Video Day: Vegas Pon Road and Gnarls in Jamdown & more

Catch the video flex.


First it's Mr. Vegas' new single and video, "Must Come A Road" featuring Barrington Levy, on the Prison Oval Rock riddim. Nice!



Next, Gnarls Barkley go to Jamaica and link up with Ravers Clavers dancers for another one of the Amrerican duo's inspired videos...



Finally...Manu Chau's new single "Politik Kills" new video was shot on location in Monrovia, Liberia, featuring a former child solder... A remix EP drops early June:

POLITIK KILLS EP TRACK-LISTING

1. Politik Kills (Dennis Bovell Remix Feat. Linton Kwesi Johnson)
2. Politik Kills (Prince Fatty Remix)
3. Politik Kills (Chris Blackwell & Paul Groucho Smykle Remix)
4. Politik Kills (Rude Barriobeat Remix)
5. Politik Kills (David B. Remix)
6. Politik Kills (Prince Fatty Instrumental Remix

Click the link to view/

Written Bits

(Seun Kuti -- US tour this summer)

~Some written bits from the past few weeks...

Review: Guilty Simpson

Feature: Benga

Column: Bass Reaction (dubstep)

Conference: Propellerheads Reason 4 Producers Forum

Of course, check my weekly reggae update : Pon Di Wire

New Releases! (Artist / Title /Label /Date)
Deepchord Vantage Isle Sessions Echospace 5/27/08
Steinski What Does It All Mean Illeagal Art 5/27/08
The Herbalizer Same As It Never Was !K7 5/27/08
Kylie Auldist Just Say Tru Thoughts 5/28/08
Cyro Baptista Banquet of the Spirits Cyrobatista 5/29/08
Sonates Sonates Six Degrees 5/30/08
Zero Db Heavyweight Gringos Ninja Tunes 6/1/08
J-Live Then What Happened BBE 6/5/08
Various Jazzie B: School Days Trojan 6/9/08
Augustus Pablo Rockers Story Box Set Shanachie 6/10/08
J Rawls & Middle Child Rawls & Middle Dunn Deal 6/10/08
The Orb Dream Six Degrees 6/10/08
Booka Shade The Sun & Neon Lights Get Physical 6/15/08
Groupo Fantasma Sonidos Gold GF 6/17/08
Invincible Shapeshifters Emergence 6/17/08
Nomo Ghost Rock Ubiquity 6/17/08
Presto State of the Art Concrete Grooves 6/17/08
Seun Kuti Seun Kuti Disorient 6/25/08

Ball Bearing Beats

Puts a new spin on playing "live"...

Pressure Buss Pipe Video

Here's the latest video from St. Thomas USVI sensation Pressure.

His album Love & Affection is out now on VP.

Slouching Towards Seattle

In a few days ForwardEver will be winging it to Seattle for the EMP Pop Conference whose panels and discussions will extensively cover the role of revolution, conflict and resistance in music.

During my writing process in preparation for this event FE has had the pleasure of reasoning for a second time with both Blood & Fire's Steve Barrow and Randy's/VP Records' Clive Chin. (Definitely check Red Bull music academy's CC video interviews) Incidentally, Mr. Chin kindly asked FE to check and see if the museum still had the organ from Randy's studio that he loaned them for an exhibit. Apparently return of the item is overdue!

Chin revealed that his father, Vincent "Randy" Chin, who opened a studio at 17 North Parade in downtown Kingston, recorded Lord Creator's "Independent Jamaica" in 1962 as the country gained full independence. This later became the first single to be issued on Chris Blackwell's Island imprint.

While FE has always been inspired by political reggae from Linton Kwesi Johnson, Yabba You, Bob Marley and Prince Far-I, this exploration of reggae's revolutionary spirit caused to more deeply appreciate some artists who still haven't got their full due or respect: Pablo Moses, Junior Delgado, Max Romeo, Big Youth, Delroy Wilson and Lee "Scratch" Perry among only a few.

Forward-Ever may posts some informal blogs from EMP summarizing a bit of the panel discussions and atmosphere. For now, some releases out now and soon to check:

Innocent Youths-- Earth, Roots, Water (Light In The Attic) OUT
Morgan Heritage -- Mission In Progress (VP) OUT APRIL 15
Augustus Pablo -- Rockers Story Box Set (Shanachie) OUT JUNE

Jah Warrior Shelter Win the Clash

In a very contentious competition at a packed-to-capacity Pier 23 in San Francisco, SF's Jah Warrior Shelter soundsystem prevailed at the 4th Annual Club Dread Soundclash this past Saturday night March 29.

The clash featured Fresno's Reality Sound, Marin, CA's Broken Silence, Oakland's Lone Star and the aforementioned Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi crew.

More fan comments about the clash.

Video from the last knock-out round, and the dub-fi-dub!

Garrison Thoughts

Mavado's latest video for "Last Night/Gully Side" is brutal. It's simply a gunblast of Kingston gully/garrison realism.

On the garrison topic, this Unreported World documentary attempts to figure out why the wars dem still a gwaan. This doc is a little less sensationalist than Ross Kemp's "On Gangs: Jamaica" episode, but gets props for taking it to the government officials a.k.a. patrons of ghetto misery.

This week I wrote about Japan's Mighty Crown winning their second World Clash Jamaica: Death Before Dishonor title. That follows a win at World Clash New York a few months ago, and leaves the sound crew with a giant target on their back when they face Killamanjaro, Rodigan, Bass Odyssey and others at April 5's UK Cup Clash.

Oi oi! This cat Prince Fatty is the heat right now. Cat just did a fine remix of Manu Chao's "Politik Kills". (download). Also just heard an excellent new Prince Fatty cover of Dr. Dre's "Gin & Juice" featuring Horseman (classic rub-a-dub DJ) and Winston Francis. Massive. (listen here)

Because ForwardEver readers get the news early out -- I'm currently prepping feature on US ragga emcees that incorporate or work with electronic music producers or DJs. DJ Collage a.k.a. Mr Chatman (Seattle), Juakali (NYC), ZULU (Chicago) and Treasure Don (NYC) are a few who will be featured. Look for this mid-summer in a publication to be announced.

Those dem weh know can catch me live inna Seattle at the EMP Pop conference giving my talk, "From Nanny to Ninja Man" Revolution in Jamaica Music and Culture" Saturday April 12, 9 a.m.

More news and mixes soon come...