REGGAE RUNNINGS -- 12 April 2006

By Jesse I

Big up to everyone who came to the massive More Fire 5th Birthday Bashment at the Mercat LG on Saturday night, showing once again why Melbourne is known around Australia as "reggae capital". People came from as far as Singapore, Nimbin, Byron Bay, Brisbane and Sydney for the dance, but it's the people that have been supporting the night from the start that have made it what it is - give thanks! Respect to all guest selectors and MCs who touched the stage, for it was pure good vibes from start to finish. Next month features UK specialist Uptight (Heartical Hi-Fi) alongside Ms Butt, Papa Stylee, Humdrum, Maruza, and residents Chant Down Sound; May 13 at the Mercat LG (456 Queen St).

By the time this goes to print, Damian "Jr Gong" Marley will have performed in Melbourne for the first time - hopefully not the last though, as countless people were very disappointed to miss out on tickets. For those who did, there's always the Skatalites to come, on Tuesday 18th April at the Prince Bandroom. Although they were originally only together for around 18 months, no other band had more impact on the development of ska and early Jamaican music in general. While some key players such as Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, and Roland Alphonso are no longer with us, many legends of Jamaican music continue to play with the current incarnation of the band, including original drummer Lloyd Knibbs, plus Lester Sterling, Vin Gordon, and Val Douglas. While this show will obviously appeal more to ska fans than the modern reggae massive, anyone with a serious interest in Jamaican music should really see this show and experience the true foundation.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Easter long weekend sees the return of Yardcore Soundz, with a follow up to their very successful Kingz of the Dancehall party taking place on Sunday the 16th at Bliss Lounge. Featuring selection from Kay Z, Nukc, Maruza, Ras Crucial and I.

Big ups to the Pressure Drop crew for a great debut night at Laundry last month. Residents Tempa, Sista Itations, Vida Sunshyne and Nich Power are back again for another session on Saturday 22nd April - this time featuring guests Redbelly, Binghi Fire, and Ranking Yoni.

High Tide reggae Thursdays at the Espy will be continuing for at least another two months, despite having left summer far behind. Guests over the few weeks include the likes of Stick Mareebo, Bellyas, Ernest Dubious, So Fire, Russ, Vince, and more.

Looking at new releases, the last month has been great for new roots 7"s. The Street Swing riddim on the In The Streetz label is probably my favourite of the bunch, with Sizzla, Jah Mason, Lutan Fyah and Natural Black all putting in first class performances over a nice mid-tempo one-drop piece. Don Corelon has come with a follow-up to his hugely successful Drop Leaf and Seasons riddim, with a new release called Heavenly. While comparable to its predecessors, I can't help feeling the vocal cuts have let it down a bit - and it's notably missing artists like Jah Cure, Sizzla, and Fantan Mojah that made the others so big. Milestone on Arrows is worth a listen, with nice cuts from Sugar Roy & Conrad Crystal, Jahmali, Anthony B and Perfect, and Medallion on Main Frame seems to be going down well too.

Sly & Robbie have obviously been digging in the vaults, and have come out with some new releases to get more mileage out of old classics. Using the riddim from Dennis Brown's Hold On To What You've Got they've released new cuts from Luciano, Horace Andy, Chrisinti, and Jr Kelly, while the Jimmy Riley hit Love and Devotion is reworked with Delly Ranks, Beres Hammond and Innocent Kru. My pick is probably the Keep That Light riddim, taking its title from the sweet rocksteady sounds of Slim Smith, whose original vocal is given new life, along with new cuts from Glen Washington and Richie Spice.

On the dancehall side, South Rakkas have continued their genre-mixing innovation with the Chinkuzi. It seems set to polarise people, but love it or hate it, you have to admit that it's innovative - they've taken Lenky's common approach of multiple mixes one step further, and actually created five different sub-riddims, such as the Miami-bass driven Chinkuzi's Roller Girl, and the dark grimey Chinkuzi's Revenge. Meanwhile, Steely and Cleevie continue their early 90s dancehall revive sound with new recuts of both the Punanny riddim (retitled Capital P) and Twice My Age (now Twice Again), both featuring standout cuts from Buju Banton and Assassin. Finally, the classic Stalag riddim has been redone yet again, this time by Togetherness records.