The enigmatic singer Martin Campbell defies stereotyping. While his experiences mirror those of many Jamaican singers – including a spell at the Alpha Boys School – Campbell remains something on an outsider. When we spoke to Martin Campbell from his home in the UK, he was busy re-assembling his old Channel One studio gear and preparing his next set of releases in original and analogue style. Campbell talks exclusively to Irie Up magazine about the future of reggae music. more in issue 12
Let’s face it, few governments or institutions devote themselves to celebrating or preserving reggae music, leaving the work to a few enterprising individuals. Rogers Steffens, archivist, educator and historian, tells Irie Up about his longtime devotion to preserving the legacy of the Wailers and his own mission in reggae music. more in issue 12
Ronan Lynch, organiser of The Reggae Movement Exhibition on Tour joins MickFitz on Northside2Day to discuss all things reggae and invite listeners to visit The Reggae Movement Exhibition on Tour, whether in Dublin or beyond. click to listen
American station NPR came to talk to us at the Reggae Movement Exhibition.
“Berlin is a city known for its electronic music and club scene. But not everyone knows that many of the tricks used in today’s club mixes, such as bass cut switches, echo and delay effects, and frequency filters can be traced back to sound system from Jamaica.” Read or listen to full story on NPR website
“Basically, you got to be amazing these days”. From the reggae town of Leicester, I Mitri Counteraction Soundz waxes lyrical about the darkness and light of UK dub music. He talks about the changes, continuities and innovations in the reggae business and the mission to deliver the UK dub sound with a live band. more in issue 10
Shemelis Desta spent most of three decades working for Emperor Haile Selassie as court photographer, and witnessed His Majesty’s departure from the Palace. He was then was forced to work for the Derg before making a daring escape to England with a treasure trove of Ethiopian culture. more in issue 9
In the fifth issue of Irie Up, we talked with Pete Holdsworth from the UK label Pressure Sounds, which specialises in releasing rare and hard to find original recordings from Jamaica. Fans of Pressure Sounds treasure the artwork and liner notes that come along with the recordings. In this issue, Reggae Richie talks to the man behind the scenes who puts the finishing touches to the Pressure Sounds releases: Harry Hawke.more in issue 8