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I Local Radio DJ talks up Reggie Jeff Dixon Contributing Writer The notion of nearly commercial free music may have seemed too good to be betrue betrue betrue true just a few years ago But in this era of players play- play ers streaming internet audio and local listener supported radio rarely- rarely interrupted study music is isnow now at our fingertips Still the genres we typically typically typically cally enjoy may not be compatible with doing homework Since college is synonymous with broadening broadening broadening broaden broaden- ing ones one's horizons it is then the perfect time to try a different flavor in music and refine ones one's aural palate Not to worry you dont don't need to smoke grass to appreciate today's topic Robert Nelson whose uber-mellow uber baritone is a 1 familiar voice to listeners J 1 across the Wasatch Front is isan s an expert on reggae music and has been hosting the j popular Saturday afternoon radio program Smile j I Jamaica for 15 years and andI 1 I running He was kind j enough to speak with The 3 Globe to share his knowledge knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge and give some advice to those wanting to explore this genre Roots genre Roots Reggae in particular For those whose idea of reggae is the band the Cops theme song by Bad Boys and with all due duei i 1 respect Bob Marley this Marley this 1 is for you i Globe Youre You're originally 1 from small town in Montana a state usually associated with no offense I and Grizzly Bears How did you become acquainted with reggae music RN Well you know I hated country I felt more J- J I fP 1 i I tastes as I came of age so 50 so i iwas I 1 Iwas was s more attracted to antiestablishment antiestablishment antiestablishment anti- anti establishment groups like The Who The Ramones and The Clash among others others others oth oth- ers rather than DC AC and REO I first heard reggae on shortly after I transferred transferred transferred trans trans- to the U when John Reese hosted Smile Jamaica He used to play classics from the and early Bob Marley and his contemporaries and that's th the stuff I fell in love with I began collecting at that point and really haven't looked back hack Globe Tell us about reggaes reggae's reggaes reggae's reggaes reggae's reg- reg gaes gae's origins What is the story behind the birth of this genre RN Reggae is a fusion of British and Scottish melodies and African rhythms A heat wave during during during dur dur- ing the summer of 1966 in particular is credited with the beginning of the Rock Steady Roots pre-Roots sound People were getting worn out both playing and dancing dancing dancing ing to music which is in double time and is pretty frenetic They slowed it down and kind of dragged it out especially the bass lines so people could dance without getting tired from the heat It took on a alife alife alife life of its it's own from that point The lyrics are an important tant part as well Not only would they do your typical lovers stuff but music was wasa a vehicle for expressing their feelings of oppression as the descendents of slaves and of longing to return to their homeland Africa Jamaica now has a population population population lation of a two and a half million and as the Island of Singers many of the people continue to record putting out music in that same spir spir- it Globe Your shows show's format format format for for- mat mainly stays within the Roots era of reggae What's the timeline for that style and who ho were some of the artists that that Roots sound RN It can be defined as the Bob Marley years because he was the most influential and well known It began in the early and ended around 1984 before the digital sound became popular in Jamaica Digital meant the creation of rhythms on a Casio machine rather than featuring featuring featuring ing live players of instruments instruments instruments ments which is what made reggae so compelling to me mein mein mein in the first place It had excellent singing heart felt lyrics with terrific bass guitar and percussion mixed in a a. a uniquely Jamaican fashion I try to steer away from playing Bob Marley or Peter Tosh unless its it's a rare single or bootleg because people have heard everything everything everything every every- thing else they've put out The body of work from the collective artists from that period is so large that I rarely play the same tune though artists like Culture Mighty Diamonds and Burning Spear are featured often in my sets Globe How many records do you own RN I probably have about ten thousand and CDs and then Id I'd say I have another ten thousand singles That still is not a alot alot alot lot by reggae collectors' collectors standards and Ive I've been buying for 20 years Globe Reggae from the late not only has a amore amore amore more modern sound but has a different feel altogether altogether altogether alto alto- gether from what you like to play Can you explain what this is RN There are a few subcategories subcategories subcategories sub- sub categories that the new generation of artists came out with In 85 it began with Teng Teng which is that modern sound youre you're talking about Also along those lines is or which became rather popular Those were more of an up-tempo up DJ- DJ style DJ-style tyle reggae and the the lyrics lyrics were more of of-a of a chatting style that is ismore ismore ismore more in line with rap and hop hip-hop vocalizing as opposed to singing the lyrics either solo or in a harmony group Some of those artists include Capleton Anthony B and others like Banton or more famously Sean Paul Globe With so many good reggae records out there getting started may maybe maybe maybe be overwhelming Among the most significant albums what are a few must-haves must RN I would start in any of three directions First make sure you have the albums by Bob Marley and The Wailers Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh Its It's no accident accident accident acci acci- dent that Bob Marley is so popular because he truly was a great writer and musician Also look for other contemporaries contemporaries contemporaries con con- temporaries like Burning Spear Culture Mighty Diamonds Prince Far I Bim Sherman Toots and The Look on the back of the disk for the dates and pick what looks good between the early and 1985 A second tactic is to look for the producer Most anything by King Tubby Lee Scratch Perry Niney the Observer or the Brothers is top notch Also look for the list of players players Roots or Revolutionaries are whom I especially favor The third is to look for forthe forthe forthe the quality reggae labels Almost anything on Blood and Fire and Pressure sounds is superb Other quality labels include Heartbeat Mango Island and RAS Or you can just email me meat meat meat at and I Reggie Cont Cant on Page 10 Reggie Cont Cant from Page 7 can point you in the right direction based on personal taste Globe Is there anything else students should know RN Yes they should not succumb to the misconception that all reggae sounds the same If they're familiar with rock then they're used to the guitar playing melody with the bass playing rhythm In reggae the strength lies with the bass not only because you feel it but for the fact that it is what's used for the melody parts while the guitars and keyboards are used for rhythm Listeners will find the great variety in reggae when they take this approach and focus their listening on the bass patterns And remember reggae is best when played loud If you can afford it buy a sub woofer and hook it up to your sound system so your neighbors can enjoy reggae reggae reggae reg reg- gae along with you Smile Jamaica can be heard every Saturday afternoon from 4 pm p.m. to 7 pm p.m. on FM More information including play lists and streaming live audio can be found at lorg is a noncommercial non commer cial community radio station that derives most of its financial support from listen listen- ers Membership information is also available available available avail avail- able on their or by phone at 1818 |