Joseph Hill: Man of Culture

Joseph Hill, lead singer of the roots reggae trio Culture, passed on to Zion six years and a month ago on August 19, 2006. Like many reggae greats of the 1970s and '80s his work is still respected and revered by scholars. As you'll see from the videos below, Joseph Hill was a force: he possessed a distinct voice and his messages were consistently conscious.

Culture as a band continues via Joseph's son Kenyatta, who is more than an able leader and singer in his own right. Paired with original Culture backing vocalists Albert Walker and Telford Nelson, Joseph's son ensures that Culture's word-sounds remain powerful.

Here we reflect on the elder Hill's time with the band, through a series of live concert videos (courtesy of Fi Yah We blog).  Joseph Hill was at his best in the live setting and toured relentlessly. He was vigilant about connecting with fans and truly earning his living through music. And what great music it was, and still is.

Culture live in concert 2003. Click song titles to see videos.

Peace And Love (from the 1986 album Culture In Culture)

Lion Rock (from the 1982 album Lion Rock)

Money Girl (from the 1986 album Culture at Work)

Behold (from the 1978 album Harder Than The Rest)

I'm Not Ashamed (from the album 1977 album Two Sevens Clash)

Babylon Can't Study (from the album Three Sides to My Story)

Stop The Fussing And Fighting (unknown album)

Culture: Live in South Africa, 2000

Wings Like A Dove (from the 1992 album Wings of a Dove)

Big Dub Weekend In NYC

Happening this weekend in NYC: The Subatomic Sound crew present a clutch of crucial dubwise events. Check it:

9/22 Saturday : Dub Masterclass w/ Clive Chin & Augustus Pablo Tribute! Producer of Augustus Pablo's first hit "Java" does a live dub mix of the original master recordings! To attend, send an email to RSVP@dubchampions.com

9/23 Sunday : Lee Scratch Perry: Legendary dub inventor! From his Kingston Black Ark studio to Brooklyn w/Subatomic Sound System, Dre Skull! , & Sinkane. Tix.

9/24 Monday : Kode9 & Appleblim meet Francois K! From Hyperdub to Deep Space with two of the UK's most creative and innovative dubstep pioneers & NYC's own Francois K. Tix.

A.K.A. Koxx: The Soon-To-Be-Known Artist

Vocalist, bassist, multi-instrumentalist, producer – A.K.A. Koxx is all of these things. He's been involved in production in his home Clarendon, Jamaica, and extensively throughout France and Europe where he has lived and toured. 

After time spent behind the scenes producing, building riddims and backing other artists (Max Romeo, Freddie McGregor, Mighty Diamonds) a.k.a. Koxx is stepping into the spotlight on his own, and the results sound intriguing so far. 

He's also on the cutting edge with rocksteady-inspired riddims (a-lá Peckings) and some nice digi-dancehall productions too. Listen to this radio interview with the man, check out the free downloads below, and more on his Soundcloud page.

A.K.A. Koxx - Love In Your Heart


Trey Songz - Can't Help But Wait a.k.a. koxx remix

Go Play With A Fall Reggae Sampler

Head over to Google Play Music, where for a limited time you can score 20, yes 20, free tracks from artists including Khago, Vybz Kartel,  Capleton, plus classic dancehall from Rayvon and Silver Cat and even a dope Inner Circle dubstep remix.

It's their Fall Reggae Sampler, and the free downloads will be available until the end of September.

The fine print: To download the free reggae tracks, you'll need a Gmail account, which is free to sign up for. Once you do, go here to set up a free music storage library for your personal collection in the cloud, and add free tracks from Play each week.

Songs Like Sand, Riddim Like Dirt

It's autumn and, as expected, a wave of new singles, albums and riddim compilations are arriving just in time for Jamaica's holiday festival season (Sting, Rebel Salute etc.). It's a mark of success and honor for an artist to have a big tune over the holidays, as it often translates into further successes later in the year.

For now, just a quick mention of a few new and recent releases ForwardEver has been enjoying. First up, VP & 17 N Parade's Reggae Anthology series looks at Barrington Levy in the '80s with Sweet Reggae Music, a 2CD and DVD set out Nov 2. It features "Black Roses," "Like A Soldier," "Mini Bus," "Under Mi Sensi" and more.

Another legacy artist, Third World lead singer Bunny Rugs,  issued his new solo album Time on September 11, 2012. The 15-track album features production by Sly & Robbie, Dean Fraser, Mikie Bennett and Richard "Star Trail" Bell.

Bunny Rugs sings with soul and thoughtfulness on the set, which includes both conscious one-drop tracks and romantic ballads. If you like his delivery on Third World classics like "96 Degrees In The Shade" or "African Woman," you'll enjoy songs like "It's Time" or "Bed of Roses" from this project. Rugs's voice has only sweetened with, well, time, and he uses all of his powers to deliver one of the year's finest reggae albums.

Not to be overshadowed by the elder Rugs, romantic reggae crooner Da'Ville is back with a big new album. Krazy Love is as consistent as  his previous efforts, and songs like "This Love," "When I'm With You" and "I Was Wrong" might be charting very soon.

The album also sees Da'Ville exploring dancehall and even British club production, as with Cadenza's remix of "You Got Di Ting," a rough, garage-y refix.

Finally, gotta love the cover art for the new Focus Riddim set. It's sure eye catching, almost an optical illusion if you stare at it too long. But long listening is also what this album demands as you get fantastic performances from D'Major, Tidal, Exco Levi and Timeka Marshal. Produced by Dawin "Vikings" Brown and Omar Brown from Vikings Productions house, the riddim is a solidly polished mid-tempo one-drop riddim (think Penthouse or Don Corleon-type productions) and the artists all shine. As a teaser, check Exco Levi's "Save The Music" right now.

Sierra Nevada World Music Festival

 I'll conclude with a few images from the 19th annual Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in Boonville, Mendocino, CA. The event was took place June 22-24 and featured Third World, J-Boog, Lutan Fyah, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Twinkle Brothers, Johnny Osbourne, Sister Nancy and Romain Virgo among the many performers. Next year's 20th-year event is expected to be one of the biggest in it's history. Check their "Phorum" message board regularly for updates.

Romain Virgo

Johnny Osbourne

Prince Alla