Do you feel positive vibrations too when you listen to Reggae?

My passion for Reggae started when I was 20 years old when I was living in Catania. To be honest, It wasn’t “love at first sight”, but as soon as I heard a couple time…..BANG…It hit me and it’s true what Bob Marley said… you don’ t feel no pain .”

“ONE GOOD THING ABOUT MUSIC, WHEN IT HITS YOU FEEL NO PAIN”

Bob Marley – Trenchtown with lyrics

Reggae is the music of love, peace, and fraternity so much so that in November 2018 Reggae became part of the UNESCO’s representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. When I listened to Reggae I felt something incredible and I began to research the lyrics too. Through the rhythm, lyrics, and flow I felt the love and the positive vibrations that this music want to spread. That’s why I decided to spread the music, the songs, that I like. Jamaica is the home birth,  ambassador of Reggae worldwide. Reggae was born in form of Ska ( from end 50’s to 66), in which the sound is slightly faster and influenced by Jazz. In fact, the instruments were: piano, guitars, bass and mainly horns. Around 1966 the sound slowed down and has taken the name of Rocksteady in which horns wasn’t the main instrument. This is because at the time the singer didn’t have a Jazz background so they made more like groove based sound. Finally, with Reggae the main instrument became the bass guitar followed by guitar, bass, and drums, while we can not even find horns in Reggae songs.

“Some play the latest music, some play music from the past, whether is ska or dub or roots music”    Jhon Masauri

SOUND SYSTEM

The rhythm came during after world war 2 and its a fusion of Calypso, in Trinidad ( Caribbean) and it was used to communicate between slaves. The sound and the rhythm evolves in Kingston with the advent of the Sound System during the end of the ’50s. Sound System is the main reason for the diffusion of Reggae. Sound Systems you would have an operator, selector, and talent around the mic ( vocalist). The latter was introduced by this genre, by recording the vocals on the tracks aka Riddims.

FROM JAMAICA TO ENGLAND

After the 1940s started the migration to Britain from the Caribbean. Created by soundmen and their crew, Sound System developed distinctive British Style and a loyal following. Reggae started from illegal house parties in basements because  Reggae was banned from radios and public places, so people could just listen to it at the dancehalls.

The Caribbean immigrants created their own spaces to enjoy them self called ” Blues Party” where Sound System was the protagonist. A lot of artists lived in London:  Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Jimmy Cliff. When big singers came to London from Jamaica, you won’t see them at the conventional venues but on Sound Systems.

It’s 1969 when Reggae crossed the ocean and landed in England and Israelites of Desmond Dekker reaches the first hit Reggae number on Radio even for people that never heard Reggae before.

Desmond Dekker – Israelites live 1969