Mad Cobra still going strongThe star deejay of the 90s has not yet put the mic away. Mad Cobra has just put the finishing touches to a new album, "Helter Skelta", written in the wake of…
Capleton threatened tooAfter Anthony B, Capleton. The Jamaican deejay, on tour in France in November, will be met head-on. In a statement released yesterday, the association Tjenbé…
Coxsone Dodd gets his statueAfter a boulevard renamed Studio One, the producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, who died in April 2004, now has his own statue. A bust, sculpted by the Jamaican…
Odyssée Jamaïque: to the roots of reggaeA show combining live music, video, dance and theatre, Odyssée Jamaïque goes back in time through compositions and covers of classics, setting the music…
Dub Inc tour: two nights in ParisEverything is going well for Dub Inc. After the release of their latest album, "Afrikya", in May (18,000 copies sold, and the video for Métissage soon to hit…
Sizzla to spend Christmas in AfricaWhile his latest album, "Addicted", for the Florida label M.B.I.G. Music, and his best of, "The Journey", on Greensleeves, are selling well pretty much…
- Byron Lee honoured
Hospitalised in Miami to treat a cancer diagnosed two years ago, Byron Lee was back on his native island to be decorated, at the age of 73, with the Order of…
A fine night in tribute to Alton EllisA fine roots line-up is shaping up at La Bellevilloise in Paris on 1 November 2008: carte blanche will be given to the Soul Stereo sound system, who will…
Bounty Killer VS NinjamanThis will undoubtedly be one of the events of the end of the year on our side of the Atlantic. Bounty Killer is returning to Europe, to London to be precise…
Anthony B: Sannois concert cancelledHis tour of France just keeps making waves: Anthony B's concert planned in Sannois (95) on Tuesday 28 October 2008 has been cancelled. Not because of the…
Neg'Marrons guest on Malik Boulibaï's showNeg'Marrons will be Malik Boulibaï's guests on his programme Boulibaï Vibrations, broadcast on France Inter in the night of Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 October…
Vote Cocoa Tea!We now know the release date of Cocoa Tea's new album, "Yes we can", openly dedicated to Barrack Obama (news of 07/07/2008). The date is no coincidence: it…
Booba is popular in JamaicaDemarco is not the only Jamaican recording with Booba. The deejay Busy Signal will also cross paths with the number 1 of French rap, along with Mala. The…
Mavado, second album in sight"Mr. Brooks A better tomorrow" will be the title of Mavado's already eagerly awaited second album, following the success of his first opus. The singer thus…
- Anthony B replies to Tjenbé Rèd
The association Tjenbé Rèd is pursuing its lobbying and awareness-raising work around Anthony B's visit. After calling on the Jamaican deejay to sign the…
Civalizee wins the Riddim ClashThe Antwerp sound Civalizee made the most of its chance on Saturday night in Cologne at the 6th edition of the Riddim Clash, which brought together a 100%…
MOBO Awards: the trophy goes to MavadoOne more award for Mavado after his exemplary first album, "Gangsta for life - The symphony of David Brooks": the Jamaican singer received the MOBO Award…
Ministerio del Dub Riddim on HearticalA new series of 7-inch singles is on its way from the French label Heartical: the Ministerio del Dub Riddim, by the Basque Dub Foundation. On a riddim moulded…
- Demarco on Booba's album
Demarco joins Booba on his upcoming album. The Jamaican singer teams up with the bad boy of French rap, a fan of Jack Daniel's in his spare time, for a track…
Tjenbé Rèd: Anthony B must sign the RC ActThree days after the cancellation of his concert in Vitry-le-François (51), and as his French tour continues until 5 November in Laval, Anthony B probably has…
Winston McAnuff on tour ahead of the albumWhile his new album "Nostradamus", labelled 100% reggae, is awaited on 20 October 2008, Winston McAnuff will also be touring all over France from tomorrow…
The Roots dans la vallée festival celebrates its tenth anniversaryIt has been 10 years already since the Roots dans la vallée Festival began serving up its line-up every year. A symbolic anniversary that will be backed by a…
Junkyard back againAfter their excellent first album, "My yard is a junkyard", the Danes of Junkyard will present their new album next Friday on the stage of the Batofar in…
- Anthony B: concert cancelled by the town hall
Anthony B's concert, which was due to take place last night in Vitry-le-François in the Marne (51), did not go ahead after all, we learned this morning. The…
Wake up: The people dem soundAvailable since last week, "Wake up – The people dem sound" compiles the recent output of Wake Up Sound. Two musical signatures coexist on this album: Fabwize…
Queen Ifrica signs with VP RecordsBuoyed by her recent successes (including Keep it to yourself, produced by Don Corleon, currently in the charts), Queen Ifrica has just signed a contract with…